Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-08-15
NAIL-M MAKING.
TEE NEW MACHINE PATENTED By MATTHEW
ALfMBYER.
The Claims Of the Inventor, and . Description
Of the Process and the Result
Attained.

Mr.. Mathew Altmeyer, the we'll
known mailer, who returned to this city
a few days ago from Oakland, Cal.'
where he has been located for some time
past, has perfected his invention 1or an
improved nail making machine, and has
received patents covering his ideas. de
was seen last evening by REGISTER
reporter, and said:
81 have secured my patents, ana can
confidently assert that my machines
will turn out better nails, for less
money, and running more to the pound
than the output Of any machine or sys-
TEN. I care not what or where IL 1t. L
will undertake to guarantee that Can
make three-penny nails for slxty-t"o
cents a keg less than the wire nail men,
and over thirty cents a keg less than cut
nail men, out of either steel or iron, ana
that my nails will be lighter, run more
to the pound, and hold better than any
other nail on the market. l know these
are sweeping claims. but l mean just
what say"
"How will the adoption of your idea
effect present plants in nail mills?"
"They can be utilized. That has
been my central thought. have been
striving to produce an improved as well
as cheap nail, and at the same time
use the machinery at present running,
andI have hit combination. Existing
cut nail machines can be utilized, with
slight changes"
"What sizes can you maker"
"All sizes, from eight-inch spikes
down, cut either hot or cold"
what especial economies do you
CLAMP"
"Well, in the first place, my invention
uses all the plate. You know that In
the present system, there is piece OF
metal, called the plate butt, which Is
the end of the plate grasped by the
nippers, and which cannot be fed into
the machine. That is waste, and In a
factory such as you have here In Wheel
ing. this waste cuts very considerable
figure. With my machine, every scrap
of plate is used. A plate is used
clear up, with no waste. Then
the cost of labor Is less.
My invention covers feed board,
on which the plates are placed, one
upon another. The lower plate in the
pit feeds into the machine, and as its
outer end passes into the jaws beyond
the end of the plates in the pile, 1t is at
once followed by the next lowest plate,
thus forming continuous feed, and the
only duty incumbent on the person in
charge of the machine Is to see that the
feed board is kept supplied with plates.
''Then the plate does not oscilate,
like in the present system?'
''No, l do away with that. The plate
feeds right into the machine fiat, and
the nails are cut off one after the other,
all the heads being from one side OF the
plate. The old idea OF turning the plate
was to get the taper on the nails. cut
the nails right off, and the taper comes
later"
"How is that?"
when the nail leaves the cutting
dies, it is in the shape OF headed
blank, the same size all the way down.
These blanks fall into a feed pan,
whence they drop into slotted re-
ceiver, along which slot they
glide, head up, until the blanks are
caught by chain belt, in the slotted pro-
lection of which the blanks are caught.
They are thus carried forward and de-
posted between pair OF dies, one
smooth and stationary, and the other
corrugated and rotary. The rotation
of the corrugated die causes point to
be formed on the nail, and at the same
time cutting q screw thread on it, the
nail dropping from the bottom Of the
die complete and perfect. The
faces of the dies, at first
parallel, gradually take on taper or
bevel, and this increases, so that the
taper given the nail is gradual, and not
sudden. The nail may be threaded from
the point to its head, or only for short
distance, according as the rotary die is
entirely or partially corrugated"
"Tbe product OF your machine is an
improvement over the old screw nail?"
Eyes, sir. Heretofore, in order 10
produce screw nails, it has been neces-
sary to cut threads into the metal.
thus weakening the nail very materi
ally, but with my machine, none OF the
metal is taken away. On the other
hand, by being rolled under heavy pres
sure, the metal is more thoroughly COM
pacted, and the nail is materially
strengthened"
"You claim more rapid output with
your machine, believer"
Eyes, sir. By the old method,
whether machine is fed by hand or
automatically, it takes certain time to
knock out the butt and adjust new
plate. With my machine, the feed is
absolutely continuous The machine is
making nails all the time it is In mo-
tion. The new feeder and pointing ap-
paratus can be readily attached to the
present machines, and the service of a
large number of feeders would be dis
pensed with. l have brought the ma
chine to the attention of number of
gentlemen, interested in such matters
and the invention has been pronounced
a great one. / have no doubt of its ul-
innate success, as it has merits Of pro-
nounced nature"
THE B. & o. r. r. announces the fol-
lowing excursions in this issue: To At
lantic City on August eth; to Mounds
Vile, (W. Va camp meeting, August
18th to card, inclusive, and to the
Changers Interstate Exhibition, at
Williams Grove, Pa, August cath to