Improved Gas Heater for Irons and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd July, 1825
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Apr., 1896-Accepted, 23rd May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Gas Heater for Irons and the like.
I, ARTHUR CLARKE 161 Albion Road Stoke Newington N. Engineer do
bereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to construct a burner on the atmospheric principle
in such a manner as to consume gas supplied to it at a somewhat elevated pressure-
3 to 6 or more inches of water-& to form round the flame created by this burner,
a "heater" or "heaters" of suitable shape to receive & distribute the said flame.
In the ordinary hand iron for which this apparatus is well adapted, I construct
my apparatus as follows:-
The burner is an injector, in which the gas constitutes the motive power &
draws in & mixes with a quantity of air; said quantity being regulated by the size
of the air admission apertures & the force of the gas from the jet or jets.
The gas jets are preferably two in number, formed by holes drilled side by side
in the injector end. The mixing of the gas & air is effected in the burner by an
extension of the injector body beyond the apertures for the admission of the air,
a cock or valve may be attached to the injector for regulation & starting & stopping
off the gas.
This burner is supplied with gas at a pressure of 3 to 6, or even more, inches of
water; such pressure being obtained by suitable mechanical means.
The burner is attached to the body of the iron in such a manner as to direct the
flame into the centre of the "heater" within the iron, & also so as to be conveniently
placed, having regard to the manipulation of the iron when in use.
The "heater" may be a portion of the sole of the iron or made separately &
attached to it. It is essentially a receptacle for the flame & is made with suitable
projections for guiding the direction of the flame & for absorbing & distributing the
heat evenly over the sole of the iron.
Apertures are provided in the body of the iron for the escape of the products
of combustion & also inlets for the supply of additional air to the flame within the
"heater."
Other forms of vessels or surfaces may be heated by this apparatus, in a similar
manner, viz. by a burner as herein described & a "heater" constructed so as to
distribute the flame in a manner suitable to the form of the said vessel or surface;
such apparatus being used in conjunction with any suitable means or method of
obtaining the
necessary elevated pressure of gas.
ooth T 1905
Improved Gas Heater for irons and the
I, ARTHUR CLARKE of 161, Albion Road, Stoke Newington, London, N. Gas
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this 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 gas heated hand smoothing irons, soldering irons,

page_text: ironing machines, and the like, used for laundry and other trade purposes, and the
invention comprises an improvement in supplying the gas and in the construction of
the burner and the heater by which the heat of the flame is distributed over the
surface to be heated.
The objects of the invention are to attain perfect combustion; to avoid the
unpleasant odour peculiar to ordinary Bunsen burners; to produce a blow-
pipe flame; and to render the heating operation independent of the unavoidable
Hluctuations of the pressure at which the gas is supplied from the main without
involving any adjustment of the air and gas supplies as when air under pressure
is used.
With these objects in view I cause the gas to be supplied under a comparatively
high pressure (say from 3 to 6 or more inches of water) so that the pressure is
quite unaffected by any ordinary variations of pressure in the main and for this
purpose I provide on the pipe by which the gas is supplied to the laundry or other
installation, a blower or other means of supplying the gas under pressure to the
burners.
In order to adapt the burner (which is on the atmospheric principle) to consume
gas at this elevated pressure it is specially constructed as hereafter described with
a view to ensure the admixture of air in adequate proportion to the gas to ensure
perfect combustion, the special feature of the burner being that the gas issues from
minute orifices in fine jets having a high velocity and a powerful inductive action
on the air which enables the jet orifices to be placed in rear of the air admission
orifices (instead of in advance thereof as usual) without any danger of firing back
into the mixing chamber.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification wherein
Figure 1 is a general view.
Figure 2 is a side elevation Figure 3 a rear elevation and Figure 4 a plan of
the iron.
Figure 5 is a side elevation and Figure 6 a plan of the heater with the casing in
section.
Figure 7 is a side elevation (partly sectional) and Figure 8 a cross section of the
burner drawn to a larger scale.
In Figure 1B is a blower of any kind operated by weight, spring, or other
constant motor and drawing its supply of gas from the maiu preferably through a
gas pressure regulator so that it is quite unaffected by ordinary variations of
pressure in the main and delivering the gas at a high pressure (say from 3 to 6 or
more inches of water) to the pipe C to which are connected the flexible or other
branch pipes D by which it is conveyed to the burners of the iron or other appliance
to be heated.
I will describe the burner as applied to heat a hand smoothing iron.
The burner E is attached to the body of the iron in such way as to direct the
flame into the centre of the heater within the iron and also so as to be conveniently
placed having regard to the manipulation of the iron. The burner is provided
with preferably two or more minute jet orifices ee (about 4th of an inch diameter)
drilled side by side in the nozzle end of the injector the jets of gas uuder pressure
being projected forwards therefrom past two large apertures ff in the sides of
the tubular extension of the injector body which extension forms an air and gas
mixing chamber F.
A valve 9 operated by a screw G is fitted within the body of
the injector nozzle for the purpose of controlling the supply of gas to the burner.
The mixing tube F is screwed into the side of the body casing of the iron
near the rear end and preferably in a downwardly and forwardly inclined direction
so as to direct the blow-pipe flame which issues from the tube into the centre of
the heater.
g
The heater H is preferably a casting in one with the sole I of the iron although
it might be made separately and screwed to it. It is formed of a top plate and
pillars the former serving to distribute the heat by conduction over the area of

page_text: the sole and the latter to convey the heat to the sole at their various points
of attachment thereto, the object being to prevent excessive local heating of the
sole by evenly distributing the heat. The centre pillar or pillars h upon which.
the flame directly impinges serve in particular as a means of deflecting the course
of the flame and breaking it up so as to distribute it somewhat through the passages
which open out in various places at the sides of the heater and in order to prevent
overheating of the sole at the middle where the heat is greatest the centre pillar
or pillars hare of inverted conical or pointed form projecting down towards the sole
without however touching it, the pillar being connected to the top plate of the
heater by a comparatively large section of metal in order that the local excess of
heat may be conducted to the top plate and thence by the other pillars to the other
parts of the sole.
The heater is enclosed within the body casing K of which the sole forms the
bottom there being a space left between the casing and the heater on all sides. The
casing is secured by bolts k and is provided at the rear and towards the front with
orifices for the admission of additional air to the flame and for the escape of
the products of combustion.
In applying the invention to the heating of the ironing or polishing roller
of a collar and cuff ironing machine for instance the burner would be similarly
constructed and supplied with gas under pressure and the flame would be directed
into a tubular casing extending into and through nearly the whole length of the
ironing roller this tube having flame emission orifices at intervals.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven--
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination, with means of supplying gas under a constant and elevated
pressure as specified, of an atmospheric gas burner having minute gas emission
orifices and large air inlet apertures the gas emission orifices being located sub--
stantially in rear of the air inlet apertures so as to emit the streams of gas past
said apertures as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a gas heated hand iron the combination, with an atmospheric burner
constructed as described and supplied with gas under pressure, of a heat distributor
consisting of a mass of metal connected to the sole of the iron at several points by
pillars arranged to be impinged upon by the flame and to conduct the heat to the sole.
the heater being enclosed within a casing as described.
Dated this 2nd dar of Anril 1896
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents..