IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN KINDS OF METALLIC TUBES AND RODS, AND IN ORNAMENTING METALLIC TURES AND RODS."
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Atkins, of the Firm of Robert Walter
Winfield and Company, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Merchants and Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN KINDS OF METALLIC TUBES AND RODS, AND IN
ORNAMENTING METALLIC TURES AND RODS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Atkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
July 1865.
I, JAMES ATKINS, of the Firm of Robert Walter Winfield and Company,
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Merchants and Manufacturers, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN KINDS OF METALLIC TUBES AND RODS, AND IN
ORNAMENTING METALLIC TUBES AND RODS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, of the following improvements in manu-
facturing tubes of the kind commonly known in commerce as patent tubes,
that is, tubes of iron having an open or unwelded joint, and coated or covered
with a thin brass tube.

page_text: My improvements in the manufacture of the said patent tubes consist in
preparing the iron tube with a flux, such as chloride of zinc, which will
enable it when immersed in a bath of melted tin or soft solder to take a
coating of the said tin or solder, and after having placed the brass tube on the
said prepared iron tube plunging them in a bath of melted tin or soft solder.
By this treatment the space between the iron and brass tubes becomes filled
with the tin or solder, and the compound tube thus formed may be dipped like
an ordinary brass tube without injury from the acid, which in tubes of this
kind as ordinarily manufactured is retained between the two tubes and slowly
corrodes them. Rods of iron may be coated with brass in the same way.
When it is required to prevent the outside of the brass tube from being
coated with the tin or soft solder, this may be effected by a thin coating of
whiting or pipe clay.
My Invention consists, secondly, of the improvements herein-after described,
in ornamenting metallic tubes and rods, which said improvements are par-
ticularly applicable to the ornamenting of tubes and rods of iron, but may also
be applied to the ornamenting of tubes and rods of other metals. I will
describe this part of my Invention as applied to the ornamenting of iron
tubes. I take an iron tube, either cylindrical or of other figure, and I coil
upon the said tube a strip of brass or other metal having a plain or orna-
mental figure, the said strip being coiled in a helical direction upon the said
tube; or I braid, or plait, or weave wires or strips of metal upon the said
tube; or I slip upon the said tube another tube having in it perforations, the
perforated tube fitting upon the inner iron tube; or I slip short portions of
an ornamental tube and fix them at any desired distances apart upon the iron
tube. In each case I attach the ornament to the tube by soldering, either by
hard or soft solder. When I employ soft solder the iron tube may be tinned
or galvanized, and after the ornament has been put on and temporarily fixed
I immerse the whole in a bath of melted solder, whereby the ornament is
securely soldered to the tube. After the tube has been withdrawn from the
bath and cooled it may be coloured all over, and then turned in a lathe...In
this way the surface of the projecting ornament is exposed by the removal of
the colour, and the metallic ornament is relieved against the coloured and
sunk ground. The ornament may also be attached to the tube by means of the
soldering iron or blow pipe. When I attach the ornament by brazing or hard
soldering, I effect the said brazing or hard soldering either in a muffle or by
a blow nine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Atkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th
December 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ATKINS, of the Firm of Robert Walter Winfield and Company, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Merchants and Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
.Patent, bearing date the First day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said. James Atkins, Her special licence that I, the said James Atkins,
.my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Atkins, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN KINDS OF METALLIC TUBES AND RODS,
AND IN ORNAMENTING METALLIC TUBES AND RODS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Atkins, 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 James Atkins, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists, firstly, of the following improvements in manu-
facturing tubes of the kind commonly known in commerce as patent tubes,
that is, tubes of iron baving an open or unwelded joint, and coated or covered
with a thin brass tube.
My improvements in the manufacture of the said patent tubes consist in
preparing the iron tube with a flux, such as chloride of zinc, which will
enable it when immersed in a bath of melted tin or soft solder to take a
coating of the said tin or solder, and after having placed the brass tube on the
said prepared tube plunging them in a bath of melted tin or soft solder. By
'

page_text: .this treatment the space between the iron and brass tubes becomes filled with
the tin or solder, and the compound tube thus formed may be dipped like an
ordinary brass tube without injury from the acid, which in tubes of this kind
as ordinarily manufactured is retained between the two tubes and slowly cor-
rodes them. Rods of iron may be coated with brass in the same way.
Where it is required to prevent the outside of the brass tube from being
coated with the tin or soft solder, this may be effected by a thin coating of
whiting or pipe clay.
My Invention consists, secondly, of the improvements herein-after described,
in ornamenting metallic tubes and rods, which said improvements are par-
ticularly applicable to the ornamenting of tubes and rods of iron, but may also
be applied to the ornamenting of tubes and rods of other metals. I will
-describe this part of my Invention as applied to the ornamenting of iron tubes.
I take an iron tube, either cylindrical or of other figure, and I coil upon the
'said tube a strip of brass or other metal having a plain or ornamental figure,
the said strip being coiled in a helical direction upon the said tube; or I braid,
or plait, or weave wires or strips of metal upon the said tube; or I slip upon
the said tube another tube having in it perforations, the perforated tube fitting
upon the inner iron tube; or I slip short portions of an ornamental tube and
fix them at any desired distances apart upon the iron tube. In each case I
attach the ornament to the tube by soldering, either by hard or soft solder.
When I employ soft solder the iron tube may be tinned or galvanized, and
after the ornament has been put on and temporarily fixed I immerse the
whole in a bath of melted solder, whereby the ornament is securely soldered
to the tube. After the tube has been withdrawn from the bath and cooled it
may be coloured all over, and then turned in a lathe. In this way the
surface of the projecting ornament is exposed by the removal of the colour,
and the metallic ornament is relieved against the coloured and sunk ground.
The ornament may also be attached to the tube by means of the soldering iron
or blow pipe. When I attach the ornament by brazing or hard soldering, I
effect the said brazing or hard soldering either in a muffle or by a blow pipe.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation and cross section an open jointed or
unwelded iron tube, and Figure 2 represents a fluted brass tube, the said tubes
being employed to form a compound tube of the kind known in commerce as
patent tubes. Figure 3 represents a cross section of a compound tube made
from the said tubes, Figures 1 and 2, according to the first part of my

page_text: Invention.
In making the compound tube, Figure 3, I take the open jointed
iron tube Figure 1 and prepare its external surface with a flux, such as
chloride of zinc, which will enable it to take a coating of tin or soft solder.
I effect the coating of the surface of the said iron tube either by immersing it
in a strong solution of chloride of zinc, or by applying the solution with a
brush. Having thus prepared the surface of the iron tube, Figure 1, I place
or draw the thin brass tube, Figure 2, upon it, and plunge them in a bath of
melted tin or soft solder. On the removal of the tubes from the bath the
space between them is filled with the tin or solder, and the tubes are securely
fixed together. The compound tube thus formed may be dipped like an
ordinary or solid brass tube without injury from the acid, which in tubes of
this kind manufactured in the ordinary way is retained between the two tubes
and slowly corrodes them. In order to prevent the outer brass tube from
being coated with the tin or soft solder by the bath; I coat the said brass tube
with a thin coating of whiting or pipe clay preparatory to plunging the com-
pound tube in the bath. When the surface of the brass tube is coated with
the tin or solder, the said tin or solder may be removed by a turning process
in a lathe, or in any other convenient way..
In coating rods of iron with brass according to my Invention, I proceed in
the way described with respect to tubes. Parallel and taper compound tubes
and rods of any required figure in cross section may be made in the manner
described.
:
Figure 4 represents in elevation and cross section a cylindrical iron tube
ornamented according to my Invention by means of a plain strip of brass or
other metal a coiled in a helical direction upon the said tube. The said strip a,
instead of being plain, may be ornamented on its edge in a variety of ways.
In attaching the said strip a to the iron tube, I prefer to prepare the surface
of the said tube by tinning or galvanizing it, but it may be prepared by
applying to it a strong solution of chloride of zinc. After the surface of the
iron tube has been prepared I coil the strip or ornament a upon the tube and
temporarily fix it thereon. I then immerse the whole in a bath of melted
solder, so as to securely solder the said strip or ornament to the tube. After
the tube has been. withdrawn from the bath and cooled it may be coloured all
over, and then turned in, a lathe. The surface of the projecting ornament is
thereby exposed by the removal of the colour, and the metallic ornament is
relieved against the coloured and sunk ground. Instead of attaching the
ornament to the tube by plunging it and the tube into a bath of soft solder, it
may be attached by the soldering iron or by the blow pipe, or by hard
soldering or brazing. In the latter case I use a muffle or a blow pipe.

