IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO METALLIC FENCE STANDARDS, AND IN THE MODE OF MAINTAINING THEM IN A VERTICAL POSITION
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isaac Dixon, of the Windsor Iron Works, near Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
RELATING TO METALLIC FENCE STANDARDS, AND IN THE MODE OF MAINTAINING
THEM IN A VERTICAL POSITION."
Sealed the 30th November 1877, and dated the 14th September 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaac Dixon at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th September 1877.
ISAAC DIXON, of the Windsor Iron Works, near Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO METALLIC FENCE STANDARDS,
AND IN THE MODE OF MAINTAINING THEM IN A VERTICAL POSITION."
This Invention consists, first, in a fence standard or post, composed entirely of
sheet iron, in such a manner that it shall be extremely strong and rigid, and formed
so as to resist pressure in every direction, and which shall present no sharp angles,
edges, or projections for cattle, horses, and other animals to injure themselves
against. I make it of corrugated iron of a special section, the edges of the cor-
rugated strips being hid by a large beading, and the top being covered by an orna-
mental cast-iron cap. I make it in two tapering pieces put together face to face,
and each with a deep central corrugation, convex inwards, opposite each other, and
with a flat edge hid by a bead formed on the other's alternate edge; both beadings
could be, if desirable, formed on the one sheet. When beaded and stamped out, the
two pieces being tapered, easily slide one into the other. This sliding is effected
until the two upper edges come level, when I usually put a single rivet through
each tide at the top and bottom to hold all tight together, but this is not absolutely
necessary.
Holes are made in the central corrugations opposite each other for the fence wires
to pass through. After being put together the standards are galvanized in one
piece, which still further strengthens them, and also renders them indistructible by

page_text: rust, and saves the continually recurring cost of painting and coating. The gal-
vanizing completes the manufacture in its simplest form.
In practice it is found very troublesome with metallic standards for continuous
bar iron fencing to keep them perfectly vertical after having been once erected in
position; the rubbing of horses, cattle, and other animals, pushes the standard out
of vertical position, and thus renders the fence unsightly and inefficient; in order
to obviate this, the second part of my Invention is designed; it is adapted for use
where the longitudinal bars of the fencing are of flat or round iron.
This Invention is also applicable to all kinds of wrought-iron fence standards,
but more especially to those of solid bar iron, and it is applicable to fencing, the
longitudinal bars of which are of flat, round, and square iron. It consists in
punching the holes in the standards a little less in length than the width or major
axis of the horizontal bar, and in having an oblique projection on the punch that
punches outwards a long tongue below or above the hole, which tongue is still
attached to the bar by its more distant extremity. The fence bar itself has a neck cut
or punched out of it on the opposite side to where the tongue is; it is then threaded
through the hole in the standard until the punched-out portion of the fence bar fits
into the standard; the tongue is then driven back to a vertical position, and the
standard is thus held rigidly, being prevented from moving from a vertical position
by the neck of the horizontal bar fitting over its solid iron on one side, and its own
tongue being driven into a vertical position under the horizontal bar on the
other side,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Isaac Dixon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th March
1878.
ISAAC DIXON, of the Windsor Iron Works, near Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster. IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO METALLIC FENCE STANDARDS,
AND IN THE MODE OF MAINTAINING THEM IN A VERTICAL POSITION."
This Invention consists, first, in a fence standard or post, composed entirely of
sheet iron, in such a manner that it shall be extremely strong and rigid, and formed
so as to resist pressure in every direction, and which shall present no sharp angles,
edges, or projections for cattle, horses, and other animals to injure themselves
against. I make it of corrugated iron of a special section, the edges of the cor-
rugated strips being held by a large beading, and the top being covered by an orna-
mental cast-iron cap. I make it in two tapering pieces put together face to face,
and each with a deep central corrugation, convex outwards, opposite each other, and
with a flat edge hid by a bead formed on the other's alternate edge; both beadings
could be, if desirable, formed on the one sheet. When beaded and stamped out, the
two pieces being tapered, easily slide one into the other. This sliding is effected
until the two upper edges come level, when I usually put a single rivet through
each side at the top and bottom to hold all tight together, but this is not absolutely
necessary.
Holes are made in the central corrugations opposite each other for the fence wires
to pass through. After being put together the standards are galvanized in one
piece, which still further strengthens them, and also renders them indestructible by
rust, and serves the continually recurring cost of painting and coating. The gal-
vanizing completes the manufacture in its simplest form.
In practice it is found very troublesome with metallic standards for continuous
bar iron fencing to keep them perfectly vertical after having been once erected in
position; the rubbing of horses, cattle, and other animals, pushes the standard out
of vertical position, and thus renders the fence unsightly and inefficient; in order
to obviate this the second part of my Invention is designed. It is adapted for
use where the longitudinal bars of the fencing are of flat or round iron.
This Invention is also applicable to all kinds of wrought-iron fence standards,
but more especially to those of solid bar iron, and it is applicable to fencing, the
longitudinal bars of which are of flat, round, oval, or square iron. It consists in
punching the holes in the standards a little less in length than the width or major
axis of the horizontal bar, and in having an oblique projection on the punch that
punches outwards a long tongue below or above the hole, which tongue is still
attached to the bar by its more distant extremity. The fence bar itself has a neck
cut or punched out of it on the opposite side to where the tongue is. It is then
threaded through the hole in the standard until the punched-out portion of the
fence bar fits into the standard; the tongue is then driven back to a vertical
position, and the standard is thus held rigidly, being prevented from moving from
a vertical position by the neck of the horizontal bar fitting over its solid iron on
one side, and its own tongue being driven into a vertical position under the hori-
zontal bar on the other side.
The accompanying Drawings illustrate my Invention more fully.
In these Figure 1 shows a wire fence with my corrugated iron fence standards.
Figure 2 is a full sized section of standards at top; Figure 3, at bottom.
Figure 4 shows the arrangement for keeping the standard upright. In this A is
a full sized section of the standard; B, tongue in same, pressed out so as to admit
of the bar being placed in position; C, bar with a nick in its lower part to fit the
standard.
Figure 5 shows a half-size section of punch and die used for this purpose, in
which D is the punch; E, the standard being punched; G, the die. The hole is

page_text: first punched, and afterwards the tongue, the second operation being performed by
bringing the punch down till its highest portion H just touches the plate, the
lower portion I having pierced through it. There are other ways of doing it, but
this is the plan I use and it works well.
Having now described my Invention, and the best mode I know of carrying it
into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim sheet-iron standards in
the abstract as my Invention, for circular posts of sheet iron have long been
known; nor for the second part of my Invention do I claim a tongue punched out
of iron for other purposes than those described, or in other articles than in fence
standards, or plates attached to fence standards to accomplish the same purpose, but
that what I believe to be new and claim as my Invention under the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The construction of fence standards of corrugated iron so contrived as to be
practically destitute of sharp salient angles capable of injuring cattle or other
creatures rubbing or falling against them, and do not requiring bolting or rivetting
together except perhaps a single rivet at the top.
2. The fence standard substantially as described in the first part of this Speci-
fication and accompanying Drawings.
3. The mode described in part second of the foregoing Specification of keeping
metallic fence standards upright by notching the longitudinal bars and constructing
a tongue in the standard or plate attached thereto.
4. The intermediate standard in continuous metallic fencing, with a tongue,
substantially as described in the second part of the foregoing Specification, and
Figure 4 of accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Isaac Dixon, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.