IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- PACTURE OF FITTINGS FOR POWDER FLASKS
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Hutchison, at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th October
1863.
I, WILLIAM HUTCHISON, of 21, Cardington Street, London, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
PACTURE OF FITTINGS FOR POWDER FLASKS," to be as follows:-
Firstly, an improved formation of necks and stoppers attached to powder
flasks so that the stopper which is a metal tube formed with a suitable head
to hold one measure or charge of powder may be more easily removed from
the neck of the flask, and replaced and firmly held when replaced, for which
purpose I form. on the inner part of the neck at its upper extremity a band
of metal which increases in depth as it extends round the inner circumference
of the neck, terminating abruptly a short distance from the point where it
would (if extended) join its commencement; the space between the beginning
of the band and its termination forms an aperture which receives a pin or pro-
jection formed on the outer circumference of the stopper at a suitable distance
below its head; on the stopper being inserted in the neck pressed down so as
the upper edge of the neck touches the lower edge of head of stopper, and
turned round in the direction of the increasing depth of the band on the inner
part of the neck, the band becomes wedged between the head of the stopper
and the pin or projection below it, and the stopper is thus held firmly in its
place, the band may be divided by having one or more apertures formed in it
and a corresponding number of pins or projections formed on the outer surface

page_text: of the stopper. Secondly, for economy I make these necks and stoppers, or
either of them, of a combination of tin and lead or their alloys by first forming
discs or sections of a cylinder of lead, of less diameter and depth than is
sufficient to form a neck or stopper, and place them on an iron plate at the
required distances from each other on pins prepared to receive them. This
plate with the lead or other metal dises on it is then placed into a mould of
the required depth; into this mould I pour tin or its alloy in a melted state,
which surrounds the lead dises on all the sides required; the mould with the
melted tin is immediately passed between two rollers by which the metal is
compressed to the required thickness, and the surplus metal rolled off. The
tin block with lead discs is then removed from the mould and iron plate and
punched or otherwise cut out in discs of the required size, which being of
larger diameter and depth than the lead the discs produced are a combination
of both, the tin encircling or coating the lead; these discs are afterwards
formed into the required shape by ordinary dies and forcers. I prefer tinning
the exterior of the lead discs before placing them in the mould. Thirdly, I
form in the lower part of the neck a valve composed of a disc or discs, ring
or pieces of india-rubber or other flexible material cut or arranged to admit
by pressure the lower extremity or open end of the stopper into the hollow
part of flask, and communicate with its contents, with which it becomes
filled on the withdrawal of the stopper; the apertures of the valve close and
prevent the contents of the flask from escaping. Strips of thin metal may be
attached to upper side of valve to lessen the friction.