IMPROVEMENTS IN FEEDING, CUTTING, SHAPING, AND PIERCING METALS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Frearson, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FEEDING, CUTTING, SHAPING, AND PIERCING METALS."
Scaled the 29th September 1857, and dated the 30th July 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Frearson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th July 1857.
I, JOHN FREARSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FEEDING, CUTTING, SHAPING, AND PIERCING METALS," to be as follows:-
My said Invention consists of the mechanical arrangements and processes
herein-after described, and the combination of the said arrangements and
processes into machines. The said machines are especially applicable to the
manufacture of buttons, eyelets, and other articles of like manufacture.
In order that my Invention may be the better understood I will first describe
the mechanical arrangements separately, and afterwards combined together in
machines.
My improvements in feeding metal consist in feeding sheet metal to cutting
out, shaping, or raising and piercing, or other dies, either one or more being
cut or operated upon at once, across the sheet; also in feeding blanks, and
shaped, or raised, or pierced articles to the dies to which it may be required
A

page_text: to feed them, either one, two, or more at a time, and conducting the said
blanks or articles to the positions where they are ejected from the machine.
My improvements in cutting metals consist in cutting from sheet metal one,
two, or more blanks or shaped articles in a line at right angles to its length,
when such metal is fed according to my Invention; also in cutting the rough
or thin edges off the pierced edges of articles, either before or after they are
cut from the sheet.
My improvements in shaping metals consist in shaping metal articles in the
sheet of metal in a line at right angles to the length of the sheet of metal,
when fed according to my Invention. When two or more rows of eyelets are
shaped across the sheet of metal, in a line at right angles to its length, either
with or without my improved sheet metal feeder. Further, shaping metal
articles in the blanks, when two or more are shaped in a line or otherwise, at
one time, in the same machine.
My improvements in piercing consist in piercing metal articles in the sheet in
the line, or at right angles to the length of the metal, when it is fed according
to my Invention, and when two or more rows of eyelets are pierced across the
sheet of metal at right angles to its length, without my improved feeder.
Further, piercing metal articles in the blanks after having been cut out of
the sheet, and after the said blanks have been shaped, when two or more
blanks or shaped blanks are pierced at once, either with or without my
improved feeder.
I will now describe the machine in which the principal part of my improve-
ments are combined, the said machine being for making eyelets. In this
machine there are two feeders acting simultaneously, one feeding the metal a
into the machine, and the other carrying it away. To each feeder there is a
moveable pinching jaw, and the parts upon which it moves and against
which the metal is pinched have a lateral, a longitudinal, and a reciprocating
motion. Beyond each feeder is a grip, which holds the metal while the feeders
retire and release it while they advance. Between the feeders is a pair of S
cutting out dies, and under the cutting out bed is a blank feeding slide, to
convey the blanks from the cutting out bed into the first shaping bed or die.
This slide moves in a line at right angles to the line in which the metal is fed.
Through the end of this slide nearest to the shaping dies is a hole, of the size
and shape of the blank, and an opening of the size of the central part of the first 3
shaping punch, and under this slide, at the back of the hole for receiving the
blank, are projections which fit in grooves in the bed of the machine, which
projections prevent the blanks getting under the slide. In the line with and.
beyond the slide are, equidistant from each other, four shaping dies or beds

page_text: and punches, one piercing die or bed and punch, and a revolving cutter and a
punch-like peg. Each set of dies and tools is provided with a pair of pliers, to
feed or carry each article from die to die, and to and from the revolving cutter.
The action of this macbine is as follows:-While the pinching jaws are
open the strip of metal of the width required for two blanks is passed between
the jaws of the first feeder, and advanced between the cutting out bed and
punch, with its end against the holding grip. The punch advances, cuts out
the blank, and forces it through the cutting out bed. The blank is deposited
in the mouth of the blank feeder which carries the blank into the shaping die.
While the mouth of the feeder is at rest over the shaping bed the centre part
advances before the outer part of the shaping punch through the mouth of the
feeder, and secures the blank in the shaping bed, and the blank feeding slide
recedes for another blank.
By this time the cutting out punch has receded out of the cutting out bed
out of the metal, and through the puller off the pinching jaw has pinched the
metal, and the grip has released the metal, while the feeder was at rest.
The
sheet metal has advanced laterally and longitudinally with the metal, till the
perforated hole was a little beyond, and on one side of the hole in the cutting
out bed; and while the feeder held the metal at rest the grip held the metal
securely to the bed, the pinching jaw opened, and the feeder returned for
another length of metal, and now the punch cuts out another blank, which is
deposited into the mouth of the blank feeder. By this time the first shaping
punch and bed have shaped the first blank into the shape required, and a ram
in the shaping bed has raised the shaped article out of the bed, and the outer
part of the punch has advanced out of the way, leaving the centre part in the
shaped article, and the pliers have taken fast hold of the shaped article, and
the ram and punch recede from each other, and from the shaped article, and
the pliers carry it between the next pair of shaping tools, and another blank
is carried to the first shaping tools. The ram in the second bed and the
punch advance to the first shaped article, and when held by them the pliers
open and return for another partly shaped article, and the second ram and
punch advance with the article into the bed, and the article is further shaped.
The article is again raised out of this bed and another pair of pliers carry it
to the third shaping dies, aud so on to the fourth, and then to the piercing
die, and then to the revolving cutter, and then out of the machine. The
whole of the shaping dies, piercing dies, and revolving cutter operate simul-
taneously, and the whole of the pliers and the sheet and blank feeders operate
simultaneously. When eyelets are required to be made from the blanks I
dispense with the sheet metal feeder and the cutting out dies, and substitute

page_text: a hopper, from which hopper the blanks are fed.
When buttons, eyelet
washers, the parts of buttons, or other articles are required to be first operated
upon on one side upwards, and then on the other upwards, the pliers while
holding the article are made to semi-revolve, thereby turning the article
upside down. And when eyelets or other articles are required to be shaped,
pierced, and the pierced edges cut, before being cut from the sheet, I dispense
with the blank feeder, and the sheet metal feeder is only used; and the dies
and the revolving cutter are arranged at the proper distance to come in with
the feeding of the metal, and the grips are provided with pins to suit the recesses
and pierced parts of the metal. In any of these modifications of my Inven-
tion one may be cut at a time, or two, three, or more blanks may be cut out
simultaneously; or one, two, or more blanks fed to dies simultaneously; or one
at a time, or two or more blanks shaped, pierced, or the pierced edges cut
simultaneously, either in the blanks or in the sheet. But when two or more
of the same processes are performed at one time I dispense with the feeding
pliers, and substitute slides with suitable recesses and slots, and each recess is
provided with a moveable jaw and spring, to hold the article in the recess; and
in some cases I dispense with the jaws and springs and substitute another
slide under the recesses, with suitable slots. When one article only is made
at a time the last-named feeders may be used instead of the pliers. Instead of
performing the different processes required on each article in one machine a
separate machine may be constructed according to my Invention for each
process, in which several articles may be operated upon simultaneously.
Although for convenience of description I have described my improvements
combined in a machine for making eyelets, I wish it to be understood that my
said improvements are equally applicable to the manufacture of buttons, and
various other articles made wholly or partly of sheet metal.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Frearson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
FREARSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of July, in the year of. our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Frearson, Her special licence that I, the said John Frearson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Frearson, 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 therein 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
FEEDING, CUTTING, SHAPING, AND PIERCING METALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Frearson, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, 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 was 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Frearson, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of the mechanical arrangements and processes
hercin-after described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, and the
combination of the said arrangements and processes into machines. The said
machines are especially applicable to the manufacture of buttons, eyelets, and
other articles of like manufacture.
In order that my Invention may be the better understood, I will first describe
the several mechanical arrangements separately, and afterwards combined
together in machines.
My improvements in feeding metal consist in feeding sheet metal to cutting
out, shaping or raising, and piercing or other dies, either one or more being
cut or operated upon at once across the sheet. Also in feeding blanks and
shaped, or raised, or pierced articles to the dies to which it may be required
to feed them, either one, two, or more at a time, and conducting the said
blanks or articles to the positions where they are ejected from the machine.
My improvements in cutting metals, consist in cutting from sheet metal one,
two, or more blanks or shaped articles in a line at right angles to its length,
when such metal is fed according to my Invention. Also in cutting the rough
or thin edges off the pierced edges of articles, either before or after they are
cut from the sheet.
My improvements in shaping metals consist in shaping metal articles in

page_text: the sheet of metal in a line at right angles to the length of the sheet of metal,
when fed according to my Invention, when two or more rows of eyelets are
shaped across the sheet of metal in a line at right angles to its length, either
with or without my improved sheet metal feeder. Further, shaping metal
articles in the blanks, when two or more are shaped in a line, or otherwise,
at one time, in the same machine.
My improvements in piercing metals consist in piercing metal articles in
the sheet in the line or at right angles to the length of the metal; when it is
fed according to my Invention, and when two or more rows of eyelets are
pierced across the sheet of metal at right angles to its length, without my
improved feeder.
Further, piercing metal articles in the blanks after having been cut out
of the sheet, and after the said blanks have been shaped, when two or more
blanks or shaped blanks are pierced at once, either with or without my
improved feeder.
Figure 1 represents in plan, Figure 2 in front elevation, and Figure 3 in
end elevation, a machine combining the principal parts of my "Improvements
in Feeding, Cutting, Shaping, and Piercing Metals," the said machine being
suitable for making eyelets. Figure 4 is a plan of a portion of the machine,
Figures 1, 2, and 3. The other Figures represent parts and combinations of
parts which are not fully shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of this Drawing, and
to which parts and combinations of parts I shall occasionally make reference
when describing the machine.
The same letter or numeral in each Figure of the Drawing from Figure 1
to Figure 46, both inclusive, refers to the same thing.
There are several movements in this machine, and as each movement is
composed of certain parts, the nature of my Invention, in so far as it exists in
this machine, will be easily ascertained by tracing the parts which compose each
movement, and then by viewing how the whole of the movements co-operate
in the manufacturing of eyelets.
The bed 50, which sustains the whole of the parts, rests at the corners upon
four legs, and is secured to them by screws or bolts. Figure 16 is a front
elevation, and Figure 17 a plan, of one of the legs.
The sheet metal punching movement is composed of the cam A (Figure 2
and Figure 28); the slide B (Figure 2, shewn separately in Figures 7, 8,
and 9) is composed of two parts; the upper part has a projecting arm, on
which rests the prop pin a. On the upper end of a rests the punching
slide d (see Figures 2 and 3, and separately in Figure ; the two feet of d
rest on the pinching jaws o (seen in Figures 2, 3, and 4), which are loosely

page_text: fitted in the bosses connected to the metal guide plate t (seen in Figures 2, 3,
and 4). On the top of d rests the ram i; on the top of this ram is the
helical spring C in the boss D² (a section of which is seen in Figure 2).
The sheet metal grip movement is similar in construction to the pinching
movement, and it is composed of the cam D, the slide E, the prop pin b, the
slide h, the feet of which rest upon the metal over the grip abutment blocks F
(seen in Figure 4). On the top of h is the ram i, against which the helical
spring C presses in the boss D2. It will be perceived that the jaws o are
caused to pinch the metal e (seen in Figures 2 and 3) by the spring C, and
they are released from pinching the metal by the rise on the cam A. And in
like manner are the feet of h caused to grip the metal on the blocks F, and
they are released from gripping the metal by the rise on the cam D.
The sheet of metal e (Figure 1) is advanced partly in a longitudinal and
partly in a lateral direction, as indicated by the arrows placed in a zig-zag
position, Figure 32. The motion of the metal will be perceived, if it be
supposed that the circular hole in the cutting-out die is situated exactly under
the first circle of the Figure 32; that when the first blank is cut out, the
sheet of metal is advanced in the direction of the first arrow, at the end of
the metal marked e, until the second circle is over the cutting-out die; that
when the second blank is cut out, the metal is advanced in the direction of
the second arrow until the third circle arrives over the cutting-out bed, and
so on the zig-zag motion of the metal is repeated, as the arrows on this
Figure show.
In order to feed the sheet of metal to and from the dies, as above described,
two movements are required, namely, a lateral and a longitudinal one. The
lateral movement is composed of the following parts, namely:-The scroll
cams G, H (Figures 2, 25, and 31); the T-headed lever K, held by the joint
N on the pin L², which joint is the lower part of the axle P, which passes
through the boss 02 (Figures 2 and 3). On a taper square part of the upper
end of P is secured by a nut the lever R. The said lever R is connected to
the lever T by the link S². The said lever T is connected to the lateral
slide u by the pivot x (Figures 29 and 30), the head of which slides between
the projections y upon u. Upon u is secured by screws the metal guide
plate (seen in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 11). The guide plate t has two bosses,
in which the two pinching jaws o are loosely fitted. Under these bosses, and
from one boss to the other, is a groove a little deeper than the thickness and of
the width of the sheet of metal, so as to allow the sheet of metal to pass freely
through it (see the section of t, Figure 11).
The nature of this alternate lateral movement will be best understood by

