IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND TILES
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
IRVING, of Princes Street, Rotherhithe, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventh day of December, in the fifth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant. unto me, the said
William Irving, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Irving, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Irving, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in
the Isles of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her
said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND TILES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said William Irving, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Irving, do hereby. declare the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
(that is to say):-
DESCRIPTION OF THE MACHINE.
Figure 1 is an end elevation looking in the direction from X to Z in
Figure 4. Figure 2 is a side elevation of a longitudinal section, taken on the
line XZ, in Figure 4.. Figure 3, is an end elevation looking in the direction
of Z to X in Figure 4; and Figure 4 is a plan. The same letters refer to
similar parts in each of the Figures. A, A, is a table or bench upon which the
machine is placed. B, C, D, E, are the four sides of a mould to receive the
material of which the bricks or tiles are to be made; the sides B, C, are
hinged to the table or bench A, A. The end D, D, is made removeable, and
is provided with a handle D¹ for that purpose. The side E, E, is fixed to the
table, and has a number of vertical cuts or openings through it, the space
between which cuts is equal to the thickness of the bricks or tiles required.
Attached to the side C, C, and moving on a hinge joint, is an iron hoop or
frame, which encloses and holds together the four sides B, C, D, E, as shewn;
and the inner surfaces of the sides D, E, are lined with woollen cloth,
or plush, or other material, to prevent the brick earth from adhering.
G, G, is a moveable board which forms the bottom of the mould,
having upon its upper surface a number of grooves corresponding to the
cuts or openings in the side E, E. H, H, is a cylindrical bar of wood or
other suitable material having at each end a handle, and raised and projecting
rings a, a. This bar H fits into and is held by the brackets I, I, affixed upon
the table or bench A, A, in the possession shewn in Figure 4. J, J, are pieces of
wood fastened to the table A, A, and act as guides to the board G, G, when it is
withdrawn as hereafter explained; at the end of each piece of wood or guide J
is formed a bracket K, K, which keeps the lower part of the side D, D, in its
place while in use. L, L, and M, M, are rollers parallel to each other, and sup-
ported by the brackets N, N, (in which they turn freely,) fixed to the table or
bench A, A. The surfaces of these rollers are grooved to correspond with the
cuts or openings in the side E, E. In the face or outer edge of each of the
brackets N, N, is a semicircular recess which receives one side of a frame com-
posed of the parts O, O, P, P, and Q, Q, the nature of which is clearly shewn.
Into one side of the cylinder H, H, a number of wires R, R, are fastened;
these wires are placed in the grooves in the board G, G, and through the cuts
or openings in the side E, E, between the rollers L, L, and M, M, and through
the cylindrical piece O, O, when each wire is attached to one end of a strong

page_text: spiral spring S, S, the other end of each spring being fastened to the cylindrical
piece P, P.
The Figures of the annexed Drawing shew the various parts of the machine
in the position they assume before commencing to make tiles. The machine
shewn is intended for making flat tiles for various purposes; and tiles formed by
this machine, when of proper dimensions, may be bent into the proper form for
draining purposes; or when the size of the mould is proper, the tiles cut will
be suitable for the bottom tiles for draining purposes; and it will be evident that
by varying the size of the mould B, C, D, E, and the width of the spaces
between the cuts, tiles of different sizes and thickness may be made.
The process of making tiles is as follows:-A quantity of material sufficient to fill
the mould is thrown into the box or machine, and the surplus cut off even with
the top by a scraper or straight edge. The frame or hoop F, F, is then removed,
and also the side D; the workman (who stands at the end Z of the machine)
takes the cylinder H, H, by the handles, and, raising it up vertically, rests it upon
the top of the mould with the projecting rings a, a, outside or against the outer
face of the sides B, C, of the mould, thereby causing the wires attached to the
cylinder H, H, to be brought against the face of the material left exposed by
the removal of the side D, D. The cylinder H, H, is then drawn along the
top of the sides B, C, upon which it rests, and the wires are made to pass
through and cut the material into the required number of tiles according to the
arrangement of the wires upon the said cylinder H, H; and when the wires are
drawn between the slits or cuts in the side E, and over the roller L, L, the cutting
will be complete. The material being now separated into the number of parts, the
sides B, C, are laid down; the board G, G, with the cut material upon it, is drawn
out between the guides J, J, and the tiles are taken off one by one, and bent or
left in the flat form according to the purpose to which the tiles are to be
applied. The tiles are then to be dried and finished as heretofore. The
workman will then return the wires through the cuts in the side E, having
first introduced a fresh board G into its place, and having placed the cylinder H
into its bearings, he will make up his mould into the condition above described,
and proceed again to mould the material, and then to cut as aforesaid.
If the machine is intended to make bricks, then it will be obvious that by
altering the proportions of the parts of the mould, and the number and
arrangement of the wires, bricks may be made of any shape and dimension
with equal facility.
Drawing No. 2, Figure 1, is an end elevation of the brick machine with the
end D removed; Figure 2 is a side elevation and longitudinal section through
the box or machine; Figure 3 is a plan of the machine; the same letters

