A NEW OR IMPROVED FORGING MACHINE
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Silas Safford Putnam, of the State of Massachusetts,
of the United States of America, for the Invention of "A NEW OR
IMPROVED FORGING MACHINE."
Sealed the 3rd August 1855, and dated the 24th May 1855.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Silas Safford Putnam at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declara-
tion, on the 24th May 1855, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME.
BE IT KNOWN, that I, SILAS SAFFORD PUTNAM, of the State of Massa-
chusetts, of the United States of America, have invented "A NEW OR IMPROVED
FORGING MACHINE," and I do hereby declare that the said Invention is fully
described and represented in the following Specification, and the accompanying
Drawings, letters, figures, and references thereof :-
Of these Drawings, Figure 1 denotes a front elevation of my said machine;
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the same; Figure 3 is a side elevation of it;
Figure 4 is a vertical, central, and transverse section of it; Figure 5 is a
vertical, central, and longitudinal section of it.
A denotes the frame of the machine, such frame being perforated by two

page_text: grooves B, C, which are arranged at right angles to one another, one of them
being horizontal and the other vertical; such grooves serve to sustain four
hammers D, E, F, G, which are adapted to them respectively, so as to slide
freely within them, and so that either two of each set D, E, or F, G, of such
hammers may be moved either towards or away from one another. In order
that each hammer may move rectilinearly, it slides on two parallel guides a, a,
see Figures 1, 4, and 5. Such hammer is provided with a long slot b, for the
reception of a square bolt c, which passes transversely through it, and receives
a screw d, which is tapped into the square bolt, and is so applied to the hammer
that when it (viz. the screw) is turned either in one direction or the other, it
shall move the hammer on the bolt c.
The purpose of the two screws d of each set of hammers is to enable the
distances between the striking faces of their hammers to be changed or made
greater or less, as occasion may require, the same being so as to adapt the
hammers to the reduction of the piece of metal to a size in width or thickness
as may be desired. The several bolts c have journals f, f, extended from them,
each passing through two ends of two of four connecting rods H, H, H, H,
arranged with respect to one another, as seen in Figure 2, the axes of such
rods being disposed in the perimeter of a parallelogram. By means of such
connecting rods, whenever two of the hammers are made to approach one
another, the other two will be caused to recede from each other. Under this
state of things, it will be perceived that the momentum of the receding hammers
will be brought into action upon the approaching hammers, so as to increase
the effect of the blow produced by them, when they are brought into contact
with a piece of metal extended between them. I do not employ an anvil in my
machine, because when a piece of metal to be forged is placed thereon, its top
surface only receives the blow of the hammer, and while such top surface will
be greatly compressed under such a blow, the lower surface of the piece of metal
will receive little or no compression or reduction, comparatively speaking. My
object has been to reduce a piece of metal equally on both of its opposite faces,
and consequently I employ two hammers to accomplish such a result; and in
order that the metal may be reduced on its four sides or faces without undue
or improper strain of its particles, I make use of four hammers, or two sets of
them, each set of them being made to operate alternately upon the metal.
The lower vertical hammer G has a slotted sliding frame I affixed to it, and
made to extend upward, as seen in Figures 1, 3, and 4. The upper part of
said frame slides in vertical parallel guides or ways 9, 9, [extended from the
inain frame A], and is jointed to a bell crank h by means of connecting rod K.