page_text: tracing the action of the cambs. The cams G and H (Figures 25 and 31)
being secured upon the shaft 52, with their faces towards each other (as seen
in Figures 2 and 22), and vertically, as they appear in Figures 25 and 31, it
will be perceived that the letter M on G and H are exactly opposite to each
other, and that the right-hand branch L, as seen by the dotted lines in
Figure 2, is in the spiral groove of H at M. The shaft being put in motion
in the direction shown by the arrow on R2, Figures 1 and 2, and under the
excentric, Figure 3, the said branch L is made to trace the surface of the
spiral groove in H from M, along the rise nearest to the periphery of the cam
until it arrives out of the groove to U on the outer run. At the same time
the left-hand branch L was made to trace the fall nearest the periphery of the
cam G, until it arrived in the groove at U in G. The cam G continues to
revolve and to conduct L to W; by this time the shaft has made one revolution,
and the slide u has been caused to advance towards the right hand of the
machine (as seen in Figures 1 and 2). As the cams continue to revolve, L is
made to trace the inner run from W, and also the rise nearest the shaft to the
outer run at V, and at the same time the right-hand branch L has traced the
fall nearest to the shaft of H to V, and this branch continues to trace the inner
run until M arrives at it. This completes the second revolution of the shaft,
during which the slide u has been caused to advance towards the left-
hand side of the machine, as viewed at Figures 1 and 2. It will be perceived
that the branches L, with this branch of the lever K, have a downward motion
in the spiral groove of H, a lateral motion from H to G (as seen in Figure 2),
an upward motion in the spiral groove of G, and a lateral motion from G to H.
The joint N and axle P enable the lever K to move, as described. The arm
of K, at the back of the machine, of course moves in the counter course to
that in which the branches L appear against the taper guide or guard Q (seen
at Figures 3 and 22). This guard keeps the branches L to the surfaces of
their respective cams. To compensate for the wear of the rubbing surfaces,
the guard may be advanced towards N.
The longitudinal movement is composed of the following parts, namely:-
The cam I and counter cam J are secured on the shaft 52, with their faces
(as seen at Figure 20) towards each other (as seen at Figure 2). The stud a
of the lever 51 is actuated by the surfaces of the cams I and J. The lever 51
is secured upon a taper part of the axle 56 by a nut; this axle moves freely
in the boss 53 (seen at Figures 2 and 3). The top of 56 has an arm of a
lever 54 (seen at Figure 1), which is connected to and under the slide 55 in
the same manner as T is connected to u, before described.
It will be perceived that the lateral feeding slide u is situated upon and at

page_text: right angles to the longitudinal feeding slide 55, that as the longitudinal slide
advances and retires it carries with it the lateral slide, that as the cam I
causes the longitudinal slide to advance, the lateral slide u is caused to
advance upon it towards one side by the cam H, and at the next revolution
the slide 55 advances, the slide u is caused to advance towards the other side
by the cam G; or, in other words, during each revolution of the shaft 52 the
longitudinal slide 55 advances and recedles, but the lateral slide u advances
towards one side of the machine without receding to the other during one
revolution, and it recedes without advancing during the next revolution. When
the grip is released and the pinching jaws o pinch the metal, the longitudinal
slide advances, and the lateral slide also advances at the same time towards
one side, taking with them the metal. The grips take hold of the metal, and
the pinching jaws o release it; the slide 55 retires, and the lateral slide does
not move laterally; then the jaws o again pinch the metal and the grips
release it, and the slide 55 again advances, and at the same time the lateral
slide also advances to the opposite side to which it last advanced. And as
both the longitudinal and lateral movements advance and terminate their
movements simultaneously, the zig-zag motion of the sheet of nietal is
produced, as illustrated in Figure 32.
The cutting-out movement and apparatus is composed of the excentrics 57,
the excentric rods 58, the semi-rings 59, and the semi-bearings or caps 60,
the crosshead 61, the slide 62, which is sustained in a vertical position in the
standard 63, by the cap 67. The punch holder 64 is secured to the slide 62
by the bolt 66. The cutting punch in the holder 64, and the puller-off' j, on
the die block S; these parts may be seen at Figures 1, 2, 3, 10, and 11.
The cutting-out punch may be provided with a moveable ram and spring,
as shown in connection with the shaping punch in the sectional view,
Figure 11.
The blank feeding movement and apparatus consists of the cam P2 and the
counter cam R2, the lever 68 in the joint 70, the link 71, the holding slide
69, and the blank slide v (seen at Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4).
Figures 10, 11,
12, and 35 show the construction of the blank feeding slide. This slide
moves in a recess of the bed 50, under the cutting-out die and block S. . This
slide has on its under side three projections (and may have three on the upper
side if found desirable). In the end nearest the shaping tools there is an
opening to receive the blank when under the cutting tools, and the projections
which fit in grooves w of the bed 50 (Figure 10), and further illustrated in
Figures 11 and 12, are intended to prevent the blanks from getting under the
slide v.
The cam P causes the slide v, which is secured to the slide 69 by a

