IMPROVEMENTS MACHINERY FOR HEADING METALLIC CARTRIDGE CASES.”
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isaac Bradley, of Ward End, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS
MACHINERY FOR HEADING METALLIC CARTRIDGE CASES.”
"
IN
Sealed the 16th October 1874, and dated the 21st May 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaac Bradley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st May 1874.
I, ISAAC BRADLEY, of Ward End, in the County of Warwick,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HEADING METALLIC CARTRIDGE CASES," to be as
follows:-
Hitherto it has been customary in making solid headed metallic
cartridge cases either to form the head at one operation in a single
machine, or else, if the heading be performed at two operations, to pass
the cartridge case through two separate machines, each of which per-
forms one of the said separate operations.

page_text: The formation of the head at one operation not only involves a very
heavy strain upon the metal of the cartridge case, but there is great
risk of the case being afterwards cracked by the force of the explosion
of its charge; while on the other hand the use of two separate
machines involves the repetition of many parts similar in both machines
and renders necessary two distinct operations of feeding the cartridge
case into the machines.
By my Invention the two operations may be performed with accuracy
in one machine, thereby securing the advantage of heading in two
operations, and yet dispensing with the necessity for feeding in the cases
twice.
In carrying out my Invention I provide a circular bed in which arc
fixed a suitable number of dies, and I cause the said bed to revolve
intermittently by means of a ratchet motion actuated by a cam in the
usual manner. The cartridge cases to be headed are placed by hand one
by one in the vacant dies as the bed revolves in front of the attendant.
Situated vertically over the said revolving bed and towards the back of
the dial I arrange two plungers or forcers which rise and fall by the
action of two cranks formed upon one horizontal crank shaft, which is
the principal shaft of the machine. The said cranks do not rise and fall
simultaneously, but the second follows the first at an angular distance
of about 50°. The plungers therefore which carry the heading punches
or bunters do not descend upon their respective dies at the same instant,
although the descent of both of them is arranged to occur during the
interval that the bed remains stationary. Each cartridge case is thus
partially headed by the first bunter, and then after say two advances of
the bed is finished by the second bunter.
Each operation is performed quite independently of the other, and the
bed therefore is uninfluenced by the second bunter during the operation
of the first, or vice versa.
After the second operation the finished case is extracted from the die
by any well known contrivance.
My Invention also consists in providing two very strong and accurate
vertical adjusting screws, one immediately under each of the aforesaid
plungers, for the purpose of supporting the punches under the pressure
of the descending bunter. On the top of these screws I place hardened
cylindrical pieces of steel so as to prevent the screws from being upset.

page_text: The dies with their internal punches pass one by one over the upper
ends of the said vertical adjusting screws, and remain resting upon
the said screws while the bunters form the heads of the cartridge
cases. By slightly raising or lowering the said screws the thickness
of the flanges of the cartridge cases may be adjusted to the greatest
nicety.
My Invention also consists in a further improvement whereby by
means of a small moveable slide situated at the front of the machine,
the aforesaid inverted punches which are contained within the dies for
the purpose of withstanding much of the force of the bunter may be
removed from the dies with great facility and without stopping the
action of the machine. When the said slide is in its place the said
punches pass over and are supported by its upper level surface. When
the slide is withdrawn the punches fall out through the opening formed
by the withdrawal of the slide.
My Invention also consists in placing the cam for moving the dial
and raising the shell after heading a short distance above the die, and
also in the extractor for removing the shell entirely from the dial.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Isaac Bradley in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISAAC
BRADLEY, of Ward End, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Isaac Bradley, Her special licence,
that I, the said Isaac Bradley, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Isaac Bradley, my executors,

