Improvements in Sheet Metal Roofing to Avoid Soldering at the Drip Edge of the Sheet as well as the Use of "Half Stop Ends."
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1886.
Complete Left, 1st Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th July, 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sheet Metal Roofing to Avoid Soldering at the
Drip Edge of the Sheet as well as the Use of "Half Stop
Ends."
We, ALFRED MOORE and JOHN LOWES of 356, Euston Road, London, N.W., do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to as follows:-
Our invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of zinc roofing, by
which the sheet is strengthened against risk of being broken along the angles which it
makes with the side of the roll cap; the water is prevented from travelling upwards
under the sheet and compelled to drop down; and the necessity of using what are
known in the trade as half-stop-ends is abolished.
In carrying our invention into effect, we fold the front edge of the sheet back
underneath, twice. When the sides are turned up to lie by the side of the roll, the
front part of the angle which, according to the old method of making zinc roofing,
was the weakest part, is now as strong as, if not stronger than, any.
The roll cap embraces the turned-up side edges of the sheet in the ordinary way,
and no half-stop-ends are required for stiffening it at the angles.
The sheet, with the front underfold described above, is laid with the edge of the
fold overhanging for a short distance. The rain water creeps round the nose of
the fold, and up the under face until it comes to the first fold, which it cannot turn,
so therefore hangs till it dries up or falls upon the next lower level.
Dated this 17th day of September 1886.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sheet Metal Roofing to Avoid Soldering at the
Drip Edge of the Sheet as well as the Use of "Half Stop
Ends."
We, ALFRED MOORE and JOHN LOWES, of 356, Euston Road, London, N.W., Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Our invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of sheet-metal (especially
zine) roofing, according to which the roofing sheets are strengthened against the risk
of being broken at, and along, the angles which they make with the sides of the roll ;
water is prevented from returning under the sheets and compelled to drop down upon
the next level, and the necessity of soldering what are known in the trade as
half-stop-ends is abolished.
In a previous patent No. 586 of A.D. 1872, there is described a method of forming
certain parts of a zinc roof-viz., the stop-end and the saddle-piece, out of the metal of
the roll-cap without the use of solder. According to the present invention, the system
of manufacturing the several parts of a zinc roof without solder is extended to
strengthening the edges of the roofing sheets by doubling or folding them, and thereby
also rendering them capable of clipping and holding the duplex half-stop-ends-which
replace the pair of half-stop-ends previously in use-up to the end of the roll; as well
as of clipping and holding the lower roofing sheet.
We will now describe our invention and its relation in detail to the well known
parts of a sheet metal roof, referring in so doing to the accompanying drawings,
in which
Fig. 1 is a sectional end elevation of a pitched roof, two runs deep.
Fig. 2 is an elevation, and Fig. 3 a plan, of part of the lower portion of a roofing
sheet of either the upper or any lower run.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the saddle piece of a lower roll cap, and
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an improved duplex half-stop-end used therewith.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a combined improved duplex half-stop-end and
saddle-piece of a lower roll cap.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an improved method of fixing the stop-end to
the roll.
Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation illustrating the connection of the tongue to the
stop-end.
Fig. 9 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, illustrating the mutual relations of
the several parts of a roof made according to our invention; and
Fig. 10 is perspective view of the clip of a saddle-piece.
A is the ordinary ridge cap; B, B are the top runs of roofing sheets; and C, C the
lower. The difference between the sheets of the top run and those of a lower run is

page_text: this-the flashings of the former are laid up against the ridge-roll, whereas those of
the latter are returned for a purpose to be explained further on.
The above recited advantages, which are consequent upon making the front edges
of the roofing sheets according to our invention, are secured by the following
methods of manufacture.
The front edge of a sheet is folded backwards twice; i.e., downwards and backwards,
and then returned within the first fold. This double folding can be effected by any
convenient and suitable process.
It has frequently been the practice to form a single fold along the front edge of
what is the front portion of the roofing sheet when the latter is fixed, but this fold
has not been continued past the angle f, which has therefore been left much weaker,
relatively, than the other parts of the roof. It has readily cracked under slight
pressure, and the half-stop-ends soldered to the sides e and to each other soon tore
away either under pressure or in consequence of the well known inability of a soldered
joint between two pieces of zinc to resist the action of the weather.
The first fold b and second fold e leave between them a band d which is, when the
roof is laid, practically horizontal, neither of the said folds being closed. The sides of
the sheets are then turned up as heretofore, producing the flashings e.
