A New or Improved Machine for Producing Tacks, Nails, and the like from Wire.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1896-Accepted, 1st Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Machine for Producing Tacks, Nails, and the
like from Wire.
I, MICHEL LEON MAY, of Dusseldorf, Oberbilk, Rhenania, in the Empire of
Germany, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The object of the present invention consists of a machine for producing tacks,
nails and the like from circular wire. This is effected by pressing steel pressing
plates one on the other, whereby the material between them, namely, a circular wire
is flattened out and shaped prismatically. The apparatus is illustrated in the
accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1., illustrates the mechanism locked.
Figure 2., the same, open.
Two pressing-cheeks f and f¹ are moveable about the strong pivots g and h in such
a way that their even surfaces of contact lie quite close-fitting on one another.
The rotation itself is effected by the lever b, oscillating about the pivot a, which
lever through the agency of the connecting rods c and d works upon the projecting
free arms of the pressing-cheeks f and f¹.
The ends of the rods d and c are so arranged, that the slight displacement of
both towards each other is made possible as can be seen from the dotted lines in
Figures 1 and 2 and the ends are secured to the lever arms of the pressing-cheeks
by means of the screws e.
The guiding of the pressing-cheeks and f¹ in a lateral direction is effected by
means of pressing-plates, which hinder lateral yielding and are fastened on to the
framework of the machine. These pressing-plates have to hold fast both the tack and
the four pressing-pins i, l, m, k, which are led into grooves in the pressing-cheeks.
The pressing-plates are of course moveable.
Of the four pressing-pins, adjustable by means of the screws n, the two opposite
ones i and m are immoveable when once adjusted, that is, in relation to their
position with regard to the pressing-cheeks holding them. On the other hand, the
two others, and k are moveable in their grooves. All four pressing-pins are
bevelled on the inner corners where they touch, so that when the pressing-cheeks
are together, no opening occurs on the one side, where the point of the nail is
pressed, but on the other side of the pressing-cheeks there is a widening four-
cornered opening.
The method in which the machine works is as follows:
Starting with the machine locked, as shown in Figure 1, as soon as the lever b
is moved in the direction of the arrow, the pressing-cheeks f turn round their
pivots g and h. In this motion the contact lines of the pressing-cheeks become
slightly separated; at the same time however the fixed pressing-pin m presses back
the moveable one l, and likewise i the moveable one k, so that between them there now
exists a certain space. The retrograde motion of the moveable pressing-pin thereby
becomes possible, as is seen from Figure 2, for a space is formed on the outer side
of the moveable pin, extending to the arm of the other pressing-cheek. The

page_text: separation of the two fixed pressing pins i and m from one another, takes place
through the change of angle and the mutual displacement of the contact surfaces
of the pressing-cheeks in contrary directions. It therefore forms the open mechanism
as represented in Figure 2, with just room enough for the wire employed to be
pushed in.
With the retrograde motion of the lever b the reverse operation naturally takes
place in all the parts; the moveable pressing-pins & and I are pressed back by sliding
in the grooves of the adjoining pressing-cheek, and the machine once more after
the completion of this movement takes the position shown in Figure 1.
During this operation the wire is, by means of the cutting corners of the four
pressing-pins, pressed into a four cornered, section and is at the same time made
tapering in form, while the sharp corners of the pressing-pins cut it off at the
required length. The half-completed article which has thus been made is then
worked on one of the usual stamping machines and thus receives a head.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
(1.) The arrangement and combination of parts substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 1st day of December 1896.