IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BARBED FENCING WIRE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
& C° Patent Agents Southampton Buildings London for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BARBED FENCING WIRE
"Com-
municated to him from abroad by Orlando Philander Briggs of Chicago
Illinois United States of America
1
1.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lakė at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th March 1883.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
BARBED FENCING WIRE [a communication to him from abroad by Orlando
Philander Briggs of Chicago Illinois United States of America]
"
This invention relates to the two-strand and twisted or cable form of fence-wire
provided with four-pointed wire barbs, in which the barbs are secured to the cable
by the conformation of the parts joined.
The object of the present invention is to provide a construction of the barb,
securely joined with the cable, that shall be compact and symmetrical, that shall
be easily made, and that shall consume but little wire in the barb.
In carrying the said invention into practice I provide two wires which form the
twisted cable, and two short pointed wires which form the complete four-pointed
barb. To speak first briefly of the completed structure: each of the barbs is
centrally bent spirally so as to form an open eye and the eye of one barb is inter-
linked with that of the other. Neither eye embraces either of the cable wires, but
the interlinked barbs are made to retain their position on the cable by having the
legs of one barb across those of the other outside of the several cable wires.
To more fully describe the conformation of the parts by which the necessary
disposition of the barb points and by which the required union of the barbs with
the cable are effected, reference will be made to the manner of making the barb as
follows.
The barb wires are applied to the fence-wire in the operation of twisting the
latter together and are inserted cross-wise of each other between the two strands

page_text: of the fence-wire, at the usual point, namely just back of the point at which the
twist, at the moment, ceases. The ends of one of the barb wires are then bent
forward (towards the twisted part of the cable) around the other barb wire, one
end being carried on one side of the cable in a plane parallel with one cable wire,
and the other end on the other side parallel with the other cable wire, so as to
form an open spiral. Viewed laterally one barb thus bent, presents a central eye,
through which the other barb wire passes, and in which, in practice, said wire will
be closely embraced. Next, the said wire is similarly bent, one end being carried
over one cable wire, and the other end over the other cable wire, so that its points
stand in the reverse of their original directions. In thus bending the barb wire, a
central spiral coil or open eye is formed therein, which is interlinked with the eye
of the other barb.
In giving the direction described to the ends of the several barb wires, it will
be understood that these two wires are made to cross each other on both sides of
the cable, or outside the several cable wires, by this means closely confining said
cable wires, and making secure attachment of such interlinked barbs with the
cable. Neither of said cable wires passes through the eye of either barb.
It will be further observed, that though the barbs be interlinked and crossed
between the cable wires, the latter are not necessarily spread more than the
thickness of one barb-wire. This fact, together with the fact that but a single coil
is made in each barb-wire, gives symmetry and compactness to the structure and
involves the use of the least possible quantity of wire in forming the barb, and
effecting its permanent union with the cable.
To make more clear the distinctive construction of the barb and its attachment
with the cable, I mention that the operation of bending the barb wires after being
crossed between the cable wires, is essentially that of braiding said barb wires, it
being manifest that repeated and successive bendings of the several barbs (if of
sufficient length) in the manner and order described, would result in forming a
braided covering about the cable.
The ends of one of the barbs embrace the cable wires near the end of one of the
loops or twists therein, and its spiral is spread by less than the diameter of two
cable wires. The barb cannot, therefore, be moved easily towards 'the middle of
the cable loop, while the intersection of the cable wires will prevent its movement
in the opposite direction. The barb, as a whole, is thus permanently held in place.
Any degree of rigidity may be given thereto in bending the barbs to place.
.1

