UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL B. BRUSSTAR, OF KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA. MACHINE FOR
MAKING BRICKS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 693, dated April 14, 1838.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Samuel B. Brusstar, of the Kensington
district, of the Northern Liberties, Philadelphia county, State
of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful machine for
making bricks, called "Brusstar's self-feeding, revolving,
trundling, shearing, sanding, and brick pressing and clay
tempering machine," which is described as follows, reference
being had to the annexed drawings of the same making part of this
specification.

This machine consists of a post A, Figure 1, planted in the
ground of sufficient strength for the purposes hereafter
mentioned. Around this post is constructed a circular foundation
B of timber or stone about four feet wide and one foot deep, the
diameter of the inner circle being about twenty-two feet, within
which is formed a horse track C of about twenty feet diameter.
Upon this foundation are laid pieces of timber or sleepers, each
about 18 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 2— of an inch deep, set
edgewise, with their inner ends flush with the inner circle and
about 7 or 8 inches apart, radiating from the center of the
circle. Upon these pieces of timber is formed a circular trough D
18 inches wide and about 8 inches deep. The sides of this trough
consist of circular rails set upon the before mentioned timbers.
In this trough the clay is tempered and is therefore called the
tempering trough. The outer ends of the sleepers or the ends
fartherest from the center of the circle serve as stops for the
mold. The spaces 1 1 1 between them answer for the discharge of
accumulated clay into the center. Outside of the tempering trough
is another circular trough E about 10 inches wide and 2— inches
deep under which the molding is performed; this is called the
molding trough. Under this trough are placed on edge wedge shaped
pieces or partitions about 20 inches apart forming chambers for
the molds. In the molding trough is thrown the clay for making
the bricks.

The molds F, Figs. 1 and 3, are made of metal containing each
four apartments for four bricks having a handle on one side by
which it is drawn out from and pushed into the chambers, under
the molding trough through spaces formed in the rail, forming the
outer edge of the trough. Only three are drawn. The molding
trough all around is furnished with similarly constructed molds.

Over the circular foundation and base walk is erected a circular
platform G, Fig. 1, upon posts about ten feet high, framed of
suitable timber and covered with thick' plank. On this platform
is deposited the clay for the bricks, hauled up an inclined plane
by horses or otherwise. The upper ends of the posts may project
above the platform to form a railing. The center post acts as a
support for the center of the platform. In the platform are two
oblong openings H in which are constructed boxes I to receive the
clay, made flaring downward and projecting below the platform a
sufficient distance; the bottom of each moving on pivots J by
means of levers K for discharging the clay. Around the post is
put a loose collar L flanged at its lower end, to which are
fastened four or more arms M radiating from the center, having on
the outer end of each a wheel in about 5 feet diameter, and 1
foot thick, weighing above 4 or 500 pounds. Three of these wheels
revolve in the inner or tempering trough for tempering the clay.
The fourth wheel N revolves in the outer or molding trough for
molding and pressing the bricks having flanges to turn on the
rails P to prevent its pressing upon the edges of the molds so as
to destroy them.

In front of one of the wheels of the inner trough is a fifth or
smaller wheel Q, which acts as a regulator and feeder. See Figs.
1 and 3. Over and around these two wheels is constructed a
traveling hopper R to receive the clay from the discharging boxes
I. To a suitable framing on the arms and between the several
wheels are attached plows S placed in the inner trough for
turning the clay to the center thereof to be pressed or acted
upon by the tempering wheels N in moving over it. Over the inner
trough and attached to the before described frame is a shear T,
Figs. 1 and 4, for throwing the clay into the outer trough to be
let down or raised by means of a lever U, cord c, and pulley p or
otherwise. The forward end is made of a triangular shape so as to
throw the clay to the left. Over the outer trough and attached to
said frame is a strike shear V Figs. 1 and 5 to strike the brick
and throw back the surplus clay into the tempering trough; it is
let down or raised by means of a lever W, cord d and pulley, and
is made of a triangular shape for throwing the clay to the right.

To the upper end of the collar is fastened a receiver X Figs. 1
and 6 for sand having an inclined bottom Y and trough Z for
conducting the sand to the molds the lower and outer end of which
is covered with a sieve, a to arrest the larger particles of the
sand.

The horses for operating the machine are attached to the arms and
travel around in the horse track.

Under the molds is a false bottom Fig. 7 for keeping the molds up
even with the tops of the partitions; it is made of a wedge shape
on the under side in order to force the molds up even with the
bottom of the molding trough.

Behind the wheels are scrapers s, Fig. 1, fastened to the frame
for keeping the wheels clean.

Operation: The clay is hauled up and deposited upon the circular
platform G.

It is then thrown into the boxes I with movable bottoms; the
bottom of the box over the feeding wheels is turned by the levers
K attached to it which empties the clay into the traveling hopper
from whence it passes between the wheels N, Q, into the tempering
trough D in an even layer over which the hind wheel turns and
flattens it out as the horses move around with the wheels N; it
is then met by one of the double plows S which turns it to the
center. The next wheel then passes over it and again flattens it,
the plow behind this wheel again turns it to the center of the
trough and so on until it be sufficiently tempered. The shear T
for throwing the clay to the left is then let down by means of
the cord, pulley, and weight, into the tempering' trough and from
its triangular shape and forward movement turns the clay over
into the molding trough E. From this trough it is pressed into
the molds by the pressing wheel N revolving in said trough molds
having previously been inserted into the chambers to which they
belong. The shear and striker V is then let down into the molding
trough, which, as it moves forward strikes the brick and turns
the surplus clay again into the- tempering trough D. The molds
are then drawn out from the chambers, the bricks off-borne, and
the empty molds replaced.

When the shear and striker are not in use they are raised from
the troughs and secured by placing the levers against pins 3 or
stops in the frame.

The sanding of the molds is performed by means of the inclined
tube Z and screen a before described Figs. 1 and 6.

On the arrival of the traveling hopper E beneath the other
discharging box I the same operation takes place as that before
described.

The near half of the circular platform is omitted to be
represented in the drawing in order to show the arrangement of
the several parts of the machine.

The invention claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent
in the before described machine for making bricks consists, in—

The wheels and plows for tempering the clay—the traveling hopper
and discharging wheels for spreading the clay evenly in the
tempering trough—the shear for turning the clay from the
tempering into the molding trough—the shear and striker for
striking the brick and turning the surplus clay back into the
tempering trough—the sanding apparatus—the arrangement of the
sliding molds and the chambers into which they are inserted under
the molding trough—the spaces formed under the tempering trough
through which any accumulated clay may be discharged into the
horse walk—also the discharging boxes—the whole in combination as
before described.

SAML. B. BRUSSTAR.

Witnesses: Thomas Bruster, Sand Weyant.