IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SMALL SHOT
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Charritie, of Cannon Street, and William Smith,
of 10, Salisbury Street, Adelphi, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF SMALL SHOT."-A communication.
Sealed the 26th September 1856, and dated the 28th March 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Charritie and
William Smith at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 28th March 1856.
We, JOHN CHARRITIE, of Cannon St., and WILLIAM SMITH, of 10, Salisbury
St., Adelphi, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for 'IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SMALL SHOT,' being a communication
from abroad, to be as follows:-
Hitherto the making of small shot has been performed by hand, in the
following manner :-
cullender
At the top of a suitably high shot tower a perforated dish or colander
is placed, on the upper side of which is spread, previously to commencing the
making of shot, a coating of scum or oxide of lead; then the workman removes
a quantity of molten metal from the melting pot in a ladle, and pours the metal
very gently into the perforated vessel or cullender. The metal, thus poured in,
a small quantity at a time, "sweats" gradually through the skin or sheet of
scum, and thus the particles become seperated, and each drop falls from the

page_text: top of the tower into a pool or vessel containing water, and during their descent
the drops of metal should become perfectly spherical; but in practice a con-
siderable proportion of the whole of the drops or shot so made is found to be
imperfect and unsaleable, requiring to be remelted after having had the
expense of manufacture and sorting expended upon them.
Now, this Invention has for its object the making of shot more rapidly and
correctly than heretofore; the process of manufacture is independant of the
skill of the workmen employed.
Instead of the perforated vessel or cullender and the coating of skin or scum,
as described, there is substituted the following mechanical arrangement or
apparatus, of which there may be several connected together, and worked by
one handle; and there may be one or several melting pots with shoots, by
which the molten metal can be run into or on to the apparatus in any suitable
quantity. A plate of metal, of suitable thickness, is drilled with a number of
holes in parallel rows, which holes may be countersunk or made conical; this
plate should be correctly faced on its under side, and have fillets or strips of
metal fixed on each side by means of screws; to these fillets or side strips
another plate is screwed or attached; this plate has a series of parallel slots or
openings corresponding with the rows of perforations or drilled holes in the upper
plate; these plates, when adjusted, have a parallel space between their faces,
into which another or third plate fits accurately, and is made to slide back and
forward; this third plate, which is of a thickness & has holes drilled therein
of a size suitable to the size of the shot required to be made, and these holes
are drilled so as accurately to correspond with the holes in the upper plate, so
that at one part of its travel the two sets of holes precisely coincide. The slots
or openings in the lower plate are not made therein immediately below
or opposite to the holes in the upper plate, but are about two diameters in
advance of such upper holes, and they are so fixed together and mounted on a
suitable frame.
The middle or sliding plate, which may be of sheet steel, has at each
end an attachment to a crank-spanner or lever, by which it is moved backward
and forward, and is stretched and held firmly like a saw in a sawing frame,
and several of these sliding plates may be connected together and worked
from one or more shafts, with suitable cranks or eccentrics to give the
amount of motion or travel necessary for the purpose. Thus several sets of
apparatus for making the same size, or various sizes, of sheets, may be fixed
on suitable framings over the same pit, or within the shot tower, and be
connected or geared together, and be worked by one man or by power,
the action being as follows:-The molten metal, which has been heated

page_text: by suitable means in a melting pot or furnace, is allowed to flow on to the
upper plate, around which there is a rim, ledge, or hopper; and the middle or
sliding plate is caused to move, so that its holes coincide with the holes in the
upper plate; when they become filled with molten metal the plate is then
rapidly moved still further forward or backward untill its rows of holes coincide
with the rows of slots or openings in the lower plate, and the contents of the
whole of the holes in the middle or sliding plate fall through such slots
or openings whilst in a molten state, but perfectly guaged as to the quantity in
each hole, and therefore ensuring that each shot shall be precisely of the
required size; and thus, each time the holes in the upper and middle plate
coincide, a quantity of shots, corresponding with the number of holes in the
upper plate, is produced. The plates and apparatus may be kept at a proper
temperature by means of the heat from the furnace for melting the metal ;
or, where desirable, by the aid of gas jets, or by any other independant means
of heating.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Charritic and William Smith in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
CHARRITIE, of Cannon Street, and WILLIAM SMITH, of 10, Salisbury St.,
Adelphi, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Charritie and William Smith, Her special licence that we, the said
John Charritie and William Smith, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said John Charritie and William Smith, our 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 MANUFACTURE OF SMALL SHOT, (a
communication,) upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John
Charritie and William Smith, by an instrument in writing under our or their,
or one of their hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be

