IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL BRICKS, TILES, SLABS, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Ridgway, of Hanley, in the
County of Stafford, and Frederick William Walker, of Hanley, in
the County of Stafford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL BRICKS, TILES, SLABS, AND OTHER LIKE
ARTICLES, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 11th May 1869, and dated the 24th December 1868..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Ridgway
and Frederick William Walker at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 24th December 1868.
We, WILLIAM HENRY RIDGWAY, of Hanley, in the County of Stafford,
and FREDERICK WILLIAM WALKER, of Hanley, in the County of Stafford;
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL BRICKS, TILES, SLABS, AND OTHER

page_text: follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a peculiar method of inlaying bricks,
tiles, slabs, and other like articles composed of ground clay, commonly
called "dust." We use in addition to the ordinary plunger, a loose
plunger or plungers built up of two or more parts by which we are
enabled to inlay and press up a brick or tile with the face upwards by the
usual stroke of the fly press. The plungers are composed of two or more
plates perforated to any pattern, the inner plate fitting accurately into the
outer one, and both being removed from the press every time a brick or
tile is made. The plungers are made about three-eighths of an inch thick,
but their thickness will depend upon the depth of the inlaid portion.
In a pattern of elaborate character the plungers are divided into several
sections, each of which is manipulated separately, and then adjusted
together with the others in order to be placed on the dust in the mould.
The "sections" of the plungers may be placed together within a square
or other shaped ring or plate, plain or perforated like the other parts, so
as to hold the sections together. In addition to the perforated inner
and outer plates composing the plungers we use when required a back
plate, to which the different parts of the inner plate are secured, in order
that (when separated from each other by a bar or some feature in the
pattern) they may all move together under the action of the fixed
plunger and fly press. We use also when required certain stopping out
plugs to fill up certain portions of the perforated plungers whilst other
parts are being charged with "dust," which plugs are then removed
and the space occupied by them filled with "dust" of another color.
To charge the perforated portion of the plungers with "dust" we use
boards with certain strips, stops, or pins fixed upon them, upon which the
plungers are placed. These strips or stops according to their disposition
on the board allow the whole or certain portions only of the inner plates
to drop a certain distance, leaving a vacancy to be filled up with “dust."
When more than one color is required the plunger partly charged with
"dust" is moved to another board, where a different arrangement of
stops allows another portion of the inner plate to sink, leaving fresh
vacancies to be filled up with other colors; as the vacancies are filled up
the "dust" is slightly compressed by a plug or soft elastic pad. The
mould having been charged with "dust" in the ordinary way the loose

page_text: plunger charged with the different colors is laid on the top of the "dust"
in the mould, when a blow with the press drives it down into the mould,
inlaying and pressing up the tile.
Secondly. We produce veneered tiles, say blue or white, by using a
perforated plate three-eighths of an inch thick or more, according to the
thickness of vencer required. For a three inch tile the perforation would
be a little over three inches square; this plate is laid upon a board, the
hole filled with dust and compressed slightly with a plug or soft
elastic pad. The mould being charged with white dust the plate
charged with blue is laid upon it, guided by certain pins and corre-
sponding recesses; a blow with the press then drives the blue down upon
the white, forming a veneered tile, brick, or slab..
Thirdly. We inlay plain or ornamental tiles into another tile in the
following manner :-A plate is prepared, the size of the larger tile having
perforations through it the size of the smaller tiles.. Into the perforations
inner plates or plugs are fitted. These plates or plugs being drawn
back the small tile or tiles are placed face down into the recess thus
left; the outer plates, plugs, and tiles are then placed together on the top
of the mould (filled with ordinary "dust") and a blow from the press
drives the plugs to a level with the outer plate, thus forcing the small
tiles into the larger one and pressing all up complete..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said William Henry Ridgway and Frederick William.
Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th June 1869..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HENRY RIDGWAY, of Hanley, in the County of Stafford, and FREDERICK
WILLIAM WALKER, of Hanley, in the County of Stafford,, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself,. Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto us, the said William Henry Ridgway and
Frederick William Walker, Her special license that we,, the said

