IMPROVE- MENTS IN PACKING THE PISTONS OF CYLINDERS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Palmer, of Grange Mills, Grange Road,
Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PACKING THE PISTONS OF CYLINDERS."
Sealed the 16th April 1861, and dated the 26th October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Palmer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th October 1860.
I, WILLIAM PALMER, of Grange Mills, Grange Road, Bermondsey, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN PACKING THE PISTONS OF CYLINDERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in packing the pistons of
cylinders. For these purposes I surround the piston to be packed with a
strip or ring of leather; on this a strip or ring of india-rubber, by preference
vulcanized india-rubber, is placed, and over this again another strip or ring of
leather which is secured to the first by stitching; thus the india-rubber is enclosed.
in a casing of leather, and while it serves to give elasticity to the packing it is
protected from friction by the leather, which comes immediately in contact
with the cylinder. In some cases, especially when the piston is required to
work on an iron cylinder, I again cover the outer strip or ring of leather with.
a strip or ring of wire gauze (that which I employ being by preference of brass
wire); this increases the durability of the packing by protecting the outer strip
or ring of leather from wear.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Palmer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
April, 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PALMER, of Grange Mills, Grange Road, Bermondsey, in the County of
Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Palmer, Her special licence that I, the said William Palmer, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Palmer, my exécutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PACKING
THE PISTONS OF CYLINDERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Palmer, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Palmer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
'
This Invention has for its object improvements in packing the pistons of
cylinders. For these purposes I surround the piston to be packed with a strip
or ring of leather; on this a strip or ring of india-rubber, by preference
vulcanized india-rubber, is placed, and over this again another strip or ring of
leather, which is secured to the first by stitching; thus, the india-rubber is
enclosed in a casing of leather, and while it serves to give elasticity to the
packing it is protected from friction by the leather, which comes immediately
in contact with the cylinder. In some cases, especially when the piston is
required to work in an iron cylinder, I again cover the outer strip or ring of
leather with a strip or ring of wire gauze (that which I employ being by

page_text: preference of brass wire); this increases the durability of the packing by
protecting the outer strip or ring of leather from wear.
Figure 1 is a horizontal section, and Figure 2 a vertical section, of a
packing for a pump bucket constructed according to my Invention.
a is a strip of leather sewn up into a ring; b is another strip of leather
sewn to the first, both at the top and bottom edge; c is a band of vulcanized
india-rubber secured between the two. The packing thus constructed is
secured to the bucket by a conical ring of metal forced on to the lower edge of
the leather ring a.
Figure 3 is a side view, and Fig. 4 a plan, of a similar packing, arranged;
however, so as to be fixed to its piston in a different manner. This arrange-
ment is more convenient for pistons which are fitted with two packing rings
turned in opposite directions; it will be seen that in this arrangement the
edges of the leather ring a are turned inwards. The method of fixing such
packing rings is shown by the red lines in Figure 5. d is the piston plate, which
is of metal; e is the second packing ring; and f.f, are metal rings, which are
pressed down on the edges of the packing rings, so as to hold them securely by
screw bolts 9, 9, passing through the two rings f, f, and the piston plate e.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Palmer, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
W. PALMER. (LS.)