A METHOD OF SEPERATING THE IMPURITIES FROM CRUDE OR CAST IRON WITHOUT FUSING OR MELTING IT, AND OF RENDERING THE SAME MALLEABLE AND PROPER FOR THE SEVERAL PURPOSES FOR WHICH FORGED OR ROLLED IRON IS NOW USED, AND ALSO, BY THE SAME METHOD, OF IMPROVING ARTICLES MANUFACTURED OF CAST IRON; AND THEREBY RENDERING CAST OR CRUDE IRON APPLICABLE TO A VARIETY OF NEW AND USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1804

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
LUCAS, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Refiner, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date the Thirtieth
day of May, in the forty-fourth year of His reign, did give and grant unto
me, the said Samuel Lucas, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, His special
licence and authority that I, the said Samuel Lucas, my exors, adiñiors, and
assigns, during the term of years, therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of Great Britain called
England, His Majesty's Dominions of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "A METHOD OF SEPERATING THE IMPURITIES FROM
CRUDE OR CAST IRON WITHOUT FUSING OR MELTING IT, AND OF RENDERING THE SAME
MALLEABLE AND PROPER FOR THE SEVERAL PURPOSES FOR WHICH FORGED OR ROLLED
IRON IS NOW USED, AND ALSO, BY THE SAME METHOD, OF IMPROVING ARTICLES
MANUFACTURED OF CAST IRON; AND THEREBY RENDERING CAST OR CRUDE IRON
APPLICABLE TO A VARIETY OF NEW AND USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Samuel Lucas,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately after
the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as by the said recited Letters
Patent, reference being thereunto had, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Lucas, do hereby declare that my said Invention of a Method of

page_text: Seperating the Impurities from Crude or Cast Iron without Fusing or Melting
it, and of rendering the same Malleable and Proper for the Several Purposes for
which Forged or Rolled Iron is now used, and also, by the same Method, of
Improving Articles Manufactured of Cast Iron, and thereby rendering Cast or
Crude Iron Applicable to a Variety of New and Useful Purposes, is described
and is to be performed in the manner following (that is to say) ;—
The pig or cast iron being first made or cast into such form as may be
most convenient for the purposes for which it is afterwards intended, is to be
put into a steel-converting or other proper furnace, together with a suitable
quantity of iron stone, iron ore, some of the metallic oxyds, lime, or any combina-
tion of these (previously reduced into, powder or small pieces), or with any other
substance capable of combining with or absorbing the carbon of the crude
iron. A degree of heat is then to be applied, so intense as to effect an union
of the carbon of the cast iron with the substance made use of, and continued
during so long a time as shall be- found necessary to 'make the cast iron
either partially or perfectly malleable, according to the purposes for which it
may be wanted. If it be intended to make the iron perfectly malleable, from
one half to two thirds of its weight of iron stone, iron ore, or other substance.will
be found necessary; if only partially so, a much less quantity will be sufficient.
Five or six days and nights will in. general be found sufficient during, which
to continue the heat, which, towards the close of the process, cannot be too
great. Care should be taken that the pieces of cast iron be not of too great
thickness, as it would have the effect of lengthening. the process.; .but the
proportion of the several substances made use of, and the degree and duration
of the heat to be applied, must greatly depend not only on the nature of those
substances, but also on the nature or quality of the pig or cast. iron employed;
a knowledge of which can be obtained only by experience. The cast. iron to
be rendered malleable; and the substances to be made use of for that purpose,
may be placed in the furnace in alternate layers; and in order to prevent the
iron stone or iron ore from adhering to the iron, a thin layer of sand may be
placed between them. For the improvement of articles manufactured of cast
iron, the same directions may be observed, except that when the articles are
small a less proportion of the substances for producing malleability will be
required, as also a less degree and shorter continuance of the heat.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Lucas, have hereunto set my
I hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our
Lord Christ One thousand eight hundred and four.
SAMUEL LUCAS. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-sixth day of June, in
the year of our Lord 1804, the aforesaid Samuel Lucas came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the
tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and four.