IMPROVEMENTS IN BUNG BUSHES FOR CASKS AND SIMILAR VESSELS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Petrie Grant, of Number 8, Knight's
Place, Wandsworth Road, in the County of Surrey, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUNG BUSHES FOR CASKS AND SIMILAR VESSELS,
Sealed the 23rd March 1869, and dated the 10th October 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Petrie Grant
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th October 1868.
I, GEORGE PETRIE GRANT, of Number 8, Knight's Place, Wandsworth
Road, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUNG BUSHES FOR CASKS AND SIMILAR
VESSELS, AND APPARATUS POR FIXING SAME," to be as follows:-
In having one or more small V-shaped projections on the under side of
the flange of the bung bush all round which will be pressed into similar
shaped grooves cut in the wood at the same time as the outside of the
stave is faced to receive the flange of the bung bush.

page_text: In fixing the bush in the cask or similar vessel by expanding the whole
or parts only of the circumference of the inner edge of the bush so that
a dovetail or reverse cone shall be formed to prevent leakage and secure
the bush firmly in the stave, and in forming the inner edge of the bush
of corrugations (altho' it may be plain) for this purpose.
In fixing the bung bush by countersunk nails or screws inserted
radially from the inside of the bush into the stave while the flange is
firmly pressed to the stave and the V rings are in proper position. In
forming V-shaped grooves on the outside of the conical part of the bush
at right angles with and intersecting each other so as to produce a
number of points to be pressed into the wood to retain the bush in the
stave.
The apparatus is for fixing the bung bush in the cask from the outside
through the hole in the bush by expanding several parts so fitted that
by a screw or otherwise the expanded parts shall press on the inner
edge of the bung bush and enlarge it as before described.
The bushes may be made of brass, iron, or other metal, and be either
cast or stamped into proper form.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Petrie Grant in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th April 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
PETRIE GRANT, of No. 8, Knight's Place, Wandsworth Road, in the
County of Surrey, 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-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Petrie Grant, Her special
license that I, the said George Petrie Grant, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Petrie Grant,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the

page_text: "
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 BUNG BUSHES FOR CASKS AND SIMILAR VESSELS, AND APPARATUS FOR FIXING
SAME, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Petrie Grant, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 George Petric Grant, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
My said Invention consists in forming one or more small V-shaped
projections or rings on the under side of the flange of the bung bush, and
extending entirely round the same, which projections are intended to be
pressed into corresponding grooves cut in the wood at the time the
outside of the stave is being faced to receive the flange of the bung
bush.
The bush is fixed in the cask or similar vessel by expanding the whole
or parts only of the circumference of the inner edge of the ferrule of the
bush into the wood of the stave so that a reverse cone or lovetail shall
be formed in order to prevent leakage and to secure the bush firmly in
the stave. The inner edge of the bush may be corrugated to facilitate
its expansion without rupture, or it may be left plain. V-shaped
grooves are also formed on the outside of the conical part of the bush at
right angles to and intersecting each other so as to produce a number of
points which are pressed into the sides of the bung hole in order to
retain the bush in the stave.
The apparatus or tool for fixing the bung bush in the cask from the
outside may be either a plain or fluted taper mandrill, or it may be
composed of a number of radial expanding parts so arranged that by
the action of a screw or the blow of a hammer the expanding parts of

page_text: the apparatus shall press on the inner edge of the bung bush and enlarge
or expand it for the purpose herein-before described.
These bushes may be made of brass or other metal, and be either
stamped or cast into proper form.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheets of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in
all the corresponding Figures.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of my Drawings represents a section of one form
of my improved bush after it has been driven home into its seat and
before it has been expanded and fixed by the introduction of the taper
mandrill, shewn at Figure 13 or 15, which is to be driven into the bush.
Figure 2 represents the bush so expanded and fixed. It will be seen
that the inside projection a, Figure 1, has been expelled or expanded
outwardly into the wood so that a reverse cone or dovetail is formed all
round, which effectually secures the bush in the stave and makes a per-
fectly tight joint at the same time. Thus by inserting a taper mandrill
with a stop collar or shoulder, as shown in Figure 13, or a plain mandrill,
as shown in Figure 15, and giving a few blows with a hammer the
inside projection a, Figure 1, is transferred to the outside surface and
embedded into the dead wood of the stave, thereby effectually fixing the
bush and rendering leakage impossible.
Figure 3 is a plan of the bush seen from the under side. The small
V ring on the under side of the flange operates as a further security
against leakage and is only necessary for casks containing dangerous
liquids.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 represent a bush having the thick inner edge made
solid instead of being relieved by a corrugation or annular groove cut
outside, as seen at a (Figure 1), which is preferable when the wood is
very hard, but for soft wood I prefer the thick inner edge to be solid, as
seen before being fixed in Figure 4 and after it is fixed in Figure 5;
Figure 6 is an under side plan of Figure 4.
Figure 7 is an under side plan of a bush showing another method of
forming the inner edge thereof, namely, with corrugations, which con-
struction is preferable to the plain thick edge inasmuch as the metal is

