IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO APPARATUS OR MACHINERY APPLICABLE FOR Manufacturing BUCKETS, CANS, AND OTHER ARTICLES FROM TINNED IRON, THIN BLACK IRON, AND THE LIKE
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Reid Gray, of the City of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO
APPARATUS OR MACHINERY APPLICABLE FOR Manufacturing BUCKETS, CANS,
AND OTHER ARTICLES FROM TINNED IRON, THIN BLACK IRON, AND THE
LIKE."
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Reid Gray at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd April 1880.
ROBERT REID GRAY, of the City of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster.
IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO APPARATUS OR MACHINERY APPLI-
CABLE FOR MANUFACTURING BUCKETS, CANS, AND OTHER ARTICLES FROM TINNED
IRON, THIN BLACK IRON, AND THE LIKE"
I will describe my Invention by explaining the actual manufacture of a twenty
eight pound lard tin or bucket with my machinery. The body of tinned iron is
first stamped out into three pieces; these have their edges turned over in the usual
edging machine or otherwise. They are then placed with edges interlocking on a
bed plate, with grooves for joints made to suit, and with edges shaped to arcs of
two circles concentric at one point. At this point is an arın carrying a pressing
roller, preferably adjustable by screws and small flanged rollers. As the arm is
brought forward and back over the plate the larger roller presses the seams tight,
the smaller ones turn down the edge ready for wiring. After a large number of
flat plates for bodies are shaped in this manner the edging rollers are taken off and
another substituted for them. Each plate is again placed on the table, the .wire
inserted, and the tin rolled over the wire. A hinged adjustable jaw holds one end
of the plate during the operation, and the other end hooks itself onto the sharp edge
of the table. The raised edge of the table also keeps the edge forming the lower
edge of the bucket in place. Two machines could be used, one to edge and one
to wire. In this case no changing of rollers would be required. After this shaping
the plates are rolled to true cone shape, the two edges united, and the cone placed
on a hollow conical mandril. This mandril should be well ventilated by holes at
the larger end. A single handle brings, by means of a cam, cams, or other

page_text: mechanism, clutches or hooks down against the wired top of the bucket, holding it
fast; then the bottom plate with curved up edge is inserted against the end of the
conical mandril, and the entire bucket revolved. A turning down roller is then
brought round by a handle, and turns the edge of the bucket side over the projecting
rim of the bottom, doubling it at one operation. Another disc roller is brought
against the interior angle, and a flat roller on the outside bends it down over the
disc. The disc is then withdrawn, and the flat roller is brought further round till
as the bucket revolves the whole is laid flat against the bottom plate. In making
parallel tins similar apparatus is used with modifications. The quadrant table is
exchanged for a rectangular one, the radial arm becomes a parallel motion, its 1
circular slide rest a rectilinear one, and the conical mandril a cylindrical and
preferably expanding one. The exact arrangement too of the rollers can be departed
from, but those described will, I think from my experiments hitherto, be found the
most advantageous.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Robert Reid Gray in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
October 1880.
"
ROBERT REID GRAY, of the City of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster.
IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO APPARATUS OR MACHINERY APPLI-
CABLE FOR MANUFACTURING BUCKETS, CANS, OR OTHER ARTICLES FROM TINNED
IRON, THIN BLACK IRON, AND THE LIKE”
I will describe my Invention by explaining the actual manufacture of a twenty
eight pound lard tin or bucket with my machinery, giving also Drawings of said
machinery, in which Sheet 1 relates to the machine for forming the sides, and
Sheet 2 the apparatus for putting on the bottoms.
The body of tinned iron is first stamped out into three pieces; these have their
edges turned over in the usual edging machine or otherwise. They are then placed
with edges interlocking on a bed plate, with grooves for joints made to suit, and
with edges shaped to arcs of two circles concentric at one point B. This bed plate
is shown with tin plate in position in Fig 1; in plan and in section (twice the size)
in Figs. 2 and 3, as A. At the point B is an arm C, carrying a pressing roller D,
preferably adjustable by screws d', d. This arm also carries some small flanged
rollers E, F, G, H, adjustable by means of screws e, f, g, h. As the arm C is brought
forward and back over the plate A by means of handle a, the roller D presses the
seams tight, roller E presses the edge over, rollers F and G continue the operation
till the edge is turned round in hook form ready for wiring. Roller H keeps the
arm C to its work by holding it against the plate A, on the lower flange of which
roller H runs. After a large number of flat plates for bodies are shaped in this
manner the edging rollers are taken off and another substituted for them. Each
plate is again placed on the table, the wire inserted into the hooked-over edge, and
the tin rolled over the wire. A hinged adjustable jaw I holds one end of the plate
during the operation, and the other end hooks itself onto the sharp edge of the
table. The raised edge of the table also keeps the edge forming the lower edge of
the bucket in place. Two machines could be used, one to edge and one to wire; in
this case no changing of rollers would be required.
