MAKING METALLIC CHAINS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexandre Tolhausen, of No. 7, Duke Street,
Adelphi, London, in the County of Middlesex, Sworn Interpreter at the
Imperial Court of Paris, for the Invention of "MAKING METALLIC CHAINS."
- A communication from Edward Weissenborn, of the City of New
York, United States.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexandre Tolhausen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declara-
tion, on the 21st November 1855, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDRE
TOLHAUSEN, of No. 7, Duke Street, Adelphi, London, in the County of
Middlesex, Sworn Interpreter at the Imperial Court of Paris, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "MAKING METALLIC
CHAINS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same,
and have made solemn deelaration that the said Invention is a communication
from Edward Weissenborn, of the City of New York, United States:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexandre Tolhausen, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in

page_text: which the same is to be performed, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The chain which this machine is intended to manufacture is not of the kind
in most common use, but is what may, be termed "double-link" chain, as it is
composed not of pairs of links, but strictly of double links which are cach
formed entirely of one-piece of metal. This description of chain as produced
by the machine is very far superior in strength to the single-link chain in
common use. In the accompanying Drawing, which illustrates the Invention,
Fig. 1 is a side clevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same;
Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section in the line A B, of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a
vertical transverse section in the line C, D, of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a vertical
transverse section in the line E, F, of Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 6 is a plan of a
portion of the machine, not clearly shown in Fig. 2;
manner of forging the rings from which the links of the chain are produced;
Fig. 8 exhibits the form which the ring first receives in being converted into
a link; Fig. 9 is a side view, showing the links bent together, but not
Fig. 10 is a side view at right angles to Fig. 8, showing the links closed to
form a portion of the chain; Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a short piece of
chain produced in the machine. Similar letters of reference indicate corre-
sponding parts in the several Figs.
Fig. 7 illustrates the
closed;
The working parts of the machine are all carried by a strong bed of cast
iron G, G, supported on standards G¹, G'. The first part of the machine to
be described is that part for forming the rings from which the links are to be
produced. These rings are made of small flat iron rod, coiled round a suffi-
cient number of times to give the required thickness to the ring, and then
heated and welded together. In this way the rings are made of the greatest
possible strength. The above-mentioned part of the machine is shown at the
right-hand end of Figs. 1 and 2, and also in Fig. 5, in which Figs. II, H, is a
headstock, containing the bearings for two parallel shafts I, I', 'which are
placed one above the other. These shafts carry respectively worm
wheels a,
a', which gear, the former with a right-hand screw' b, and the latter with a
left-hand screw b', on a rotary upright shaft 1", from which they receive motion
in opposite directions, but at the same velocity. The lower shaft I carries at
one end outside the headstock a short cylinder c, whose external diameter is
equal to the intended internal diameter of the rings, or of the coils of which
they are to be formed. This cylinder has a narrow slotted opening c¹ in its
periphery, shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and from this opening a wider opening c"
runs to the outer end of the cylinder, as shewn in Fig. 2. It is also fitted
with a sliding collar d, which is prevented revolving with the cylinder by being

page_text: pivoted to a horizontal lever d³, working on a fixed fulcrum d". On the end
of the bed G, next to the headstock II, there is a smaller headstock J, which
contains a screw e, standing in line with the axis of the shaft I, the said
screw carrying at its end nearest the cylinder i a disc e, of about the same
size as the exterior of the collar d, and at the outer end a wheel e", with which
to turn it by hand. The headstock J also carries the guides for a transverse
slide f, in which there is a hole f¹, large enough to allow the rod of which
the ring is to be formed to pass through. The hole is opposite the cylinder c,
and in one position of the latter the slot c' is in line with the said hole, as
shown in Fig. 5. The slide f has a spring applied to it (not visible in the
Drawing), by which it is always pushed towards the cylinder c. To form a
ring, the screw e is screwed up to bring the disc c¹ close up to the end of the
cylinder, and then the end of the rod is pushed through the hole f'in the
slide towards the cylinder, which is set in motion by shifting its driving
