IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF NAILS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Parkes, of Bath Row, Holloway Head,
Birmingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF NAILS."
Sealed the 22nd January 1858, and dated the 9th November 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Parkes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th November 1857.
I, ALEXANDER PARKES, of Bath Row, Holloway Head, Birmingham, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF NAILS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of nails.
For these purposes, in making copper and other nails, wire or rods of copper
or other metal of a greater diameter than the stems of the nails (which are to
be made therefrom) are used; and in order to reduce the same to the proper
dimensions for the stems of nails, the wire or rods are at intervals subjected to
pressure between dies or rollers, so as to flatten out the metal, and when
desired to impress the forms of the stems at intervals in the length of the
metal, leaving parts of the metal of the original size or diameter, in order to
admit of the heads being produced therefrom, those parts which are reduced
in thickness and spread out are then subjected to cutters, which cut away or

page_text: remove the excess of width; or the rollers may be suitably formed to produce
the rods alternately of thicknesses suitable for the stems and heads respectively;
or the stems may be produced by cutting on four sides. The metal after
being cut transversely into lengths each suitable for a nail, such lengths are
then finished by dies, the stems or thinner parts being held in the bed or other
suitable die whilst the head is formed by a punch or suitable heading die. In
some cases the forms are produced by cutting blanks from sheet metal (which.
may be plain or impressed with rough forms). Each blank when cut out
consists of a stem and a larger. part for forming the head; and if the blank
is from a plain sheet, I prefer, in order to form the head, to split or lay
open the larger part before finishing the nail by dies, as above explained.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Parkes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
PARKES, of Bath Row, Holloway, Head, Birmingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the. Ninth. day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alexander Parkes, Her special licence that I, the said Alexander
Parkes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alexander Parkes, 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 thereiň 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF NAILS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alexander Parkes, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under uy, 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
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
"Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters. Patent.
was
:
NOW KNOW YE, that I; the said Alexander Parkes, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the. same is to be-per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of nails.
For these purposes, in making copper and other nails, wire or rods of copper
For other metal of a greater diameter than the stems of the nails (which are to
be made therefrom) are used; and in order to reduce the same to the proper
dimensions for the stems of nails, the wire or rods are at intervals subjected to
pressure between dies or rollers; so as to flatten out the metal, and when
desired to impress the forms of the stems at intervals in the length of the
metal, leaving parts of the metal of the original size or diameter, in order to
admit of the heads being produced therefrom, those parts which are reduced
in thickness and spread out are. then subjected to cutters, which cut away or
remove the excess of width; or the rollers may be suitably formed to produce
the rods alternately of thicknesses suitable for the stems and heads respectively;
or the stems may be produced by cutting on four sides. The metal after
being cut transversely into lengths each suitable for a nail, such lengths are
then finished by dies, the stems or thinner parts being held in the bed or other
suitable die, whilst the head is formed by a punch or suitable heading die.
In some cases the forms are produced by cutting blanks from sheet metal
(which may be plain or impressed with rough forms). Each blank when cut
out consists of a stem and a larger part for forming the head; and if the
blank is from a plain sheet, I prefer, in order to form the head, to split or lay
open the larger part before finishing the nail by dies, as above explained.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
In carrying out the first part of my Invention, I take the wire or rods from
which they are to be produced, and I cause the same at intervals to be pressed
between dies of the form desired to be given to the stems of the nails, leaving
the parts to form the heads untouched by the dies; by these means the excess
of metal will be spread out in the form of thin webs or fins, which are to be
cut or removed, and the rod or wire cut into lengths each suitable for a nail.
The heads are then to be formed by suitable dies, in like manner to that
resorted to in making solid heads to pins or when making heads to other
descriptions of nails; or in place of thus spreading out the metal by means of
dies, the wire or rods with parallel sides may at intervals be subjected to
cutters, in order to have a wedge-formed piece cut from each of its four sides,
and then the rod or wire may be cut into lengths and the heads formed as
above described.
In carrying out the second part of my Invention, I employ sheets of metal,

page_text: which may be plain, or the sheets may be cast or rolled with enlargements or
projections on both their surfaces corresponding with the parts which are to
make the heads; and from such sheets, by stamping. or cutting. in any suitable
manner, I cut out the nail blanks, and then form the heads to the shapes
desired, as above explained. When, however, the plates of metal are made
plain, that is, with parallel sides, I prefer to split and lay open the portions
which are to form the heads, and then to shape them by suitable dies; according
to the forms' desired to be given to the heads.
my
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Parkes, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight."