A New and Improved Process of Manufacturing Various Hollow Ware Articles from Sheet Metal.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 20th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 19th Jan., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New and Improved Process of Manufacturing Various Hollow Ware
Articles from Sheet Metal.
I, WALTER WILLIAM HART of the Firm of Matthew J. Hart and Sons of
The Argyle Tin Plate Works, Great Barr Street, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates as hereinafter described to a new or improved process of
manufacturing various hollow ware articles from sheet metal, and relates principally
to articles made from sheet copper, brass, tin, ductile sheet steel or iron, or other
similar sheet metal.
My invention will be particularly useful for the manufacture of hollow articles
having one or more diameters of a less or greater dimension than the other, such,
for example, as a tea-kettle, in which the upper part is of a larger diameter than
the lower, and the top partly closed. Or of a ball or sphere having but a small
orifice.
My invention may be applied to the manufacture of hollow articles of any form
or shape, and by my improved process I may impress or emboss any ornamentation
or configuration upon them.
In the manufacture of the various articles aforesaid, it has been usual to make
them in more than one part, and many devices have been employed, for stamping,
spinning, or raising such articles from sheet metal.
By my invention I am enabled to produce such articles from one piece of sheet
metal in a cheaper and more expeditious manner than heretofore.
My said invention consists essentially in making the aforesaid articles in the
following manner:
I provide a die or former of the size and configuration of the articles to be
produced which may be in one or more parts, constituting the bottom die. I
likewise provide an upper die; the under portion I connect to the lower die, and
may or may not form part of the same, the upper portion thereof terminating in a
cylinder, into which is fitted a piston or plunger. I produce from a sheet metal
blank a cylindrical, or other suitable cup shaped shell, either by a stamping or
drawing through process. I place the said shell with the top or open part
projecting into the upper die. I fill the same with water, or other suitable liquid,
the piston being brought into position, and hydraulic or other pressure applied
thereto. The water, or other liquid forces or stretches the metal against the sides
of the dies, causes it to take the shape or configuration thereof, and any
ornamentation or design ou the dies is imprinted on to the surface of the metal,
thus producing the articles required. On the pressure being released, the article
can be withdrawn from the dies.
I furnish the lower die with small holes to allow water or air which may
accumulate between the shell and die to escape. I may in some cases use an
hydraulic press with the necessary fittings to carry the top and bottom die. Or
I may employ an ordinary press for the purpose.
Dated this 27th day of January 1894.
WILLIAM HENRY BARACLOUGH,
36, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agent for the Applicant

page_text: A New and Improved Process of Manufacturing Various Hollow Ware
Articles from Sheet Metal.
I, WALTER WILLIAM HART, of the Firm of Matthew J. Hart and Sons of
The Argyle Tin Plate Works, Great Barr Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention relates as hereinafter described to a new or improved process of
manufacturing various hollow ware articles from sheet metal and refers principally
to articles made from sheet copper, brass, tin, ductile sheet steel or iron or other
similar metal.
My invention will be particularly useful for the manufacture of hollow articles
having varying diameters such, for example, as a tea kettle in which the upper
part is of a larger diameter than the lower, and the top partly closed, or of a ball
or sphere having but a small orifice.
My invention may be applied to the manufacture of hollow articles, of any form
or shape and by my improvement I may impress or emboss any ornamentation or
configuration upon them.
In the manufacture of the various articles aforesaid, they have been commonly
made in more than one part, and many devices have been employed for stamping,
spinning or raising such articles from sheet metal.
By my invention I am enabled to produce such articles from one piece of sheet
metal, in a cheaper and more expeditious manner than heretofore.
My invention is carried out in the following manner :-I provide a die or former
of the size and configuration of the articles to be produced which may be in one or
more parts, constituting the bottom die, I likewise provide an upper die, connected
to the lower and which may or may not form part of the same, the upper portion
thereof terminating in a cylinder in which is fitted a piston or plunger. I produce
from a sheet metal blank a cylindrical, or other suitable cup shaped shell, either
by a stamping or drawing through process. I place the said shell in the die with
the top or open part projecting into the cylindrical portion of the upper die. The
shell is then filled with water, or other suitable liquid, and the piston being brought
into position, and hydraulic or other pressure applied thereto, the water or other
liquid forces out, or expands the metal shell against the sides of the dies, causes it
to take the shape or configuration thereof. Any ornamentation or design on the
dies is imprinted on the surface of the metal, thus producing the articles and the
design required.
On the pressure being taken off the article can be withdrawn from the dies.
I furnish the lower die with small holes to allow water or air which may
accumulate between the shell and die to escape.
I may in some cases use an hydraulic press and an accumulator with the necessary
fittings to carry the top and bottom die, or I may employ an ordinary press for the
purpose.
now proceed to describe my invention by reference to the accompanying
drawings, the letters of reference indicating similar parts throughout.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in vertical section the apparatus for making the body
of a tea kettle from a cylindrical shell.
Figures 5 and 6 are similar views of the apparatus employed for making a
spherical or semi-spherical article from a cylindrical shell.