page_text: 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 we; the said John Charritie and William Smith,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
Hitherto the making of small shot from molten metal has ordinarilly
been performed by hand, in the following manner:-At the top of a suitably
high shot tower a perforated dish or cullinder is placed, on the upper
side of which is spread, previously to commencing the making of shot, a
coating of scum or oxide of lead; then the workman removes a quantity of
molten metal, from the melting pot in a ladle, and pours the metal very
gently into the perforated vessel or cullender. The metal thus poured in, a
small quantity at a time, sweats gradually through the skin or sheet of scum,
and thus the particles become seperated, and each drop falls from the top of
the tower into a pool or vessel containing water, and during their descent the
drops of metal should become perfectly spherical. In practice, however, a con-
siderable proportion of the whole of the drops or shots so made are found to be
imperfect and unsaleable, requiring to be remelted after having had the expense
of manufacture and sorting expended upon them.
Now, this Invention has for its object the making of shot more rapidly and
correctly than heretofore; and the process of manufacture is rendered in-
dependant of the skill of the workmen employed.
Instead of the perforated vessel or cullender, and the coating skin or scum,
as described, there is substituted the following mechanical arrangement
or apparatus, of which there may be several connected together, and worked
by one handle; and there may be one or several melting pots with shoots, by
which the molten metal can be run into or on to the apparatus in any suitable
quantity. A plate of metal, of suitable thickness, is drilled with a number
of holes in parallel rows, and which holes may be countersunk or made conical;
this plate should be correctly faced on its under side, and may have fillets or
strips of metal fixed on each side by means of screws; to these fillets or side
strips another plate is screwed or attached, forming the bottom plate; this
plate has a series of holes or of parallell slots or openings, corresponding with
the rows of perforations or drilled holes in the upper plate. These two plates,
when adjusted, have a parallell space between their faces, into which another
or third plate fits accurately, and is made to slide back and forward; this
third plate, which is of a corresponding thickness, and has holes drilled therein

page_text: of a size suitable to the size of the shots required (to be made; and these holes
are drilled so as accurately to correspond with the holes in the upper plate, so
that at one part of its travel the two sets of holes in it and in the supper plate,
with countersunk holes; precisely: coincide. The slots or openings in the lower
plate are not made therein immediately below or opposite to the holes in the
upper plate, but are. about two diameters in advance of such upper holes, and
they are thus fixed together and mounted on a suitable frame.
The middle or sliding plate, which may be of sheet steel, has at each end
an attachment to a crank, spanner, or lever, by which it is moved back and
forward, and is stretched and held firmly. like a saw in a sawing frame;
and several of these sliding plates may be connected together and worked from
one or more shafts, with suitable cranks or eccentrics to give the precise
amount of motion or travel necessary for the purpose. Thus several sets of
apparatus for making the same size, or various sizes of shots, may be fixed on
suitable framings over the same pit, or within the shot tower, and they may be
connected or geared together and be worked by one man or by any other power,
the action being as follows:-The molten metal; which has been heated
by suitable means in a melting pot or furnace, is allowed to flow into the upper
plate, around which there is a rim, ledge, or hopper, and the middle or sliding
plate is caused to move, so that its holes coincide with the holes in the upper
plate when they become filled with molten metal; the plate is then rapidly
moved forward or backward untill its rows of holes coincide with the rows of
holes or the slots or openings in the lower plate, and the contents of the whole
of the holes in the middle or sliding plate fall through such slots or openings
whilst in a molten state, being thus perfectly guaged as to the quantity in each
of the holes, and therefor ensuring that each shot shall be precisely of the re-
quired size; and thus, each time the holes in the upper and middle plate
coincide, a quantity of shots, corresponding with the number of holes in the
upper plate, can be produced with accuracy. The plates and apparatus may be
kept at a proper temperature by means of the heat of the furnace for melting
the metal, or by the waste heat therefrom, or, where desirable, by the aid of
gas jets, or by any other independant means of heating.
Having described this Invention as communicated to us, we desire it to be
understood that what we claim is,-
First, the making of small shot, in the manner herein described.
Second, the use of more than one perforated plate for this purpose, and by
which means the quantity of molten metal necessary for each shot can be
accurately guaged.

page_text: Third, the arrangement herein described of three perforated plates one
above the other, with their holes so arranged that at no time can a direct
passage for the metal through the whole of the plates be obtained; and whether
the plates be circular, square, or of any other shape, or moved by an alternating
motion, when such plates are squares or parallellograms in shape, or if moved
by a continuous circular motion when such plates are circular and work upon
a centre or pivot.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Smith, on behalf of myself and
John Charritie, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
• seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
JAMES E. HALL,
10, Salisbury St., Adelphi.
WILLIAM SMITH. (L.B.)