Improvements in the Process of the Manufacture of Pressed Glass Articles and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 8th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 8th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Process of the Manufacture of Pressed Glass
Articles and in Apparatus therefor.
I, HENRY HARLEY PITT of Low Fell, Gateshead-upon-Tyne in the County of
Northumberland Glass Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to arrange a press so that a considerable amount
of labour or manipulation hitherto required in the making of pressed glass articles
is dispensed with, and to combine with said improved press an apparatus and
glowry-hole with which the articles pressed are subsequently fire polished auto-
matically, and articles made with stems legs or other similar thin reduced parts or
projections are not liable to get out of shape when being so fire polished, for which
purpose I arrange my improved press with a table containing any suitable number
of moulds, and which table is fed round by worm and worm wheel or other
equivalent mechanical gearing arranged at lower part of machine and in such a
manner that a mould is brought under a plunger, and held in position until said
plunger is withdrawn and a fresh mould is brought into position at every stroke of
machine, so as to come under its respective plunger.
Each plunger is attached to a horizontal plate which presses against the lower
end of a piston rod when pressing the glass article, for the purpose of giving the
plunger the necessary amount of pliability and allowing the machine to work in the
manner hereinafter described. The said piston rod is secured to a piston which fits
into a vertical cylinder and the said piston may be either formed with two plates
having springs fitted between the same; in which case a screw passes through top
of cylinder for regulating the pressure or resistance on the piston rod, or the piston
may be fitted with Ramsbottom's rings or other packing so that steam or com-
pressed air may be admitted to the upper surface in which case the cylinder may be
arranged with a reducing or regulating valve for modifying the pressure on the
piston, so as to vary the pliability of the plunger to suit the necessity of other glass
being pressed, as will be understood.
The piston rod passes through a screwed sleeve which carries the cylinder at
the top thereof and bears in a cross bar, which is moved up and down by a lever or
levers operated by a crank worked by hand or other power from behind or under or
above the machine.
The lower end of said sleeve is secured to a second cross bar which carries the
plunger plate, and the bottom of piston rod has a plate or head, against which the
upper part of said plunger plate bears when the article is being pressed.
The said plunger plate is arranged to carry two or more plungers which are
secured to under side thereof, preferably by means of suitable springs so as to lend
sufficient flexibility to the plunger in order to allow the levers which drive the press
to go easily over their centres.
The said plunger plate is so arranged that when the plunger has pressed the glass
in the mould and after being lifted clear of said mould it revolves or turns horizon-
tally so as to bring another plunger in position above the press mould brought into
position underneath same.
In order to revolve the plunge plate for the purpose described I form a spiral
groove in the rod which carries the same and arrange a hinged pin to fall into said
groove when the plunger is clear of the mould, and to becoine clear of said groove.
when the plunger cominences to press within the mould.
I preferably arrange my said improved press in connection with an improved

page_text: glowry-hole, and in such a manner that as the articles are pressed, they can be
placed or fed upon suitable shapes or carriers arranged on an endless belt or other
equivalent contrivance for propelling or carrying them through the glowry-hole
which latter I arrange in the form of a retort and of such shape in cross section
that the thin parts, stems or projections of the pressed glass articles are preserved
from coming in contact with the full heat of the flame or flames which are arranged
to play from burners situated at either side of said retort.
Dated this Seventh day of March 1892.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Process of the Manufacture of Pressed Glass
Articles and in Apparatus therefor.
Í HENRY HARLEY PITT of Low Fell Gateshead upon Tyne in the County of
Durham Glass Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to arrange a press so that a considerable amount of
labour or manipulation hitherto required in the manufacture or making of pressed
glass articles is dispensed with and to combine with said improved press and
apparatus a glowry hole with which the articles pressed are subsequently fire
polished without it being necessary to handle the same or where preferable to merely
take the pressed articles from the moulds and place them on my improved apparatus
whereby they are fire polished without further labor or manipulation.
By means also of my improved glowry hole articles made with stems legs or other
similar thin or reduced parts or projections are so treated as not to be liable to get
out of shape when being fire polished.
In order to attain my object I construct my improved press and apparatus sub-
stantially as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
It is to be noted that an important and novel feature in this part of my invention
relates to the use of plungers which are brought into action intermittently in such
a manner that a plunger or plungers may be doing pressing work while corresponding
plungers are out of action and are cooling or being cooled artificially in the usual
way ready for renewed action. Another important feature in my invention relates
to the self acting mechanism which I employ for receiving the pressed articles upon
suitable supports attached to frame work which carries them into and out of the
glowry hole where they are safely and efficiently exposed to the action of heat and
properly fire polished.
Fig. 1. is a front elevation of my improved press with an end view of my fire
polishing apparatus and glowry hole in combination therewith.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said press combined with a part longitudinal sectional
elevation of said fire polishing apparatus and glowry hole.
Fig. 3 is a plan of table of improved press with upper portion of the machine
removed combined with plan of part of the fire polishing apparatus.
Fig. 4 is a plan and Fig. 5 an elevation of an arrangement for automatically
tilting the moulds so as to place the pressed glass articles on to the fire polishing
apparatus from said moulds in order to be fed through the glowry hole.
Fig. 6 is an elevation and Fig. 7 a plan of the mechanism I find it advantageous
to employ for turning the table of the press and working the feeding apparatus
through the glowry hole.
Fig. 8 is a cross sectional elevation of a modified form of glowry hole and carrying
apparatus.
Fig. 9 is a plan of a modified arrangement for glowry hole and
Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a further modification of said
glowry hole.

page_text: Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view.
My improved press is arranged with a table A which carries a number of suitable
moulds B the said table A being carried upon a centre vertical spindle or shaft a¹
which bears in top of frame or bench C and has secured to it a ratchet wheel & the
latter being fed round by a pawl e' which is pinned to a bar e² which is operated by
a cam e fixed to the machine or press shaft e. By this arrangement it will be
obvious that as the shaft et revolves a mould B is brought under a plunger or
die G and is retained in possession until said plunger G is withdrawn and a fresh
mould B is brought into position ready to receive a plunger at every stroke of the
machine.
Each said plunger G is attached to a horizontal plate ga portion of which is
kept up to the lower end of a piston rod H the latter driving the plunger plate g¹
downwards when pressing the article. The said piston rod H. is secured to a
piston which works in a vertical cylinder J and the said piston is preferably
formed with two plates having springs fitted between them as shown in lotted
lines Fig. 2 in which arrangement a screw y passes through top of cylinder J for
regulating the pressure or resistance.
Where preferred the piston may be arranged fitted with Ramsbottom rings or
other packing in order that air or other fluid may be admitted upon the upper
surface thereof in which case the said cylinder I may have a reducing valve con-
nected therewith for modifying the pressure on the piston.
I do not illustrate this
arrangement here as it has been used before and is therefore well known and I only
mention it in order to make it obvious that such a modified form of cylinder and
piston may be used. The piston rod H passes through a screw sleeve in the
usual manner and it is arranged with a shoe or enlarged part or plate * which is
guided in the cross bar Vs and presses on the plunger plate gl as shown. The said
plunger plate g is so arranged that when the plunger G has pressed the glass in
the mould B and after being lifted clear of said mould it is moved horizontally from
said position and simultaneously another mould and another plunger come into
position ready for the pressing of another article. By this arrangement it will be
obvious that articles of various shapes and sizes may be pressed with the same
machine and by changing the plungers as well as the moulds in each pressing the
articles may be pressed quickly without the risk of the plungers and moulds
becoming overheated. In order to revolve the plunger plate for the purpose
described I arrange a rod p' which passes through a sleeve p² and has secured to its
upper part a sleeve p³ in which is formed two spirally formed grooves. The
latter receives the end of a hinged pin which is kept in working position by
means of a spring po. The upper end of the rod p¹ bears in a bracket p' and the
lower end is secured into the plate gl
Between the fixed sleeve pa and the bearing a spiral spring 8 is placed as
shown. As the plunger plate g' and the rod p¹ are lifted up they are turned round
by means of the pin p' and spiral grooves p', and by this means another plunger G
comes in position for pressing at each stroke of the machine.
I would have it borne in mind that some of the parts I have described with
reference to my improved press are not novel and have been used before for the
same purpose for instance I am aware that presses have been made with revolving
tables containing a number of moulds brought into position to receive a plunger but
hitherto no changing of the plunger has been arranged. I am also aware that two
or more plungers have been arranged but these have all pressed into their respective
moulds at the same time the advantage therefore of my improved press is that a
plunger and mould may be cooling while another plunger and mould is pressing and
this arrangement enables a number of differently shaped articles to be pressed with
the same machine.
I show an engine to work my press and apparatus and the said press has screw
sleeve cross bars connecting rods and cranks as shown and it is not necessary to
describe these parts as they are well known.