page_text: Another connecting rod of a similar kind also connects another bell crank i
with the upper hammer F, as seen in Figures 2 and 4 of the Drawings.
A driving shaft N, arranged at the upper part of the frame A, carries the two
bell cranks h, i, and may have one or more fly wheels M, and be put in rotation
by any suitable motor. Each of the connecting rods is so made as to enable
it to have a double action. It is constructed in two parts K, L, see Figure 6,
which is a longitudinal section of such rod. That part K which connects with
a bell crank is formed with projections m, m, for the reception of the other
part L, which slides freely through them, and has arranged upon it two collars
o, p, and a helical spring g; the latter being made to envelope the part L,
and to bear upon the collars.
The collars rest respectively against the projections m, m, and shoulders r, s,
formed on the part L, as seen in the Drawings. The two parts K, L, are so
connected that when one of them, viz., L, is moved axially either upward or
downward, it will be supported against the spring q.
By the above mode of constructing the connecting rods, they not only permit
the cranks to pass their dead centres when the hammers are impinging upon a
piece of metal which may be between them, but at the same time they impart
to the hammers an elasticity of action highly useful in forging.
The machine is provided in front and in rear with two adjusting tables O, P,
each of which is so applied to the base plate of the framework as to be capable
of being raised or depressed, so as to adjust it to any height that may be required.
In the Drawings each table is exhibited as resting on a tubular screw nut t,
which is screwed upon a vertical post u. By means of such adjustment the
tables may be set at such a height as may be necessary to bring the axis of any
piece of metal to be forged precisely midway between the two hammers of each
set, as herein-before described. Sustaining rollers v, v, v, are applied to the
tables, as seen in Figures 1, 2, and 4. The table o is furnished with a feeding
roller wand a pressure roller x, arranged as seen in Figure 4, the pressure
roller being forced downward towards the feeding roller by springs y, y, acting
against its journals.
For the purpose of feeding along with an intermittent motion the bar or
piece of metal to be forged, the respective journals of the feeding rollers ware
provided with rocker cranks Q, Q, which turn freely upon them, each crank
being made to carry a spring click or pawl z, which acts in the teeth of a ratchet
R, fixed to the shaft of the feed roller, as seen in Figure 1, and more particularly
by dotted lines in Figure 3. The rocker cranks Q, Q, are respectively jointed
to connecting rods S, S, see Figures 1 and 8. Each of these connecting rods

page_text: is made in two pieces or parts a', 6', the upper one of which, viz. a', is pro-
vided with a slot c', and is lapped upon the other piece and secured to it by
two screws d', d', as seen in Figures 1 and 4. Each of the said upper pieces
a', a', is also provided with another slot e', which receives a sliding box f¹, see
Figure 7, which is a vertical section of said piece a', and its sliding box f¹.
The sliding boxes f', f', receive the journals of a horizontal shaft g', which is
connected with a crank h¹ [fixed on the driving shaft] by means of a connecting
rod, the same being arranged as seen in Figures 1, 3, and 4. The said
shaft g' is supported by rocker arms k³, k, which extend from the main frame-
work, as seen in Figures 1, 3, and 4. A screw passes down through the
head of each of the connecting rods S, S, and enters its slot e', as seen in
Figure 3; the object of such slot e¹ being to prevent any movement of the
feed roller from taking place while either two of the hammers are in the act of
reducing a piece of metal, the screw serving to regulate the extent of
stoppage of the feed roller..
My improved forging machine has many advantages over others in use. By
the peculiar manner in which its hammers are made to operate, they can be run
or moved with great velocity without danger of breakage; and when two of
them meet upon a piece of metal they serve to arrest the motion of the other
two when receding from one another, the velocity of the latter being checked
without any injurious jar or strain to the mechanism, the momentum of the
receding hammers being at the same time brought into action upon those which
are approaching one another, as herein-before described. The hammers can be
readily adjusted so as to forge a piece of metal to any desirable thickness or
As each set of hammers is balanced to a certain extent by the other,
very little power will be required to operate the machine, the force of the blows
given by them being in accordance with their weight and velocity.
width.
I do not claim the combination of an anvil, its hammer and two lateral
hammers made to operate together, so as to enable a bar during its reduction by
the hammers to be compressed or reduced laterally by the side hammers; but
what I do claim is, so combining four hammers together by means substantially
as described, that not only may two of them be approaching towards while the
other two are receding from one another, but that the momentum of the re-
ceding hammers may be brought into action upon the approaching hammers,
so as to increase the effect of the blow or blows produced by them, as stated.
I also claim two hammers arranged to operate on two opposite sides of a bar
in combination with two hammers arranged to operate upon the other two
opposite sides of such bar, each set operating alternately, and the four hammers

page_text: acting on the four sides, and producing an equality of reduction of the bar which
cannot be obtained by an anvil [to support it], and three hammers operating
upon the three unsupported sides of such bar.
I also claim the above-described manner of constructing each of the con-
necting rods K, L, in order that it may not only allow its crank to continue its
movement when the hammers strike together or upon a bar of metal, but
relieve the cranks and connecting rods from the effects of the sudden blows
given by the hammers.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my signature and seal, this
Eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
SILAS SAFFORD PUTNAM. (L.S.)