IMPROVEMENTS IN FORGE HAMMERS
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Horton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd August
1867.
I, WILLIAM HORTON, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Boring Tool
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FORGE HAMMERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to forge hammers such as are used in the manu-
facture of tools, cutlery, or other similar articles, and consists principally of
an arrangement whereby the hammers are raised vertically in slides by
means of cams, compressing spiral, or other springs, which by their reaction
increase the force and momentum of the blow given by the hammers when
released by the cams.
The apparatus is constructed as follows:-Two end frames or standards
are connected together by means of cross bars or rails, each provided with
vertical openings through which pass upright bars or columns forming the
body of the hammers, to the lower ends of which the hammer heads are
attached by means of cotters or otherwise. The upright bars or bodies of
the hammers may be of a square or other convenient section, and the openings
in the cross rails through which they pass are of a corresponding form but
much larger, the upright hammer bars being guided in these openings by
means of friction wheels which are capable of being adjusted as required by
means of screws. These friction wheels either work in vertical grooves
formed in the upright bars or they are themselves grooved and work.on

page_text: vertical slides or projections fixed to or formed on the upright bars. By
altering the positions of the regulating screws the hammer bars may be
caused to work either exactly vertical or in an oblique direction. The anvils
are fixed beneath their respective hammer heads and are attached to the
foundation plate which connects and supports the two end frames or standards,
the end frames also support in suitable bearings a driving shaft provided with a
fly wheel at one end and fast and loose, pulleys at the other; this driving shaft
is furnished with a number of cams (one to each hammer) which act under
pins or projections attached to the hammer bars near the top, so as to
alternately raise the bars and let them fall again. Each of the hammer bars
is provided with or connected to a spiral or other spring, in such a manner
that the raising of the hammer bar compresses the said spring so that the
reaction of the same increases the speed and force of the descent of the
hammer. The pressure or tension of each spring may be increased or
diminished by means of a small hand wheel, lever, screw, of other similar
.contrivance placed. within reach of the workman's hand, so that the weight
or force of the blow may be regulated at pleasure. Each anvil is provided
with a treadle connected to a spring prop, which latter comes under a
projection near the top of the hammer bar when the hammer is not
in use, and holds it in its highest position so that the cam has no effect
upon it; but as soon as the workman places his foot on the treadle it
withdraws the prop, and allows the hammer bars to rise and fall as the cam
'revolves. In some cases instead of mounting the cams direct on the driving
shaft I mount each cam on a short transverse shaft driven by bevil or other
gearing so that the cam presents its side to the hammer bar instead of its
edge. In this case the pin or projection against which the cam acts is much
shorter, and the cam is nearer up to its work. The hammer heads and
anvils may be fitted with swages or dies if required, and several hammers of
different sizes and weights may be mounted in one frame and driven from
one shaft.