IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WIRE
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Cocker, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Wire Drawer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF WIRE."
Sealed the 27th May 1856, and dated the 10th December 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Cocker at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th December
1855.
I, JAMES COCKER, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Wire Drawer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF WIRE, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a series of -processes connected with the manufac-
ture of wire, the chief object being to expedite the manufacture. It is well
known that by the operation of drawing, the metal, whether iron or steel, is
hardened to a great degree, and that before repeating the drawing operation
it is necessary to anneal or soften it. This has hitherto occupied considerable
time, but by the improved arrangement of apparatus which I will now
describe, the annealing of wire may be greatly expedited:-I.provide for this
purpose a range of chambers, formed of brickwork, and divided by means of

page_text: sliding doors, which may be raised and lowered from the outside by rackwork.
In the first chamber, which may be properly termed the furnace, I build in a
horizontal cylinder or oven, which is provided at top with a slot, extending
from end to end of the cylinder, and forming a guide for an endless chain,
which slides also over suitable guides extending along the top of the whole
range of chambers. Fires are kept up in the furnace to heat the oven. The
endless chain is furnished with hooks, upon which the hanks of wire to be
annealed are hung. When the chain is charged with a given number of
hanks, the front door of the furnace is opened, and a forward motion is given
to the chain to carry the wire into the annealing cylinder or oven; the door is
then closed. When the hanks of wire have remained in the oven a sufficient
time, they are passed out into the adjoining chamber to cool down, a sliding
door being opened to allow of their egress. After remaining here for a short
time, the wire is advanced to a still cooler chamber, and so on, until by slow
degrees it has lost all the heat imparted to it in the oven. The hanks are
then removed from the chain, and again subjected to the drawing operation.
It will be understood that the annealing process, instead of being intermittent,
like the ordinary method, is by my Invention rendered continuous. For the
purpose of polishing the wire I use the following contrivance, which renders
the ordinary pickling process unnecessary:-I mount upon a capstan or turn-
table a pair of shafts, each of which carries a series of flanged pullies for
receiving the hanks of wire to be polished. These pullies are connected to
their respective shafts by means of clicks and ratchet wheels, in order that
they may receive when requisite an independent motion for tightening up the
wire. The ends of the hanks of wire are led over or through guides, thence
between polishing surfaces or rubbers supplied with polishing powder, and so
to a second set of flanged pullies, which are slowly rotated, and caused to wind
up the wire from the first-mentioned pullies. A rapid reciprocating motion
is given to the polisher by means of crank arms, and thus a bright surface is
quickly imparted to the wire as it is drawn forward. When one length of
wire is polished, a second set of pullies charged with hanks of wire is brought
into position by giving the capstan or turntable a half turn; at the same
time the pullies filled with polished wire are slipped off the driving shaft, and
replaced by empty ones, which are in their turn filled with polished wire.
For the purpose of economizing space, reducing friction, and cost of manu-
facturing the machinery, I propose to drive the wire blocks or drums of the
drawing machine in pairs, by a worm wheel on the driving shaft, taking into a
worm wheel keyed on the shaft that carries the drums or wire blocks. In,
order to straighten the wire, I apply to the ordinary whirl used for that purpose

page_text: antifriction rollers, in lieu of the pins or studs over which the passing wire is
strained, and I thus provide against the rapid destruction of the bearing
surfaces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Cocker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
COCKER, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Wire Drawer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of. Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant. unto me, the said
James Cocker, Her special license that I, the said James Cocker, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Cocker,
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 THE MANU-
FACTURE OF WIRE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Cocker, by an instrument in writing under my hand and scal, should parti-
cularly 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Cocker, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
This Invention relates to improvements on several of the processes con-
nected with the manufacture of wire, the chief object being to expedite the
manufacture. It is well known that by the operation of drawing, the metal,
whether iron or steel, is hardened to a great degree, and that before repeating
the drawing operation it is necessary to anneal or soften it. This has hitherto

page_text: occupied considerable time, but by the improved arrangement of apparatus
which constitutes the first head of my Invention, the annealing of wire may be
greatly expedited. I provide for this purpose a range of chambers, formed of
brickwork, and divided by means of sliding doors, which may be raised and
lowered from the outside by rackwork. In the first chamber, which may be
properly termed the furnace, I build in a horizontal cylinder or oven, which
is provided at top with a slot, extending from end to end of the cylinder, and
forming a guide for a travelling endless chain, which slidės also over suitable
guides extending along the top of the whole range of chambers. Fires are
kept up in the furnace to retain the oven at a suitable heat for softening
the wire. "
The endless chain is furnished with hooks, upon which the hanks of wire-to
be annealed aré hung. When the chain is charged with a given number of
hanks the front door of the furnace is opened, and a forward, motion 'is given
to the chain to carry the wire into the annealing cylinder or oven, and the
door is then closed. When the hanks of wire: have remained in, the oven a
sufficient time, they are passed out into the adjoining chamber to cool down,
After remaining here
The
a sliding door being lowered to allow of their egress.
for a short time, the wire is advanced to a still cooler chamber, and so on;
until by slow degrees it has lost all the heat imparted to it in the oven.
hanks are then removed from the chain, and again subjected to the drawing
operation.
.
Having thus briefly pointed out the nature of the annealing process, and
the character of the apparatus employed therein, I will proceed; to explain
more in detail the construction of the apparatus, and the mode of operating
the same.
In Sheet I. of the Drawings, Fig. 1. is a longitudinal sectional elévation of
the annealing chambers and the apparatus connected therewith. a, a, is
an endless chain, supported and actuated by chain wheels b, b, which are
suitably mounted and fitted for that purpose; other, supports c, c, c, are
also provided to assist in sustaining' the weight of the loaded chain. This
chain a, a, is provided with sets of jointed hooks to receive the hanks of wire
to be annealed. These sets of hooks are arranged at equal distances apart,
and they each extend along the chain a distance a little less than the length of
the annealing oven, the object being that they shall each bring in turn a full
charge of wire to the oven. This oven, shewn in section at d, d, Fig. 1, and
in cross section at Fig: 2, is formed by preference of wrought iron, and it is
set in a furnace A of brickwork, the fire-places and flues of which may be
arranged in any convenient manner. Figures 3 and 4 shew one of many.
'

page_text: ways: which may be adopted for causing the gases of combustion to circulate
round the oven and impart heat thereto. The annealing oven d it will, bo
seen, is closed at its opposite ends by means of sliding doors e, e¹, which are
each provided with a rack f that takes into the teeth of a pinion g, to which
rotary motion is imparted by the attendant, when it is required to raise, or
lower the sliding doors. In: the upper part of the oven is a. slot, running
from. end to end thereof, and forming a passage for the pendent hooks of the
travelling endless chain a, a, which passes in its course. through a recess a
(see Fig. 2).formed in the crown of the oven, and acting as a guide and
support for the chain. Bis à close chamber, constructed of brickwork, and
adjoining the furnace A. This chamber is intended to receive the heated
wire from the annealing oven, and to prevent the access of currents of air
thereto, the object.being to cool the wire gradually, but yet with all practicable
expedition. Adjoining this chamber is a second air chamber C, but separated.
therefrom (by a sliding door e², similar to those which close the ends of the
oven d. The wire, after leaving the chamber B, enters this chamber, and at,
the next movement of the chain (which movement is intermittent, as will be
presently. explained), the wire passes to a third chamber D, and subsequently
to a fourth chamber E, of similar construction to the other, whence it finally
escapes in, a..cold, state into the open air, and is then returned by the chain
along a raised trough or guide to the front, there to be removed from the
apparatus... The wire will then be found to be soft and fit for submitting
again: to the-drawing process. In operating with this apparatus, the attendant
first, lights the fire or fires in the annealing furnace, and he then brings a set
of hooks opposite the annealing oven, and loads that portion of the chain with
hanks of wire. When a proper heat is attained, he lowers the front door of
the oven; as shewn in the end view, Fig. 5, and rotates the chain until the
charge of wire is brought into the oven; he then closes the door and leaves
the wire in the heated oven for, say, thirty minutes, more or less, according to
the number or quality of the wire. The next operation is to remove the wire,
to the cooling chamber B. This the attendant does without handling the
wire or'.exposing it to currents of, air, by simply lowering the door e¹ at the
inner end of the oven and traversing the chain forward. At the same time
a second set of, hooks is brought up ready to be charged with wire, and when
this is done: (which will in general occupy, about five minutes) the attendant
closes the door. e' and opens the doors e and e² by means of the gearing, provided
for the purpose. He then by means of the chain. wheels moves forward the
chain a distance sufficient to carry the wire just suspended into the annealing
oven, and simultaneously the 'hanks leave the chamber B and enter a cooler

