Improvements in the Manufacture of Sad Irons, Tailors' Irons, and other Smoothing Irons, and in Appliances used therein.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 22nd Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Sad Irons, Tailors' Irons, and
other Smoothing Irons, and in Appliances used therein.
I, JOSEPH MILLINGTON, of Springvale Foundry, near Wolverhampton in the
County of Stafford, Ironfounder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :-
According to the method heretofore employed of manufacturing sad irons and
other smoothing irons, the plate or sole which forms the iron proper is cast in a
mould rammed up in sand. The handle is rammed up in the sand, but the feet
thereof project into the mould and are thus firmly embedded in the casting when
the molten metal has set. A fresh mould has consequently to be prepared for each
casting, and the flat surface at the bottom of the plate or sole requires a considerable
degree of grinding to make it perfectly true and smooth. Such surface, moreover,
is liable to have sand holes therein.
Now, the chief object of this invention is to provide a permanent mould which
may be used over and over again, and which shall be of such character as to ensure
such a true and comparatively smooth surface of the bottom of the plate or sole
when cast that a very little grinding will suffice to make it perfectly true and
smooth.
This object is accomplished, according to this invention, by casting the plate or
sole in an iron mould or chill, whereby the additional advantages are gained also of
avoiding the liability of sand holes and of producing a hard or chilled surface on
the working face of the plate or sole which can be ground up to a high degree of
polish not attainable in the case of smoothing irons made in sand moulds.
The mould or chill which I employ for this purpose consists of three main parts,
of which one forms the flat surface for the bottom of the mould (that is the part of
the mould which bounds the working face of the plate or sole forming the casting)
and of which each of the others, respectively, completes the mould on one side of
the longitudinal axis thereof, that is to say, an impression of the desired plate
or sole is formed half in one of such latter parts and half in the other. Notches
are formed in the edges of the two latter parts, through which the legs of the
handle pass, and the feet project as heretofore within the mould.
A three-part metal mould of the above described character may be conveniently
constructed and operated in a manner which I will now proceed to describe,
and which forms an important feature of the invention :-A metal block, herein-
after termed the " holder" block, is formed with dovetail guides projecting,
respectively, along two opposite sides of its working face, and these guides
incline towards one another lengthways so as to be nearer to one another at one
end than at the other. The working face of the block and the inner faces of
the guides are planed true. A pair of secondary blocks, shaped alike except
that one is right hand and the other left hand, are formed to bed against one
another side by side; and their respective outer sides are formed inclining
towards one another similarly as the guides aforesaid and are planed up so that
when the two blocks are put together side by side and pushed up between the
guides aforesaid their outer sides will fit within the dovetails. As the blocks
are forced up within the guides they will be tightened by such guides firmly
against one another and also against the working face of the holder block.
The faces of the secondary blocks which bed against the working face of the
holder block, and also their faces or edges which come together, are planed or
trued up.
The mould for the plate or sole is formed up in the faces of these secondary

page_text: blocks which are against the working face of the holder block. Holes are
notched in each inner side face or edge of each secondary block to allow the
legs of the handle to pass therethrough with the feet projecting into the mould.
The mould is turned up on end for casting, with the portion for the hinder
end of the plate or sole upwards; and the metal is poured through a thin git
which enters immediately in front of the working face of the holder block.
The casting is removed from the mould by first forcing back the two secondary
blocks out of the guides of the holder block, and with them the casting, and
then drawing the secondary blocks sideways right and left from the casting and
from the legs of the handle which pass through the notches formed in the inner
side faces of the blocks.
The plate or sole, being cast with its bottom or working face against the
planed and consequently true surface of the working face of the holder block,
is itself very true and comparatively smooth, and requires but little grinding.
It is preferred to form a dowel or projection on the inner side face of one of
the secondary blocks and a corresponding recess to fit therearound in the corre-
sponding face of the other secondary block, so that the blocks when put together
side by side will remain in proper position in relation to one another as they
are pushed forward within the guides of the holder block.
The trueness and hardness of the working surface of the casting may be
secured even in a sand mould by using a planed plate for the side of the mould
which forms such surface, but only a part of the advantages of the invention
are secured in such manner and it is preferred therefore to use a complete mould of
iron for the casting.
Dated this 17th day of June 1892.
STEPHEN
WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Sad Irons, Tailors' Irons, and
other Smoothing Irons, and in Appliances used therein.
I, JOSEPH MILLINGTON, of Springvale Foundry, near Wolverhampton in the
County of Stafford, Ironfounder, 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 :-
According to the method heretofore employed of manufacturing sad irons and
other smoothing irons, the plate or sole which forms the iron proper is cast in a
mould rammed up in sand. The handle is rammed up in the sand, but the feet
thereof project into the mould and are thus firmly embedded in the casting when
the molten metal has set. A fresh mould has consequently to be prepared for
each casting, and the flat surface at the bottom of the plate or sole requires a
considerable degree of grinding to make it perfectly true and smooth. Such
surface, moreover, is liable to have sand holes therein.
Now, the chief object of this invention is to provide a permanent mould which
may be used over and over again, and which shall be of such character as to
ensure such a true and comparatively smooth surface of the bottom of the plate or
sole when cast that a very little grinding will suffice to make it perfectly true
and smooth.
This object this accomplished, according to this invention, by casting the plate or
sole in an iron mould or chill, whereby the additional advantages are gained also
of avoiding the liability of sand holes and of producing a hard or chilled surface
on the working face of the plate or sole which can be ground up to a high degree
of polish not attainable in the case of smoothing irons made in sand moulds.
The mould or chill which I employ for this purpose consists of three main parts,
of which one forms the flat surface for the bottom of the mould (that is the part

page_text: of the mould which bounds the working face of the plate or sole forming the
casting) and of which each of the others, respectively, completes the mould on one
side of the longitudinal axis thereof, that is to say, an impression of the desired
plate or sole is formed half in one of such latter parts and half in the other.
Notches are formed in the edges of the two latter parts, through which the legs of
the handle pass, and the feet project as heretofore within the mould.
A three-part metal mould of the above-described character may be conveniently
constructed and operated in a manner which forms an important feature of this.
invention, and which I will now proceed to describe with reference to the
accompanying drawings. The drawings illustrate a moulding box for use in the
manufacture of ordinary sad irons, but the construction and operation of similar
boxes for use in the manufacture of other descriptions of smoothing irons will be
readily understood, after a perusal of the description of the drawings, without need
for further illustration or description.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the centre of the box when put
together ready for casting. The box has, however, to be turned up on end when
the metal is to be poured into the mould. The handle is shewn in position in this
view with the feet projecting into the mould. Figure 2 is a plan of the box, but
in this view the handle is omitted. Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on
line of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a plan of the lower portion, hereinafter termed
the "holder block." with the upper portion of the box removed; and Figure 5 is
a view of the inner or under face of the upper portion of the box.
The holder block A is formed with dovetail guides a standing up, respectively,
on opposite sides of its upper face, and these guides incline towards one another
lengthways, as shewn, so as to be nearer to one another at one end than at the
other. The working face of the block and the inner faces of the guides are planed
true. A pair of secondary blocks B, which together form the upper portion of
the box, are shaped alike, except that one is right hand and the other left hand,
and are formed to bed against one another side by side along the longitudinal
centre line of the box, and their outer sides are formed inclining towards one
another and are also dovetail in shape similarly as the inner faces of the guides a
aforesaid, and are planed up so that when the two blocks B are put together side
by side and pushed up between the guides a their outer sides will fit within the
dovetail guides. As the blocks B are forced up within the guides a they will be
tightened thereby firmly against each other and also against the working face of the
holder block A. The faces of the blocks B which bed against the working face of
the holder block A, and also their faces or edges which come together, are of course
planed or trued up. The mould D for the plate or sole of the sad iron is formed
up in the faces of these blocks B which, when the box is put together, are against
the working face of the holder block A. Holes are notched in each inner side
face or edge of each block B to allow the legs c of the handle C to pass there-
through with the feet a projecting into the mould as clearly shown by Figure 1.
The handle may be formed so that the legs have to be sprung slightly inwards or
outwards to put them through the notches, and will thus be held securely in place
in the box. A "git" mould e is formed partly in the hinder end of the inner face
of one block B and partly in the hinder end of the inner face of the other block B
as shewn by Figures 1 and 5, and when the box is put together for casting, the
inner end of this mould forms a thin slit f immediately over the working face of
the block A and at the hinder end of the mould for the plate or sole of the sad
iron.
The box is turned up on end for casting with the git of course upwards.
The working face of the block A forms the side or face of the mould which forms
the lower or under face of the plate or sole which constitutes the casting. A
shallow air channel a is formed in the inner face of each block B a short distance.
back from the edge of the mould, and is carried out to the edges of the blocks at h;
and short channels i are formed also in the inner faces of the blocks from the edges
of the mould to carry the air therefrom into the channels
9.
The casting is removed from the mould by first forcing back the blocks B out of

page_text: the guides a and with them the casting, and then drawing the blocks B sideways
right and left from the casting and from the legs of the handle which pass through
the notches h.
The plate or sole of the sad iron, being cast with its bottom or working face
against the planed and consequently true surface of the working face of the block A,
is itself very true and comparatively smooth, and requires but little grinding.
It is preferred to form a projection on the inner side face of one of the blocks B
and a corresponding recess to fit therearound in the corresponding face of the other
block B, so that the blocks when put together side by side will remain in proper
position in relation to one another as they are pushed forward within the guides a.
A convenient method of effecting this is to put the blocks together and drill a
round hole partly in one and partly in the other, but so that a considerably greater
arc of the circumference of the hole is in one block than in the other, then insert
tightly in the larger portion of the hole a dowel or plug k. When the blocks
are put together the projection of the dowel k from the one block will of course
fit within the portion of the hole formed in the other block.
The trueness and hardness of the under surface of the casting may be secured
even in a saud mould by using a planed plate for the side of the mould which
forms such surface, in lieu of the ordinary lower box part; but only a part of the
advantages of the invention are secured in such manner, and it is preferred
therefore to use a complete mould of iron for the casting.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The manufacture of sad irons, tailors' irons and other smoothing irons, by
casting the plates or soles thereof in metal moulds, substantially as described.
2. A metal mould for use in the manufacture of sad irons, tailors' irons, or other
smoothing irons having a block or plate to form the under surface of the plate or
sole of the smoothing iron, and a divided portion formed with an impression therein
of the shape of the desired plate or sole of the smoothing iron, substantially as
described.
3. In the manufacture of sad irons, tailors' irons and other smoothing irons, the
use, as a portion of the moulding box, of a metal block or plate to form the under
surface of the plate or sole of the smoothing iron, substantially as described.
4. The improvements in the manufacture of sad irons, tailors' irons and other
smoothing irons, and in appliances used therein, substantially as shewn (by way
of illustration as applied to the case of sad irons) by the drawings herewith and
described with reference thereto.
Dated this Seventeenth day of March 1893.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.