IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DRAIN AND OTHER TILES AND PIPES
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHO THESE PRESENT
AL
COME,
XICHARD
WELLES, of Capel, near Dorking, Brick and Tile Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of March, in the eight year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Weller, my exors, adiiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Richard Weller, my
exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Weller, my
exors, aduiors, or assigus, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF DRAIN AND OTHER TILES AND PIPES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Richard Weller, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Richard Weller, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, refereuce being had to the

page_text: Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that
is to say
The Invention consists of improvements in arranging and constructing
machinery for facilitating the making of drain and other tiles and pipes. And
in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a side view of a machine constructed and arranged according to
my Invention. Figure 2 is an end view, and Figure 3 is a plan of the
machine; the other Figures of the Drawing show details, and in all the Figures
the same letters are used to indicate the same parts of the machinery. a, a, is
the framing of the machine, the nature of which will readily be traced on
examining the various Figures of the Drawings. The machine is mounted on
four wheels, to facilitate the transport thereof from place to place. b, b, are two
vessels within which work pistons for expressing the clay through dies or
moulding orifices affixed at the outer ends of the vessels b, b, and the machinery
is so arranged that when one of the vessels is having the clay expressed
therefrom through the moulding orifice or die affixed thereto, the other vessel
b is brought into a position for allowing the same to be filled with clay. The
vessels are of a cylindrical form at their upper parts, and flat at the under
parts, which will be found to be a very convenient form, particularly when
making half cylinders, or bent tiles of large diameter compared with the
diameter of the vessels b, and although I believe that it is better to have some-
what more than half a cylinder, as shown, yet the shape may be varied so long
as the sectional figure of the vessels & be composed of a curve and a straight or
horizontal line. The vessels b, b, are mounted on necks or trunions, so that they
move in bearings in such manner as to assume at one time a horizontal and at
another a vertical position, by which, when either of the vessels 6 has been emptied
by its piston or plunger, it may be turned in a position to be again filled. c, c,
are the two pistons or plungers which respectively work in the two vessels b, b.
These pistons are fixed to the two ends of the bar d, which is supported and
slides in a suitable bearing in the bridge c. On the under surface of the bar d
is formed or affixed a toothed rack which is worked by means of the pinion f
on the axis g, such axis receiving motion by means of a lever as hereafter
described. In each of the pistons is an opening over which is placed a flap or
valve h, which allows of the air passing between the piston and the clay when
the piston is drawn back, and thus is the drawing back of the piston facilitated.
On the upper surface of the bar d are formed four rows of ratchet teeth, two
rows being formed so as to receive the catches or stops i, which will retain the

page_text: bar d from going back in one direction, the other two rows of teeth being
formed or cut in an opposite direction so as to receive the two catches or stops
i, j, to retain the bar d from moving back when working in the other direc-
tion, and the object of thus stopping the bar d is, that the piston which is in
work may not be driven back by the air which may have been compressed
between the piston and the clay when the lever m is put back in order to
make another stroke. The two sets of catches or stops i, j, are connected
together as shown, so that by moving the lever & those stops or catches which
have been in action are moved out out of action, and those which are out of
action are brought into action. By this arrangement the bar will be held from
returning in whichever way it may be working, and when the piston at the
end of the bar d has been forced up to the end of its stroke, the lever : is to be
reversed, which will change the positions of the catches or stops i andj, and then
the bar d may be reversed in its direction of movement, which will by the other
piston force out the clay from the other vessel b, and allow the vessel b, which
has just been emptied, to be moved in its axes or trunions so as to assume a
vertical position in order again to be filled with clay. 1, 1, are catches which
retain the vessels b in the horizontal or in the vertical position.
I would remark that although I prefer the vessels b, b, when mounted on
axes or trunions to be of the form shown and described, yet this part of my
Invention is equally applicable to vessels of a cylindrical or other shaped form,
from which clay is forced by pistons or plungers through moulding orifices or
dies to make tiles or pipes, for such vessels may with equal advantage be
mounted on axes or trunions. The moulding orifices are found in the end
covers of the vessels b, and are as heretofore suitable for making tiles of
different forms or pipes, and are well understood, and therefore do not require
to be described in this my Specification. The bar d is moved to and fro by
means of the lever m, which gives motion to the axis f, first in one direction,
then in the other, in the following manner :-n is a ratchet wheel fixed on the
axis f; this ratchet wheel has two sets of teeth cut in opposite directions, and
the lever m (the nature of which is clearly shown in the Drawing) has the
drivers o, p, so that when the lever handle m is on one side the axis it will, on
being raised and lowered, cause the wheel n, and consequently the axis f, to
move round, which action will be continued till the piston (in action) has com
pleted its stroke, when the small lever k is to be moved over, which will reverse
the stops or catches, when the lever m may be moved over to the other side of
the axis f when the working of the lever m up and down will cause the axis f
to be moved in the opposite direction, and by the other piston it will force out
the clay from the other vessel b, allowing time for the empty vessel b to be

page_text: filled again with clay. The tiles, as they are forced out, are received on suitable
"horses" as heretofore, and they are cut off by means of the wires I carried
by the sliding frame 1, and when the tiles are to be punched with holes, such
as flat tiles for roofing purposes, I apply a suitable punch s to the frame 1, so
that in causing the frame r to descend a tile will be cut off and punched at the
same time.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of per-
forming, I would wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise details shown so long as the peculiar character of the improvements, or
either of them be retained. But what I claim is-
First, the forming of the vessels b, b, as herein described.
Secondly, I claim the mounting of the vessels b, b, (from which clay is ex-
pressed through moulding orifices or dies) on axes or trunions.
Thirdly, I claim the application of the stops or catches i, j, in combination
with the ratchet teeth on the bar d for stopping the pistons.
Fourthly, I claim the application of valves to the pistons or plungers used
in pressing clay through moulding orifices or dies in making tiles and pipes.
Fifthly, I claim the giving motion to the pistons by means of the lever m,
the drivers o, p, and ratchet wheel on the axis f, as herein described.
And, sixthly, I claim the combining of the punches with the cutting apparatus,
so as by one operation to perform the two processes.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Richard Weller, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.