IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL."-A communi-
cation from abroad by James Jones Johnston, of the City and
County of Allegheny, and State of Pennsylvania, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th August 1869.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
3 of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL," a
communication from abroad by James Jones Johnston, of the City and

page_text: County of Allegheny, and State of Pennsylvania, United States of
America, to be as follows:-
°
This Invention has for its object the providing an easy, cheap, and
desirable means for the purifying and refining of all kinds of pig metal
however and wherever made, and at the same time to facilitate and
lessen the cost of manufacturing it into a superior article of wrought
iron or steel.
The nature of this Invention consists in bringing melted metal direct
from iron ore or pig metal remelted into its most fluid condition, and
then purifying and refining it by mixing with it a metallic oxide, and
then forming it into plates or bars of wrought iron by pouring the
molten metal thus purified and refined, and while still in a fluid
condition into moulds formed of a metallic oxide or moulds coated
with a metallic oxide. The moulds are formed in and by any of the
known means practised by iron moulders in the foundry, and are
composed of pulverized iron ore moistened and tempered with water, or
metallic moulds of suitable size and form for making the desired plates
and bars may be used, such moulds being coated with a pasty material
consisting of finely pulverized ore and water. The metallic moulds after
being coated should be thoroughly dried before pouring into them the
purified and refined fluid metal. After the herein-before described
purified refined and fluid metal has been poured into the moulds, and it
has become sufficiently congealed, the plates or bars are then removed
from the moulds, and after being exposed to the action of the atmosphere
until they become cold they are then in suitable quantities placed in a
puddling or heating furnace and properly heated and worked into balls
or piles, which are then hammered or squeezed and rolled or otherwise
worked and manipulated in any known manner for making it or them
into any desired form of merchantable iron or steel. The melted cast
iron may be treated with any suitable "physic" prior to mixing the
metallic oxide or pulverized iron ore into and with the fluid metal, and
other metallic oxides, alkaline, saline, and carbonaceous matter may in
limited quantities be mixed and compounded with the pulverized iron
ore prior to mixing it with the fluid cast iron for purifying and
refining it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I,
the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, adminis-
trators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, 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 THE MANUFACTURE
OF IRON AND STEEL,' a communication from abroad by James Jones.
Johnston, of the City and County of Allegheny, and State of Penn-
sylvania, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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, that is to say :-
The said Invention has for its object the providing any casy, cheap,
and desirable means for the purifying and refining of all kinds of pig
metal, and at the same time to facilitate and reduce the cost of manu-.
facturing it into a superior article of wrought iron or steel.

page_text: The introduction and use of stone coal, coke, and hot blast in the
reduction of iron ore to the metallic state has occasioned much bad pig
iron known to the trade as "red short," "cold short," and "rotten
short," and this condition of the art being common and extensive has
produced a general desire among manufacturers of iron and steel for
some sure, easy, and economical means for removing the impurities in the
pig metal prior to transferring it to the puddling or heating furnace, and
at the same time to lessen the time, labor, and cost of manufacturing it
into a good article of wrought iron or steel.
To accomplish the removal of the impurities in the pig metal manu-
facturers of wrought iron and steel have had recourse to the bloomery
fires, finery fires, and forge fires in all their varieties. They have
also resorted to the use of the "Catalan forge," "German forge,"
"Wolf's oven," "blue oven," crucibles," and furnaces in all their
varieties. They have also resorted to the puddling, boiling, and granu-
lating processes, to the use of fluxes and "physic," consisting of metallic
oxides, earths, alkaline, saline, and carbonaceous matter in different
quantities and variously combined and compounded. They have also
had recourse to gases, acids, water, steam, and air, using them separately
and combined and applied in almost every conceivable manner, but all
these agencies have failed to produce the desired result, videlicet, the
purifying and refining of the various kinds of pig metal, and facilitating
and lessening the cost of manufacturing it into a good article of wrought
iron or steel to that degree desired by the manufacturer. Now the
nature of this Invention consists in bringing melted metal direct from
iron ore or pig metal remelted into its most fluid condition, and then
purifying and refining it by mixing with it a metallic oxide, and then
forming it into plates or bars of wrought iron by pouring the molten
metal thus purified and refined and while still in a fluid condition into
moulds formed of a metallic oxide or moulds coated with a metallic
oxide.
In carrying out this Invention I take a good article of iron ore and
crush or pulverize it so that it will pass through a "No. 8 sieve." 1
then bring the metal direct from the iron ore, or pig iron remelted into
its most fluid condition, or as the ironfounders say "to a milk white
heat," which can be done by a suitable application of heat in a furnace
or cupola. The molten metal is then run into a shank, ladle, or other
vessel which has been coated with a pasty material formed by mixing

