Improvements in the Manufacture of Smoke Bells and the like of Glass, Porcelain, or other Vitreous Materials, and in Tools therefor.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 25th Nov., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Smoke Bells and the like of Glass,
Porcelain, or other Vitreous Materials, and in Tools therefor.
I, PETER SHAW, of 650, Leonard Street, in the Borough of Brooklyn, City of
New York, County of Kings and State of New York, United States of America,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what man-
ner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of smoke bells
and smoke shades made of glass or other vitreous materials and in the con-
struction of a tool required for carrying out the improvement in said manu-
facture, the objects of which are to produce such smoke shades and bells, which
are made for suspension above an illuminating flame to protect the fixture or the
ceiling from which they are suspended, from excessive heat and to break or inter-
cept the upward current of the heat waves, of one homogenious material, to have
the eyes from which they are suspended exactly central so that the bell will
hang level and evenly, and to increase the production over that of the common
hand made articles.
I accomplish these objects by first forming a blank consisting of a cupshaped
bell with a base and eve as integral parts thereof by moulding the same in a
press: then seizing the blank only by the thickened base and eye in a novel
snap designed specially for this purpose and manipulating the bell to a finished
article while holding it in the snap.
To fully describe my invention, I refer to the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 represents an elevation of the blank held in the snap, partly in section;
Figure 2 a view of the snap with the jaws opened:
Figure 3 a view of one of the jaws from the inside with a blank inserted;
Figure 4 a top view of the jaws when closed;
Figure 5 a plan of a sliding collar of the snap";
Figures 6 and 7 side views of finished smoke bells or shades.
I will confine my description to glass, although it is obvious that porcelain
and other vitreous materials which are manipulated in a hot and malleable state
may be used to produce smoke bells and shades according to my improved method.
In carrying out my invention, I first shape a blank of glass by pressing it in
a separable iron press mould, constructed to produce the article shewn on
Figures 1 and 3, the blank consisting of the cup shaped body a, the projecting
thickened portion or base b, and the eye or ring e.
From this cup shaped blank almost any ordinary shape of smoke bell or shade
can be made by subjecting the blank to the intense heat of the "glory-hole "
whereby the glass composing the cup is reheated to a malleable condition, and
the cup is then shaped by the glass worker into the desired outlines, so as to
form either a shallow shade or deep bell the edge of which may be left plain
fluted crimped or scalloped as desired. In this manner a large variety of shapes
and sizes can be produced from only one press mould and the expense for making
or

page_text: a large variety of press moulds which are each capable of producing only one
finished article of the same size and shape, is saved.
When the hot blank is delivered from the mould, the base or thickened por-
tion and the eye care seized by a two jawed snap which is constructed as
follows:-
→
To a steel tube d of the usual length used in snaps a body or cap e is fixed
having two flat arms el el each with a hole at the end for the passage of a pin
or screw on which the jaws are fulcrumed. The jaws consist of the jaw proper f,
short limb fand lower limb f, the limb being internally recessed at the elbow
for the reception of the arms el el and at the lower end of limb f2 slotted for the
reception of a link g connected to it by a pin. Each link g is connected at its
other end by a pin to the arms of a sliding collar h, which slides easily on the
tube d.
T
....
An inner rod or tube i is placed inside the tube d, running almost its entire
length. Near the upper end of the rod or tube i a pin or screw 7 is passed through
the collar and the rod or tube to connect them, and a slot is formed in the
tube for the pin to pass freely through and allow the collar to be pushed up or
down by means of the rod i, the slot limiting the sliding movement of the collar
and keeping the links g in the same plane as the arms el. On the end of the
tube da sleeve k of larger diameter then the tube is secured, the space between
the sleeve K and the inner rod or tube forming a chamber for a helical spring m
which is kept in the chamber by a push knob n fixed on the end of the rod or
tube and projecting some distance outside of the sleeve k.
Both jaws are finished alike and so formed at their faces that they will seize
and securely hold only the base of the glass blank and the ring c.
The jaws
when closed and seen from the end, as in Figure 4, have a cylindrical recess f³
of some depth to correspond with the cylindrical base which it is intended to
hold, this recess communicating with an annular recess f* cut into the meeting
faces of the jaw at a right angle to the cylindrical recess f³, one half of the
thickness of the ring e being cut into each jaw, thereby forming a central stud f
which enters the glass ring when presented to it. When the jaws are closed
upon the ringe and base 7, the body a of the blank will be entirely exposed and
out of contact with the jaws.
