IMPROVEMENTS IN SHAPING AND FORGING METALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Alfred Shipton and Robert Mitchell, both of
Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Engineers, for the Invention
⚫ of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHAPING AND FORGING METALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY
AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 25th April 1865, and dated the 19th January 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Alfred Shipton
and Robert Mitchell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 19th January 1865.
We, JAMES ALFRED SHIPTON, and ROBERT MITCHELL, both of Wolver-
hampton, in the County of Stafford, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHAPING AND FORGING METALS,
AND IN THE MACHINERY AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a new method of manufacturing gas fittings known
as "tees," "elbows," "bends," and "couplings" by machinery worked by
steam, water, compressed air, or hand power, such machinery being also
applicable to shaping and forging other metallic articles. Under the modifi-
cation in which steam is employed the machinery consists of a sole or base
plate having two horizontal cylinders bolted thereon, with pistons having
"dies" of the required shape fitted in the end of each, and which meet on'
steam being applied at the back of each piston. At this point there is a
metallic "block" or "mould" secured to the sole or base plate, and over

page_text: which a vertical cylinder is carried on a suitable framework having a piston
fitted with a "mandrill" or "die," the pistons of all these cylinders being
actuated by steam regulated by valves.
Another modification of this machinery relates to placing cylinders at such
angles, having pistons fitted with "mandrills" or "dies" for the purposes of
shaping, forging, and finishing the aforesaid articles. In applying the afore-
said machinery to the manufacture of gas fittings, as "tees," "elbows," and such
like, we take a flat piece of iron stamped or otherwise prepared to the
required shape and lay it on the "block" or "mould," and a mandrill on
same, and cause the piston of the vertical cylinder to descend on the top of
the said mandrill, which compresses the iron into the "block" or "mould,"
and causes the ends to turn up, and by admitting steam at the back of the
pistons of the horizontal cylinders we cause the "dies" in the pistons of such
cylinders to come together and further compress the iron into the required
shape, and by repeated blows from these pistons containing "dies" (which
can be obtained by the admission and emission of steam in the cylinders)
shape such article to the required form.
The second modification relates to the forging, planishing, and finishing
such articles, and for these purposes we place them in mandrills contained in
sliding blocks brought together by levers and eccentrics or other similar,
mechanical equivalents, and cause the pistons of these cylinders which contain
"dies" of the required form to descend on such articles, and forge, planish,
and finish the same.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Alfred Shipton and Robert Mitchell in the Great 2
Seal Patent Office on the 19th July 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
ALFRED SHIPTON and ROBERT MITCHELL, both of Wolverhampton, in the
County of Stafford, Engineers, send greeting.
1
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,,by Her Letters S
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of January, in the year. of our Lord
One thousand, eight hundred and sixty-five, in the, twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said James Alfred Shipton and Robert Mitchell, Her special license
that we, the said James Alfred Shipton and Robert Mitchell, our executors, 8
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James. Alfred

page_text: Shipton and Robert. Mitchell, our executors, administrators, or 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 SHAPING AND FORGING METALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY
AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said James Alfred Shipton and Robert Mitchell, or executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us or then, 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 James Alfred Shipton and Robert
Mitchell, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
Our said Invention relates to a new. method of manufacturing gas fittings
known as "tees," "elbows," "bends," "crosses," and "couplings" and other
gas fittings by machinery worked by steam, water, compressed air, or hand
power, such machinery being applicable to shaping and forging other metallic
articles.
Under the modification in which steam is employed; one part of the
machinery consists of a sole or base plate having two horizontal cylinders
bolted thereon with pistons having "dies" of the required shape fitted in the
end of each, and which meet or converge on steam being applied at the back
of each piston. At this point there is a "block" or "mould" secured to
the sole or base plate, and over which a vertical cylinder is carried on a
suitable framework having a piston fitted with a "mandrill" or "die," the
pistons of all these cylinders being actuated by steam regulated by valves.
According to another form of machine which may be used for forging,
planishing, and finishing such articles, cylinders are placed at requisite angles
having pistons fitted with "mandrills" or "dies" for the purposes of shaping,
forging, and finishing the aforesaid articles; these cylinders being bolted to a
framing attached to the sole or base plate, which has a "block" or "mould"
secured to the same at the point where the "dies" of the pistons meet, and.

