Improvements in Machines for Spinning Metals into Irregular Shapes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1889-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Spinning Metals into Irregular Shapes.
1, JOSEPH BROWNING Machinist of 1830 Taylor Street, Philadelphia, State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, do hereby solemnly declare the nature of my
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SPINNING METALS INTO IRREGULAR
SHAPES," and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has reference to machines for spinning metals into irregular shapes
and consists of certain improvements which are fully set forth in the following
specification and are shown in the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof.
Heretofore irregular, spiral or rope shaped handles for canes, umbrellas, etc. have
usually been made by stamping two halves of sheet metal and then placing them
together and securing the halves to each other by solder, or by placing a tube of
metal on a properly shaped mandrel and then pressing in the metal by a hand tool to
make it conform to the shape of the mandrel. These methods are both objectionable;
the former in that the joints are always preceptible, and the latter in that it is expensive,
slow, requires great skill, and the finished work is apt to be more or less untrue.
Another defect in the hand process is that in plated work or metals in which the
surface is covered with an extremely thin layer of gold or silver, the hand manipulations
are liable to abrade the surface, thereby ruining the work.
The object of my invention is to overcome these objectionable features by providing
suitable mechanical devices whereby such irregular, spiral, or rope shapes may be
made without the requirement of special skill or care. Furthermore, my object is to
so construct the machine that the work it produces is independent of the speed at
which it is run, and it is on this feature that I lay particular stress, since the formation
of the article may take place faster or slower at the option of the operator and without
the least variation of the speed of the machine so far as the rotation of the article to
be spun is concerned.
In carrying out my invention I place the inetal tube to be spun upon a mandrel
provided with special grooves corresponding to the shape into which it is desired to
form the metal tube. By means of a spinning wheel running in connection with this
mandrel and having its periphery formed with suitable grooves or depressions, the
metal is pressed into the grooves of the mandrel and caused to assume the required
shape. The rotation of the mandrel and spinning wheel is accomplished by suitable
mechanism hereinafter set forth, and to the mandrel is imparted a longitudinal or
feeding motion which is independent of its rotation.
Ordinarily I prefer to impart a positive rotation to the mandrel by means of suitable
power transmitting devices and to have the spinning wheel loosely supported and
driven by the mandrel acting in connection therewith as a worm wheel. In cases,
however, in which the pitch of the spiral grooves of the mandrel is very great, the
driving of the spinning wheel by the rotation of the mandrel would not be satisfactorily
accomplished and in these cases I reverse the operation of the parts by positively
rotating the spinning wheel and causing the mandrel loosely pivoted to be driven
by it.
In the drawings:-
1
יד
ambodring my invention

page_text: Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of mandrel and tube
prior to spinning.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of spinning wheel; and
Fig. 8 is a plan view of a machine illustrating a modification of my invention, in
which the power is applied to the spinning wheel, and the mandrel is rotated thereby.
A is the chuck of a lathe. B is a mandrel upon which the metal tube is spun,
and C is a centre found in all lathes for supporting a mandrel at its end most distant
from the chuck. D represents the metal tube or cup which is placed upon the mandrel
to be spun.
In most cases of the figures it is shown as tapering or conical shape open
at both ends, while in Fig. 6 it is shown as cup shaped. E is the spinning wheel and
has its periphery formed with grooves or depressions e the shape of which is immaterial
to my invention and varies with the design to be imparted to the spun metal. These
grooves e may be arranged parallel to or oblique with respect to the axis of rotation
of the wheel, which axis is preferably at right angles to the axis of the mandrel.
This spinning wheel E is journaled in a holder F clasped in a tool holder G of a slide
rest, which slide rest consists of the part H guided transversely and movable to and
from the work by a screw J upon the head I, which head in turn is guided longitu-
dinally or in the direction of the length of the mandrel upon the frame K and is
moved by a screw L. The frame (and hence the slide rest) is adjustable upon a
vertical axis M so as to allow the wheel to be moved parallel to the outer surface of the
mandrel or obliquely to the axis of the mandrel when said mandrel is made tapering.
It is evident that the screw L might be operated as is customary in the well known
forms of engine lathes and thus the travel of the wheel would be independent of the
attention of the operator.
As an illustration I have shown gear wheels dotted and connecting the power
shaft of the lathe with the feeding screw L for the slide rest. In place of making
the slide rest move obliquely to the lathe shaft, the mandrel may be set at an incline
to the said shaft by shifting the support e of the centre C laterally as is customary
in many types of lathes adapted for turning tapering forms.
The essential novelty of my invention is due to the construction and relative
arrangement of the mandrel B and spinning wheel E. The wheel E is allowed
to rotate freely and runs at a speed commensurate with that of the mandrel,
and this is irrespective of the longitudinal travel of the wheel over the length of
the mandrel.
The operation will now be understood. A tube of metal (Fig. 4) being slipped
over the mandrel B, it, with the supporting man Irel is allowed to rotate at any speed
desired. Before starting the wheel to spinning the tube into the shape of the mandrel,
one end of the tube is pressed into the grooves on the mandrel so that the wheel E
may obtain a hold to impart to it the impulse to rotate upon its vertical axis. The
oblique grooves in the mandrel B act as a worm with respect to the wheel E and
cause it to rotate without regard to whether it is moved longitudinally over the
mandrel or not. While so rotating the slide rest is caused to move longitudinally or
parallel to the surface of the mandrel and thus break down or spin the metal tube
into the desired shape as shown in Fig. 5. Now it is evident that as the wheel E
simply acts as a worm wheel and rotates freely without necessitating any longitudinal
movement except so far as is required to insure ultimate travel over the entire length
of the tube D on the mandrel. During such travel of the wheel the mandrel may
make one hundred or one thousand revolutions. It is evident that the axis of the
wheel E may be changed from the vertical to any angle which will enable it to be
driven by the mandrel as if it were a worm wheel.
In Fig. 6 I have shown the mandrel B, cup D and centre C for spinning a handle.
The mandrel at the end is collapsible so that it can be withdrawn after completion
of the spinning operation.
In the modification shown in Fig. 8 instead of fixedly supporting the mandrel B
in the lathe chuck and applying the power thereto the mandrel is loosely supported
upon suitable pivots a b, upon which it is free to rotate. These pivots are carried by
uprights d d of a frame D¹ which is pivoted to a sliding frame E. N is the base

