IMPROVEMENTS IN PACKING PISTONS AND STUFFING BOXES
Year: 1866

page_text: 'LETTERS PATENT to James Hoskén, of 116, Fenchurch Street, in the
City of London, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PACKING PISTONS AND STUFFING BOXES."-A communication from abroad
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hosken at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
October 1866.
I, JAMES HOSKEN, of 116, Fenchurch Street, in the City of London,.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN PACKING PISTONS AND STUFFING BOXES," to be as follows:-
For these purposes I take a wire of a suitable thickness, made of copper,
iron, steel, brass, or other metal, and wind or coil it on a rod or mandril
one coil or turn after another in such a manner that if the mandril is
horizontal one turn is laid close up to the turn preceding it, but not on the
top of it, just in the way in which the wax thread is wound on to the handle
of a cricket bat or as a rope is served or payed with marline. The mandril
upon which the wire is coiled is to be of suitable length, and have a round

page_text: or square or other section as may be deemed best. The section preferred
is either square or oblong with the edges rounded off. After sufficient
quantity or length of wire is coiled on the mandril it is to be removed there-
from, when in appearance it will be exactly like a coiled or spiral wire spring.
The mode of applying it is as follows:-After one half of the whole number
of turns of the ordinary packing which the stuffing box is capable of holding
are put into it and well pressed down, I take a piece of this coiled wire of
a length about equal to the circumference of the rod it is intended to apply
it to, having dimensions suitable to enable it to be put into the stuffing
box that the rod has to work in, and I put this piece of coiled wire round
the rod and slip it into the stuffing box just as if it were a piece of
ordinary packing, and then the stuffing box is to be filled up with ordinary
packing in the usual manner; but I make a hole or holes through the side
of the stuffing box at a height corresponding with that of the wire frill inside,
so that an opening is made from the outside of the stuffing box to the internal
wire frill or hollow packing; I then fit a pipe or tube into the hole or holes
in the stuffing box, so that'oil; tallow, or other lubricant can be passed into
the interstice of the hollow packing or wire frill and between the wires of the
same on to the rod and also to the ordinary packing. In some cases it may
be necessary to use two flat washers, one immediately above and the other
immediately below the wire frill, to prevent the wire frill being squeezed into
the ordinary packing. When such are required I prefer to make them of
brass of inconsiderable thickness, say about 1th of an inch, and of a
suitable size to fit the rod and pass into the stuffing box.
of packing piston and other rods of steam engines can be more effectually
and economically lubricated, and the ordinary packing will be made to last
much longer than usual.
By this mode
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Hosken in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HOSKEN, of 116, Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
.Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord!

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,.
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said. James, Hosken, Her special license. that I, the said James Hosken,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said.
James Hosken, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-:
after 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PACKING PISTONS AND STUFFING BOXES," a communication to
me from abroad by Jones Saunders, a person resident at Alexandria, Egypt,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Hosken, my.
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 I, the said James Hosken, do hereby declare 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, reference. being, had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that
is to say:
"
I take wire of a suitable thickness.and section, made of copper, iron, steel,
brass, or other metal,. and wind or coil it on a rod or mandril one coil or turn
after another in such a manner that one turn is laid close up to the turn..
preceding it, but not on the top of it, just in the way in which the wax
thread is wound on to the handle of a cricket bat or as a rope is served or
payed with marline. The mandril upon which the wire is coiled is to be of .
suitable length, and have. a round or square or other section as may be deemed..
best. The section preferred is either square or oblong with the edges: rounded.
off. After sufficient quantity or. length of wire is coiled on the mandril' it is
to be removed therefrom, when. in appearance it will be exactly like a coiled,
or spiral wire spring.
The mode of applying it is as follows: After one-half of the whole.
number of turns of the ordinary packing which the stuffing box is capable of
holding are put into it and well pressed-down, I take a piece of-this coiled
wire of a length about equal to the circumference of the rod. it is intended.to:
مق - ستة مدغش كن محد حذف
EL

page_text: apply it to, having dimensions suitable to enable it to be put into the stuffing
box that the rod has to work in, and I put this piece of coiled wire round the
rod and slip it into the stuffing box just as if it were a piece of ordinary
packing, and then the stuffing box is to be filled up with ordinary packing in
the usual manner; but I make a hole or holes through the side of the
stuffing box, at a height corresponding with that of the wire frill inside, so that
un opening is made from the outside of the stuffing box to the internal wire
frill or hollow packing; I then fit a pipe or tube into the hole or holes in the
stuffing box, so that oil, tallow, or other lubricant can be passed' into the
interstice of the hollow packing or wire frill and between the wires of the-
same on to the rod and also to the ordinary packing. In some cases it may:
be necessary to use two flat washers, one immediately above and the other
immediately below the wire frill, to prevent the wire frill being squeezed into
the ordinary packing. When such are required I prefer to make them of brass
of inconsiderable thickness, say about th of an inch, and of a suitable size
to fit the rod and pass into the stuffing box. By this mode of packing piston
and other rods of steam engines can be more effectually and economically
lubricated, and the ordinary packing will be made to last much longer than
usual.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a stuffing box packed according to the
Invention; Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same taken at the line
A, B, Figure 1. a, a, is the stuffing box with its brass lining 6, and its brass
lined cap c; d, d, is a ring of wood, and e, e, a conical brass ring above it;
ff, are rings of any ordinary packing; in all these parts the stuffing box is
similar to stuffing boxes heretofore constructed; 9, 9, is a wire frill; it is
formed by winding wire, by preference brass wire of rectangular section
slightly rounded at the angles, upon a mandril in the manner shown at
Figure 3; the mandril is sufficiently square in section, as is shown. A length
of the wire frill thus produced sufficient to encircle the piston rod h is cut off,
and it is placed in the box after about half of the ordinary packing has been
introduced with a thin brass washer i over it for the wire frill g to rest upon;
a similar washer i is put in on the top of the wire frill, the remainder of the
ordinary packing is introduced, and the cap c is put into.its place, as is shown;
k is a grease vase communicating by a pipe with the side of the stuffing box,
and supplying oil or grease into the hollow space within. and around the wire
frill.
This method of packing is applicable to stuffing boxes for piston and
plunger rods, slide rods, trunks, plunger pistons, and for other purposes. A

page_text: wire frill may also in some cases be applied in a similar manner in packing
pistons, the oil or grease being then supplied by a passage in the piston. It
is not in all cases necessary to use the washers i, i.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hosken, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JAMES HOSKEN. (L.S.)