page_text: William Henry Ridgway and Frederick William Walker, our execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Henry Ridgway and Frederick William Walker, our executors,
administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF ORNAMENTAL BRICKS, TILES, SLABS, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES, AND IN THE
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said William Henry Ridgway and Frederick William
Walker, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our hands and scals, or under the hand and seal of one of
us, 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 we, the said William Henry Ridgway and
Frederick William Walker, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to a peculiar method of inlaying bricks,
tiles, slabs, and other like articles composed of ground clay (commonly
called "dust"). We use in addition to the ordinary plunger a loose
plunger or plungers built up of two or more parts and placed on the
surface of the dust in the mould, by which we are enabled to inlay
and press up a tile or slab with the face upwards by the usual stroke
of the fly press. The loose plungers are composed of two or more plates
or sections perforated to any pattern, the inner plate fitting accurately
into the outer one, and both being removed from the press every time
a brick or tile is made. The loose plungers are made from one-eighth to
about three-eighths of an inch thick, but their thickness will depend upon
the depth of the inlaid portion and strength of plate required. In a
pattern of elaborate character the loose plungers are divided into several

page_text: sections, each of which is manipulated separately and then adjusted
together with the others in order to be placed on the dust in the mould.
The "sections" of the loose plungers are sometimes placed together
within a square or other shaped ring or plate, plain or perforated like
the other parts so as to hold the sections together. In addition to the
perforated inner and outer plates composing the loose plungers, we use
when required a back plate to which the different parts of the inner
plate are secured in order that when separated from each other by
a bar or some feature in the pattern they may all move together under
the action of the fixed plunger and fly press. We use also when
required certain stopping out plugs to fill up certain portions of the
loose perforated plungers, whilst other parts are being charged with
"dust," which plugs are then removed and the space occupied by
them filled with "dust" of another colour. To charge the perforated
portion of the loose plungers with "dust" we use boards with certain
strips, stops, or pins fixed upon them, upon which the loose plungers
are placed. These strips or stops according to their dispositions on the
board allow the whole or certain portions only of the. inner plates
to drop a certain distance, leaving a vacancy to be filled up with "dust,"
when more than one colour is required the loose plunger partly charged
with dust is moved to another board where a different arrangement
of stops allows another portion of the inner plate to sink, leaving fresh
vacancies to be filled up with other colours; as each vacancy is filled
up the "dust" is slightly compressed by a soft elastic pad previous to
the whole being more fully condensed, as herein-after described. The
mould having been charged with "dust" in the ordinary way the loose
plunger charged with the different colours is laid on the top of the
"dust" in the mould, when a blow with the press drives it down into
the mould inlaying and pressing up the tile.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts, in all the
corresponding Figures.
Supposing it is desired to produce an inlaid tile of the pattern and
colors represented in Figure 1, the ground of the tile being, say, buff,
and the inlaid pattern blue.

page_text: We must first construct the loose plunger composed of a metal plate A,
Figure 2, of the exact size of the tile to be produced, and having a
square opening made therein of the exact size and shape of the outer
contour of the blue or inlaid. portion of the tile and correspondingly
situate A second plate B is then fitted accurately into the square
opening in the first plate above referred to; and in the centre of this
second plate an opening is made of the exact size and contour of the
central buff portion of the design, into which opening there is fitted
accurately a third plate C.
Figure 3 represents a vertical section through all these three con-
centric plates forming the loose plunger, taken along the diagonal
line 1, 2, in Figure 2, the surfaces of the several plates or sections A, B,
and C being flush with each other. In this condition the loose plunger
is placed upon a flat surface or table D, shewn in vertical section at
Figure 4, and in plan at Figure 5, the section being taken along the
diagonal line 3, 4, in Figure 6. Upon the surface of this table are
provided a number of india-rubber or other stops a, a, which are so
arranged as to support the portions A and C only of the loose plunger,
leaving the part B free to descend to the surface of the table itself, as
shewn clearly in Figure 4. This has the effect of leaving a recess in the
surface of the loose plunger, see Figure 4, of the exact size and contour of
the part B; or, in other words, corresponding exactly with the inlaid or
blue portion of the design. This recess is now filled with blue "dust"
in any convenient manner, but we find in practice that this may be more
conveniently done by employing a shallow metal tray having a hole in
the bottom corresponding in size and shape with the outer contour of
the inlaid, or as in this case with the blue part of the design. The tray
is laid upon the loose plunger with the square hole coinciding with the
outer edges of the recess, and the blue dust contained in the tray is
carefully swept into the recess beneath. The tray is then removed and
any superabundant "dust" is swept from off the surface of the loose
plunger, leaving the parts A and C perfectly clean, whilst the recess
remains filled with the blue "dust" up to the level of the surface of the
loose plunger; a slab of india-rubber E or a thin piece of leather,
Figure 4, is then laid upon the loose plunger so as to entirely cover and
.conceal the dust in the recess, and the pressing plate of an ordinary fly
or other press is brought forcibly down upon the india-rubber slab E.