By our invention, therefore, we strengthen the entire front edge of the sheet
without using solder; and as the formation of the angle tends to close the folds b
and c on the line of the angle, stopping short however of pinching, we make what was
the weakest point in the roof as strong as any and quite capable of resisting any strain
tending to crack it 'to which it is likely to be subjected.
The back flashing g of every sheet in a lower run is returned forwards, producing a
projecting flange g which is embraced by the double fold along the front edge of the
sheet above it. The front edges of a roof made and laid according to our invention
are therefore fourfold, excepting that at the eave which is a three-fold one.
The width of the flange g and the projection of the fold e in front of it cause the
front edge of any run to project a practicable distance over the one beneath. Water
running quickly down any run will, therefore, readily fall clear of the flashing g, and
any water which may turn the fold c will move slowly across the band d in the
direction of the fold which it cannot turn, but will accumulate there, to dry up or
drip upon the next run; and so on, until it either wastes or reaches the eave.
We do not rigidly confine ourselves to folding the edge of the sheet twice, as above
described, but we prefer folding it twice to once only, although once folding may be
resorted to with unusually strong metal.
The manufacture of a sheet is completed by bending up the flashings e along
its sides.
The pair of half-stop-ends, referred to above as hitherto used to cover the end of the
roll, have been soldered to the side flashings of the roofing sheets and to each other.
Now, according to our present invention, the necessity of using any other solder at
this part of the roof is abolished, such abolition being a consequence of the folded
edges of the sheets acting as clips to engage with the forwardly bent edges of the
duplex half-stop-end.
The saddle-piece H of any lower roll cap is formed with a tab h to cover the nose i
of the roll behind it. A duplex half-stop-end formed in one piece rests by its sole j
upon the saddle-piece. Its back covers the tab h, and its vertical and horizontal
flanges k, k, are respectively embraced by the doubly bent vertical and horizontal
edges of the roofing sheets and their flashings e behind it, so that access of wet to the
wood-work of the roof at the nose of the roll is entirely prevented in consequence of
its be thoroughly shielded by metal; and if ever, for any reason, it is required to cut
the stop-end down its back and along its sole, this can safely be done without incurring
the risk of admitting wet to the wood-work, so well will the latter be shielded when
the laying of the roof is finished.
Instead of making the saddle-piece and duplex half-stop-end separate, as described
above with reference to Figs. 4 and 5, it is convenient to combine them in one piece

page_text: as shewn in Fig. 6. The tab h of the saddle piece H disappears and the sole ; of the
half stop end is merged in the saddle. The position of it when fixed is shewn in
Fig. 9, in which figure as well as in Fig. 6 the reference letters used in Fig. 5 are
repeated.
According to the method generally followed for fastening the roll cap to the roll,
two tongues are soldered inside the stop-end, one to each side thereof; which tongues
take under clips nailed to the sides of the roll. We prefer to use only one tongue
which we attach to the stop end without either solder or rivetting.
We fix a tongue inside the stop-end m, by making the folds m¹ of the latter grip
the root n of the former between themselves and the face o of the cap. The
extremity n¹ of the root is turned up over the folds m¹. A clip or loop p is nailed
or screwed close to the roll, and under which the tongue slides as the stop-end is
pushed home.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is:-
1. In a sheet forming part of a run of sheet-metal roofing, strengthening the front
edge thereof by folding the same backwards twice before the sides of the sheet are
flashed to lie against the roll, substantially as herein before described with reference to
the accompanying Figs. 2, 3, and 9.
2. In a sheet forming part of a run of sheet-metal roofing, folding the forward edge
thereof backwards twice, but not closing said folds, for the purpose of preventing the
water from returning under the roofing sheet as far as the wood-work of the roof,
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Figs. 2, 3
and 9.
3. In a sheet forming part of a run of sheet-metal roofing, strengthening the front
edge thereof by folding the same backwards underneath before the sides of the sheet
are flashed to lie against the roll, thereby adapting the sheet and flashings to clip the
forwardly bent flanges both of the sheet below and of the duplex half-stop-end used
to cover the end of the roll.
4. The formation in sheet-metal roofing, of a singly or doubly bent front edge on
the sheet and the flashing thereof whereby the said sheet and flashing are adapted to
clip the forwardly bent flanges of the sheet below and of the stop end, either or both;
substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying figures, 2,
3 and 9.