Improvements in the Method of Manufacturing Glass Bricks.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 9th Apr., 1892
[Communicated from abroad by MORITZ SCHREIBER, of Briesen, Manufacturer,.
and L. OETTINGER, Merchant, of Berlin, Germany.]
Improvements in the Method of Manufacturing Glass Bricks.
I, HUGH DONALD FITZPATRICK of 70 Wellington Street Glasgow, Registered
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
Glazed or enamelled bricks as at present made, have the drawback that, as the
glazing always has fine cracks in it, moisture gets into these cracks and widens.
them, until eventually the moisture finds its way behind the glazing and into the
brick itself. Changes of temperature, acting on the moisture, in process of time,
breaks off the glazing and, as a consequence, houses built with glazed bricks, are
often rendered very unsightly. Another drawback with glazed bricks, is that the
glazing is applied merely in the form of a very thin coat, which is very easily
damaged.
It is impossible to subsequently repair such damaged bricks, as colours and
drawings made later on, cannot be burned in. As the glazing can only be combined
with a comparatively small number of colours, there is not much variety in the
colouring of such bricks.
It may also be remarked that such glazed or enamelled bricks are very expensive.
to manufacture.
The object of the present invention is to overcome all these objections by making
the new bricks of glass or by facing them with this material. When glass is used,
bricks can be made with the greatest variety of colouring and decoration. The
glass bricks may be one or many-coloured, as desired, and they may be of any
required shape.
will now describe my invention more particularly, reference being had to the
drawings annexed, whereon:-
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a mould with a glass brick therein.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of Fig. 1.
Figs. 3, & 4 are also sections of moulds.
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 represent glass bricks.
In Figs. 1 and 2, the mould A is a folding or box one, and may be of any well-
known construction. Sufficient liquid glass to make one of the bricks is first poured
into the mould. The ring or cover a, which has a handle b, is then placed on top
of the mould and the presser or ram B is brought down into the mould and squeezes
the glass C into the hollow shape shown. The object of making the brick hollow,
is to save material and reduce weight. The glass C is made, however, of such a
thickness, that, although made hollow, the strength of the brick will be sufficient
for all purposes. The ring a prevents the glass C when it is subject to heavy
pressure, from running over the rim of the mould. According to the quantity of
glass poured into the mould, the cavity D is made deeper or shallower.
When it is desired to manufacture the new bricks with the front part of a different.
coloured glass from the body of the brick, a divided mould is used. The mould is
illustrated at Figs. 3 and 4.
The lower part d of the mould A. is, in this case, fitted with a ring or head-piece a.
The glass for forming the front plate, is now poured in and pressed. When the
glass is sufficiently pressed, the ring a is removed and the part e, forming the body
of the mould A, is placed on top of the part d and closed with the ring a (see
Fig. 4). A quantity of glass, sufficient to form the body of the brick, is now poured
into the mould and pressed out to the required hollow shape, by means of the ram B.

page_text: It is, of course, understood that the pressing out of the body of the glass brick,
must be done whilst the front plate E is hot. It is also to be borne in mind that
the temperature of the glass, forming the body C, and that forming the plate E
must be the same.
After the bricks have been properly pressed, they are taken to the annealing oven
and allowed to cool slowly, in order to prevent them becoming brittle and liable to
crack.
Fig. 5 shows a front, perspective, view of one of the glass bricks. Fig. 6 shows a
back, perspective, view of one of the glass bricks-D represents the cavity in the
brick. Fig. 7 is a side view of one of the bricks.
The new glass bricks have a great advantage over glazed or enamelled bricks, aз
they can be made of a uniform colour throughout and they can, also, be made of any
desired colour.
The new glass bricks, are unaffected by changes of temperature, and they there-
fore afford an absolute protection in all states of the weather.
The bricks can be moulded into any shape and they can be decorated in any
desired manner, thus, for example, the bricks may be made of differently coloured
glasses, united by pressure, and then be adorned by the impression of ornamentation,
or by grinding, gilding or painting them, etc. The painting or other work can be
burned in.
The front of the bricks can be made of a much better quality of glass than the
body.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
The method of manufacturing plain or coloured glass bricks, by shaping the glass,
under pressure, in a mould, the front part (E) and the body (C) of the brick, being
made of the same or different material, in the latter case, the parts being produced
separately and united by pressure, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 7th day of March 1892.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow.