Improvements in the Manufacture of Steel Wire and Iron Wire.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 6th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 7th Nov., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Steel Wire and Iron Wire.
1, HARRY TALBOT, of Salisbury Buildings, Washwood Heath Road, Saltley,
Warwickshire, Wire Drawer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention consists in the herein described improvements in the manufacture
of steel wire (particularly wire of small sizes such as pianoforte wire and wire for
making needles) and iron wire, whereby the ductility of the said wire is considerably
increased.
According to my said invention the wire, before between or during one or more
of the various drawing down processes is heated by passing along and through a
heated tube in a muffle or furnace this tube containing either a mixture of sand
lime and fireclay in about equal proportions or either of the said ingredients alone
or any two of the said ingredients together, or any other suitable substance may be
used in the tube.
The said tube containing the said mixture or other substance through which the
wire passes is by preference arranged horizontally in the muffle or furnace and the
said sand lime or fireclay, or the mixture above referred to, is fed into the said tube
in a powdered state through openings therein by vertical or other pipes communi-
cating with the said openings from the outside of the muffle or furnace.
The wire is by preference drawn through the heated tube by an ordinary
revolving swift placed a short distance in front of the muffle or furnace.
The said tube may either be of iron, fireclay or other substance which will resist
the heat of the furnace.
Instead of a single tube there may be two or more like tubes in the muffle or furnace
so as to act upon two or more lengths of wire at the same time.
Dated this 5th day of January 1891.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Steel Wire and Iron Wire.
I, HARRY TALBOT, of Salisbury Buildings, Washwood Heath Road, Saltley,
Warwickshire, Wire Drawer, 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 :-
This invention consists in the herein described improvements in the manufacture
of steel wire, particularly wire of small sizes such as pianoforte wire and wire for
making needles and iron wire, whereby the ductility of the said wire is considerably
increased.
According to my said invention the wire, before between or during one or more
of the various drawing down processes is heated by passing along and through a
heated tube in a muffle or furnace this tube containing either a mixture of sand
lime and fireclay in about equal proportions or either of the said ingredients alone
two of the said ingredients together, or any other suitable substance may be
used in the tube.
or
any
The said tube containing the said mixture or other substance through waich
the wire passes is by preference arranged horizontally in the muffle or furnace
and the said sand lime or fireclay, or the mixture above referred to is fed into

page_text: the said tube in a powdered state through openings therein by vertical or other
pipes communicating with the said openings from the outside of the muffle or
furnace.
The wire is by preference drawn through the heated tube by an ordinary
revolving swift placed a short distance in front of the muffle or furnace. The said
tube may either be of iron, fireclay or other substance which will resist the heat of
the furnace.
Instead of a single tube there may be two or more like tubes in the muffle or
furnace so as to act upon two or more lengths of wire at the same time.
On the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 represents in longitudinal section a muffle or furnace provided with four of
the said lengths of tubes arranged according to my invention;
Fig. 2 is a cross section, and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the same; and
Fig. 4 shews separately one of the sections or short lengths of which the tubes
are formed.
On my drawing I have only shewn so much of the muffle or furnace as is necessary
to illustrate my invention, the fire-grates and holes for the inlet and outlet of the
heated gases being omitted as they can be arranged in any convenient well known
manner.
A1 A2 A3 A4 are four lengths of tubes open at each end and running the whole
length of the muffle from end to end and arranged so that four separate lengths of
wire can be heated at the same time and as these tubes and their accessories are all
similar the description of one of them say A' will suffice.
It will be seen then that in the upper side of the tube A' there are inlets
marked in this case about three feet apart all along the tube, or the inlets may be
nearer together or farther apart and arranged either all along the tube A¹ or only
along part of the same. The pipes which pass through the top of the furnace into
the inlets are marked c. In my drawing these pipes are shewn vertical but they
may be inclined and pass through the sides of the furnace. In the top of each of
these pipes c is a hopper d containing the said powdered mixture or other substance
which is used in the tube A¹.
As the length of wire is drawn through the heated powdered mixture or other
powdered substance in the tube A¹ the tube A' is kept filled or partly filled with
the said powdered mixture or other powdered substance by the vertical pipes c and
the hoppers d. At the top of each of the vertical pipes c there is or may be a
valve or stopper e by which the quantity of powdered mixture or other powdered
substance passing into the tube A can be regulated or entirely stopped off.
A trough may be fixed at the outlet from the tube A' to catch the powdered
mixture or other powdered substance as it works out of the tube.
It will be observed that in Figs. 1 and 3 the muffle is represented as broken in
the middle only the two end parts of the muffle being shewn. This muffle is about
sixteen yards long but it is to be understood that I do not confine myself to any
particular length, or to any particular number of the tubes A' in the furnace as a
single tube or more than one may be used in the same furnace.
Each of the tubes A' A2 A3 A' can very conveniently be made up of short
sections such as that shewn by Fig. 4 placed end to end and carried on hollowed
bearing bricks I at the joints.
I wish it to be understood that I do not make any exclusive claim to the use of a
tube or tubes such as A' A2 A3 A4 in the muffle or furnace if such tube or tubes is
or are made without the lateral inlets for the powdered mixture or other powdered
substance as it is the use of these inlets which forms the essential part of my
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is-
1. The improvements in the manufacture of steel wire and iron wire hereinbefore

page_text: described and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, consisting in passing the
said wire through heated sand powdered lime fireclay or other suitable substance
contained in a tube (such as A¹) in a muffle or furnace, the said substance being
fed into the said tube through lateral openings (such as b) therein substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2. In the inanufacture of steel wire and iron wire and in combination with a tube
such as A¹ passing through a muffle or furnace and filled or partly filled with sand
powdered lime or fireclay or other suitable substance, the use of lateral inlets such
as 6 communicating from the outside of the muffle or furnace to the said tube A'
for the purpose and substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 5th day of October 1891.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.