IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF WADS FOR GUNS, AND IN CASES FOR CONTAINING THE CHARGE OF POWDER FOR THE SAME
Year: 1860

page_text: County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF WADS FOR GUNS, AND IN CASES FOR CONTAINING THE CHARGE OF
POWDER FOR THE SAME."
Sealed the 3rd September 1860, and dated the 9th March 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Frederick Biele-
feld at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th March 1860.
I, CHARLES FREDERICK BIELEFELD, of Gower Street, in the County of.
5 Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS:
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WADS FOR GUNS, AND IN CASES FOR CONTAINING THE,
CHARGE OF POWDER FOR THE SAME," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of wads
for guns, and in cases for containing the charge of powder for the same. In,
order to form wads for cannon from fibrous material ground up with size, or.
other cementing material into a plastic state I employ a mould, the sides of
which are of the form to be given to the periphery of the wad, and the top.
and bottom of the mould are of the form to bo given to the ends of the wad;

page_text: the top and bottom of the mould are capable of being moved up and down,
the top being able to rise from between the sides in order that the materials
for forming a wad may be introduced into the mould from the top.
In order to form a wad, a quantity of material in a plastic state is intro-
duced into the mould, the top of the mould is then forced down so as to
compress the material, and cause it to assume the shape of the mould, the top
then rises from between the sides of the mould, and the bottom of the mould
is also raised so as to lift the wad clear of the sides of the mould, the wad is
then removed, and the bottom of the mould is lowered to its former position,
when a fresh wad may be formed in the same manner. Before introducing
the material into the mould, the sides of the mould may be first lined with
felt, canvas, or other substance, in order to give a smooth surface to the
periphery of the wad, and the wads may if desired be strengthened internally
by inbedding in the material a disc of sheet iron, the edges of which may be
turned up so as to be at right angles to the disc. One end of the wad may
have a conical recess formed in it, in order to receive a conical plug, which
plug is made slightly larger than the recess, so that it does not descend to
the bottom of the recess; by this means on the explosion taking place, the
plug will be driven to the bottom of the recess, and so expand the wad and
cause it to fit accurately the-bore of the gun, the conical plug may be formed
of wood, or it may be moulded from fibrous material in a similar manner to
the other portion of the wad. When moulding wads with a conical recess at
one end as above described, in order that the wad may readily be removed
from the mould, I form the top of the mould in two concentric parts, the
central part is of a shape corresponding with the recess in the wad, and the
exterior ring is capable of being moved up and down independantly of the
central part; by this means after a wad has been formed, and the top of
the mould raised by depressing the exterior ring whilst the central portion
remains stationary, the wad may be pushed off the projecting portion of the top
of the mould; or a wad may be formed by moulding a ring from fibrous mate-
rials ground up with cementing matters into a plastic state. The exterior
of the ring is made of the shape of the bore of the gun, the interior of the
ring is made conical to receive a conical plug. On the explosion taking
place the plug is driven into the ring, by which the ring is expanded and
caused to fit accurately the bore of the gun. The plug may be formed with
an enlargement at its back end, so that it may not. be driven through the
ring. Wads for rifles and other small fire-arms, may also be moulded in a
similar manner from fibrous material ground with cementing matters into a
plastic state.

page_text: Another part of my Invention consists, in forming cases for containing
the charge of powder for guns by pressing fibrous matérials ground up into
a plastic state with cementing: matters into moulds. When forming cases. in,
this manner, I prefer to mould the case in two or more parts, which. are
afterwards united together to form a case. Each part. I. prefer to form by
placing, a layer of plastic material between two pieces of canvas or other fabric,
and by pressing the sheet so prepared into. a mould of the form desired. After
each piece has been. moulded in. this way, the pieces may be joined together
by glueing canvas over the adjoining or overlapping edges of the pieces, or:
otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Frederick Bielefeld in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th September 1860.
.!
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
FREDERICK BIELEFELD, of Gower Street, in the. County of Middlesex, send:
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord One.
thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles
Frederick Bielefeld, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Frederick
Bielefeld, my executors, administrators,. and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Charles Frederick Bielefeld, 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 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 WADS FOR GUNS, AND IN CASES FOR
CONTAINING THE CHARGE OF POWDER FOR THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Frederick Bielefeld, my executors or admi-
nistrators, 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 Charles Frederick: Bielefeld, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
wads for guns and in cases for containing the charge of powder for the same.
In order to form wads for cannon from fibrous material ground up with
size or other cementing material into a plastic state, I employ a mould, the
sides of which are of the form to be given to the periphery of the wad, and the
top and bottom of the mould are of the form to be given to the ends of the
wad; the top and bottom of the mould are capable of being moved up and
down, the top being able to rise from between the sides, in order that
the materials for forming a wad may be introduced into the mould from the
top. In order to form a wad, a quantity of material in a plastic state is intro-
duced into the mould; the top of the mould is then forced down so as to com-
press the material and cause it to assume the shape of the mould; the top then
rises from between the sides of the mould, and the bottom of the mould is also
raised, so as to lift the wad clear of the sides of the mould; the wad is then
removed, and the bottom of the mould is lowered to its former position, when
a fresh wad may be formed in the same manner. Before introducing the
material into the mould the sides of the mould may be first lined with felt,
canvas, or other substance, in order to give a smooth surface to the periphery
of the wad, and the wads may, if desired, be strengthened internally by imbed-
ding in the material a disc of sheet iron, the edges of which may be turned up,
so as to be at right angles to the disc. One end of the wad may have a conical
recess formed in it, in order to receive a conical plug, which plug is made
slightly larger that the recess, so that it does not descend to the bottom of the
recess; by this means, on the explosion taking place, the plug will be driven
to the bottom of the recess, and so expand the wad and cause. it to fit accu-
rately the bore of the gun. The conical plug may be formed of wood, or it
may be moulded from fibrous material in a similar manner to the other portion
of the wad. When moulding wads with a conical recess at one end, as above
described, in order that the wad may readily be removed from. the mould, I
form the top of the mould in two concentric parts; the central part is of a
shape corresponding with the recess in the wad, and the exterior ring is capable
of being moved up and down independently of the central part; by this means
after a wad has been formed and the top of the mould raised by depressing the
exterior ring whilst the central portion remains stationary, the wad may be
pushed off the projecting portion of the top of the mould; or a wad may be

