1902 'Planishing discs for accurately rounding iron bars. See the patent rolled shafting in use, manufactured by the Kirkstall Forge Co. and others'[1]
Kirkstall Forge Co of Leeds
Original forge established by the monks of Kirstall Abbey in about the year 1200.
1779 The Butler and Beecroft families went into business together at the Kirkstall Forge.
1858 The name Beecroft, Butler and Co, was altered to the Kirkstall Forge Co
1862 Exhibitor at 1862 Exhibition[2] [3]
1863 Press 1,250 tons - the largest ever made at the time as detailed in the London Science Museum
1874 Joseph Pickles is foreman.[4]
1880 IRONWORKS AND MINES IN YORKSHIRE.
THE KIRKSTALL FORGE, NEAR LEEDS.
One of the oldest, largest, and best known iron and steel establishments in the North of England is the Kirkstall Forge, situate about three miles from Leeds, and not far from the picturesque and historical ruins of the Cistercian Monastry, Kirkstall Abbey, and to which we paid a visit a few days since in company with an esteemed and genial cicerone. The works are pleasantly situated, being embedded in the midst of delightful scenery, whilst the River Aire meanders gently along by the side of the works. There is every evidence that hundreds of years ago the inmates of the Abbey were well acquainted with the manufacture of iron, and in one of the windows there is a cast-iron mullion that must have been made centuries ago.
The existing works, however, were established by the family of the present owner (Mr. Butler) in 1779, and when in full operation find employment for about 1,000 hands. The estate consist of about 100 acres, whilst the works cover an area of about 14 acres, and are connected by a siding with the Leeds and Bradford Railway. The works are noted for all descriptions of railway tyres and axles, crank axles, forgings, and bar iron, as well as for patent rolled shafting, made from the well-known iron, marked "K.M., Kirkstall," or in in Bessemer steel. There are large shops for making wheels and axles capable of producing at least 150 sets a week, and steam-hammers up to 50 tons as well as turntables are also turned out. There are three rolling mills and a number of puddling furnaces, principally double, worked by what is known as the Joe Pickles mechanical rabble, the invention of a foreman formerly employed at the works, and which is considered as a satisfactory compromise between the ordinary furnace and the rotary furnace of Danks or Crompton. There is a tank engine carrying a swing crane worked by steam, capable of lifting 3 tons, so that the load can be taken to any part of the works. Two water-wheels are still on the ground that worked the helves more than 200 years ago.
There are several powerful steam-hammers, and a most valuable machine for straightening and planishing round bars for shafting, the importance of which cannot be over-estimated. The bars are passed whilst still hot from the rolls between two revolving discs having bevilled faces, which when brought together so as to compress the bars between them with the amount of force considered necessary to rotate them, and at the same time traverse them forwards, also by a mechanical arrangement backwards, that the whole length of the bar is acted upon by one continuous movement, and the bar comes out straightened and planished. In carrying out this system two other important results are obtained. one of them being that the scale, instead of being rolled in, as might be supposed, is entirely removed, and the surface made quite smooth. The skin is brought to such a high degree of cleanness and smoothness that a mere rubbing with emery cloth, or if the bar be put into the lathe with emery stick, polishes it as if it had been turned and polished in the ordinary manner. If the bars, after being allowed to go cold, are passed through the machine several times the blue skin disappears, and the bars come out actually bright. The machine consists of a pair of vertical discs, which rapidly revolve on horizontal shafts ; the former, being nearly equal in diameter, are placed face to face, but not with their centres opposite, there being a horizontal distance of about 9in. between the centre lines of them. [See 1902 illustration]. When at the right temperature the bar is placed on the table of the machine, which is on a level with the floor, one end is inserted between the discs, when it immediately begins to revolve and travel longitudinally, and very quickly the whole length of the bar has been operated upon, and entirely and completely planished. The surfaces of the discs which perform the operation are quite smooth, and during the process a plentiful discharge of water descends upon them, and the bar leaves the machine with a smooth skin, perfectly free from scale, with a dark blue polish. Mr. D. Kirkaldy made several experiments to test the torsional strength of the bars so acted upon. In order to make proper comparisons, bars, after being rolled in the ordinary way, were cut in halves, one portion being left with the ordinary finish and the other being put through the machine, and it was found that up to the point of elastic stress the machined bars had gained 20 per cent, in torsional strength. As the bars straightened and planished by the machine are 20 per cent. stronger than those left with ordinary finish, it follows that if the comparison be made with turned bars it will be still more favourable to the machined bar; and it is, therefore, important to use them wherever possible without turning, the polishing with emery removing so little of the skin as not appreciably to interfere with the strength. There is also another important point gained by the machine. If there is any unsoundness in a bar which in the usual way could not be discovered the machine is so searching that the bar could not pass through without the defect being detected.
