AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR SHAPING AND FORGING IRON
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Arrowsmith at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th November
1865.
I, JOHN ARROWSMITH, of Bilston, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE
OR APPARATUS FOR SHAPING AND FORGING IRON," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is by the means herein-after set forth to avoid
the excessive manual labour which is now required in working that class of
machines for forging and shaping iron known as "Oliver's," and by driving the
machines by steam or water power, as herein-after explained. The labour of
the workman is thus considerably decreased, so much so that work which now
requires the weight and strength of a powerful man may be as effectually
done by a youth, and the machine may be driven at any speed and with any
force of blow within certain limits which may be desired. Upon a strong
bed plate I mount a shaft in suitable bearings, the said shaft having on one
end thereof a pulley, by means of which motion is given to the machine by
steam or water power, and on the other end of the said shaft a fly wheel of
suitable dimensions is fixed, which is for the purpose of giving steadiness to
the machine whilst working. At the centre of the said shaft a cam is fixed,
which revolving with the shaft acts upon one end of a lever which works upon
a pivot, the other or free end of the said lever having attached thereto a
hammer head, which may be of the same construction as an ordinary
"Oliver." By these means the hammer head is alternately raised and allowed

page_text: to fall with each revolution of the shaft; but as it is desirable to give greater
force to the blow than that which would be due to gravity alone, I place
under that end of the lever upon which the cam acts a buffer working in a
box containing a strong spiral spring, and this spring being compressed by
the downward motion of the lever gives when released a considerable impetus
to the hammer, and causes it to strike the anvil with much greater force than
it otherwise would do. But unless provided for, it is evident that the rise and
fall of the hammer and consequent force of the blow would always be the
same. To remedy this I cause the said shaft to work in slippers, which said
slippers sliding in guides communicate with a treadle. This said treadle is
provided with three or more foot plates standing at different heights above
the floor, so that the workman by placing his foot on one or other of these
foot plates depresses the end of the lever, and thus regulates the height of the
fall as he thereby moves the cam to or from the before-mentioned pivot upon
which the lever works, and so alters the motion of the lever. I also provide
balance weights so arranged as to keep the cam out of action when the
hammer is required to be at rest. When the cam is out of contact with the
lever the hammer would, if not prevented, fall and rest on the anvil, but to
avoid this I provide a guide or standard through which the lever may work.
Attached to this standard are two or more sliding bolts which communicate
with a catch, which said catch is drawn on to a notch when the hammer is
working. A spiral spring is so arranged that the bolts are in gear when the
catch is disengaged. When the catch is on the notch the hammer is free to
work, but when the workman desires to stop it he has only to lift the catch,
when the spring immediately draws the bolts across the slot through which
the lever works, and so prevents its falling. When I desire to adapt this
arrangement for a double Oliver, I fix another cam on the said shaft, this
works against another lever arranged in a similar manner to that already
described. In this manner both levers are fixed upon the same bed plate,
and are both driven by the same power.