page_text: very finely pulverized iron ore and water together, and this coating on
the shank, ladle, or vessel thoroughly dried before the molten iron is run
into it, and then mixing into and among the molten metal the pulverized
iron ore, mixing from eight to twelve pounds of the pulverized ore with
about one hundred pounds of the molten cast iron, taking care to mix
thoroughly together the molten iron and pulverized ore so that the
particles of each will come in contact with each other, which mixing
may be performed by the use of a suitable tool, by preference made of a
flat bar of iron. The lower end of the mixing tool should be coated with
a pasty material formed of the finely pulverized iron ore and water, and
the coating on the tool should be thoroughly dried before using it. The
pulverized ore may be mixed into and among the molten iron while in .
the furnace by having the furnace suitably constructed for that purpose,
and by the use of a suitable mixing tool. The construction of the
furnace and mixing tool I leave to those skilled in the art. The
pulverized iron ore should be heated to about 150° Fahrenheit prior to
mixing it into and with the molten iron. After the pulverized iron ore
and molten iron have been mixed together in the manner and by the
means herein-before described the mixed and fluid mass is poured into
moulds formed of finely pulverized iron ore, which has been so crushed
and pulverized that it will pass through a "No. 16 sieve." The crushed
and pulverized ore should be moistened and tempered with water in the
manner practised by "iron moulders" for tempering and preparing
moulding sand. After the pulverized ore has thus been prepared I take a
suitable flask and patterns of the form of the plates or bars desired. With
this flask and pattern I form moulds in and by any of the known means
practised by iron moulders in the foundry; or I take metallic moulds of
suitable size and form for making the desired plates and bars, and coat
the moulds with a pasty material consisting of finely pulverized ore and
water. The metallic moulds after being coated should be thoroughly
dried before pouring into them the fluid metal purified and refined as
herein-before described. I have found by experience that one half inch
in thickness for the plates answers best for making a superior article of
wrought iron, and that one inch in diameter is a good size for the bars;
but the plates may be made from one to three inches thick, and from
five to ten inches wide, and from one to three feet long, and the bars
may be made from one to three inches in diameter, and from one to
three feet long, and in every case a most excellent article of pure and
fibrous iron made therefrom. After the herein-before described purified,

page_text: refined, and fluid metal has been poured into the moulds, and it has
become sufficiently congealed, the plates or bars are then removed from
the moulds, and after being exposed to the action of the atmosphere
until they become cold they are then in suitable quantities placed
in a puddling or heating furnace, and properly heated and worked into
balls or piles, which are then hammered or squeezed and rolled or
otherwise worked and manipulated in any known manner for making it
or them into any desired form of merchantable iron or steel. The melted
cast iron may be treated with any suitable "physic" prior to mixing the
pulverized iron ore into and with the fluid metal, and other metallic
oxides, alkaline, saline, and carbonaceous matter may in limited quan-
tities be mixed and compounded with the pulverized iron ore prior to
mixing it with the fluid cast iron, for purifying and refining; it. The
operator must always be careful to have the molten cast iron in its most
fluid condition prior to mixing the pulverized ore into and among it,
otherwise the operation of purifying and refining it and pouring it into
the moulds will be imperfectly done. The operator should always take
care to skim the fluid mass prior to or during the time it is being poured
into the moulds. The manner of handling and manipulating the moulds
during the filling and pouring process I leave to the judgment and skill
of the operator or manufacturer.
I wish it clearly understood that I am aware that pulverized iron oro
and pulverized iron ore mixed with other ingredients have been mixed
with molten cast iron in the puddling furnace and in other ways,
therefore I do not claim broadly mixing pulverized ore with molten cast
iron. I am also aware cast iron has been run into moulds made in beds
of pulverized ore, therefore I do not claim broadly running molten iron
into moulds formed of the oxide of iron, but this mixing of the pulverized
ore with the molten iron and the running of the cast iron into moulds
has been done under other conditions and with very different results.
The novelty of the improved process consists in bringing cast iron into
its most fluid condition, and then purifying and refining it by mixing
with it solid oxides pulverized, and then pouring the purified and refined
metal while still in a melted condition into moulds prepared as herein-
before described, and thereby producing an article of wrought iron by
my process, which is superior in quality to that obtained in the ordinary
way

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. As a new article of manufacture plates or bars of wrought iron
produced by bringing cast iron into its most fluid condition, and then
purifying and refining it by mixing with it a metallic oxide and then
pouring it while fluid into moulds, as herein-before described.
Second. The production of wrought iron from cast iron by mixing with
the latter while in a fluid condition a sufficient amount of oxides to
purify and refine it, and then pouring the purified and refined metal into
moulds, as hercin-before described.
Third. The employment of detersive agents by mixing them with
pulverized iron ore to be used in the process herein-before described for
the production of wrought iron.
Fourth. The employment in the process herein-before described of
metallic moulds coated with a pasty material consisting of pulverized
iron ore and water.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
Specification set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of February,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy.