IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LUBRICATORS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Lacy, of Hebden Bridge, in the County
of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
LUBRICATORS."
Sealed the 21st February 1873, and dated the 31st October 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Lacy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st October 1872.
I, HENRY LACY, of Hebden Bridge, in the County of York, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF LUBRICATORS," to be as follows:-
My improved lubricator consists principally of a balloon or pear-
shaped vessel (preferably of glass) to contain the oil, and having a cast
iron or other metal boss cemented on to the neck thereof by means of
marine glue or other suitable compound. This metal boss has a screwed
hole formed perpendicularly through it, and into this hole is screwed a
small tube, the upper end of which projects above the bottom of the oil
vessel, and is closed by a piece of lead or other soft metal, through
which a very small hole is pierced by means of a needle. The lower
end of the tube is placed in contact with the bearing, journal, or other
moving or frictional surface to be lubricated, and a very minute quantity

page_text: of the oil constantly flows thereon through the small needle hole above
mentioned.
For closing the upper ends of the tubes I prefer to punch small wads
of metal from a sheet of lead or other soft metal. I take one of these
wads, and holding the tube upright with its lower screwed end resting
upon an anvil or other hard surface, I drop the metal wad into the tube,
and then by inserting a punch and striking the same with a hammer I
compress the wad and fix it tight into the end of the tube. A hole is
then bored with a fine needle through the centre of the wad. If the
supply of oil should be less than required, all that is necessary is to
enlarge the hole with a thicker needle; and if the supply should be too
much a tap with a hammer will partially close the hole and thus reduce
the amount of oil supplied. The oil vessel is filled by reversing it and
unscrewing the tube..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Lacy in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th April 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
LACY, of Hebden Bridge, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Lacy, Her special license that
I, the said Henry Lacy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Henry Lacy, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LUBRICATORS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Lacy, 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

page_text: 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 Henry Lacy, 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
My improved lubricator consists principally of a balloon or pear-
shaped vessel (preferably of glass) to contain the oil, and having a cast
iron or other metal boss cemented on to the neck thereof by means of
marine glue or other suitable compound. This metal boss has a screwed
hole formed perpendicularly through it, and into this hole is screwed a
small tube, the upper end of which projects above the bottom of the oil
vessel, and is closed by a piece of lead or other soft metal, through
which a very small hole is pierced by means of a needle or other similar
instrument. The lower end of the tube is placed in contact with the
bearing, journal, or other moving or frictional surface to be lubricated,
and a very minute quantity of the oil constantly flows thereon through
the small needle hole above mentioned.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Improve-
ments in the Construction of Lubricators," I will now proceed to describe
more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may
be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illus-
trative thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof :-
In the annexed Drawing, Fig. 1 represents an external view and
Fig. 2 a section of my improved lubricator.
a, a, is a glass vessel for containing the oil. This vessel is a balloon
or pear-shape and has a metal boss b, b, cemented on to the neck thereof.
A screwed hole is formed perpendicularly through this boss, and into it
is screwed a small tube c, c, which (as above described) has its upper
end closed by a piece d of lead or other soft metal, through, which a very.
small hole is pierced.
For closing the unner ends of the tubes I nonforto munch
11

page_text: of these wads, and holding the tube c upright with its lower screwed
end resting upon an anvil or other hard surface, I drop the metal wad
into the tube, and then by inserting a punch and striking the same with
a hammer I compress the wad and fix it tight into the end of the tube.
A hole is then bored with a fine needle through the centre of the wad.
If the supply of oil should be less than required, all that is necessary
is to enlarge the hole with a thicker needle; and if the supply should be
too much a tap with a hammer will partially close the hole and thus
reduce the amount of oil supplied. The oil vessel is filled by reversing
it and unscrewing the tube.
It will be observed that the upper end of the tube c projects upwards
into the vessel a, and consequently any sediment or impurity in the oil
will fall to the bottom of the vessel outside the tube, and will not clog
or fill up the small hole in the top of the tube.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I
claim as my Invention the improvements in the construction of lubri-
cators as represented in the Drawing and above particularly described,
and especially I claim the combination of the glass vessel a, metal boss b,
and screwed tube c, together with the manner described of closing the
upper end of the said tube c with a piece of lead or other soft metal d,
through which a small hole is pierced by a needle or other similar
instrument.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Lacy, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of
Witnessed by
GEORGE DAVIES, C.E.,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
HENRY LACY. (L.S.)