of the consumer may determine, encourage, or require. And, lastly, I crimp, dress, or finish, the goods so wrought, manufactured, and made, pursuant to my said invention, by all and every or any of the methods or means now in general use for those purposes. In witness whereof, &c.

Hydro-pneumatic Blow-Pipe, for the Use of Chemists, Enamellers, Assayers, and Glass-blowers.

By Mr. JOHN TILLEY, of Whitechapel.

With a Plate.

From the TRANSACTIONS of the SOCIETY for the Encouragement of ARTS, MANUFACTURES, and COMMERCE.

Fifteen Guineas were voted to Mr. TILLEY for this

Invention.

BEING a travelling fancy glass-blower, I work with a machine which I have contrived for my own use, and which I have been advised, by a great number of respectable gentlemen, to lay before the Society of Arts, &c. The invention consists of a tin box, with a partition in it, reaching from the top at one end to within an inch of the bottom. The vessel is air-tight at this end. It is three parts filled with water. By means of a tube, reaching within half an inch of the bottom, I blow into the water, at the air-tight end; the air rises in bubbles through the water to the top, and forces the water under the partition into the other compartment. The weight of the water acts upon the air which had been blown in, and forces it through a blow-pipe directed to the lamp, and keeps

up

up a continued blast till the air is exhausted. More air may be blown in from time to time, so as to keep the blast regular and continual. It is thus I execute my fancy glass-blowing. The whole apparatus, including lamp and case, weighs only three pounds and a half.

I believe I am the first glass-blower who ever worked with such a machine.

The apparatus is applicable to the business of enamellers, jewellers, chemists, and many other arts, and can be furnished complete for 27. 12s. 6d. made of tinned copper.

REFERENCE TO THE ENGRAVINGS.

The utility of the blow-pipe, in the arts, to raise a great heat in a small object, from the flame of a lamp, is too well known to require pointing out. The assay of minerals, the arts of enamelling, jewellery, soldering metal works, but, above all, the blowing of small articles in glass, are purposes to which it is better adapted than almost any other mode of applying heat. The usual manner of producing a stream of air for blowing glass, is by means of a small pair of double-acting bellows, fixed beneath a table, and worked by the operator's foot; a pipe proceeds from these bellows to the top of the table, and terminates in a small jet, before which a lamp is placed, and the flame blown by the current of air upon the object to be heated. The defects of the bellows are, that the stream of air is not perfectly regular, which causes a wavering of the flame, so that it does not fall steadily upon the object which is to be heated. Mr. Tilley's blow-pipe corrects these defects, by using the pressure of a column of water to regulate the stream of air, and the supply is Nn 2 furnished

!

furnished from the mouth of the operator, by blowing through a tube, Fig. 2, (Plate XIII.) C, at a section of this instrument, and Fig. 3 shews a perspective view of it in action. A A, is a vessel of tinned iron, or copper, about seventeen inches high, five wide, and nine broad; the lid of which opens and shuts on hinges, and supports the lamp B, which burns tallow instead of oil. C, is the blowing-pipe, by which the air is thrown into the vessel; this, as shewn in the section, Fig. 2, has an inclined partition D, which divides it into two chambers, E and F; but as the partition does not reach to the bottom of the vessel, the two compartments communicate with each other underneath it: that marked F is closed at the top, so as to be air-tight; but the other is only covered by the lid of the vessel, and may therefore be considered as being open to the outward air. The pipe C, Fig. 2, is soldered air-tight, where it passes through the top of the chamber, and descends very near to the bottom of the vessel, deeper than the partition D does, so that its mouth is always immersed beneath the water. The me tallic part of the blow-pipe G, which conveys the blast of air to the flame of the lamp, is likewise soldered into the top of the chamber F, it holds a bent glass tube a, which terminates in a very small and delicate jet, and is fitted air-tight into the tin or copper tube G. Now, by blowing into the tube C, the air is forced out at the bottom of it, and rises in bubbles through the water into the upper part of the chamber F; this displaces a corresponding quantity of water, which passes under the partition D into the other chamber E, elevating the surface of the column of water, and depressing the other, as shewn in the figure; the water endeavouring to return to its original level, causes a constant compressure of the air, and

forces

forces it through the jet a into the flame of the lamp. By this means it is not necessary to blow constantly with the mouth; for though the air is forced into the receiver at intervals, yet the pressure of the water will expel it in a constant stream, and the operator will not be fatigued by the motion of the foot necessary in working bellows, nor need even to keep his mouth at the pipe constantly, but merely to blow, from time to time, as he finds the stream of air to decrease in its power.

manner.

The metal socket which connects the glass tube or blow-pipe a with the vessel A is made conical, and the tube, having a piece of paper first wrapped round it, is bound round with cotton-wick yarn in a conical form, so as to fit the socket tight, and yet permit the tube to be moved in any required direction, to cause the air to act properly upon the flame; and the curved metal tube C is also fixed into the upper part of the tube C in the same H H are the two sides of a tin frame, which is fixed in front of the vessel, and has grooves withinside of ' them to receive a tin plate I, which forms a screen, and can be adjusted in height so as to keep the light of the lamp from the operator's eyes, though he can see the work over the top of it: this screen is held fast by its foot being placed between the lid of the vessel and the top of the close chamber F. K is one of two handles which support the operator's arms whilst holding a glass tube or other matter in the flame; and there is another like it at the opposite side of the vessel: these handles are also wrapped round with woollen-list or leather, so as to form cushions; and the vessel is steadily fixed upon a chair, bench, &c. by means of a leather strap buckled to the loops on each side of it, and passing under the chair, &c.

The

The lamp is made of tin, is of an elliptical, or rather of bean or kidney shape, one side being carved inwards; across the centre of it stands a metal wick-holder, having a loop on one side of it, and which is soldered to its bottom. (See r, Fig. 4.) Through this loop the wick of cotton is drawn, and being opened both ways, as shewn in that figure, and still plainer in Fig. 6, forms a passage in its middle, through which the current of air from the jet a passes, as in Figs. 2 and 6, and carries the long-pointed flame upon the object to be heated. The lamp, Figs. 4 and 6, is filled with tallow, which, melting by the heat, becomes fluid, and burns as well as oil, but with a less offensive smell, and when cold, being solid, is more conveniently carried than oil. This lamp is placed within another vessel marked B, Figs. 2, 3, and 6, which supports it at a proper height, leaving a space between them all round, to receive any tallow which may run over the edge of the interior vessel or lamp.

In using this blow-pipe, the following observations being attended to, will greatly increase its effect.' The long flat cotton wick of the lamp will be found to act better than the usual round cotton wick; but in either case the flame which it raises will be considerable. The end of the glass pipe a must be just entered into the flame, and the current of air will throw out a cone of flame from the opposite side. If it is well managed, this cone will be distinct and well defined, and extend to a considerable length. Care must be taken, that the stream of air does not strike against any part of the wick, as it would then be disturbed, and the cone split into several parts. (A wire bent at its end, as shewn at Fig. 5, is very convenient to smooth the passage through the wick.) The jet of air must be delivered somewhat above the wick; and as,

unless