CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FORGING, STAMPING, AND CUTTING IRON AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
NASYMTII, of Patricroft, near Manchester; in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Het present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Ninth day of June, in the fifth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,, the said James
Nasmyth, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said James Nasmyth, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said James Nasmyth, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR FORGING, STAMPING, AND CUTTING IRON AND OTHER SUBSTANCES; "
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said James
Nasmyth, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said In-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in
Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as
in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Nasmyth, do hereby declare the nature of my 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:-
The nature of my said Invention consists in the direct application of the
elastic force of steam to raising the hammers or striking blocks of the machinery
or apparatus for forging, stamping, and cutting iron, or other substances, and
the manner in which the said improvements are to be and may be performed
is particularly described and ascertained, in and by the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and the following explanation thereof, and in order to explain, as
clearly as possible, the nature of my said Invention, I will, in the first place
describe the principle and mode hitherto generally employed in the application
of steam and other power to machinery and apparatus for forging, stamping,
and cutting iron or other substances:-
In such machinery and apparatus the original power or motion has generally
been transmitted and applied to the hammer or striking block by means of
rotary motion, under certain modifications, or by the intervention of machinery
and apparatus adapted for transmitting and applying such power and motion;
this, in some cases, is by means of certain apparatus, consisting of revolving
shafts and wheels, in which certain contrivances or mechanical arrangements
have been required for converting the rectilinear motion of the piston, or the
rotary motion of the crank shaft of the steam engine, or of the axle of the
water-wheel into the requisite rising and falling motion of the hammer or
striking block. By referring to Fig. 1, on the accompanying Drawing, a
general idea will be obtained of the mode in which this has been most commonly
accomplished in forging and working iron, namely, by having a cam wheel W
on the revolving shaft S, which, as it revolves under the tail T, enables the
inclined backs of the cams O, P, Q, R, to elevate and let fall the hammer as
each cam passes in succession under the tail T. It is therefore evident that
the force with which the hammer strikes the work on the anvil A, must be
determined by the clear space X, between the upper surface of the work then
on the anvil and the face of the hammer at its greatest height; and it willalso
be evident that when a large piece of work is placed on the anvil there will
be a very small fall, and consequently a slight blow, because of the small clear
space between the face of the hammer and the upper surface of the work; and
on the other hand, when a small piece of work is on the anvil, there will be
a heavy blow, which is, in fact, the very reverse of that which is required; and
again, as the face of the hammer is only parallel with the face of the anvil in
one position or height from the anvil, the work caunot be hammered parallel,

page_text: except when of one particular thickness, unless the tail of the hammer be
raised to suit each particular piece of work, which is found to be most incon-
venient. The imposibility of modifying the force of the blow at pleasure,
which is so desirable in many cases, and the difficulty of obtaining access to
both sides of the anvil, by reason of the cam-wheel W and tail T being in the
way, occasion considerable inconvenience, and the expenditure of more time in
executing any piece of such forge or other work than is desirable. To this
may be added the great cost of all the complex machinery requisite for
converting the rotary motion of the steam engine or water-wheel into the
rising and falling motion of the hammer or striking block, and the liability of
these parts to be broken and otherwise deranged, by reason of the nature of
the work; and in other cases of forging, stamping, and cutting iron, or other
substances, by means of the machinery or apparatus hitherto in use for such
purposes, as where the hammers, striking blocks, or stampers are raised by
cogs or projections on a shaft, or by the end of a lever, the same kind
of inconveniences, objections, and disadvantages occur. With the view of
obviating the above-mentioned defects in the existing apparatus andmachinery,
and obtaining other additional advantages, I have constructed my "direct
action steam hammer," whereby I am enabled to supply the means of striking
blows varying in intensity or force at pleasure, and according to the requir-
ments of the case without the necessity of any rotary motion or wheel work, as
will be fully understood on inspecting the two Sheets of drawings hereunto
anuexed, wherein my improvements are represented complete, and, as it were,
in action.
In Sheet 1, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of "my direct action steam hammer,"
suitable for heavy work, and drawn upou a scale of about three-eights of
an inch to the foot; Fig. 3 is a side elevation, and Fig. 4 is a vertical section
taken through about the middle of the apparatus; Fig. 5 is an enlarged view
of the principal parts of the apparatus, shewn also in section; and Fig. 6 is
a general elevation of a steam hammer, supposed to be in operation upon
heavy work; a, a is a cylinder placed, as nearly vertical as possible, over the
anvil 6, being supported by the two side standards c, c, or placed on a beam
above the anvil, as in Fig.6; a piston d works in the cylinder, and is attached
and connected by its rod e direct with the striking block f, which, in this case,
serves as the hammer or blow-giving part of the apparatus; the striking block
being guided in its ascent and descent by vertical guides g, g, attached to the
side frames or standards c, c, (Figures 2, 3, and 4), or the guide rods h, h,
(Fig.-6);-steam. of such an elastic force, as by its action on the under side of
the piston, will freely lift or elevatethe hammer or striking block f,is admitted

page_text: by the valve i to the cylinder a,and presses upon the under side of the piston d
and so raises or lifts up the hammer or striking block to such a height, within
the limits of the height or length of the cylinder, as may be required. The
striking block f being now lifted, by means of the steam, to the required height,
the valve is moved by the valve rod and handle J so as not only to shut off
or prevent any further entrance of steam, but is so moved down as to permit
the steam which supports the weight of the hammer or striking block f to
escape by the pipe k; the instant this is done the hammer or striking block f
descends with the full force due to the height of its fall, and so gives a
proportionably powerful and intense blow to the work then on the anvil; the
handle j is again raised, either by means of the downward action of the block f
or by the hand of the attendant, as may be found most convenient, and the
steam is again permitted to enter the cylinder and press on the under side
of the piston; the hammer or striking block is then raised as before, and by
thus admitting and letting out the so admitted steam, a rising and falling
motion is given to the hammer or striking block f, by the direct action of the
steam, and without the necessity for any rotary motion apparatus, such as
shafts, wheels, &c., or the intervention of any other apparatus of the kind
above referred to; and what is of great importance, the height of fall, and
therefore the intensity of blow may be regulated at pleasure, and the work
may be struck by a surface of hammer, or cutting instrument, or die (of any
required form), the face of which hammer, cutting instrument, or die, will at
all times maintain its parallelism, or (if not parallel) the same relative position
with reference to the surface of the anvil or sustaining block, whatever be the
distance between them; also the force of the blow from that due to the full
height of fall, as permitted by the limits of the cylinder, may be changed, at
any instant, to a gentle tap or minute blow, which are capabilities o
properties of great practical value, and are important features of these my
improvements; add to which, the great simplicity, and therefore much smalle
first cost of the entire apparatus, and the great and peculiar facilities which i
gives for the execution of every variety of forge and other work from the fre
access which it affords to the face of the anvil from both sides, as seen in
Figures 2 and 3,and from all sides as in the case of Fig. 6, where the cylinde
and back are supported on a beam over the anvil, and this last mentione
arrangement, I conceive will be peculiarly valuable in bammering largesheet
or surfaces of metal,as in the manufacture of coppers and large pans, and th
stamping of plates with any particular device or embossing, and in the cuttin
out of any large pattern or figure, and the stamping or breaking up of larg
masses of ores and other obdurate substances, and in other cases of a simila

page_text: ature, where the operations to be performed render free access to the work
esirable or convenient
In applying the principle of the direct action of the steam to raising the
ammer or striking block, as above described, it is important to attend to
he manner in which I form the connection between the piston rod and
he hammer or striking block f, namely, by interposing an elastic or com-
pressible substance between the upper and under sides of the collar on the
ower end of the piston rod,so that the piston rod may convey its motion and
lifting power to the block fthrough the medium of such elastic or compressible
substance, such as wool, cork, wood, leather, caoutchouc, or other similar
compressible and elastic substance or substances, the object of this compres-
sible and elastic medium being to remove any bad effect from the shock or
jerk which might otherwise be transmitted to the piston,piston rod, or cylinder
either at the instant of the blow being given or of the steam being suddenly let
on in the case where very high pressure steam is used. And in order further to
obviate this latter objection arising from the sudden admission of high pressure
steam, the under edge of the valve iis cut a little oblique to the opening into the
cylinders, so that the entrance of the steam ccmmences at one corner and the
piston begins to move without any jerk. By reference to Fig.4 the situation
of the compressible substance above and under the knob or end of the piston rod
is indicated at 1,,tbe substance in question being retained by the bottom of the
cylindrical recess at land the top gland or collar at 2, which collar also serves
to enable the hammer or striking block fto be disconnected from the piston rod
at any time,if required. A strong helical spring m is also placed around the
piston rod and between the cylinder and the hammer or striking block f,in
order to prevent any sudden concussion between the hammer or block and
the bottom of the cylinder, and also to assist the quick return of the hammer
or block.
With regard to the meaus which I have in this my Invention of sus-
pending or stopping the action of the hammer at any required instant,all that
has to be done in that case is simply to open the valve by the handle, so that
the steam is permitted to enter below the piston,and so to continue to sustain
it in any required position; the hammer or striking block fis thereby sus-
pended; but in order to keep it suspended for any great length of time a catch
or pin may be placed through one of the side guides c, c, so that the block may
rest upon it ; the steam may then be entirely shut off. I would also remark
that additional impulse may be given to the hammer or striking block by
causing the upper surface of the piston to be acted on by the full pressure
of the steam from the boiler the instant the piston arrives at the top of the