band from a loose to a fast pulley at the bottom part of the shaft I". At the
commencement of this operation the collar d is supposed to be as far back on
the cylinder as possible. When the slot e' arrives opposite the hole f¹ the
rod enters it, and by that means as the revolution of the cylinder proceeds the
rod is secured to it, and as the revolution continues it is drawn through the
hole f¹ in a coil around the cylinder. An attendant, who is stationed in front
near that end of the machine, takes the lever d" in his hand and brings it to
a distance from the disc e¹ equal to the width of the iron rod employed to form
the ring. During the coiling operation the slide f is being continually pressed
up to the exterior of the coil, which it makes compact, but it gradually recedes
as the coil increases in thickness. When the coil has been increased to the
proper thickness, the attendant, standing in front of the machine, with his right
hand holding the wheel ", and his left the lever d', turns the screw e to draw
the disc e away from the cylinder c, and by means of the lever d' moves the
collar d in the same direction as the disc, and gradually slides the coil off the
cylinder. In sliding the coil off the cylinder, the extremity, which has been in
the slot c¹, is moved into the larger cavity c", and then, loosing its hold of the
cylinder, allows the latter to continue rotating without it, and the back side of
the recess e straightens out the extremity of the rod of which the coil is
formed, making the inside of the coil smooth. When the disc el has been
moved far enough away from the end of the cylinder, the coil is withdrawn
between it and the end of the cylinder. The rod to form the coil is supposed
to be cut to the required length before commencing the coiling operation.
The coil in the state now described is about square in its transverse section,
and before welding is compressed together, and to some extent rounded

page_text: between two grooved rollers h, h', at the other end of the shafts 1, 1: For
the purpose of enabling these rollers to be separated for the introduction of
the coil between them; the upper roller is made moveable by the suspension
of the shaft by two rods i, i, and boxes 2, 3, from a head ", which is sup-
ported by two screws 1, 11, which work in nuts in the headstock H, and are
geared together, so as to be turned simultaneously by turning a wheel I.
The shaft I has a fly wheel I, by which the uniformity of movement of the
above portion of the machine is preserved.
The coil, after leaving the rounding rollers h, h', is in the state shown in
Fig. 7, in which state it is taken to a suitable furnace and heated to a welding
heat, and then brought to that part of the machine by which the welding is
performed, which is shown near the middle of Figs. 1 and 2, and partly in
Figs. 3 and 4, and will now be described. K, K, is a fixed headstock, con-
taining the bearings for two rollers L, L', which have each a round bottomed
spiral groove in its periphery, both grooves having the same pitch, but that in
the lower roller running spirally in one direction, and that in the upper roller
in the opposite direction. The grooves in the rollers are a little the largest at
the right-hand end; and at the left-hand end, when the rollers are closed toge-
ther, the section of the two grooves is a circle of the same size as the finished
welded ring is desired to have. The rollers rotate at the same speed, but in
opposite directions. The ring at a welding heat, as it comes from the fire, is
slipped over the left-hand end of the lower roller L, the left-hand bearing k of
the said roller being moved away, and the upper roller L' being raised up for
that purpose, and is moved up to the right-hand end of the roller and hung in
its groove, after which the bearing k of the said roller is replaced, and the
upper roller L' brought down close to it; the ring being then grasped firmly
between the two rollers, by whose rotary motion it is caused to revolve between
them, and travel along towards their left-hand ends, and by that means being
gradually more and more compressed by the constantly diminishing size of the
grooves, is very perfectly welded and finished with a smooth surface. The
bearing k moves away again at the approach of the ring, to allow the ring to
be drawn over the end of the roller L, and after the ring leaves the grooves of
the rollers, the upper roller L' is raised, to allow another ring to be slipped
over. In order to adjust the two rollers L, L', so that the parts of their
respective grooves, which are contiguous to each other, will be exactly opposite
each other to form a perfect circular die, a third bearing M is provided, in
addition to the bearings in the headstock K, K. This bearing is fixed, but
journal l, which is adjust-
the shaft of the roller is provided with a variable
able by a screw and nuts, on the said shaft. The longitudinal position

page_text: of the roller is regulated by the position of the journal 1, which bas large
shoulders, while the other two journals of the roller are made without
shoulders, so as to be capable of moving longitudinally in the bearings
when necessary.
