A CERTAIN IMPROVED METALLIC BROACHER
Year: 1845

page_text: DEPLEDGE'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
DEPLEDGE, of the Thorncliffe Iron Works, near Sheffield, in the County of
York, Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twentieth day of November, in the ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Depledge, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John
Depledge, my exors, adñors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vond, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands
of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also within all Her
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention for "A CERTAIN
IMPROVED METALLIC BROACHER;" in which Letters Patent there is contained
a proviso, that I, the said John Depledge, shall particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and the
same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next immediately after the date of the said now reciting

page_text: Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereto had, will more
fully and at large appear.
KNOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Depledge, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the present instrument in writing, under my hand
and seal, in the words herein-after written, and with reference to the Drawings
and Figures annexed hereto :-
Before, however, I proceed to describe the particulars of my said Invention
it may be proper to state, that the inconvenience and waste usually attendant
on broaching vessels and casks containing liquids has long been known, also,
that unless the taps heretofore used are put in with great care, leakage and
consequently waste will take place; and independent of these inconveniences
there are others which my Invention will remove. For instance, under the
present method, when all the liquor is drawn from a cask the tap is removed,
and in the majority of cases no cork is inserted in its place; the consequence of
this neglect is, that the casks on the inside become ropy, mouldy, and sour,
and occasions considerable trouble and inconvenience to the brewers or other
parties to properly purify them fit to take any other liquid that it may be
necessary to put in.
.
My Invention is also particularly applicable to prevent pilfering of the
liquor, as when my broacher is closed and sealed it is quite impossible any
party can extract any of the contents of the cask through it without it
being detected. I have therefore guarded against the inconveniences I
have named, and made my Invention applicable as a broacher to any descrip-
tion of casks and other vessels, and by which casks or other vessels can be
broached or tapped in an instant without spilling any, and I prevent such
broachers being lost or removed by making them permament fixtures by screws
to the casks or other vessels into which they are inserted.
I shall now describe, by reference to the Drawings, the instrument I employ,
and which I call "an improved mettalic broacher." Similar letters indicate
the same parts whenever they occur in the Drawings.
Figure 1 is a section of Figure 2, which section represents the broacher
closed instead of open and without the tap, Figure 3), as in Figure 2. In
Figure 1, c, c, represents a round hollow piece of metal with a flange turned
up at one end d, d. This piece of metal (and which is colored blue).can be
made plain on the outside, or it can be made, as shown in the Drawing,
carrying the thread of a male screw. In the inside, and marked e, e, at the
two ends, are about six threads of a female screw, three of which are placed

page_text: at each end. fff, is another round hollow piece of metal, colored pink,
which fits inside the piece colored blue, but one end of which extends beyond
that piece, under which is inserted a washer, marked K, which when the
broacher is closed fits tight against the end of the outside piece of the metal,
colored blue, as aforesaid, and which piece of metal can be screwed in and out
by the thread of the screw, shown on its outside, which traverses as a male
screw three of the threads of the female screw before mentioned. This piece
of metal has several holes bored in it, marked g, and which holes extend in a
ring round it; it has also two slots cut in it, one on each side, one of
which is shown in the section, and marked h; these slots may be of the form
therein shown; and it has, furthermore, attached to it on the outside a stop pin,
marked i, which prevents its being screwed out of place; this pin i is screwed
into the piece of metal in which it is shown. Another view of the last-named
piece of metal is shown at Figure 7. j is the piece of metal which closes the
broacher when the tap is taken out. In the flange d, d, are two or more
screw holes, set at equal distances round it, and which holes are shown at
Fig. 4, marked 1, 7; these are for the screws which fasten the broachers
firmly to the heads of the vessels or casks, in which they are inserted, and in
which it is intended they are to remain as fixtures.
Figure 2 represents the broacher open and with the tap, Figure 3, inserted.
It will here be seen that the holes 9, which in the section before mentioned
are within the piece of metal, colored blue, are in this Figure outside of it,
and consequently open to any liquid contained in the vessels.
The liquid
enters the broacher and traverses it and the tap in the direction of the
arrows.
Figure 3 shows a section of another part of this Invention, which is the tap
part, a front transverse section of which is shown at Figure 6, as taken at the
line A, B. It consists of a piece of metal hollow in the inside and having
therein a plug M, M, which is turned by a key.at the end. This plug is
ground to fit water-tight in the metal, in which it works in the same
manner as is usually done in grinding beer taps. When the tap is open
the circles M, M, are opposite the letters N, N, but when closed are in the
position shown in the Drawing. This tap from X, X, is smaller all round at
the one end, in order that the liquid which passes through the holes g in the
broacher, and opposite which this end of the tap is when inserted, shall have a
flow to the opening N. To make the tap turn, the broacher when inserted, there
are two cars or lugs, one of which is shown, marked O, but shown more fully in
Figure 6, marked O, O. These cars or lugs fix into the slots h in the broacher,
and they enter into the slots by the guide holes Q, Q. In order to make this

