IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Henry Murray, of Loman Strect, in the
Borough of Southwark, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS."
Scaled the 4th December 1866, and dated the 8th June 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Henry Murray
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th June 1866.
I, CHARLES HENRY MURRAY, of Loman Street, in the Borough of South-
wark, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention of improvements in machinery for making bricks relatos
more particularly to the mechanical appliances for cutting the clay as it passes
out of the exit aperture of the kneading or brick-making machine into bricks
of the desired shape and dimensions. To this end, supposing a quantity of
clay of the proper sectional area and sufficient to form, say, twelve bricks, has
been expressed from the kneading machine, and delivered on to the table of
the machine about to be described, the proper length to form twelve bricks is
first cut off by means of a vertical wire or wires mounted in a reciprocating
frame, which is capable of moving to and fro on guides affixed to the side
standards or other suitable part of the machine. The proper length of clay
having been cut off the lump is next pushed forward against a series of fixed
wires, whereby it is divided up into bricks of the usual and proper dimensions.

page_text: This pushing forward of the lump of clay is effected by means of a second
moveable frame or table to which is adapted a series of separate blocks or
pistons, which as they advance push forward the clay against and past the
fixed wires. This advance of the clay is effected by means of a hand lever,
or by means of a rack-and-pinion motion, which is acted upon by a winch
handle or a hand wheel. If desired the vertical wires against which the clay
is pressed in order to divide it into bricks may have a slight upward motion
given to them so that the operation of dividing the clay may be effected by a
kind of drawing cut.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters l'atent, filed
by the said Charles IIenry Murray in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th December 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HENRY MURRAY, of Loman Street, in the Borough of Southwark, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles Henry Murray, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Henry
Murray, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
said Charles Henry Murray, my 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
1ke, 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 MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Charles Henry Murray, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and scals, 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 Charles Henry Murray, 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

page_text: following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention of improvements in machinery for making bricks relates
more particularly to the mechanical appliances for cutting the clay (as it passes
out of the exit aperture of the kneading or brick-making machine) into bricks
of the desired shape and dimensions. To this end, supposing a quantity of
clay of the proper sectional area and sufficient length to form, say, twelve
bricks, has been expressed from the kneading machine and delivered on to
the table of the machine about to be described, the proper length to form
from eight to twelve bricks is first cut off by means of a vertical wire or wires
mounted in a reciprocating frame, which is capable of moving to and fro on
guides affixed to the side standards, or other suitable part of the machine.
The proper length of clay having been thus cut off, the lump is next pushed
forward against a series of fixed wires, whereby it is divided up into bricks of
the usual and proper dimensions. This pushing forward of the lump of clay
is effected by means of a second moveable frame or table, to which is adapted.
a series of separate blocks or pistons, which as they advance push forward the
clay against and past the fixed wires. This advance of the clay is effected by
means of a hand lever, or by means of a rack-and-pinion motion, which is
acted upon by a winch handle or a hand wheel. If desired the vertical wires
against which the clay is pressed in order to divide it into bricks may have a
slight upward motion given to them so that the operation of dividing the clay
may be effected by a kind of drawing cut.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a side clevation of the machine;
Fig. 2 is a sectional end view; and Figure 3 is a diagram plan, showing the
receiving table a, on to which the lump of clay 6 to be cut up or divided is
pushed from the nozzle of the kneading machine. When the clay has been
exuded from the kneading machine on to the table a, a proper length for
making any convenient number of bricks, say, twelve, is cut off by means of
the moveable cutting wire c, which is fixed in the moveable frame c', which
runs in guides d, d. A series of stationary wires e, e, are fixed in standards
in front of the lump of clay b which is pushed forward against the wires c, e, by
the pushing board f, which is attached to the sliding bar f'. The pushing
board with its frame f' is actuated by means of a hand lever and arm g, g',
and by depressing the lever the board f is moved forward and forces the lump
of clay past the fixed wires on to a board placed at the part a' of the table.
The clay will thus be left in the form of bricks, as shown at b' in the Drawing,
and the lot may be removed at once by lifting up the board on which they are
placed. Instead of actuating the frame f' by means of a lever, as just

page_text: described, it may be actuated by a winch handle or hand wheel and a pinion,
which is made to take into a rack on the under side of the frame f, as shown
by red lines in the Drawing. The frame c¹ of the cutting wire c, and the
pusher frame may either be moved separately as already described, or they
may be temporarily connected together by means of a catch h. If it be
required to move them simultaneously the catch will be left down, and then
by pulling over the hand lever g or turning the winch of the pinion which gears
into the rack on the under side of the frame, the latter will carry forward with
it the frame c' above; but if it be desired to move the cutting wire frame c' first,
this can be done by releasing the catch h, and pulling forward the frame by
the handle of the catch, then upon pulling forward the pusher frame f' the
clay will be pushed off the table a into the position shown at 6, the catch h
of the frame c' will then fall into a notch on the lower frame f¹, and will thus
temporarily connect the two frames, so that they may be run back together.
If it be desired to form bevilled bricks, this may be effected by setting the
fixed cutting wires c at the proper angle and forcing the clay forward as in
the former instance.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Machinery for
Making Bricks," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, the arrange-
ment and construction of parts herein set forth for cutting clay into bricks.
I claim particularly cutting the clay into the form of bricks by forcing tho
clay forward by means of a pushing board or otherwise against a series of
fixed wires, so arranged that the clay is pushed or forced past the wires on to a
moveable board provided with handles, so that twelve or any other convenient
number of bricks may be removed at the same time.
In witness whercof, I, the said Charles Henry Murray, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Seventh day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
CHARLES HENRY MURRAY. (L.S.)