After this shaping the plates are rolled to true cone shape, the two edges united,
and the cone placed on a hollow conical mandril This mandril and its accom-
panying mechanism is shown on Sheet 2, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2,
end elevation of face of mandril and accompanying mechanism drawn out of the
way to admit a can being placed on the mandril; Fig. 3, a half plan, with the
carriage drawn back, as in Fig. 2; Fig. 4, half end view of cam plate and mandril.
In these A is the hollow mandril, ventilated by means of holes in the back, and
open at front. B, handle actuating cam plate C, which by a simple movement
of rotation draws down the clamps D over the wired bead of the bucket, drawing it
up tight onto the mandril; E, E, are springs keeping cam plate C up to its work
when not forcibly pushed back by hand; F, F, fast and loose pulley for driving the
apparatus; G, a carriage or frame sliding transversely in slide H; I, a wheel
arranged on a frame J, pivotted on pivots J¹, J¹, so that it can be turned round on
the vertical axes by means of handle J, till when the carriage is drawn forward
the wheel I comes in contact with the can on A, and turns the edge down over the
edge of the bottom; K is another wheel running on a journal on arm L, pivotted at
L', so that it can be brought into the position shown in dots in Fig. 3, and complete
the turning down begun by wheel I, so that the edge of the can body is doubled
over the still projecting flange of the bottom piece; M is a third wheel running in
bearings on lever N, which is pivotted at N'; this turns down the threefold pro-
jecting edge against the bottom of the can; P is a fourth wheel pivotted in a

page_text: frame Q and worked by handlo R. These are precisely analogous to I, J, and Ja
respectively, and are for a similar purpose, namely, to lay flat and press tight and
smooth the work dono by the previous wheels. S is a clamp to hold the frame G
in its place in slido H.
The mode of action of this part of my Invention is as follows:-Drawing back
the carriago to the position shown in Drawings, I place a body partly on the cone.
I then slip in a bottom against tho mandril end, its projecting rim pointing outward.
I then slide the body forward and clamp the beading firmly, drawing all into
position. If properly shaped the edge of the can body will project nearly the length
of the flange on the bottom beyond said flange. I now draw forward the carriage
and clamp it. By means of the wheels I double the body flange over the projecting
bottom flange, and then flatten down both against the bottom. I then slackon the
clamp, draw the carriage Q back, unclamp the beading, and the can can be with-
drawn, the ventilation at the back of the hollow mandril preventing the can from
sticking by suction.
The
In making parallel tins similar apparatus is used with modifications.
quadrant table is exchanged for a rectangular one, the radial arm becomes a
parallel motion, its circular slide rest a rectilinear one, and the conical mandril a
cylindrical and preferably expanding one.
The exact arrangement too, of the rollers can be departed from, but those described
will, I think from my experiments hitherto, be found the most advantageous.
Having now described my Invention, and the best mode known to me of carrying
it into effect, I wish it to be understood that while I do not claim as new the use of
rollers to bend over and flatten down the edges of tin plates, yet I believe this bas
never been done before in the systematic way I have herein described, but that
what I believe to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is, -
First. The manufacture and use of apparatus for making conical or cylindrical
bodies for cans, buckets, or the like out of tinned iron, thin black iron, or other like
sheet material, in which the plates are fitted on a bed plate and their edges beut
over, flattened down, or wired, substantially as described and shown in Sheet 1.
Second. The manufacture and use of apparatus for fitting the ends to cans,
buckets, or the like, in which the cylindrical or conical part is held on a mandril
and its edges folded over, the upturned flange of the end and pressed against the
same by means of adjustable rollers or flatteners, substantially as shown in Sheet 2,
or described in the latter part of this Specification.
Third. The manufacture and use in can or bucket making of apparatus with a
series of rollers or flattening surfaces so arranged as to have a notion of translation
relatively to the edges to be turned along those edges when the latter are clamped
or fastened down or so placed as to be immovable in their supports, each roller or
flattener taking up the bending where the last left it until the edge or edges have
been bent round or flattened to the required contour, substantially as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Reid Gray, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty first day of October, in the year of our Lord One
IT
ROBERT REID GRAY. (L.s.)
Witness,
W P. TпоMPSON,
Of the Firm of Wm. P. Thompson & Co.,
Patent Agents,
Liverpool & London.