IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CLAY RETORTS AND OTHER PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATIONLARAVY ARTICADEROM
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Dewhurst Cliff, of Wortley, near Leeds,
in the County of York, Fire-brick Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CLAY RETORTS AND OTHER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Dewhurst
Cliff at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 11th June 1874.
I, WILLIAM DEWHURST CLIFF, of Wortley, near Leeds, in the County
of York, Fire-brick Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CLAY
RETORTS AND OTHER SIMILAR HEAVY ARTICLES MADE FROM CLAY," to be as
follows:-
Hitherto it has been found impracticable to employ machinery in the
manufacture of clay retorts and other similar heavy articles made of
clay, on account of their great weight; but by the aid of my present

page_text: ease.
The arrangement of machinery I propose to employ is vertical. At
the upper part carried on a suitable frame or standard is a steam cylinder,
to the piston rod of which is fixed another piston, which acts in com-
bination with the clay cylinder fixed below the steam cylinder. To the
lower end of the clay cylinder is fixed the die or mould, the form of
which is varied according to the form and dimensions of retort or other
article required.
As the retort issues from the die or mould it is received on to a loose.
board carried by a carriage provided with wheels, so that when the
retort is completely formed the carriage with it may be run on a road or
platform to any desired place.
When the retort commences to issue from the die or mould this
carriage is supported by a table connected to the upper ends of slide rods,
which work through and are guided by suitable guides. These slide
rods are also connected together at their lower ends by a cross beam
or bar, to the centre of which is attached a chain which passes up over
a suitable pulley to a balance weight.
Additional or compensating weights supported at intervals on suitable
brackets are caught up by the first-mentioned weight as it ascends, and
as the increasing weight of the retort in its descent requires them.
These weights can be varied at pleasure according to the weight of the
article being made. These additional or compensating weights are
guided by suitable guide rods.
A brake wheel is fixed on the same shaft as that of the before-
mentioned pulley to hold the machine in its position when the retort or
other article is fully formed, and to regulate the ascent of the table up
to the die or mould. The brake wheel has acting in connection with it
a friction strap, which is connected to a lever operated preferably by a
screw, and to this lever is pin-jointed a catch lever which is employed to
press down the table when the article is completely formed, so as to
relieve the carriage and thus allow of its being moved away; or if desired,
another simple lever may be employed for this purpose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Dewhurst Cliff in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 11th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
DEWHURST CLIFF, of Wortley, near Leeds, in the County of York,
Fire-brick Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Dewhurst Cliff, Her special
license, that I, the said William Dewhurst Cliff, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Dewhurst
Cliff, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CLAY RETORTS AND OTHER
SIMILAR HEAVY ARTICLES MADE PROM CLAY," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Dewhurst Cliff, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and scals, 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 I, the said William Dewhurst Cliff, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
--
Hitherto it has been found impracticable to employ machinery in the
manufacture of clay retorts and other similar heavy articles made of clay,
on account of their great weight; but by the aid of my present Invention
I am enabled to manufacture such articles with comparative ease.

page_text: At
The arrangement of machinery I propose to employ is vertical.
the upper part carried on a suitable frame or standard is a steam
cylinder, to the piston rod of which is fixed another piston, which acts
in combination with the clay cylinder fixed below the steam cylinder.
To the lower end of the clay cylinder is fixed the die or mould, the form
of which is varied according to the form and dimensions of retort or
other article equired
The arrangement of machinery I propose to employ is vertical. At
the upper part carried on a suitable frame or standard is a steam
cylinder, to the piston rod of which is fixed another piston, which acts
in combination with the clay cylinder fixed below the steam cylinder.
To the lower end of the clay cylinder is fixed the die or mould, the form
of which is varied according to the form and dimensions of retort or
Lother article required.
As the retort issues from the die or mould it is received on to a loose
board carried by a carriage provided with wheels, so that when the
retort is completely formed the carriage with it may be run on a road
or platform to any desired place.
When the retort commences to issue from the dic or mould, and until
it is completely formed, this carriage is supported by a table connected
to the upper ends of slide rods which work through and are guided by
suitable guides. These slide rods are also connected together at their
lower ends by a cross beam or bar, to the centre of which is attached a
chain which passes up over a suitable pulley to a balance weight.
Additional or compensating weights supported at intervals on suitable
brackets are caught up by the first-mentioned weight as it ascends, and
as the increasing weight of the retort in its descent requires them.
These weights can be varied at pleasure according to the weight of the
article being made. These additional or compensating weights are
guided by suitable guide rods.
1
A brake wheel is fixed on the same shaft as that of the before-
mentioned pulley to hold the machine in its position when the retort or
other article is fully formed, and to regulate the ascent of the table up
to the die or mould. The brake wheel has acting in connection with it
a friction strap, which is connected to a lever operated preferably by a
and to this lever is pin-jointed a catch lever which is employed to
press down the table when the article is completely formed, so as to
relieve the carriage and thus allow of its being moved away; or if desired,
another simple lever may be employed for this purpose.
screw,
And in order that my said Invention may be more clearly understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying
Drawings, more fully to describe the same.

