IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRASS HINGES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Henry Brampton and Frederick William
Brampton, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRASS HINGES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Henry Brampton
and Frederick William Brampton at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 25th January 1881.
CHARLES HENRY BRAMPTON and FREDERICK WILLIAM BRAMPTON, of Bir-
mingham, in the County of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF BRASS HINGES."
Our Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of brass
hinges, having special reference to those hinges known in the trade as butt hinges,
whereby we are enabled from sheet metal not only to produce a hinge which
requires very little labour in dressing, but it has the advantage of being as strong
or nearly as strong as a cast metal hinge.
Hinges have been made from sheet metal of one, two, three, or more thicknesses,
to compose the wings or flat parts, but in each and every kind of such sheet metal
hinges we have found them very weak; for instance, the hinges of one thickness
would easily open around the pivot under strain, and the hinges of two or more
thicknesses of plate are much weaker to resist bending than a solid hinge of equal
thickness.
Now, according to our Invention, we turn the hinge out of a rolled brass plate
until the two thicknesses of plate are brought face to face. We then introduce
between the two thicknesses of plate a strip of soft fusible metal, after which we
place the hinges in a suitable furnace or oven, where they are heated up until the
two or more thicknesses are perfectly united together. We then pass them under
a press or through a pair of rollers, which make the parts perfectly flat, so that it
is not easy to perceive that the hinge is made from sheet metal.. By these means

page_text: we obtain a hinge which is practically as strong as a solid plate hinge, and thus the
cost is greatly reduced as compared with a solid metal hinge. The strip of soft
fusible metal should be easier melted than the sheet brass and as near the same
colour as possible. It is advisable that the sheet metal of which the hinge is
composed should be brought to a high temperature, as it must be remembered that
the uniting of the two surfaces is produced without any further manipulation.
The uniting of the two large surfaces in this particular article may be
accomplished with any brazing metal, or by soldering, and may be carried out
without the furnace or oven by means of blow pipes or hot irons. It may also be
done by having the sheet brass rolled with a suitable coating of tin or other metal
on one side without the thin strip of fusible metal aforesaid.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Henry Brampton and Frederick William Brampton in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd July 1881.
CHARLES HENRY BRAMPTON and FREDERICK WILLIAM BRAMPTON, of Bir-
mingham, in the County of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF BRASS HINGES."
Our Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of brass
hinges, having special reference to those hinges known in the trade as butt hinges,
whereby we are enabled from sheet metal not only to produce a hinge which
requires very little labour in dressing, but it has the advantage of being as strong
or nearly as strong as a cast metal hinge.
•
Hinges have been made from sheet metal of one, two, three, or more thicknesses,
to compose the wings or flat parts, but in each and every kind of such sheet metal
hinges we have found them very weak; for instance, the hinges of one thickness
would easily open around the pivot under strain, and the hinges of two or more
thicknesses of plate are much weaker to resist bending than a solid hinge of equal
thickness.
Now, according to our Invention, we turn the hinge out of a rolled brass plate
until the two thicknesses of plate are brought face to face. We then introduce
between the two thicknesses of plate a strip of soft fusible metal, after which we
place the hinges in a suitable furnace or oven, where they are heated until the two
or more thicknesses are perfectly united together. By these means we obtain a
hinge which is practically nearly as strong as a solid plate hinge, and thus the cost
is greatly reduced as compared with a solid metal hinge. The strip of soft fusible
metal should be easier melted than the sheet brass or other such like metal hinges,
and as near the same colour as possible. The uniting of the two surfaces is
produced without any further manipulations.
The uniting of the two large surfaces in this particular article may be
accomplished with any braizing metal, or by soldering, and may be carried out
without the furnace or oven by means of blow pipes or hot irons. It may also be
done by having the sheet brass or other metal rolled with a suitable coating
of tin or other metal on one side without the thin strip of fusible metal
aforesaid.
We will now proceed to explain our Invention with reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings.
Figure 1 is a view showing the sheet metal plates bent around the pin b to form
the pivot as usual. Now, the top wing is composed of one plate bent round the
two sides a and a², being slightly open, and the bottom wing has its two sides all
and a slightly open also for the purpose of receiving a thin plate of fusible metal c
and c'. For the purpose of preventing the fusible metal or solder from adhering
to the pivot pin b or to the moving shoulders or other moving parts it is well to
coat such surfaces with lime water, grease, blacklead, or other substance, liquid, or
composition, for preventing the surfaces adhering together. The two sides of the
plates are now brought together and cramped tightly with cramps, such as those
shown by d, Figures 2, or less cramps, such as e may be used, or the wings may be.
placed in notches f formed in a plate, such as those shown by Figure 6, or the two
wings of the hinge may be brought together and placed vertically in notches h
sufficiently wide to take both wings, as shown by Figure 5. These plates may be
made in convenient lengths for placing in a stove, which is heated up to the
suitable temperature for melting the fusible metal. We have, however, found the
small cramps easily applied, and the hinges K, K, K, may then be stacked in rows,

page_text: as shown by Fig. 4, to any desired height by placing plates on the top and other
rows of hinges upon them.
Figure 7 is another arrangement for forcing the two faces together. M, M, are
plates regulated by screws or wedges, and n, n, are thickness packing pieces for
placing between each hinge, or one plate notched, as shown by o, will answer
equally well.
Figure 8, end elevation, and Figure 9, plan, shows another simple arrangement
for wedging hinges in a cramp, the hinges being kept parallel by the thickness
packing pieces p, p. This plan answers the same purpose and is quickly and easily
accomplished.
After the hinges are brought out of the stove their edges are ground or filed
level and the holes drilled and countersunk, as shown by Figure 3, where it is
almost impossible to find the junction of the plates. In cases of hinges formed of
more thicknesses of metal there would be other layers of fusible metal placed
between.
Having now described our Invention, as herein before set forth, we would have
it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the exact modes herein described,
because they may be varied to some extent, but what we do claim as our
Invention is,―
The manufacture of hinges from plate metal in two or more thicknesses, the
various thicknesses being fastened together by sheets of fusible metal, or by
soldering, or by braizing, substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick William Brampton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of Our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
FREDERICK WILLIAM BRAMPTON. (L.S.).
Witnessed by
JOSEPH H. PEARSON,
Clerk to George Barker,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
77, Colmore Row,
Birmingham.