page_text: administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN 5
MACHINERY FOR HEADING METALLIC CARTRIDGE CASES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Isaac Bradley, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to 1
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Isaac Bradley, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be 1
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say) :-
:-
Hitherto it has been customary in making solid headed metallic
cartridge cases either to form the head at one operation in a single
machine, or else, if the heading be performed at two operations, to pass 2
the cartridge case through two separate machines, each of which per-
forms one of the said separate operations.
The formation of the head in one operation not only involves a very
heavy strain upon the metal of the cartridge case, but [there is great
risk of the case being afterwards cracked by the force of the explosion 2
of its charge, while on the other hand the use of two separate machines
involves the repetition of many parts similar in both machines, and
renders necessary two distinct operations of feeding the cartridge case
into the machines.
By my Invention the two operations may be performed with a
accuracy in one machine, thereby securing the advantage of heading in
two operations, and yet dispensing with the necessity for feeding in the
cases twice.
In carrying out my Invention I provide a circular bed, herein-after
called a dial, in which are fixed a suitable number of dies, and I cause
the said dial to revolve intermittently by means of a ratchet motion

page_text: actuated by a cam. The cartridge cases to be headed are placed by hand
one by one in the vacant dies as the dial revolves in front of the
attendant. Situated vertically over the said revolving dial and towards
the back of the said dial I arrange two plungers or forcers, which rise
and fall by the action of two cranks formed upon one horizontal crank
shaft, which is the principal shaft of the machine. The said cranks
do not rise and fall simultaneously, but the second follows the first at
an angular distance of about 50°. The plungers therefore which carry
the heading punches or bunters do not descend upon their respective
dies at the same instant, although the descent of both of them is
arranged to occur during the interval that the said dial remains
stationary. Each cartridge case is thus partially headed by the first
bunter, and then, after say two advances of the said dial, is finished by
the second bunter.
Each operation is performed quite independently of the other, and
the bed or dial therefore is uninfluenced by the second bunter during
the operation of the first, or vice versa.
After the second operation the finished case is extracted from the die
by any well known contrivance.
My Invention also consists in providing two very strong and accurate
vertical adjusting screws, one immediately under each of the aforesaid
plungers, for the purpose of supporting the punches under the
pressure of the descending bunter. On the top of these screws I place
hardened cylindrical pieces of steel, so as to prevent the screws from
being upset. The dies with their internal punches pass one by one over
the upper ends of the said vertical adjusting screws, and remain resting
upon the said screws while the bunters form the heads of the cartridge
cases. By slightly raising or lowering the said screws the thickness
of the flanges of the cartridge cases may be adjusted to the greatest
nicety.
My Invention also consists in a further improvement whereby by
means of a small movable slide situated at the front of the machine,
the aforesaid inverted punches which are contained within the dies,
for the purpose of withstanding much of the force of the bunter,
may be removed from the dies with great facility, and without stopping
the action of the machine. When the said slide is in its place the said
punches pass over and are supported by its upper level surface. When

page_text: by the withdrawal of the slide.
My Invention also consists in placing the cams for moving the dial
and raising the shell after heading a short distance above the die, and
also in the extractor for removing the shell entirely from the dial.
I propose to make the said dial in two pieces, thereby insuring greater
accuracy in manufacture.
That my
Invention may be fully understood I have annexed Drawings
thereof, which I now proceed to describe.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a front elevation; Fig. 3, a vertical
section upon the line A, B; and Fig. 4, a horizontal section upon the
line C, D.
1, 2, 3, are the vertical portions of a heavy frame which rests upon
the legs 4, 4, and has a transverse portion 5 upon which is bolted the
fixed bed 6, upon which again is centred the revolving bed or dial 7, 7ª.
The said dial is formed in two separate parts, of which the upper part 7
contains the dies 8, 9, 10, 11 (of which seventeen are shewn to be used
in the Drawings), and the lower part 7ª supports the said dios and also
contains the inverted punches 12. The formation of the said dial in
two separate parts constitutes one special feature in my Invention. In
the upper part of the frame 1, 2, 3, is carried the shaft 13 which is the
principal and indeed the only revolving shaft in the machine. Two
crank pins or throws are formed at 14, 15, which during the revolution
of the shaft 13 communicate a vertical reciprocating motion to the two
connecting rods 16, 17, and by their means to the plungers 18, 19, to
the lower ends of which are attached the bunters 20, 21. The centres
of these plungers and bunters are so spaced that when the bunter 14 is
exactly central with a die in the position marked 9, the bunter 15 is
exactly central with a die in the position marked 10. The two bunters
do not descend upon their respective dies at the same instant, but one
follows the other, as shewn in Fig. 1, where the centre 22 of the throw
14 is set about 50° in advance of the centre 23 of the throw 15.
By means to be herein-after described the dial 7, 7, is caused to
revolve intermittently in the direction of the arrow 24 so as to bring
each die in succession, first under the bunter 20 and then under the
bunter 21. The cartridge cases to be headed are placed in the vacant

