A NEW METHOD OF WORKING AND REFINING CAST OR PIG IRON, AND CONVERTING THE SAME FROM A FLUID STATE INTO WROUGHT OR BAR IRON, WHICH WOULD BE OF PUBLICK UTILITY
Year: 1783

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, PETER ONIONS,
of Myrther, in the County of Glamorgan, Iron Founder, sends greeting.
WHEREAS the said Peter Onions did, by his Petition, most humbly repre-
sent unto His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, that he
had, by great aplication, invented "A NEW METHOD OF WORKING AND REFINING
CAST OR PIG IRON, AND CONVERTING THE SAME FROM A FLUID STATE INTO WROUGHT
OR BAR IRON, WHICH WOULD BE OF PUBLICK UTILITY," and therefore humbly prayed
His said Majesty that he would grant unto him, his executors, adñiors, and
assigns, His Majesty's Royal Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great
Britain, for the solo working and vending the said iron, and exercising his said
Invention, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for
the term of fourteen years; and His said Majesty, being willing to give en-
couragement to all arts and inventions which might be for the public good,
was graciously pleased to condescend to his request, and therefore, by His
Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventh day of May,
in the twenty-third year of His reign, of His especial grace, certain know-
ledge, and meer motion, for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give and
grant unto the said Peter Onions, his executors, administrators, and
assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that he,
the said Peter Onions, his executors, adñiors, and assigns, and every of them,
by himself and themselves, or by his and their deputy or deputies, servants or
agents, or such others as he, the said Peter Onions, his executors, administra-
tors or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time.to.

page_text: time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend his said Invention,
within that part of His Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England,
His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner
as to him, the said Peter Onions, his executors, administrators, and assigns,
or any of them, should in his or their discretion seem meet; and that the said
Peter Onions, his executors, administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully
might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage
from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising, by reason of the
said Invention, for and during the term of years therein mentioned, to have,
hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, priviledges, and advantages
thercin-before granted or mentioned to be granted unto him, the said Peter
Onions, his exccutors, administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the
full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent
next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended according
to the form of the Statute in such case made and provided; in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if the said Peter Onions should
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of his said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
his hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within four calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, then the said Letters Patent, and
all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should ceasc, deter-
mine, and become void, anything therein contained to the contrary thereof
in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said Letters Patent, referrence
being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, he, the said
Peter Onions, doth hereby describe and ascertain the nature of his said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as follows (that is
to say):
There are two furnaces used in this operation or Invention, to wit, a common
furnace, in which the iron ore or metal is put, and there smelted or melted,
and another furnace which is made of stone and brick and other materials, as
usual, and fit to resist the force of fire, and bound with iron work and well
annealed, and described in the Plan or Drawing thereof hereto annexed, marked g
with the letter A, and into which the fluid iron or metal is received from the
common furnace or smelting blast in its hot liquid state, and when so received
is worked or refined as follows:-A quantity or stream of cold water must then
run or be put into the cistern or trough under the ash grate of the refining

page_text: furnace, and the doors thereof closed and luted with sand or lome, and the fire-
place filled with fuel of pit coal, coaks, or wood charcoal, from time to time as
occasion requires, and then the common bellows, cylinder, or usual machine for
blowing or pumping air into the space below the ash grate through the tubes
(as described in the Plan), is began to be worked, and the fire excited by the
air till the cavity of the said furnace is sufficiently heated, and then the hot
liquid iron metal is taken and carried in iron ladles from the above common'
furnace and poured into the refined furnace through an iron door or apperture
raised by a lever (as described in the Plan); then the said apperture is stopped,
and the blast of air and the fire used until the metal becomes less fluid and
thickens into a kind of paste, which the workman, by opening the door, turns
and stirs with a bar or other iron instrument or tool, and then closes the
apperture again, and must apply the blast of air and fire untill there is a
ferment in the metal; and if no ferment ensues, then he must turn or convey
the blast of cold air through the tube (which is described in the Plan) upon
the matter, which will excite a kind of ferment or scoriafication in the matter
or metal; and as the workman stirs or turns the metal it will discharge or
seperate a portion of scoria or cinder from it, and then the particles of iron
will adhere and seporate from the scoria, which particles the workmen must
collect or gather into a mass or lump, and then shut the door and heat the
mass until the same becomes of a white colour, and then take or convey out of
the furnace, with a bar of iron or tongs, the said mass or lump to the forge
hammer, and there, by repeated blows, squeeze or beat out the remaining scoria
or cinder, when a mass of malleable iron will be formed into an octagonal or
other bar (called a loop), and which bar may be then or at any time heated in
a fire, and worked by the workman and forge hammer into rods or bars of
iron, for various purposes. Or the cast iron or pig metal may be worked or
refined from the pig iron, or when in a cold state, as follows:-The refining
furnace being heated, as above described, the cast iron or pig metal is placed
in the furnace on the place prepared for it (as described in the Plan), and the
fire excited by the blast of air till the metal is in fusion, and then the oppera-
tion through the whole process is the same as above described.
The machine forge hammer, or place where the iron is made or formed into
bars or rods for different purposes, is made of cast iron or pig metal, and parti-
cularly described in the Plan annexed, marked (B), & may be used in the
following different manners:-If the air above the piston in the cylinder, as
described in the said Plan, be compressed, then the piston acts by the spring
of the compressed elastic air forced into the cylinder to a degree equal to the
purpose of returning the forge hammer when lifted up by the water machine,

page_text: or usual mode for raising a hammer, stamper, or other weight which requires
to be returned with great force or velocity; but if the air within the cylinder
be exhausted, then the piston will act by the pressure of the circumambient
air or atmosphere, as described in the said Plan.
The reference to or description of the Plan of the refining furnace,
marked A. Figure 1, the ground plan: A, A, two fireplaces; B, the inside
of the furnace; C, the door place; D, D, two doors to put the fuel in at;
E, the air blast pipe; F, the foundation or walls. Figure 2d, profile and
section of the inside of the furnace: A, A, a cistern or trough of water;
B, B, the space below the grate for the ashes; C, C, air pipes from the
blowing machine; D, D, the fire grate; E, E, the spaces for the fuel; F, the
place to receive the pig metal; G, a pipe to convey cold air occasionally; H,
the vent or chinney; I, I, I, the arch and other part of walls. Figure 3, the
front view, with the loor in which to put the metal into the furnace. Figure 4,
the back view, with two doors to receive the fuel, and two doors to take the
ashes out. Figure 5, ground plan of a small furnace: A, the plan for the fire;
B, the place to receive the pig metal; C, C, the air blast pipe; D, the door for
the metal; and E, the door for fuel. Figure 6, section of the inside of the
furnace: A, the water trough; B, the space for the ashes; C, C, the air
pipe from the blowing machine; D, the fire grate; E, the space for the fire
grate; F, the place for the metal; G, the cold air pipe; E, the vent for the
hot air. Figure 7, the front view, with the door for the metal, the air pipe.
and vent. Figure 8 the back view, with the door for the fuel, and a door to
take the ashes out at.
The reference to or description of the Plan of the forge hammer or machine
for constructing the metal into bars or rods, marked with the Letter B).-
Figure 1: A, A, A, the ground plan; B, the anvil block; C, the hammer;
D, the helve; E, the hust, which holds the hammer helve; F, the air
cylinder; G, the ring, which holds the cams or cogs which lift the hammer;
H, the hammer beam. Figure 2, profile to represent the works when one
of the sides or frame plates is taken away: A, one of the side plates (see the
other Figure 4); B, the anvil and block; C, the hammer; D, the hammer
helve; E, the hust; F, the air cylinder, with its piston in the manner it is
used with compressed air; G, the iron ring; H, the hammer beam and axis
of the water wheel and cam ring; I, the iron mortice which holds the rabbit
to prevent the hammer rising too high (see Figure 5); K, the water wheel.
Figure 3, elevation and front view of the work: A, A, A, A, the frame or
side plates in Figure 2 and Figure 4; B, the anvil and block; C, the hammer;
D, the end of the hammer helve; E, the hust which holds the helve (sec

page_text: Figure 8); F, the air cylinder and piston; G, the iron ring which holds the
cams or cogs; H, H, iron laces; I, the sills. Figure 4, one of the frame or
side plates. Figure 5, the iron mortice which holds the rabbit. Figure 6,
the iron anvil block. Figure 7, a view detached from the other parts: A, the
anvil block and anvil; B, the hainmer; C, the hammer helve; D, the hust;
e, e, e, iron works belonging to the piston and rod of the air cylinder when
worked by the pressure of the external air; F, the air cylinder and piston.
Figure 8, the hust; Figure 9, the hammer and anvil, hammer helve and
cylinder, with its apparatus together. Figure 10, a view of the air cylinder
when the piston is worked with compressed air.
In witness whereof, the said Peter Onions hath hereto set his hand
and scal, the First day of September, in the twenty-third year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God
of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, &c.,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and eighty-
three.
PETER (L.S.) ONIONS.
Signed, scaled, and duly executed, by
the within named Peter Onions
(being first duly stamped), in the
presence of
SAM COOPER,
Southton B, Chane Lane.
THO SOWERBY,
Clerk to Mr Cooper.
AND BE IT REMEMBRED, that on the First day of September, in the
twenty-third year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, the
said Peter Onions came before the said Lord the King in His Chancery, and
acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the several Statutes made in
the sixth year of the reign of the late King and Queen William and Mary of
England, and in the seventeenth and twenty-third years of the reign of His
Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the said First day of September, in the year above written.