page_text: chamber C, where they remain until the second charge of wire is in like
manner to the first removed from the oven. When the second charge of
wire is in its turn shifted to the cooling chamber B, the first charge moves to
the third cooling chamber D, the door e³ being lowered to admit it, and on a
third charge being brought to the annealing oven, the first charge will pass to
the last of the cooling chambers E, the door e being lowered to allow. the
hanks of wire to enter, and then closed to cut off the communication between
the chambers. By alternately opening the doors in advance of the several
charges to permit of their moving forward, and closing them after the charge
has passed forward, a different temperature is preserved in the several
chambers, and the passage of currents of air through the chambers is
effectually prevented; the chamber nearest the furnace, it will be understood,
will be the hottest, and the one most distant from the furnace will have a
temperature little if at all superior to the outer atmosphere. At the next
movement of the chain (the doors e', e', and e" being, first opened), the first
charge of wire will leave the chamber E in a cold state, or sufficiently cold to
bear exposure to the outer atmosphere, and it will be carried over the chain
wheel and deposited on the raised trough or guide. The second charge will
at the same time enter the chamber D, and the third charge will leave the
annealing oven and enter the chamber B. The doors e, e³, and e³ are then
closed. A fourth charge of wire is now suspended on the chain, and the
doors e, e², and e* being opened, the loaded chain is traversed as before, and
in this manner the heating and cooling operations are repeated on every
successive charge of wire. When the hanks reach the end of their traverse
the attendant removes them and supplies the chain with a fresh charge. It
will thus be understood that I make the annealing operation a continuous,
instead of, as at present, an intermittent process, and that I cool the wire
without the necessity of putting out the fire. I thus simplify and expedite
the process, and effect a great saving in the manipulation and in the relative
cost of fuel. I would remark that it may be convenient to sink the range of
chambers in the ground, so as to bring the trough or guide which supports
the annealed wire on a level with the floor of the shop in which the next
succeeding operation is carried on...
.
The second head of my Invention relates to the employment of certain.
mechanical means
for polishing wire, whereby the ordinary pickling process is
rendered unnecessary. To this end, I provide one or a series of flanged pullies
for receiving the hanks of wire to be polished, which pullies I mount loosely
on a common shaft, and connect them therewith by means of ratchet
wheels and clicks, in order to allow for the tightening up of each hank of

page_text: wire (when operating upon more than one) independently of the other.
The ends of the hanks I lead through vibrating polishers supplied with
emery powder, and I connect these ends with flanged pullies at the other end
of the machine. By giving these pullies a slow rotary motion, the wire is
drawn slowly between the polishing surfaces, which quickly imparts a bright
surface to the wire.
In Sheet II. of the. Drawings I have shewn several views of mechanism
which I have employed for this purpose. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a
polishing machine in its simplest form, that is, for polishing wire one bank at
a time; and Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the same. It will be obvious that
two, three, or more hanks can be simultaneously operated upon by providing
a suitable number of pullies for containing the hanks and enlarging the
capacity of the polisher. a is a pulley, mounted at one extremity of the main
framing, and intended to contain the hank of wire to be polished; and b is a
pulley, mounted at the opposite extremity of the frame, and intended to receive
the wire after it is polished. Connected to the pulley a is a friction pulley c,
against which a weighted lever d bears, for the purpose of preventing the pulley
a from yielding to a slight drag on the wire; and thus the wire is kept at
tension. Mounted on a rock shaft, which turns in bearings, set on the main
framing midway between the pullies a and b, is the polisher e, which consists
of a rectangular cast-iron frame or box lined with wood, with a felt padding,
(see the detached views, Figures 3.) A space is left in the interior of this
padded box for the wire to pass through, and this space is so shaped that the
box will be free to rock on its fulcrum without bending the wire that is
threaded through it, and so polish the wire on all sides. This polisher e is.
connected at its opposite ends by means of chains or cords f,f, to pullies
9, 9, which have their bearings in the main framing, and are connected
together by means of the arms g', 92, (on their respective axles) and the con-
necting rod h. A disc wheel i, mounted on a shaft j, receives an independent
rotary motion by means of a strap from the prime motor, and through a crank
pin (with which it is provided) and a crank rod k, which is jointed to the
arm g² of the chain pulley g; a reciprocating axial motion is transmitted
from the wheel i to the chain pullies g, g*. The chains or cords f, f, are thus
alternately wound up and unwound, and by reason of their connection with
the opposite ends of the polisher they will cause it to rock on its centre, and
pass its friction surfaces over the wire. In the upper part of the box e is a
funnel, which communicates with the interior, and being charged with fine
emery or other polishing powder, it will supply the same to the polishing.
surfaces as required.