page_text: referring to similar parts in each Figure. A, A, is the table or bench. B and
C are the two sides of the box or machine attached to the table or bench by
hinges or otherwise, and having any convenient number of transverse cuts or
openings through them. D and E are two moveable ends of the box or
machine, provided with handles to facilitate their removal; these ends fit into
notches or grooves (provided for that purpose) at each end of the sides B and
C. F is a moveable board that forms the bottom of the box- or machine,
having upon its upper surface any number of loose pallets G, G, according to
the number of bricks required to be made at once. These pallets may be of the
form of the side, end, or otherwise, of the brick required, as may be most
expedient; and to prevent the adhesion of the material to the machine, I
cover the upper surface of the pallets G, G, and the inner sides of the sides and
ends B, C, and D, E, with woollen cloth, felt, or plush, or any other suitable
material. His a cylindrical piece of wood or other material, having a handle
at each end, and along one side of which cylinder are fastened any convenient
number of wires K, K, their distance from each other being regulated by the
cuts or openings in the sides B and C, with which cuts or openings they should
correspond. The other ends of these wires are fastened at I, I, in any suitable
manner to the table or bench A. L, L, are two brackets to hold the cylinder H
when required. M is an iron hoop or frame which keeps the sides and ends
B, C, and D, E, in their places while the box or machine is being filled with the
material.
The mode of forming the bricks with this machine is as follows:-The
wires K, K, are passed through the cuts or openings in the sides B and C,
and between the pallets G, G, upon the moveable board or bottom F. The
cylinder H (to which the wires K, K, are attached) is then placed in the
grooves or notches of the brackets L, L, thereby causing the wires to be strained
tight. The sides and ends B, C, and D, E, are then placed and held together
by the hoop or frame M, and the box or machine is filled with the requisite
material for forming the bricks, the surplus quantity being struck off even with
the upper surface of the sides and ends B, C, and D, E. The hoop or frame M
is then thrown back in the position shewn in Figure 1; and the workman,
standing on the side X of the machine, takes the cylinder H by the handles,
and raises it up vertically, resting it upon and passing it along the upper
surfaces of the sides D and E. The wires K, K, attached to the cylinder H is
thus made to cut and pass through the material in the box or machine, dividing
it into the required number of bricks; the cylinder is left upon the guides N, N,
attached to the ends D and E for that purpose. The ends D and E are then
removed, and the board or bottom F, with the bricks P upon it, is drawn out

page_text: upon the table or bench A, as shewn in Figures 2 and 3, from whence they
are removed to the hacks or drying grounds. In the meantime another board
or bottom, with the necessary number of pallets upon it, is prepared, and as
soon as the board or bottom with the bricks upon it is drawn out of the box
or machine, the one so prepared is placed in. The above process is then
repeated as often as may be expedient.
Although I have shewn twelve bricks in the accompanying Drawing, I do
not confine myself to that number, as it is obvious that a greater or lesser
number of bricks may be formed at once by arranging the several parts of the
machine according to the number required.
I would remark that in place of wires being used as the cutters, narrow
blades or knives may be substituted, but their application must be so apparent
as to require no further exemplification.
Having thus described the nature of my invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details, so long as the peculiar character of my invention
be retained. And I am aware that brick earth, moulded or shaped by other
means than that above described, has been cut into bricks and tiles. I do
not, therefore, claim the forming of several bricks or tiles at one time by
dividing brick earth into several parts by wires. But what I claim is the
mode of making bricks and tiles by moulding the brick earth in the manner
described, and combining therewith a series of cutters as above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Irving, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
WILLIAM (L.S.) IRVING.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1842, the aforesaid William Irving came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-two.