IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Taylor, of Shiffnal, Ironmaster, William
Molineux, of Hollinswood, Puddler, and Henry Harrison, also of
Hollinswood, Manager, all in the County of Salop, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
IRON."
Sealed the 29th July 1864, and dated the 6th February 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Taylor, William
Molineux, and Henry Harrison at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 6th February 1864.
We, WILLIAM TAYLOR, of Shiffnal, Ironmaster, WILLIAM MOLINEUX, of
Hollinswood, Puddler, and HENRY HARRISON, also of Hollinswood, Manager,
all in the County of Salop, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON,"
to be as follows (that is to say).
The object of our Invention is to construct the puddling furnace in an
improved manner, and it is intended, by means of, an air chamber to. be con-
structed round the furnace, to dispense altogether with the necessity for using
any "fetling" material, it is believed also that by our improved furnace the
iron produced will be much purer in its nature, and that it can be made at a
lower cost than by the present mode. It is well known that in order to
preserve the plates of a puddling furnace and keep them from burning it has
been usual to protect them by introducing into the furnace various substances,

page_text: such as limestone, red ore, bull-dog, and other "fetling" material. Now
this, besides being costly, has necessarily the effect of impregnating the iron
puddled with chemical impurities, and to obviate this it has been proposed by
other Inventors to keep the plates of the furnace cool by introducing water
round the furnace by means of suitable pipes, but this plan has not proved
successful.
Now, by our Invention, instead of using water to cool the plates we propose
to use currents of cold air. For this purpose we construct the furnace in the
usual manner, except that on each side of the puddling door we propose to
construct an air chamber, these chambers may be of any suitable dimensions
and shape, and they are carried in opposite directions completely round the
furnace in such a manner that they both meet at the rear of the furnace, the
air from both chambers being discharged into the flue, chimney, or other
outlet provided. It will be seen from this description that two currents of
cold air will be continually drawn in at the two mouths of the air chambers
provided on each side of the puddler's door, that these two currents of cold air
by constantly passing round the furnace will have the effect of cooling
the same, and that the puddler or man working the furnace will be in a great
manner protected from those chemical effusions and noxious gases arising
from the puddling of the iron to which he is now subject, in consequence of
the tendency there will be for such effusions and gases upon their escaping
from the furnace door to be drawn up one or other of the air chambers
provided.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Taylor, William Molineux, and Henry Harrison in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
TAYLOR, of Shiffnal, Ironmaster, WILLIAM MOLINEUX, of Hollinswood,
Puddler, and HENRY HARRISON, also of Hollinswood, Manager, all in the
County of Salop, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs. and successors, give and grant unto
ns, the said William Taylor, William Molineux, and Henry Harrison, Her
special licence that we, the said William Taylor, William Molineux, and

page_text: Henry Harrison, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said William Taylor, Williain Molineux, and Henry Harrison, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,'
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUDDLING FURNACES FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
William Taylor, William Molineux, and Henry Harrison, our executors or ad-
ministrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their.
hands and seals, should particularly describe and' ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, 'that we, the said William Taylor, William Molineux,
and Henry Harrison, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the samo is to be performed, to be particularly de-
scribed and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
The object of our Invention is to construct the puddling furnace in an
improved manner, and it is intended by means of air chambers to be con-
structed round the furnace to dispense in a great measure if not altogether
with the necessity of using any "fettling" material; it is believed also that by
our improved furnace the iron produced will be much purer in its nature, and
that it can be made at a lower cost than by the present mode. It is well
known that in order to preserve the plates of a puddling furnace and keep
them from burning it has been usual to protect them by introducing into the
furnace various substances, such as limestone, red ore, bull-dog, and other
"fettling" material. Now this, besides being costly, has necessarily the effect
of impregnating the iron puddled with chemical impurities, and to obviate this
it has been proposed by other Inventors to keep the plates of the furnace cool
by introducing water round the furnace by means of suitable pipes, but this
plan has not proved successful.
Now by our Invention, instead of using water to cool the plates we
propose to use currents of cold air. For this purpose we construct the
furnace in the usual manner, except that on each side of the puddling door
we propose to construct an air chamber. These chambers may be of any
suitable dimensions and shape, and they are carried in opposite directions
completely round the furnace in such a manner that they both meet at the rear
of the furnace, the air from both chambers' being discharged into the flue,

page_text: chimney, or other outlet provided. It will be seen from this description that
two currents of cold air will be continually drawn in at the two mouths of
the air chambers provided on each side of the puddler's door, that these two
currents of cold air by constantly passing round the furnace will have the
effect of cooling the same, and that the puddler or man working the furnaco
will be in a great manner protected from those chemical effusions and noxious
gases arising from the puddling of the iron to which he is now subject, in
consequence of the tendency there will be for such effusions and gases upon
their escaping from the furnace door to be drawn up one or other of the air
chambers provided.
That our Invention may be better understood, we have annexed Drawings
thereof, which we now proceed to describe.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of tho puddling furnace; Fig. 2 is a section of
the air chamber.; and Fig. 3 is sectional plan of the furnace at the line of the
air chamber and through the firing holes. All the Figures are drawn to a
scale of inch to 1 foot. The new parts are indicated by letters, and the old
parts by numerals. The furnace is constructed generally in the ordinary
manner of fire-brick 1, and side and end plates 2; 3 is the fire-place, which
is fed at the hole 4, the fire being stirred by a bar introduced at the hole 5;
6 is the puddling chamber, and 7 is the flue leading therefrom to the chimney;
8 is the puddler's door which is opened or shut by the rods and levers 9.
The parts which we consider new are as follows:-A, A, are the air
chambers, a plan view of which is given in Fig. 3, and which are shewn in
section in Fig. 2. They are carried completely round the puddling furnace
except where the door 8 is formed. The front ends of these chambers aro
open, and communicate with the atmosphere by two openings through the
front furnace plates, which openings are on either side of the puddler's door.
An opening B is also formed at the rear of the furnace leading into the
flue C, which communicates with the stack or chimney provided. A strong
draught or current of air is thus caused to pass through the chamber A in
the direction of the arrows, the chamber being thereby kept sufficiently cool
to prevent its destruction from the intense heat of the fire. Where however
the hottest flame first touches the chamber, we propose to make the part D
separate from the body of the chamber, so as to be easily replaced when it has
become reduced by the action of the fire.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be carried into effect, we desire it to be understood
that, without limiting ourselves to the details herein-before described (as these
may be varied without departing from the nature of our Invention), we

page_text: claim the new parts above referred to, and generally the application of an
air chamber or air chambers to puddling furnaces, substantially as herein-
before set forth and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Taylor, William Molineux, and
Henry Harrison, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourth
day of August, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
0 Witness,
G. R. HOLLAND,
Patent Office,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM TAYLOR.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM MOLINEUX. (Ls.)
HENRY HARRISON.
(L.S.)