IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES MADE OF CORK, WOOD, OR OTHER MATERIALS, AND THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN OF THE REFUSE MATTERS TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES, FOR WHICH THEY HAVE NEVER HERETOFORE BEEN EMPLOYED
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FELIX
MOREAU, of Ghent, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Engineer, 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 Eighteenth day of January, in the eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Felix Moreau, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Felix Moreau, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said Felix Moreau, my.executors, admini-
strators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Planta-
tions abroad, and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and
Man, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORKS, AND
OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES MADE OF CORK, WOOD, OR OTHER MATERIALS, AND THE
APPLICATION OF CERTAIN OF THE REFUSE MATTERS TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES, FOR
WHICH THEY HAVE NEVER HERETOFORE BEEN EMPLOYED;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Felix Moreau, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High

page_text: 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
Felix Moreau, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):—
These improvements in the manufacture of corks, and other similar articles,
consist in the novel construction and employment of machinery, by which cork
and other comparatively soft substances may be cut into cylindrical and other
figures applicable to various useful purposes. In operating upon the sub-
stance known as cork, for the purpose of cutting it into forms suitable for
stopping bottles, I take the sheets of cork as they are usually prepared for the
market, and cut them in the ordinary way by a knife into rectangular (or
nearly so) oblong pieces, (say) of about three inches long, and an inch and a
quarter square, or any other dimensions, according to the size required. These
oblong pieces I place in a machine, where they are severally operated upon by
a revolving cutter, for the purpose of removing their angular edges, and
bringing them into rough cylindrical shapes. When this has been done, I
transfer a number of these rough cylindrical corks into another machine,
where I reduce their figures into frustrum of cones, or other form, if required,
by grinding their peripheries, which I effect by the evolutions of the machine
in the way hereafter to be explained.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents the top horizontal view of
the machine for reducing the square pieces of cork into cylindrical shapes.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the middle of the machine. a, a, is
a table or bench, on which the operating parts are mounted. b, b, is a frame
or standards, supporting a revolving pulley c, which turns in plummer
blocks d, d, when driven by a band from any first mover, or by other suitable
means. The axle of this pulley c is hollow, and a stationary tube e is placed
within it. This tube e has ribs or projections inside, for the purpose of pre-
venting the cork, as it is forced through, from turning round, and is held
firmly in its position by a bracket f, screwed fast to the frame. Into one end
of the hollow axle of the pulley a hollow cylindrical cutter 9 is screwed, which
consequently revolves with the pulley. This cutter is shewn detached in two
views at Figs. 8. It consists of a circular cutting rim h, and four pointed or
saw teeth cutters i, i, i, upon a clipped ring j, affixed on the outside of the

page_text: circular cutter, which teeth are for the purpose of clearing off the superfluous
portions of the cork whilst cutting. It is, however, to be understood that I do
not intend to confine myself to this particular form of cutter, as other shapes
may be employed with equally good effect, provided the cutter is made to
revolve. A pair of lateral rollers k, k, are employed to guide and conduct the
piece of cork onward to the cutter, and these are made to revolve in opposite
directions by gear below, driven by a worm wheel 1, or by any other suitable
means. The piece of cork, cut to a rectangular figure, as first mentioned, is
placed as at m (or several pieces, one behind the other), upon a ledge between
guides n, n, n, which piece of cork is pushed forward by a plunger p, con-
nected to a lever q, and impelled by a spring r. It will now be seen that the
piece of cork m is made to slide forward in the guides, until it is clipped by
the rollers k, k, which, as they revolve, carry it onward to the cutter 9; and the
pulley c, being driven by a band at about one hundred and fifty revolutions
per minute, will cause the rotary cutter g, attached to it, to pare off the
angular parts of the piece of cork as it advances, until the cork has assumed a
cylindrical shape. The following piece of cork m will be also moved onward,
and operated upon in the like way, pushing the former through the stationary
tube 6, and discharging it from the machine at the opposite end to that at
which it entered. By these means, instead of rounding the corks by hand
singly, I can place several of them upon one table, and one man can feed and
attend them, by which a great number of corks can be prepared in a very
short space of time.
Another arrangement of machinery, for the purpose of rounding the rect-
angular pieces of cork, is shewn at Figures 1", 2", and 3*. Fig. 1* is a hori-
zontal representation of this machine, parts of it being cut off in section.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevation, representing one side of the machine; and
Fig. 3* is a view of the cutter detached. a, a, a, is the framework, in which
the operating parts are mounted. Four tubular cylindrical cutters b, b, b, b, are
introduced in this machine, fixed upon chucks c, c, c, c, attached to four hori-
zontal rotary shafts d, d, d, d, which shafts are made to revolve by bands and
pullies e, e, e, e. These shafts are placed, two of them coincident with each
other, in two parallel ranges, and in the middle, between each pair of coincident
shafts, there is a rest f, f, each rest having a groove to receive the rectangular
piece of cork 9, 9, and to allow of its sliding therein. A sliding cross
head h, h, is worked by a crank rod i, by which it is slidden horizontally to
and fro upon stationary guide rods k, k; and at each end of the cross head a
plunger 1, 1, is affixed, which plungers are intended to act against the ends
of the pieces of cork, in order that as the cross head advances in either