The rotary motion of the rollers L, L', is derived from
right and left handed endless screws m, m³, on an upright shaft M', gear-
ing with worm wheels m*, m*, on the roller shafts. The raising of the
upper roller L', to allow the ring to be slipped over the lower roller up to
the right-hand end thereof, is performed by two springs n, n, acting upon a
yoke N, which is connected by two rods n', n', with the ends of the shaft of the
roller. The roller is depressed to its operative position to weld the ring, and
held down firmly in that position during the whole time it is required to con-
tinue in operation by means of two cams n", n", on a shaft P, supported in
fixed bearings in the headstock K, which cams act upon two rollers n¹¹¹, ;
whose journals rest in the top of the bearings of the upper roller. The shaft
P receives rotary motion at a slow speed, properly proportioned to the opera
tion of the rollers L, L', through a spur wheel o from a pinion o¹, on a small
shaft o", which receives motion through a worm wheel o, from an endless
screw m", on the upright shaft M'. The withdrawal and replacement of the
movable bearing k of the roller L is effected by means of a lever p of the first
order working on a fixed fulcrum p¹ between the sides of the bed. This lever,
which is within the bed of the machine, is shown in dotted outline in Fig. 1.
Its upper end enters into a slot in a sliding carriage k', which carries the bear-
ing, and its lower end carries a pin p", which enters a groove in a cam pin
on a shaft Q, which receives rotary motion through a spur wheel 9, fast upon
it, from a smaller spur wheel q' on a shaft Q', which receives motion through
a worm wheel q" from an endless screw m¹¹¹ on the upright shaft M'. Tho
ring r, Figs. 1 and 3, is put upon the roller L by a sliding box R, see Figs. 1,
2, and 3, into which it is placed, which box is just wide enough to receive the
ring in an upright position. This box is so slipped as to hold the ring r at an
oblique angle to the axis of the rollers, and parallel with the direction assumed
by the highest part of the groove of the roller L, and it has suitable openings
in the front and back sides for the roller L to pass through. The heated ring
when taken from the fire is placed in the box R by an attendant, the box
being at that time in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and when first
received in the box it is supported by a false bottom 12, which rests on a spiral
spring 13, and it is kept in place by two fingers s, 8, shown in dotted outline in
Fig. 3, which are fitted to pivots s', s, within the box, and are drawn towards
each other by springs ", s, and in this way the ring is held at the height
indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, which enables it to pass along the whole

page_text: length of the roller L without obstruction; but when the box has arrived at
the right-hand end. of the rollers, the descent of the roller L drives the ring
down into the box, causing it to force down the false bottom 12, and force
apart the fingers s, 8. The ring remains in the box during the whole
of the welding operation..
The box receives its forward movement to
place the ring between the rollers through a toothed rack R', attached
to it from a pinion on a shaft S, which receives the necessary motion at
the proper time to drive forward the ring quickly through a pinion t
from a toothed sector t", at one end of the lever T of the first order
having a fixed fulcrum ; the action of the sector on the pinion being pro-
duced by the fall of the opposite end of the lever, under the influence of a
weight T', attached thereto. This lever is set free at the proper time for the
weight to act upon it by a cam Q" on the shaft Q, on a concentric portion of
the periphery of which cam the lever has been previously supported in a
stationary condition long enough to keep the box R stationary while the ring
was put in; this cam Qu acting on a roller u¹ attached to the lever, raises the
weighted end of the lever to make the sector reverse the motion of the pinion
t', shaft S, pinion t, and rack R', to carry back the box as the welding pro-
ceeds. This movement must be properly tinied, and at a proper speed relatively
to the movement of the rollers I, L', and pitch of their grooves.
1 and 2 at the left hand of the.
The ring is elongated by the
which it is placed when it is
The. next operation to be performed after the welding of the ring, and before
it is allowed to cool, is to elongate it in one direction, and draw the two long
sides together, which brings it to the shape represented in Fig. 8; after which.
it is hent to the form shown in Fig.9, in which Fig. the lower link is supposed
to be seen looking in the same direction as Fig. 7, but the upper link is in a
position at right angles thereto. The part of the machine by which these
operations are performed is shewn in Figs.
welling machinery, and also partly in Fig. 6.
moving apart of two upright posts v, vl, over
taken from the box R, and the elongated sides are forced
movement of two sliding dies w, w, which are shewn in
shown in Fig. 2 in dotted out lines tinted blue, and which work at right angles.
to the posts v, v. The posts.v, v', are carried by two slides Z, Z', working in
guides in a double plate.U, secured to the bed G, and the sliding dies w, w,
work in guides in the said plate. The posts v, v, and their slides Z, Z', are best
shewn in Fig, 6, as in that Fig. all the parts of the machine which stand above
them are omitted. Before entering minutely into the operation of the above
studs and sliding dies, it will be better to describe the manner in which the
ring. is taken from the box. R and placed over the posts v, v. This is effected.
together by the
Fig. 6, and also

page_text: and confine the
Just as the ring
by a carrier a, consisting of an elastic steel bar, forked at its extremity, and
attached to an arm x' on a rock shaft ", which works in bearings at the top
of two standards U₁, U, erected upon the plate U. The rock shaft" has
another armı y, which carries a weight y', and has suspended from it a rod y",
at the lower end of which is a roller y, which rests upon a cam y¹¹ on the
shaft Q. This cam, as well as the rod y", is shewn in blue outline in Fig. 1,
to prevent confusion with the other parts of the machine. The rod should
be furnished with a yoke at its lower end to fit the shaft
roller y to the cam, but this is not shewn in the Drawing.
box R draws the welded ring off the shaft, the cam y raises the rod y",
and the arm y of the rock shaft, thereby depressing the arm x', and
throwing forward the carrier x. As the fork of the carrier arrives near the
ring, a stud a, which is secured to one side of the elastic bar, comes in contact
with the inclined under surface of a fixed guide piece on one of the
standards U¹, and is sprung downward, and thereby directed to the upper
part of the ring, which it receives in its fork. The instant after the fork
receives the ring, the stud x passes the end of the guide piece a aud
springs upward, lifting the ring up out of its box. By this time the most
prominent part of the cam y passes the roller y, and the weight y' falls
and raises the arm a³, drawing back the carrier x with the ring; as the carrier
goes back its fork passes nearly close to the tops of the posts v, v', which are
at that time in their nearest position relatively to each other, and drags the
ring nearly in a horizontal position over the plate U, until the ring catches
against the first post v, and is thereby arrested and caused to be released by
the carrier as the latter continues its retreat, and when released it drops on the
plate U with both the posts inside it, as shown in dotted black outline in
Fig. 2. At the time the ring is received around the posts v, v', the dies w, w,
are at their greatest distance apart, so that the ring is received between them.
