Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria;
by Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Thirty-first day of January, in the
eleventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors.
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, and in all
Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of

page_text: Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention of "Ix-
PROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING SHOT AND OTHER SOLID BALLS,"
being a communication from a foreigner residing abroad. In which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to bo performed, and to cause
the same 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following de-
scription thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto an-
nexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
This Invention of improved machinery for manufacturing shot and
other solid balls, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
is clearly set forth in the following description, reference being had to
the Sheet of Drawing forming part of this my Specification. In this
Drawing Fig. 1, represents the improved machine in plan view; Fig. 2,
is a front elevation; Fig. 3, a side elevation; and Fig. 4, a longitudial
vertical section of the same; Fig. 5, is a bottom view of the die holder;
and Figures 6, and 7, are longitudinal vertical sections of the die
holder and the parts connected therewith taken at the lines A, α, and
B, 6, of Fig. 1. Fig. 8, is a face view of the grooved disc for rolling.
the balls; and Fig. 9, is an elevation of a modified mode of rolling the
balls, with part of the outer case removed. Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 9,
are drawn to the full size for a machine for making shot of one eighth
of an inch in diameter, and the other Figures are drawn on a scale of
double the size. The same letters indicate like parts in all the
Figures.
The nature of the first part of the Invention consists in forming shot
or other balls from lead by cutting the required quantity of lead for

page_text: each ball.or.shot transversely from a bar which is made wider and.
thinner than the intended diameter of the shot to be produced; the
piece to be cut being of less length than the diameter of the ball to be
produced, by means of which balls or shot can be formed of solid
lead by compression by cutting from a bar of solid lead without leaving.
scraps.
.
The second part of the Invention, which relates to the machinery for
making shot. or other balls of lead in the solid state, consists of a cutter
or punch and swage, the end of which is formed with a semi-spherical
cavity, the periphery of which constitutes a cutting edge to sever the
lead from the bar, when this is combined with a die, made with a cylin-
drical cavity to receive the punch, and, with a semi-spherical bottom, iu
which the lead is forced by the punch to form the shot by compression,
the die being provided with a discharge pin or follower which slides in
a hole made in the bottom of the die for the purpose of forcing out
the shot after it has been formed.
י.
The third part of the Invention consists in making the die or the
punch, with a small hole leading out from some part of the semi-
spherical cavity thereof, for the purpose of admitting of the discharge:
of any surplus lead, when by the irregularity of the bar of lead or of
the action of the machine a greater quantity of lead is cut off from
the bar than is requisite for, the formation of the shot..
The fourth part of the Invention consists of a plate, the face of
which is formed into a volute groove running from near the centre of
the periphery thereof, combined with a corresponding and rotating face
plate without a groove, for the purpose of smoothing the surface of balls
or shot as they are discharged from the cutting and swaging part of the
machine; and,
The last part of the Invention relates to a modification of the mode
of rolling the balls, and consists in passing them through a spiral,
groove formed on the periphery of a conical block that turns within a
casing of corresponding form without a groove, and lined with leather,
the case and block being made adjustable to one another.
In the accompanying Drawing a, represents the main plate of the
machine properly, sustained and connected by standards b, b,.b, b, with

page_text: the foundation plate c. The main plate a, is provided with two guide
pieces d, d, properly secured thereto, their inner faces being made
parallel and suitable for guiding the punch carrier e, which slides on-the
main plate and between the two guide pieces, it being held down' by.
metal straps or plates ff, secured to the pieces d, d. The punch carrier &
e, is a square bar of metal, with its opposite faces parallel, that it may.
move steadily and yet with ease on the bed plate and between the guide
pieces, and at about one third of its length from the rear end it is cut:
out, as shewn at g, that it may slide over the main shaft h, without coming
in contact with it, and the part cut out is strengthened by two curved
cheeks i, i, the space between them being sufficiently large to admit of
the working of the main cam to be presently described.
.
The main shaft h, which is mounted in boxes j, j, j, j, on the main
plate and the guide ways, is placed with its axes at right angles with
the punch carrier; it carries a cam k, which works in between the two
cheeks of the punch carrier, and in its rotation alternately acts to move.
the punch carrier back and forth to the required distance, à friction
roller 1, for the face of the cam to act against being interposed and
adapted to the punch carrier at either end of the opening in which the
cam rotates. In this way the punch carrier receives the required
movements by the rotation of the main shaft, which is rotated by a belt
m, from some prime mover passing around a pulley n.
The punch o, made of well tempered steel is cylindrical, and of a
diameter equal to the intended diameter of the shot or balls to be
made; at Fig. 4, this punch is shewn on an an enlarged scale; its
forward end, it will be seen, is hollowed out to the form of a semi-.
spherical cavity. to give the requisite rotundity to the shot. The edge
of this cavity constitutes a sharp circular edge to cut off from a bar
the quantity of lead required for each shot or ball; and the rear end
of the punch is fitted in a hole in the forward end of the punch
carrier and those secured by a temper. screw p; care must be taken
to have the axes of the punch precisely in the line of the motion of
the carrier. For the purpose of regulating the position of the punch
relatively to the die; that it may move up to the required distancë to
form a spherical ball, there is a wedge o, fitted to slide vertically in-a