page_text: This has the effect of depressing those parts A and C of the loose plunger,
which rest upon the elastic stops a, whilst the part B which is supported
on the solid bed or surface of the table itself remains stationary,
consequently the blue "dust" in the recess is compressed between the
smooth surface of the part B and the under side of the india-rubber
pad E, whereby it is sufficiently consolidated to remain in the recess
when the loose plunger is inverted for the purpose of placing the same
in the mould F shewn in section at Figure 6.
Wooden or brass plugs may be employed for condensing or compressing
the inlay "dust," but the india-rubber E will be found to be both cheaper
and easier to work; this mould which may be of the ordinary description
provided with a moveable bottom or piston G for expelling the completed
tile is filled with the buff "dust" forming the "ground or body of the
tile, and upon the surface of such "ground" is laid carefully the loose
plunger already charged as described with the blue or inlay "dust," the
several parts occupying the position shewn in Figure 6.
The top
plunger or pressing plate H, Figure 7, of a fly or other press is now
brought down with powerful pressure on to the loose plunger, the effect
being first to force down the protruding part B to a level with the
parts A and C; the superior hardness of the previously compressed dust
in the loose plunger admitting of its being thus punched as it were into
the soft "ground" without spoiling the edges of the pattern or becoming
disturbed in any way, thereby imbedding or inlaying the blue "dust"
into the surface of the body of the tile. The further descent of the
pressing plate H forces the entire loose plunger downwards inside the
mould F, and solidifies the mass of "dust," thus completing the tile as
shewn in Figure 7. On raising the pressing plate H the compressed
tile with the pattern in blue colour inlaid in its surface is expelled from
the mould F by elevating the moveable bottom or piston G. The
operations are then repeated for the next tile and so on. By employing
loose plungers composed of various parts or sections fitting into one
another, as herein-before described, facility is afforded for inlaying any
number of different colors, since each recessed portion of the loose
plunger may be filled separately with its own particular color, according
to the design to be produced. For example when manufacturing a tile
having an inlaid pattern of two colours, say buff and blue, with a red
ground, as shewn in Figure 8, the loose plunger will require to be

page_text: composed of four parts A, B, C, D, as shewn in Figures 9 and 10, but
in filling the recesses the ring C and spot D may be removed and the
spot filled separately with its buff colour and then returned to its place
for the remaining or bluc portion of the pattern to be filled in.
.
Figure 11 represents a tile with three colors inlaid, the filling in of
which on the loose plunger shewn in section and plan at Figures 12
and 13 may be effected in the same manner. This loose plunger is
composed of the outer part A, the four corner pieces B, B, the rectangular
picces C and D, and the central piece or star E. The central square D
and star E may thus be removed for the reception of the green colored
clay and then replaced for the filling in of the buff in the recess over
the plate C, the four corners B having in the meantime been also filled
with the blue colored clay; or the before mentioned shallow dust tins or
trays may be employed having the holes at the bottom corresponding in
size, form, and position with that particular portion of the pattern which
it is desired to inlay with a distinct and separate colour, thus for the buff
spot in Figures 8 and 10 a simple circular hole would suffice, whilst for
the central figure and the four corners shewn in Figures 11, 12, and 13,
separate trays would be employed, the one containing green "dust"
having a hole in it corresponding to the central green figure, and the
other containing the blue "dust" having four triangular holes in it
corresponding to the four parts B, B. Any superfluous "dust" is to be
carefully removed and the " 'ground" surfaces of the loose plunger
wiped with a flannel fastened to a piece of wood to remove any specks
of the "dust" which may be adhering thereto. In cases where the
pattern is required to be inlaid up to the edge of the tile as shewn in
Figure 14, or when a vencered tile is to be produced, then an outer ring
or ferule K, shewn in the sectional elevation and plan of the loose
plunger at Figures 15 and 16 will be required to form a fence or raised
side, against which the inlay (in this case blue) or the veneer "dust"
must be filled. This ring serves also to hold together the triangular
or prism shaped sections A, A, composing the plunger.
Figures 17 and 18 represent a section and plan of another arrange-
ment of loose plunger combined with a surrounding ring or ferrule.
In this arrangement we employ in addition to the ring K a back
plate L for the purpose of keeping together the sections of the loose
plunger, of which A, A, represent the "ground" and B the portion

