IM- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREPARING CLAY FOR BRICK-MAKING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1862

page_text: Sealed the 17th March 1863, and dated the 25th November 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Ranson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
November 1862.
I, GEORGE RANSON, of Eccleston, in the County of Lancaster, Licensed
Victualler, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREPARING CLAY FOR BRICK-MAKING AND OTHER
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-:
In the making of bricks by the dry process, and in the preparation of clay
for the manufacture of some kinds of pottery and tiles, the clay after being
dried and ground by rollers or otherwise is sifted or screened; this sifting or
screening is commonly effected by means of wire sieves or riddles in form
rectangular, and moving horizontally backwards and forwards or from side to
side in right lines, or cylindrical moving vertically round a centre into which
the clay is thrown, and motion being given to them the fine particles are sifted
through, and the rough or lumpy clay passes away at the lower end to be

page_text: reground, an inclination being given to the sieve to facilitate the discharge.
The sieves or riddles in ordinary use are liable to become clogged up or choked
by the clay adhering to the wires.
My Invention consists in the following improved sieves and method of
agitating them-I take an ordinary sieve of the rectangular form, about four
feet six inches or five feet in length by about two feet six inches in width, and
suspend it from beams above it horizontally, with one end however being about
three inches higher than the other, by four leather straps attached to each of the
four corners; I then fix into the bottom of it several small iron chains, the ends
of which are fastened to opposite ends of the longer length of the sieve. The
chains are to be from two to three inches longer than the sieve, so that when the
sieve is in motion the slack part of the chains may shake about among the clay.
When a finer powdered clay than ordinary is required, the sieve may be fitted
with two or more bottoms about four inches apart, the wirework of the lower
being of a finer quality, or finely perforated zinc may be used. To a sieve so sus-
pended I attach a crank shaft, descending perpendicularly upon it from above,
the crank being at the lower end, and fitted into a socket fixed into a cross bar
extending from side to side over the centre of the sieve, and firmly secured to
it. The shaft is made to revolve by any of the ordinary methods, and when
in motion, and charged, the seive is agitated in a circular horizontal manner,
and the clay is sifted or screened. I do not claim the rectangular form of the
sieve, or the crank shaft, or the use of the iron chains separately; but I do
claim the combination before described as applied to the sifting of clay.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Ranson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th May 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
RANSON, of Eccleston, in the County of Lancaster, Licensed Victualler,
'send' greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and; successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Ranson, Her special licence that I, the said George Ranson, my
'executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George

page_text: Ranson, 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 APPARATUS FOR
PREPARING CLAY FOR BRICK-MAKING AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Ranson, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Ranson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
In the making of bricks by the dry process, and in the preparation of clay
for the manufacture of some kinds of pottery and of tiles, the clay, after being
dried and ground by rollers or otherwise pulverized, is sifted or screened by
means of wire or perforated zinc sieves or riddles in form rectangular, and
moving horizontally backwards and forwards or from side to side in right
lines, or cylindrical moving vertically round a centre into which the ground or
pulverized clay is thrown or falls from a shoot, and motion being communicated
to them the dusty or fine particles are sifted through, and the rough or lumpy
clay passes away at the lower end, where it is collected to be reground or again
pulverized, a slight inclination being given to the sieves to facilitate the dis-
charge. The sieves or riddles in ordinary use are liable to become choked
or clogged up by the clay adhering to the wire or zinc.
My Invention consists in the following improved sieves and mode of agitating.
them:-I take an ordinary sieve of the rectangular form, about four feet six inches
or five feet in length and about two feet six inches in width, and suspend it.
horizontally in a suitable framework by four leather straps, one at each corner,..
from beams above it, one end however being about three inches higher than
the other; I then fix into the bottom of it, about six inches apart, several,
slack thin iron chains of one-eighth inch iron, the ends of which are fastened
to the opposite ends of the longer length of the sieve. These chains are to be
about two inches in length longer than the sieve, so that when the sieve is in
motion the slack parts shake about among the clay under opération without.

page_text: coming in actual contact with each other. To the sieve so suspended and
constructed I attach a crank shaft, descending perpendicularly upon it from
above, the crank, being at the lower end, and fitted to a socket inserted into a
cross bar extending from side to side over the centre of and firmly secured to
the sieve. I use a crank, the arm of which when in motion describes a circle of
eight inches in diameter; the shaft is made to revolve by any of the ordinary
methods in general use, and when in motion and charged, either by hand or
from a shoot above, the sieve is agitated in a circular horizontal manner, the
clay is sifted or screened, the fine being collected for use, and the rough or
lumpy parts passing away as in ordinary methods. I find a speed of one
hundred and fifty revolutions of the crank shaft a minute to answer very well
for general use, but the speed may be varied according as circumstances
require. I find it advantageous to use a combination of two or more of these
improved sieves placed one under another in the same frame, so as to form a
compound sieve, and moved or agitated by one crank as above described, and
I prefer perforated zinc to wirework for the bottom of the sieves, although
both or either may be used. I do not confine myself to the dimensions of the
sieves as above given, they may be varied according to the work required to
be performed; due care however must be taken not so to overload the machines
as that the free action of the chains shall be overcome or too much impeded.
The radius of the crank may also be varied, that is, increased or diminished
according to the speed at which it is intended to be driven.
The following is a description of the Drawings hereto annexed:-Figure 1
represent a single sieve in section across, with the position of the crank shaft
and crank, and the mode of suspension. A is the crank shaft, with fixings
and driving drum or pully; B, the crank; C, the socket in the cross bar
D; E, E, E, E, the leather suspending straps; F, F, the sieve frame; G, G, the
sieve and wire or perforated zine bottom; and H, H, H, H, H, the iron chains.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same sieve, showing also I, the charging
shoot, J the place into which the fine sifted clay falls and is collected, and K
the place into which the rough lumpy portions are discharged. Figure 3 is a
longitudinal section of a compound sieve with two bottoms. Figure 4 is a
plan of the bottom of the sieve. In the last three Figures the corresponding
parts are referred to by the same letters as in Figure Number 1..
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the mode of appli-
cation, I would have it understood that I do not claim the rectangular form of
the sieve, or the crank, or the use of the iron chains, or any of the materials or
appliances heretofore in use separately; but I do claim as my Invention, a

page_text: sieve or two or more sieves in combination constructed and moved or agitated
n the manner above described, and applied to the sifting of clay.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Ranson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Signed, sealed, and delivered (being
first duly stamped) by the above-
named George Ranson in the
presence of
EDWP. JOHNSON, Sol.,
St. Helen's,
W. MARSDEN,
his Clerk.
GEORGE RANSON. (L.S.)