IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF THE HANDLES OF SAD IRONS, TAILORS' IRONS, HATTERS' IRONS, AND BILLIARD TABLE IRONS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cross, of West Bromwich, in the County of
Stafford, Ironfounder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF THE HANDLES OF SAD IRONS, TAILORS' IRONS, HATTERS' IRONS, AND
BILLIARD TABLE IRONS."
Sealed the 12th June 1877, and dated the 6th February 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Cross at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th February 1877.
WILLIAM CROSs, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Ironfounder.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE HANDLES OF SAD IRONS, TAILORS'
IRONS, HATTERS' IRONS, AND BILLIARD TABLE IRONS."
My Invention consists in manufacturing the handles of sad irons, tailor's irons,
hatters' irons, and billiard table irons, in the manner herein-after described, whereby
strength and lightness in the handles are secured, and the heating of the grip part
diminished. The manufacture of the said handles is also cheapened.
Instead of making the grip part of the handle, and the side pieces by which the
handle is connected to the body or slab of the sad or other smoothing iron separately,
and connecting them together as usual, I make the grip part of the handle, together
with the side pieces, in one piece by the casting process.
I manufacture the said handles in one piece from cast iron of the kind called
malleable or annealed cast iron, that is, that kind of cast iron, which, by being
heated or annealed in contact with haematite or oxide of iron, is decarbonized and
converted into malleable iron.
I make the grip part of the handle tubular, the metal of the tube being as thin
as is compatible with the requisite strength in the grip part. A tubular grip is
thereby formed, having a bore of large diameter, and by the passage of air through it
the said grip part is kept cool.
I cast the combined grip and side pieces of the handle in a sand mould the
mould being "cored" to produce the tubular grip.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Cross in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st August
1877.
WILLIAM CROSS, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Ironfounder.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE HANDLES OF SAD IRONS, TAILORS'
IRONS, HATTERS' IRONS, AND BILLIARD TABLE IRONS."
My Invention consists in manufacturing the handles of sad irons, tailors' irons,
hatters' irons, and billiard table irons, in the manner herein-after described,
whereby strength and lightness in the handles are secured, and the heating of
the grip part diminished. The manufacture of the said handles is also cheapened.
Instead of making the grip part of the handle, and the side pieces by which the
handle is connected to the body or slab of the sad or other smoothing iron separately,
and connecting them together as usual, I make the grip part of the handle, together
with the side pieces, in one piece by the casting process.
I manufacture the said handles in one piece by preference from cast iron of the
kind called malleable or annealed cast iron, that-is, that kind of cast iron, which, by
being heated or annealed in contact with haematite or oxide of iron, is decarbonized
and converted into malleable iron.
I make the grip part of the handle tubular, the metal of the tube being as thin as is
compatatible with the requisite strength in the grip part. A tubular grip is
thereby formed, having a bore of large diameter, and by the passage of air through
it the said grip part is kept cool
I cast the combined grip, and side pieces of the handle in a sand mould, the
mould being "cored" to produce the tubular grip.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings,
the manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, Figure 2 in longitudinal section, and Figure 3
in end elevation, the handle of a sad iron manufactured according to my Invention,
a being the grip part of the handle, and b, b, the side pieces of the same, the said parts
a and b, b, being made in one piece by the casting process. The grip part a of the
handle is tubular, the bore a² being of large diameter, as represented in the section;
Figure 2. By the passage of air through this large bore the said grip part a is kept
cool.
I prefer to cast the combined grip part a, and side parts b, b, of the handle of
malleable or annealed cast iron, in a sand mould of the construction represented in
Figures 4 and 5, Figure 4 representing a cross section of the two halves or parts of
a compound mould arranged for the casting of a number of handles at one operation,
and Figure 5 representing a plan of one of the half moulds. In the said Figures 4
and 5 c, d, represent the casting boxes in which the half moulds are made, and e, c,
the sand moulds in which the handles are cast. Each print or half mould in the
casting boxes c, d, has the figure or counterpart of a longitudinal half of the handle
to be cast, as will be understood by an examination of Figure 4. The prints in the
sand in which the tubular grips a are cast are cored with cores marked fin Figure
4, which said cores are laid in the core prints h, Figure 5. The gets in the half
moulds are marked g. The half moulds in the boxes c, d, are moulded by means of
patterns or pattern plates, and the handles are cast in the said moulds in the ways
commonly practised in making sand moulds and casting metals.
After the cast handles have been removed from the moulds, they are heated or
annealed in contact with haematite or oxide of iron, so as to decarbonize the cast
iron of which the said handles are made, and convert it into malleable iron.
The annealing process described is conducted in the way commonly practised in
annealing other articles made of annealed cast iron. The cast handles are finished
by removing the burr or fin left at the junctions of the two halves of the moulds.
Although I prefer to cast the handles of malleable or annealed cast iron, yet the
said handles may be cast of other metals or alloys, and although I prefer to make
•

page_text: the grip part of the handles tubular and of large bore, as described and represented,
yet the said grip part may be cast solid.
I manufacture the handles of tailors' irons, hatters' irons, and billiard table irons
in the manner described with respect to the handles of sad irons.
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 claim as my In-
vention, the improvements in the manufacture of the handles of sad irons, tailors'
irons, hatters' irons, and billiard table irons, herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, making the grip parts of the handles
and the side pieces or parts of the same in one piece by the casting process, sub-
stantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Cross, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
HENRY BATE,
West Bromwich.
WILLIAM CROSS. (L.s.)