IMPROVEMENTS IN LETTER-COPYING PRESSES AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN MANUFACTURING THE SAME
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Muir, of Victoria Street, in the City of
Westminster, and of the Britannia Works, in the City of Manchester,
Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LETTER-COPYING PRESSES
AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN MANUFACTURING THE SAME."
Sealed the 14th June 1864, and dated the 2nd January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Muir at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd
January 1864.
I, WILLIAM MUIR, of Victoria Street, in the City of. Westminster, and of
the Britannia Works, in the City of Manchester; Machinist, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LETTER-COPYING PRESSES
AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN MANUFACTURING THE SAME," to be as
follows:-
My improvements consist, first, in making the foundation plate of the
copying press of wrought iron swaged or pressed into a suitably shaped mould,
or rolled between rollers having recesses of the shape of the foundation plate,
which is afterwards finished by cutters; secondly, in forging the beam of

page_text: round iron, which is turned and screwed at each end in a lathe; the beam is
then bent to the requisite form in a machine consisting of a bolding block
and of a pair of cams or rollers actuated simultaneously by screws and wheels
or other equivalents; the screwed ends of the beam fit in holes in the foun-
dation plate, and are held therein by lock nuts; the platen, screw, and handles
are made as usual.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Muir in the Great Seal Patent Oflice on the 30th
June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MUIR, of Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, and of the Britannia
Works, in the City of Manchester, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Muir, Her special license that I, the said William
Muir, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Muir, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 LETTER-COPYING PRESSES AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN
MANUFACTURING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said. William Muir, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Muir, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
My improvements consist, first, in making the foundation plate of the
copying press of wrought iron, either swaged or pressed into a suitably shaped

page_text: mould, or rolled between rollers having recesses of the shape of the founda-
tion plate, which is afterwards finished by cutters; secondly, in forging the
beam of round iron, which is turned and screwed at each end in a lathe; the
beam is then bent to the requisite form in a machine consisting of a holding
block, and of a pair of cams or rollers actuated simultaneously by screws and '
wheels or other equivalents; the screwed ends of the beam fit in holes in the
foundation plate, and are held therein by lock nuts; the platen, screw, and
handles are made as usual.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the two accompanying Sheets
of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is an elevation; Fig. 2 is a plan; and Fig. 3 an end
elevation of the machinery or apparatus for manufacturing the beams of letter-
copying presses according to my improvements.
a represents the beam of a press, which is forged of wrought iron and then
turned, and the end screws cut in a lathe of the ordinary construction or by
other suitable tools; the centre hole is then bored, and the beam is otherwise
finished previous to being bent into the form shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 2;
b is the foundation plate of the bending apparatus, to it is cast or fixed the
block c, which has a groove corresponding in shape to the interior of the
beam when bent; in line with the centre of the block c is the holding screw. d
passing through the screwed block e, and the end of the screw d fits in the
holding block f. At each side of the block c is a slot through the foundation
plate, in which the nuts g are moved to and fro by the screws h; these screws
are connected together so as to turn round simultaneously by the wheels i and
intermediate wheel j.. To each nut 9 is cast, forged, or fixed a stud, on which
the swivel block k are mounted; one edge of each block k is recessed to fit the
beam a. The Drawing represents the parts in the positions they occupy when
the heated beam a has been secured between the blocks c and f, and when the
swivel blocks & have been brought into contact with the ends of the beam, the
screws h must now be turned round by the pinion j, which is driven by hand
or power so as to force the blocks k gradually in the direction of the arrows
in Fig. 2, thereby gradually compressing the beam into the groove in the
block c until it finally assumes the shape, and the swivel blocks k assume the
positions indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The attendant then turns
the screws h in the contrary direction to draw back the nuts g and blocks k,
the holding screw d is turned round to liberate the block f, and the bent beani
can then be removed from the block c.

page_text: On Sheet 2, Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are three views of an apparatus for effecting
the same object, constructed according to a modification of my Invention in
these views represents a block or mould with a recess of the shape of the
outer portion of the beam a; this block is laid on or fixed to the anvil of an
ordinary steam hammer. Above the block is the block m, which is either
fixed to the piston rod of the steam hammer or loose and guided in suitable
slides, and acted upon by the steam hammer; the block m has a recess corre-
sponding to the inner shape of the beam; a pin n is fixed to the block m,
fitting in the eye of the beam to keep it lengthwise in the centre of the bottom
block; when the beam has been turned up, screwed, and otherwise shaped
it is made red hot and laid on the top of the block I, the block m is then
gradually brought down and forced by a succession of light blows into the
position shewn in Fig. 4, thereby bending the straight bar into the bent
beam a, or the block m may be forced gradually into the block 7 by hydraulic
or other pressure.
Figs. 7 and 8 represent a side view and plan of a mould for forging or
shaping the foundation plate of the copying press. The block p is made with
a recess 9 of the shape and depth of the foundation plate; the bloom or lump
of iron, of which the foundation plate is to be made, is roughed out by rolling
or otherwise at the iron works, and then, when heated, it is driven into the
recess of the block p by blows of a steam hammer or other suitable pressure;
the scarf or projecting edges must then be sheared off or otherwise removed.
the surface of the plate planed, and the holes for the ends of the beam a to
pass through drilled to complete the foundation plate.
'
Fig. 9 represents an elevation of a copying press constructed according to
my improvements. The platen v is made as usual, or forged in a mould in
the same manner as the foundation plate above described, and the screws and
bandles t are made in the usual manner.
In Fig. 9 the foundation plate q is shewn supported on two cast or wrought
iron blocks u, as shewn in Figs. 10 and 11, but these blocks may be forged
on the under side of the foundation plate. by making the recess q in Figs. 7
and 8 of a suitable shape.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
First, the improved mode of constructing the beams of copying presses of
wrought iron, as described.
Secondly, the improved mode of constructing the foundation plate of copying
presses, as described.

page_text: And, thirdly, the machinery described, or any mere modification thereof, for
manufacturing parts of copying presses.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Muir, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.