page_text: screw, to advance with the blank over the shaping die 1 (as seen in Figures
10, 11, and 12); the central part m of the shaping punch is made to descend
and to secure the blank in the bed l, and a narrow opening in v allows the
slide to recede for another blank, while m holds the blank in l. The four
shaping slides 72, the piercing slide 73, and the slide 74, over the revolving
cutter are all actuated by the same movement as the one described for cutting
out blanks. The tool holders of the aforesaid slides are all secured to their
respective slides by bolts 66, passing through them as described in the cutting-
out movement, and represented in Figure 2. The blank having been shaped,
the centre ram movement is required; this movement is composed of the
cam B (Figures 2 and 24), the slide 75, the crosshead 76, and the four
rams c, which are fitted in the
in the centre of the four shaping
dies. This movement may be kept to the cam by a coiled or other spring
between the bed 50 and the crosshead 76. As the slide 72 ascends, the
cam B causes the ram c to ascend with the partially-shaped (not pierced).
blank between its upper end and the lower end of the central ram m (as
seen in Figures 11 and 12), and out of the die l, to the height of the pliers.
And now the three movements of the pliers are required. It will be perceived,
by referring to Figures 1, 2, and 4, that the pliers 9 are all open and away
from the dies.
bed 50 and
The first movement required is, that the pliers all come into the dies
and tools with their jaws open, and this movement consists of the following
parts, namely, the cam F2, the counter cam E2, the lower branch of the
lever 77, and the axles 78 in the boss 79, and the axle 78 has another
branch of a lever 80, which is connected to the slide 81, as before described
in a like case, at right angles to the slide 81, and upon it is the slide 82.
Upon this slide is mounted six pairs of pliers g, at equidistances from each
other, and at the same distance from each other as are the dies and revolving
cutter. These pliers are secured in the slide in their proper positions by the
platen and the six screw pins, the lower ends of which are screwed to
shoulders in the slide 82; these screws form the fulcrum pins of the pliers g.
On the cheek or slip 83, between the branches of n and under the outer
arms of the pliers is the plate f, which has in it twelve parallel slots, six of
which incline to the right hand and six to the left. In each slot is fitted the
head of the pin x, as seen in Figures 29 and 30, and in the boss of each
arm of the pliers is fitted the round part of the pin x. And now the cam F2
causes the slide 81 to advance with the pliers open over the dies, and over the
revolving cutter, and between the jaws of the open pliers are the shaped articles.
And now the second movement of the pliers is required. This move-

page_text: ment, which is intended for opening and closing the pliers, is composed of
the following parts, namely, the cam K, the lever 86, the slide 84, the
four-branched lever r and Z, sustained by the hangers 85, on the under side
of the slide 81, on the axle a³, and the round bar k in the slot of f, which bar
is connected by screw pins to the upper arms of r, the ram 88, which is
actuated by a spring in the same manner as described before, and illustrated
in section, Figure 2. This spring is permitted by the fall of the cam K² to
cause the plate f to slide between the branches of n towards the front of the
machine, thereby causing the heads of a to slide in the diagonally placed slots,
and to open the pliers, and the rise of the cam K causes the plate f to slide
in towards the centre of the machine, and to close the jaws of the pliers, and
to take fast hold of the articles; and while the pliers remain at rest with the
articles in them the ram m ascends, and the ram c descends, and the counter
cam E causes the pliers to recede from the dies and revolving cutter towards
the front of the machine.
case.
And now the third movement of the pliers is required. This movement
is intended to carry the pliers with the articles in them from die to die, and
from the revolving cutter, and it is composed of the following additional
parts to those named, namely, the cam N and counter cam M2; the lever
89 on the lower end of the axle 90, secured as before described in a
similar case in the boss 91 is fitted the axle 90, and on the top of the axle
90 is the lever 92, being part of 90 connected to the lever 94 by the
link 93, and 94 is united to the slide 82 as described before in a similar
And now the cam M2 causes the slide 82 to advance towards the
left hand of the machine (Figures 1 and 2), to the stop 95, and now the
cam causes the pliers to advance from the front of the machine to the dies
and revolving cutter, and the left-hand pliers over the dispensing opening, and
while the slides 81 and 82 remain at rest, and the rams c having ascended,
and the rams m having descended and secured the articles between them and
the piercing punch, and the punch-like peg over the revolving cutter having
entered their respective articles, the spring against the ram 88, is allowed by
the fall of the cam K² to open the pliers, and leave five of the articles
between the tools to be further operated upon, and the finished one to be
ejected from the machine down the tube T. The pliers are now caused while
being open to leave the dies and tools by the cam E2, and to return again by
the cam N2, and again caused to advance by the cam F to the dies and tools
with their jaws open for another supply. The parts which compose these
three movements may be seen illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 18, 19, and
24. The dies and tools which are of the ordinary construction are not shewn.

page_text: The dies and tools are arranged at the proper heights, so that they come in
contact at the proper times.
Figure 13 shews in section the construction of the piercing bed or die, with
a portion of the bed 50. In the bed is tightly fitted the piercing die 42,
which rests on the regulating hollow screw 43. On the top of 42 and in 50
is fitted the guide collar 40, which is intended to hold the eyelet in its proper
position while being pierced; the hole in the screw 43 is intended to allow of
the piercing bits to escape from the piercing die, and the screw is intended to
adjust the die to the proper height in case of the upper surface of the die
being repaired by grinding or otherwise.
The last movement to be described is the revolving cutter, which is intended
to remove the thin or ragged edges from the pierced articles, which uneven
edges tend to allow of the eyelets bursting when turned over in the articles
of dress or or other things. This movement is composed of the driving pulley
96, the conducting pullies 97 and 99, the pulley 98 on the vertical hollow
spindle 100, the circular cutter 101, the crosshead 102, with the guides 103,
and the coiled spring around the spindle 100, and the loose collar 104, seen
in Figures 1, 2, 5, 14, and 15. It will be perceived by reference to these
Figures that the spiral spring forces the face of the cutter up to the level of
the under surface of the plyers. The punch-like peg enters the pierced eyelet
over the revolving cutter, and when the pliers open, the slide: 74 forces the
eyelet against the cutter, and thus the rough edges of the eyelet are removed.
Figures 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28, shew in elevations the
cams with their rises, falls, and runs, the arrows shew the direction in which
they revolve and the way they are put upon the shaft, and they must be put
on the shaft 52, as seen in Figure 2, in the same vertical position as they
stand in the Drawing, to be in the proper time with the movements as they
stand in Figure 2. The shaft 52 is sustained in the hangers U2 by the glands
V2. The fly wheel and the fast and loose pullies are not shown, these being
secured on the shaft, and the shaft being set in motion. The co-operation of
the movements is as follows:-A sheet of annealed metal is put under the
first pinching jaw o, between the cutting punch and die, with its end against
the first gripping foot. The pinching jaw now descends and pinches the
metal against the lateral slide, and the grips ascend, and the lateral and
longitudinal slides advance with the metal to the proper place, and the
grip descends and takes hold of the metal on the die block, and the
cutting punch descends, cuts out a. blank, and the centre ram in the cutting
punch forces the blank into the mouth of the blank feeder, the feeders
return for another length of metal, the pinchers descend and pinch the

