IMPROVEMENTS IN FETTLING FOR PUDDLING AND BOILING FURNACES AND IN THE MODE OF APPLICATION THEREOF
Year: 1873

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Charles Henderson, of the Firm of
Henderson and Company, British and Foroign Patent Agents, of
No. 6, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN FETTLING FOR
PUDDLING AND BOILING FURNACES AND IN THE MODE OF APPLICATION
THEREOF."-A communication from abroad by Thomas Leonard
Barber Edgcome, Gentleman, of New York City, New York, in the
United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Charles Honder-
son at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 7th May 1873.
I, ARTHUR CHARLES HENDERSON, of the Firm of Henderson and
5 Company, British and Foreign Patent Agents, of No. 6, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FETTLING
FOR PUDDLING AND BOILING FURNACES AND IN THE MODE OF APPLICATION THEREOF,”
"

page_text: a communication to me from abroad by Thomas Leonard Barber Edg-
come, Gentleman, of New York City, New York, in the United States
of America, to be as follows:-
1
Up to the present time the fettling employed in puddling and boiling
furnaces is iron ore, or ganister, or quartz, the drawback to the employ- t
ment of which is its costliness and non-durability.
The improved fettling or fixing forming the subject of the prosent
Invention is suitable to all kinds of puddling or boiling furnaces, whether
rotary or otherwise, for manufacturing iron or steel, whatever may be
the mode of puddling employed, whether by hand or mechanically.
The preparation is formed of sand or sandstone such, for instance, as is
employed for fire-stone, and as hearthstone in blast furnaces. This is
reduced and pulverized in a pan with revolving wheels or by any other
suitable method, and is mixed with a sufficient quantity of water or
other liquid to form it into the consistancy of mortar, and the substance ]
thus obtained is applied in a moist or mortar-like condition round the
inside of the furnace, against the bridge, back, and jamb chills, to pro-
tect such parts and prevent their contact with the iron and from being
injured by the intense heat, whilst at the same time it nourishes the
charge.
The moist fettling dries naturally in the furnace by the heat thereof,
and is readily hardened by such heat by the time that the charge in the
furnace is ready for puddling.
The advantages of the employment of this new preparation for fettling
furnaces are most important, as a furnace fettled therewith may be
charged several times, whereas if iron oro or quartz be used for each
1

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Arthur Charles Henderson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 19th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARTHUR
CHARLES HENDERSON, of the Firm of Henderson and Company, British
and Foreign Patent Agents, of No. 6, Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Arthur Charles Henderson, Her special
licence that I, the said Arthur Charles Henderson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Arthur Charles
Henderson, my 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FETTLING FOR PUDDLING AND BOILING FURNACES AND IN
THE MODE OF APPLICATION THEREOF," a communication to me from abroad
by Thomas Leonard Barber Edgcome, Gentleman, of New York City,
New York, in the United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Arthur Charles Henderson, my exe-
cutors 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 tho
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Arthur Charles Henderson, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
Up to the present time the fettling usually employed in Great Britain
in puddling or boiling furnaces manufacturing iron or steel is for the

page_text: most part iron ore or ironstone, bulldog, or cinder tap. The main draw-
back to the employment of these is the extreme costliness of the former
and the want of durability of the latter, causing expense, loss of iron in
the furnace, needless trouble, and waste of fire-brick through the cooling
down and reheating of the furnace whenever refettled.
The improved fettling which forms the subject of the present Inven-
tion is suitable to all kinds of puddling or boiling furnaces, whether
rotary or otherwise, for manufacturing iron or steel, whatever may be
the mode of puddling employed, whether by hand or mechanically.
The preparation is formed from sandstone such, for instance and by 1
preference, as is generally employed for fire-stone, and as hearthstone in
blast furnaces, but not such as is commonly called millstone, gamster,
or ganister.
Under the term sandstone I include such kinds of coarse sand as do
not possess more than 90 per cent. of silica, and which contain about the 1
same proportion of alumina, magnesia, potash, and soda, as is contained
in that particular kind of sandstone which I have already stated to be
preferred beyond other kinds of sandstones.
In choosing sand or sandstone I prefer to use that which possesses
ferruginous properties as well as those of ordinary fire-stone, sandstone,
or a mixture of the two, or a combination of sand and sandstone or other
rocks of a nature or pertaining to that of sandstone. As ferruginous
sand or sandstone is not always attainable I do not make a general use
of it unless it is found near the place of manufacture. This preparation
of sand or sandstone, or combination of the two, is reduced and pul-
verized, the finer the better, in a pan with revolving wheels, or in a
revolving pan, or by any other suitable method, and is mixed with a
sufficient quantity of water or other liquid to form it into the consistency
of mortar. The preparation thus obtained is applied in a moist. and
mortar-like condition round the inside of the furnace, against the bridge,
back, and jam chills, to protect such parts and prevent their contact
with the iron, and to keep them from being injured by the intense heat,
whilst at the same time it nourishes the charge. This moist fettling
dries naturally in the furnace by the heat thereof, and is readily hardened
by the time that the charge in the furnace is ready for puddling.
The advantages of the employment of this new preparation for fettling
furnaces are most important. A furnace fettled therewith may be