page_text: direction the piece of cork before it may be forced up against the edge
of the cutter. In applying the machine to rounding the pieces of cork g,
two rectangular pieces of cork are to be put by hand into the groove
of the rest f, each of the pieces lying between the plunger
and the
edge of the cutter b. The shafts d, d, d, d, being then made to
revolve, and the crank rod i actuated, the pieces of cork g, g, will, by the
plungers I, 1, be forced slowly onward through the tubular cutters b, b, and the
cutters at the same time revolving rapidly will pare off the angular parts of
the pieces of cork 9 as they advance, and the corks will be ultimately dis-
charged through the tubular cutters in the required cylindrical shapes. It is
only necessary to say, that as the two pieces of cork under operation are pro-
ceeding through the cutters, unoccupied spaces will be left in the grooves of
the rests behind the plungers 1, into each of which another rectangular piece
of cork is to be introduced by hand to be operated upon in like manner by
the opposite cutter 6, when the return of the crank rod moves the plunger in
the opposite direction.
Having now prepared a number of corks rudely cut to cylindrical forms and
of proper lengths, I take them to the finishing machine to give them their
cylindrical or conoidal figures. The machine to perform this finishing opera-
tion is shewn in the front elevation at Fig. 4, in transverse section at Fig. 5,
and in horizontal section at Fig. 6, taken about the level of the dotted
line A, B, of Fig. 5, the respective letters referring to the same parts of the
machine in all these Figures. a, a, a, is the standard or framework of the
machine. b, b, and c, c, are two frames sliding vertically, which frame are
connected together by a cord passed over the pulley above in such manner
that the rising of one frame causes the other frame to descend, and (vice
versa). At the lower edge of the frame 6, 6, there are affixed a series of tin
tubes or sockets d, d, d, of horse-shoe forms in their transverse section,—that is,
open at their under parts. In these tubes or sockets the prepared rough corks
are to be severally placed, for the purpose of being introduced into the
machine, to be ground to their required figures. There are two horizontal
sliding frames e, e, and f, f, shewn in two views detached at Figs. 7, the
former or lower of which slides in lateral grooves g, g, in the horizontal rails
of the standards a, a, and the upper frame f slides in grooves h, h, in the
frame e. On the ends of the frame f there are two inclined planes f* standing
up for the purpose of causing the ascent of the vertical sliding frame b, rollers
at the under part of that frame running upon the inclined edges. To the
back rail of the lower horizontal frame e, there are affixed a series of pointed
brackets, which are intended to form the back centers or pivots for the corks

page_text: to turn upon, and under the operation of the grinding plates. In the upper
frame f, there are mounted a series of small rotary shafts or axles k, k, k,
having forked ends corresponding in situation to the points i, which forks take
hold of one end of each of the corks, and confine them against the opposite
point. Upon each of the axles & there is a small toothed wheel I, all of which
wheels take into a transverse worm shaft m, mounted in the ends of the upper
frame, and upon the outer extremity of this transverse shaft m there is a
toothed wheel n, by which the shaft is made to revolve through the means
hereafter described. The roughly-formed corks, having been placed in the
tubes d as before stated, the horizontal frames e and f must be drawn back
into the position shewn by dots in Fig. 5, when the vertical frame b, having
been by hand made to descend, the series of rough corks will be all brought into
situations coinciding with the centres of the axles k, k, k, and the points i, i, i, i.
The upper horizontal frame f is then to be moved forward a short distance,
sliding upon the lower frame e, which may be effected by a lever p seen
in Fig. 6. The forks of the axles k and the points i, by these means will
be made to approach each other and take hold of the ends of the corks held in
the tubes d, so that the corks will now all be held fixed between the centres,
and the two frames fast locked together. The frames e, f, are then advanced
by the hands of the workman so as to bring the corks up to the grinding
apparatus, as shewn in Fig. 5. In doing this the corks will be all projected
through the tubes d, d, d, and by the advance of the horizontal frames e, f,
the inclined planes f*, acting against the under part of the vertical frame b,
will raise that frame (the openings or slits in the lower parts of the tubes d
allowing them to pass free from the axles k). The grinding apparatus consists
of a series of discs q, q, q, of thin plate iron, or other slightly elastic material
fixed upon a transverse shaft r. The grinding surface may be fine file-cut
indentations on the face of each disc, or a coating of sand or emery, or any
other suitable grit or grinding material attached to the face of each disc.
The discs are each to be adjusted and fixed in the proper situations upon the
shafts, so as to operate upon the peripheries of the corks when brought into
contact with them; and the shaft may be shifted and adjusted by end screws 8, 8,
according to the requisite diameters of the corks. For the purpose of adjusting
the finishing machine, so that it may operate upon corks of different sizes, I
make the frame in which the shaft r of the rotary discs q is mounted capable
of being slidden laterally in a horizontal dovetail groove in the back rect-
angular frame (a) seen in Fig. 4, 5, and 6, which lateral movement is effected
by a hand screw (6); and for this purpose it will be also necessary to elevate
or depress the shaft with the grinding discs 7, which I effect by raising the

