AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING OR MANUFACTURING OF NAILS
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
JOHN FULLER, of the Commercial Road, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King William the Fourth, by His Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of February now last past,
did give and grant unto me, the said Thomas John Fuller, His especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas John Fuller,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said
Thomas John Fuller, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING OR MANUFACTURING OF NAILS;" in
which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Thomas John Fuller, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar

page_text: months next and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas John Fuller, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the
following description thereof, that is to say:-
There being two distinct kinds of nails used for various purposes, I shall first
describe a combination of machinery which is suitable for square-pointed
nails, and having explained and described the various parts, the method of
combining them, and also their peculiar mode of operation, I shall then
describe my method of making flat-pointed nails, flat and square points
forming the two kinds more generally used.
Drawing 1, Figure 1.-1, 1, represents a plan or bird's-eye view of a cast-iron
frame, to which the principal parts of the machine are attached or combined.
2, 2, is a flat iron plate, upon which is fixed the iron trough 3; the plate 2, 2,
and trough 3, have each a long slot or groove made in them, that in the
trough being just the width of the nail to be made. This slot or groove is
shewn at 4. The slot made in the plate 2 is for the purpose of letting a
carrier move backwards and forwards therein; the end of it may be seen at 5.
The use of this is, to carry the heated pieces of iron into or between the
pointing hammers to be operated upon, in the way that will be shown here-
after. 6, 6, represent a pair of horizontal hammers which move upon short
centres or axes shewn at 7, 7. 8, 8, are two strong springs made to act upon
the tail of each hammer, and throw them open at proper intervals. 9, 9, shews
an axis that reaches across the machine; the centres work or turn in brass
bearings; the central portion is removed or broken away in order to expose to
view another axis 10, that lays immediately below it, and also some parts
attached or combined therewith. 11, 11, represents two iron cam wheels fixed
to the upper axis 9. 12, 13, and 14 are three small cams (two only are scen
in this Figure) placed on the cylindrical surface of the cam wheel 11; theso
are so placed for the purpose of lifting a hammer (not shewn in this Figure).
This hammer moves vertically, and is the principal agent employed for tapering
the nail on one side or direction. 15 represents a cam fixed on the side of
the sume cam wheel. There are three such cams fixed on each of the cam
wheels 11, 11, and in those shewn at 12, 13, and 14 there is a slight variation
in their lengths or projections, the first being the shortest, the second is a little
longer, and the third is the longest, by which means the first blow struck by

page_text: the vertical hammer, when forced down by the shortest cam, will have the
least effect in reducing or tapering the iron to form the point of the nail. The
second cam, being longer, will raise the hammer shaft higher, and the hammer
will then be forced down with greater power, and consequently produce a
greater effect than the first; and the third cam being longer or projecting
further still, will, for the same reasons, produce a still greater degree of force,
and finally effect the object intended, namely, that of producing a square point
and a proper taper at one end of the piece of iron. The force or power being
thus applied will be found to produce the nail exactly similar in quality to
those made by a workman with an ordinary hammer, the taper or point being
by my method completed by a repetition of blows, a very slight degree of com-
pression being afterwards applied merely to straighten the nail, and place the
point exactly in the line that forms the axis of the nail. 16 represents the
face or upper surface of an anvil, upon which one end of the heated metal
lays while it is operated upon by the vertical hammer. 17 represents a
carrying wheel fixed on the lower axis 10. A similar one is fixed on that
portion of the upper axis 9 which is supposed to be removed. Each of theso
carrying wheels have cavities formed in them to receive in each a steel die 18,
each die being fixed firmly in its cylinder by two countersunk screws; the
external surface of the cylinder and die are each made to correspond; the die,
therefore, when fixed in its place, forms part of the cylinder. In each die
n recess is formed of such dimensions and shape as will just retain half a nail
imbedded in it, and when the two are placed coincident or exactly opposite to
each other, then the nail will lay imbedded between the two, and as they roll
on the nail will be carried forward between them until it is forced into another
part of the machinery. 19 is a metal guide, having a hopper mouth at onc
end to facilitate the entrance of a nail when it is required to enter therein by
the motion or action of the carrying wheels before described. 20 shows a metal
slide, to which the guide 19 is fixed. The slide 20 is moved by two short arms
or levers; one end of each is seen at 21, 21, entering two small apertures made
to receive them in the slide 20%; the other ends are attached to an axis 22.
This axis has a lever 23 fixed to it at one end, which is moved by the cam 24,
fixed to the lower axis 10; therefore, when the lever 23 is set in motion by
the cam 24, the axis 22 will cause the arms 21, 21, to move forward the
slide 20, and also the guide 19, to the position shewn in red dotted lines, unti!
it is sufficiently near to permit the nail to enter; and when the nail is securely
deposited therein, the counterweight 25, combined with the axis 22, will draw
back the slide, and all the parts combined therewith, to the position shewn in
the Drawing, when the nail will be projected into a trough Q of the heading