page_text: hole in the punch carrier, and just at the back of the punch the said
wedge is let in from the under side, and provided with a set nut o³,
above, by which the wedge can be drawn up or let down, and in this
"way the position of the punch may be determined.
The die holder q, is a block of metal secured by screws ṛ, r, to the
main plate and between the guide 'ways, to ensure its being in a linė
with the punch carrier. The bar of lead t, is introduced horizontally
through a hole t, in the side of the die holder, which has a hollow
space u, between the punch guide ³, in the forward 'part of the diè
holder, and the face of the die and the bar of lead, instead of resting.
against the die when being cut by the punch, rests against a lip v;
which constitutes the permanent shear in the operation of separating a
piece of lead by the punch, and between this lip and the face of the
die there is an open space in which a discharger a, slides vertically.
The discharger is faced down by a lever y, attached to its upper end;
and turning on a fulcrum pin y, and struck at the required' time to
depress the discharger by a small cam (y) on the main shaft, the said
lischarger being forced up at the required time by: an inclined planė
(), Fig. 7, on a bar à', let into and fastened in a groove in the under
surface of the punch carrier, and sliding in a like groovė in the diė
holder, so that when the dic is carried back, after having formed a shot
or all, the inclined plane, slides from under the discharger, and
permits it to be forced down by the lever y, so that a lip or projection
of the discharger shall strike the shot and insure the discharge of it
from the dic into a hole c', in the 'main plate. The die should be made
of good cast steel, with the forward end formed into a cylindrical cavity
, the bottom of which is semi-spherical to correspond with the form
of the cavity in the end of the punch, so that when the punch is in-
scrted in the cylindrical cavity of the die, which it should fit, the two
will constitute a spherical matrix to form the shot. The die is either
formed by cutting out the solid metal of the die holder, or may be made
separate, and let in from the back into a hole adapted for it.in the die
holder. The back of the die holder is provided with a securing and
set screw. e', so that by the turning of the set screw the position of the
die relatively to the motion of the punch can be set with the greatest

page_text: nicety. The Drawings, however, represent the die as being made out
of the solid metal constituting the die holder. There is a hole bored
through the set screw and the die; in which a follower f³, is fitted and
slides, and the end of the follower when in place constitutes a part of
the semi-spherical socket. To prevent the follower from being forced
back too far it has a shoulder which comes against the end of the set
screw that its position in the die when forced back shall be sucli as to
form a part of the bottom of the die. The object of this follower is to
force the shot or ball out of the die after it has been swaged, and for
this purpose. the. forward end of the bar a', that is attached to and
moved by the punch carrier, is turned up or formed with a shoulder g',
so that on the back motion of the punch it shall force forward the fol-
lower and push the shot or ball out of the die; but as the shot some-
times adheres to the end of the follower, the back motion of the bar
permits the discharger to descend and deliver the shot out of the ma-
chine through the hole. c. The bar of lead made of the requisite
thickness and breadth, as stated above, and of any desired length, is
introduced between two fluted feed rollers i, i; (see Fig. 3;) mounted
on two parallel arbers j', ', the lower one turning in permanent bear-
ings, and the other one having its journals in boxes that slide in stan-
dards. ', ', provided with set screws P, P, that the distance between
the feed rollers may be regulated at pleasure. The lower one of these
arbers, has a bevel pinion m³, on one end, which engages with a like
bevel pinion n', on a short arber o¹, parallel with the main shaft, and
this arber has a ratchet wheel p', on it, the teeth of which are struck
by a spur.q', on the main shaft at each rotation for the purpose of
turning the feed rollers to feed in the bar of lead to the required
distance to supply the requisite quantity of lead for each shot or ball.
In the semi-spherical cavity of the die there is a small hole 1¹, lead-
ing to a discharge hole s', in the main plate, through which the sur-
plus lead is discharged whenever, by the irregularity of the bar of lead
or of the. working or imperfect adjustment of the machine, the piece of
lead cut from the bar is larger than is required to form a shot or ball.
When the shot is discharged from the die it passes down the hole c',
made through the main plate and through the face plate t'. This face