page_text: upon
rectangular frame (a) by the agency of a vertical screw (c) seen in the centre
of the machine in Figs. 4 and 5. The shaft r, with its discs q, q, q, are put
in rapid rotary motion by a band from any first mover passed round a pulley t,
the speed of which I propose to be about one thousand five hundred revolu-
tions per minute. In order to obtain the effect of the grinding discs upon
all parts of the peripheries of the corks the axles k, with the corks, must
be made to turn slowly. This I effect through the agency of a rotary
shaft u, placed above, which is driven from any first mover. From a pulley
this shaft u an endless band is carried down to a small pulley attached
to a toothed wheel v, which is mounted upon a stud set in the side of the
standard a. This wheel is by the band made to revolve, and when the
sliding frames e, f, are moved forward so as to bring the corks into contact
with the grinding surfaces the small toothed wheel n, upon the shaft m, will
be brought into gear with the small toothed wheel v, and a slow rotary motion
of about two revolutions per minute will by the endless worm shaft m be
communicated to all the axles k, and thereby turn all the corks round
against the faces of the grinding discs, so as to bring the entire periphery of
the rough corks under the operations of the grinding laps, by which means
they are all reduced to the true figures.
In some cases I employ a modification of machinery, in which the rough
rectangular pieces of cork may be reduced into proper regular figures without
the previous paring or rounding operation first described. This modification
of machinery is shewn at Figs. 8, 9, and 10, the general character and
feature of which will understood by the foregoing description of Figs. 4, 5, 6,
and 7. The principal peculiarity or variation in the machinery shewn at
Figs. 8, 9, and 10, consists in a means of moving the frame laterally in which
the corks are mounted upon rotary spindles, for the purpose of first submitting
them in their rough state to the operation of coarse filing or rasping surfaces on
one side of the rotary discs, and, after their forms have been brought nearly to
the desired figure, then shifting their positions so that they may be finished by
finer filing or grinding surfaces on the other sides of the discs. In Fig. 10,
which is a front partial view of the machine, it will be seen that there are
three horizontal frames A, B, and C. The frame A (like the frame f in the
former machine) carries the axles of all the spindles k, to which the corks are
attached. The frame B carries the back centres (as i in the former machine).
The frame C supports the two former; that is, they bear upon it, and the
latter is attached to B by means of a joint pin shewn at (a). Hence it will
be perceived that on sliding the frame C forward the other two frames in
which the spindles are mounted will be made to advance, carrying the corks up.