page_text: which is allowed to descend slightly and form the recess shewn in
Figure 18 for the inlay of say red "dust," such inlay in this case
extending up to the edge of the tile. This back plate L may be cast
in one with those sections of the loose plunger which are intended to
sink for the purpose of forming the recesses, or, in other words, with
the sections B in this case; or other means may be adopted for con-
necting the back plate L with the required sections. Holes are drilled
at a, a, through the back plate to allow of the passage through them
of suitable stops which support the "ground" part of the plunger.
In this arrangement the sections of the loose plunger and back plate
are driven together clear out of the ring K each time a tile is made
(the ring being left behind on the top of the mould), and are replaced
within the ring to be again charged with dust. Figure 19 represents
the tile produced as above described. When making inlaid bricks
from "dust more than one stroke of an ordinary fly press would bo
required in practice although it would be possible to complete the
operation by a single stroke of a press arranged expressly for the
purpose, but as the mass of "dust" forming the body of the brick is
much greater than in a tile or slab the "dust" should be consolidated
or condensed layer by layer, and the inlaying effected as already
described, when the last layer of "dust" has been put into the mould.
This process is applicable to the making of ornamental tiles or slabs
from fine sand mixed with cement or its equivalent, such material being
used in a powdered and damped state after the manner of the clay
dust.
"
By the adoption of our said Invention the following advantages will
be obtained, that is to say, several patterns can be worked at the same
time in the same press by different individuals, cach filling a different
loose plunger and pressing a tile in turn; every tile or slab is pressed
with its force upwards, whereby a better surface is produced; the
liability for the "ground" and the "inlay" colors to get mixed and
thereby produce what are known as "smudged" tiles is entirely
prevented; there can be no destruction or displacement of pattern; a
great variety of designs can be obtained at a very trifling cost, since
a new pattern involves simply the cost of perforated plates or loose
plungers without necessitating very costly fittings or alterations in the

page_text: ornamental tiles or figures into another tile in combination or not
with some other colored "dust" it is simply necessary to place the
tile or figure to be inlaid into the other tile inside the recess in the
loose plunger and to fill up any remaining recesses, if such exist, with
"dust" the tile or figure and "dust" (which latter should be previously
condensed or compressed as herein-before described) is or are then
inlaid or forced into the body or ground of the main tile by placing the
loose plunger containing the inlay over the mould and bringing down
upon it the pressing plate of the fly or other press.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, we would observe in conclusion that we are aware
that perforated plates fitting one inside the other have been used and
are still in use for making what are known as encaustic tiles from dust
by a process for which Letters Patent were granted to William Boulton
and Joseph Worthington, bearing date the Third day of September, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, No. 2176, and also by a process
wherein the perforated plates are attached to the bottom plunger of the
mould box, the tile being moulded with the face downwards. We
therefore lay no claim to the use of perforated plates; but what we
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to us by the hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent
is,-
First. The application and use to and in the manufacture of inlaid
bricks, tiles, slabs, and other like articles of a loose plunger placed on
the top of the "dust" in the mould with its face downwards, such loose
plunger being composed or built up of two or more parts capable of
forming recesses for the reception of the "dust" for producing the inlaid
pattern in the manner herein-before described.
Second. The surrounding or enclosing a number of sections forming a
loose plunger with or in a square or other shaped ring or ferrule, which
forms the sides of the recesses in the loose plunger when the inlaid
pattern extends to the extreme edge of the tile, substantially as herein-
before described.
Third. The use of surfaces having raised stops or projections thereon
upon which the loose plungers are adjusted for the purpose of allowing
portions thereof to descend and leave recesses in the upper surface for

page_text: the reception of the "dust" intended to form the inlay or pattern,
substantially as herein-before described.
Fourth. The peculiar system or mode of compressing the "dust" in
the recesses of the loose plunger by the aid of a leather or india-rubber
pad, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Henry Ridgway and
Frederick William Walker, have to this our Specification set
our hands and scals, the Eighteenth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.
W. HY. RIDGWAY. (L.S.)
F. W. WALKER.
(L.S.)