IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TUBES AND CYLINDERS."
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Parkes, of Birmingham, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TUBES AND CYLINDERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Parkes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th May 1858.
I, ALEXANDER PARKES, of Birmingham, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TUBES AND CYLINDERS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of tubes
and cylinders. For these purposes, in place of employing hollow cast cylinders
of copper, German silver, or other alloys of copper, I use for such purposes cast
discs or discs cut from comparatively thick sheets of copper or of German
silver or other alloy of copper, and then, in order to produce short and com-.
paratively thick tubes or cylinders therefrom, suitable for being extended (by
drawing, rolling, hammering, or other means by which cast tubes of like
metals have been heretofore extended), I subject such discs to a raising process
by means of forcers actuated by steam, in like manner to that in which steam
hammers are actuated, and by such steam forcers I cause the discs to be
raised by means of dies, through which the metal is forced, or as it is
technically called "drawn through," in a similar manner to what is now very
commonly practised in respect to thin sheet metal by forcers worked by fly
presses; or the discs may be forced by the steam forcers into hollow dies,
such as are used when stamping sheet metal. When using German silver in
making tubes or cylinders, I prefer to cast a short hollow cylinder, and then

page_text: to extend it into the length and dimensions desired; and I also, in some cases,
combine German silver with copper, brass, or other tube, in order to coat the
same with German silver.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Parkes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th November 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
PARKES, of Birmingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did. for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alexander Parkes, Her special licence that I, the said Alexander Parkes,
my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alexander Parkes, 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 TUBES AND CYLINDERS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alexander Parkes, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Parkes, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the sanie is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of tubes
and cylinders. For these purposes, in place of employing hollow cast cylinders
of copper, German silver, or other alloys of copper, I use for such purposes
cast dises or discs cut from comparatively thick sheets of copper or of German
silver or other alloy of copper, and then, in order to produce short and com-
paratively thick tubes or cylinders therefrom, suitable for being extended (by
drawing, rolling, hammering, or other means by which cast tubes of like

page_text: metals have been heretofore extended), I subject such discs to a raising
process by means of forcers actuated by steam in like manner to that in which
steam hammers are actuated, and by such steam forcers I cause the lises to
be raised by means of dies, through which the metal is forced, or as it is
technically called "drawn through," in a similar manner to what is now very
commonly practised in respect to thin sheet metal by forcers worked by fly
presses; or the discs may be forced by the steam forcers into hollow dies,
such as are used when stamping sheet metal. When using German silver in
making tubes or cylinders, I prefer to cast a short hollow cylinder, and then
to extend it into the length and dimensions desired; and I also, in some cases,
combine German silver with copper, brass, or other tube, in order to coat the
same with German silver.
Ilaving thus described the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the same. In making tubes or cylinders of copper or German
silver or other alloys of copper, I employ thick discs, either cast or cut from
thick sheets of such metals, and I cause the same to be "drawn through " dies
by suitable forcers, as is well understood when working with thin sheet metal;
but when making tubes or cylinders of considerable length, the thickness of
the original dises are to be proportioned to the length and thickness of metal
of the finished tubes or cylinders. The metal discs and products produced
therefrom above mentioned are to be heated or annealed from time to time
as required, both between the processes of "drawing through" and when
being extended on mandrils by rolling or drawing through dies, as copper and
brass tubes have heretofore been rolled between grooved rollers or drawn in a
draw-bench or suitable drawing machinery through dics. By the process of
raising or "drawing through" the discs are made into short thick tubes, from
which the closed ends are to be cut or removed, and then such short tubes are
to be extended in length on mandrils, as copper and brass tubes and cylinders
have heretofore been extended in length by rolling them with mandrils therein
between grooved rollers, or by drawing the tubes with mandrils therein through.
dies. In place of using fly or other hand presses or stamping machinery for
raising or "drawing through" the discs, I employ suitable powerful steam or
hydraulic machinery for that purpose, which is rendered necessary by reason
of working on thick discs of the metals above mentioned.
For these purposes
the direct action of steam may be used, in like manner to what steam is used
in steam hammers, the steam giving motion to suitable forcers to force the
thick discs through suitable dies as when drawing through" thin sheet metal
discs, or into dies as when stamping thin sheet metal into hollow dies; or in
place of steam being directly used, hydraulic power may be used for actuating

page_text: <
the forcers. I would here remark, that I am aware that it has before been
proposed to form short tubes from thick discs of metal by the process of
'drawing through," and then to elongate the same into tubes without cutting
off the closed ends, such elongation being effected by the use of forcers acting
against the closed ends, and thus forcing the short tubes through dies or
between grooved rollers acting as dies; I would therefore wish it to
bo understood that the peculiarity of this part of my Invention consists in the
combined means, herein described, whereby thick discs of the metal above
mentioned are raised or formed into short tubes by the process of "drawing
through," the closed ends are cut off, the short tubes are placed on mandrils,
and the tubes, together with mandrils, are either drawn through dies or rolled
between rollers in like manner to what short hollow castings have heretofore
been extended into tubes. But I make no claim to the raising the discs into
short tubes by "drawing through" when separately considered, nor do I claim
the drawing or rolling short tubes of metal with mandrils within them when
separately considered.
Another part of my Invention consists in making seamless tubes or cylinders
of German silver, by casting German silver into the form of short hollow tubes,
in like manner to that practiced when making tubes and cylinders of copper
and of brass, and such short hollow tubes of German silver are then extended
by rolling them or by drawing them through dies, the short tubes of German
silver having within them suitable mandrils, or the use of mandrils may be
dispensed with, as has heretofore been the practice when rolling or drawing
short cast tubes of copper and of brass. The cylinder or tubes of German silver
are to be annealed from time to time between the succeeding processes of
rolling or drawing. These tubes of German silver, as also those made from
discs as above described, I sometimes use for coating other tubes of copper
or brass or other metal; for which purpose I cause the tubes of German
silver, after they have been made, to be drawn or rolled on such other tubes in
place of mandrils.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Parkes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
ALEXANDER PARKES. (L.S.)
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.