IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TAPS, COCKS, OR VALVES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Lambert, of Short Street, New Cut,
Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, and Henry Charles Soper,
of Cleaver Street, Lambeth, in the same County, in the Employ of the
said Thomas Lambert, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF TAPS, COCKS, OR VALVES."
Sealed the 4th April 1865, and dated the 10th October 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Lambert and
Henry Charles Soper at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 10th October 1864.
We, THOMAS LAMBERT, of. Short Street, New Cut, Lambeth, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, and HENRY, CHARLES SOPER, of Cleaver Street,
Lambeth, in the same County, in the Employ of the said Thomas Lambert,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF TAPS, COCKS, OR VALVES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of taps,
cocks, or valves. We construct the body or shell of the tap or cock of cast
iron, as has before in some cases been done, and this may conveniently be
galvanized exteriorly. With such a body or shell we combine a cone or plug
cast in a metal mould, and conveniently in the material known as Baron
Vaucher's metal, which is an alloy of zinc, tin, lead, and antimony, and for
which Letters Patent were granted, dated the 3rd day of December, 1849,
(No. 12,876.) The plug goes into its place without being previously turned,
which has always heretofore been necessary, as it is when it leaves the mould
quite true in form and size, and a little grinding to smooth the iron shell is all.
that is required to make the tap or cock quite tight. In this manner, in

page_text: manufacturing taps or cocks, the labor of turning and finishing the cones or
plugs is avoided, and a very durable article is produced.
In casting the cones or plugs, we employ a metal mould made to receive at
its ends the iron cross head for the top of the cone or plug and a screw for its
lower end, this screw being to receive the nut which is to secure the cone or
plug in its place in the body or.shell. The mould also receives a metal core
to form the waterway of the tap or cock, and being.thus arranged the metal
is poured into it, and when it is taken out the cross head and screw are found
firmly fixed in the cast metal. When the core has been forced out of the
waterway, and the "gate" or runner cut off, the plug is ready for use.
Equilibrium cocks are now made in which the water or fluid is made to
enter a cylinder at about the centre of its length; a stem passes from end to
end of the cylinder, and has, at its end a valve shutting on a seat at the end
of the cylinder. The stem also carries on the further side of the passage, by
which the water or fluid enters the.cylinder, a piston or cup leather fitting the
cylinder, so that the pressure of the water or fluid on the cup leather or piston
just balances that on the valve, so that the stem can be moved, along in the
cylinder so as to open the valve with a very small expenditure of force. The
stem is guided by a portion at its end beyond the cup leather or piston, being
turned to fit the cylinder in which the stem moves. In constructing cocks of
this description we also cast the cylinder with its inlet passage and valve seat
in a metal mould and on a truly turned core, and thus the cylinder and valve.
seat are cast smooth and 'true, and require neither boring or turning, which
heretofore has always been required. The material in which we prefer to
cast the cylinder and parts connected therewith is Vaucher's metal.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Lambert, and Henry Charles Soper in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 10th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
LAMBERT, of Short Street; New Cut, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey,' 3
Engineer, and HENRY CHARLES SOPER) of Cleaver Street, Lambeth, in the
same County, in the Employ of the said Thomas Lambert, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand. eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her 3
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,

page_text: the said Thomas Lambert and Henry Charles Soper, Her special licence
that we, the said Thomas Lambert and Henry Charles. Soper, our executors,
administrators, and assigns; or such others as we, the said Thomas Lambert
and Henry Charles Soper, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "İMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TAPS, COCKS, OR VALVES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Lambert and Henry Charles
Soper, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our or their hands; and; seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them,
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 Thomas Lambert, on behalf of myself
and the said Henry Charles Soper, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be parti-
cularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of taps,
cocks, or valves. We construct the body or shell of the tap or cock of cast
iron, as has before in some cases been done; and this may conveniently be
galvanized exteriorly: With such a body or shell we combine a cone or plug,
cast in a metal, mould, and conveniently in the material known as Baron
Vaucher's metal, which is an alloy of zinc, tin, lead, and antimony, and for
which Letters Patent were granted,, dated the 3rd day of December, 1849
(No. 12,876). The plug goes into its place without being previously turned,
which has always heretofore been necessary, as it is when it leaves the mould
quite true in form and size; and a little grinding to smooth the iron shell is.
all that is required to make the tap or cock quite tight. In this manner, in
manufacturing taps or cocks, the labour of turning and finishing the cones or
plugs is avoided, and a very durable article is produced:
.
In casting the cones or plugs, we employ a metal mould-made to receive
at its ends the iron cross head for the top of the cone or plug, and a screw for
its lower end, this screw being to receive the nut which is to secure the cone
or plug in its place in the body or shell. The mould also receives a metal
core to form the waterway of the tap or cock, and being thus arranged, the