It is obvious that by suitably modifying the apparatus any required number of

page_text: plungers and moulds may be made to operate in a manner similar to that described
with reference to the figures of my drawings which show the way in which I usually
work my improved pressing and moulding mechanism. It will be also understood
that ordinary methods of cooling the plungers when brought out of action may be
employed.
I find it advantageous to arrange my improved press in connection or combination
with an improved glowry hole Q and in such a manner that when the glass articles
are pressed they can be placed or fed upon suitable shapes or carriers arranged on
an endless belt or chain S for propelling or carrying them through the glowry
hole Q and each shape or carrier is carried upon a spindle r' which has secured to
it a pinion which meshes with a fixed rack as the shapes pass through the
retort so as to revolve the shapes and the pressed glass articles thereon. The
glowry hole Q is made in the form of a retort composed of suitable refractory
material and may either be of the shape shown at Fig. 1. or Fig. 8 or in such shape
in cross section that the thinner parts stems or projections such as ¹ of the pressed
glass article is preserved from coming in contact with the full flame or flames which
are arranged to play from the burners w situated at either side of the retort Q. The
intermittent travelling motion of the belt S is obtained by the ratchet wheels and
pawl. The belt $ is carried upon suitable drums s¹ supported in a suitable
frame R which also carries the retort Q and is mounted upon suitable wheels R².
The came which is secured to the machine shaft et works a rod e² to which the
pawl is pivotted so as to work the driving drum s¹. In order to tilt the pressed
glass articles out of the mould B and on to the shape I arrange on the underside
of the table A and made with or fixed thereto toothed segments a' which mesh with
a pinion having a hole through its centre with a thread or projection in order to
operate a lifting spindle which is made with a corresponding thread or spiral
groove as shown at Fig. 5. Each mould B is hinged to the table A and as the said
table is turned round the pinion gears with a segment a and the spindle w' is
lifted thus tilting the mould so as to place the pressed articles on to the shape. I
prefer to arrange the engine M under or between the frame C and to drive the
machine shafte by spur gearing direct from the engine shaft F but it is obvious
that other equivalent means of giving motion to the pressing mechanism and parts
connected therewith may be employed.
Referring to Fig. 8 I find in order to fire polish the edge of some pressed glass
articles and also a suitable distance within the hollow part of the same that it is
necessary to lift the article from the shape » now and again during its passage
through the retort or glowry hole and for this purpose therefore I arrange each
shape with a part attached to a vertical rod or spindle. The said rod
having a collar so as to hold up a spring which is fixed into hollow part of
shape r. Projections in the forms of inclined planes are arranged at desirable
intervals and fixed in stationary positions under the belt S by which means the
pressed glass article V is lifted now and again during its motion past the burners w.
The burners w may be supplied with oil and steam in a well known manner or with
gas and air and the glowry hole Q has a chimney 7 in order to let off the products
of combustion.
Instead of the mechanism above described and used for receiving the pressed or
moulded articles and conveying them into and out of the glowry hole equivalent
mechanism working in like manner may be employed.
Fig. 9 shows a modified form of glowry hole. The shapes are carried on a
horizontal tables which is moved intermittently by the pawls and ratchet wheel s³.
The retort Q is in this arrangement semicircular in form but in all other respects it
is similar to that shown at Figs. 1 and 2 the shapes being operated in a similar
manner.
Another modification is shown in Fig. 10 instead of using an endless belt S I
arrange a board 2 having a rack on the underside thereof and pass this through the
glowry hole Q by means of the pinion which may be driven in any suitable
manner

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a machine such as is described and which is employed for forming pressed
glass articles the employment of mechanism so constructed as to bring a fresh
plunger or fresh plungers into position while the plunger or plungers that have
been pressing are moved out of position and left to be cooled substantially as
described.
2. In combination with a machine for pressing glass articles such as is described
the use of a glowry hole or furnace provided with mechanically worked apparatus
arranged to receive the pressed articles from the moulds upon shapes or carriers
and then to carry them forward through a suitable furnace substantially in the
manner set forth and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
3. The combination of parts forming my improved glowry hole or furnace and
provided with self acting receiving and moving mechanism applied substantially in
the manner described with reference to the respective modifications shown in the
annexed drawings.
4. The employment of self acting mechanism for giving motion to the pressed
articles upon their supports while being carried through the heating furnace or
glowry hole substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of December 1892.
H. F. BOUGHTON, M.I. Mech. E.,
Sheffield, Agent.