IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Balmforth, William Balmforth, and
Thomas Balmforth, all of Clayton, in the County of Lancaster,
Tron Masters, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
HAMMERS."
Sealed the 19th August 1858, and dated the 2nd May 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Balmforth,
William Balmforth, and Thomas Balmforth, at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 2nd May
1853.
We, JOHN BALMFORTH, WILLIAM BALMFORTH, and THOMAS BALM-
FORTI, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS" to be as follows:-
We simplify the construction of the hammer, and make it self-acting;
and by the peculiar construction and arrangement of the several parts
we decrease the friction. These improvements will be clearly understood
by reference to the accompanying outline Drawing, in which A, repre-

page_text: sents a side elevation of the ordinary helve or forge hammer; B, the
standard in which the ends of the hammer rest, which can be raised or
lowered to any height by the screw C, to suit any description of work
that may be required. D, is the anvil block; E, the steam cylinder for
working the hammer, the axes or trunnions of which are supported in
the two pedestals F, allowing the steam cylinder to oscillate according
to the angular motion given to it by the rise and fall of the hammer A.
G, is the steam pipe which is attached to the trunnion of the cylinder
by the gland and stuffing box II, through which the steam passes into
the steam chest I, in which works a slide valve attached to the end of
the valve spindle J, the rise and fall of which admits the steam in the
cylinder E, and also allows it to escape through the opposite side or
trunnion. K, is the piston rod, the end of which is attached to the
hammer A. L, is a column bolted to the floor-plate for carrying the
revolving shaft, levers, &c., for working the slide valve J, and making
the whole self-acting.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Balmforth, William Balmforth, and Thomas
Balmforth, in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the 2nd November
1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
JOHN BALM FORTH, WILLIAM BALMFORTH, and THOMAS BALMFORTH, all
of Clayton, in the County of Lancaster, Iron Masters, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said John Balmforth, William Balmforth, and
Thomas Balmforth, Her special license that we, the said John Balm-
forth, William Balmforth, and Thomas Balmforth, our executors,
administrators. and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Balm-

page_text: forth, William Balmforth, and Thomas Balmforth, our 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 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 of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
HAMMERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John
Balmforth, William Balmforth, and Thomas Balmforth, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Royal Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Balmforth, William
Balmforth, and Thomas Balmforth, do hereby declare the nature of
our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed.
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):
Our Invention relates to improvements in the construction and
arrangement of the various parts of the machine or apparatus generally
known as the steam hammer, that is, the belly tenor helve, or tilt ham-
mer, worked by steam, which machine or apparatus is applicable to the
different purposes of forging, stamping, punching, rivetting, shearing,
and cutting iron or other metals. By these improvements we decrease
the friction so much complained of in the hammers now in use, and by
simplifying the construction we decrease to a considerable amount the
first cost, and render them less liable to get out of repair. We also
make them perfectly self-acting; and, by a peculiar arrangement of
mechanism, we are enabled to hammer or forge the metal bevil-shaped
to any required angle; and by giving the cylinder an oscillating motion
we gain a direct action of the piston rod to the hammer, in whatever
position it may be, during the process of rising and falling. The
peculiar arrangement and construction of our hammer also renders.it

page_text: more convenient for the workman, as the standards used in other steam
hammers for supporting the steam cylinder and other apparatus con-
nected with the machine are found to be very much in the way, and
consequently obstruct him in the progress of his work; but in our im-
proved hammer the steam cylinder, and the greater portion of the
apparatus connected with it, are placed under or below the floor-plate,
so that the operator is able to work without interference or obstruction.
Another objection to the construction of the present steam hammers is
the great height at which the cylinder and necessary apparatus is fixed
on the top of the standards, which subjects them to a great amount of
strain and vibration, and consequently are very expensive to keep in
repair whereas in ours, the whole being placed under or below the
ground or floor plate, on a firm foundation, are free from such objections.
Our improved hammer will also enable the workman to perform many
descriptions of work in much less time than he can by the ordinary
hammers; as in case of forging work where one edge is to be thicker
than the other, or where the piece is to be taper, he will be able to forge
such shapes without the aid or introduction of extra hammers or swages,
as our hammer can be inclined to suit any description of work, whether
it be parallel or taper in any direction.
rivetting, we dispense with much of the apparatus used for the other
purposes herein mentioned. We merely use the direct acting oscillating
cylinder to work at the extreme end of the lever or hammer, which is
placed on a pillar so as to have its fulcrum at the required point for
giving power where the blows have to be struck upon the rivet. Opposite
this we fix another vertical pillar or standard with a projection opposite
to the point where the hammer, as it is tilted, strikes the blow on the
head of the rivet. The plates or sheets to be rivetted are placed verti-
cally between the fixed standard or pillar and the hammer, and are
moved by any convenient method, either by hand or power, so as to
bring the rivet to the required position to be struck by the hammer,
and be borne or resisted by the projection on the fixed standard, as
already described. These advantages, and the peculiar construction of
our improved hammer, will be clearly understood by reference to the
To adapt our hammer for