page_text: part of the machine by the following means:-26 represents a striking pieco
jointed or working on an axis or short pin at 27. 28 is an iron coupling link,
jointed to the striking piece near 26; the other end has a slot formed in it, and
a pin 29 fixed to the slide; 20 enters and moves freely therein. When the
slide 20 is driven forward to the position shown in red dotted lines, the pin 29
will advance and push against the other end of the slot at 30, and then tho
striking piece 26 will be driven back to the position shewn in dotted lines, in
which position there will be just room enough for a nail to enter the guide 19,
and upon the return of the slide 20 to the position shewn in the Drawing, the
striking piece 26 will, by its sudden return, give the point of the nail a smart
blow or tap, and project it into the trough Q of the heading part of the
machine, from whence it will be conveyed into certain parts that will, by their
action, crush up a portion of the metal into any shaped head that may be
required.
Drawing, Figure 1, shews a front elevation of the same machinery:
31 represents an axis to which the parts are attached or combined that give
motion to the carrier 32. 33 is a lever fixed at one end to the axis 31; the
other end is jointed to a connecting rod 34, the upper end of which moves in
a slide, and is depressed or forced down by a cam 35, shewn in dotted lines,
and these parts are made to ascend again by means of a counterweight 36,
fixed on the end of the lever 33', the lever 33' being fixed to the axis 31. It
must be remembered, that in this Figure a part of the frame of the machine
is removed, by which means many of the parts are exposed to view that would
be hidden if such a mode of shewing them was not adopted, and some others
are shown in section for the same reason. 37 shews the position of the vertical
hammer, which swings or moves on an axis 38, placed across the machine; the
method of fixing this axis will be shewn in another Figure. 39 represents a
counterweight, fixed near the end of the hammer shaft or helve 40. This
weight brings up the hammer 37 after has been driven down by the action
of the cams 12, 13, and 14 (this effect may also be produced by a spring),
which in their revolution raise the inclined plane 41, and cause the hammer 37
to strike the nail in such a manner as to taper one end, and by a repetition of
blows produce a square point in the manner before described, the increasing
length of the cams producing a more powerful effect at each blow or motion
of the hammer. 24 shews a cam fixed on the lower axis 10; this acts on
the lever 23, and being attached or connected to the axis 22, it moves the
arms 21, 21 (one only of which can be seen in this Figure), and shifts the
slide 20 and guide 19 at the precise point of time that is required; and by
means of this contrivance the guide 19 will be advanced at a proper time to

page_text: receive the nail, and when it is returned back by the lever 23 rolling down
the cam 24, and approaching the axis 10, it will cause the striker 26, see
Drawing 1, to give the point a smart blow or tap, and this will project the
nail into the trough Q of the heading part of the machine, where it will have
a head formed upon it in the manner to be hereafter described. The position
of the striking bar 26, and the pin 29 that gives motion to it, have been
already described in the plan of this part of the machinery in Drawing 1, Fig. 1.
Drawing 1, Figure 2.-50 represents a piece of iron, sufficient to make a
nail with it, having been separated from a square rod of iron by shears, or any
of the well-known means in common use for cutting rods of iron into lengths.
'It will be seen that the piece is not cut off perpendicular to the length of the
rod, but diagonally, by which means it is tapered for a certain distance, so as
to form an inclined plane or wedge of about eight degrees, having a flat point
at the extreme end of the inclined plane. This is the first process, and when
any number are so prepared, they are put into a suitable furnace, and being
sufficiently heated, they are to be taken out one by one, and placed or laid
in the trough 3, Drawing 1, of the square-pointing part of the machine; and
then, as the ca 35, Drawing 2, shewn in dotted lines, cones round, it
will depress the rod 34 and cause the lever 42 to advance the carrier 32,
which will carry a nail on before it, and place it between the lateral
hammers 6, 6, Drawing 1, which being closed by the cams 15, 15, on
the cam wheels 11, 11, will set the tapered end until the flat point or
extreme end of the inclined plane will be placed central, or in the line of
the axis of the nail, as may be seen on the face of the anvil at 16; the lateral
hammers will then be forced opcu, the cams 15, 15, passing on in their
revolutions, and then the springs 8, 8, seen at the tails of the hammers, will
force them open, and at that instant the vertical hammer 37, Drawing 2,
will be forced down by the cam 12, and give a slight blow to that side of the
nail that requires to be tapered, and having done so, the vertical hammer will
be raised by the counterweight 39, and at that instant the lateral hammers
will be so quickly closed by the side cams 15, 15, that they will give the nail
a blow on the vertical sides, and by such means keep it in shape, and having
produced this effect, they will be again opened, when the vertical hammer
37 will repeat its operation with additional force, the second cam drives
that drives down the vertical hammer 37, being, as before stated, rather
longer for that purpose; and when this has effected a greater degree of
tapering, and a nearer approximation to a square point, the lateral hammers
will be closed a third and last time, which will be all that is requisite, and
then being forced open, the vertical hammer will be forced down a third time

