CERTAIN NEW IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS FOR CARRIAGES
Year: 1808

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME; I,
THOMAS PATON, of the Parish of Christ Church, in the County of Surrey,
Engine Maker and Smith, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, in and
by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of September, in the
forty-eighth year of His reign, for Himself, His heirs and successors,
did give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Paton, His especial
licence, full power, sole privilege, and authority, that 1, the said
Thomas Paton, my exors, adññors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Thomas Paton, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick
upon Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN NEW IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS FOR CARRIAGES;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Thomas Paton, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to

page_text: describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one
calendar month next and immediately after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereanto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that the novelty of my Invention of improvements
on wheels is described as follows in and by the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:
First, that instead of making my wheels of wood as has been
generally done heretofore, I make the stocks or naves of wrought
iron, lined with steel in the inside, or of bell metal, hard brass, gun
metal, or of cast iron, with or without steel bushes inside, or even of
cast steel.
Second, in the wrought iron stock or nave, in place of wood spokes
as in wheels in general, I insert spokes made of wrought iron or any
other metal not liable to break with a sudden jerk, by wedging, screw-
ing, keying, or by turning the end of the spoke to fit the hole in the
nave exactly, and drilling holes through both nave and spoke to receive
a transverse pin to prevent their coming out.
Third, in the cast iron, bell metal, gun metal, or cast steel naves I
fix the spokes in the same way, but have also another method, which is,
by laying the spokes in the mould and running the metal round them,
which is much sooner done.
Fourth, in the cast iron naves I fix the steel bushes by wedging or
by putting them in the mould and running the metal round them; the
same may be done with the bell metal, &c.
Fifth, I make the fillys, or the external circle that the tire fixes on,
of iron or other metal, and make them and the spokes of one solid
piece, or fix the fillys to the spokes with rivets, screws, and nuts, or any
other way as convenient; and when the wheel is wider than common, I
put two or even three rows of spokes in the nave to receive them, or
make them in one piece with the spoke, with brackets on each side
projecting from the side of the spoke to the edge of the filly.
My next improvement is a contrivance to keep the oil in the bushes,

page_text: which I do by two methods: first, by putting a ring of leather on the
back side of the nave, with a ring screwed on behind it that shall
project against the inside of a collar which I put upon the shoulder
of the axle-tree or arm, with the inside of it turned perfectly true, so
that by constantly wearing against the inside of the collar it will
prevent dirt from getting in or the oil from getting out; secondly, by
a ring of leather upon the outside or front of the collar of the axle-
tree to turn in and wear against the nave of the wheel, which will
answer the same purpose.
The advantages arising from the above improvements are to me
evident, first, the great saving of valuable timber, and the great
expence there is upon an article that is constantly in wear, and I am
fully persuaded that one pair of my improved wheels, which will not
rot if they lay by, and in common wear, accidents excepted, will last
as long as six pair of the best wood wheels, and cost little more than
double or at most treple the price.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Paton, have set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eight.

page_text: Represents a dray Wheel with a double row of Spokes which can be made a broad rim'd Waggon Wheel by
another row of Spokes, if wanted to widen the Wheel. The Spokes are represented as round, (tapering/let into the
nave & fixed by a tranverse pin passing through both, or may be done by the metal run round them, as before
described
Is a section of the Wheel with tapered axletree(a) & bushes/b/made of either of the metals already mentioned &
is represented as Key'd but may be done any other convenient way.
The 2nd mode for supplying the Bushes with Oil is by a leather ring (a) the outside Collar of the axletree to turn
in & wear against the nave of the Wheel, the leather to be fixed by an Iron ring round it.
Is two views of the Spoke & Filly, which may be done as before described.
ST. Represents a Wheel for Gig Chaise &c. shewing the method for connecting the spokes to the nave of the Wheel, when the
metal is to be run round them, the Cavities (a) are to fix the spokes more secure to the nave, the Joint of the Felly at F to
show the Dowell.
D.
Is a section of Wheel & Nave(b) with the axletree (c) shewing the bushes (d) made of Cast Steel, Bell metal,hard Bras
Gun metal, or of Cast Iron run round them in the mould, or fixed in by Wedging Keying.&c.
The 1st mode for supplying the Bushes with Oil, is to have a Box (e) screwed to the nave of the wheel to contain th
Oil, then to have a ring of leather/f) on the backside of the nave with an Iron ring (g) screwed on behind it, that
shall project against the inside of the Collar(h) & by constant wearing it will prevent the Dirt from getting in, &
the Oil from getting out..
3. Is two Views of the Spoke & Filly by itself, which may be of one solid piece or fixed to the Filly with Rivets, screws
& nuts, or any other most convenient way. The Tier, or exterior ring to be fixed to the Filly with Rivets or Screws, & nuts &