page_text: metal, and the grips ascend and liberate the metal, and the sheet metal
feeders again advance, and the blank feeder advances with the cut-out
blank over the first shaping die, the ram m descends through the mouth of
the blank feeder, and secures the blank in the first shaping die, and the
blank feeder returns for another blank. The shaping punch descends and
performs the first shaping process, the punch ascends with the ram c and the
first shaped blank out of the die and the first pair of pliers takes fast hold
of the first shaped article and carries it to the second shaping tools; the rams
c and m in the second shaping tools take hold of the first shaped article, and
the pliers open and return to the first shaping tools, where there has been
another blank deposited for another article. The first and second process of
shaping being performed, and the articles in the first and second shaping tools
being raised from the dies, the first and second pair of pliers take hold of and
carry them to the second and third shaping tools. The first and second pair
of pliers return for their respective articles (another blank having been
deposited in the first shaping. die), and the third pair of pliers now come into
use and take the third shaped article to the fourth shaping tools; the three
pairs of pliers return for more shaped articles; and now the fourth pair of
pliers takes to its duties and conveys the fourth shaped article to the piercing
tools, the four pairs of pliers return for four more shaped articles; and now
the fifth pair of pliers carries the pierced article to the revolving cutter. The
five pairs of pliers return for their respective articles; and now the sixth pair
of pliers commences its duties by conveying the finished article from the
revolving cutter to the tube T, which conveys the finished article into the
receptacle placed for it; and so on the whole of these movements co-operate
at each revolution of the shaft.
I am aware that machinery has been in use for cutting out blanks for
eyelets, that when such blanks have been cut out and annealed and cleaned,
and then further operated upon in the hand press or put into hoppers in other
machines, from which hoppers the blanks have been fed to dies to be raised
and pierced; but experience has proved that when the edges of the blanks
were rough in consequence of the cutting tools being worn, and when the
blanks were of different thicknesses, there was great difficulty in feeding such
blanks from the hopper to the dies.
I am also aware that blanks have been cut out of sheet metal and fed
from under the cutting dies to the raising dies in the same machines for
raising percussion caps; but in the one case there were two rows of cutting
and raising punches and dies, which punches and dies were placed in zig-zag
positions; and in the other there was one row of punches and dies placed in

page_text: a line, neither in the same line in which the metal advanced nor parallel with
nor at right angles to the line in which the metal was fed into the machine.
In neither of these instances was piercing metal attempted, but only feeding,
cutting, and raising; and the feeding of the sheet was only performed in a
direct line.
I claim with respect to the machinery already described,―
First, feeding sheet metal to and from dies partly laterally and partly
longitudinally, as described and represented in Figure 32.
Second, the arrangement of the parts for gripping and pinching and
feeding the metal laterally and longitudinally, as described and represented in
the various Figures of the Drawing.
Third, the arrangement of the parts which compose the cutting-out
movement.
Fourth, the construction and arrangement of the blank feeding movement.
Fifth, the projections or recesses under or over the blank feeding slide, as
described and represented in the various Figures.
Sixth, the arrangement of the shaping movement.
Seventh, the arrangement of the piercing movement.
Eighth, the construction and arrangement of the feeding apparatus of the
articles from die to die and from the revolving cutter.
Ninth, the mechanism described and represented for cutting the rough
edges off pierced articles.
Tenth, piercing and cutting pierced edges in the same machine in which
the blanks have been cut out.
When two or more of the same processes are performed at one time, I
dispense with the feeding plyers and substitute the slide 112 (as seen in
Figure 38). This slide is constructed to carry two articles of each process,
namely shaped and pierced, and it contains four recesses 115 in its under side
of the size and shape of the article to be carried. There is a moveable
gripping jaw 113 in the outer part of each recess, which jaw passes through
the slot 125 extending from the upper to the lower surface of the slide 112,
and its under edge is bevilled with the lower edge of the recess 115; and the
jaw 113 in each recess is pressed into the recess by a spring 114. The slide
112 has two slots 124 of the size of the piercing punches and the centre part
of the shaping punches. For the straight blank feeder v, I substitute the
curved slides 116, which are held in recesses in the lever 117 by the pins 118.
The upper surfaces of 116, 117, and 118, are all nearly level with the upper
surface of the bed, and the curved slides 116 fit in corresponding grooves in
the bed. The cutting-out die block 126 is required to be long enough to

page_text: carry the puller-off, and the metal guide t should be wide enough to take
the sheet of metal e, Figure 36. The numerals on the circles of e show the
periods of time in which the blanks are cut out. It will be perceived that the
metal must be wide enough for twice the number of blanks cut out each
period; namely, if two, three, or four, are required to be cut out at a time,
the respective sheets should be wide enough for four, six, and eight rows.
Figure 39 shows how the feeders 116 are worked. The hangers or bearings
119 are screwed, on the under side of the bed, and they sustain the rack
slide 120, the teeth of which are made to gear with the pinion 121. This
pinion is keyed on the vertical shaft or axle which is attached to or is a part
of the arm of the lever 117, and which fitted in a boss of the machine.
The slide 120 is made to advance and recede by a cam and counter-cam and
the lever 122. It will be perceived by looking at Figure 38 that the cutting
punches are placed in a line at right angles to the line in which the shaping
and piercing tools are placed; the two blanks being cut out, they are carried
to the two shaping tools, which tools shape the two articles. The slide 112
advances with the two first recesses over the dies and over the articles, and
while this slide remains at rest the centre parts of the shaping dies ascend
and force the articles into the recesses 115, and the jaws 113 securely hold
the articles in the recesses. The slide 112 recedes and carries the shaped
articles over the piercing dies or beds, which are of similar construction to
127, shewn in Figure 46, and fixed in the slide 129, adjusted by the screw
128, and advanced upwards by a cam and fork lever, having links which
connect it to the branches 130. The piercing dies ascend into the recesses,
the top surfaces of which are of the exact shape of the under part of the
shaped articles, and the piercing punches descend, and with them the piercing
beds descend with the articles out of the recesses, and the slide 112 returns
for other shaped articles, and now other shaped articles are forced into their
recesses and the pierced articles are forced into their recesses.
The punches
ascend, leaving the pierced articles in the recesses, and the dies descend, and
now the slide 112 recedes again with the pierced articles over the conducting
tubes and a finger attached to the piercing slide over each article in the
recesses and over the tubes; the said fingers force the pierced articles from
the recesses, and the piercing tools are supplied with other shaped articles
to be pierced. The cutting-out, shaping, and piercing slides are in this
modification by preference actuated by cams and counter cams and levers,
which are well known. When articles are shaped and pierced centrally,
such as, for instance, eyelet or other washers or the backs of Florentine
buttons, the jaws 113 may be dispensed with, and the slide seen in Figure 37