page_text: with still greater effect, and this will finish the work that is to be done by the
hammers. The carrier 32 will at this period drive forward another mail,
which will, by pressing upon the end of the one recently tapered and pointed;
cause it to enter the groove made to receive it in the steel dies let into the
carrying rollers 17, sec Drawing 1, which as they revolve will cause it to
enter the hopper-mouthed guide 19, which at this point of time will be forced
up against the opening or space between the carrying rollers, as shewn in the
Drawing by red dotted lines; and when the nail is placed therein it will be
conveyed to the position shewn at 19 in the Drawing. 1, Figure 1, by the
nction of the levers 21, 21, combined with the slide 20, and at that instant 'the
pin 29 will cause the link 28 to pull the striker 26 forward very quickly, and
then it will strike the pointed end of the tapered nail and project it into the
trough Q, from which it will be carried into the heading part of the machine,
to be completed by having a head formed upon it. I shall here observe,
that if the nail when it leaves the hammers should have the slightest degree
of crookedness, it will bo set perfectly straight by being passed through the
carrying rollers, and from them into the guide 19; the rollers and the steel
dies let into them being so adjusted as to give a different degree of pressure
for that purpose.
Drawing 1, Fig. 1.-42 is a pinion fixed on the upper axis 9. This gears
into one exactly similar fixed on the lower axis 10. By these means the two
axes 9 and 10 are made to revolve together, and also the carrying rollers fixed
upon them. 43 is a cog wheel fixed to the end of the axis 9; this is set in
motion by the connecting wheel 44, which turns on the fixed axis 45. The
connecting wheel 44 is driven by a similar one attached to an axis or shaft II
of the heading part of the machine. A portion of this wheel is shewn at 46.
It will therefore be easily seen that these wheels are the means of communi-
cating motion from the heading part of the machine to the pointing part of
the machine. I have, in Drawing 1, shewn a portion of the heading part of
the machinery only, because if the whole had been shewn united, the scale of
the Drawing must have been reduced, and then the parts would have been too
small to have been understood.
Drawing 3, Fig. 1.-47, 47, represents a frout elevation of the bridge or
carriage that supports the axis of the vertical hammer. This bridge is bolted
to the two sides of the iron frame 1, 1. 38 is the axis or shaft upon which
the hammer 37 swings or turns. The axis or shaft moves in brass bearings
placed at each side of the top of the bridge. The hammer 37 slides in a recess
or mortice formed for it, which may be seen at 48, and the position and modo
of supporting the anvil may be secu at 16. Fig. 2 represents an end view of

