Tiles, and other such like Clay Articles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Tiles, and other such like Clay Articles.
We, WILLIAM GEORGE WODSON Brick manufacturer Heaton Points Newcastle
on Tyne in the county of Northumberland and ROBERT SKEOCH Foreman Brick
Maker, East Heaton, Newcastle on Tyne in the county of Northumberland do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to produce in Bricks; Ridge Tiles and such like
clay articles used in the building trade a uniform colour and smooth surface.
In carrying out our invention we proceed to make the bricks Ridge Tiles or
other clay goods of a like character in the usual and ordinary manner (either by
hand or by machine) up to the point of their being laid upon the floor or other
part of the drying shed-to dry.
We allow the clay goods to remain in the drying shed until they are dry.
The brick or other article to be operated upon is then placed in hot liquid
preferably water, where it remains until the hot liquid has penetrated the article
to the depth of of about one fourth of an inch We next prepare a loam from dry
sifted lime mixed with water to the consistency of a paste or cream.
The brick or other article to be operated upon is then treated with the loam,
that is to say, the loam is rubbed into the surface of the brick or other article, by
means of a piece of flanel, cloth or other yielding substance, so as to destroy the
alight skin that was formed on the article in the drying shed and at the same time
fill up the pores of the clay thereby forming a new and a finer skin..
The brick or other article is next returned to the drying shed to dry; it is taken
from the drying shed when dry and placed on a suitable table or stand where it
is rubbed briskly with a piece of leather or other similar substance the result being,
that the loam having filled the pores of the whole surface of the brick or other
article, the friction applied by means of the leather produces a burnished or
polished smooth surface.
The articles are next passed into the burning kiln and burnt in the usual manner.
Bricks, Ridge Tiles or other clay goods so treated, leave the kiln when burnt of
that uniform colour and of that close smooth texture so highly appreciated by
architects and house builders.

page_text: The constituent elements forming the loam may be such as to produce a deep
red colour and that colour would be more used than any other, forming as it does
the staple article of our trade; we nevertheless do not confine ourselves to red as it
will be easily understood that we can produce articles of a white, blue, yellow,
green-black or other tint, by preparing the loam out of suitable matter to produce
the particular tint desired-the only other ingredients being water or liquid.
We are aware that experiments have been made with loam or wash applied to
the face of urnburnt bricks-these experiments have however prooved unsuccessfull
Our discovery of the necessity of removing the outside face of the article after it
has become thoroughly dry has rendered our process as herein set forth complete
and successfull.
Deted this 25th dow
1000
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER,
Cobden Hotel Chambers,
Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Patent Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in the Process of Manufacturing Bricks, Ridge
17
Tiles, and other such like Clay Articles:
We WILLIAM GEORGE WODSON Brick Manufacturer Heaton Points Newcastle
on Tyne in the County of Northumberland and ROBERT SKEOCH Foreman brick
maker East Heaton Newcastle on Tyne in the County of Northumberland do
hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS of
MANUFACTURING BRICKS &CT and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In this our complete specification we more fully describe the nature of our
improvments in the manner of manufacturing bricks, ridge tiles, and other such
like clay articles. In the manufacture of these articles from clay, it has hitherto
been found that the articles leave the kiln when burnt with an external white or
greyish surface. This white or greyish surface is detremental to the interest of
the brick manufacturer from the fact that builders prefer red bricks, and not grey
tinted bricks. Experiments have from time to time been made by various people
with the object of discovering an improvment in the manufacture that will turn
out bricks with a uniform red surface. These experiments as we pointed out in
our Provisional Specification have hitherto proved failures.
In carrying out our invention we proceed to make the bricks, ridge tiles, or
other clay goods of a like. character by the ordinary methods of passing clay
through suitable moulds which may be operated by hand or by machine. The
goods after leaving the moulds are placed in the drying shed to dry: we have
learnt from experiment that the chemical property (whatever it may be) which
produces the white or grey film on the outside of the brick or other article when
burnt comes to the surface in the process of drying.
In order to produce a red surface, we merely have to remove the outer skin and
thereby take away the film of chemical deposit, which covers the external surface
of the brick or other article after it leaves the drying shed, and although in this
stage of the process of manufacturing, the chemical deposit is not noticeable, on
account of the bricks or other clay articles presenting the usual clay color,
nevertheless it is there, and if passed into the kiln and burnt would be burnt.
on to the external surface of the brick or other clay article, and present the
objectionable whitish gray colour hereinbefore mentioned.
After the brick or other clay article has been dried in the drying shed we take
one of the articles and place it on a table or other convenient surface; we then
remove the external surface: this may be done in various ways, and so long as it
is done in any way, we consider it a part of our invention, as our invention
consists essentially in removing this objectionable skin. We find it convenient to
remove it by rubbing the surface with a piece of flannel, leather or other yielding
material, or we may if we find it more convenient scrape the film off with a knife
or a scraper. Having removed the film, we provide a loam: this loam would by
preference be made partly of sand and partly of clay mixed with water, preferably
to the consistency of a thin cream. We dip the brick, tile or other article into
this loam and then set it aside to dry: the loam amalgamates with the clay body

page_text: '
of the brick or other article. When the article treated with the loam becomes
thoroughly dry we again place it on the table or other suitable surface and rub the
sides smooth with a piece of cloth, leather or other such like material: the articles
are then passed into the burning kiln; the action of the heat on the article is
distributed through the substance of the article in a more uniform manner than it
could have been if not treated with the loam: the loam being partly formed with
sand allows the article to contract, or shrink in the process of cooling, thus
forming a solid ringing brick or other clay article of a uniform deep red colour
throughout, Should over heating cause calcination, the calcination will not
discolour the external surface of the article but will form a centre or a core
therein, therefore under all circumstances the brick, tile or other clay article will
leave the kiln of that deep red colour commercially valuable.
The process herein before described is what we purpose carrying out with the
object of producing red articles, that being the staple article appreciated in the
trade, nevertheless we adapt our processes as hereinafter set forth to produce goods
of any desired tint. We form the clay articles in the moulds in the usual manner,
dry them, and remove the chemical deposit or film: we next prepare a loam which
may be partly clay and partly sand and partly blue, black or yellow colouring
matter, or colouring matter that will when mixed with the other ingredients
forming the loam and applied to the brick or other clay article and then dried and
afterwards burnt in the kiln produce brick or other clay goods of a blue, black,
yellow, green or other desired tint.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1st. The
process hereinbefore. fully described and set forth for the removal of
the greyish chemical deposit from the external surface of unburnt bricks, or other
clay articles, together with the process of covering the scraped or prepared surface
with loam, for the purpose described, namely, the production of a brick or other
clay article, which when burnt, will be of a uniform deep red colour.
2nd. The process of making bricks or other clay articles out of ordinary grey or
other coloured clay, so as to present an external surface when burnt of a blue,
black, green, white, or other required tint, this external tint or colour being
produced by covering the surface of the prepared brick, tile, or other clay article
with a loam, whose constituent elements will when burnt produce on the face of
the brick, tile, or other clay article, the shade or tint required.
Dated this 7th day of October 1886
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER,
Cobden Buildings,
Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicants.