IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF VUL- CANIZED BOTTLE-STOPPERS
Year: 1885

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by Morris B. Manwaring, of Bayonne, in the County
of Hudson and State of New Jersey, and Charles B. Street, of Boston, in the
County of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, both in the United States of
America, Manufacturers.]
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, HERBERT JOHN ALLISON, of the firm of Allison Brothers, of 52 Chancery
Lane, London, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents, do hereby declare the
nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF VUL-
CANIZED BOTTLE-STOPPERS," a communication to me from abroad by Morris B.
Manwaring, of Bayonne, in the County of Hudson and State of New Jersey, and
Charles B. Street, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,
both in the United States of America, Manufacturers, 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 vulcanizing apparatus especially designed for making
rubber-coated bottle-stoppers.
The object of the invention is to provide a process of and an apparatus for the
economical production of such stoppers.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bottle-stopper
made by this apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through said stopper.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the core of said stopper, which consists of an
ordinary stopper of cork-wood or other suitable material. Fig. 4 is a perspective
view of a piece of thin sheet-rubber in which the cork is wrapped. Fig. 5 is a
view of the cork-wood core wrapped in the piece of sheet-rubber preparatory to
vulcanization in this apparatus. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of this improved
vulcanizing apparatus for vulcanizing the sheet-rubber around the core, a portion
of the apparatus being shown in section, the relative positions of the several parts
being that occupied by them immediately before the vulcanization of the rubber.
Fig. 7 is a view of said vulcanizing apparatus, the relative positions of the several
parts thereof being that occupied by them during the process of vulcanization.
Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the mold-plate constituting a part of this vulcanizing
apparatus.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
This apparatus comprises two steam-chests, DE, having flat surfaces, and
a mold-plate C, adapted to be placed between said chests. The mold-plate C
is composed of metal, and is of a thickness equal to the length of a completed

page_text: stopper, being somewhat thicker than the cores thereof, and is provided with a
series of mold-holes, a, which preferably taper from the upper to the lower face of
the mold-plate. The steam-chests D and E are provided with a steam-inlet pipe, b,
and an outlet-pipe, c, for the condensed steam.
In the use of this apparatus for the making of rubber-coated bottle-stoppers, the
cores A of the desired shape and size are selected or prepared, which cores are
preferably composed of cork-wood in the form of an ordinary cork-wood stopper,
and for this purpose cork-wood stoppers of an inferior quality may be used, as the
coating to be applied will cover all defects. Each core is then wrapped or rolled
up in a piece or sheet of thin unvulcanized rubber or composition of caoutchouc
and sulphur, such as that illustrated in Fig. 4, the ends of the rubber wrapper
being twisted at the opposite ends of the core, as illustrated in Fig. 5. The
wrapped cores are then placed in the mold-holes a of the mold-plate C, and said
mold-plate placed upon the upper face of the steam-chest D. Steam is then.
admitted to the chests, and when the wrapped cores have been heated to a vul-
canizing temperature the steam-cbest E is pressed down upon the mold-plate C and
said wrapped cores pushed into the mold. The heat and pressure are continued
until the wrappings of the cores are fused and the vulcanizing completed. Then
the mold-plate is removed from the steam-chests and the finished stoppers pushed
out of the mold-holes. The mold-holes are then again filled with wrapped cores
and the operation repeated.
In the vulcanization of the rubber coating onto the core the rubber enters the
pores and indents of the latter, and the coating and core are thus firmly united, so
as to form substantially one integral whole. The coating B completely covers the
core, and as thus constructed the bottle-stopper combines the advantages of a
cork-wood stopper with those of a solid rubber stopper.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that 'what
I claim is
1. The combination, in a vulcanizing apparatus, of a mold-plate provided with
round holes extending therethrough, and steam-chests between which said plate is
adapted to fit, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination, in a vulcanizing apparatus, of a mold-plate provided with
round tapering holes extending therethrough, and steam-chests between which
said plate is adapted to fit, substantially as set forth.
3. A mold-plate for vulcanizing bottle-stoppers, of a thickness equal to the
length of the stopper to be formed, and provided with holes extending through the
plate and open on both sides thereof, substantially as described.
4. The method of making a rubber-coated bottle-stopper, which consists in
loosely wrapping a core within a thin sheet of rubber and then subjecting the
wrapped core to pressure and heat in a tubular mold, substantially as described.
5. A bottle-stopper composed of a core provided with a seamless coating of
sheet-rubber vulcanized thereto, substantially in the manner and for the purpose
set forth.