page_text: accompanying sheet of Drawings, in which similar letters and figures
are used to represent similar parts, where different views or diagrams are
shewn. Fig. 1, is a side elevation of our improved hammer; Fig. 2,
an end elevation of the same at A, B; and Fig. 3, is a side elevation
thereof, shewing it as used merely for rivetting. a, represents the
hammer; b, the standard in which the ends of the hammer rest, which
can be raised or lowered to any height by the screw e; and as there are
two of these screws, by tightening one and loosing the other we cause the
hammer to incline to one side, and fall in an oblique position to any angle,
which enables us to forge pieces of different shapes without the aid of
extra hammers, tools, or swages, as already mentioned. d, is the anvil
block; e, the steam cylinder which works the hammer, the axis or
trinions of which are supported in the two pedestals f, allowing the
steam cylinder to oscillate according to the angular motion given to it
by the rise and fall of the hammer a. 9, is the steam pipe which
is attached to the trunnions of the cylinder by the gland and stuffing
box h, through which the steam passes into the steam chest i, in which
works a slide valve attached to the end of the valve spindle, the rise
and fall of which admit the steam into the cylinder e, and also allows it
to escape through the opposite side or trunnion. k, is the piston rod,
the end of which is attached to the hammer a. 1, is a column bolted
to the floor-plate, through which is placed the revolving shaft m, upon
which works, by means of a key and groove, the bracket, which
carries a friction roller o, so that when the hammer raises the projec-
tion
Op, on the side of the hammer coming in contact with it forces the
bracket round, and with it the revolving shaft m. On the bottom end
of the shaft the lever q, is fixed, which is jointed to a second lover 1,
which lever is attached to another one made fast to the cross or rocking
shafts. This rocking shafts, is attached to the end or top of the valve
spindlej, by the lever t. Thus motion is communicated to it and the
slide valve on the end of the valve spindle in the steam chest, which is
lifted up, and the steam allowed to escape from the cylinder, when the
hanımer falls suddenly down. The steam in the small cylinder v, acting
on the upper side of the piston on the valve spindle, thereby serving as
a spring, forces the valve spindle down again and admits a fresh supply

page_text: of steam into the cylinder, and so continues the rise and fall of the
hammer as long as the steam is allowed admission into the steam
chest i. Upon the revolving shaft m, is fixed a catch wheel u, seen in
Fig. 2, in which is a groove or notch cut to receive the end of the
catch lever or handle w, which is held or kept back by a spring acting
upon it, not shown in the Drawing, and which is entirely at the will of
the workman. The object of this arrangement is to allow of a heavy
or light blow being given according as the work may require, which is
effected thus:-When the steam is admitted into the cylinder, and
causes the hammer to raise the projection p, it forces the revolving
shaft round. The end of the catch lever w, falls into the notch or
groove in the catch wheel u, and holds the valve in that position,
thereby allowing the whole of the steam to escape from the under side
of the piston. The hamner falling suddenly down with its whole
weight causes the catch lever a, to vibrate; the end of which coming in
contact with the parallel bar y, through which the catch lever w, works,
forces the point out of the groove or notch in the catch wheel, and
allows the valve spindle to be brought down again by the action of the
steam or spring in the small cylinder. 2, is the handle and levers for
regulating the supply of steam into the steam chest, which is always
under the control of the workman. In Fig. 3, (which shews a view of
the inachine as used merely for rivetting), 1, represents the fixed pillar
or standard with the projection 2, against which the rivet is placed to
receive the blow from the hammer; 3, is the pillar or standard on
which is fixed the hammer with its fulcrum at 4; and 5, represents the
oscillating steam cylinder with its piston rod acting directly on the end
of the hammer or lever, by the lifting of which the blow is given to the
rivet at the projection 2.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of our said
improvements, and the manner of carrying the same into practical
effect, we desire it to be distinctly understood that we do not confine
ourselves to the exact details thereof, as such may be varied or modified
But we claim as
without departing from the principle of the same.
of our Invention, and which, to the best of our knowledge and belief,
has not been hitherto used within this realm, the construction and

page_text: arrangement of the steam hammer, with the oscillating cylinder, regu-
ating screws, &c., for the purposes set forth, and as herein described
and illustrated in the accompanying sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Balmforth, William Balm-
forth, and Thomas Balmiforth, have hereunto set our hands and
seals, this First day of November, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-three.
WILLIAM BALMFORTH. (L.S.)
THOMAS BALMFORTH.
Signed, sealed, and delivered, by the
within-named John Balmforth.
William Balmforth, and Thomas
Balmforth, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
(L.S.)
Patent Agent,
Manchester.