IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES MOULDED OR FORMED FROM CLAYS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Vigers, of Paddington, Gentleman, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND OTHER
ARTICLES MOULDED OR FORMED FROM CLAYS."
Sealed the 3rd December 1858, and dated the 7th June 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Vigers at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th June
1858.
I, EDWARD VIGERS, of Paddington, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND
OTHER ARTICLES MOULDED OR FORMED FROM CLAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in applying a material obtained from a refuse
article resulting from the employment of the Torbane mineral and such like
material in the manufacture of carburetted bydrogen gas. When the Torbane
mineral has parted with all or nearly all the volatile or volatizable property
possessed by it or therein contained, whilst under the action of heat in a retort
for the purpose of distilling gas therefrom, it is withdrawn from the retort,
and this refuse is thrown on the waste heap. Now, it has been found that
this refuse, which is of a black color, contains generally sufficient carbonaceous
matter to enable it to be burnt in heaps in the open air without fuel. After
having been ignited, and it has been subjected to perfect calcination,
the result is white masses or nodules of a light friable material, which has
been chemically determined as "anhydrous silicate of alumina." And I have

page_text: found that by reducing this material to a suitably fine powdered condition,
and then intimately mixing it with various kinds or descriptions of clays, I
thereby improve the quality of the clay with which it is mixed, and also
enable clays which could not heretofore be employed for producing numerous
articles economically or perfectly, to be easily wrought, perfectly moulded, and
capable of being successfully burnt or kilned.
By employing this anhydrous silicate of alumina in a finely powdered state
in combination with pottery clays, and with china clays, for producing domestic
articles of earthenware and china, and for other purposes to which the
ordinary materials are applied, it imparts valuable properties thereto by which
such materials may be more easily and cheaply. worked, and fired or burnt
with less loss or damage.
By combining the said material, either alone or in combination with a
suitable portion of road scrapings, with the common London stiff clay, such as
may be found at Paddington, which, when used alone is unfitted for producing
a good colored sound stock brick, I am enabled to produce well burnt and
perfectly shaped light yellow stock bricks, and by increasing the proportions of
the said material used, can produce a nearly white and thoroughly refractory
fire-brick, equal in appearance to the best Stourbridge fire-brick.
The clay material, when properly tempered and combined with, the said
anhydrous silicate of alumina, may in this state, or in combination with other
materials be moulded into any required shape, and may be burnt.in the
ordinary way.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Vigers in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th December 1858.
2
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, 'EDWARD
VIGERS, of Paddington, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand cight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Vigers, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Vigers, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or 'such others as I, the said Edward
Vigers, 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

page_text: 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 MANU-
FACTURE OF BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES MOULDED OR FORMED FROM CLAYS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Vigers, by an in-
strument in writing under my hand and scal, 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 calender months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Vigers, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manuer the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention consists in applying a material obtained from a refuse article
resulting from the employment of the Torbane mineral, and such like material,
in the manufacture of carburetted hydrogen gas.
When the Torbane mineral has parted with all or nearly all the volatile or
volatizable property possessed by it, or therein contained whilst under the
action of heat in retort for the purpose of distilling gas therefrom, it is
withdrawn from the retort, and this refuse is thrown on the waste heap.
Now, it has been found that this refuse, which is of a black color, contains
generally sufficient carbonaceous matter to enable it to be burnt in heaps in
the open air without fuel after having been ignited; and when it has been
subjected to perfect calcination, the result is white masses or nodules of a
light friable material, which has been chemically determined as "anthydrous
silicate of alumina." And I have found that by reducing this material to a
suitably fine powdered condition, and then intimately mixing it with various
kinds or descriptions of clays, I thereby improve the quality of the clay with
which it is mixed, and also enable clays which could not heretofore be em-
ployed for producing numerous articles economically or perfectly, to be easily
wrought, perfectly moulded, and capable of being successfully burnt or
kilned.
By employing this anydrous silicate of alumina in a finely powdered state
in combination with pottery clays, and with china clays, for producing domestic
articles of earthenware and china, and for other purposes to which the ordinary
materials are applied, it imparts valuable properties thereto, by which such
materials may be more easily and cheaply worked, and fired or burnt with less
loss or damage.