page_text: plate of the machine upon which the sliding plate E' is free to slide longitudinally
upon suitable guides n. The sliding frame E₁ is fed longitudinally by a screw L
which may be operated by a suitaole handle. The pivoted frame D' may be adjusted
upon the sliding frame E at an angle so that the surface of the tubular piece of
metal to be spun D may be in contact with the spinning wheel as the metal tube is
fed longitudinally. This adjustment may be accomplished by means of a screw I'
pivoted to the frame D' at i and operated by a nut J carried by the frame E'. The
spinning or forming wheel E is carried by a shaft or axis O journaled in the
holder F which is adjustable to or from the centre line of the frame E' to suit
different sizes and forms of mandrels. The power is directly applied to the shaft O
for the purpose of rotating the spinning wheel, preferably by means of a flexible
shaft and coupling or in any other well known manner.
While I prefer the constructions shown I do not limit myself to the details thereof
as they may be modified in various ways without departing from my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1st. The combination of a rotating mandrel having its surface formed with one or
more spiral grooves, with a forming or spinning wheel, having corresponding grooves
and loosely supported in a plane substantially parallel to the axis of and close to the
mandrel and acting as a worm wheel to said mandrel.
2nd. The combination of a rotating mandrel having its surface formed with one
or more spiral grooves, with a forming or spinning wheel, having corresponding
grooves and loosely mounted in a plane substantially parallel to the axis of and close
to the mandrel and acting as a worm wheel to said mandrel, a support for said
spinning wheel, a guide parallel to the mandrel for the spinning wheel and a screw
to feed the support of the spinning wheel in the length of the mandrel.
3rd. A rotating mandrel having spiral grooves or forming portions, in combination
with a loosely pivoted forming or spinning wheel having grooves corresponding to
those of the mandrel mounted in a plane substantially parallel with the axis of and
adapted to be rotated by the mandrel, a support for the wheel, and feeding devices
to feed the support to or from the mandrel and also longitudinally with respect to the
mandrel.
4th. A rotating mandrel made tapering and having spiral grooves or forming
portions, in combination with a loosely pivoted forming or spinning wheel having
grooves corresponding to those of the mandrel mounted in a plane substantially
parallel with the axis of and adapted to be rotated by the mandrel, a support for the
wheel, and feeding devices to feed the support to or from the mandrel and also
longitudinally with respect to the mandrel.
5th. A rotating mandrel made tapering and having spiral grooves or forming
portions, in combination with a loosely pivoted forming or spinning wheel having
oblique grooves corresponding to a mean of those of the mandrel mounted in a plane
substantially parallel with the axis of and adapted to be rotated by the mandrel, a
support for the wheel, and feeding devices to feed the support to and from the
mandrel and also longitudinally with respect to the mandrel.
6th. The combination of a rotatable mandrel having its surface formed with one
or more spiral grooves, a rotatable forming or spinning wheel having corresponding
grooves mounted close to and in a plane substantially parallel to the axis of said
mandrel whereby it acts as a worn wheel with said mandrel, and devices to positively
rotate one of said parts whereby the other part is driven.
7th. The combination of a rotatable mandrel having its surface formed with one
or more spiral grooves, a rotatable forming or spinning wheel having corresponding
grooves and mounted close to and in a plane substantially parallel to and in an axis
with said mandrel, means to positively rotate one of said parts whereby the other
part is rotated by it, and an adjustable support for said mandrel whereby the direction
of its axis may be varied.

page_text: 8th. The combination of a rotating mandrel having its surface formed with one or
more spiral grooves with a forming or spinning wheel having corresponding grooves
and mounted close to and in a plane substantially parallel to the axis of said mandrel
whereby it acts as a worm wheel to the mandrel, a support for said spinning wheel,
and a guide parallel to the mandrel for the spinning wheel support.
DL
JOSEPH BROWNING.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.