IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS KILNS FOR BURNING GLASS, CHINA, POTTERY WARE AND OTHER SUCH LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, GEORGE WILLIAM WILKINSON of St Mary Abbott Terrace Kensington in
the County of Middlesex, Artist in Stained Glass do hereby declare the nature
of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS KILNS FOR BURNING GLASS,
CHINA, POTTERY WARE AND OTHER SUCH LIKE ARTICLES to be as follows that
is to say:-
This invention has for its object improvements in gas kilns for burning Glass,
china, pottery ware and other such like articles in a more certain and expeditious
manner and with greater economy of heat than is possible with the present
arrangement of kilns. The breakage of stained glass in burning will also be much
less than with those kilns in which the glass is exposed to the naked heat.
Kilns made according to my invention are constructed of a cast or wrought iron
or other casing which may be fixed upon a proper fixed foundation at the centre of
a shop so that both ends are easily accessible, or upon a movable base so that it may
be removed to any desired position. The iron box is open at each end and may be
arched at the top with rails or runners on the base which correspond with rails
carried from both ends of the kiln. At the lower part of each side are the gas
perforated pipes connected to.the out side by a branch or branches which are carried
to the outside and main. supplied with an atmospheric burning arrangement for
economizing the gas. The outside of this casing is either protected by brick work
or other non-conducting covering sufficiently thick to minimize the effects of
radiation therefrom. Now I make two or more cages or supplemental ovens
having wheels or runners so that they may be easily run into the outer box
or kiln.
These cages are fitted complete with either shelves or trays upon which
the glass to be burned is placed. Now to prevent the heat of the oven from being
lost in any way I have both ends open so that one cage may be taken out at one
end and the other run in at the opposite end or the same object may be gained by
a fork or branch tramway at one end.
The process is thus as follows. The inner case or cage is packed with glass or
other articles to be burned and the end or ends sealed up with doors and it is then
run into position in the oven. The gas burners which run along each side may
now be lighted and if necessary a supplimental one or more under the centre
of the cage and the end doors are closed and sealed up so that heat can only
t

page_text: escape through several flues at the top of the kiln to a chimney or chimneys.
Now immediately the glass or other articles are sufficiently burned which may
be ascertained by suitable windows in the doors the cage is run out and is
immediately replaced by another cage packed with articles ready to be burnt.
Thus by these means I am enabled to constantly utilize the heat stored in the outer
casing to heat up the new cage gradually until the gas completes the burning and
great economy of fuel and time is accomplished. The hot cage taken out may
either be allowed to cool in the open air or may be run into a supplemental cooler
kiln or outer case which would make the process of cooling more gradual. By the
means of a series of two or more kilns in the set I can make the glass as tough as
I like and the cages may be partly heated in one chamber and then passed to
another hotter and cooled down in the same manner. These chambers may be
made continious or nearly so if necessary.

page_text: "
I. GEORGE WILLIAM WILKINSON of St Mary Abbott Terrace, Kensington in
the County of Middlesex, Artist in Stained Glass do hereby declare the nature
of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS KILNS FOR BURNING GLASS
CHINA POTTERY WARE AND OTHER SUCH LIKE ARTICLES and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, to be as follows that is to say :—
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in gas kilns for burning Glass,
china pottery ware and other such like articles in a more certain and expeditious
manner and with greater economy of heat than is possible with the present
arrangement of kilns. The breakage of stained glass in burning will also be much
less than with those kilns in which the glass is exposed to the naked heat.
Kilns made according to my invention are constructed of a cast or wrought iron
or other casing which may be fixed upon a proper fixed foundation at the centre of
a shop so that both ends are easily accessible, or upon a movable base so that it
may be removed to any desired position. The iron box is open at each end and
may be arched at the top with rails or runners on the base which correspond with
rails carried from both ends of the kiln. At the lower part of each side or bottom
are the gas perforated pipes connected to the out side by a branch or branches
which are carried to the outside and main supplied with an atmospheric burning
arrangement for economizing the gas. The outside of this casing is either protected
by brick work or other non-conducting covering sufficiently thick to minimize the
effects of radiation therefrom. Now I make two or more cages or supplemental
ovens having wheels or runners so that they may be easily run into the outer box
or kiln. These cages are fitted complete with either shelves or trays upon which
the glass to be burned is placed. Now to prevent the heat of the oven from being
lost in any way I have both ends open so that one cage may be taken out at one
end and the other run in at the opposite end or the same object may be gained by
a fork or branch tramway at one end.
The process is thus as follows: The inner case or cage is packed with glass or
other articles to be burned and the end or ends sealed up with doors and it is then
run into position in the oven. The gas burners which run along each side may now
be lighted and if necessary a supplemental one or more under the centre of the
cage and the end doors are closed and sealed up so that heat can only escape
through one or more flues at the top of the kiln to a chimney or chimneys. Now
immediately the glass or other articles are sufficiently burned which may be ascer-
tained by suitable windows in the doors the cage is run out and is immediately
replaced by another cage packed with articles ready to be burnt. Thus by these
means I am enabled to constantly utilize the heat stored in the outer casing to heat
up the new cage with the stored heat in outer casing when the gas completes the
burning and great economy of fuel and time is accomplished. The hot cage taken
out may either be allowed to cool in the open air or may be run into a supplemental

