IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING AND PREPARING PROJECTILES, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR THOSE PURPOSES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Whitworth, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING
AND PREPARING PROJECTILES, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR THOSE
PURPOSES."
Sealed the 27th May 1862, and dated the 25th February 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Whitworth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
February 1862.
I, JOSEPH WHITWORTH, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MANU-
FACTURING AND PREPARING PROJECTILES, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR THOSE
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
According to this Invention projectiles are made having the required
regularity of shape by placing the projectile in a chuck, and turning the fore
and rear parts simultaneously, or by consecutive operations, without removing
the projectile from the chuck in which it is held. I employ for this purpose a
machine having a holder or chuck in which the projectile is held in the
middle or intermediate of its length, and the machine is arranged so that the
chuck may be made to revolve and so that the tools which produce the
required shapes to the ends may be moved up to and from the fore and rear
parts respectively of the projectile, or the projectile may be held and presented
to revolving tools.

page_text: In applying to projectiles suitable lubricating materials a portion of the
surface is coated with the lubricator applied in spiral strips or ribs, that is to
say, those parts are coated or more thickly coated which, when the projectile
is in the rifled barrel, correspond with its grooves or recesses, by which means
provision is made for easy loading without greatly reducing the diameter of the
projectile. The projectile may be covered with paper or a thin metallic or
other suitable coating to prevent the barrel from leading, and in that case the
lubricator is applied or more thickly applied spirally upon the covering
material.
When a paper or similar covering is used I twist the covering into the
recess at the rear end of the projectile, and by causing the projectile to
revolve in a lathe or other suitable machine the end of the paper is con-
centrically twisted, and pressed into the recess by suitable tools, and in some
cases before or at the time the covering is put on I insert into the recess
suitable resilient materials, such as fibrous and other elastic substances,
employed in such a form as will facilitate their being with the covering
quickly and uniformly detached from the projectile when it issues from
the barrel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Whitworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPHI
WHITWORTH, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Joseph Whitworth, Her special licence that I, the said
Joseph Whitworth, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Joseph Whitworth, 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 MANUFACTURING AND PREPARING PROJECTILES, AND' IN
APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR THOSE PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: f
others) that I, the said Joseph Whitworth, 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 Inven-
tion, 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 immédiately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Whitworth, 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 fol-
lowing statement thereof, that is to say:
According to this Invention projectiles are made having the required
regularity of shape by placing the projectile in a chuck and turning the fore
and rear parts simultaneously or by consecutive operations without removing
the projectile from the chuck in which it is held. I employ for this purpose a
machine having a holder or cluck, in which the projectile is held in the
middle or intermediate of its length, and the machine is arranged so that the
chuck may be made to revolve, and so that the tools which produce the
required shapes to the ends may be moved up to and from the fore and rear
parts respectively of the projectile, or the projectile may be held and presented
to revolving tools.
Figure 1 shews a front view of a machine such as above described, arranged
to turn the fore and rear parts of a projectile either simultaneously or by
consecutive operations without removing the projectile from the chuck in
which it is held; Figure 2 is an end view and Figure 3 a plan thereof. This
machine is more especially applicable for producing polygonal projectiles
suitable for small bore rifles..
A, A, is the frame of the machine, carrying a standard B,. in which revolves
a conical chuck C, driven by a band passing around the pulley C; the said
conical chuck carries a die a, which holds the projectile b to be operated upon,.
which has previously been brought to the proper diameter and exterior form
(excepting as respects its fore end), by pressure in dies; the fore end of the
projectile and the hollow at the base has also previously been by preference
approximately formed by pressure.. D, D, are two slides, which carry cutter
blocks and d²; the cutters d³, d³, which are simply knives or blades of steel
sharpened at the edge, are so formed as to give the required shape as is shewn
to the ends of the projectile. F, F, are two hand levers, turning on axes at
their lower end, and carrying studs entering between collars G, G, on the
slides D, D, so that these may be forced. up and withdrawn by means of them.
The collars G, G, are adjustable to suit the required length of the projectile.

page_text: .
The projectile is put into the die a, and removed therefrom by hand, the die
fitting it with moderate tightness. If it be desired to turn cylindrical
projectiles the die a should be split or made in two parts, which are drawn
together by means of a conical bearing, into which. the die is forced, and so
the projectile is held firmly whilst it is being turned.
In applying to projectiles suitable lubricating materials a portion of the
surface is coated with the lubricator, applied in spiral strips or ribs, that is to
say, those parts are coated or more thickly coated which, when the projectile
is in the rifled barrel, correspond with its grooves or recesses, by which means
provision is made for easy loading without greatly reducing the diameter of
the projectile. The projectile may be covered with paper or a thin metallic
or other suitable coating to prevent the barrel from leading, and in that case
the lubricator is applied or more thickly applied spirally upon the covering
material.
In carrying out this part of my Invention I employ an instrument such as
is shewn in side view at Figure 4, and in plan at Figure 5. It consists of a
piece of metal bored and rifled internally in the same manner as the rifle from
which the projectiles are to be fired. Into this the projectile previously, by
preference, covered with paper as is usual, is introduced at the top, and
pushed down to the lower end of the instrument till it occupies the position in
which it is shewn in the Drawing, where it is marked a. The apparatus is
slotted at b, b, and is with the bullet within it dipped into melted beeswax or
other suitable lubricator, which, entering through the slots, coats the bullet
at the parts which do not come in contact with the bore of the instrument, so
that the bullet when pushed out by the way it entered, is found to be
lubricated as required. c is a plug, which is employed to prevent the
lubricating material entering the hollow at the base of the projectile."
In some cases, in place of employing the instrument shewn at Figures 4
and 5,
I coat the exterior of the bullet by dipping or otherwise, and afterwards
remove the lubricant from the parts where it is not required.
Figure 6 is an elevation, and Figure 7 a plan, of a die with adjustable
scrapers, which I employ for the purpose above mentioned. f,f, are small
blades or scrapers; they are adjusted by means of the small screws and
slots g.
The projectile, after being dipped into the lubrication, is forced
through the die and scrapers f, which take off the superfluous lubrication.
When paper or similar covering is used, I twist the end of the
the recess against the resilient material in the rear end of the projectile, and
by causing the projectile to revolve in a lathe or other suitable machine the
end of the paper is concentrically twisted and pressed into the recess against
paper
into

page_text: the resilient material by suitable tools, such as a piece of boxwood, with a
conical recess at one end, and before or at the time the covering is put on I
insert into the recess suitable resilient materials made of fibrous or other
elastic substances; this is done in order that the paper or other covering may
be quickly and uniformly detached from the projectile in such a manner as
not to interfere with its flight. The resilient material I find to answer the
purpose I make by cutting and chopping blotting paper into small pieces, and
then rubbing it until it becomes a dry pulp. Finely curled hair made into
small spheres also answers the purpose. Fig. 8 is a section of a projectile
with the resilient material within it.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Whitworth, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JOSEPH WHITWORTH. (L.S.)