page_text: Figure 5 represents in elevation and cross section a cylindrical iron tube
ornamented according to my Invention by means of a flat perforated band of
brass or other metal coiled in a helical direction upon the tube, and Figure 6
represents an elevation and cross section of a taper tube ornamented according
to my Invention by means of a flat perforated band, having a different
ornament upon it from that represented in Figure 5. In the said Figures 5
and 6 the ornamental bands of the tubes are marked b.
Figure 7 represents an elevation of a taper tube ornamented according to
my Invention by means of short portions of tubes or ornamental rings slipped
upon the iron tube, the said tubes or rings being marked c.
Instead of short ornamental tubes or rings, as in Figure 7, the iron tube may
be ornamented by means of a continuous perforated tube fitting upon the tube
and soldered or brazed thereto, as illustrated in elevation and cross section in
Figure 8, where the iron inner tube is marked d, and the outer ornamental
tube soldered or brazed upon it is marked e.
Instead of coiling the ornamental strip or band in a helical direction upon
the tube, as in Figures 4, 5, and 6, the ornamental strip or band may be
situated longitudinally or parallel to the axis of the tube, as represented in
Figures 9, 10, and 11.
In Figure 9 the ornamental strips are represented situated at equidistant
points on a cylindrical tube; in Figure 10 the ornamental tubular strips g are
represented applied to a fluted tube; the said strips g being situated at the
angles of the flutes, and in Figure 11 to a square tube; the flat ornamental
strips h being situated both on the sides and angles of the tube. The
ornaments of the tubes, Figures 5 to 11, both inclusive, are attached to the
tubes, and the tubes treated in the manner herein-before described with
respect to the iron tube, Figure 4.
In some cases I also ornament the tubes by braiding, or plaiting, or weaving
plain or ornamental wires or strips upon the tubes, so as to produce different
ornamental patterns, and I attach the said wires or strips to the tubes by
soldering or brazing.
Although I generally prefer to colour the ground upon which the ornament
is secured, for the purpose of relieving the said ornament, yet the said ground
may be left uncoloured. And although I have only described my Invention
in its application to the ornamentation of iron tubes, and to which it is
especially applicable, yet my Invention may also be applied to the orna-
mentation of iron and other rods, and metallic tubes other than iron.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit

page_text: myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated in the Drawings,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention,-
Firstly, the improvements in manufacturing compound tubes of the kind
commonly called patent tubes, and rods of the same kind herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, pre-
paring the iron tube or rod and connecting it to the brass tube or casing,
essentially in the manner described, in order to fill the space between the
compound tube or rod with tin or solder, and thereby prevent the acid on the
dipping of the said tube or rod from being retained between the tubes and
slowly corroding them.
Secondly, the improvements in ornamenting metallic tubes and rods herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say,
ornamenting metallic tubes and rods by applying thereto plain or ornamental
strips or wires, or bands, or ornamental tubes or portions of tubes, or rings,
or braiding, or plaiting, or weaving metallic wires or strips upon the tubes or
rods, and fixing the said strips, wires, bands, tubes, or portions of tubes or
rings to the said tubes or rods to be ornamented by soft soldering, or
by brazing or hard soldering, substantially in the manner described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Atkins, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
CHA'. TORR,
Cambridge St. Works,
Birmingham.
JAMES ATKINS. (L.s.)