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th September 1883.
T
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
BARBED FENCING-WIRE. A Communication to me from abroad by Orlando
Philander Briggs, of Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
"
This invention relates to the two-strand twisted or cable form of fence-wiré
provided with four-pointed wire barbs, which are secured to the cable
* The object of the present invention is to provide a barb of such construction
that it can be securely joined with the cable, and shall be compact and symmetrical,
easily made, and consume but little wire in the barb.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a piece of barbed wire cable constructed
according to this invention
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the cable wires, showing the position of the
barb before being bent
Figure 3 is a section similar to Figure 2 showing the position and direction of
the barb-wire after being bent
Figure 4 is a side view of the barb when completed, the barb wire last bent
being shown at right angles to the line of vision
Figure 5 is also a side view of the barb in which the barb wire that is first bent
is shown at right angles to the line of vision
Figure 6 is a view of the barb from the end opposite to that shown in Figure 3.
A and B are wires forming the twisted cable C. D. and E are the two short
pointed wires which form the complete four-pointed barb F. To speak first
briefly of the completed structure; each of the barb wires D and E is centrally
bent spirally so as to form an open eye and the eye of one barb is interlinked with
that of the other. Neither eye embraces either of the cable wires, but the inter-
linked barbs are made to retain their position on the cable by having the legs
of one barb wire cross those of the other outside of the several cable wires A
and B.
The conformation of the parts by which the necessary disposition of the barb
points, and by which the required union of the barbs with the cable are effected is
as follows that is to say:-The barb wires D and E, are applied to the fence-wire
in the operation of twisting the latter together, and are inserted cross-wise of each
other, as seen in Figure 2, between the two strands of the fence-wire at the usual-
point, namely, just behind the point at which the twist, at the moment, ceases.
The ends d and d' of the barb-wire D are then bent forward (towards the twisted
part of the cable) around the barb-wire E, the end d being carried on one side of
the cable in a plane parallel with the cable wire A and the end on the other
side parallel with the cable wire B, so as to form an open spiral, as indicated
plainly in Figures 3 and 4. Viewed laterally as in Figure 5, the barb D, thus
bent, presents a central eye d³, through which the wire E passes, and in which, in
practice, the said wire E will be closely embraced. The barb-wire E is next
similarly bent, the end e being carried over the cable wire A, and the end e' over
the cable wire B, so that its points stand in the reverse of their original directions,
as shown in Figures 3, 4 5, and 6. In thus bending the wire E, a central spiral
coil or open eye A' is formed therein, which is interlinked with the eye d' of the
barb D.

page_text: In giving the direction described to the ends of the several barb wires D and E,
it will be seen that these two wires are made to cross each other on both sides of
the cable, or outside the several cable wires A and B, by this means closely
confining the said cable wires, and making secure attachment of such interlinked
barbs with the cable. Neither of the said cable wires passes through the eye of
either barb wire.
It will be further observed, that though the barb wires are interlinked and
crossed between the cable wires, the latter are not necessarily spread more than
the thickness of one barb-wire. This fact, together with the fact that but a single
coil is made in each barb-wire, gives symmetry and compactness to the structure
and involves the use of the least possible quantity of wire in forming the barb,
and effecting its permanent union with the cable.
To make more clear the distinctive construction of the barb Fand its attachment
with the cable, I mention that the operation of bending the wires D and E, after
being crossed between the cable wires as shown in Figure 2, is essentially that of
braiding the said barb-wires, it being manifest that repeated and successive
bendings of the several barbs (if of sufficient length) in the manner and order
described, would result in forming a braided covering about the cable.
By reference to the several Figures of the drawing, it is evident that the ends
of one of the barb wires E embrace the cable wires near the end of one of the
loops or twists therein, and its spiral is spread by less than the diameter of two
cable wires. The barb cannot, therefore, be moved easily towards the middle of
the cable loop, while the intersection of the cable wires will prevent its movement
in the opposite direction. The barb, as a whole, is thus permanently held in place.
Any degree of rigidity may be given thereto in bending the barb wires to place, as
shown
Having thus fully described the said invention, as communicated to me by
my foreign Correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it
understood that I claim :-
In combination with the cable wires A and B, the barb-wire D having a
central spiral coil between the cable wires as shown, and the barb wire E passing
through both the cable loop and the coincident eye of the barb wire D, and having
its ends bent to cross the ends of the said wire D, outside the cable wires,
substantially as described.
In Witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this fourth day of September in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three
WM PORT LAK
Gol