AN IMPROVED PORTABLE FORGE AND COMBINED TUYERE AND FIRE-BED FOR THE SAME AND OTHER FORGES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,¨
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for.
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PORTABLE FORGE AND COMBINED TUYERE
AND FIRE-BED FOR THE SAME AND OTHER FORGES."-A communication
from abroad by Philander Higley Roots and Francis Marion Roots,
both of Connersville, Indiana, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
•
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th October 1871.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED PORTABLE FORGE AND
COMBINED TUYERE AND FIRE-BED FOR THE SAME AND OTHER FORGES," a com-
munication, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, first, to constructing a combined tuyere and
fire-bed for blacksmiths' and other forges or fire-places in such manner as

page_text: to secure the most advantageous combustion of the fuel. The fire-bed
is shaped to give a proper form and body to the fire. The tuyere
pipe projects down from the fire-bed, and the wind is introduced into
the side of the same. through a suitable tube; the lower end of this
pipe is made tight by a valve pivoted or hinged thereon. This valve
serves the purposes of an outlet for the ashes that may fall from the
bottom of the fire-bed. It also admits air to prevent the extinction of
the fire when the forge is not in use, and it prevents the accumulation
of gas. The fire-bed is preferably made with its inner sides inclined or
curved convexly down towards the tuyere pipe. The bottom of the
fire-bed is perforated with numerous small openings to admit the air
from the aforesaid pipe into the fire. I prefer that the fire-bed and
tuyere should be made of cast iron.
•
When the said combined tuyere and fire-bed are used for portable
forges the latter is made circular and fitted into a circular opening in
the bearth of the forge; but when intended to be set in brickwork a
square shape is preferable, the bed being extended sufficiently to form
a resting place on the brickwork, which must be so constructed as to
permit a free circulation of air around the external surface of the
fire-bed.
When long picces of iron are to be heated or welded it is important
that provision should be made for its free adjustment in the fire. For
this purpose I make in the back part of the fire-bed or in both back and
front a depression which allows the bar to sink in the fire. For portable
forges even of large size it is generally found sufficient to make a
depression in the back part only.
The said Invention relates, secondly, to the hearth and other parts of
a portable forge to be used in connection with this combined tuyere and
fire-bed. The said forge has a hearth, usually measuring about one-half
more in length than in width, of a somewhat oval shape, and provided
with a rim or upward projection to confine the coal. Near one end of the
hearth a suitable opening is made to receive the aforesaid fire-bed, which,
as above described, is made preferably of a circular form for a portable
forge. When the fire-bed is made with depressions as above described it
is necessary to make corresponding depressions in the hearth of the forge,
and to allow long bars or pieces of iron to assume any desired position
in the fire. A gate is placed on the back of the forge opposite the fire-
bed, which when lifted allows the iron to lie in the aforesaid depression

page_text: of the hearth. And on the front of the forge the surrounding rim is
depressed opposite the fire. The said forge is mounted on suitable legs
or supports, and when desirable may be furnished with a hood for carry-
ing off the smoke.
My said Invention relates, thirdly, to the combination with these
portable forges of a rotary blowing-apparatus, preferably that de-
scribed in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me A.D. 1869,
No. 3067.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, .
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors, 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 "AN IMPROVED
PORTABLE FORGE AND COMBINED TUYERE AND FIRE-BED FOR THE SAME AND OTHER
FORGES," a communication to me from abroad by Philander Higley Roots
and Francis Marion Roots, both of Connersville, Indiana, United States
of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Robert Lake, 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

page_text: The said Invention relates, secondly, to a portable forge to be used
with this combined tuyere and fire-bed. The said forge has a hearth
provided with a rim or upward projection to confine the coal. Near
one end of the hearth a suitable opening is made to receive the aforesaid
fire-bed which, as above described, is preferably made of a circular form
for a portable forge. When the fire-bed is made with depressions as
above described it is necessary to make corresponding depressions in
the hearth of the forge to allow long bars or pieces of iron to assumo
any desired position in the fire, and a gate is placed on one side of the
forge opposite the fire-bed, which when lifted allows the iron to lie in
the aforesaid depression of the hearth. The rim of the forgo is also
formed with a depression in the side opposite the fire. The said forge
is mounted on suitable legs or supports, and when desired may be;
furnished with a hood for carrying off the smoke.
The said Invention relates, thirdly, to the combination with the said
portable forge of a rotary blowing apparatus, and preferably that
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine,
No. 3067. This apparatus has pistons or abutments which work
air-tight within their casing and by their revolutions produce and.
maintain a continuous current or blast. This current or blast is more
effective than that of a fan, inasmuch as it is expelled from the casing
positively or irresistably, that is to say, the piston must expel the air
contained in front of it in the casing no matter at what speed the
apparatus may be worked, whereas by an ordinary fan the blast can
only be maintained by a rapid revolution of the vanes or wings thereof,
and the same might revolve freely if the delivery aperture were closed.
.
The apparatus described in the said former Specification is preferable
to any other that I am acquainted with for this purpose, but if desired
I may use in its place other rotary blowing apparatus which will
produce a positive current or blast.