page_text: substituted; this slide, which is very thin, slides over the tops of the
dies, and close to the under side of the slide 112, and is intended to keep
the articles in the recesses while being carried from the shaping dies to the
piercing dies, and while being carried from the piercing dies to the dispensing
tubes, and of course the under slide advances and recedes at the proper
time to allow of the articles being conveyed from the recesses and through
the enlarged parts of the slots of the under slide. Should the pierced edges
require smoothing, the same number of revolving cutters as there are piercing
dies may be placed in their proper positions and actuated in a similar manner
to the spindles of cotton machinery. In this modification of my Invention any
convenient number of articles may be cut out, shaped, and pierced, at one time.
Figure 40 shows in plan, Figure 41 in side, and Figure 42 in front eleva-
tion, parts of another arrangement for making buttons composed of two pieces
of metal. The circles in Figure 40 show the position of the dies. 131 is the
position for the cutting-out die, 132 the position for the shaping die, and 133
the position for the piercing die for the front part of the button; 137 is the
position for the cutting-out die, 136 the position of the shaping die, and, 135
is the position of the piercing die for the back part of the button; and 134 is
the position of the closing or finishing die. The slides 138 and 139 are for
carriers of the same description as Figure 38, but merely modified to suit in
this case.
The plyers 146 are intended to carry the back of the button from
135 to 134, and at the same time turn its up side downwards. The construc-
tion and mode of operation of the revolving pliers may be ascertained by
tracing the parts of which this movement is composed. The slide 147 has on
it two bearings 140, in which moves freely the shaft 148. This shaft has
keyed on it the pinion 144, and the branches of the swing frame 143. On
this swing frame is mounted the pliers 146; the inner portion of the joint of
each plier is cut away, so that the two half or nearly half circles are held in
the recess of the cap 129, and the inner portions of the joints are made to fit
the centre pin in the said cap, on which pin and in which recess the joint of
the plyers moves. The plyers are opened and closed in the same manner as
before described, the only difference being in the slide 142. This slide has
one part which fits in the large opening of 143 (see Figure 41); from this part
there is an arm or branch which connects it to the circular part, which is
made to loosely fit the shaft 148. This circular part, and of course the part
which is in the large opening in 143, is made to traverse between the bearings
140 by the forked lever 141. It will be seen that the plyers are kept closed
or open during the semi-revolution of the plyers by the lever 141. On the
slide 147 is also the sliding rack 145, which is made to gear with the pinion

page_text: 144. It will be seen that the semi-rotation of these plyers is effected by the
movement of the rack. The projections y on the rack show how I intend
the lever to be connected. In this machine the piercing dies and punches are
made to move towards and from each other, and the punch which shapes the
inner side of the front part of the button is worked upwards in a hole 152 of
the bed. In the centre of this punch, or in the centre of each countersunk
part, is a wire, at the back of which is a spring, as before described. This
wire passes through the opening 155 of 153, takes with it the blank out of the
recess 154 into the larger part of the drawing through tool or die 151; the
slide 153 being withdrawn, the punch in 152 forces the blank into the narrow
part of the opening 151, and against the upper moveable punch or die which
fits the narrow opening 151; the surface of each punch or die is of counter
shape to the other. When the two punches have been made to come in con-
tact with each other while in the drawing through die 150, the upper punch
or die ascends out of the die 150 and out of the way of the slide 138, Figure
40, and this slide advances over the die 150 in the position 132, and the
punch in 152 forces the front part of the button out of the die 150, and into
the recess of the slide 138, and the drawing through die pulls off the shaped
front and leaves it in the recess; the slide 138 then advances with it over the
piercing die 127 to the position 133, as seen in Figure 40; the die 127, which
is just the size and shape of the under part of the cap-shaped front, now
ascends, and the piercing punch descends and they are made to meet and
pinch the front part of the button while it is in the recess; the piercing
punch continues to descend, and the piercing bed descends with the shaped
front out of the recess, and while the front part is being pierced, or as soon as
it has left the recess, the slide 138 returus for another shaped front. During
the process described a back part of the button has been shaped and carried
by the slide 139 to the piercing die 127, in the position 135, and this slide
has returned for another shaped back part of a button, and the plyers 146
have been made to go into the position marked 135 with their jaws open, and
to take hold of the back part of the button while on the piercing punch (the
piercing dies having passed out of the way), the punch was then drawn out of
the back of the button. The slide 147 then advanced towards the front of
the machine (by the same movement as the pliers in the eyelet machine was
performed), and then the rack was moved towards the right-hand of the
machine, thereby causing the pliers to semi-revolve with the back part of the
button. The slide 147 then advanced with the back part of the button over
the finishing die or closing punch, the centre parts of which ascended through
R

page_text: the pierced parts of the back of the button, and then the pliers were made to
open, and the pliers then receded out of the way; and now the back is made to
descend out of the way, and the slide 138 brings. a cap or front part of the
button over the back part of the button and over the closing punch. and the
wires in the centre of the closing punch again rise to the level of the under
side of the pierced holes of the front part of the button, and the centre wires
in the upper closing die descend through the front of the button and against the
lower wires; and as the upper wires are larger, except at their points, than the
pierced holes, they force the front part out of the slide 138; the slide 138
recedes out of the way, and the upper die continues to descend, and the lower
wires give place to the upper wires and the front part of the button is closed
over the back part, and the pierced holes are enlarged, which gives the thread
holes the appearance of the button being a solid one. A pair of pliers (which
have been described) being mounted on a slide at the back of the closing dies,
and the closed button being upon the wires of the upper closing punch, the
pliers come in with their jaws open and seize the finished button, and the wires
are drawn out of the button and the pliers carry it away, and a spring forces the
finished article into the depositing tube when the pliers open. Of course the
standard which sustains the various slides is shaped to suit the various modi-
fications. It will be perceived that the dies at 131 cut out the blanks for the
front parts of the buttons, and that the dies which are at 137 cut out the back
parts of the buttons, and the blanks for both backs and fronts are fed from the
cutting dies by the same movement as described in the eyelet machine; but
the slide 153, seen in Figures 43, 44, and 45, is used for the fronts. As it
is more difficult to time the different movements to the excentric movement
than to the cam movement, I prefer to actuate each slide by a lever cam and
counter cam, which are well known and need not be described.
I may here remark, that I am aware that perforated buttons composed of
two discs of metal have been made completely in one machine from the dises
which have been previously cut out by a cutting-out machine, or by hand
press, from hard sheet metal. After the said blanks were cut out, annealed,
and cleaned, they were put by hand into hoppers in other machines, and by
mechanical means the discs were fed from the hoppers to the piercing dies
where they were first pierced; then they were carried from the piercing dies
to the shaping dies, and when formed they were carried from the shaping dies
to the finishing dies, and when finished they were pushed from the machine.
The fronts of the buttons were made with their face sides downwards, and the
backs of the buttons were shaped with their face sides upwards. The fronts

