IMPROVEMENTS IN, A " .. MACHINERY FOR, THE MANUFACTURE. OF CUT NAILS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTER
AT to fuchard Heathheld, of Birmingham, in the County;
⚫ of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN,
A
"
.. MACHINERY FOR, THE MANUFACTURE. OF CUT NAILS." -A communication
from abroad by John Henry Geary, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, United,
States of America..
-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Heathfield at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th, August 1867.......
I, RICHARD HEATHFIELD, of' Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-.
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CUT NAILS," to be as
follows:-
The said Invention consists of the improvements' herein-after described in
that part of machinery employed in the manufacture of cut nails called the
feeder, that is, the part by which the strip of metal from which the nails are
to be cut is fed into the machine and turned over after the cutting of each
nail from its end. The said feeder consists of a 'tube slightly incliued, the end
nearest the cutter being lower than the other end; through this tube the strip
of metal from which-the nails are to be cut is passed, and to the said tube an
alternating motion of partial rotation is given in the ordinary way. To the
end of the tube, and on one side thereof, an arm is fixed, the said arm being

page_text: parallel to the axis of the tube. The extreme or free end of this arm is bent
at right angles, and has a slot or opening made in it, through which slot or
opening the strip of metal passes. The outer end of the tube or the end most
distant from the cutter is supported in a bearing which allows the tube a slight
motion in a vertical plane. The inner end of the tube is pressed upon by a
spring, the end of the spring being formed into a clip or bearing.
The action of the feeder is as follows:-The strip of metal fed through the
tube and slot or opening in the arm is urged forward towards the cutter in
the usual way. After one nail has been cut from the said strip the tube
performs a semi-rotation, the end of the arm bearing on the bed of the machine
and constituting an oscillating centre about which the rotatory motion is
performed, the inner end of the tube together with the arm and strip con-
sequently rise, and fall in a vertical plane during the semi-rotation of the tube,
the tube and arm being pressed down to the bed plate, and lateral motion in
them' prevented by the spring described. The action of the feeder is, after
each nail has been cut from the end of the strip, to turn over the said strip, at
the same time slightly raising it and bringing it down again in the same
position upon the bed plate, the motions being very similar to those effected
by the human hand in hand-fed nail-cutting machines, ate the data e
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Heathfield in-the-Great Seal -Patent Office on the
4th February 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
HEATHFIELD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most, Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Richard Heathfield, Her special licence that I, the said Richard Heathfield,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Richard Heathfield, 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 Ireland,
the Channel, Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN

page_text: MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CUT NAILS," à communication to me from
abroad by John Henry Geary, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, United States; of
America, upon the condition (amongst 'others) that I, the said Richard
Heathfield, 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.
靠
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Heathfield, 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 thereof, that is to say:
The said Invention consists of the improvements berein-after, described in
that part of machinery employed in the, manufacture of cut nails called the
feeder, that is, the part by which the strip of metal, from which the nails are
to be cut is fed into the machine and turned over after the cutting of each
nail from its end. The said feeder consists of a tube slightly inclined, the end
nearest the cutter being lower than the other end; through this tube the strip"
of metal from which the nails are to be cut is passed, and to the said tube an
alternating motion of partial rotation is given in the ordinary way. To the
end of the tube and on one side thereof an arm is fixed, the said arm being
parallel to the axis of the tube. The extreme or free end of this arm is bent
at right angles, and has a slot or opening made in it, through which slot or
opening the strip of metal passes. The outer end of the tube, or the end
most distant from the cutter, is supported in a bearing which allows the tube a
slight motion in a vertical plane. The inner end of the tube is pressed upon
by a spring, the end of the spring being formed into a clip or bearing.
:
The, action of the feeder is as follows:-The strip of metal fed through the
tube and slot or opening in the arm is urged forward towards the cutter in the
usual manner; after one nail has been cut from the said strip the tube performs.
a semi-rotation, the end of the arm bearing on the bed of the machine, and
constituting an oscillating centre, about which the rotatory motion is performed;
the inner end of the tube, together with the arm and strip, consequently rise
and fall in a vertical plane during the semi-rotation of the tube, the tube:and
arm being pressed down to the bed plate, and lateral motion in them prevented
by the spring described. The action of the feeder is, after each nail has been
cut from the end of the strip, to-turn the said strip, at the same time-slightly.
raising. it and bringing it down again in the same position upon the bed plate,