page_text: fire-bed; Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 shew portions of my Invention detached.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
C₁
1
In constructing the fire-bed and tuyere I mako in one piece the bed a
and the tuyere b with the vertical passage d and the induction air
passage e, this compound casting being of the form clearly shown in
Figures 1 and 2. The fire-bed a consists of a nest or recess with
walls & curved as above described and preferably made inwardly
convex, as shown, merging at the top of the recess into a plate a' of
a square, circular, or other shape which is to form a part of the hearth
of the forge. The bottom of tho fire-bed is provided with perforations
which open into the vertical passage d of the tuyere 6 to allow the
ashes to fall into the same. This passage has a valve d¹ fitted to turn
horizontally on a pivot g, so that it will close the passage or allow it to
be opened for the removal of ashes when required. In place of a gate
or valve an ordinary cap may be used. When the valve is used it 1
should have a rod f whereby it may be conveniently operated. The
induction pipe or air passage e, which is preferably cast with or upon
the fire-bed, is made slightly taper inside at the end that receives the
pipe from the blower, and its opposite end opens. into the passage d
under the perforated bottom c.
.
2
In Figure 1 I have shown on the top plate a' on opposite sides of the
fire-bed the aforesaid depressions h, which when the middle portion of a
long picce or bar of iron is to be heated allow the said piece or bar to be
placed to the best advantage in the fire. The hearth of the fire-bed or
that portion of it about the nest is shewn in the Drawing as square, but 2
it obviously may be circular or of any other desired form.
As the induction passage leading from the blower to the tuyere enters
the vertical passage through which the ashes fall at right angles it will
be seen that it cannot be obstructed by the ashes.
The forge is constructed entirely of metal and of any desired size. 3
It has a frame with two front uprights and two rear uprights ♂²; a
shelf or platform k connects these uprights near their lower ends, and
the hearth of the forge rests upon and is attached to the unner onde

page_text: wheels 10. The uprights are also connected in like manner to a cross
piece n, the ends of which are turned down to form feet for the rear end
of the forge to rest upon.
•
The hearth, which may be made oblong with round corners or of
5 any other form desired, may have a raised guard or rail for the
purpose of confining loose coal or any other article placed thereon.
Near the front end of the hearth in an opening suitable for the
purpose is placed the fire-bed. In connection with the depressions
above described and for the same purpose gates o are pivoted on the
sides of the hearth to be turned up out of the way, as shewn in
Figure 3, when long bars or pieces are to be placed in the fire. Over
the front end of the hearth is mounted a chimney p with a hood or
smoke stack p³ for carrying off the smoke from the forge. q is the
blower, which is bolted or otherwise firmly secured to the platform.
From this blower its air pipe e rises vertically, and at the proper height
is bent at a right angle, and enters the vertical pipe just under the
bottom of the fire-bed, so that all ashes or other materials that drop
from the fire-bed will pass by the open end of the induction pipe from
the blower and will not obstruct or interfere with the tuyere blast.
The blower is operated by a belt r which passes over a driving wheel „ª¹
mounted on an arm & attached to the chimney p, or the said blower may
be operated in any other suitable manner.
It frequently happens that gas will accumulate in the blower when
the forge is not being used. I therefore provide the said blower with
a lift valve q' for permitting the escape of gas, as clearly shewn in
Figure 4, which is a vertical section of the blower on the line x³, x³,
Figure 3. In place of this lift valve an ordinary cap q³, as shewn in
Figure 5, may be used. Should an explosion of gas take place, or
should the pressure of air become very great, the liſt valve will be
raised or the cap blown off. If the blower should be accidentally turned
backward the gas from the burning fuel in the tuyere would be drawn
into the said blower. I therefore prefer to use a contrivance consisting
of a ratchet wheel attached to the hub of the driving wheel, and
arranged in combination with a pawl, which will permit the said
driving wheel to turn only in one direction, as shewn in Figures 6 and 7.
It is obvious that the same devices may be applied to either of the shafts
of the abutments instead of to the hub of the driving wheel for the.

page_text: Third. The combination with a portable forge of a rotary blowing
apparatus which has air-tight pistons or abutments, or is otherwise
constructed in a manner to produce a positive blast or current, as
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
"
unto set my hand and scal, this Second day of April, in the.
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
Witness,
EDWARD C. JACKSON.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)