page_text: having moveable "mandrills" worked by levers and slides operated upon by a
vertical cylinder and piston. In applying the aforesaid machinery to the
manufacture of gas fittings as above named, or other metallic articles, we
take a piece of iron stamped or otherwise prepared to the required shape,
and lay it on the "block" or "mould" of the first described machine, and
place a mandrill upon the same and cause the piston of the vertical cylinder
containing another mandrill to descend on such first-named mandrill, which
compresses the iron into the "block" or "mould," and causes the edges to
turn up, and by admitting steam at the back of the pistons of the horizontal :
cylinders we cause the "dies" in the pistons of such cylinders to come;
together and further compress the iron into the required shape upon the said:
mandrills, and by repeated blows from these pistons containing the "dies":
(which can be obtained by the admission and emission of steam in the
cylinder) shape such articles to the required form.
The second machine has for its object the forging, planishing, and finishing
, such articles, and for these purposes we place them on mandrills contained in
sliding blocks worked by levers actuated by a vertical cylinder, and cause the
pistons of those cylinders which contain "dies" of the required form to:
descend so as to bring the said "dies" on to such articles, and forge, planish,
and finish the same.
"
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood, we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose we shall:
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the correspond-.
ing Figures.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is a front elevation
(partly in section) of one modification of our machinery for shaping and
forging metals; Figure 2 is a plan of the lower part of the same, and Figure
3 is a transverse vertical section of the machine; Figure 4 is a front elevation
of the second or finishing machine; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of same; and
Figures 6 & 7 illustrate the various relative positions of the mandrills and
dies when operating upon the piece of metal to be shaped. A, A are two:
horizontal cylinders (Figs. 1, 2, & 3) which contain the pistons B, and are
bolted on to the sole or base plate C. Each of these pistons carries a "die"
D of the required form. A " block" or mould E, shaped or indented
according to the desired shape of the article to be produced, is secured to the
sole or base plate, where the dies converge or meet at a central position.
between the two horizontal cylinders. A vertical cylinder F carried on the
framing H, H and containing the piston G is placed over the "block" or
"

page_text: "mould "E, this piston carrying a mandrill I or other suitable tool. a is the
metal plate represented as already shaped in the form of a "tee" piece; it is
laid flat in the first place upon the block or mould E, and upon it is placed
the mandrill I', the mandrill I is then brought down upon the centre of the
mandrill and forces the plate into the mould, causing its edges to turn up,
in; which condition it is acted upon by the horizontal dies D, D, which
approach and turn over the edges of the metal on to or around the mandrills
I and I. Steam is admitted to both the horizontal cylinders A, A, by means
of the valve J contained in the chamber K, which is supplied by the pipe L,
and after doing its duty it escapes through the pipe M. Steam is also
admitted to the vertical cylinder F by means of the valve N contained in the
valve chamber O, which is supplied by the pipe P, and after doing its duty
escapes through the pipe Q. These valves are worked by levers or other
suitable appliance s
"
i
In the second or finishing machine shown at Figs. 4 & 5, two cylinders,
A, A, containing the pistons B, with the tools C, are bolted to the framing or
standard D, which is attached to the sole or base plate E. These cylinders
are supplied with steam by means of the valve chamber F and the pipes
G, G', G', which steam after doing its duty escapes through the pipe II; I is
the valve spindle actuated by the aid of the hand lever i. Moveable slides,
J, J, & J' containing the mandrills K, K, K', and connected with the levers
L, L, are actuated by the vertical cylinder M, the piston rod N of which is
attached to the vertical slide J¹. Steam is admitted to this cylinder by means
of the valve chamber O through the steam pipe P, and after doing its duty
the steam escapes by the pipes Q and H. A "block" or "mould" R is
likewise fitted in the sole or base plate E. Figures 6 and 7 illustrate some
of the various tools that can be applied, but we do not confine ourselves to
any particular form or description of tool, as these may be varied to suit cir-
In Figure 6 a shows the form of flat plate from which a "tee"
may be produced, and the rest of the illustrations under this Figure show the
tools that operate upon such plate in the production of a "tee" piece. In
Figure 76 represents a flat plate from which an "elbow" is to be formed by
the action of the tools shown under that Figure. In making what are known
as "crosses
it will be requisite to have an opening in the mould to admit
the lower limb when the article is on the mould.
cumstances.
"
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider to be novel and

page_text: original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent is,
First, the system or mode of shaping and forging gas fittings known as
"tees," "elbows," "bends," "couplings," and "crosses," and other metallic
articles susceptible of being so shaped and forged by the employment of a
mould block in combination with converging dies and mandrills actuated by
steam, water, compressed air, or manual power, substantially in the manner
herein-before described..
Second, the construction and arrangement of machinery or apparatus for
shaping and forging metallic articles, substantially as herein-before described
and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, & 3 of our Drawings..>
Third, the construction and. arrangement of machinery or apparatus for
shaping and forging metallic articles, substantially as herein-before described
and illustrated by Figs. 4 & 5 of our Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Alfred Shipton, on behalf of
myself and the said Robert Mitchell, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fifteenth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-five.
JAMES ALFRED SHIPTON. (L.S.)