page_text: the motions.being very similar to those èffected by the human hand in hand-
fed nail-cutting machines.
Having explained the nature of the said Invention I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed:
Figure
ن.
2.14
represents in plan, and
mechanism of machinery for the
Figure 2 in side elevation, the feeding
manufacture of cut nails constructed
according to the said Invention. The same letters of reference indicate the
same parts in both Figures of the Drawing.
a is the tube down which the strip 6 from which nails are to be cut is fed.
The said tube is slightly inclined, the end nearest the cutter being somewhat
lower than the other end, as seen in Figure 2. To the lower end of the
side of the tube by means
tube a an arm c is connected, being fixed on one
of screws. The greater part of the arm c is parallel or nearly parallel to
the axis of the tube a. The extreme end. c² of the arc is bent at
right angles, and through a slot or opening in the said part c² the strip of
metal b passes (see the end elevation of the end of the said arm on a larger
scale in Figure 1). d is a fixed cutter or cutting bed, between the edge of
which and a moveable cutter (not shown in the Drawing) nails are cut from
the end of the strip b. The moveable cutter and other parts of the nail-cutting
machine not represented in the Drawing constitute no part of the said
Invention. The tube a is supported at its lower end by the part c-of-the
arm cresting on the cutting bed d; and the said tube is supported at its upper
end in the bearing e, which bearing allows the tube a motion in a vertical
plane. is a spring, the end foft which is formed into a semicircular clip or
bearing, by which the lower end of the tube a is pressed downwards. An
alternating motion of semi-rotation is given to the tube a by means of the rod g,
the said rod: g receiving an alternating reciprocating motion from a cam or
excentric on the principal, shaft of the machine. h, h2, is a cranked lever
turning on the centre i. The arm of the lever carries a cross-piece k, to the
ends of; which the ends of a strap or band are connected. The said strap or
band, passes round the tube a as represented. By the motion of the rod g,
cranked-lever h; h, cross piece k, and band l,. the tube a is made to perform
a. semi-rotation in one or other direction after the cutting off of a piece or nail
from the end of the strip b. During the performance, by the tube a of the
said motion of semi-rotation the angles c³, c, of the arm calternately bear and
travel upon the. cutting bed d, the said angles c³, c, constituting oscillating
centres, about which the lower end of the tube a moves: The lower end of
the tube a, together with the arm c and strip b, consequently. rise and fall in. a.

page_text: vertical plane during the semi-rotation of the tube a. The tube a and arm c
are pressed down to the fixed cutter or cutting bed d, and lateral motion in
them prevented by the spring and clip f, fs. The action of the feeder is after
each nail has been cut from the end of the strip to turn over the said strip
first in one direction and then in the other, at the same time slightly raising it
and bringing it down again into the same position on the cutting bed d. The
motion communicated to the strip b is very similar to that communicated by
the human band in band-fed nail-cutting machines. The strip b is fed down
the tube a by means of the rod m in a suitable slot, in the end of which the
said strip 6 is inserted. The advancing motion of the rod m is effected by the
weight n and cord o passing over the pulley p³, and fixed to a hook at the end
of the rod m, as will be understood by an examination of Figure 2. e is a
spring lever, by which the rod g is geared with and ungeared from the cranked
lever h, h.
Having now' described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of the said Invention;
but I claim as the said improvements in the machinery for the manufacture
of cut nails the following parts of the feeding mechanism, namely, the arm
herein-before described and marked c, c², c³, and c in the accompanying
Drawing, through which the strip of metal is fed immediately before it passes
to the cutter, and the bent end of which arm constitutes an oscillating centre
about which the motion of partial rotation of the feeding tube and strip of
metal is performed, substantially as described and illustrated; also the spring
with a clip end herein-before described and marked f, f, in the accompanying
Drawing for holding down the feeding tube and preventing lateral motion
therein, substantially as described and illustrated.
'
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Heathfield, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
RICHARD HEATHFIELD. (LS.)