Year: 1887

page_text: I, CHARLES ALFRED HAMILTON, residing at Waterbury, in the County of New
Haven, and State of Connecticut, one of the United States of America, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in dies for use in the
swaging of the shanks of forks, spoons and like articles of table ware, and has for its
object to furnish means whereby a blank from which the spoon or fork is to be made,
may be compressed laterally so that the shank of the finished spoon or fork may be
thicker than the metal of the blank as originally cut; furthermore it is the object of
my invention to so form the operating edges of the compressing dies, that any
lengthening of the spoon blank while being compressed is prevented, and with these
ends in view my invention consists in the details of construction hereinafter set forth
and then recited in the claims.
In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may
understand how to make and use the same I will now describe it in detail reference
being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and
in which
Fig. 1, is a plan view of the lower confining die and the lateral swaging dies, and
the blank; the latter being in position to be operated upon.
Fig. 2, a similar view the swaging having taken place.
Fig. 3, a vertical section at line, x-x, of fig. 1.
Fig. 4, a vertical section line, y-y, of figure, 2.
Fig. 5, a perspective of the swaging dies in proper position relative to a spoon
blank and showing the corrugations in their operating faces.
Fig. 6, a perspective of a spoon blank after the swaging operation.
Fig. 7, a detail perspective of one of the swaging dies, and
Fig. 8, a perspective of a blank, compressed between dies whose operating surfaces
are smooth.
Like figs. of reference indicate like parts in all the views.

page_text: 1, 2, are the upper and lower confining dies, whose faces are substantially flat and
parallel. The faces are furthermore considerably broader than the blanks upon which
they are designed to operate.
3, are the lateral swaging dies whose operating surfaces are roughened or corru-
gated transversely to their length, as at, 4. 5, is the blank. The upper confining die
and the two swaging dies are adapted to be operated by any suitable and ordinary
means, which as it forms no part of my invention I have thought it unnecessary
to show.
In operating my device the upper confining die is raised sufficiently to allow the
blank to be laid upon the top of the lower confining die between the swaging dies.
The upper die is then lowered so as to rest upon the blank. The swaging dies are
then operated against the edge of the blank from either side, and the metal of the
blank is thereby compressed and thereby narrowed, and condensed. The action of
the swaging dies also thickens that part of the blank which is to form the spoon shank,
so that when finished the spoon will have a shank thicker than the sheet metal from
which the blank was struck.
In this operation the corrugated edges of the swaging dies lay hold upon the metal
of the blank, and thereby prevent any lengthening or "crawling" of the metal. This
ensures that the swaged blanks shall be of uniform length.
The tendency of the metal blank to elongate under this sidewise pressure of the
dies is very great, and varies of course with every slight variation in the thickness of
the metal. The advantage of the corrugation of the operating surfaces of the swaging
dies will therefore be readily seen.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
1. The combination with the confining dies, adapted to hold the blank at top and
bottom, of the swaging dies arranged to work between the faces of the said confining
dies and to laterally swage and compress the metal of the blank, substantially as
set forth.
2. The combination with the upper and lower confining dies, of a pair of laterally
movable swaging dies, the latter having their operating surfaces corrugated trans-
versely to the length thereof, as shown and set forth.
3. A pair of swagtng dies of the character described, having their operating
surfaces corrugated and roughened transversely to their length, as set forth.
4. A pair of swaging dies of the character described, having formed in their
operating surfaces, a series of notches extending across said surfaces, and substantially
transverse to their length, substantially as specified.
Dated this 13th day of September 1887.