AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING DIES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Francis Champney, of Taunton, Massachusetts,
United States of America, now of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, for tlie Invention of "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR
MAKING DIES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL AND OTHER ARTICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Francis Champney
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th August 1879.
GEORGE FRANCIS CHAMPNEY, of Taunton, Massachusetts, United States of
America, now of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer. "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING DIES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL AND
OTHER ARTICLES."
This Invention is designed to facilitate the formation of dies of steel or iron faced
with steel for use in jewellers' and silver-smiths' work, and for the manufacture of
articles of iron, steel, bronze, or other metal, or compressed wood or other
materials.
According to my Invention these improved dies may be produced without
engraving or cutting by the impact of patrices of cast iron, or of copper, gold,
silver, or other similarly soft metal..
In practising this Invention I use a die-block consisting of a piece of steel, or
iron and steel, and construct a cap or cover of proper shape and dimensions to fit
over and enclose the said block. This cap is formed to rest upon a cup or dish
which forms a support for the said block and cap. A small quantity of pulverized
charcoal or other suitable material may be placed in the said cup, around the
bottom of the cap, to form a packing and prevent the entrance of any air between
the cap and the cup to the interior of the latter. This packing is not absolutely
necessary, but may be used as an extra precaution to ensure a satisfactory result.
This apparatus, consisting of the above parts with the blocks enclosed, is placed
in a furnace of any suitable kind, and during the heating the closely fitting cap
prevents the access of air to the surface of the block, which is thus protected against
oxidation without the employment of grease or other substance to form vapuor or
smoke within the said cover as has been necessary when these blocks are heated
in the receptacles heretofore used for this purpose.

page_text: After the above described parts have been removed from the said furnace I
proceed as follows, that is to say, I provide a strong metal ring upon which the
cover rests, and two small rods or wires which support the block temporarily and
are removed, as hereinafter described, to let the said block drop within the ring.
I use a hammer working up and down between guides, and upon the face of
which is placed the patrice or punch, a vertical rod or lever is supported on any
suitable part of the hammer frame or part adjacent thereto, and extends down to
the aforesaid small rods to which its lower end is connected, another vertical rod
or lever is suitably supported on or near the hammer frame, and extends down and is
connected to the cap or cover. These rods or levers are arranged in close proximity
to the said hammer, and are formed with inclined portions which project within
the path of the hammer, so that the latter in falling must come in contact with the
same.
The apparatus, consisting of the cap and cover, with die-block enclosed, being
placed in the furnace as above described, is kept therein until the said block is
heated to whiteness. Then the said apparatus is removed from the furnace, the cap
or cover is slightly raised, and the die block is grasped with a pair of tongs (made
especially of very thin flat metal for this purpose) while the cap rests on the flat
surface of these tongs. In this manner the cap and die-block are placed over the
aforesaid ring and under the fall hammer, the die-block resting on the wires placed
across the ring. The tongs are removed, and the cap then rests upon the upper
surface of the ring, thereby preventing the entrance of air and consequent oxidation
of the die-block. The hammer in falling strikes first the inclined portion of the
first named vertical rod, thereby operating the said rod and causing the same to
jerk out the wires from the ring, thus allowing the die-block to fall, and immediately
afterwards the said hammer strikes the incline of the second vertical rod, which is
thus caused to remove the cover out of the path of the hammer, the latter then
drops with its full impetus, and by its impact the patrice forms its impression upon
the heated face of the die-block. It will be obvious from the above description
that the headed die-block is kept covered and safe from the oxydizing and cooling
effects of the air till the moment when the hammer falls upon the same.
If desired the said wires may be dispensed with and the die-block allowed to
fall directly from the tongs with the steel or other metal ring. In this case the
cap will be removed, as above described, by the rod, but the rod for removing
the wires will not be required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Francis Champney in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
February 1880.
GEORGE FRANCIS CHAMPNEY, of Taunton, Massachusetts, United States of
America, now of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer. "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING DIES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL AND
OTHER ARTICLES."
This Invention is designed to facilitate the formation of dies of steel, or of iron
faced with steel, for use in jewellers' and silversmiths' work, and for the manufac-
ture of articles of iron, steel, bronze, compressed wood, or other materials.
According to my Invention these improved dies may be produced without
engraving or cutting by the impact of a patrice or punch formed of cast iron or of
copper, gold, silver, or other similar soft metal.
The said Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of an apparatus for holding the piece of
metal in which the die is to be formed (hereinafter termed the die-block). while in
the furnace in which the same is heated.
Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section shewing the said die-block within a cap
or cover forming part of the said apparatus placed over an anvil in readiness to
receive the impact of the patrice.
Figure 3 is a plan of the same with the cover removed.
