l«47.j 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



357 



SMELTING COPPER. 



James Napier, of Sliacklewell-lane, Middlesex, operative che- 

 mist, for " Jmpjorinunis in smelling copper or other ores." — Granted 

 Marcli 2; Enrolled September 2, 1S47.— [Reported in Ntmton's 

 London Journal.'^ 



This invention consists in improvements in smelting copper ores, 

 by treating them with fluxes, consisting of common salt, lime, and 

 carbonaceous matters; and also in improvements in smelting ores, 

 containing silver, or gold, or both those metals, by the addition of 

 alkaline substances, coal, iron, and galena. 



The first object is to facilitate the separation of the earth from the 

 copper; and to effect this, when several ores of ditferent descriptions 

 are to be operated upon, the patentee mixes them in such proportions, 

 in relation to the earthy matters or gangue they contain, as will cause 

 the earths to unite in the furnace and form glass: the ores have been 

 mixed in suitable proportions, when the silica in the mixture ranges 

 from 50 to 75 per cent., in relation to the other earthy matters, which 

 are generally mixtures of alumina, lime, baryta, fluor-spar, &c., — the 

 presence of oxide of iron greatly facilitates the fusion of the ores. 

 Should the mixture (or the ore, when only one description of ore is 

 being treated) not contain silica in the above proportion, the deficiency 

 is to be supplied by the addition of sand ; or, if the silica exceeds the 

 above proportion, lime or fluor-spar is to be added. 



After the above preparatory process, the operation is conducted in 

 the following manner : — If the ore or ores should contain not less than 

 1 part of iron and 1 part of sulphur, to 2 parts of copper, an addition 

 is made to every ton of ore, of 56 lb. of common salt, 40 lb. of slaked 

 lime, and 1001b. of coal, and the whole is fused in a melting furnace. 

 When fused, the slag or scoria is skimmtd off, and the furnace is 

 tapped into sand moulds: the ingots or pigs, thus produced, are 

 treated as hereinafter described. If the ore or ores should contain 

 less than 1 part of iron to 2 parts of copper, the deficiency is to be 

 supplied by the addition of sul[ buret of iron; or the ore is to be 

 treated as before mentioned (omitting the coal); and after the fused 

 mass has been skimmed, 301b. of scrap-iron are to be dispersed over 

 the surface thereof, as equally as possible, and the door of the furnace 

 is closed until the scrap-iron is melted ; the furnace is then to be 

 tapped into sand moulds. When the ingots, obtained in the above 

 manner, are set, they are thrown into water, whereby they become 

 disintegrated and fall into a fine powder ; this pow der is thrown into a 

 heap, and allowed to remain for forty-eight hours ; after wliich, it is 

 removed to a calcining furnace, and treated in the manner described 

 in the specification of a patent obtained by the present patentee, July 

 20, 1846. The addition of black oxide of manganese, instead of iron, 

 has been found to produce a similar effect, but not with equal ad- 

 vantage. 



When ores containing little or no sulphur are operated upon, the 

 above-mentioned processes of disintegration and calcination are 

 omitted. The patentee commences, in this case, by mixing the ores, 

 in relation to their earthy matters, so as to form glass, as above de- 

 scribed (the ores, when containing no iron, might with advantage 

 have a small quantity of oxide or carbonate of iron added) ; and then 

 801b. common salt, 501b. slaked lime, and 1001b. anthracite coal, 

 finely pulverized, are added to each ton of ore containing 10 percent, 

 of copper. If the ore should be richer in copper, a smaller propor- 

 tion of salt and lime will suffice, and a greater proportion of anthraciie 

 of coal will be required : the patentee says, he has found, that for an 

 ore containing 25 per cent, of copper, 56 lb. common salt, 501b. slaked 

 lime, and 150 lb. anthracite coal will answer well. The mixture of 

 ore and other materials is fused in a melting furnace, which, for a 

 cliarge of 25 cwt. of ore, will lake from five to six hours; and then 

 the fused mass is tapped into sand moulds : the copper, thus obtained, 

 will generally be ready for the refining operation; but should a por- 

 tion of the produce be regulus, it is to be roasted, and afterwards re- 

 fined. Soda and several of its salts may be used instead of common 

 salts; and so likewise may potash and several of its salts, or mixtures 

 of these, free from sulphur. 



Sulphuretted ores of copper, containing silver, or gold, or both 

 these metals, are treated in the following manner: — The ore is first 

 calcined and fused, as in the ordinary smelting process, so as to pro- 

 duce a regulus, containing about 50 per cent, of copper; with every 

 ton of this regulus, 561b. soda-ash, 401b. slaked lime, 1 cwt. coal, lA 

 cwt. iron in scraps, and 4 cwt. galena (sulphuret of lead) are mixed, 

 and the mixture is fused in a fusing furnace until the iron disappears; 

 the fused mass is then well rabbled and tapped into sand moulds. 

 The lead will be found reduced at the bottom of the first and second 

 ingots, and will contain all, or the greater part, of the silver, or gold, 



or both, which the ore previously contained; these metals are after- 

 wards separated from the lead by the ordinary methods of separating 

 silver and gold from lead. The copper is treated in the ordinary 

 manner, or as described in the specification of the patent before alluded 

 to. Instead of galena, the oxide of lead may be employed ; in which 

 case the iron is dispensed with ; but the patentee prefers to use 

 galena. 



When treating ores of silver, or gold, or both, which do not contain 

 copper, or which do not contain it in the state of a sulphuret, the 

 patentee adds copper pyrites thereto, in the proportion of 4 cwt. of 

 the latter lo IG cwt. of ore, and then proceeds in the manner above 

 described, viz., bringing the material into a state of regulus, and fus- 

 ing it with soda-ash, lime, coal, iron, and galena. 



In conclusion, the patentee says, that he does not confine himself to 

 the precise details, or proportions of the ingredients used, so long as 

 the peculiar character of the invention be retained. 



LOCK FURNITURE AND SPINDLES. 



Mr. Pitt has obtained a patent for an ingenious improvement in the 

 mode of fixing the furniture on locks and shutter knobs, as shown in 

 the annexed engraving; by which, it will be seen that the spindle is 

 not fastened to the knob,' but is merely let into the socket. This 

 method obviates the necessity of driving on the handle with a mallet, 

 which frequently mutilates the furniture. Another improvement is 

 the doing away with the small screw in the neck ; instead of which, 

 the spindle is first placed in the follower of the lock, and then the 

 knob put upon it, which has connected with it the brass plate of the 

 rose; this plate is firmly fixed to the door by small screws, over which 

 there is a cover rose furnished with a collar with a female screw, and 

 which is fastened by two or three turns on to a screw round the 

 neck of the brass plate : thus the screws and brass plate are com- 

 pletely concealed. The improved furniture is manufactured by 

 Messrs. Hart and Sons, ironmongers, of Wych-street, Strand, and 

 may be had either in glass, china, ebonv, ivory, or other fancy fit- 

 tings. 