The dies w, w, approach each other simultaneously with the moving apart of
the posts v, v, and thus give the ring the link form, shown in Fig. 8, which is
also shown in Figs. 2 and 6; in the former of which Figs. the posts v, v', are
shown in strong black outline, and the dies w, w, in dotted outline tinted blue,
in the condition of just having operated upon the ring to produce the link
form, and in the latter Fig. both the posts v, vl, and dies w, w, are shown in
black outline. The reason for representing the dies in dotted outline in Fig. 2
is, that they are concealed by a table U", extending across between the
standards U, C, for the support of guides U, U, for a pair of hooks V, V,
by which the bending of the link to the form shewn in Fig. 9 is effected. In
Fig. 6 this table and the guides and hooks are omitted. The bend of the

page_text: link is made round two dies w¹, w', attached to or forming part of the dies
w, w, and coming close together, as shown in Fig. 6, when the dies w, w, have
approached each other near enough to bring the link to the form shown in
Fig. 8. These dies w³, w', may be cylindrical, of a size to correspond with the
interior of the bend 13, 13*, see Fig. 9, which is to be given to the link, or
they may be of any other form that will admit of such a bend being given, the
lower parts of them of course corresponding to the desired bend. The hooks
V, by which the bending of the link is effected, resemble what are sometimes
known as grappling hooks, being in the form of levers pivoted together by a
pin z. This pin is suspended by a link from the arm of a rock
shaft W, and it works in the vertical fixed guides U, U; the upper ends of
the two hooks are connected together by a light spring, which just serves
to keep tho hooks open, or, in other words, to keep their points as far apart as
is necessary to receive the link. The hooks descend in an open state, as shown
in Fig. 1, before the separating movement of the posts v, v', to elongate the
link commences, and the points of the hooks, which are properly formed to
receive the ends of the link within them, enter into a recess in the plate, so as
to be below the link. The elongation of the link brings its ends over the
point of the hooks, which begin to rise, as soon as the elongation of the link
is finished. The dies w, w, do not begin to retreat for some time after they
have finished their operation on the link, and thus the dies w', w', remain
closed long enough for the bending to be effected by the ascent of the hooks
V, V. It will be understood that as the hooks are pivoted together they will
yield readily to the change of form of the link as it bends, the resistance of
the link to the bending operation being sufficient to draw the points of the
hooks towards each other. After the bending of the link has been effected in
this way, the hooks receive a slight downward movement, and this taking
place before the dies w', w', have separated far enough for the link to descend,
liberates the hooks from the link, and they immediately open, leaving the link
free to fall through an opening in the plate U between the dies w, w, when
the latter have separated, and into a conductor, by which it is to be conveyed
to a box 14 at the extreme left-hand end of the machine, where is placed
the mechanism for closing the links together to form the chain. The manner
of effecting the movements of the posts v, v', the dies w, w, and w', w',
and the hooks V, V, will now be explained, and then the explanation of
the mechanism forclosing will be proceeded with; the dies w, w, and w¹, w³, are
moved toward each other and drawn back again at proper internals by means
of two screws 15, 15, one right and the other left handed, which are connected
to them in such a way as not to be capable of turning, but are moved back.

page_text: and forth by two rotary nuts 16, 16, whose exteriors are toothed to form spur
wheels gearing with the larger spur wheels 17, 17, on a shaft X, which passes
right through the bed, and derives an intermittent rotary motion through n
pinion 18 behind the front spur wheel 17 from a toothed sector g, which
oscillates on a rock shaft Y, the said sector receiving motion by its connection
with the cam yoke 19 of a cam 20 on the shaft Q, the said yoke being
slotted to fit the shaft Q for the purpose of guiding its movement, and tho
cam working between two rollers 20*, 20*, within the yoke. The posts v, v',
are driven apart to elongate the ring and form the link by means of a double
inclined piece or wedge 21, 21, shown dotted in red color in Figs. 2, and 6,
secured to the under side of one of the dies w, w, and acting upon two studs
22, 22, secured to the under side of the slides, ', which carry the posts v, v².
The slides, are brought towards each other again that the posts v, v', may
be in readiness to receive the next ring by two springs 28, 23, shown in red
outline in Fig. 6. The rock-shaft W receives the necessary movement to
operate the hooks V, V, through a rod 24, connecting its arm 25 with one
arm of a three-armed or T-shaped lever W, which works on a fixed fulcrum
26 at the back of the bed. Of the other two arms of this lever, one carries
a roller 27, which bears against and receives the necessary motion to work the
rock-shaft from the cam W" on the shaft Q, and, the other carries a weight 28,
by which the roller is kept in contact with the cam.
