IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING IRON
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING
IRON." A communication from abroad by William Fields, of Wil-
mington, in the State of Delaware, and Jonathan Manning
Roberts, of Burlington, in the State of New Jersey, United States
of America.
Bealed the 3rd June 1870, and dated the 3rd February 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd February 1870.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 60, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING
Teox" to be as follows.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd February 1870.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 60, Ohancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING
Too" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the treatment of iron in the puddling furnace
for the purpose of purifying the same. To this end ordinary pig ivon

page_text: when thoroughly melted is treated in the puddling furnace with a
mixture composed of sal soda, litharge, & sal ammoniac, about 1 lb.
each, and magnesia about two ounces. These ingredients are to be fincly
pulverized and intimately mixed, then put up tightly in a paper wrapper
and thrown into the molten iron. The result of the introduction of the
aforesaid chemicals is to eliminate from the iron the sulphur, phosphorus,
and other impuritics which it may contain. After the iron has in this
way become sufficiently purified it is balled, removed from the furnace,
hammered and rolled, all in the usual well-known manner.
•
8
In order to harden or convert into steel the iron thus purified...
it is subjected while still in the furnace and in a melted state to a
mixture composed about as follows, viz. :-Of chromate of iron, 2 lbs.;
silver, oz.;' platina, oz.; rhodium, /, oz.; iridium, oz.; osmium, oz.;
palladium, oz.; manganesc, lb.; wolfram, lb.; and fine charcoal,
1 gallon. These ingredients are to be very fincly divided and thoroughly
mixed together before being introduced into the furnace.. They are
then to be stirred into the iron and thoroughly incorporated therewith,
and when this is effected' a change will be found to have taken place,
résulting in the conversion of the iron into a peculiar and superior
quality of steel, which is now to be balled, removed from the furnace,
and hammered, rolled, or wrought into any other desired form for use.
·
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd August 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED 2
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty- 3
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
licenco that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time 3

page_text: •
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might makc,
use, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention--for
'IMPROVEMENTS. IN TREATING IRON," being a communication to me from
abroad-by-William Fields, of Wilmington, in the State of Delaware; and
Jonathan Manning Roberts, of Burlington, in the State of New Jersey,
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained' in
and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to the treatment of iron in the puddling furnace
for the purpose of purifying the same. To this end ordinary pig: iron,
say five hundred pounds, is provided, and when thoroughly melted-in
the puddling furnace it is treated with a mixture composed of the
following ingredients, and in or about the proportions stated, namely,
sal soda, one pound; litharge, one pound; sal ammoniac, one pound;
and magnesia, two ounces. These materials are to be finely pulverized
and intimately mixed, and then put up tightly in a paper wrapper and
thrown into the molten iron. The result of the introduction of the
aforesaid chemicals is to eliminate from the iron the sulphur, phosphorus
and other impurities which it may contain. After the iron has in this
way become sufficiently purified it is balled, removed from the furnace,
hammered and rolled, all in the usual well-known manner.
When it is desired to harden the iron or to convert.it into steel the
iron is first purified in the above-described manner, and while it still
remains in the furnace in a melted state there is thrown into and mixed
with the purified iron (by thoroughly stirring) a second series of ingre-
dients, the names and proportions of which are as follows:-Ohromate
of iron, two pounds; silver, half an ounce; platina, quarter of an ounce ;

page_text: rhodium, half an ounce; iridium, half an ounce; osmium, half an ounce;
palladium, half an ounce; manganese, half a pound; wolfram, half a
pound; and fine charcoal, one gallon. The above substances are to be
very finely divided and thoroughly mixed together before being intro-
duced into the furnace. They are then to be mixed with the iron
by stirring or in any other convenient manner, so that they will be
thoroughly incorporated with the iron, and when this is effected a change
will be found to have taken place, resulting in the conversion of the iron
into a peculiar and superior quality of steel, which is now to be balled,
removed from the furnace, and hammered, rolled, or wrought into auy
other desired form for use.
I may here remark that I do not limit or confine myself to the exact
proportions of the ingredients herein-before described, as these may be
varied without departing from my Invention.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements 1
in Treating Iron," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents,
and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it
to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent
I claim,―
First. The purification of iron by the use of the ingredients herein a
mentioned, substantially in the manner set forth.
Secondly. The conversion of the said purified iron by the addition
thereto while in a melted state of the second series of ingredients herein
described, substantially as set forth.
In witness whercof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have
hercunto set my hand and seal, the 2nd day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
]