page_text: of the buttons entered the finishing dies first with their face sides downwards,
after which the backs of the buttons were dropped into the cup-shaped fronts,
and, as I have said before, when finished they were pushed from the machine.
By this arrangement there was much loss of time by anuealing, cleaning,
and supplying the hoppers with blanks, and when the blanks had rough edges,
through the cutting-out tools being worn, and when the blanks were of
different thicknesses, there was great difficulty in feeding them to the piercing
dies, and as the blanks were pierced before they were shaped into the required
form, the pierced holes were very small, therefore the points of the centre
tools in the shaping dies, which points entered the pierced holes, were required
to be extremely delicate, which centre tools by reason of their delicacy often
broke, which breakages caused considerable derangement and stoppage of the
machinery; and as the front parts of the buttons were made with their face
or front sides downwards, the particles of dirt or scale which accumulated in the
dies disfigured the face or front sides of the buttons when subjected to pressure.
The object of that part of my Invention described for making buttons com-
posed of two pieces of metal is to avoid, as much as possible, the above-named
defects and difficulties by cutting the blanks from annealed and cleaned sheet
metal, and performing the whole of the processes in making the buttons in the
same machine without further annealing or handling; and by shaping the
blanks first before being pierced, the delicate points are not required, and by
the front part of the buttons being made upwards, the faces of the buttons are
not so likely to be defaced; and the finished articles being removed by pliers,
instead of being pushed from the machine, there will be a greater certainty
of effectually removing them from the tools.
I claim under the parts of my Invention last described,-
First, the arrangement described and represented for cutting out and
piercing the cut out blanks in the same machine.
Second, cutting out blanks for buttons composed of two pieces of metal, and
after being cut out, shaping, piercing, and closing the buttons in the same
machine.
Third, drawing through the front parts of buttons upwards, and feeding the
blanks to the dies, as described and represented in Figures 43, 44, and 45.
Fourth, turning the articles over while being carried from die to die, as
described and represented in Figures 40, 41, and 42.
Fifth, carrying articles from die to die, as described and represented in
Figures 37, 38, and 40.
The machinery shown by various Figures, commencing at Figure 47 of the

page_text: Drawings, comprises my improvements in feeding and shaping metal, as
applied for performing each process separately in the manufacture of eyelets by
machinery, which processes have heretofore been performed by the hand press.
Figure 47 is a front view, Figure 48 an end elevation, and Figure 49 a
plan of the machine; Figure 50 is a front view, Figure 51 a plan, and
Figure 52 a side elevation of the feeding apparatus, with other parts which
cannot be seen in Figures 47, 48, and 49; Figure 53 is a vertical section of
the tools, on an enlarged scale, used in this machine for the last process of
raising metallic eyelets. The same letters or figures refer to the same thing
in Figures 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, and 53.
I will first make reference to the parts of this machine, and then describe
its mode of operation. On the four legs 13 is the bed A, which sustains the
whole of the parts of the machine. Under A are fixed the hangers 14 (see
Figure 48), which carry the shaft S; on S are fixed the fast and loose pulleys
X, the fly wheel V, the two excentrics R, and the cams W, U, and T. Two
hangers carry the axle n, the anti-gripping levers M, and the feeding lever
O; and two hangers P carry the axle r and the lever N, which causes the
slide bolts 4, 5, and 6, to ascend (as seen in Figure 52). Under A is secured
the boss 3 which carries 4, and on the top surface of 4 rest eighteen rams 2.
The slide bolt 6 is loosely fitted in the bed A. On the upper surface of A is
the block D. In D are thirteen dies Z, held by screws, as seen in Figure 47,
and eighteen rams 2, thirteen of which force the raised parts of metal out of
the dies, and the other five act as counter gripping pegs, and assist in causing
the raised sheet to ascend to the proper height. On D is the puller-off and
metal guide g.
D is held in its position by the two cramps 8 (as seen in
Figures 51 and 52), the heads of the bolts 12 being passed through the large
and under the narrow parts of the openings 9, (as seen in Figure 49). On A
are two angularly grooved slips b, between which is the feeding slide F. On
the upper part of F there are two abutments or fixed jaws f,f, and the
pinching lever a, which has two jaws G, G, (seen in Figures 50 and 51.) In
F, under a, is the slide bolt 5, which rests on 6. The under part of F is pro-
vided with a stop snug e, which is stopped on the side nearest D at the end of
the slot in which it moves in A, and on the opposite side by the stop screw x,
as seen in Figure 48. The feeding motion is kept to the cam by a spiral or
helical spring in the boss d acting against a shoulder on the ram y; the
pressure of the spring is regulated by a screw in the boss d (as seen in Figures
48 and 49). This part of the machine will be better understood by reference
to a section of the boss t at the back of B, Figure 48. B. is the standard