Figure 4 is an elevation drawn to a reduced scale of the said apparatus, arranged
in combination with a drop-hammer and devices for automatically causing the die-
block to drop from the said cover upon the anvil, and for removing the said cover
by and during the descent of the hammer.
Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section shewing a modified form of the cup
shown in Figure 1.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
a is the die-block, consisting of a piece of steel, or iron and steel; b is the cap
or cover, of proper shape and dimensions to fit over and enclose the said block; c
is a cup or dish which forms a support for the said block and cap. A small
quantity of pulverized charcoal or other suitable material may be placed at c¹ in
the said cup, around the bottom of the cap b, to form a packing and prevent the
entrance of any air between the cap and the cup to the interior of the latter. This
packing is not absolutely necessary, but it will assist to ensure a thoroughly
satisfactory result.
b
This apparatus consisting of the parts b, c, with the block a enclosed, as shewn
in Figure 1, is placed in a furnace of any suitable kind; during the heating of the
block a the closely fitting cap 6 prevents the access of air to the surface of the
said block, which is thus protected against oxidation without the employment of
grease or other substance to form vapour or smoke within the said cover, as has
been necessary when these blocks are heated in the receptacles heretofore used for
this purpose.
In Figures 2 and 3 I have shewn the block a and cover b after their removal
from the said furnace; d is a strong metal ring upon which the cover b rests, as
shewn; e, e, are two small rods or wires which support the block a temporarily,
and are removed, as hereinafter described, to let the said block drop within the
ring d.
In Figure 4, f is the hammer working up and down between guides g, and upon
the face of which is placed the patrice or punch, as shewn at f¹; h is a rod.or lever
supported on any suitable part of the hammer frame, or part adjacent thereto, and
extending down to the aforesaid small rods e, to which its lower end is pin-jointed
or connected as shewn; i is another rod or lever, which is also suitably supported
on or near the hammer frame, and which extends down and is connected to the cap
or cover b, as shewn. It will be seen that these rods or levers h, i, are arranged in

page_text: close proximity to the said hammer, and are formed with inclined portions at h¹, i¹,
which project within the path of the hammer's descent so that the latter in falling
must come in contact with the same.
In practising my Invention, the apparatus shewn in Figure 1 being placed in the
furnace as above described, is kept therein until the block a is heated to whiteness.
Then the said apparatus is removed from the furnace, the cap or cover b is slightly
raised, and the die-block a is grasped with a pair of tongs (made specially of very
thin flat metal for this purpose), while the cap b rests on the flat surface of these
tongs. In this manner the cap and die-block are placed in the position shewn in
Figures 2 and 4, over the ring d, and under the fall-hammer f, the die-block a
resting on the wires e placed across the ring d in grooves or channels formed
therein, as shewn in Figures 2 and 3; the tongs are removed, and the cap 6 then
rests upon the upper surface of the ring d, thereby preventing the entrance of air
and consequent oxidation of the die-block. The parts being in the position shewn
in Figure 4, the hammer f is caused to drop, and in falling strikes first the inclined
portion h¹ of the rod h, thereby operating the said rod and causing the same to
jerk out the wires e from the ring d, thus allowing the die-block a to fall, and
immediately afterwards the said hammer strikes the incline ¹ of the rod i, which
is thus caused to remove the cover out of the path of the hammer, so that the
latter drops with its full impetus upon the heated face of the die-block, and by its
impact the patrice forms its impression upon the same. It will be obvious
from the above description that the heated die-block is kept covered and safe from
the oxidizing and cooling effects of the air till the moment when the hammer falls
upon the same.
.
If desired the wires e may be dispensed with and the die-block a allowed to
fall directly from the tongs within the steel or other metal ring d. In this case
the cap b will be removed, as above described, by the rod i, but the rod h will not
be required.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same,
I wish it understood that I claim,—-
First. The improved process of manufacturing dies of steel, or of iron and steel,
by exposing a die block to heat in a closely fitting cover, from which the air is
excluded during the heating of the said die-block, whieh is kept enclosed within
the said cover till the moment of impact of a patrice or punch placed on the face of
a hammer as and for the purposes specified.
Second. The apparatus, consisting of the cap or cover b and cup or dish c, con-
structed and fitted together for the reception of the die-block, substantially as
shewn in Figure 1 or in Figure 5 of the Drawing, and as above set forth.
Third. The apparatus shewn in Figure 2, and consisting of the cap or cover, the
ring, and the rods or wires arranged in combination with the said ring and with
the die-block a, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The apparatus shewn in Figure 4, consisting of the hammer with the
patrice or punch on the face of the same, and the rod i (either with or without the
rod ) arranged and operating in combination with the parts shewn in Figure 2
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Francis Champney, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.