CHAMBERS BRICK MACHINE.
AMONG the many efforts made to perform by machinery the Among the many efforts made to perform by machinery the various manipulations of brick-making, the inventions of Cyrus Chambers, Jr., of Philadelphia, Pa., stand conspicuous as suc cessful machines for the purpose designed. Recognizing that a thoroughly tempered brick possesses certain essential qualifi cations not found when the tempering process was omitted, and that to produce the finer grades of face or front brick, known as " Pressed Brick," requires especial care in handling and forwarding, the Chambers Brothers Company, of Philadel phia, Pa., has devoted particular attention to the development and manufacture of machinery that stands pre-eminent for the production of superior quality of common building brick with the greatest economy.
Mechanical skill of a high order is evidenced in the general design of the Chambers machine, and a thorough familiarity with the materials to be worked and their action on machinery is shown in the ready means provided for the cheap renewal of such parts as must of necessity in time wear.
When the clay to be worked is unusually strong, has lime stone in it, or has hard, tough lumps that will not temper in an ordinary pug-mill or ring-pit, it is passed through rollers, or grinding mills, before being fed into the hopper of the brick machine.
The Chambers Single Conical Rolls, with detachable shells, illustrated in Fig. 6o, serve to expel the larger stones, break up the lumps of clay, and help to mix the clay and sand together.
These rolls are cast in " Shells " or " Telescopes," so that the wearing parts can be renewed without replacing any of the other portions.
From beneath these rolls the clay is carried immediately to the hopper of the brick-machine. The Chambers machines mix and temper the clay with water as they use it, without ad ditional handling. After tempering the clay they form it into parallel bars the desired width and thickness for a brick, sand the surface, cut the bar thus formed into uniform lengths, and then deliver the brick so moulded and sanded, at any con venient distance from the machines, sufficiently stiff to be im mediately wheeled and hacked in the shed or on drying cars.