page_text: :
A slow rotary motion is given to the pulley b by a strap from the prime
mover, and thus the pulley is caused to draw the wire slowly forward between
the polishing surfaces. When operating upon, large quantities of wire, I
propose to use an arrangement of pullies for holding the hanks, similar to that
shewn in plan view at Fig. 4, and in end elevation at Fig. 5. a, a, and a*, a*,
are two sets of flanged pullies, mounted loosely on a common shaft b, and
severally connected thereto by means of a ratchet wheel and click, as shewn
at Fig. 6. This shaft 6 is mounted in bearings, carried by a capstan c, shewn
in sectional elevation at Fig. 7, and in sectional plan at Fig. 8. Friction
pullies dare keyed to the middle of the shaft, for the purpose of retarding its
revolution,, and keeping the wire at tension during the polishing operation.
The wire from one set of pullies a is threaded through guides and through the
polishing box, as described, and passed thence to the draw-off pullies; and
when the hanks. are exhausted, the shaft 6 is swung round on the capstan, and
the second set of pullies, already filled with wire, is brought up into position
to replace the empty pullies; at the same time the pullies which receive the
polished wire are, slipped off the driving shaft and replaced by empty ones,
which in their turn become filled with polished wire.
The third head of my Invention relates, to the use of a novel arrangement
of gearing for driving the moving parts of machinery for drawing wire, the
object being to economise space, reduce friction, and the cost of manufacturing
the machinery. In Sheet III., Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan
view, of so much. of.a wire- drawing machine as will serve to explain the nature
of the improvement. Instead of driving the wire blocks or drums singly by
means of gearing wheels provided for each (which is the method at present
employed), I drive them in pairs, mounting two wire blocks or drums a, a, on
the same shaft b. To this shaft b I key a worm wheel c, which gears into and
is driven by a worm wheel d on the main driving shaft e. This shaft extends
from end to end of the bench of blocks, and carries as many worm wheels d
as there are pairs, of drums to be driven. The wire to be drawn is conducted
through the respective, draw plates f to the drums a, which are to receive it,
and when the lengths are drawn the hanks are removed, as in the ordinary
construction of wire-drawing machines.
. The last part of my Invention relates to an, improvement upon the ordinary
whirl used for straightening wire, and consists in the substitution of antifriction
rollers for the pins or studs over which the wire is strained, the object being
to prevent the rapid destruction of the bearing surfaces..
In Sheet IV., Fig. 1 shews the improved whirl in side elevation; Fig. 2 is
a plan view, and Fig. 3 is an end view of the same; it consists of a rotating.

page_text: frame a, a, supported by hollow trunnions b in a fixed frame c, c. In the
rotating frame are fitted adjustable rods d, d, d, which are slotted at their
middle to receive and form bearings for antifriction pullies e, e, e, as shewn in the
detached view, Fig. 4. The ends of the rods are tapped, and pass through slots
in the frame a, and they are adjusted to position to put the proper amount
of strain upon the wire by means of the nuts f. f. The wire to be straightened is
passed through the whirl, as shewn at Fig. 1, and rotary motion is imparted
to the whirl by passing a band from a prime mover over the pulley g on the
trunnion 6, at the same time the wire is drawn slowly through the whirl,
and the straightening of the wire is effected without detriment to the metallic
surfaces against which it is strained.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
the Manufacture of Wire," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim,-
First, rendering the annealing operation continuous, by heating the wire in
an oven, and then passing it into a closed chamber or chambers to be gradually
cooled, as described.
Secondly, the use of the polisher or rubbing surfaces operated as above
described for polishing the wire.
Thirdly, the arrangement for driving the wire blocks or drums of drawing
machines in pairs, as described.
And, lastly, the use of antifriction rollers mounted in a revolving frame as
a substitute for the fixed bearing pins of whirls for straightening wire.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Cocker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.