Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 17th May, 1899-Accepted, 17th Aug., 1899
I, JOHN STEPHENS, of 315, West Jackson Street, Muncie, Ind., U.S.A., Inventor,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the provision of a method of quickly making
planished sheet iron.
The improved method consists in rolling the sheets in packs, separating and
changing the sheets in the pack to present different surfaces, reheating the pack
to a low temperature changing the sheets and re-rolling the same.
The sheets may then be subjected to a solution of verdigris and paraffin-wax,
exposed to the air to dry, subjected to a solution of indigo and paraffin-wax, the
surplus solution removed and the sheets finally polished.
Dated this 16th day of August 1898.
R. RAINSFORD,
Agent for Applicant.
I, JOHN STEPHENS, of 315, West Jackson Street, Muncie, Ind., U.S.A., Inventor,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This invention has for its object the provision of a method of quickly making
planished sheet iron.
After the sheet-bars from which the sheet iron is produced have been broken
down and rolled to the desired lengths my process of finishing commences; and it
consists in rolling the sheets in packs of from two to six or more sheets and
without the use of coatings ordinarily used in other processes-such as charcoal,
coal-dust, plumbago, oil, or greasy or fatty resinous matter. When the pack
is brought from the furnace, it is given two or more passes through the rolls,
(but not enough to cause any sticking or embedding of one into the other and
consequent breaking up and destruction of the oxide). The plates are then
separated or changed by placing them so that other and different surfaces are
placed together. The pack is then replaced in the heating furnace and heated to
a low temperature (a dark cherry red) and is then brought out, given one pass
through the rolls, the plates again changed and given one or more passes, as may
be necessary, to produce sheets of the desired length. By this process of rolling,
sheets are produced which are uniform in colour, the original oxide is preserved,
17

page_text: and the sheets are perfectly clean and free from all foreign substances, while in
the process in general use the rolling embeds the different sheets into one another,
causing them to stick tightly together, and the separating results in a breaking
up of the oxide and produces iron or variegated colours, and when any of the
foreign substances above mentioned are used to prevent such sticking or for the
purpose of preventing a destruction of the original oxide it leaves the iron in a
dirty greasy state, which cannot be entirely corrected even by washing After
the sheets have been rolled in the manner above described they are sheared or cut
to the desired sizes, annealed and cold-rolled in the usual manner, and are then ready
for the second stage of my process. The sheets are then plunged or immersed in
vats filled with a solution, composed of verdigris and paraffine-wax in proportions
varying according to the condition of the iron coming from the process of anneal-
ing and cold-rolling; the proportions being about 150 lbs. of paraffine-wax to
half to one ounce of verdigris. The finish desired in sheet iron is of a smooth
and uniform sombre colour, and to produce this finish and colour is the object of
the dipping, plunging or immersing of the sheets in the vat above mentioned and
in the one to be described. When the iron comes from the mill, it is in colour
a light gray or lead colour, this colour being produced only in the rolling process
above described. To change this colour and to give the iron the finish, and
colour desired, it is first subjected to the bath above described for the space of
from one to five minutes. It it is then taken out, placed in a rack or crate,
exposed to the air, and allowed to remain until the combined action of the air
and the chemical solution results in the change of colour desired. When the
sheets, thus placed in the racks or crates have been thoroughly dried, they are
then placed in a secondary vat and submerged in the same manner in a solution
of indigo and paraffine-wax in proportions varying according to the colour pro-
duced in the first vat, the proportions being about 300 lbs. of
paraffine-wax to 2 ozs. of indigo. If the colour produced by the
first submersion is not low enough or dark enough, the proportion
of indigo in the solution in the second vat must be increased." The iron is allowed
to remain in the last-mentioned solution from one to five minutes. After the
sheet has remained in the solution the required time it is pushed forward by means
of a hook or similar tool in the hands of the operator or workman and the forward
end of the sheet strikes the inclined guides leading to a small set of rollers of a
length corresponding with the width of the sheets, which are placed just within
the forward end of the vat, the point of contact or meeting point of said rolls
being just above the level of the solution in the vat. These rolls are operated
by means of a belt attached to steam or other power, and are covered with paper,
asbestos, duck, or other substance which will resist the action of the hot solution;
the solution in both vats being heated by a fire underneath them, when in use.
The object of passing the sheets through these rolls is to take from them the
surplus solution in which they have been submerged, the operation being much
the same as in wringing clothes. The rolls mentioned being placed just within
the forward end of the vat the solution removed by the rolling operation drops
back into the vat and no waste occurs. As the iron passes through the rolls,
as above described, it is carried by the action of said rollers to a table, where it is
submitted to a polishing process, which consists in polishing the surface of the
sheets with cotton waste, soft hemp, or other similar substance, the work being
done either by hand or by any, suitable machinery.
By the process hereindescribed sheet-iron, uniform in colour and polish, is
produced, which excels even the justly celebrated "Russian sheet-iron."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
(1). The herein-described process of making planished sheet-iron consisting
in rolling the sheets in packs, separating and changing the sheets in the nack to

page_text: present different surfaces, reheating the pack to a low temperature, changing
the sheets and re-rolling, substantially as described.
(2). The herein-described process of making planished sheet iron, consisting in
rolling the sheets in packs, separating and changing the sheets, reheating to a
low temperature, subjecting the sheets to a solution of verdigris and paraffine-
wax; exposing the sheets to the air to dry; subjecting the dried plates to a
solution of indigo and paraffine-wax, removing the surplus solution and finally
polishing the sheets substantially as described.
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