IMPROVEMENTS IN NAILS FOR COFFINS, ARTICLES OF FURNITURE, AND OTHER USES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred William Theophilus Baker, of No. 98,
Lichfield Street, Birmingham, and also of No. 183, Tottenham
Court Road, London, Commercial Traveller, for the Invention of
“IMPROVEMENTS IN NAILS FOR COFFINS, ARTICLES OF FURNITURE, AND
OTHER USES."
Sealed the 26th July 1870, and dated the 2nd February 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred William Theo-
philus Baker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 2nd February 1870.
I, ALFRED WILLIAM THEOPHILUS BAKER, of No. 98, Lichfield Street,
Birmingham, and also of No. 183, Tottenham Court Road, London,
Commercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN NAILS FOR COFFINS, ARTICLES OF FURNITURE,
AND OTHER USES," to be as follows:
-
IN
The said nails as ordinarily made consist of a stem or shank having an
ornamental or other head. In driving the said nails the heads are
frequently detached from the shanks, the withdrawal of the broken
shanks from the article being effected with difficulty. The object of my
Invention is so to construct the said nails that the inconveniences referred
to are avoided.

page_text: In constructing nails according to my Invention I dispense with the
ordinary stems or shanks and make the nail in the form of an orna-
mental or other head or shell, and fasten the head or shell to the article
by means of a series of projecting points or cars made at the base or
edge of the head or shell.
In making a nail having a head or shell of a hemispherical or other
similar form I take a circular blank of sheet metal cut out at a press,
the said blank being provided at its edge with two, three, or more
V shaped ears.
By means of tools worked in a press I raise the said blank into a 1
hollow head or shell having a hemispherical, conical, or other ornamental
form, and turn the V shaped ears aforesaid into a vertical plane so that
they shall constitute a series of V shaped projecting points parallel to the
axis of the nail, the said points forming a continuation of the hollow
shell or head. In this way a nail consisting of a shell or head having 1
any desired ornamental form and provided with fastening points at its
basc or edge may be produced. In affixing the nail to the coffin or
article of furniture_the head or shell is struck by a hammer in the usual
way or by a concave punch, and the projecting points at the base or edge
are driven into the article and the nail is fastened thereto. The nail when 2
driven into the article does not differ in appearance from an ordinary
shanked nail.
I do not limit myself to any particular number of the fastening points
at the edge or base of the head or shell.
Instead of raising the nails from sheet metal they may be made by 2
and finish
12
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred William Theophilus Baker in the Great 30
Seal Patent Office on the 27th July 1970.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
WILLIAM THEOPHILUS BAKER, of No. 98, Lichfield Street, Birmingham,
and also of No. 183, Tottenham Court Road, London, Commercial
Traveller, send greeting.
35

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Second day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Alfred William Theophilus Baker, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred William Theophilus Baker, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred William
Theophilus Baker, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN NAILS FOR COFFINS, ARTICLES: OF
FURNITURE, AND OTHER USES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Alfred William Theophilus Baker, my executors or admi-.
nistrators, 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 Invention, and in what manner the same was to bo
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the dato
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred William Theophilus Baker, 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 following statement thereof, that is to say :—
The said nails as ordinarily made consist of a stem or shank having
an ornamental or other head. In driving the said nails the heads are
frequently detached from the shanks, the withdrawal of the broken
shanks from the article being effected with difficulty.
The object of my Invention is so to construct the said nails that the
inconveniences referred to are avoided.
In constructing nails according to my Invention I dispense with the
ordinary stems or shanks and make the nail in the form of an orna-
mental head or shell, and fasten the head or shell to the article by means
of a series of projecting points or cars at the base or edge of the head
or shell. In making a nail having a head or shell of a hemispherical or
other similar form I take a circular blank of sheet metal cut out at a
press, the said blank boing provided at its edge with two, three, or