page_text: plate is provided on its under surface with a volute groove u, which
.commences at the discharge hole c', a short distance from the centre
of the plate, and extends to the periphery thereof. The cross section
of this groove should present a semicircle, or a little more -if desired.
Below this plate there is a disc v', which receives the shot when they
fall down the passage c¹. This disc is of the 'same diameter as the
plate t'; the two having their centres in the same line, and the disc is
attached to the upper end of a vertical shaft w; the upper journal of
which runs in a box in the centre of the grooved plate, and the lower
one in a box, fitted loosely in a socket y', provided with set screws >',
all around, for the purpose of adjusting the face of the disc to the face
of the grooved plate, and making them work parallel. A vertical screw
a², is also provided below to elevate or lower the disc to adjust its dis-
tance relatively to the grooved plate, that any required pressure may
be given to the shot in passing along the groove. The face of the disc
is covered with leather, and it is rotated by a belt 62, from a pulley.c³,
on the main shaft passing around guide rollers d³, d³, and thence around
a pulley, on the shaft of the disc. By the rotation of this disc the
shot or balls, as they are discharged from the die, enter the volute
groove at the centre of the disc, and are carried round in the groove to
the periphery, where they are discharged through a tangent spout f*.
The rolling of the shot in this groove under the pressure of the rotating
disc has the effect of smoothing down any irregularities left on the
surface of the shot when discharged from the die; and of polishing them.
The groove should be a little larger at the commencement where the
shot enters than at the end, and gradually decrease in size from the
beginning to the end, that any irregularities on the surface of the ball
may be gradually reduced. Instead of using the grooved plate and
disc for rolling the shot or balls, this operation may be effected by
means of the last part of the Invention, viz:-The upper journal of a
rotating conical block g, is so placed as to be in connection with the
discharge hole in the main plate, through which the shot are discharged
from the swaging part of the machine, so that they (the shot or balls)
shall pass down through a hole in the upper journal (shewn in the
Drawings by dotted lines), and pass into a spiral groove h³, which runs
around the circular, block g³, from the upper to the lower end, where

page_text: the shot are discharged. This groove, which presents in its cross section,
'a' semicircle, should be slightly and gradually reduced in size fromt he
top to the bottom, for the reason given in the description of the volute
groove. The block is enclosed in a casing (), the inside of which is
of a form to correspond with the periphery of the block, except that its
'surface is smooth and covered with leather. To insure the proper
position of the case it is permanently fixed on a frame and provided at
top and bottom with journals to receive the shaft of the block 9. By
this means the block and case are always concentric, and for the pur-
pose of regulating the distance between the inner periphery of the case
and the bottom of the spiral groove; the lower end of the shaft which
carries the block rests on the point of a set screw (*), or in a step
regulated by a set screw or its equivalent. In this way the two can
be regulated with the utmost nicety. The form of the block and the
section of the case is preferred to be a slight deviation from a regular
cone, as shewn in the Drawings. The block is to be driven in the
same manner as the rotating disc or in any other desired way.
It will be obvious to any one skilled in mechanics that the required
movements may be given to the various parts of the machinery by any
of the mechanical devices equivalent to those above described, and that
instead of covering the face of the disc or the inner periphery of the
conical.case with leather, and that the metal face or any other substance
may be employed without changing the principle of this part of the
Invention, but having used leather successfully the inventor prefers the
use of that substance.
Having now 'described the nature of the Invention communicated
to me, and the manner of carrying the same into operation, I wish it
to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim the forming of shot or other balls from lead in the solid
state by cutting the pieces to form the shot from a bar made thinner
and wider than the diameter of the shot or balls required to be
produced, substantially as described, whereby 'I am enabled to make
shot or balls by cutting and swaging without leaving scraps, as set
forth.
I also claim the punch made with a semi-spherical cavity in the end,
and a cutting edge around, when combined with a die formed with a

page_text: cylindrical cavity to receive the punch, and a semi-spherical bottom
provided with a follower, substantially as described, for the purpose of
swaging shot or balls, and giving them the requisite form, when cut
from a bar of less thickness than the diameter to be produced, as
described.
I also claim, in combination with the die and punch, making a hole
for the discharge of any surplus lead, as described, and this I claini
whether the hole be made in the die or in the punch.
I also claim the method of rolling shot or balls by the combined
operation of the rotating disc and grooved plate, substantially as de-
scribed, and this I also claim, in combination with the punch and die
that form the shot or balls, that the two operations may follow one
another to form and finish them, as described.
And finally, I claim the rotating block with a spiral groove formed
on its periphery, in combination with the surrounding case, substan-
tially as described, for the purpose of rolling and finishing the surface
of balls, as described.
In witness whercof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-
and provided.
Inrolled the same Thirty-first day of July, in the year above
written.