page_text: the bridge 47, and the position it assumes when properly fixed on the frame
1, 1, of the machine. Fig. 3 represents a plan of the same combination of
parts. Figure 4 represents a front elevation of the same Figures.
Drawing 4. Figure 1 represents a plan or ichnographic projection of the
heading part of the machine to be used in the manufacture of nails. A, A, A,
A, A, A represent a cast-iron frame that supports, and to which the principal
parts of the heading part of the machine are attached or combined. B is a
wrought-iron axis; the central part of this is constructed to receive a steel die,
which is fixed under C; this is used in combination with a similar die placed
immediately under it, and in a similar axis. The lower dic and the iron
axis to which it is affixed is capable of rising a small distance, so as to
meet or recede from the upper die, and when closed they are made to hold a
small portion of a bar or rod of iron formed into a nail in a heated state while
it is having a head formed upon it. The construction of these dies, and
their peculiar mode of operation, will be explained by Figures to be described
hereafter. See the figure of the dies in Drawing 5, Figure 2.
Drawing 4, Fig. 1.-D represents a bridge of cast iron fixed to the frame
A, A, at each end by bolts and nuts; its peculiar form and construction will be
better seen in another Figure to be described hereafter. In that portion of the
bridge seen at E, and under a cover, the sliding header moves. The sliding
header is shewn in dotted lines at a, and the cam that drives it forward to
produce the head may be seen at b. F, F, and G, G, are two similar bent
levers, one of which F, F, is attached or made fast by a key to the axis B, and
the other G, G, is fixed or united in a similar manner to another axis placed
parallel to and immediately below the one shewn at B. The under axis has a.
recess formed in it to receive a die similar to the one placed under C, and the
two ends of the axis being formed into pivots, move in brass bearings which.
are made to slide in perpendicular grooves or recesses formed in the frame of
the machine. This part of the combination will be best seen in a vertical section
of the heading part of the machine, described hereafter in Drawing 5, Fig. 1.
Drawing 4, Fig. 1.-H, H, is a wrought-iron axis, having two cams I and J
attached thereto. When the axis H is made to revolve either by the handle K,
a rigger placed thereon, or any other suitable method or means, these two cams,.
by means of their peculiar construction, act upon the bent levers F and G, and
either open them or permit them to close, as occasion may require. L shews a
coupling plate of cast iron, made to slide in two horizontal grooves or recesses
formed in each side of the cast-iron frame A, A. c is a projecting loop or coupler
cast upon the coupling plate L; a similar one projects below the same plate,
and its position will be seen by the dotted lines at d. Each of these loops or

page_text: projections is made with a recess, and these two recesses receive the ends of the
two bent levers F and G when they are in a closed position, and hold them
firmly while tho process of heading is going on. M is an iron axis, the pivots of
which move in brass bearings of the usual description. is a pallet shown in
dotted lines, welded to or cast upon the lower side of the axis M. This pallet
enters a slit or recess made in the coupling plate L, and moves it backwards or
forwards a sufficient quantity to couple and hold the two levers F and G firmly,
or to release them when it is necessary they should open. f represents a lever
fixed to the axis M by a key and groove in the usual manner. 7 shews a cani'
attached to the end of the axis II; and when the axis H is made to revolve,
the cam 9 will raise or lower the lever f, thereby moving the axis M and
pallet c, which, being combined with the coupling plate L in the way before
described, will produce the desired effect, namely, that of holding the bent
levers and G firmly while the head of the nail is formed. The combination
and peculiar action of these parts will be also seen in Drawing 5, Fig. 1,
representing a vertical section through the centre of the machine.
Drawing 4, Figure 1.-N represents a cam fixed on the axis II. This as it
revolves depresses one end of the lever O and turns the axis P partly round,
and with it two short levers welded or cast thereto. These may be seen in
dotted lines at h, i; and as the sliding bearings of the axes to which the
lower beading die is applied rests upon these levers, they will be elevated
until the two dies are so close as to hold the heated iron firmly and immoveable
until the heading is effected. The peculiar arrangement, combination, and
mode of action of these parts will be more perfectly exemplified in the
vertical section, Drawing 5, Figure 1.
Drawing 4, Fig. 1.-Q represents an angular cast-iron trough, within
which a feeder or carryer moves backwards and forwards to supply the
heated pieces of metal into the heading dies of the machine. k is a feeding
bar; the lower end is attached to an axis, by which means it can form part of a
revolution. The axis is supported in the standard m; the upper end of the bar
k is combined with the feeding rod n and the staple o, by means of a pin passing
through the whole; and upon this pin they all move or turn as upon one
common centre. p represents an arm projecting from the feeding bar; upon
the end of this arm a friction roller g is placed, which, being raised by a striking
piece fixed on the bent lever F, sets the feeding parts in motion in the manner
to be hereafter described. is a sliding weight; the use of this is to keep an
angular carrier closely in its place while it is employed in carrying or pushing
forward the blank or tapered piece of iron to be heated. 8, s. are two friction
rollers attached to the lower end of the feeding rod n. Each of these roll upon

page_text: a flat surface formed on each side of the angular trough Q. t, t, are two
parallel inclined planes, which permit the weight to slide up them, and
thereby raise the feeder or carryer out of the angular groove while a heated
blank or piece of iron is placed therein to be headed. R is a bent lever,
united at one end to the socket S. u is a curved piece of iron called a dis-
charger, screwed fast to the socket S. This is applied to discharge the nail after
it has been finished by the dies in the manner to be described hereafter. The
other end of the bent lever R has an inclined plane formed upon it to be
acted upon by a cam v fixed on the axis H. This cam strikes the lever R
once in every revolution, one nail being completed at each revolution of the
axis H. w shows a cord made fast at one end to the iron staple O, the other
end passes over a pulley T, and has a weight tied to it, the power of which is
sufficient to pull forward the feeding apparatus when it is necessary for it to
be advanced., represents a striking rod screwed fast to the coupling plate L.;
the point of this rod strikes the upper end of the feeding bark at the instant
the feeding apparatus has delivered the heated iron into the dies, and by this
incans the carryer is removed a small distance from its contact with the point
or end of the heated iron, and thereby prevented from cooling it. U is a
weight fixed to one end of the lever y. This lever moves on a fulcrum or axis
near its centre, and the other end is jointed to a part of the bent lever
G, G, by which means it is raised at proper intervals for the purpose of letting
the end of the bent lever G, G, enter the lower coupling recess d, as will be
shewn hereafter. V represents a tappet fixed upon the side of the cam I or
to the axis H; this in its revolution strikes the pin and depresses it, and as
the lower end of the pin is jointed to a bent lever which is combined with
the sliding header a; it is by its motion made to draw the header back after
it has performed its office, and thereby assist in discharging the nail from the
machine after the heading is completed. This part of the apparatus will be
more plainly seen in the vertical section of the machine shown in Drawing 5;
Figure 1. If the action of the two cams I and J be examined in the
Drawings where they are represented, it will be found that at certain periods
during the revolution one will be advancing towards the two axes to which the
heading dies are combined, while the other is receding, and yet an equal and
similar effect is produced by each cam upon each of the bent levers F, F;
and G, G, at the same instant of time. This effect is produced by the peculiar
curvature of the cams, and the simple method I adopt to produce the curves
is as follows:-
Figure 1, Drawing 7.-H represents the axis, to which both cams I and J
are united. X, Y, are two iron arms (one of these is shown in dotted lines)

page_text: welded or attached in any other suitable way to the axis H. Each of these
arms is fitted to a recess formed in the cams I and J, and when in that state
they are made fast or fixed to the cams by two countersunk screws, as shewn
in the Figure. The same cams may, however, be firmly attached to the axis
1 by any of the means usually adopted by workmen in such cases.
1 repre-
sents a centro, from which the semicircle or segment 2, 3, is produced.
4 shews a centre, from which another semicircle is produced. The extremities
of these are made to fall into each other at 2 and 3. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, aro
radii, which as far as 8 radiate from the centre 1; the others, namely
9 and 10, radiate from the centre. 4. These radii extend beyond the
semicircles, and upon these the eccentric portion of the cam I is formed;
and as this Drawing is made to the real scale of the machine, the eccentric
points in the curve may be accurately laid off or copied. The lower cam J in
this Figure has its proper curvature formed by similar means, but owing
to the necessity of making both the bent levers more similarly and simul-
taneously, the lower cam J must have its eccentricity fall partly within the
semicircle and partly without, as may be seen by referring to the eccentric
portion of each cam, which is tinted for that purpose to distinguish it.
11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, represent in dotted lines the radii
which are all produced from the single centre 21, and which are to
be used to lay off the eccentric points through which the curve of the cam J
must be made to pass. In this way a templet or pattern may be made from
which a cam or cams may be afterwards constructed so near the true curvature
that very little adjustment or alteration will be required when the machine is
finally completed. When square-pointed nails are to be maile or headed with
this part of the machine, the parts of the machine must be placed in the
position shewn in Drawing 6, Figure 1, and a heated piece of iron, previously
pointed (and which I shall hereafter call a blank) will be projected into the
trough Q, as shewn in red dotted lines, and then if the axis II be turned
round in the direction of the dart drawn upon it, the cams I and J will by
their revolution permit the bent levers Fand G to close until they approach
the coupling plate L sufliciently to enter the couplers c, d, and when so closed
the coupling plate L, by the action of the cam g, lever f, and pallet c, will be
advanced so as to inclose the ends of the bent levers F and G, and retain
them firmly while the blank is headed. This position of the parts will be
seen in the vertical section, Drawing 5, Fig. 1. The revolution of the cam I,
Drawing 6, will permit the bent lever F, F, to close or approach the
coupler c, and then the weight appended to the cord w will draw forward the
feeding bark, also the feeding rod n, and all the parts combined at the end of

