IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON BEDSTEADS, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL IRON TUBES OR COLUMNS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND ORNAMEN- TATION OF IRON BEDSTEADS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Benjamin Whitfield, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON BEDSTEADS, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
ORNAMENTAL IRON TUBES OR COLUMNS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND ORNAMEN-
TATION OF IRON BEDSTEADS."
Scaled the 29th April 1862, and dated the 14th February 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Benjamin Whit
field at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th February 1862.
I, SAMUEL BENJAMIN WHITFIELD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON BEDSTEADS, AND IN THE MANUFAC-
TURE OF ORNAMENTAL IRON TUBES OR COLUMNS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND
ORNAMENTATION OF IRON BEDSTEADS," to be as follows:-
My improvements in the manufacture of iron bedsteads consist in the use of
parts made of stamped or pressed iron, the said parts being joined to the other.
parts by junctions of cast iron cast in metal moulds, that is, by the process com-
monly called chill casting. The parts which I principally make of stamped
or pressed sheet iron are parts of the pillars, and head and foot rails. The
ornamental tubes ordinarily used in the construction and ornamentation of iron

page_text: bedsteads consist of tubes either of the same diameter throughout or
tapering from end to end, and plain, twisted, fluted or otherwise ornamented,
the said tubes terminating abruptly in the corner block, or engaging in collars
on the said corner block.
My improvements in making ornamental iron tubes or columns for the con-
struction and ornamentation of iron bedsteads consist in attaching to the
bottoms or tops, or bottoms and tops, or other parts of pieces of any kind of
iron tubing, stamped mounts or terminations of iron. The said mounts or
terminations when applied to the bottom and top of the tube, form a base and
capital respectively. I also use stamped iron mounts for the purpose of giving
any required ornamental figure to portions of the iron tube other than the top
and bottom. I make the said mounts or terminations by stamping or pressing
from sheet iron by the ordinary stamping or pressing processes, and I fix them
to the required parts of the tube by brazing or soldering. The tube to which
the said mounts or terminations have been affixed is converted into a hollow
column, which may either be used as a pillar or part of a pillar, or may be
used for ornamenting a plain pillar by being dropped or placed upon a plain
pillar.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Benjamin Whitfield in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
BENJAMIN WHITFIELD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufac-
turer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Samuel Benjamin Whitfield, Her special licence that I, the said
Samuel Benjamin Whitfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Samuel Benjamin Whitfield, 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

page_text: of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON BEDSTEADS, AND IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL IRON TUBES OR COLUMNS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION
AND ORNAMENTATION OF IRON BEDSTEADS," upon the condition (amongst others),
that I, the said Samuel Benjamin Whitfield, 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 Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and canse 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 Samuel Benjamin Whitfield, 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 :-
My improvements in the manufacture of iron bedsteads consist in the use of
parts made of stamped or pressed iron, the said parts being joined to the other
parts by junctions of cast iron cast in metal moulds, that is, cast by the process
commonly called chill casting, or by rivetting or otherwise. The parts which
I principally make of stamped or pressed sheet iron are parts of the pillars and
head and foot rails.
I will illustrate the manner in which this part of my Invention is to be
carried into effect with reference to the foot rail of an iron bedstead. Instead
of employing cast iron in making the ornamental parts and such other parts of
the said foot rail as are commonly made of cast iron, I make the said orna-
mental and other parts of sheet iron stamped or pressed in dies by the ordinary
processes of stamping or pressing, and I apply these stamped or pressed
ornamental and other parts to the manufacture of the foot rail, exactly in the
same way as like parts made of cast iron are ordinarily applied, and I join the
said stamped or pressed parts to the other parts of the foot rail by junctions of
cast iron cast in metal moulds, as is well understood, or by rivetting or other-
wise. This part of my Invention is applicable to the manufacture of all such
parts of iron bedsteads as are ordinarily made of cast iron and joined to the
other parts by the process of chill casting or rivetting. The ornamental tubes
ordinarily used in the construction and ornamentation of iron bedsteads consist
of tubes either of the same diameter throughout or tapering from end to end,
and plain, twisted, fluted, or otherwise ornamented, the said tubes termi-
nating abruptly in the corner block or engaging in collars on the said corner
block.

