IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL WIRE FOR MUSICAL AND OTHER PARRACES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Smith, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL WIRE FOR MUSICAL AND OTHER PARRACES"
Sealed the 25th July 1856, and dated the 15th April 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
April 1856.
I, WILLIAM SMITH, of Aston, n' Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL WIRE FOR MUSICAL AND OTHER
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My improvements in the manufacture of such wire relate to the processes
of annealing the steel, and they have for their object a rapid and uniform
heating of it to redness when in a mass, whether such mass consist of a
considerable length of steel wire coiled together, or in any of the previous
stages, to the solid bar, and submitting such masses of steel, when heated to
to the extent desired, to the action of manganese. And the improvements
consist in so arranging the parts of the annealing furnace that the fire is
prevented acting directly upon the steel, whereby the outer surface thereof
would be subject to injuries from the intense heat thereto, and the heat is
obtained by radiation. The part of the furnace which receives the steel, in

page_text: wire or other form, is separated on the one side in part from the fire-place
(which is in the same arch or chamber) by a wall rising towards the roof
or arch of the furnace, and on the other side by a similar wall from the
escape to the flue, by which the current of heated matter will be caused to
pass over the masses of steel on the furnace bed, and only heat the same by
radiation.
I do not, however, confine myself to the precise arrangement of furnace
explained, as variations may be made therein; and I find that by such arrange-
ment of annealing furnace the heat will communicate very rapidly throughout
the entire mass of metal under operation; and when heated to the extent
desired, which usually occupies from 6 to 10 minutes, the mass is to be im-
mediately plunged into oxide of manganese, and it then goes through the usual
process of drawing to reduce it to the size required without further annealing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, file
by the said William Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th October 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SMITH, of Aston, 'n' Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Smith, Her special licence that I, the said William Smith, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Smith, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF STEEL WIRE FOR MUSICAL AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Smith, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Smith, 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
thereof, that is to say:
My improvements in the manufacture of such wire relate to the processes
of annealing the steel, and they have for their object a rapid and uniform.
heating of it to redness when in a mass, whether such mass consist of a
considerable length of steel wire coiled together, or in any of the previous
stages, to the solid bar, and submitting such masses of steel, when heated to
And the improvements
the extent desired, to the action of manganese.
consist in so arranging the parts of the annealing furnace that the fire is
prevented acting directly upon the steel, whereby the outer surface thereof
would be subject to injuries from the inteuse heat thereto, and the heat
is obtained by radiation. The part of the furnace which receives the
steel, in wire or other form, is separated on the one side in part from 'the
fire-place (which is in the same arch or chamber) by a wall rising towards
the roof or arch of the furnace, and on the other side by a similar wall
from the escape to the flue, by which the current of heated matter will be
caused to pass over the masses of steel on the furnace bed, and only heat
the same by radiation.
I do not, however, confine myself to the precise arrangement of furnace
explained, as variations may be made therein; and I find that by such arrange-
ment of annealing furnace the heat will communicate very rapidly throughout
the entire mass of metal under operation; and when heated to the extent
desired, which usually occupies from six to ten minutes, the mass is to be
immediately plunged into oxide of manganese, and it then goes through the
usual process of drawing to reduce it to the size required without further
annealing.
7
But that the nature of my said Invention, and the means which I adopt in
carrying the same into effect, may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe
the Drawing annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING,
which represents a sectional and a plan view of a furnace arranged to carry
a is the bed of the furnace, upon which is placed the
out my improvements.

page_text: order further to secure this object, I form another similar wall e on that side
of the furnace next the descent or escape from the furnace to the flue.
I would here state that I am aware that heretofore furnaces for annealing
wire have been arranged with the fire in the same arch, but in such cases the
furnaces were adapted to receive large masses, say, from two to four hundred-
weight, the wire remaining in them some two or three hours before being
taken out, and was acted upon directly by the heat obtained, and this heat
was also suffered to decline before the removal of the wire; and I mention
this in order to state that I remove the masses immediately they are thoroughly
heated to redness, which usually occupies from six to ten minutes, and imme-
diately plunge, them into powerful oxidizing agency, for which purpose I
employ the oxide of manganese; and to facilitate the speedy heating of the
masses of steel, I place only such quantities at any one time on the bed a of
the furnace that will admit of the radiant heat at once operating upon the.
entire surface thereof.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the best means.
I am acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood:
that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein shown and described.
so long as the peculiar character of the improvements be retained; but what:
I do claim is, the heating of steel used in the production of wire for musical
and other purposes, for the purpose of annealing in furnaces of the character
described, and then subjecting such steel thus heated to the action of oxide of.
manganese.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Smith, have hereunto set -my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
WILLIAM SMITH. (L.S.)
Witness,
JAMES SMITH.