page_text: tap-tight when inserted, and for it to screw up, it has at P a fillet or packing of
india-rubber, gutta percha, or any other suitable elastic material, or worsted
waxed or greased will answer as well if tightly bound round. This from its
elasticity will enter into the first three threads of the screw in the broacher,
and form as good a male screw as if it was made of metal. This part of the tap,
however, instead of having the elastic material bound round it, as aforesaid,
can be made of metal, and a thread of a male screw cut upon it; but I
consider the fillet or packing I have before named as preferable. R1 is
another ear or lug, having a hole through it, which comes out from the collar
of the tap R to meet a similar ear or lug with a hole in it, that projects from
the end of the broacher, Figure 4, and shown also in Figure 2, marked S.
These two ears or lugs when the broacher is screwed up come close together,
and the hole in one meets the hole in the other, by which they can be fastened
together by a small padlock, or in any other suitable manner. I would, how-
ever, observe, that these ears or lugs and lock are unnecessary unless to
prevent improper interference with the tap when inserted.
Figure 4 represents an end view of the broacher without the tap with the
platej open. This plate moves on a screw hinge under another plate t, shewn
by dotted lines, and which is fastened to the broacher by two screws u, u, ono
of which screws also acts as the hinge to the plate j.
Figure 5 represents an end view of the broacher with the plate j closed and
sealed.
Figure 6 is a section of Figure 3 at the line A, B.
Figure 7 is an elevation of the part colored pink in Figure 1, showing more
distinctly the holes g, the slot h, and the pin i. The plate j, Figure 4, can be
dispensed with, unless particularly required, and an ordinary cork or piece of
wadding be inserted into the broacher, and sealed, such cork or wadding to be
removed with a corkscrew when required. These broachers can be made of
any suitable material, but I consider metal, such as silver, brass, German
silver, or copper, the best; if, however, they are made of brass or copper they
should be covered with a thin coating of tin.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which I perform the same, I wish it to be understood that the forms I have
herein described I consider best for the manufacture of these instruments.
The shape and form of the broachers and tap may, however, be varied, and still
have the effect of instruments such as I have described.
What I claim as of this my Invention, therefore is, the manufacture of
metallic broachers with taps, which broachers as well as the inserting ends of
the taps are made in the modes herein-before described, such broachers to be

page_text: inserted into casks and other vessels, and which broachers, on the insertion of
the tap or taps by a screw or other traversing motion, open and allow the
liquid contained in the casks or other vessels to pass through them, and when
the tap or taps are withdrawn by the same sort of motion, but reversed, will
close such broachers, and thereby prevent the admission of air to the casks or
vessels; but I do not confine myself strictly to the precise form or details
shown, provided the peculiar character of any or either part of my said Inven-
tion be used, retained, or brought into operation.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Depledge, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this
day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.