Such being the construction, the operation of the snap is as follows: When the
glass blank has been moulded and is to be seized with the snap the tube dis
held in one hand and with the other the knob n is pushed inward. This move-
ment pushes the inner tube and the sliding collar connected to it by the pin /
towards the cross head e, whereby the lower limbs f of the jaws are drawn inwards
by the links 9 and the spring m is compressed, the parts assuming the positions
shewn on Figure 2. On releasing the knob n the resiliency of the spring f
will draw down the inner tube or rod and collar h and distend the arms f,
thereby tightly closing the jaws on the blank in such a manner as to grasp only
the eye e and thickened base 6 and to leave the body a free.
The snap can now be twisted and twirled around throughout the various
operations required to work the glass blank held by the jaws without
any danger of the jaws opening and letting go the article. The snap is made
preferably of malleable iron and as will be seen is so arranged that in manipulat-
ing the glass the parts are exposed to the air, the rotary motion given to the snap
in working the glass tending to keep the snap cool. There are no concealed
parts except the spring; each part is easily removed and replaced in case of its 5
becoming damaged.
As soon as the cup shaped glass blank has been seized by the snap the glass
worker subjects the cup shaped body a to the fire in the "glory-hole" where it
is reheated and if a smoke shade of a shape like that is shewn by Figure 6 is to
be made, twirls the blank on his bench or in the air, the centrifugal force flaring
out the edge until the desired diameter is obtained, when the edge may be fluted
or scalloped or left plain. For producing a bell of the shape shewn in Figure 7,

page_text: The
instead of employing centrifugal force to flare. the blank the glassworker uses
his tongs or swings the snap so as to lengthen the blank, a means ordinarily
employed for such purposes. When the bell has reached the desired length and
diameter, the edge can be fluted or otherwise ornamented or left plain.
finished article is removed from the suap and is put through the leer to gradually
cool the article as is usually done. It is obvious that in my improved manner
of first forming a blank in a press mould, the base and eye must come central
every time if the mould is correctly made.
In pressing the cup shaped body, base and the eye, the glass used is of one
mixture, and is rendered more dense than if made by hand in the ordinary manner
which consists in first blowing and shaping the blank, then gathering glass on a
punty to form the base for the eye after which the eye or ring is formed and
stuck up on the base, all of these operations being done while the glass is hot and
maieable. In the operation of sticking on the ring or eye, the article must be
lifted several times by the ring to see that it hangs level. The operation of
sticking on the base and ring cannot be done by any positive measurement because
the article may be thicker or thinner on diametrically opposite sides of the blank
and if under these conditions a base and ring are stuck on centrally, the finished
article will hang out of level and be imperfect.
In my improved method of producing the complete blank by pressing, the
thickness can be graduated by the plunger of the mould to a nicety, the base
and ye or ring must come positively in the centre, the glass will be of one
density and consistency and more than double the quantity of finished articles
can be produced than can be made by the old method in a given time.
It is obvious to those versed in the art that the mould can have any configura-
tion cut in it, so that a smoke bell or shade can be produced which will have the
impression of any fanciful design on the periphery so as to match any globes or
shades surrounding an illuminating burner over which the smoke bell or shade
is to suspend.
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 improved manufacture of glass smoke bells and like articles which con-
sists in first forming in a moulding press a blank composed of a cup shaped body,
a solid thickened base projecting for some distance above the top thereof and an
eye or ring, said body, base and eye being cast integral with each other in one
operation, gripping the blank only by the said base and eye in a suitable snap so
as to leave the cup shaped body free, then reheating and shaping the same into
the finished article, substantially as herein before described, and illustrated by the
drawings.
2. For carrying out the improved manufacture of glass smoke bells and like
articles herein before described the construction and use of a snap capable of
gripping the pressed blank only by the projecting base and eye, substantially
as herein before described and illustrated by the drawing.
Dated the 15th day of Santambor 1800
R. J. URQUHART, C.E.,
Chartered Patent Agent, Manchester & Liverpool.