The part of the machine by which the closing of the links is effected
consists of a stationary block 29, and two dies 30, 30, moving horizontally
towards and from it. The block is secured to the bed of the machine, and is
horizontally, of the form the open part of the link is to have when the ends
are closed, and the contiguous faces of the dies 30, 30, are of the same form
as the sides of the link are to have externally when closed. The link, as it
leaves the hook V, V, is taken with a pair of tongs from the box 14 by an
attendant stationed in readiness, and if it is the first ring of a chain it is put
directly over the block 29, represented by p¹ in Figs. 1 and 2; but if it is
not the first ring, it is put just half way through the last closed ring beforo
being put on the block. It is put on the block at a time when the dies are
drawn away from the block, and the dies directly after approach the block
and close the link. The block 29 is made with a recess 40, see Fig. 2, to
receive that part of the previously closed link r. Every link after being closed
is secured by its successor passing through it. The finished chain passes down
through a hole 31, and falls on the floor, or into a suitable receptacle. The
lies 30, 30, are driven towards the block to close the link by means of a
horizontal cam 32, acting on two levers 33, 33, the said cam receiving

page_text: notion through an arm 39, at the bottom of its vertical shaft 34, from a yoke
rod 35, which is operate: upon by a cam 36 on the shaft Q. This cam is
shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in red outline to distinguish it from the other cams
on the said shaft. This rod is made with a slot to work on the rock shaft V
as a guide. The roller 37 of the cam yoke 35 is kept in contact with the
cam by a spring applied to the arm 39 of the shaft 34, which spring serves to
draw back the cam to allow the levers 33, 33, to come back, and the dies
30, 30, to open to admit of the removal of the link from the block 29. The
dies 30, 30, are opened or drawn back by springs within the bed of the
machine, which are not visible in the Drawing.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of the said mode of
making metallic chains, I desire, it to be distinctly understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details herein described, as such may be varied or
modified without departing from the principle of action thereof; likewise, I do
not confine myself to the strict figure or form of any apparatus or portions of
apparatus herein described; but I claim as new, and of my Invention,-
1st, the combination of the cylinder c, the sliding collar d, the movable
disc and the stand f, substantially, as herein described, for the purpose of
cutting the flat iron to form the rings.
e,
2nd, the employment of welding the rings of two rollers grooved spirally in
opposed directions, and operating substantially, as herein described.
3rd, arranging one of the end bearings k of one of the spirally grooved
welding rollers so as to be capable of sliding lengthwise to the roller, substan-
tially, far enough to allow the ring to be slipped over the end of the roller.
4th, the within-described manner of raising, depressing, and confining the
upper roller to allow the ring to be slipped along the lower roller, to wit, by
means of the rods n', n', the yoke N, the springs n, n, and the cam shaft P,
with its cams n", n", the whole being arranged and operating substantially, as
herein set forth.
5th, the travelling box R, operating substantially as described, to carry the
rings quickly over the end of and up to the back end of the welding roller L,
and to come back with the ring at a speed properly corresponding with the
velocity of the rollers and pitch of their spiral grooves.
6th, I claim the carrier x, operating substantially as described, first to move
forward to receive the ring in its fork, and then moving quickly upwards to
snatch the ring from the box, and afterwards dragging the ring along the plate
which contains the clongating mechanism till it comes in contact with one of
the elongating posts, or its equivalent, and is thereby retained and taken from
the fork of the carrier.

page_text: 7th, the combination of the movable posts v, vl, and side dies w, w, operating
substantially as described, to elongate the rings, and at the same time close or
drive towards each other the elongating sides.
8th, the arrangement of the dies w, w', round which the link is bent or
doubled, substantially as described, relatively to the dies w, w, by which the
elongated sides of the link are forced towards each other, and their attachment
to the same, whereby, when the link has received the form shewn in Fig. 8, it
is caused to be in readiness to be bent or doubled by the action of the hooks
V, V, or their equivalents.
9th, operating the posts v, v, by which the elongation of the ring is performed
by means of a wedge or double inclined piece 21 attached to one of the side
dies w, acting upon studs 22, attached to the slides which carry the said posts,
whereby the approach of the side dies towards each other and retreat of the
posts from each other are effected simultaneously.
10th, the suspension of the bending hooks at their pivot z, and application of
a spring to draw their points apart, substantially as herein described, so that
the said hooks will descend in an open state, and will be in condition to receive
the link when the latter is sufficiently elongated; but that in ascending and
drawing up the ends of the link they will gradually close, as required, by the
changing form of the link.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexandre Tolhausen, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
5 Witness,
THO MORRIS,
Forest Place, Leytonstone.
A. TOLHAUSEN. (L.s.)