page_text: By combining the said material, either alone or in combination with a
suitable portion of road scrapings, with the common London stiff clay, such as
may be found at Paddington (which, when used alone is unfitted for producing
a good coloured sound stock brick), I am enabled to preduce well burnt and
perfectly shaped light yellow stock bricks, and by increasing the proportions
of the said material used, can produce a nearly white and thoroughly
refractory fire-brick, equal in appearance to the best Stourbridge fire-brick.
The clay material, when properly tempered and combined with the said
anhydrous silicate of alumina, may in this state, or in combination with other
materials, be moulded into any required shape, and may be burnt in the
ordinary way. In practice, I have found that for the purpose of producing a
light-coloured brick of good quality with the ordinary quality of Paddington
clay, which when used alone is unsuited for brick-making, the following pro-
portions are those which give good results:-I take twenty-five parts by bulk
of Paddington clay, fifty parts by bulk of the calcined Torbane refuse, and
twenty-five parts by bulk of Macadam road scrapings, and I mix these
together, and treat them in the method usually employed for the purpose of
making bricks, and, when burnt, the result is found to be a very light-colored
red brick, hard, solid, and well shaped.
If I employ seventy-five parts by bulk of the same clay, with twenty-five
parts of the Torbane material, a solid red brick is the result, and such bricks
will be found available for purposes where a heavy, solid, and red-colored
brick is desired, but by the addition of a proportion of road scrapings to the
mixture, the color may be reduced in depth.
If fifty parts by bulk of unwashed Paddington clay be combined with
twenty-five of very finely powdered anhydrous silicate of alumina, and
twenty-five parts of Macadam road scrapings, an excellent fire brick is pro-
duced; and if instead of the last-mentioned proportion of clay, there is sub-
stituted a portion of old fire-brick material, as is commonly done in the
manufacture of bricks, a very refractory fire-brick may be produced, equal to
the best Stourbridge fire-brick.
Other proportions of the calcined Torbane material may be combined with
clays of any description to produce any desired quality or description of brick,
according to the judgment and experience of the workman; and where the
London blue clay is employed, a hard close pale yellow or straw-colored brick
may be produced by a combination of fifty parts of washed clay with fifty
parts of calcined Torbane material, and ground chalk may be introduced or
omitted, according to the temper or quality of the clay.
For the purpose of producing various articles intended to be introduced into

page_text: kilns, for the purpose of supporting articles whilst being burnt or fired, such
articles being known as "saggers," "crockets," &c., and which have hereto-
fore been made of what is known as Staffordshire sagger clay. I take a pro-
portion of one-third to two-thirds in bulk of the calcined Torbane refuse and
combine it with ordinary clay, and when the mixture has been properly
effected, and moulded into shape and burnt, perfectly refractory or fire-
resisting articles can be produced.
When the material is employed for the purpose of producing domestic and
other articles or wares in white clay, I reduce it to a state of minute sub-
division previous to mixing it with china clay and such like materials, and by
grinding and levigation under fine stones with water, a proportion of about
one-fourth to three-fourths in bulk, when dry, may be combined with china
clay, or a smaller portion may be used if old stuff be combined therewith;
and when the materials are thoroughly mixed and in a plastic state, they are
to be moulded into shape and fired in the usual way.
Having described my Invention, and set forth some of the proportions or
combinations, which, for various purposes, I have found in practice to give
good results, I wish it to be understood that whilst I make no claim for the
production from the refuse from gas retorts of the friable nodular masses of
material herein referred to as "the Torbane refuse material," and described as
being known chemically as "anhydrous silicate of alumina;" nor for the use
or employment of the material for other purposes, I do claim as my Inven-
tion, the combining and treating of the said material with clays for the
purposes set forth and as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Vigers, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
EDWARD VIGERS. (L.S.)
Witness,
WILLIAM SMITH, C. E.