page_text: formed by moulding a ring from fibrous materials ground up with cementing
matters into a plastic state; the exterior of the ring is made of the shape of
the bore of the gun; the interior of the ring is made conical, to receive a
conical plug; on the explosion taking place the plug is driven into the ring,
by which the ring is expanded and caused to fit accurately the bore of the gun.
The plug may be formed with an enlargement at its back end so that it
may not be driven through the ring. Wads for rifles and other small fire-
arms may also be moulded in a similar manner from fibrous material, ground
with cementing matters into a plastic state.
Another part of my Invention consists in forming cases for containing the
charge of powder for guns, by pressing fibrous materials ground up into a
plastic state with cementing, matters into moulds. When forming cases
in this manner I prefer to mould the case in two or more parts, which are
afterwards united together to form a case. Each part I prefer to form by
placing a layer of plastic material between two pieces of canvas or other fabric,
and by pressing the sheet so prepared into a mould of the form desired. After
each piece has been moulded in this way, the pieces may be joined together by
glueing canvas over the adjoining or overlapping edges of the pieces, or
otherwise.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same..
The Invention consists in employing fibrous and cementing substances and
moulding the same into the proper forms for cannon and other guns. The
fibrous and cementing materials and relative proportions thereof used for these
purposes may be greatly varied, but I prefer to employ such cementing mate-
rials in conjunction with vegetable or animal fibrous substances as will not
when once formed and pressed into wads be liable to shrink by heat in hot
climates, or to expand by moisture. The composition which I recommend for
these purposes are as follows:-
Ten lbs. of vegetable fibrous substances, such as short or waste tow, or
such like cheap fibres..
Twelve lbs. of flour or rice made into a thick paste, using about six parts
by weight of alum therein.
Seven lbs. of rough turpentine.
One-third of a lb. of boiled oil.
To this compound clay may be added, to obtain any desired consistency.
Tallow, stearine, and wax, as well as other matters may also be employed.
In selecting materials for the purposes of my Invention I am guided by
price, keeping in view that the materials used should be such that when made

page_text: up and pressed into wads they shall present great strength with little liability.
to chip or crack, and at the same time that the wads shall be as little as may.
be liable to shrink or expand by heat or moisture.
.:The fibrous substances and cementing materials are ground together in a
suitable mill, in order that they may be intimately mixed and rendered into a
stiff plastic state; they are then to be moulded and pressed into the forms
desired.
The moulds used by me are cylindrical on the interior (when cylindrical
wads are required), the bottoms thereof being made to fit therein in a suitable
manner, to admit of their.being raised up through the moulds to deliver the
wads as they are made. The upper parts or rams of the mould are made in a
suitable manner, to admit of their being pressed into the moulds. The upper
and lower parts of the moulds are formed to produce the desired concavities
and other proper surfaces to the upper and lower sides if the wads and the
sides of the moulds are made plain or with grooves or projections, to produce
wads to fit the rifling of the cannon or guns, or the moulds are made suitable
in section for producing wads for Whitworth's and such like cannon and guns.
I prefer that the diameters of the first moulds used should be larger than the
desired wads, so that the wads may, in the first instance, be comparatively
roughly made, and then allowed to dry and set, and to be then again pressed
in a second mould only very slightly larger than the desired size, that the wad
should then be again allowed to dry and set, which should be in a drying room
or stove heated to a higher degree of heat than the wads are ever liable after-
wards to be subjected to. The wads are then each to be pressed into a mould
corresponding in diameter with the exact size of wad desired. This, however,
is not essential, as wads may be produced of the proper size by using only one
mould in which the wads are made by first pressing in the plastic compound
and then, when the same has been dried, the wads are to be covered with a
sheet of like material, or of canvas, or other suitable material, and then again
introduced into the same sized mould, and well pressed therein.
This Invention is peculiarly suitable in cases where wads of wood for shells
have heretofore been used, but other forms of wads for cannon and other guns
may be similarly made.
In making cases for containing a charge of powder for guns, the Invention
consists in moulding like plastic materials into cases of a size, in each instance,
to contain a charge of gunpowder. For these purposes, I use moulds each
suitable for making a half or other sectional part of a case, and I prefer that
the plastic material should be coated on both sides with canvas or other woven
fabric. The sections of a case being thus moulded, I combine them into cases

page_text: by means of suitable glue or cement, preferring such as will not be injuriously
acted on by moisture.
The peculiarity of the first part of my Invention consists in moulding and
pressing plastic materials composed of fibres and cementing or adhesive
substances into wads for cannon or other guns.
The peculiarity of the second part of my Invention consists in forming cases
to contain charges of gunpowder by moulding, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Frederick Bielefeld, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
CHARLES F. BIELEFELD. (L.S.)