IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND MACHINERY OR APPLIANCES FOR THE PREPARATION AND REFINING FULLERS EARTH."
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Richard Dames of the City and County of.
OF
Bath for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND
MACHINERY OR APPLIANCES FOR THE PREPARATION AND REFINING
FULLERS EARTH."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Richard Dames at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd May 1883.
CHARLES RICHARD DAMES of the City and County of Bath "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE METHOD OF AND MACHINERY OR APPLIANCES FOR THE PREPARATION AND
REFINING OF FULLERS EARTH "
The object of my invention is to extract the moisture and extraneous matters
such as shells, stones and insoluble lime from Fullers earth and thus to render it
suitable for commercial purposes.
Heretofore in the preparation of Fullers earth it has been usual to extract the
extraneous matters therefrom after the same has been dried or during the process
of drying, now according to my invention I take Fullers earth as it comes from
the pit in its crude state and break same up by, for example, grinding it by means
of a disintegrator, edge runners, French Burr stones, or in a mill or in any other
convenient manner in order to reduce same and with the addition of water to a
'slurry" or solution of Fullers earth and water. Sometimes the breaking up may
be effected by the application of heat or air. This slurry is then allowed to
How into a tank or catch pit and thence by pipes or shoots it is conveyed to a
maggie" or filter which latter may consist of a receiver or vessel launder or
hoot containing longitudinal divisions running from end to end of the same, or
nstead a series of catch pits may be used. This receptacle or as I term it a filter
as or is provided with cross bars or boards at bottom only extending about two
birds for example up the sides of the receptacle and at suitable distances apart
which act as arresters to the stones, shells or other solid substances that may be
ontained in the solution which latter flows away to the works where it is placed

page_text: in a receiver containing a perforated pipe or pipes the holes in which are stopped
by plugs which can be withdrawn when required to run off any water that may be
above or on the material; when this latter is comparatively dry it is removed to
the drying shed which is or may be made with tiles or metal plates on the floor
heated by any suitable means, or it may be dried in a centrifugal machine or in
any other convenient way
From
When thoroughly dry the Fullers earth is ready for the market.
experiments I have made I find the machinery which I have described is very
applicable to the purposes of my invention but I do not limit myself to same, as
the Fullers earth might be treated by other equivalent machinery for grinding,
washing, filtering and drying same without departing from my invention, for
example I in some cases dry the Fullers earth in the first instance and then reduce
with water and proceed as before.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by, the said Charles Richard Dames in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd November. 1883.
..
CHARLES RICHARD DAMES of the City of Bath in the County of Somerset
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND MACHINERY OR APPLIANCES FOR THE
PREPARATION AND REFINING OF FULLERS' EARTH
"
The object of my invention is to extract the extraneous matters, such as shells,
stones, sand and insoluble lime from the Fullers' earth and thus to render it
suitable for commercial purposes.
Heretofore in the preparation of Fullers' earth it has been usual to extract the
extraneous matters therefrom after the same has been dried or during the process
of drying; now according to my invention I take Fuller's earth as it comes from
the pit in its crude or raw state and break same up, by, for example, grinding it
by means of a dissintegrator, edge runners, French burr stones, or any other
convenient manner, in order to reduce same and with the addition of water to a
slurry or solution of Fuller's earth and water. Sometimes the breaking up may
be effected by the application of heat or air.
In order that my Invention may be as fully understood as possible I will describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 shows a dia-
graphical view of such machinery or combination of machines as I prefer to
employ (but it must be clearly understood that I do not limit myself to the
employment absolutely of such machinery) where the grinding is accomplished by
edge runners because as before mentioned the grinding may be done in a dis-
integrator or by burr stones or in any other convenient manner.
This slurry produced in the machine known as edge runners A or by any other
suitable machine is then allowed to flow into a tank or catch pit a having a
division or divisions a¹ and thence by pipes or shoots b b, it is conveyed to a
"maggie" or filter c such as that shown in perspective at Figure 2 and on a larger
scale than at Figure 1; this "maggie" or filter may consist of a receiver or vessel,
launder or shoot containing longitudinal divisions d running from end to end and
transverse partitions e³ which serve as arresters which latter being hinged at the
base can be raised or dropped at will; or instead a series of catchpits may be used
or one catchpit only may be used or a fine wire gauze or netting sieve or it may
be strained over a series of wire gauze netting sieves or strainers. This receptacle
or as I may term it a filter has or is provided with cross bars or boards e hinged
at base so that they may be raised or lowered at will only extending about two
thirds, for example, up the side of the receptacle and at suitable distances apart
which act as arresters to the stones, shells or solid substances that may be contained
in the solution which latter flows away to the works where it is placed in a
receiver or receivers e containing a perforated pipe or pipes or box or shoot e¹
which are stopped by plugs which can be withdrawn when required to run off any
water that may be above or on the material. When this latter is settled and the
top water drawn off it is removed to the drying shed; such a shed, for example,
as is shown at Figure 3, the floor f of which is or may be made with tiles or metal
plates and heated by any suitable means or the material may be dried in a
centrifugal machine or in any other convenient way; when thoroughly dry the
Fullers' earth is ready for market. From experiments I have made I find the
machinery which I have described is very applicable to the purposes of my
invention but I do not limit myself to same as the Fuller's earth might be treated
by other equivalent machinery for grinding, washing filtering and drying same,
that is to say, reduced to a slurrey and the stones, shells, sand and insoluble

page_text: substances removed and the earth then dried without departing from my invention.
For example I, in some cases dry the fullers' earth in the first instance and then
reduce with water and proceed as before.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that I claim.
First-The method of purifying Fuller's earth by reducing it in its crude or
raw state to a slurry or solution, and its subsequent treatment substantially as and
for the purposes specified
Second-The combination of machinery for purifying Fullers' earth from.its
extraneous matters by reducing same to a slurry by grinding then conveying it to
a tank a, maggie c and settling tank or tanks e and subsequently drying same, all
substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying
drawings
In witness whereof I the said Charles Richard Dames have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twenty second day of November 'in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.