page_text: it, and then the carrier will push forward the heated blank until it enters
between the dies, which closing upon it in the way before described, will hold
it firmly until the head is formed, which is effected by the cam 6 driving
forward the sliding header a to compress any portion of iron that may extend
beyond the dies into the form of a head or cavity, being sunk for that purpose in
one end of the sliding header. I shall here observe that the end of the sliding
header, if made of wrought iron, should be case-hardened and tempered, and
also its whole surface, or it may have a steel punch or header fixed into one end,
a proper cavity being formed therein to give the required shape to the head of
the nail. The revolution of the axis H and cam N, attached thereto, will
permit the end of the lever O to roll along the smallest diameter of the
cam N, and then the lever O will, by its action on the axis P, depress the short
levers h, i, see Drawing 5, Fig. 1, attached thereto, and this movement will
lower the bottom die and release the nail, now completely finished. This
cam v, Drawing 6, will in its revolution come in contact with the inclined
plane formed on the end of the bent lever R, which it will raise rather quickly,
and the discharger u, combined to the other end or socket S, see Drawing 4,
will have its end forced in between the heading dies under C, and this coming
in contact with the point of the finished nail, will discharge or throw it out
from between the dies, and being open they will be ready to receive another
blank, which will be furnished by the revolution of the axis H, I, producing
a repetition of the process just described.
In Drawing 4, Figure 2, I have shewn another combination of parts for
drawing the finished nail out from the dies. A represents a standard fixed on
the iron plate that covers the sliding header a. B is a lever that moves on a
centre pin which passes through the upper end of the standard A. C is a leg
fixed to one end of the lever B. This is lifted or raised by a cam or pin D,
fixed to the axis H, and near the cam 6 that drives forward the sliding header a.
E represents a pendant that swings on the other end of the lever; the
lower end is forked, and this passes over the nail behind the head, and when
that position a cam T, fixed to the axis B, will strike the upper end of the
pendant E, and then the fork will draw out the nail from between the dies, and
it will drop down. The leg C, falling off the projecting pin or cam D, will raise
the forked pendant out of the way of the sliding header, and another nail
being headed, the same process will be repeated. It is not unfrequently found
that metal when rolled will become crooked, and in order to avoid such an
imperfection the following arrangement is adopted: After the head is formed,
as shewn under the axis B, Drawing 5, Figure 1, the bent levers F, G, will
be thrown open by the cams fixed on the axis II, before described, and as they

page_text: open they will cause the dies to form part of a revolution, and this motion
will drive the nail forward, and as it advances it will drive the header back,
the cam 6 having moved on out of the way; and during the time that this
movement proceeds, the nail is completely confined between the header and
the dies, by which means it will be prevented from receiving any crook or
bend from rolling that is applied at the taper end, and when the header a is
forced back as far as the nail can operate upon it, at that instant the tappet V
will strike the pin, see Drawing 4, Fig. 1, which being combined with and
operating upon the lever W and pallet X, Drawing 5, Figure 1, will carry
the header so far back as to release the head of the mail from it, and permit
it to drop out. In these dies the square-pointed nail is completed, the
tapered point receiving therein a slight degree of pressure, and conse-
quently an improvement in its form, just previous to its exit from the heading
dies; but it should be particularly observed that this pressure is applied
upon two of the solid angles, which will produce a great improvement in the
quality and shape of the point by condensing the metal in the most favorable
direction.
Drawing 5. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of the two axes, to
which the two heading dies are fixed. They are in this Figure shewn
open or in the position they assume when ready to receive a tapered nail
or blank between them, to have a head formed upon it. i represents one
of the short levers (before described) that raises and lowers the axis to
which the lower heading die is affixed. This lever is shewn in a depressed
position and the lower axis down; but in Figure 1 of the same Drawing
the lever is represented in its raised position. all the parts combined
therewith corresponding, the nail being held firmly between the dies, and
diagonally to resist the pressure of the sliding header. When square points
are to be formed the pieces of iron prepared are to be laid in the trough 3,
Drawing 1, Fig. 1, of the pointing part of the machine, in such a manner that
the part to be tapered may lay fair to be struck by the vertical hammer; and
for this purpose the sides of the trough are made to stand perpendicular to the
bottom on which the nail lays, and being carried forward in that direction it
enters the carrying wheels, and for this purpose the cavities in the dies 18 of
the carrying rollers or wheels are made in the manner shewn in a section of
them in Fig. 3, Drawing 5, which represents a fragment of the two dies
pressed close together, and the nail laying imbedded between them; but when
the nails are projected into the angular trough Q of the heading machine, their
position will be changed, and they will then move on, resting on one of their
solid angles, and in that state they will enter the heading dies, and lay in the

