IMPROVEMENTS IN SOLDERING IRONS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SOLDERING IRONS."—A
communication.
Sealed the 10th September 1858, and dated the 3rd July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd July 1858.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SOLDERING IRONS," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction and employment of hollow
soldering tools, which are capable of containing the solder to be used, and of
giving it out as required. The nozzle, which is detachable from the main
body of the tool, is formed with a central conical chamber that terminates in
an orifice at the point or end of the tool. The nozzle is fitted to the body of

page_text: the tool, which is also hollow, by a screw or other equivalent fastening, which
will admit of the separation of the parts for the admission of the solder; or an
opening may be made in the tool for this special purpose. If required, a
suitable valve may be employed to regulate the discharge of the solder, and
thus render the tool self-feeding; for particular styles of work, however,
the valve may be dispensed with, as the solder will not run out during the
process of heating, and will only deliver itself when in use, and brought into
contact with the surface to be soldered. The valve being made of a tapering
form, and projecting from the nozzle, this tool will, when in use, by its weight
alone, cause the valve to rise sufficiently to permit of a flow of solder, which
flow will be discontinued whenever the tool is raised from the surface to be
soldered. By connecting the valve with a rod that passes through the handle
of the tool, and applying to this rod a regulating screw and spring, the position
of the valve in the nozzle, and consequently the supply of solder may be
adjusted to the greatest nicety.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter 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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN SOLDERING IRONS," being a communication from abroad, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe

page_text: and ascertain 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to ay) :-
:-
This Invention of "Improvements in Soldering Irons" is thus described by
the Inventor The state of the art of making soldering irons, prior to
the date of this Invention, was as follows, viz., a tool, the outside figure of
which was similar to that now proposed to be used, was made of a solid piece
of copper, the surface of which required to be tinned, to enable it when hot to
be used as a soldering tool, and the tinning, filing, and cleaning were continual
causes of wear upon its surface, particularly when filing off the oxide to insure
a clean metallic surface on which the tin could take. All these produce rapid
wear and consequent expense. Some of these tools had been made hollow,
for the purpose of introducing a red-hot plug of metal, so as to increase the
amount of heat, or to insure its longer continuance.
The present Invention consists in making the soldering tool hollow, with
the view of introducing solder therein, and of certain mechanical contrivances
hereafter described.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews the improved tool in side
view; Fig. 2 shews in longitudinal section the parts detached, which form the
chamber for receiving the solder; and Figures 3 are views of the abutting
ends of these parts. a is the nozzle, which is a separate piece of metal from
the mass of the tool; it is hollow, and has a conical opening in its centre,
terminating with an orifice of any desired shape at c. b represents a mass of
the tool, which is also hollow, and which joins the nozzle a at d, either by
means of a bayonet joint, as shewn; or any equivalent means of attachment,
such being preferred as will most readily admit of the removal of the nozzle
for the purpose of introducing solder. An opening may, however, be made in
the hollow piece 6 for the introduction of solder, without the removal of the
nozzle, if thought desirable. Thus, it will be perceived that as the soldering
tool is hollow throughout, the inside space may be filled up with solder, which
arrangement, in connexion with a suitable valve to regulate the feed, will
make the tool self-feeding, and for particular styles of work, with a proper

page_text: sized opening, and in the required form, the valve may be dispensed with, as
the solder will not run out during the process of heating, and will only deliver
itself when the tool is in use, with a pen-like flow, its discharge, like that of
ordinary writing ink from a pen, occurring only when the instrument is brought
into contact with the surface to be acted upon.
The valve e, shewn detaclied at Fig. 4, is of a tapering form, so that it may
protrude slightly at the opening c, as shewn at Fig. 1, and consequently when
the tool is in use its weight alone will cause the valve e to rise sufficiently to
permit of a flow of solder, which flow will be discontinued whenever the tool is
raised from the surface to be soldered.
For specific purposes the form of the nozzle a and of the valve may be
varied, the said valve protruding through an opening of any desired form, and,
indeed, if required, there may be two or more openings, admitting protrusions
from the same or separate valves.
The valve e, in addition to the automatic action, as in its opening and
shutting by its own weight and pressure on the tool, may have such contrivance
or any equivalent contrivance as that represented in Fig. 5, where f is a rod
attached to the valve e, passing through the handle g of the soldering iron,
and armed by a spring m, to which is attached a thumbscrew h. By this
arrangement the rear pressure upon the valve may be reduced, and thereby
the flow of the solder increased; the pressure of the spring m will always have
a tendency to return the valve to its original position.
The nozzle a and the valve e may be made of copper or any other suitable
metal; the other part of that represented in the Drawings by b may be made
of malleable iron, or any other suitable metal, and for most purposes the whole
may be made of iron.
The use of this tool will ensure the performance of neater work, with less
waste of solder than heretofore, and a reduction of wear and tear, as compared
with the old soldering tool before referred to.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I do not claim the use of a hollow soldering iron so made, for the
purpose of receiving a red-hot piece of metal, to impart heat to the surface
of the tool; but what I claim is, the use of a hollow soldering iron containing
solder, with or without a valve to regulate the flow thereof, substantially as
herein-before set forth.
I also claim the combination of a hollow soldering iron containing solder,

page_text: with an opening through which the solder may pass, as required in the process
of soldering, its delivery being automatic to its use.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Third day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
NEW.
(L.B.)