page_text: metal is poured into it, and when it is taken out the cross head and screw are
found firmly fixed in the cast metal when the core has been forced' out of the
waterway, and the "gate" or runner cut off the plug is ready for-use...
Equilibrium cocks are now made in which the water or fluid is made to
enter a cylinder at about the centre of its length. A stem passes from-end-to-
end of the cylinder, and has at its end a valve shutting on a seat at the end
of the cylinder; the stem also carries on the further side of the passage, by
which the water or fluid enters the cylinder, a piston or cup leather fitting the
cylinder, so that the pressure of the water or fluid on the cup leather or
piston just balances that on the valve, so that the stem can be moved along.
in the cylinder so as to open the valve with a very small expenditure of
the stem is guided by a portion-at-its-end-beyond-the-cup leather or
piston being turned to fit the cylinder in which the stem. moves. In con
structing cocks of this description we also cast the cylinder with its inlet
passage and valve seat in a metal mould and on a truly turned core, and thus
the cylinder and valve-seat are cast smooth and true, and require neither
boring nor turning, which heretofore has always been required. The matérial
in which we prefer to cast the cylinder and parts connected therewith is
Vaucher's metal.
force;
Having thus stated the nature of our said Invention, we will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a front elevation; Figure 2, a transverse section; Figure 3,
a plan, and Figure 4; a horizontal.section of a metal mould suitable for
casting a plug for a cock of an ordinary form, the body of which may be of
cast iron and galvanized taking care that the hollow part of the body where
the plug is received is made smooth and true. The lower part of the mould
is made solid, whilst the upper part is formed in two parts, but the form of
the mould and the number of parts of which it is composed may be varied,
and the form of handle applied to the plug of a cock or tap may be varied.
The lower part of the mould is usually made with handles which are
screwed thereto at a, a, and such is the case in respect to the upper parts of
the mould. The handle and the screw c are of cast iron or of other metal,
and they are placed in the metal mould before running in the melted metal.
The smooth metal plug or core d is also inserted into the mould before
running in the melted metal, and is driven out therefrom immediately the
casting is formed, but before the same is cold; e, the "gate" or passage for
running in the melted metal.

page_text: a, a, is
In manufacturing equilibrium taps or cocks according to this Invention
the bodies or shells are cast in metal moulds in the following manner :-
Figure 5 shows a section, Figure 6 a plan, and Figure 7 a side view of a
metal mould in which the ways and valve seats are produced correctly by the
act of casting the bodies or shells of such cocks or taps in soft metal.
the frame or stand of the mould, which in use is fixed on a suitable table or
bench; b, b, are the two parts of the mould or matrix; c is the metal core for
forming the interior of the body and the valve seat; this core is capable of
being drawn back by a screw d when the casting has been produced. e is
the metal core for forming the interior of the branch inlet junction; this
core e is arranged to be drawn back by the screw f when a casting has been
formed in the mould; 9 is the core which produces the division or split in the
end of the body of the cock or tap in which division or split the lever works
in the ordinary manner; h is the pouring passage or "gate."
The mixture or alloy of metals used both in producing plugs of cocks or
taps, as described in respect to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, as well as in producing
the bodies or shells of equilibrium ball valves or cocks may be varied, but
we prefer to employ the following mixture, which however is not new in.
itself:-
THOS. LAMBERT. (L.S.)