page_text: My improvements in making ornamental iron tubes or columns for the
construction and ornamentation of iron bedsteads consist in attaching to the
bottoms or tops, or bottoms and tops, or other parts of pieces of any kind of
iron tubing, stamped mounts or terminations of iron. The said mounts or
terminations when applied to the bottom and top of the tube, form a base and
capital respectively. The tube to which the stamped mounts or terminations
are applied may also be made by stamping.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in elevation a pillar of
an iron bedstead made up of tubes or columns manufactured according to my
Invention, and Figure 2 represents a section of the same; Figure 3 represents
in elevation the separate parts of which (with the exception of the corner block
and central rod) the pillar, Figures 1 and 2, is composed.
The tube or column above the corner block a consists of the polygonal taper
tube b, to the top and bottom of which the iron mounts or terminations c, d,
respectively are affixed by soldering or brazing. The said tube 6 is made by
stamping in two halves, the edges of which are afterwards joined by brazing.
The top mount c is stamped in two pieces, which are joined together by
turning over at the flanges on the said pieces. The mount d at the bottom of
the pillar is stamped in one piece, as represented. The tube or column below
the corner block a is formed in a similar way, that is, of the tube e and iron
mounts or terminations f. g. The tubes to which the mounts or terminations
are affixed are thus converted into columns. In place of the tubes b, e, made
by stamping, tubes of any section made in the ordinary way may be used. The
columns b, c, d, and e, f, g, are connected and fixed to the central rod h, which
supports the corner block a by screwing the said columns to the said rod, as
will be understood by an examination of the Drawing; or, the said columns
may be connected at top and bottom to the central rod by chill casting, or they
may be made in one piece, and the corner block and top and bottom mounts
be cast on them, thus doing away with the central rod. The tubes or columns
made as described may be used as pillars or parts of pillars, or they may be
used for ornamenting plain pillars. I also use stamped. iron mounts for giving
any required ornamental figure to portions of the iron tube other than the top
and bottom. Figure 4 illustrates this part of my Invention, which Figure 4
represents in elevation a pillar made up principally of stamped columns in the
manner before explained. Above the base mount or termination d of the tube
or column b, constituting the upper part of the pillar, Figure 4, I attach the
ornamental stamped mount i, the said stamped mount being fixed to the said
column by brazing or soldering. The same kind of ornament i may be fixed

page_text: below the mount c of the tube or column, and above and below the mounts g,f,
of the tube or column e; or, the mounts d and f may be dispensed with, and
the tubes 6 and e with stamped ornaments i, i, brought on to the corner block.
The position and character of the stamped ornamental mounts applied to the
pillars must be varied to suit the kind of ornamentation required; or stamped
ornamental mounts may be applied to any other part of the pillar. Stamped
iron mounts, terminations, or ornaments of the kind herein-before described
may be applied to iron tubes having the same diameter throughout,
and to taper tubes, whether the said tubes be cylindrical or polygonal in cross
section.
I make the said mounts, terminations, or ornaments which I employ in
carrying my Invention into effect by the ordinary stamping or pressing
processes; but as the said processes are well understood and commonly
practised; and constitute no part of my Invention, I do not think it necessary
to describe the said processes.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but
I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, the improvements in the manufacture of iron bedsteads herein-
before described, that is to say, applying to iron bedsteads parts or ornaments
made of stamped or pressed iron in place of similar cast-iron parts, the said
stamped or pressed parts being joined to the other parts by junctions of
cast iron cast by the process called chill casting, or by rivetting or
otherwise.
Secondly, the improvements in the manufacture of ornamental iron tubes or
columns for the construction and ornamentation of iron bedsteads herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying Drawing,
that is to say, making iron tubes or columns for iron bedsteads, by attaching to
the bottoms or tops, or bottoms and tops of any kind of iron tubing stamped
mounts or terminations of iron, the said mounts or terminations being affixed
by soldering or brazing, also making the iron tubes to which the said mounts
or terminations are applied by stamping or pressing.
Thirdly, the improvement in the manufacture of ornamental iron tubes or
columns for the construction and ornamentation of iron bedsteads herein-before
described and illustrated in Figure 4 of the accompanying Drawing, that is to
say, giving any required ornamental figure to iron tubes or columns by applying.

page_text: and affixing thereto by brazing or soldering ornamental iron mounts made by
stamping or pressing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Benjamin Whitfield, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
SAMUEL BENJAMIN WHITFIELD. (L.S.)
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.