page_text: cooler kiln or outer case which would make the process of cooling more gradual.
By the means a series of two or more kilns in the set I can make the glass as tough
as I like and the cages may be partly heated in one chamber and then passed to
another hotter and then cooled down in the same manner. These chambers may
be made continious or nearly so if necessary.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practical effect I have appended hereunto a sheet of drawings upon which is
shown a small portable or amateurs kiln made almost wholly of cast iron and
which may be set at the middle or other part of any room with a moveable or
other pipe C communicating by any convenient means with a chimney on the
outside. The construction of larger Kilns would be similar but the casing and box
or carriage may be built up in divisions or the outer case or Kiln may be built in
brick work.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the Kiln.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the Kiln shown without any doors to the outer
part or kiln as there is nothing particularly novel in the outer doors except suitable
holes to correspond with the projections & in the inner doors through which the
conditions of the inner chamber H can be observed from the outside without
opening either sets of doors. The outer doors may either be hinged or slide side-
ways or vertically.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation on line E. F.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan on line A. B.
Now the outer casing G in the example of the small kiln herein shown is one
casting having suitable end flanges for the sake of strength, economy of metal and
also to which the hinges or other fastenings may be secured. The inner chamber H
is mounted upon suitable wheels kk 23 which run upon rails or in grooves k
and and is fitted with sliding shelves or trays 1, 2, 3, 4 of which there may be
any number or arrangement according to the size and particular purpose for which
the kiln is used for the arrangement of the inside may be greatly varied for
instance there might be little cupboards formed around the outside of the sides as
well as the ends and the inner chamber might be so large in exceptional cases as to
allow of a passage up the centre with side shelves but the principle would remain
the same in each case. This chamber H is fitted with suitable doors M at either
both or one end only according to the size of the kiln. Now when the inner
chamber H is closed up and run into the outer casing or kiln G and suitable outer
doors either hinged or otherwise are closed the gas jets n, n¹, n², n³, and n may be
lighted. The gas passes in by the feed pipe P and branch pipes p' and p², which
are fitted with cross pipes at each end communicating with the side or end
burners n¹, n, n-and n³ the middle or centre burner n rising from the junction
piece but this arrangement of burners may be varied both in regard to the position
number and size so long as the requisite amount of gas is admitted to well develope
the inner chamber. Each of the burners n are fitted with my atmospheric nose
piece R similar to the ones shown for my soldering Irons.No 6073 A: D: 1884 or its
equivalent for admitting the requisite amount of air to mix with the gas. Each
burner is also supplied with two cocks s and t the latter for regulating the gas
supply and the former for cutting of the connection entirely both for the air at the
nose R and also the gas. The bottom of the outer casing is also supplied with
suitable air openings u which may be covered by suitable slides or dampers V in
order that all the openings may when necessary be cut off from the outer air.
chimney C is supplied with a suitable valve or damper for closing it. There may
however be a flue or flues running along the upper part of the outer casing or kiln
with several flues, or openings communicating with the chimney and each flue may
when found necessary be regulated by a separate valve or damper. The rails or
grooves W correspond with the grooves and 5 so that the inner chamber H may
be run out at the one and another similar chamber which we will call X run in at
the other end to save heat and time for while H is cooling down sufficiently to
allow it to be opened X would be heated up by the hot outer casing or kiln G.
The

page_text: The old way is to allow both the kiln and the old carriage to cool together. In
some cases I construct two three or more outer casings so that the inner chamber
would be run out of G into one considerably cooler before coming into the open air
permanently and the heat substracted from H in the supplimental kiln or outer
casing would be used to commence to heat up X before being run into G and
this principle of action may be considerably expanded or curtailed according to
circumstances.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. In gas Kilns for burning glass China Pottery ware and other such like
articles the inner chamber H having trays or shelves and heated by atmospheric
gas jets substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.
Second. In gas Kilns for burning glass China, Potteryware and other such like
articles the arrangement of two or more outer cases or Kilns with two or more
inner chambers operated from one to the other so as to economise the heat and to
gradually cool down the said chambers.
Third. The particular mode of admitting the air and the gas and air by two
taps attached to each burner and as applied to the particular purpose herein named
substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.