IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF FINISHING PRESSED OR MOULDED GLASS TUMBLERS AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John George. Davidson," of the Teams Glass Works,
Dunston, in the County of Durham, Glass Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF FINISHING PRESSED OR MOULDED
GLASS TUMBLERS AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John George Davidson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th August 1879.
JOHN GEORGE DAVIDSON, of the Teams Glass Works, Dunston, in the County
of Durham, Glass Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF FINISHING
PRESSED OR MOULDED GLASS TUMBLERS AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES."
My improvements relates more particularly to the shaping of pressed or moulded
tumblers and may be thus briefly described,
―
The operative receiving the tumbler to be shaped inverts it over a tool which I
call a shaper, exteriorly of the size and form of the interior of the said tumbler
when finished. This shaper is held and worked by a lever inside of and projecting
from a box, which forms a kind of table to receive the tumbler to be operated upon.
The tumbler is now ready to be pressed or shaped, and this is performed by the
operative taking a shaping ring suitable to match and fit round the bottom of the
tumbler. By pressing the shaping ring over the glass tumbler to be shaped it
descends the shaper and all inequalities are pressed thereout. The shaper is
now lowered from out the manufactured article by depressing the lever. The.
tumbler may now be removed and the lever and shaper again raised into position
to receive another tumbler to be treated as before. To meet the requirements of
different sized articles the shaper is made so as to be readily taken from off the .
lever and replaced by a larger or smaller tool for shaping tumblers of the required.
size. The platform or table on which the tumbler rest, after the shaping tools
has been withdrawn, is fitted with an annular flat ring, which can be removed and
another screwed thereon to meet any alteration in the size of the shaper.
Any convenient number of shapers may be employed from off the one lever or
levers as may be required.
"
One of the present methods in use is to have a shaping tool of the form of
the letter U, and the glass is shaped whilst on the "pontie." This mode however
requires considerable skill and labour, and I anticipate that my Invention will
overcome the many difficulties now felt in the trade.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John George Davidson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
February 1880.
JOHN GEORGE DAVIDSON, of the Teams Glass Works, Dunston, in the County
of Durham, Glass Manufacturer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF FINISHING
PRESSED OR MOULDED GLASS TUMBLERS AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES."
My Invention relates to the shaping of pressed or moulded glass tumblers, sugar
basins, jugs, vases, celery urns, and like articles, and may be thus described,-
The operative receiving an article (say a glass tumbler) to be shaped inverts it
over a tool, which I call a shaping block, made exteriorly of the size and form of
the interior of the said glass tumbler when finished. This shaping block is held
in position by a hand lever inside of and projecting from a box, which latter
forms a kind of table to receive the glass tumbler to be operated upon. The glass
tumbler is now ready to be pressed or shaped, and this is performed by "the operative
taking a shaping ring suitable to match and fit round the top of the finished glass
tumbler, and passing the said shaping ring from the bottom to the top of the said
glass tumbler presses thereout all inequalities. By depressing the aforesaid lever
the shaping block is lowered from out the shaped article. At this stage of the
operation the glass tumbler, now unsupported by the shaping block, lodges upon a
loose annular tray which is used for the purpose of lifting the manufactured article
from off the table or box of my apparatus and to enable the operative's assistant
to conveniently deposit the said glass tumbler preparatory to it being taken to the
annealing oven.. The shaping block may be again raised by means of the aforesaid
lever into position to receive another glass tumbler to be treated as before.
To meet the requirements of different sized articles the shaping block is made so
as to be readily taken from off the lever and replaced by a larger or smaller shaping
block of the required size. The platform or table 'upon which the said tray and
glass tumbler rest, after the shaping block has been withdrawn, is fitted with an
annular flat ring, which can be removed and another secured thereon. to meet any
alterations in the size of the shaping block.