page_text: which sustains the punching slide C, which slide is held in its position by the
cap 10. To the under end of C is attached the block E with thirteen punches,
which are secured by screws (as seen in Figure 47). On the upper end of C
is the screw m, and on this is the crosshead H and the two nuts J, J, the
lower nut being to adjust the pressure of the punches, and the upper one to
secure the crosshead and to act as a lock nut. The two connecting rods I
At the back of B is the
connect the excentrics R with the crosshead H.
slide 7, to the lower end of which is attached the plate u, in which plate is
fitted five gripping pegs, of the same shape and size as the punches, and
exactly opposite to and parallel with the first row of punches. The gripping
slide is forced downwards by the spiral or helical spring in the boss t acting on
the shoulder of the ram i (as seen by a section of the boss t, Figure 48). The
bearings p sustain the lever K; the rod L connects the lever K with the lever
M. The mode of action of this machine is as follows:-The main shaft S
being set in motion by steam or other power in the direction indicated by the
arrow on the fly wheel V, Figure 49, and a sheet of annealed metal of the
proper width being introduced by hand between the jaws of f and G, with its
end against the five gripping pegs in u, the cam U causes the jaws G to pinch
the metal against the jaws f, and also causes the five gripping rams and pegs
to ascend. The cam W now causes the gripping pegs to ascend through the
puller-off g, and then the cam T causes the feeding slide with the sheet of
metal to advance the proper distance, and while the pinching and feeding
motions remain at rest, the cam W permits the spring in the boss t to cause
the gripping pegs to descend and grip the metal against the tops of the five
rams under them, and while the gripping pegs hold the metal the cam U
permits the pinching jaws to descend and liberate the metal, and the gripping
pegs to descend with the metal to the level of the upper surface of the dies;
and now the punches descend and shape the metal between them and the dies
into the form required, while the feeding slide was allowed by the cam T to
return for a further supply of metal, the punches ascended out of the shaped
parts and through the puller-off; and now the cam U causes the jaws G to
again pinch the metal and the rams to ascend, forcing with them the raised
parts of the metal out of the dies, and also the parts which grip the metal
to the proper beight. The gripping pegs again ascend, the feeder again
advances, the grips again descend, the pinching jaws are opened, and so on.
The object of the gripping pegs is to hold the raised parts of the metal in
the proper position in case of any inaccuracy in the feed, as well as to grip the
metal and prevent it from slipping.

page_text: When the first process of raising the parts of the sheet of metal is com-
pleted and the raised sheet is annealed, other dies and punches are fixed into
the machine, and the annealed sheet again passes through the machine, and
so on until the whole of the raising processes are completed; and when
required to pierce the raised parts or to cut the raised parts from the sheet, or
to cut out blanks, the five gripping pegs are removed, and a piece of steel or
other material of the width and extent of the five pegs is fixed in the same
position as the gripping pegs under the plate u, and a suitable puller-off and a
counter gripping piece is fixed on the block D of the height of the dies Z, and
the boss 3 with the slide bolt 4 and the eighteen rams are removed, and a
funnel is fixed under the bed A by the screw which held the boss 3, which
funnel conveys the piercing bits or the cut out articles from the machine into a
box or other receptacle. In this machine the required number of revolving
cutters may be placed in their proper positions to cut or smooth the pierced
edges, and may be actuated as before described.
The Diagram, Figure 33, shows the order in which the metal is operated
upon when the feeding apparatus last described is used. In this machine one
row of punches and dies may be used across the sheet instead of two rows, as
described, but in this case my improved mode of feeding the metal longitu-
dinally and laterally must be used; but instead of using the pinching jaws
previously described, I prefer to mount the lever a on a lateral slide having fixed
jaws as f, and containing the slide bolt 5, on a longitudinal slide, and the slide
bolt 5 to project through the longitudinal side. And the number of punches
and dies must be half the number of the parts required to be raised in the
width of the sheet, and the gripping rams must be one less in number than the
punches used, to allow of the to-and-fro motion of the feeding jaws, and placed
in position relatively with the dies, as shown by j, in the Diagram, Figure 34.
The dies being fixed in the block D and provided with rams, and the block
being furnished with gripping rams, as here described, and placed in the hand
press, and the slide bolt 4 being situated under the block D and connected
with the slide bolt by a link, and the slide 7 being placed at the back of the
press, frame, or standard, and the slide 7 being forced downwards by a spring,
and upwards by a snug on the link acting in a slot of the slide 7, it will be seen
that my mode of feeding laterally and longitudinally may be adopted by hand,
as when one row of the parts of metal is raised, the upward motion of the press
bolt will cause the rams to force the raised parts of the metal out of the dies
and to raise the gripping pegs through the puller-off, and the downward
motion will permit the rams and the gripping pegs to descend in advance of

page_text: the punches, and the recesses last formed may be placed under the gripping
pegs, which will enter the recesses and secure the metal in the proper place
for the punches and dies to raise the next row of the parts of the metal, as
required.
The machine, with the modification as described and represented with suit-
able tools, is also applicable to shaping, piercing, cutting the pierced edges, or
cutting out eyelet washers, or other articles of metal required to be shaped or
pierced, or the pierced edges cut in the sheet, or cut out before or after being
shaped or pierced.
I am aware that short sheets of annealed metal have been raised or partially
raised in rows across the sheet by the common stamp at one operation, and
that two or more tools have been used in the hand press to simultaneously
raise parts of the metal into the first stage of the manufacture of eyelets, but
such series of tools have been placed in a line with the length of the sheet of
metal; I am also aware that dies and punches have been arranged in two
rows for shaping and piercing buttons and other articles, and for cutting out
blanks in rows across the sheet of metal, which sheet of metal has been fed to
and from the dies only in the direction of its length.
I claim under this head of my Invention,-
First, the mode of feeding metals laterally and longitudinally to and from
dies, as described and represented for the manufacture of eyelets, buttons,
links of chains, and eyelet and other washers, and such like articles.
Second, the particular arrangement described and represented for feeding
metals to and from cutting, shaping, and piercing dies.
Third, the particular mode of and arrangements for gripping and holding
the metals in the proper position to be shaped, pierced, and cut out, described
and represented, whether used in the hand press or other machinery.
Fourth, the mode described and represented of shaping or raising eyelets
and piercing and cutting the pierced edges in one or two rows across the sheet
in the hand press, or in machines which are constructed to feed the metal to
and from the dies.
I also claim the general arrangement of parts into machines, as described
and represented in the various Figures, for cutting, shaping, and piercing
metals.
Although for convenience of description I have principally described my
improvements combined in machines for making eyelets and buttons, yet I
wish it to be understood that my said improvements are equally applicable
to the manufacture of various other articles which require cutting, shaping,

page_text: piercing, and smoothing on the pierced edges, whether made wholly or partly
of sheet metal.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Frearson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN FREARSON. (L.S.)