page_text: cylinder,according to usual and well-known arrangements; also the progress
of the piston may be arrested at the top and bottom of the cylinder by the
interposition of,as it were, a cushion of steam, above and below, according to
the method well known to practical engineers; but such applications and
arrangements are not, according to my experience, so convenient or advan-
tageous as those above described. In order to prevent the piston from being
driven too high in the cylinder, the upper part of the cylinder is perforated
with a series of openings nn,to allow the steam to escape, should the piston
reach that level.
I would now direct particular attention to the peculiar construction of
the piston employed in the steam cylinder of my improved apparatus, as
above described. The first is exhibited clearly at d in the sectional Figures
just described, and will be seen to be composed of brass or other metal, and
formed of a dished or umbrella shape, that is, in order that as the steam
exerts its pressure upwards, the pistou may be caused to expand as it
ascends, and thus secure the tightness or packing without any other elastic
substance being interposed between that and the cylinder; while, on the con-
trary, the descent of the piston is facilitated by the partial collapse of the
piston from the diminution of the pressure of the steam on the other side. And
I would further observe that, by the constructiou,just described, the piston is
rendered extremely light, being reduced nearly to a simple plate, whereby the
mischief which would result both to the pistou and the piston rod, in case the
former were a heavy mass, is obviated.
Another description of piston I employ is represented in the detached
sectional Fig. 7. a, a, is the steam cylinder; b, b, the metallic piston;
c, the piston rod; and d, d, a packing of hemp or other suitable material;
e, e, is a metallic ring placed loosely under the packing; ff, are a series of
holes all round the bottom plate of the piston; and g, g, a series of openings
in the top plate of the piston. Now, it will be seen that the steam in the
cylinder a, a, on exerting its pressure to move the piston upwards, will rise
through the aperturesf, f,in the bottom of the piston and press the ring e,e,
against the packing d, d, and thus pack the piston and cylinder tightly as
the piston ascends (the holes in the upper part of the piston permitting the
steam pressure on the under side of the ring to come into action), and the
packing, on the contrary, will be gradually relaxed as the hammer falls on
the steam being withdrawn from the underside of the piston. I may here
observe,that not only may the required steam be generated by means of the
waste heat of the furnace in the case of the working and manufacture of iron
and other metals, but also that one boiler, with suitable steam pipes, may be

page_text: ade to work any number of such hammers which it may be capable of sup-
lying, either all at once or in succession, in which case the power is simply
onveyed to each by means of steam pipes in place of shafting.
In Sheet 2, Fig. 1 represents a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a front elevation, of
nother modification of my said Invention, drawn upon a scale of about half an
nch to a foot, and is intended for lighter work where a quick succession of
heavy orlight blows is required; and in this arrangement of the machinery the
apparatus for admitting and shutting off the steam to raise and lower or let fall
the hammer is rendered self-acting. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the steam
cylinder, valve box, &c., drawn upon a larger scale. The principal arrangement
of the machinery is similar to that just described, a, a, being the steam cylinder,
b, b, the hammer or block, containing a swage die, stamp, or cutting tool c, as
required; 7, the anvil; e, e, the side frames or standards supporting the
striking machinery; f, the piston; and y the piston rod connected to the hammer
or striking block b, by means of the compressible or elastic medium as pre-
viously described.
An important feature in this last-mentioned arrangement consists in the
means of rendering the machinery self-acting and capable of giving a rapid
succession of blows; supposing steam to be admitted into the valve chamber
h, by opening the steam cock at i, the piston with the hammer will ascend.
This hammer or block is provided with a stud or projecting piece k, which,
as it ascends, strikes a stop upon the vertical rod m, m, and as this rod
is connected to the slide-valve rod by means of the lever n, it instantly
shuts off the steam from the cylinder a, turns it into the exit passage o, and
allows it to enter the cylinder again above the piston and blow off at the pipe p.
The hammer now descends as before, and the stud or piece k strikes a similar
stop on the vertical stop rod m, which has the contrary effect of shifting the
slide valve and turning the steam again into the cylinder below the piston.
The repetition of such motions will of course give a corresponding succession
of blows of the hammer or striking block, the intensity or rapidity of which will
depend upon the setting of the stops and the pressure of the steam. In the
construction of this apparatus I introduce a beam of timber r, r, or other
material capable ofsome slight compressibility, provided with a few thicknesses
of leather s as a packing, and furnishing the hammer or striking block with
two projecting nogs or studs t, t, so that at every upward stroke of the hammer
or striking block a slight concussion and recoil shall be produced by the
contact of such nogs or projections with the beam above, and thus add to the
smartness of the blow upon the descent of the hammer or striking block.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner

page_text: the same is to be or may be performed, I desire it to be particularly understood
that I do not claim the exclusive use of any of the several parts and arrange-
ments of apparatus and machinery herein-before described, except when the
said parts and arrangements are used in connextion with and furtherance of
my said. Invention, whereby the elastic force of steam is made directly appli
cable to raise the hammer or striking block for forging, stamping, or cutting
iron and other substances, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Nasmyth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-two."
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Ninth day of December,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid James Nasmyth came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, 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 Ninth day, of December, in the year above written.