page_text: more V shaped cars. By means of tools worked in a press I raise the
said blank into a hollow head or shell having a hemispherical, conical,
or other ornamental form and turn the V shaped ears aforesaid into a
vertical plane, so that they shall constitute a series of V shaped pro-
jecting points parallel to the axis of the nail, the said points forming a 5
continuation of the hollow shell or head. Or the cutting out of the
blank and the raising of it into a nail may be performed at one operation.
In this way a nail consisting of a shell or head having any desired
ornamental form and provided with fastening points at its base or edge
may be produced.
In affixing the nail to the coffin or article of furniture the head or
shell is struck by a hammer in the usual way or by a conical punch, and
the projecting points at the base or edge are driven into the article and
the nail is fastened thereto. The nail when driven into the article does
not differ in appearance from an ordinary shanked nail. I do not limit
myself to any particular number of the fastening points at the edge or
base of the head or shell.
Instead of raising the nails from sheet metal they may be made by
casting and finished by being turned in a lathe or otherwise.
Nails of the construction described may be made of steel, brass,
copper, or other metal or alloy.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in
"which the same is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in plan, elevation, and section nails of
different sizes having a hemispherical figure made according to my
Invention, and Figure 3 exhibits the manner in which the nails are
driven into the coffin or article of furniture.
The head or shell of the nail is marked a, and the fastening points at
its edge or base are marked b. To affix the nail to the coffin or article
of furniture the shell or head a of the said nail is struck by a hammer
or concave punch. The projecting points b arc thereby driven into the
"article and the nail fastened thereto, as illustrated in Figure 3, the shell
or head of the nail when fixed resembling the hemispherical head of an
ordinary shanked nail. I prefer to make the said nails from sheet metal
by piercing or cutting out and shaping tools of the kind represented in
the accompanying Drawing, the said tools cutting out the blanks and
shaping them into nails at one operation.
J

page_text: Figures 4, 5, and 6 represent in vertical section the upper and lower
working tools which I employ for this purpose, the said tools being
represented in the several positions which they take during the manu-
facture of the nail.
Figure 7 represents in side elevation and plan of under side the cutting
out punch and shaping tool separately, and Figure 8 represents in plan
the lower die.or bed separately. c is the cutting out or piercing punch,
within which the shaping tool & slides, the said punch c and tool d
having motion independently of one another; e is the lower die or bed
in which the blank is cut out and the said blank afterwards shaped into
a nail. The cutting edges of the punch c and lower die e have a figure
proper to cut out a circular blank provided at its edge with three (or
more) V shaped cars, as will be understood by an examination of Figures
7 and 8. The shaping tool d consists of a plunger having a hemispherical
bottom corresponding to the head or shell of the nail to be made. In
the lower die e is a gripping bar fhaving motion in a line with the axis
of the shaping plunger d. Between this gripping barf and the bottom
of the shaping plunger d the blank is held during the shaping operation.
The slicet metal from which the nails are to be made is fed upon the
lower die or bed e, as illustrated in Figure. 4, and marked g. On the
descent of the punch c (and with it the plunger d) the said punch
enters the lower die e and cuts from the sheet metal g a blank of the
configuration represented by the opening in the said lower dio e (sce
Figure 8) and carries the said blank into the said die e, as illustrated in
Figure 5, where the blank is marked h. The blank is now gripped at its
middle between the gripping barf and the end of the shaping plunger d.
The plunger & next descends within the punch c, and forcing the blank
through the contracted part of the die e cups it into the head or shell of
the nail, and at the same time brings the V shaped ears of the blank
parallel to the axis of the said head to form the fastening points. The
nail in this stage of its manufacture is represented in Figure 6, and
marked i. During this drawing through process the blank is held
centrally by the gripping bar f, and the turning aside of the said blank
is thus prevented. As the shaping plunger d descends it forces before
it the gripping bar f, and when the nail has been fashioned the. said
gripping bar retires and allows the nail to fall from the die e.
I combine a series of the tools described and represented in a machine
for the purpose of producing at each blow of the machine a large number

page_text: of nails. I work the cutting out punch c and shaping plunger d by
cranks or cams on a rotating shaft of the machine; and I actuate the
gripping barf from the said shaft; but these and other details I do not
think it necessary further to describe, as the said details are common to
machines ordinarily employed in cutting out and raising articles from
sheet metal.
Although I prefer, as herein-before stated, to make the nails from
sheet metal at one operation, yet I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to any particular method of manufacturing the said
nails.
;
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details hercin described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention, the improvement or improve-
ments in nails for coffins, articles of furniture, and other uses, herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is
to say, making the said nails of a hollow head or shell provided at
its edge or base with a series of projecting parallel fastening points,
substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred William Theophilus Baker,
have hercunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of
July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
Witness,
ALFRED WILLIAM THEOPHILUS BAKER. (L.S.)
B. WILLCOX,
Clerk to H. H. Murdoch,
7, Staple Inn,
London.