IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Leon Talabot, of Chaussée D'Antin,
No. 57, Paris, and John Davie Morries Stirling, of the Larches,
near Birmingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF IRON."
Sealed the 19th August 1853, and dated the 14th June 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Leon
Talabot and John Davie Morries Stirling at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th June
1853.
We, JOSEPH LEON TALABOT, of Chaussee d'Antin, No. 57, Paris, and
JOHN DAVIE MORRIES STIRLING, of the Larches, near Birmingham,
do hereby declare that the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON " to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of running iron from the blast furnace into
moulds or sand beds, in which are placed oxides of iron or of zinc, or of
other metal, with wood saw dust or other ligneous matter, or oily
matters, by which the character of the pig iron is changed and
improved for particular purposes, especially the making malleable
iron.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Leon Talabot and John Davie Morries
Stirling in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the 14th December
1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
JOSEPH LEON TALABOT, of Chaussée D'Antin, No. 57, Paris, and Joun
DAVIE MORRIES STIRLING, of the Larches, near Birmingham, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Joseph Leon Talabot and John Davie
Morries Stirling, Her special licence that we, the said Joseph Leon
Talabot and John Davie Morries Stirling, our exccutors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Joseph Leon Talabot
and John Davie Morries Stirling, our executors, administrators, and
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 THE MANUFAC-
TURE OF IRON," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Joseph Leon Talabot and John Davie Morries Stirling, by an instru-
ment in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the sanie was to be per-
formed, 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 John Davie Morries Stirling,
on behalf of myself and the said Joseph Leon Talabot, do hereby de-
clare 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:

page_text: This Invention consists of running iron from the blast furnace into
moulds or sand beds, in which are placed oxides of iron or of zinc, or of
other metals, with wood saw dust or other ligneous or oily matter,
by which the character of the pig iron is changed and improved for
particular purposes, especially the making malleable iron.
Having thus stated the nature of our said Invention, we will proceed
to describe the manner of performing the same.
Into the recesses or moulds formed in a sand bed or bed of other
material, or into what are technically called "chills," or cast iron
moulds (preferring to employ chills for the purpose), we place a
quantity of oxides and saw dust, or it may be other ligneous or oily
matters, but we believe saw dust to be the cheapest and most conve-
nient material for the purpose, and we then tap the furnace in the
ordinary way, directing, if necessary, the stream of molten iron into
the moulds.
Ordinarily we use oxides of iron, preferring magnetic oxides or
hæmatite in a state of powder, or in as minute division as may be
convenient, though other oxides of iron may be used.
In those cases where it is known that particular metals when added
to or combined with iron produce peculiar properties in the iron, (such
as zinc, tin, and others, which have heretofore been combined with iron
in the puddling process and other processes of the iron manufacture,)
and when it is desired to produce like effects in regard to the iron
manufactured according to our Invention, in place of adding the metals,
and combining the same in other processes, as heretofore, we apply oxides
of the metals with wood saw dust or other ligneous or oily matters,
with or without oxide of iron, in the recesses of the sand beds or in the
"chills' or moulds into which the melted iron is to be run, by which
means the pig iron produced is not only benefitted by the oxygen and
wood saw dust, but the iron is combined with the zinc, tin, or other
metal, the oxides of which were introduced into the chills or into the
recesses formed in the sand bed or other moulds. Thus, zinc is
generally found to produce increased strength and brightness. Tin is
found to produce hardness and a crystalline structure. The oxides
(or carbonates of the oxides) of calcium tend to prevent cold-shortness,
"

page_text: other oxides of metals (like the metals themselves) tend to change the
character of the iron, as has heretofore been pointed out, and the only
novelty in the use of the oxides is the placing them in the moulds in the
manner herein described. When using wood saw dust (preferring the
more resinous kinds) and oxide of iron we have, before running in the
nefted iron, generally spread over or placed in the moulds or recesses
in the sand bed a quantity, equal to about five per cent. of the estimated
charge of iron, of the oxide of iron, with about a like bulk of wood saw
We would state that we
dust or of other ligneous or oily matter.
have given the above proportions, having found them generally beneficial,
but where the oily or other matters employed give off much gas (on
being heated by the iron), and consequently produce much ebullition,
a less quantity of them should be employed, and as the quality of iron
differs very much it is impossible to give more exact directions for all
qualities, but the manufacturer, by due attention, will quickly be able
to judge as to what proportions of the materials he should employ.
We either place the wood saw dust in first and afterwards the oxide,
or we previously mix them, and in either case we press them gently
into the moulds. We have found the quality of the pig iron thus
obtained is greatly improved for various purposes, especially for the
manufacture of malleable iron. When it is desired to obtain to the iron
the peculiar property well known to be consequent on adding thereto or
combining therewith a small quantity of zinc, tin, or other metal, as
before mentioned, and which bas lieretofore been done by adding to or
combining the particular metals or their oxides with the iron in the
puddling furnace, we use an oxide or such combination of oxide as
may be reducible at the temperature of the iron in the moulds, and we
add such oxide, with or without oxide of iron, in which case we apply
at the rate of about a half per cent. or more by weight of an oxide of
the metal (a very small quantity of such metals producing a material
change in iron), together with wood saw dust or other ligneous or oily
matters. We believe it desirable in all cases to use oxide of iron when
other oxides are employed.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that

page_text: although we have stated with exactness the quantities of oxides used
by us, we do not confine ourselves thereto. But what we claim is, the
use of oxides of iron with wood saw dust or other ligneous or oily
matters, and of the oxides of other metals, such matters being intro-
duced into the moulds or recesses in the sand bed or bed of other
material, or into "chills," into and upon which molten cast iron is
then run.
In witness whereof, J, the said John Davie Morries Stirling, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of De-
cember, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-three.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
J. D. MORRIES STIRLING. (L.S.)