IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR 'MANUFACTURING BATS FOR POTTERS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Goodwin Green, of Church Gresley, in the
County of Derby, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
'MANUFACTURING BATS FOR POTTERS."
Sealed the 21st July 1876, and dated the 25th January 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Goodwin Green at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th January 1876.
THOMAS GOODWIN GREEN, of Church Gresley, in the County of Derby.
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BATS FOR POTTERS."
"
IM-
The object of this Invention is to prepare by mechanical means bats of pugged
clay ready for the potter of an uniform gauge, and of any desired thickness.
The production of such bats required the exercise of great skill and judgment
in the workman, for the liability has been to produce articles of undue or unequal
thickness or thinness.
To avoid the necessity for skilled labour, I take a roll or cylinder of clay as it
leaves the pug mill, and deliver it on to an inclined bed composed of rollers arranged
transversely, which rollers may, if desired, support an endless travelling apron.
In rear of the cylinder of clay is a propelling plate carried by a slide, which
receives a traverse motion from a screw shaft, mounted in bearings on the side of
the machine, and lying parallel with the inclined bed of rollers. This screw shaft
may work the slide through an hinged threaded jaw, with which the slide is fitted,
that arrangement being preferred as it facilitates the disengagement of the slide
from the screw shaft when the propelling board is required to be drawn back to its
starting position. Keyed to the upper end of the screw shaft is an arm which
carries a cutting wire for dividing up the clay into bats. This wire works close up
to the end of the inclined bed, and it is caused to revolve by means of a handle
attached to the arm which carries it, and slice off a bat of clay at each revolution.
In order that the clay may be propelled forward at a proper rate to ensure bats
of the desired thickness, the pitch of the screw is so arranged that one turn of the
screw shall give a traverse equal to the thickness of bat required. As the bats
are severed by the cutting wire from the mass of clay they are taken off by an
attendant and laid upon receiving boards ready for the potter.
By the aid of two unskilled attendants, bats of an uniform thickness may be
rapidly produced.

page_text: In order to adjust the rate of advance of the clay up to the cutter when various
thicknesses of bat are required from the same machine, the screw shaft may be made
to gear into a worm wheel keyed on to the axle of the last feed roller, and instead
of using a propelling board an endless band or apron passing over all the rollers
may be relied upon to carry up the clay to the cutter.
By changing the worm wheel any variation of speed relatively to the operation
of the cutting wire may be effected, and thus bats of any desired thicknesses may be
obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Goodwin Green in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
July 1876.
THOMAS GOODWIN GREEN, of Church Gresley, in the County of Derby.
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BATS FOR POTTERS."
"IM-
The object of this Invention is to prepare by mechanical means bats of pugged
clay ready for the potter of an uniform guage, and of any desired thickness.
The production of such bats required the exercise of great skill and judgment
in the workman, for the liability has been to produce articles of undue or unequal
thickness or thinness.
.
To avoid the necessity for employing skilled labor in this preliminary operation
of the potters' art, I take a roller or cylinder of clay as it leaves the pug mill, and
deliver it on to an inclined bed composed of rollers arranged transversely, which
rollers may, if desired, support an endless travelling apron.
In rear of the cylinder of clay is a propelling plate carried by a slide, which
receives a traverse motion from a screw shaft mounted in bearings on the side of
the machine, and lying parallel with the inclined bed of rollers. This screw shaft
works the slide through a hinged threaded jaw, with which the slide is fitted, that
arrangement being preferred, as it facilitates the disengagement of the slide from
the screw shaft when the propelling board or plate is required to be drawn back to
its starting position. Keyed to the upper end of the screw shaft is an arm, which
carries a cutting wire for dividing up the clay into bats. This wire works close up
to the end of the inclined bed, and it is caused to revolve by means of a handle
attached to the arm which carries it, and slice off of a bat of clay at each
revolution.
In the accompanying Drawing,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved bat machine; Figure 2 is a plan
view of the same.
Figure 3 is an end elevation looking towards the rear end of the machine; and
Figure 4 is an elevation of the front end of the machine.
A, A, is the framing of the bat table, the top of which is set on an incline upwards
towards the front end of the machine. Upon the table top is mounted a series of
loose rollers B, B, which are intended to receive the clay from which the bats are to
be formed, and to facilitate its traverse up to the cutting wire; C, C, are standards
attached to the table top and fitted with bearings to receive a screw shaft D which
serves to operate the propelling plate E, in front of which the clay is placed, from
which the bats are to be cut; F is a guide bar carried by the standards C for the
purpose of receiving a slide G which is fitted with a hinged threaded jaw H which
drops into the thread of the screw D. This slide G is cast with a socket to receive
the arm of a socket I, through which is passed the arm of a socket K which carries
the propelling plate E.
It will now be understood that when rotary motion is communicated to the screw
shaft D, the propelling. plate E will be advanced and caused to press the clay
forward towards the front of the machine. Keyed to the forward end of shaft D
is a bow-shaped arm L, which is provided with a handle for the purpose of giving
rotary motion to the screw. This bow-shaped arm carries a wire M. which is held

page_text: at tension and serves as a cutter for slicing up the clay in bats as it is brought
within the range of the wire.
In constructing this machine it will be understood that to ensure that the clay
shall be propelled forward at a proper rate to produce bats of the desired thickness
the pitch of the screw is so arranged that one turn of the screw shall give a traverse
equal to the thickness of bat required. As the bats are severed by the cutting wire
from the mass of clay, they are taken off by an attendant and laid upon receiving
boards ready for the potter.
By the aid of two unskilled attendants bats of an uniform thickness may be
rapidly produced.
In order to adjust the rate of advance of the clay up to the cutter when various
thicknesses of bat are required from the same machine, screw shafts of different
pitches may be provided and used as substitutes, the one for the other, but the
means which I prefer to employ for varying the rate of traverse of the clay is
illustrated at Figure 5. In this arrangement the shaft D is fitted with a worm D¹,
which gears into a worm wheel D² keyed on to the axle of a driving roller, which
serves to give motion to an endless band or apron B'. This apron serves the purpose
of the propelling plate E in the first described machine, and is supported by the
series of rollers B, B.
▼
By changing the worm wheel D, any variation of speed relatively to tho
operation of the cutting wire may be effected, and thus bats of any desired thickness
may be obtained. To permit of this changing of the worn wheel for one of larger
or smaller diameter, the forward bearing of the shaft D is made free to slide
vertically in the standard C, and the rear end of the shaft is for the same object
allowed a little play in its bearing.
'
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
Machinery for Manufacturing Bats for Potters," and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent I claim, the construction of machinery above described,
whereby bats of pugged clay of uniform thickness suitable for the requirements of
the potter may be obtained with facility and economy.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Goodwin Green, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-second day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
THOS. G. GREEN. (L.S.)