page_text: Figures 3 and 7 shew the cylindrical shells which I propose to employ and
Figures 4, 8, 9 and 10 illustrate some of the varieties of the article which may be
produced by my improved process.
In Figure 1. A represents the bottom die or former internally of the exact size
and configuration of the body of a circular tea kettle, the upper die B, forming
the upper part and neck of the same kettle.
The two dies are connected together by screw pins, or I may adapt other means
of connecting the two together, to allow them being readily connected, or
disconnected, for the removal of the articles.
C represents a cylindrical shell shown separately in Figure 3, which I make
from a blank by an ordinary stamping or drawing through process. The shell fits
tightly in the cylinder D, the collar E holding it in its place by means of the
shoulder F.
H. represents a plunger, furnished with flexible packing I, which fits the
cylinder D and slides therein. The screw boss K is made to fit a screw socket
formed on the cylinder of an hydraulic press.
The bottom die A being fixed to a firm base, water or other liquid is placed in
the shell C and the cylinder D, and the hydraulic press being brought into action
it forces the plunger H down in the cylinder and compresses the water in the shell,
which expands and takes the configuration of the dies, as shown in Figures 2 and 4.
a. a represent passages to allow the water or air accumulated between the shell
and the bottom die A to escape.
The article having been removed the dies are ready for the next operation.
Figures 5 and 6 represent a pair of hemispherical dies constructed to make a
spherical shaped article having an opening as shown at Figure 8, in this arrange-
ment the top die B is connected by means of the pipe b to an hydraulic accumulator
which is supplied by an hydraulic pressure pump, the water or other liquid filling
the shell C the upper end butting against and held in position by the shoulder F.
The bottom die A being of the same internal configuration,
held in position by
the guide pins, d, d upon which it has a vertical sliding movement, the said
movement being effected by attaching the die to a plunger, worked by the
accumulator, or it may be operated by an arrangement of levers or by a sliding
table. When pressure is applied internally to the shell and the expansion thereof
commences the bottom die advances to the upper die, thus the shell takes the
spherical form of the combined dies.
Figure 9 represents the body of a coffee pot, made from a cylindrical shell and
Figure 10 represents an hollow vessel having four different diameters made from a
cylindrical shell.
By my improved process I may make any form of hollow articles; in shaping
circular articles 1 prefer using a cylindrical shell, in shaping oval articles I prefer
an oval shaped shell, but may vary the shape of the shell as circumstances require.
When it is desired to shape or fashion articles having ornamentation or geometrical
figures upon the surface thereof, I form the required configuration upon the surface
of the dies. The pressure applied to the exterior of the metal will cause it to
take the impression of the dies.
In the arrangements described, hydraulic pressure only is employed, but I wish
it to be understood I do not confine myself to this, and I may use compressed air
or the like for the same purpose and may operate the same by either of the methods
hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A new or improved process of manufacturing hollow ware articles from sheet
metal, in which a suitably shaped shell is expanded to the configuration of a die
by water or other fluid placed therein, to which pressure is applied substantially as
described and for the purposes specified.

page_text: 2. The improved means for manufacturing hollow ware articles, in which a metal
shell is employed open at top, fitted in dies and expanded to the shape of the die
by internal fluid pressure, substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing and for the purposes specified.
Dated this 27th day of November 1894.
WILLIAM HENRY BARACLOUGH,
36, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agent for the Applicant.