page_text: Figure 2 is a vertical section of Figure 1 with the steam and clay
cylinders removed.
Figure 3 is a plan of some of the parts shown in Figure 2:
Figure 4 is a plan view of the uppermost additional or compensating
weight, and Figure 5 is an elevation showing the balance weight with
the additional or compensating weights, collected together as they would
appear when at their highest position.
a is a steam cylinder which is supported as shown in the Drawings or
in any other suitable manner; b is the piston rod from the piston in the
steam cylinder a, and ¹ are extra guide rods also from the said piston.
These rods b, b', are connected to a piston c which fits and is capable of
working in the clay cylinder d, to the lower end of which is fixed the
die or mould d', the form of which is varied according to the form and
dimensions of retort or other article required to be produced by the
machine.
As the retort or other article issues from the dic or mould d¹ it is
received on to a loose board e carried by a carriage ƒ provided with
wheels f¹, so that when the retort or other article is completely formed,
the carriage with it may be run on a road or platform g to any desired
place.
When the retort or other article commences to issue from the die or
mould d¹, and until it is completely formed, this carriage fis supported
by a table h connected to the upper ends of slide rods i, which work
through and are guided by cross beams or guides ; secured to the side
frames or vertical timbers k. These slide rods are also connected.
together at their lower ends by a cross beam or bar 1, to the centre of
which is attached a chain m, which passes up over a suitable pulley n.
and thence down to a balance weight o.
Additional or compensating weights p supported at intervals on
suitable brackets q and guided in their motions by guide rods are
caught up by the balance weight o as it ascends, and as the increasing

page_text: weight of the retort or other article in its descent as it issues from the
die or mould d¹ requires them. These additional or compensating
weights p can be varied at pleasure according to the weight of the
article being made, for which purpose they are each provided with three
slots or openings p', p², p³, the slots or openings p¹ being those in which
the chain m works, whilst the slots or openings p² are those which fit
the guide rods 1.
A brake wheels is fixed on the same shaft or axis as that of the
pulley n, to hold the machine in its position when the retort or other
article has fully issued from the clay cylinder d, and to regulate the
ascent of the table h up to the die or mould d'. The brake wheels has
acting in connection with it a friction strap s¹, which is connected to a
lever operated preferably by a screw u, as shown, and to this lever is
pin-jointed a catch lever which is employed to press down the table h
when the retort or other article is completely formed, so as to relieve the
carriage and thus allow of its being moved away; or if desired, another
simple lever may be employed for this purpose.
v
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The clay cylinder d
being filled with clay the piston in the steam cylinder a is forced down
carrying with it the clay piston c, thereby forcing the clay through the
die or mould d¹. As the clay in the form of retort or other article
descends it gradually forces down the table and consequently raises
the balance weight o. When this weight o reaches the lowest of the
additional or supplemental weights p it takes it up, thereby additing its
weight as counterbalance for the increased load of the descending retort
or other article, and so on until all the weights p are taken up, and the
retort or other article has fully issued from the die or mould d³.
The weights o, p, are so arranged that when the retort or other article
is forced out to nearly the required length, the retort or other article is
rather heavier than the compensating weights, the brake is then slightly
applied to check the downward momentum of the retort or other article,
until it reaches its proper length when the brake is tightened. The
retort or other article is then cut off after which the brake is slackened
so as to allow the carriage f with the retort or other article upon it to
descend, until the wheels f¹ rest upon the road or platform g, when upon
the table being further depressed by means of the catch lever v being
moved forward so as to take hold of the table h, and the brake lever t

page_text: be
being further screwed down the carriage ƒ will become clear of the table
h, and be moved away so that another carriage ƒ and board e may
placed in position on the table h. The brake wheel is then slackened
and catch lever v removed from the table h, so as to allow of the.
gradual ascent of the table with the carriage fup to the die or mould
d', when the operation is repeated as before.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the mode
in which I carry the same into effect, I would here remark that I am
aware that a steam cylinder a and clay cylinder d arranged and operated"
as above described have before been employed in the manufacture of
various articles in clay, I do not therefore claim such parts, but what I
do claim in the manufacture of retorts and other similar heavy articles
made from clay is,―
Firstly. The use of compensating weights p in manner and for the
purpose substantially as herein shown and described..
And Secondly. I claim the mode of receiving the retort or other
article as it issues from the dic or mould d' upon a carriage provided
with wheels, in manner and for the purpose substantially as herein
shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Dewhurst Cliff, have
hercunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of December,
in the year of Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.