Improved Machines for Moulding Pottery and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 17th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Machines for Moulding Pottery and the like.
We, WILLIAM HENRY SHARMAN, of London Road, Ferrybridge, Yorkshire,
Pattern Maker, and ROBERT EMMETT OLDHAM, of West Riding Villas, Ferry-
bridge, Yorkshire, Pottery Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
A bed plate on which at each end are screwed or bolted an upright column or
standard to support a cross beam which is screwed or bolted to the said columns or
standards and made of wrought or cast iron of suitable strength to resist the strain
required in the manufacture of the articles to be made. In the centre of this cross
beam is a hole and slot for an upright shaft and toothed rack to work in, at the
bottom end of this shaft is fixed a die or mould with which to make the inside or
outside of the articles required and which die or mould is fixed to the shaft by a
feather and cotter pin and is changeable for different sizes and shapes, to this shaft
is fixed a toothed rack or pin with which to work it by, at the top end of this shaft
between the cross beam and under a collar fixed on the said shaft and round it is a
spiral spring. Fixed to the said cross beam are two brackets for carrying a
horizontal shaft on which are fixed one or two pulleys for belting to drive the
machine with, and fixed on the same shaft is a toothed quadrant or cam for working
into the toothed rack or pin on the upright shaft with which to give the downward
action, the said spring being compressed by this action and the toothed quadrant or
cam having passed the toothed rack or pin on the upright shaft allows the com-
pressed spring to fly back into its position and forms the upward motion of the
machine, the shaft and die or mould are drawn up into their position and are waiting
for the quadrant or cam on the horizontal shaft coming round to bring them down
again. On the bed plate are two grooved slides each fixed to the bed plate by two
set pins or bolts, and which can be moved either ways to admit of different sized
and shaped dies or mould being used, such dies or moulds being constructed to slide
in and out between the two grooved slides fixed on the bed plate. The upright
shaft may want to revolve round, such being the case we shall make it a hollow
shaft and put another shaft inside it fixed by sliding collars, and fix the die or mould
to this inside shaft at the bottom end, and at the top end of this shaft will be fixed
a pulley by which to give it the revolving motion required, so that the upright shaft
has a revolving, rising, and falling motion. The object of this motion being that a
piece of clay or other suitable substance is placed on the bottom die or mould and
the top die or mould coming down on to the top of it forms the required article, and
by the top die or mould going up again it allows the bottom die or mould to be
drawn out and another put in its place.
Dated this 15th day of Anril 1890.
WILLIAM HENRY SHARMAN.
ROBERT EMMETT OLDHAM.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Machines for Moulding Pottery and the like.
We, WILLIAM HENRY SHARMAN, Model Maker, and ROBERT EMMETT
OLDHAM, Pottery Manager, both of London Road, Ferrybridge, Yorkshire, 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:-
In carrying out our said invention we form a bed plate on which at each end are
screwed or bolted an upright column or standard to support a cross beam which is

page_text: screwed or bolted to the said columns or standards and made of wrought or cast
iron of suitable strength to resist the strain required in the manufacture of the
articles. In the centre of this cross beam is a hole and slot for a shaft and toothed
rack to work in; at the bottom end of this shaft is fixed a die or mould with which
to make the inside or outside of the articles required, which die or mould is fixed by
a feather and cotter pin and is changeable for different sizes. To this shaft is fixed
a toothed rack or pin with which to work it, at the top end of the shaft between
the cross beam and under a collar fixed on the said shaft is a spiral spring
round it.
Fixed to the said cross beam are two brackets for carrying a horizontal shaft on
which are fixed one or two pulleys for belting to drive the machine with, and fixed
on the same shaft is a toothed quadrant or cam for working into the toothed rack
or pin on the upright shaft with which to give the downward action; the said
spring being compressed by this action of the toothed quadrant or cam in the
toothed rack or pin and such being out of gear the compressed spring being
released forms the upward motion and the shaft and mould are drawn up into their
position and waiting for the quadrant or cam on the horizontal shaft coming round
to bring them down again. On the bed plate are two grooved slides fixed each to
the bed plate by two set pins or bolts and which can be moved either ways to
admit of different sized dies or moulds being used, such dies or moulds being
constructed to slide in and out between the two grooved slides fixed on the bed
plate, the upright shaft may want to revolve round. Such being the case we shall
make it a hollow shaft and put another shaft inside it fixed by sliding collars and
fix the die or mould to this shaft at the bottom end and at the top end of this shaft
will be fixed a pulley by which to give it the revolving motion required. So that
the upright shaft has a revolving, rising, and falling motion the object of this being
that a piece of clay or other substance is place on the bottom die or mould, and top
die or mould coming down on the top of it forms the required article; and by the
top die or mould going up again it allows the bottom mould to be drawn out and
another put in its place.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation, Fig. 2 a side elevation
and Fig. 3 a plan view of a machine adapted for the manufacture of earthenware
having in plan view a circular form. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are views of an attachment
for the production of articles having in plan view an oval or elliptical form.
Refering to the drawings Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a is the bed plate carrying the two
side frames bb to which are attached at their upper ends the cross beam c; d is an
inner shaft having constant revolving movement given to it by pulley e; f is a
hollow shaft carrying at its lower end a clam made in two halves and secured to
the shaft by the bolts h. One portion of the clam is provided with rack teeth ii;
jis the driving shaft carried by bosses kk, formed with the side frames bb; la
toothed sector capable of engaging with the rack teeth ii; m m are fast and loose
pulleys, and n a balance wheel; o is a plunger carried by the lower end of inner
shaft d; p is the outer shell of the mould having the space q filled up with plaster
or other suitable material to the outer conformation of the article that it is desired
to make; and s are spiral springs. The action of the above described apparatus
is as follows-The proper quantity of material having been placed in the mould,
and the machine being set in motion (by a belt rigger actuated by foot treadle not
shown in the drawings) will result in the toothed sector engaging with the rack
teeth carried by the clam g, thus giving a downward movement to hollow shaft f.
The lower end of the hollow shaft abutting on the spiral springs will cause the
descent of the inner shaft and with it the revolving plunger o. The plunger
entering the mould will cause the clay or other material to occupy and fill the space
between the interior of mould and the exterior surface of plunger. The toothed
sector continuing its movement will result in a further downward movement of the
inner shaft, the movement continuing until the teeth in the sector have become
disengaged with the rack teeth i i. The spiral spring r being now in compression
will elevate the plunger to its original position above the upper surface of the

page_text: mould. The mould with the moulded article being now removed to the drying
stove another mould can be substituted and the process repeated.
It will be seen that the rotation of the plunger under compression will kneed and
solidify the material under operation and give a better appearance to the finished
article. In making articles of a square or polygonal form, the revolving movement
of plunger is dispensed with.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 Sheet 4, show an attachment for the production of articles
having an oval, cliptical or similar form, and consists of a contour or guide plate x
secured to and carried by the end of the hollow shaft F and having an up and down
movement given to it by sector l, as previously described; d is the inner revolving
shaft; a 2 a 2 are forming plates or strickles shaped at a3 to the inner contour of the
article to be made. The lower end of the revolving shaft is formed with flat surfaces
as shown by Fig. 6 at a 4 a 4, for the purpose of giving revolving movement to the
strickles a 2, around the stationary contour plate; a5 is a guiding groove in which
are free to work the bowls a 6, a 6 carried by the upper end of the strickles a 2 a 2;
a 7 are spiral springs in tension carried by pillars attached to the revolving
strickles; a 8 is a cotter securing the whole attachment to the end of the previously
described revolving inner shaft d.
It will be seen that the strickles are capable of continuous movement around
the contour plate (which plate may be of any convenient figure), and that on the
strickles entering the mould, in which the material has previously been placed, the
material will be strickled and moulded into the desired form by the rapidly moving
strickles approaching and receeding from each other around the major and minor
axis of the contour plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The action of springs (as shown in Figs. 1 and 2) carried by the lower end
of inner shaft d allowing the plunger to remain stationary until the teeth in the
sector have become disengaged and out of gear with the teeth carried by the
clam g.
2. The upward action of spring r elevating plunger into the position shown by
Fig. 1 after the teeth in sector have become disengaged with the clam g.
3. The construction of the mould having an external shell of metal and an
internal lining of plaster or other suitable material.
4. The mechanical arrangements enabling the strickles a 2 to approach and
recede from each other whilst revolving around the fixed contour plate a.
5. The general arrangement and construction of the various parts as fully
described and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Dated this 16th day of January 1901.
WILLIAM HENRY SHARMAN.
ROBERT EMMETT OLDHAM.