page_text: position shewn in the Drawing 5, Figure 4, the cavities formed in the dies
being shewn in a vertical section, see Fig. 4, in which state the rolling action
of the dies may be most advantageously applied.
In Drawing 1, Fig. 3 represents a vertical section of the carryer, and an end
view of a heated nail as it lays in the trough ready to be carried into the
machine to be pointed. Tho section is taken by a plane passing through the
parts at the dotted line Y, Y, in Fig. 1, supposing the carryer to be in that
situation. If the diagonal cut that separates a piece from the rod of iron,
Drawing 1, Fig, 2, for the purpose of making a flat-pointed nail be made in
such a direction as to produce a very thin edge or flat point, there would be a
great chance of producing a ragged or torn edge, which could not be well
closed or united by any power of the machinery applied to complete the nail.
I therefore recommend that the rod of iron should always be cut diagonally at
an angle of about ten or twelve degrees, which will leave the point too obtuse
for common purposes; but this form must be corrected by heating the pieces so
prepared, and then if they are put into the trough 3 of the pointing part of the
machine, they will be placed between the horizontal hammers, and the vertical
hammer 37, Drawing 2, Fig. 1, will be forced down, and will set the flat point
in a line with the axis of the nail, and at the same time render the taper end
more acute, this being effected by fixing the face of the anvil 16 at such an
angle to the plane of the horizon as will by its inclination produce the desired
effect. The nail so tapered will be carried by the machinery into the dies that
form the head, and when that process is performed the point will receive a slight
degree of rolling, when the pressure so applied will be found to reduce the
point sufficiently. Care must be taken in forming the cavities in the dies for
flat-pointed nails that they terminate at one end in such a manner that the
point of the nail should receive its pressure from the smooth and nearly cylin-
drical portion of the dies which will leave the point very smooth, and fit for
driving. It will be found that flat-pointed nails made by such means will be
equal in quality to those made in the usual way by the hands of a workman.
Drawing 3.-Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the bridge or carriage
that supports the axis of the vertical hammer 37. 47, 47, shews a bridge
bolted to the two sides of the iron frame 1, 1, of the pointing part of the
machine. 38 is the axis or shaft upon which the hammer 37 swings or turns;
the shaft moves in brass bearings placed at each side of the top of the bridge.
The hammer 87 slides in a mortice or recess formed for it, which may be seen
at 48, and the position and mode of supporting the anvil will be seen at 16.
Figure 2 represents an end view of the axis 38, and an end view of the
bridge 47, and the position it assumes when properly fixed on the frame 1, 1,

page_text: of the pointing part of the machine. Figure 3 represents a plan of the samo
combination of parts. Machines of this description may be made of any size;
and where nails of either larger or smaller size may be required, then machines
inust be constructed in proportion, for it must appear evident that large nails
cannot be made in a small machine, nor would it be right to employ the
powers of a large machine in the construction of small nails.
And I hereby declare that I claim as my Invention the application of
vertical and horizontal hammers combined for the purpose of tapering and
forming the points of square and flat-pointed nails, which being made to act
alternately in the manner and way I have described, will effect that object in a
more perfect manner, with greater similarity to what is done by hand, and the
metal will be less injured in its fibrous texture than by any method hitherto
adopted in the various machinery that have been invented for this purpose.
I also claim as my Invention the particular method or mode which I have
invented of finishing or completing the points of nails by the process of rolling
when the pressure is applied upon two of the solid angles, by which incans a
more perfect squaro point will be produced than can be effected by any other
machinery applied for such a purpose.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas John Fuller, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year
of our Land One thousand sight hundood and thinte
G. B. ROUPELL.
THOS JOHN (L.B.) FULLER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-sixth day of
August, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Thomas John Fuller came
before our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year above
written.