page_text: to the filing discs, as before described. But, as the two upper frames A and B
are made fast together and attached to the frame C by a single joint (a), any
lateral movement of the two upper frames upon that joint pin will cause these
frames to lie obliquely, and by that means to bring the periphery of the corks
up against one or the other sides of the disc q, as the inclination may be. To
effect this inclination a lever (6) having its fulcrum at (c) in the lower frame
C is to be moved as shewn by dots in Fig. 8, when the end of this lever
at (d), taking into a recess in the back rail of the frame B, will cause that and
the frame A to be moved to the right or left as may be required; by which
means the rough rectangular corks may be first brought in contact with the
coarse file or rasp surfaces on one side of the discs, and when by their rotation
the irregular forms of the corks are reduced, the lover (6) may be moved to
the opposite inclination for the purpose of bringing the corks against the fine
files or grinding surfaces on the reverse sides of the next discs in order to
finish their peripheries smoothly, and to any required conical figure. I
would here observe, that as it may be sometimes desirable to remove the
charred surfaces from the outsides of the rough rectangular pieces of cork
before they are operated upon by the last-described machinery, I find it conve
nient occasionally to employ an apparatus shewn in the Drawings at Figs. 11
and 12, which represent in two views a pair of disc cutters a, a, with serrated
edges, which are made to revolve rapidly, whilst the rough square pieces of
cork 6 are passed through between them, by which means the outer burnt
edges of the cork are paired off. For this purpose the pieces of cork are
introduced into a grooved bracket c, and are pressed onward by a plunger d,
which is acted upon by a weighted cord e. The pieces of cork b, b, b, in suc-
cession are by these means brought between a pair of feeding rollers f, f,
which, being actuated by toothed gear connected to the rotary shaft of the
cutting discs, carry them through and discharge them in a clean state ready
for introduction into the rounding machinery. As in some instances it may
be desirable to shape the corks more or less conical, this I effect by either
adjusting and placing the axler of the disc cutters a slight degree out of
parallelism with the sliding frames e, f, or by adjusting those frames so that
they shall slide in positions inclined to the faces of the cutters. Having
perfected the forms of the corks by the grinding operation as described, in order
to remove them from the machine, I draw back the horizontal sliding frames
e, f, into the situation shewn by dots in Fig. 5, and then lower the vertical
sliding frame c, by which means a series of staples w, w, w, affixed to the
lower rail of the frame c will be made to stride over the necks of the axles k
immediately behind the corks. I then turn the lever p so as to release the

page_text: frame from being locked to the frame e, and on then sliding the frame f
further back the ends of the corks will be withdrawn from the points or back
centres i, i, i, and the staples w, w, w, will push them from the forked ends of
the axles k, k, k, and allow them to fall into a receptacle below. It is
only necessary further to add, that the dust or fine particles of cork ground off
by the disc cutters fall into a box a placed below, from whence it may be
taken for the uses hereafter assigned. In some cases I find that in cutting
corks and other similar forms the roughing machine first described and shewn
in Figs. 1, 2, and 8, may be dispensed with by making the following variations
in the finishing machines, Figs. 4, 5, and 6. Instead of the horse-shoo tubes
d, d, d, affixed to the under part of the vertical sliding frame b, into which the
roughly-prepared corks are introduced, I make those tubes d, d, d, of a square
form (with a slit in their under part) suited to receive the square blocks of
cork shewn at m, in Figs. 1 and 2. The operation of fixing and carrying the
corks forward toward the disc cutters 9 by the sliding frames e, f, will be the
same as already described, but the disc cutters q in this case must be notched,
toothed, or serrated, like circular saws. The axler of these circular discs q
must in this case be raised so that the peripheries of the discs or circular saws
may act in the level of the centres of the axles k. In order to effect this I
mount the axle r of the cutters in a lever frame, and raise and lower it by
hand; or I mount the axle in a frame which slides vertically, raising and
lowering it as the work may require. The square blocks of cork being held
between the forked ends of the axles k, and the points or back centres i, in
the frame f, as described, are made to rotate slowly by the means and appa-
ratus already explained, and the peripheries of the circular discs being brought
to the level of the axles k, and points i, the square edges of the corks as they
revolve will be pared off by the saw teeth of the cutters. The corks are by
these means prepared in the rough, and to complete their forms the cutters
are lowered so that the faces of the discs prepared as files or laps may grind
and polish the peripheries of the corks in the way before stated. As the corks'
so ground will sometimes retain a fringe or burr upon their edges, I find it
desirable, after they have been removed from the machine, to put them into a
cylindrical cage of wire or wicker work, when by giving the cage a rotary
movement the corks will act against each other, and the fringe or burr bo
entirely rubbed off. The refuse small particles or dust ground off from the
surfaces of the corks as above described I find may be usually applied to the
purposes of polishing the surfaces of metal and other things; and also I
employ it in place of mill puff or finely-powdered dust of wool for producing
the raised figures on velvet or flock paper for the hanging of rooms.

page_text: Having now described my Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I desire it to be understood that the particular features which I
claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent are,-
First, the machinery set out in the Drawings and described above for cutting
and grinding cork, soft wood, and other like substances.
Secondly, the employment of revolving discs having rough surfaces for
grinding the like materials, however the said discs may be mounted or put into
operation.
Thirdly, any arrangement or modification of machinery or apparatus by
which rough surfaces formed upon or within drums, cylinders, or cones, or
upon planes or straps, are put in rotary or reciprocating motion for the
purpose of reducing or grinding the surfaces of cork and the like materials;
and,
Lastly, the adaptation of the refuse or dust of cork and similar substances to
the purposes of polishing metals and the manufacture of embossed paper-
hanging as above <lescribed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Felix Moreau, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.