page_text: charged much oftener than is possible by the usual process without the
necessity of refettling. This fix may be applied whilst the furnace is at
its usual heat, and without its being cooled down for the purpose (as is
now usual) and subsequently reheated, which new method of application
is attended with many advantages.
Not only is sandstone of the best kind comparatively cheap, but such
broken fragments of this rock commonly called spalls as can scarcely be
used for constructive purposes on account of their shape and smallness
are available as a material for this fix. Moreover, being lighter than
iron ore, bulk for bulk, the cost of freight is less, added to the fact that
it is often found near districts where iron or steel is manufactured, and
coal plentiful. The same bulk of pulverized sandstone also lasts very
much longer in the furnace than pulverized ore fix, or twice or thrice
as long. Containing an excellent flux, the best known in nature, it not
only enriches the metal, but enables it to absorb the cinder in the fur-
nace from which the latter otherwise mostly flows, thus increasing the
weight of the product and its value in proportion thereto, because the
absorbed cinder counts as iron in weight. This absorbed cinder also
imparts to the product, whether iron or steel, a valuable welding pro-
perty. This property is particularly useful in making steel rails, or rails
partly steel and partly iron, which is a great desideratum, and which
can be done most economically by means of this Invention. Rails thus
made can be re-rolled after being worn out, possessing as they do all
the marked advantages which silicon steel possesses over carbon steel.
The silicon steel obtained by means of this fix is thus obtained without
the expensive introduction into the furnace of silicon ore.
i
When fibrous iron is to be made, the quality or mixture of the pig
metal charged is different from the quality or mixture of pigs charged
when granular steel is required to be made, such proportions of cold
short, red short, or neutral pigs being charged as are practically found
by experience to be the best for the end in vicw.
The fix used may be the same in any case, but it will be found, cæteris
paribus, that the most silicious sandstone will yield the most granular
product. Not only is the fix itself economical in a high degrec, but by
its means pig metal of a cheaper description than usual can often be
used to produce excellent iron or steel.
The expense of fire-clay now often used to protect the bridges of
furnaces is wholly saved by means of this fettling.

page_text: Having thus described my Invention, what I claim and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is, the improved fettling for puddling 'and
boiling furnaces consisting of sandstone such, for instance, as is generally
employed for fire-stone, and as hearthstone in blast furnaces, to the
exclusion of that commonly called gamster or gannister as being unfit
for the purpose; and I wish it to be particularly understood that under
the head of sandstone I include such kinds of coarse sand as do not
possess more than 90 per cent. of silica, and which contain about the
same proportion of alumina, magnesia, potash, and soda as is contained
in that particular kind of sandstone which I have already stated to be
preferred to all other kinds of sandstones. This preparation of sand, or
sandstone, or combination of both, is reduced and pulverized, the fincr
the better, by any suitable and convenient means, and is then mixed
with a sufficient quantity of water or other liquid to form it into the
consistency of mortar, and while in this moist state it is applied round
the inside of the furnace, against the bridge, back, and jamb chills, in
the manner and for the purposes precisely as herein-before mentioned.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Charles Henderson, have
hercunto set my hand and scal, this Nineteenth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.