page_text: dies as they pass in front of the attendant at 25 (Fig. 4), and after the
bunter 20 has performed the first heading operation the bunter 21 per-
forms the second heading operation. When the number of dies and the
positions of the bunters are arranged as shewn in the Drawings, any
given die with its cartridge case will have to make 5 advances after
leaving the bunter 20 before it is operated upon by the bunter 21.
The arrangement herein-before described of two bunters in one
heading machine descending at different times and worked from one
principal shaft constitute the principal feature in my Invention.
The intermittent revolution of the dial 7, 7ª, is caused in the following
manner-Upon the principal shaft 13 is secured a cam 26, which is
shaped so as to give once during every revolution a vibratory movement
to the lever 27, which lever moves the slide 28 and pawl 29 in the
direction of the arrow 30. During this movement the pawl 29 engages
into one of the notches 31 which are formed around the base of the
dial 7, 7, which is thereby advanced a space equal to the distance
between any two adjacent dies. The return of the lever 27, the slide 28,
and the pawl 29, is effected by the weighted levers 32. During the
time that the cartridge cases are being headed by the bunters 20, 21, the
dial 7, 7ª, is held in its proper position by the catch lever 33, which is
drawn away by the slide 28 while the dial is advancing. The cam 26
may be replaced by an eccentric and strap, if preferred, in which case
the weighted levers 32 may be dispensed with as the eccentric will draw
back the lever 27.
The method herein-before described whereby the motion of the dial
is obtained by a cam or eccentric placed upon the shaft that actuates
the heading bunters, and the placing of the extracting cams 34
upon the same shaft constitute another important feature of my
Invention.
In order to provide an accurate adjustment for the support of the
inverted punches 12, while they are receiving the force of the bunters
20, 21, I provide two strong vertical screws 35, 36, immediately under
the two plungers 18, 19, and in order to prevent the indentation of the
tops of these screws by the action of the punches I interpose hardened
5 steel blocks 37, 38, upon which the punches rest one by one as the dial
7, 7*, advances intermittently. The aforesaid adjusting screws constitute
another important feature in my Invention.

page_text: In order that the said inverted punches 12 may be readily withdrawn
from the machine, even while it is in motion, I provide a small slide 39
(Figs. 1 and 2) upon which when it is in its place the inverted punches
12 rest one by one as they come round to the front. Upon withdrawing
the slide 39 any or all of the said inverted punches will fall out through
the opening left by the withdrawal of the slide. The aforesaid slide
constitutes another important feature in my Invention.
Lastly, I will describe an improvement which I do not however wish
to be considered an important or necessary part of my Invention.
My improvement relates to the two hooks 40 (Figs. 1 and 2) which
extract the headed cartridge cases, and consists in bringing the said
hooks upon two pins 41, and in pressing them to their work by means of
two separate springs 42.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I desire it to be :
understood that without limiting myself to the precise details herein-
before described and shewn in the accompanying Drawings (as these
may be to some extent varied or modified without departing from my
said Invention), I desire it to be understood that what I claim as
the Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited a
Letters Patent is,-
First. Heading solid headed metallic cartridge cases in two operations
in one machine, substantially as herein-before described.
Second. The arrangement of two heading bunters in one machine
descending at different times and worked directly from one principal a
shaft, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Third. Making the revolving bed or dial in two parts instead of one,
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Fourth. Placing the cam or eccentric for advancing the dial, and the
cams for actuating the extracting apparatus, upon the aforesaid 3
principal shaft, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before
described.
Fifth. Supporting the inverted punches upon strong adjustable screws
during the operation of heading, substantially as and for the purpose

page_text: the working of the machine by means of a slide, substantially as and
for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Isaac Bradley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
J. EMERY DAVIES,
Clerk to Mr. G. R. Holland,
Patent Office,
Birmingham.
ISAAC BRADLEY. (L.S.)