page_text: not so liable to fracture while being expanded, consequently a less ductile
metal can be used when this form is adopted.
Figure 8 represents another mode of fixing where the inner end of the
bush has three external annular grooves made thereon of the form shown,
whilst the inside of the bush has more taper given to it and greater
thickness at the lower edge, so that instead of having an inside projection,
as at a in Figure 1, it tapers from the top, and the plain taper mandrill
having less taper on it bears on the lower edge first and effects the
expansion gradually until the fixing is complete, when the mandrill fills
the bush which has then the same taper inside as the mandrill, the
outside corrugated surface being embedded in the wood and the bush
thereby securely fixed in its place. This bush and other bushes of
uniform thickness of ferrule, and having no external annular grooves and
not having the internal projection (a) Figure 1, may be expanded by
means of the tool herein-after described in reference to Figures 4, 5,
and 6 (Sheet 2), the dotted lines in Figure 8 showing the metal of the
ferrule before expansion, whilst the curved full lines show the metal after
it has been expanded.
Figure 9 is a half plan, and Figure 10 a half elevation showing on one
side plain corrugations or grooves cut on the outside surface, as in
Figure 8, and on the other side vertical and horizontal corrugations
intersecting each other at right angles so as to produce a number of
points, which arrangement is preferable for hard wood. This bush is
expanded in order to fix it as herein-before described in reference to
Figure 8.
In fixing bung bushes according to my Invention it is obvious that
the length of the ferrule of the bush may be less than but should not
exceed the thickness of the stave.
Figures 11 and 12 represent an elevation and plan of a punch for
driving the bush firmly home into its place previous to its being
expanded and fixed by the taper mandril (Figure 15), as before
described.
Figures 13 and 14 represent the taper shouldered mandril in elevation
and plan, and Figures 15 and 16 represent a plain taper mandril without
a shoulder for expanding three sizes of bushes.

page_text: The common bung hole boring tool may be used if desired for pre-
paring the hole for receiving the bush, but I prefer to use a tool similar
to that shown at Figures 1, 2, and 3 on Sheet 2 of my Drawings, which
tool performs the operation of facing the stave whilst preparing the hole
for receiving the bung bush. The part A is similar to the ordinary
bung hole borer with the usual long cutter removed; B, B, is a
moveable or adjustable collar made in two parts which can be fixed at
any height along the part A by means of the tightening screws e, e,
thereby enabling a hole for any size of bush to be prepared. The
collar B carries a facing cutter b, which forms a recess for the reception
of the flange of the bush, it also carries a tapering cutter g for preparing
the interior of the bung hole so as to cause it to fit the bush exactly.
The cutter has an expanded cutting edge as shown in dotted lines in
Figure 3, and is adjusted so as to cut a larger or smaller circle by simply
loosening the pinching or set screw d and turning the cutter spindle 6',
after which it is tightened again by the set screw. The taper of the
hole may be varied by altering the angle of the cutter g, which is
accomplished by means of the adjusting screws c, c¹. h, k, are set pins
for fixing the cutters for making the V grooves which receive the
V rings on the under side of the flange of the bush; a is a screw for
regulating the depth of cut when facing the stave; and f is a screw for
regulating the cutter for the width of facing, which cutter corresponds to
the vertical cutting side of a centre bit whilst the cutter 6 operates in
like manner to the other side of the bit.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 represent respectively a side elevation, section, and
plan of another form of expanding tool which is preferable when the
casks are not very strong to the plain taper mandrill herein-before
referred to, as it will not require more than one-half the power to effect
the fixing of the bush. The central spindle a, Figure 5, has a conical
point on its lower end which bears on a number of radial pieces b, b, b, b,
forming the body of the expander, so that a blow with a hammer on the
upper end of the spindle a expels outwards the lower ends only of the
pieces 6 radially and equally in a horizontal direction so as to effect the
expansion of any desired portion of the ferrule of the bush into the wood
of the stave and produce a reverse cone or dovetail all round sufficient
to make a good joint and secure the bush in the cask. The several
pieces b, b, b, are built round the spindle a and are held together by the

page_text: clip & on the head of the handle c.
with the handle c.
e is a key for connecting the clip d
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The system or mode of fixing or securing metal bushes for
bungs or shives into casks and similar receptacles by expanding the
inner edge or other portion of the ferrule part of the bush, so as to cause
it to penetrate partly into the surrounding sides or wall of the bung hole,
substantially as herein-before described.
Second. The construction and use of a bung bush having one or more
V-shaped projecting rings formed on the under surface of the flange,
which when fitted to a cask or other like receptacle enter corresponding
grooves formed in the bung hole stave, as and for the purpose herein-
before described.
Third. The construction and use of a bung bush having the inside
edge of the ferrule projecting inwardly, substantially as and for the
purpose herein-before described and illustrated on Sheet 1 of the
Drawings annexed.
Fourth. The forming of corrugations on the outer surface of the
ferrule portion of a bung bush, substantially as and for the purpose
herein-before described and illustrated in Sheet 1 of the Drawings
annexed.
Fifth. The securing a metal bush into the bung hole of a cask or like
receptacle by causing a portion of the ferrule of the bush to be driven
into the sides of the bung hole by the aid of a tapered mandrill or
expanding tool, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before
described.
Sixth. The construction and use of a tool consisting of a number of
radial expanding pieces carried in a convenient handle and having their
lower ends only forced outwards simultaneously when required by a
central conical spindle for the purpose of facilitating the fixing and

page_text: securing of bung bushes into casks and similar receptacles, substantially
as herein-before described and illustrated on Sheet 2 of my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Petrie Grant, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Seventh day of April
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
GEORGE PETRIE GRANT. (L.s.)