AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-BRICKS, CRUCIBLES, RETORTS, AND OTHER FIRE- WARE GOODS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Jones Payne, of Charlton, in the County
of Kent, Fire-brick Maker, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-BRICKS, CRUCIBLES, RETORTS, AND OTHER FIRE-
WARE GOODS."
Sealed the 17th September 1872, and dated the 3rd July 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Jones Payne
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd July 1872.
I, SAMUEL JONES PAYNE, of Charlton, in the County of Kent, Fire-
brick Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-BRICKS, CRUCIBLES, RETORTS,
AND OTHER FIRE-WARE GOODS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of fire-
bricks, crucibles, and other fire-ware goods, the object being to manu-
facture them of a. plastic composition containing the largest available
per centage of silica or siliceous material which has the property of
enabling the brick or other moulded article to resist the destructive
action of the furnace fire.

page_text: In making fire-bricks and other articles according to this Invention,
I shall in general be guided by the locality in the selection of the
materials for forming the plastic compound, but where it is available
I use by preference flint for my siliceous material. The flint I calcine
and break up into small pieces or into pieces that will pass freely through
a sieve having a half-inch mesh. Of this material I take, say, eight
parts and mix it with two parts of any suitable aluminous material,
which acts as a binder to the flint. The aluminous materials may be
Dorset blue clay ground and sifted, or any other good sound clay that
is available. These materials I mix together and form them into a 1
coarse plastic compound ready for moulding.
The brick moulds may be of iron or any other suitable material, and
the moulding may be effected by hand or by machinery; but I prefer to
employ pressure for the consolidation of the brick.
Instead of using ordinary sand or its equivalent for preventing the
adhesion of the plastic compound to the moulds, I mix with the sand
which is to perform this office powdered calamine in the proportion,
say, of one part of calamine to two of sand or its equivalent.
Before filling the moulds with the plastic material I dust the moulds
with the mixture of calamine and sand, and after removing the
superfluous material I dust over the upper face of the bricks. The
effect of this will be to coat the surface of the brick on all sides with
the calamine, which, through the pressure imparted to the brick will
be caused to adhere thereto. After subjecting the brick thus coated
to the heat of the kiln it will be found to possess a tough skin which
will give to the brick an amount of strength far greater than that
which is due to the small per-centage of binding clay employed. This
strength is obtained by the surface action of the calamine present
on the exterior of the green brick, and it is by this use of the calamine
that I am enabled to uphold in the moulded brick the large per-centage
of siliceous material above indicated. Bricks thus manufactured will,
when exposed to a white heat in reverberatory and other furnaces
instead of burning away rapidly like the ordinary fire-brick, become
gradually more homogeneous by reason of the silex slowly fusing under
the intense heat, and diffusing itself through the mass.
When manufacturing crucibles and retorts I may find it desirable
to prepare a less coarse plastic compound for moulding, by sifting

page_text: the silicious material somewhat finer in order to render the moulded
article somewhat less tender than it would otherwise be in the green
or unburned state. In other respects the manufacture of these vessels
will be similar to the manufacture of the bricks, a coating of calamine
5 being applied to them, as above explained. In this case also in the
firing of the goods a tough skin will be formed that will impart
structural strength thereto, and thus the friable tendency of the com-
position will to a considerable extent be neutralized.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Jones Payne in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd January 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
JONES PAYNE, of Charlton, in the County of Kent, Fire-brick Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS. Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Samuel Jones Payne, Her special licence that I,
the said Samuel Jones Payne, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as L the said Samuel Jones Payne, my executors, ad-
ministrators, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-BRICKS, CRUCIBLES, RETORTS, AND OTHER FIRE-WARE
GOODS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel
Jones Payne, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Jones Payne, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to an improvement on the process of manu-
facturing fire-bricks, crucibles, and other fire-ware goods for which I
obtained Letters Patent bearing date December Fifth One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-one, the object being to manufacture such
goods of a plastic composition containing the largest available per-
centage of silica or silicious material, which, as is well known, has
the property of enabling the brick or other moulded article to resist the
destructive action of the furnace fire.
In making fire-bricks and other articles according to this Invention,
I shall in general be guided by the locality in the selection of the
materials for forming the plastic compound, but where it is available
I use by preference flint for my silicious material. The flint I calcine
and break up into small pieces or into pieces that would pass freely
through a sieve having a half-inch mesh. Of this material I take, say,
eight parts and mix it in any suitable crushing or grinding mill, with
two parts of any suitable aluminous material which acts as a binder to
the flint. The aluminous materials may be Dorset blue clay ground and
sifted, or any other good sound clay that is available. These materials
when mixed together will form a plastic compound ready for moulding.
The brick moulds may be of iron or any other suitable material, and
the moulding may be effected by hand or by machinery; but in all cases
I prefer to employ pressure for the consolidation of the brick.
Instead of using ordinary sand or its equivalent for preventing the
adhesion of the plastic compound to the moulds, I mix with the sand
or equivalent material which is to perform this office powdered calamine
in the proportion, say, of one part of calamine to two of sand or its
equivalent.
Before filling the moulds with the plastic material I dust the moulds
with the above-mentioned mixture, after the ordinary manner of dusting
moulds. I then introduce into the mould the plastic compound, and
dust it over with the mixture of sand or equivalent material and
calamine. The effect of this dusting will be to coat the surface of
the moulded brick on all sides with the calamine, which will adhere

page_text: thereto.
On subjecting the brick thus coated to the heat of the kiln,
the calamine will be fused and acting as a flux on the whole surface
of the brick, a toughness will be imparted to the exterior of the brick,
giving to it an amount of strength far greater than that which is due
to the small per-centage of binding clay employed in its manufacture.
The structural strength thus attainable (from the surface action of the
calamine present on the exterior of the green brick) enables me to
uphold in the moulded brick while being fired the large per-centage
of silicious material above indicated, and thereby to produce a brick
that will resist in a most efficient manner the destructive action of a
furnace fire. Bricks thus manufactured will, when exposed to a white
heat in reverberatory and other furnaces, become gradually more homo-
geneous by reason of the silex slowly fusing under the intense heat, and
diffusing itself through the mass.
The manufacture of crucibles, retorts, and fire-ware goods other than
bricks will be similar to the manufacture of bricks, a coating of
calamine being applied to them, as above explained. In this case
also in the firing of the goods a toughness will be imparted to the
exterior of the article which will give structural strength thereto, and
thus the friable tendency of the composition will to a considerable
extent be neutralized.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improve-
ment in the Manufacture of Fire-bricks, Crucibles, Retorts, and other
Fire-ware Goods," 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 application of calamine to the exterior of
the moulded goods, in the manner and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Jones Payne, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Third day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.