IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING SPIKES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING
SPIKES." A communication 'from abroad by Nathaniel Tay, of
Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Scaled the 4th August 1874, and dated the 15th June 1874.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th June 1874.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
MANUFACTURING SPIKES," a communication, to be as follows:-
66
FOR
The object of my Invention is to form with rapidity and exactitude a
peculiarly shaped end of the 'spike by the combination of a fixed die, a
reciprocating bar, rollers, and a movable guide, the heated spike being
forced into the recesses of the die by one of the rollers, which is controlled

page_text: vertically by the said guide. The said dic, having a recess conforming
with the edge of the spike, is secured to a suitable base, and the bar is
connected to a yoke which is secured to a shaft arranged to vibrate
freely in bearings secured to the base. The said yoke is actuated by a
cam on the main shaft, which is adapted to suitable bearings on the base
or frame, and is also furnished with a cam bearing against the under
side of the long arm of a lever secured to a shaft which is arranged to
vibrate in bearings on standards secured to the base. The two rollers,
the periphery of one bearing against that of the other, are hung to the
said reciprocating bar. The upper roller is adapted to the under edge of
the guide, while the lower roller acts on the spike. When the aforesaid
bar has reached or nearly reached the limit of its outward movement,
the guide being elevated, and the said bar itself being retained in an
elevated position by suitable spring, the heated spike blank, which has
been previously headed, may be placed in the recess of the die. As the
reciprocating bar recedes the guide will be lowered by the action of the
aforesaid cam, and its curved or inclined portion will be traversed by the
upper roller of the bar. The latter is consequently depressed so that the
lower roller before it reaches the limit of its rearward movement will not
only compress the metal against and into the recesses of the die, and
reduce it to the required form, but will also form the opposite edge of
the spike, and reduce it to a comparatively sharp point. The said cam
is so shaped that when the formation of the spike has been completed
the guide will be elevated, thus permitting the ready withdrawal of the
spike from the die, and it will retain its elevated position long enough to
permit the introduction of another spike blank before a repetition of the
above operation takes place.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of

page_text: 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 William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
my executors, 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 Ircland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING SPIKES," a communication to me from
abroad by Nathaniel Tay, of Medford, Massachusetts, United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Robert Lake, my executors or administrators, 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 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 William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying,
Drawing forming a part of this Specification: -
The object of my Invention is to form with rapidity and exactitude
the peculiarly shaped end of the spike shown in Figure 1 of the accom-
panying Drawing by the combination of the fixed die A, the recipro-
cating bar B, its rollers a and a', and moveable guide E, shown in
the vertical section Figure 2 and end view Figure 3 of the accompanying
Drawing) the heating spike being forced into the recesses of the die A.
by the roller a, which is controlled vertically by the said guide E. The
die A having a recess conforming with the edge n, n, of the spike is
secured to a suitable base D, and the bar B is connected to a yoke G,
which is secured to a shaft b, arranged to vibrate freely in bearings
`secured to the base, the yoke being actuated by a cam H on the main
shaft I, which is also adapted to suitable bearings on the base or frame,
and which is also furnished with a cam J bearing against the under side

page_text: of the long arm of a lever K secured to a shaft L, which is arranged to
vibrate in bearings on standards secured to the base. Two rollers a and a²,
the periphery of one bearing against that of the other, are hung on the
reciprocating bar B, the upper roller being adapted to the under edge of.
the guide E, while the lower roller acts on the spike. When the bar B
has reached or nearly reached the limit of its outward movement the
guide E being elevated, and the bar B itself being retained in an elevated
position by any suitable spring, the heated spike blank, which has
been previously headed, may be placed in the recess of the die A. As
the reciprocating bar recedes the guide E will be lowered by the action of
the cam J, and its curved or inclined portion m will be traversed by the
upper roller a¹ of the bar B, the latter being consequently depressed so
that the lower roller before it reaches the limit of its rearward move-
ment will not only compress the metal against and into the recesses of
the die, and reduce it to the form shown at n, n, Figure 1, but will also
form the opposite edge p, p, of the spike, and reduce it to a compara-
tively sharp point q. The cam J is so shaped that when the formation
of the spike has been completed the guide E will be elevated, thus per-
mitting the ready withdrawal of the spike from the die, and it will
retain its elevated position long enough to permit the introduction of
another spike blank before a repetition of the above operation takes
place.
Having thus described my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that what I claim as my Invention
is, the fixed die A, reciprocating bar B, its rollers a and a', and movable
guide E, all combined and operating substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here..
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1874.
Witness,
H. J. NOONE.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)