US556793A

US556793A - Reducing lead scum or litharge

Info

Publication number: US556793A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1896-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 1913-03-24

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH IVILLIAMS, SR., OF SIIARPSBUBG, PENNSYLVANIA.

REDUCING LEAD SCUM OR LITHARGE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 556,793, dated March 24, 1896.

Application filed December 28, 1895. Serial No. 573,640. (No specimens.)

To all 1072,0117, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JosEPH WILLLiMs, $12, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sharpsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reducing Lead Scum or Litharge; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inventiomsuch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention. relates to certain new and useful improvements in reducing lead scum or litharge, and has for its object the provision of new and novel means whereby the scum or lit-barge will be reduced to a commercial state inless time and with less labor than is possible under the ordinary method.

My invention has for a further object the protection of the workmans health, as the present method is very injurious.

With the above and other objects in view this invention finally consists in the novel process for this purpose to be hereinafter more specifically described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

Heretofore in the manufacture of litharge it is conveyed from the test or furnace into iron buggies for the purpose. These buggies are placed beside the test or furnace in suitableposition and the scum or litharge is blown by a current of air or scraped off the test or furnace into the buggies and becomes solidified. It is then necessary to reduce it to small lumps by a sledge to prepare it for the grinding-mill, which reduces it to a commercial state. This process is exceedingly slow, tedious, and dangerous, as the dust arising from the caked scum while being broken by the sledge-hammer and grinding in the mill is very injurious to the health of the workman. Instances can be cited wherein a workmans health has been ruined in the short space of six weeks by inhaling the dust which arises in process of breaking and grinding the scum or litharge.

Myimproved process to avoid this labor and danger consists in the placing of a receptacle containing water, pure or impregnated with alkali or other substances, near the test or furnace. The hot scum or litharge being con veyed into the water reduces it to a powder and at the same time separates any pieces of metallic lead, &c., which may have become mixed with the litharge while being conveyed from the test or furnace. This process reduces the scum or litharge to a commercial state without further process. The only labor now required is to drain the water from the litharge and remove any pieces of metallic lead. Then the litharge is ready for use and is of considerable value in the manufacture of glass, as is well known in the art.

I desire to call attention to the fact that by my process the value of the commercial article is increased to a considerable extent, as the hot scum coming in contact'with the water reduces it to a uniform color, adding to the quality and thus increasing the commercial value.

It will be noted that my process has many advantages over the ordinary method, inasmuch as, first, it is much quicker, thereby saving considerable labor and expense; secend, it entirely obliterates the danger to the health of the workmen engaged in this class of work, as there is no dust to be inhaled; third, it enhances the value of the scum or litharge when reduced to a commercial state by producing a uniform color and quality.

Many other advantages will be observed, and it will be also noted that the process may be used advantageously in reducing the scum from other metals.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The process of reducing the scum or litharge to a powder, by conveying the litharge while hot into pure water or water impregnated with alkali or other substances.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH IVILLIAMS, SR.

lVitnesses g ALBERT J. WALKER, ll/IACAULAY HUNTER.