AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF FLATTENING AND STRAIGHTENING SAWS AND SIMILAR PLATES OR BLADES OF STEEL DURING THE PROCESS OF HARDENING
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Russell, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF
FLATTENING AND STRAIGHTENING SAWS AND SIMILAR PLATES OR BLADES OF
STEEL DURING THE PROCESS OF HARDENING."
Sealed the 31st January 1868, and dated the 3rd August 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Russell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
August 1867.
I, JOHN RUSSELL, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM
OF FLATTENING AND STRAIGHTENING SAWS AND SIMILAR PLATES OR BLADES OF STEEL
DURING THE PROCESS OF HARDENING," to be as follows::-
P
This Invention relates to saws of any thickness and steel plates or blades
of any thickness, and consists of an improved system of flattening and
straightening saws, plates, and blades of steel during the process of
hardening. It is well known that it is usual to immerse the saws or blades
after they have been made-red-hot in hot or cold oil or a compound of oil
and grease with or without resin in order to harden them, and that generally
they are much buckled or twisted when cold, and after being tempered have
to be-flattened, straightened, and set by the hammer.
Instead of these methods I, after making the saws, plates, or blades red
hot, immerse-them in the oil or greasy.compound as before, but- before they
become cold- the- bends, buckles, or twists are taken out by placing them
between strong surface plates and pressing the plates together by screws,

page_text: cams, the falling of weights, by hydraulic pressure, or any other mechanical
means, the pressing plates being either immersed in and working in the oil or
grease or placed outside the cistern, in which latter case the saws, plates, or
blades are taken out of the oil or compound, and before they become cold
are pressed between the surface plates, but in either case the articles will be
flat, straight, and even when hardened, and thereby effect a great saving in
labour.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Russell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st
February 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN RUSSELL,
of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first
of Her
year
reign, did, for Herself, Hér heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Russell, Her special license that I, the said John Russell, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Russell, 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
Islauds, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM-OF-FLAT-
TENING AND STRAIGHTENING SAWS AND SIMILAR PLATES OR BLADES OF STEEL DURING
THE PROCESS OF HARDENING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Russell, 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 John Russell, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Figures on the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon (that is to.

page_text: This Invention relates to steel saws and plates or blades of any thickness,
and consists of an improved system of flattening and straightening the said
steel saws, plates, or blades during the process of hardening. It is well known
that it.is usual to immerse the saws or blades after they have been made red
hot in hot or cold oil or a compound of oil and grease with or without resin
in order to harden them, and that generally they are much buckled or twisted
when cold, and after being tempered have to be flattened, straightened, and
set by the hammer.
In my improved system I make the saws, plates, or blades red hot and
immerse them in the oil or greasy compound as before, but before they
become cold the bends, buckles, or twists are taken out by placing them
between strong surface plates and pressing the plates together by one, or
more screws, cams, the falling of weights, by hydraulic pressure, or any other
mechanical means, the pressing plates being either immersed in and working
in the oil or grease, or placed outside the cistern, in which latter case the
saws, plates, or blades are taken out of the oil or compound and before they
become cold are pressed between the surface plates, but in either case the
articles will be flat, straight, and even when hardened and thereby effect a
great saving in labour.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section:
Fig. 2 a plan, and Fig. 3 a transverse section of one arrangement of
macbinery or apparatus for carrying out my improved system of flattening
and straightening saws and plates or blades of steel during the process of
hardening; and Fig. 4 is a detached view of one of the parts.
The machine consists of a powerful vice having jaws composed of two
surface plates a, b, secured to two strong blocks c, d, by plates and screws e, f,
and either block and plate may be moveable. In this arrangement the
block d is fixed to one end of the strong bed g.and the block c works in a
slide h at the other end of the bed, there being a screw i and hand wheel j
for moving the block c and plate a for opening and closing the jaws, the
screw working in a nut formed in or fixed to the block d. To the bottom
of the plate bare fixed pins or bars k for the saws or blades to rest on, and
on the top of the plate there is a gauge 1, which can be adjusted to the different
lengths of the saws and blades, and afterwards fixed by the screws m. The
machine is placed in the oil trough n and fixed to it by the bolts o, Figs. 1
and 2, there being packings p, Fig. 3, for packing the screw i and preventing
the escape of the oil. When a number of saws or blades of a certain length
have to be hardeneil the gauge is adjusted and fixed as required, then-one-
of the red hot saws or blades is immersed in the oil between the plates a, b,
1

page_text: after which the plates are closed by the screw i and hand wheel j, and
allowed to remain so until the saw or blade is hardened, and when the
plates are opened and the saw or blade removed, it will be found to be
hardened in a flat and straight condition without any twists or buckles. The
operations of immersing the saws or blades in the oil and pressing them
between the plates a, b, are repeated for the entire number, and the .saws or
blades are tempered in the usual manner, but they are so straight and even
that little or no setting is required.
When desired I modify the foregoing system by hardening each saw or
blade as before described, and then partially tempering it by heat whilst
'between the plates a, b, or otherwise; I then press it between the plates a, b,
for finally straightening and flattening it, and when the proper temper is given
to it in the usual manner there are few or no twists or buckles.
When desired instead of the screw and hand wheel for closing and opening
the jaws I connect a ram to one of the blocks c, d, or several rams to one
of the plates a, b, and work the rams by bydraulic pressure, the rams being
packed where they pass through the oil cistern; or I work the plates by
cams, levers, or other mechanical means.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that I claim, the improved system of flattening and straighten-
ing saws and similar plates or blades of steel during the process of hardening
as all such improvements are herein described and illustrated on the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof,, I, the said John Russell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of January, in the year of ou
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Signed, sealed and delivered
by the within-named John
Russell, in the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
JOHN RUSSELL. (L.S.)