IMPROVEMENTS IN BENDING AND ANNEALING GLAS3
Year: 1851

page_text: ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESEI SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
HALE THOMSON, of Berners Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
and GEORGE FOORD, of Wardour Street, in the same County, Chemist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of Sep-
tember, (One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one,) in the fifteenth year of Her '
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Frederick Hale Thomson and George Foord, our exors, adññors, and assigns,
Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege, and authority, that we, the said
Frederick Hale Thomson and George Foord, our exors, adiñors, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Frederick Hale Thomson and George Foord, our
exors, adiñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times 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, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BENDING
AND ANNEALING GLAS3;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that we, the said Frederick Hale Thomson and George Foord, shall cause
a particular description of the nature of our said Invention. and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under our
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, to be enrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Frederick Hale Thomson and George Foord, do hereby declare that the
nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment thereof, that is to say:
Our Invention consists of combining means and apparatus for bending and
annealing sheets of glass so as to obtain such sheets in concave forms suitable
for reflectors and other uses, according to the forms of moulds employed.
And in order that our Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the means pursued by us.
We
cause concave moulds to be made, and by preference of cast iron, and through
the centre of each mould a small hole is formed for the passage away of air;
the interior of these moulds are made as smooth as may be.
These moulds,
on their under side, are to be formed so as readily to enter into or fix on an
upright axis within the muffle or oven used for heating the glass to be bent.
We would state that we believe that the best construction of muffle or oven
for the purpose of our Invention, is to have a fire on each side of the muffle
and exterior thereof; the heat and flame of which fires ascend and enter at
the upper part of the muffle, by a long opening running from front to back of
the muffle on either side thereof, so that the flames and heated products meet
each other in the middle of the arch or roof over the muffle, and pass off
through openings in the arch or roof of the muffle, by which means the greater
heat will be near the roof or upper part of the muffle. The muffle is to be
closed by a door in front, with an opening or sight hole through it, as is well
understood, in order that the workman may see when the glass is heated, so as
to admit of its being pressed into the mould, as hereafter explained. Through
the bottom of the muffle is formed a hole, within which a vertical axis or
shaft rises, it turning in suitable bearings under the bottom of the muffle, and
the axis is to be capable of rising and falling within the muffle, the object of
which will be hereafter described. This axis when in use is to have a
rotatory motion communicated to it by any suitable gearing. Supposing sheets
of glass are desired to be bent into hollow or concave forms, suitable for
reflectors or other articles, the workman places on the axis within the muffle a
mould of the proper form and size for the circular sheet of glass he is about
to bend into the form of the hollow mould till the mould becomes heated to
an extent which would be slightly red in the dark; he is then to remove the
mould from the muffle, such we believe being the most convenient mode of
action, in order that a circular sheet of glass may be placed just within the
upper part of the mould; he then returns the mould to its place on the axis,

page_text: which at this time is to be at its lowest position, and so that the glass may be
subjected at first to the lowest degree of axis. The axis is now to be kept
constantly rotating, and is to be raised by degrees so as to bring the upper part
of the mould and the glass therein nearer the top of the muffle; and when he
sees that it has arrived at the bending heat, he is to place and press on the
glass a convex surface or piece of cork or soft wood (previously dipped in
water) fixed at the end of a handle; and as the axis and mould with the
glass revolve, the glass will be caused to be pressed into and assume the form
of the interior of the mould. The mould and the glass is then taken out of
the muffle, and another mould introduced to be heated, and the process is to
be repeated. The hot mould containing the bent glass is to be covered when
taken from the muffle with a cover of sheet metal, and the bent glass is
allowed to cool down with the mould, by which it will be partially annealed;
and the annealing is to be completed by placing a number of such bent sheets
of glass into an annealing muffle, wherein the glass is to be heated and cooled
down, as is well understood.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we would have it understood that what we claim are the
combination of means and apparatus berein described, for bending and
annealing glass.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Hale Thomson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.