When glass sugar basins, or such articles as have a foot thereto, are shaped with
my improved apparatus I connect to the platform or table upon which rests the
article when shaped a vertical rod, or standard having a moveable arm at right
angles to it and carrying a disc or flat plate. This arm may, by any ordinary
mechanical means, be adjusted to a suitable height above the level of the table and
adapted to the article to be shaped. It is used for the purpose of retaining the
foot of the said article in a truly horizontal position, thereby giving the foot of the
shaped article a true and even base as well as imparting greater steadiness than is
usually given to. such glass articles when shaped by the ordinary method and
means. The said vertical rod or standard and horizontal arm attachment may be
employed as an auxiliary to my apparatus for shaping tumblers and other like
articles without feet as before described.
"
1
་ ་
Any convenient number of shaping blocks may be employed from off the one
lever or levers as may be found.expedient, and in some instances the shaping ring
may work in guides, but I prefer to use the shaping ring separately, as the former
method would entail extra expense in constructing my apparatus, with little if any
advantage resulting therefrom, even supposing the shaping ring to be counter
balanced by springs or otherwise. Or the shaping ring suspended in guides may
be released from the top of the said guides, and by means of a spring acting upon
the undermost or uppermost part of the shaping ring thrust or draw the said
shaping ring over the article to be shaped. The advantages of this latter plan
would be that the pressure given to the shaping ring could be regulated to any
nicety according to the thickness of the article and the amount of leer it had
received.
One of the present methods in use is to have a shaping tool of the form of the

page_text: letter U and the glass tumbler is shaped whilst on the "pontie.". This mode
however requires considerable skill and labour, and I anticipate that my Invention
will overcome the many difficulties now felt in the trade.
I will now proceed to describe my improvements more fully by aid of the
accompanying Drawing, reference being had to the letters and figures marked
thereon.
Figure 1 is a sectional clevation of my shaping apparatus on line 1, 2, Fig. 2,
Figure 2 being a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a section of my apparatus adapted for shaping articles with feet such
as glass sugar basins.
Figure 4 is a detail of my shaping block.
Figures 5 and 6 are respectively an elevation and plan of the shaping ring
employed; and
Figures 7 and 8 are details of the loose annular tray used for receiving the glass
tumbler or manufactured article after the shaping block has been withdrawn or
lowered.
In all these Figures A is the shaper or shaping block supported and worked by
the hand lever B, which is kept in position by an inverted shaped slotted
opening (a, a, Figures 1 and 3) in the side of the box B₁ of my improved apparatus.
The operative's assistant having brought from the "glory hole," say a glass
tumbler, inverts and places it over the shaping block A, placed in position as shewn.
The shaping ring C, see details Figures 5 and 6, is now taken up by the operative
and passed by him from the bottom of the said glass tumbler to the top, and all
inequalities are pressed thereout and a true and cylindrical rim with or without
lip is thereby insured. The glass tumbler having been shaped to a true cylindrical
form the lever B is lowered and with it the shaping block A from within the
inverted glass tumbler and this removed from off the box B' by the tray b, see
Figures 1, 2, 7, and 8, is deposited therefrom in readiness to be taken to the
annealing oven. When the lever B and the shaping block A is raised into position,
as seen in Figure 1, my apparatus is again prepared for receiving and operating
upon another glass tumbler.
For the purpose of shaping glass sugar basins and similar articles that have feet
I employ a shaping block as before of a form to correspond to the size of the
finished article. The footed article is inverted and placed over the said shaping
block and undergoes the same process as before explained, with the exception that
the foot m, Figure 3, is brought into a horizontal position by means of the horizontal
arm or disc n, which may be so constructed as to screw or slide up and down the
vertical standard d to suit the depth or height of the article under treatment.
this apparatus no tray is required as the operative's assistant can by means of a
pair of pliers take hold of the trunk or stem p of the foot m and bear it away to
the annealing oven without injury to the bowl of the article.
In
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of my
said Invention, together with the mode of carrying the same to effect, I wish it to
be clearly understood that I claim as my Invention secured to me by the above in
part recited Letters Patent, the method of and means employed for shaping glass
articles, substantially in manner as herein more fully set forth and illustrated on
the accompanying Drawing or any mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said John George Davidson have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty fourth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
JOHN GEORGE DAVIDSON. (L.S.)