Improved Apparatus for Supporting Pottery Ware in Kilns or Ovens.
Year: 1887

page_text: Improved Apparatus for Supporting Pottery Ware in Kilns
or Ovens.
I, ELIAS LEAK, of Stoke on Trent, in the County of Stafford, Potter's Engineer,
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:
This invention relates to certain improved means of supporting pottery ware in
saggers while being baked, glazed or otherwise fired in kilns or ovens.
The Invention consists essentially in certain improvements upon the means used
for such purpose described in the Specification of former Letters Patent No. 4298
granted to me and to John Edwards on the 25th day of October, 1878, the present
improvements having as one of their special objects the rendering of the grooved
supports described in the Specification of such Patent as made separate from the
saggers and fastened or secured thereto either when in the clay state, or after being
fired, or at the time of being used, by glaze, clay or like means, or by being let into
recesses in the substance of the saggers, self supporting, so that such supports
may be placed at any desired parts of an inner ledged or full bottomed sagger and
will be self supporting thereon without its being necessary as hitherto to fasten or
secure the same as aforesaid to the sagger.
Such grooved supports as thus constructed possess important advantages over such
supports as hitherto constructed and applied, inasmuch as that in the latter case when
the supports are let into recesses in the sides of the sagger they can only occupy the
positions corresponding with such recesses; and when the supports are fastened or
secured to the sides of the sagger, they cannot readily be removed to be differently
Pri 8d.

page_text: placed if required or without liability of being broken and of the sagger being
fractured. Such grooved supports as hitherto constructed also possess the further dis-
advantage of the groove therein being open throughout the length of the support,
and as a consequence thereof the lowest pin of the series of pins which directly
support the ware rests upon the bottom of the sagger; and after use when it is required
to remove the pins it is customary to upset the sagger or turn it bottom upwards to
let the pins fall out of the grooves (as they cannot otherwise be conveniently removed),
and the pins in falling out are liable to be broken and need replacement; and with the
grooved supports which are let into recesses in the sides of the sagger when being
placed in position or when being removed there is nothing to prevent the series of
contained pins from falling through.
Another special object of the present improvements is to avoid the possibility of
this occurring, and to construct such grooved supports in such a manner as that they
will retain the said supporting pins when placed therein until required to be removed
so that in accordance with the present improvements the pins may be readily placed
in and removed from such supports when in or when out of the sagger, and the
supports when either empty of or charged with such pins may be readily placed in
and removed from the sagger and may be placed therein in any desired position
alterable at will, depending upon the kind or shape of ware to be treated or upon the
shape of the sagger, without necessitating that they should be fastened or secured as
aforesaid.
The present improvements thus permit of the saggers being made of any required
form, shape and size, as they do not necessitate any alteration in or special construction
thereof.
Two forms of saggers are illustrated on the accompanying drawings, the one
illustrated in Fig. 1 being cylindrical, and the one illustrated in Fig. 2 being elliptical.
Fig. 3 represents a sectional elevation of Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 a perspective elevation
of ono modification of the improved supports, other modifications of which are also
illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3.
On the accompanying drawings, 5. represents the sagger, and, 6, represents
different modifications of the improved grooved supports by which the pins, 7,
supporting the ware are retained. It should be understood that the formation of
the grooved support (apart from the improvements herein described) and of the
groove therein, and of the pins which are retained thereby and project under and
support the ware, are not material to the present improvements, as such parts may be
made in any suitable shape.
But in accordance with the present improvements the said supports are made with
projecting feet or equivalent supporting parts, 8. which may project from the front or
sides, or front and sides thereof or all round if required as represented in the different
modifications illustrated on the accompanying drawings. These feet or supporting
parts, 8, may be of any required shape and project sufficiently to give a self support-
ing base of wider area than the general body of the support which it is necessary to
keep as small as will be consistent with a sufficient supporting strength so as to
economize space in the sagger.
The bottom part of the support is also in accordance with the present improvements
made with a cross bar or piece, 9, or the front supporting part or forefoot is adapted
to arrest and support the bottom pin of the series of supporting pins, 7. vide Fig. 3.
which, as aforesaid, permits of the grooved support and contained pins being together
placed in position in the sagger and removed therefrom.
In Fig. 2. one of the improved grooved supports is shown as made of a double
construction (or it may represent two single grooved supports placed back to back and
mutually supporting each other) and as supporting, in conjunction with others of
the improved supports simply placed against the sides of the sagger, two columns of
ware.
The under part, 10, of the support may be hollowed so that if the support be
placed over a small piece of grit its stability will not be affected.

page_text: 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 construction of the grooved supports herein referred to with a projecting sup-
porting base and with a stopped bottom both forming part thereof substantially as,
and the application thereof for the purpose hereinbefore described.
Dated IIIS
day of December 100.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.