Another of the specialities at Kirkstall in connection with the process described is the making of patent rolled shafting either in iron or steel. The shafting is produced so smooth, round, and true that for all ordinary speeds it can be run safely and satisfactorily without having to go to the trouble and expense of turning any necks, which by removing the skin deprives a shaft of a wearing power at least double that of turned iron, and also weakens it, destroying, especially in the case of necks in the middle of a shaft, its extra torsional strength. It appears, with respect to turned shafting, that in spite of employing the very best mechanics, and the most improved and perfect slide lathes, it is an impossibility to turn two shafts to be exactly and absolutely the same in diameter, and where such has actually been achieved it has been done by chance, it being impracticable to turn a shaft 20 feet long from end to end, theoretically or perfectly round and true. It is, therefore, claimed for the rolled patent shafting that it is sufficiently uniform in size, mechanically round, perfectly straight and true, no turning being required, whilst then 20 per cent. extra torsional strength over ordinary rolled iron in the rough. The shafting is, therefore, well adapted for use in all kinds of agricultural implements, printing machines, power looms, washing machines, also corve axles, press columns, tie rods, and in all cases where brightness can be dispensed with. The shafting when cold is cut to the required length, the ends being faced and finished at the same time. All sizes are rolled, from 3/4in. in diameter increasing by 1-16th up to 2in., increasing by 1/8in. up to 5 1/8in., and then by 1/4in. up to 7in. diameter. Another speciality produced at Kirkstall is Butler's patent frictional coupling, a most important invention, which requires neither keys, key beds, or swells upon the end of shafts, whilst bolts, which are always fruitful sources of danger, are dispensed with, whether the shaft be too large or too small the coupling is still effective and truly concentric, self-containing, compact, and neat, and can be used as a pulley. One novelty in connection must not be overlooked. It can be put up and taken down ten minutes by a man of intelligence, as full instructions are stamped upon each piece. There are separate workshops where the axles are made, there being the best appliances for economising manual labour. The tyre mill is by Tannett and Walker, the finishing rolls being immediately above the roughing. In another part of the works there are anvil-forging shops and furnaces for case-hardening the axles, with a small iron foundry, where the bushes for axles are made, and a brass foundry for the casting of the caps.
The engines and machinery are in every way excellent, there having evidently been no cost spared in making the Kirkstall Works about the most complete in the kingdom. The offices are of comparatively recent construction, are on a large scale, with every desirable facility for carrying on the necessary works, and for communicating with other parts of the works. As to the products of the works it is not necessary to speak further, for they have the highest reputation in all the markets of the world, and have obtained at most exhibitions, including London in and ; Moscow, 1872 ; Victoria, 1873 ; Leeds, 1858 and 1875 ; as well as at the meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, and at several others. It may also be said that Kirkstall has been a nursery ground for other districts, for the Staffordshire iron trade in some measure sprang from it, for two lads, twins, went from the forges into Staffordshire, and set up a small establishment, at which they made what was called bullet iron, and this they were successful in introducing into the market for fluted rollers. These lads were the Messrs. Thorneycroft, a family now well known in connection with the iron trade of Staffordshire. Then as to Bolckow, Vaughan and Co., we are told by Mr. Butler, the proprietor, that Mr. Vaughan's father turned rolls at Kirkstall Forge, and Mr. Vaughan had taught him more of the trade than anyone else.— Mining Journal.' Midland & Northern Coal & Iron Trades Gazette - Wednesday 21 July 1880
1891 Advert for shafting. [5]
1914 Directory: Steel Manufacturers. [6]
1919 Private company Kirkstall Forge Co Ltd founded to acquire the business carried on by Kirkstall Forge[7].
1927 See Aberconway for information on the company and its history.
1930s Most of the buildings were rebuilt and machine shops refitted, much of the machinery being specially designed for the company's purposes[8].
1937 Steel bars and drop forgings. "Kirkstall" Steel Bars and Drop Forgings. [9]
1949 Kirkstall Forge Engineering made public. Rodney Fawcett Butler is Chairman and MD. [10]. Directors intended to transfer the steel bar department to a separate subsidiary. About 1,800 employees.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ [1] The Engineer's Sketch-Book by Thomas Walter Barber, Spon, 1902
- ↑ 1862 London Exhibition: Catalogue: Class I.: Kirkstall Forge Co
- ↑ 1862 London Exhibition: Catalogue: Class 7.: Kirkstall Forge Co
- ↑ The Engineer 1874/05/22
- ↑ 1891 Post Office London Trades Directory
- ↑ 1914 Kelly's Directory of Durham p798
- ↑ The Times, 7 June 1949
- ↑ The Times, 7 June 1949
- ↑ 1937 The Aeroplane Directory of the Aviation and Allied Industries
- ↑ The Times, 7 June 1949