IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF HORSE-SHOE NAILS, AND IN THE APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF HORSE-SHOE NAILS, AND IN THE APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED
THEREIN."-A communication from abroad by Jacob Davy Kings-
land, of Burlington, in the State of Vermont, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th September 1869.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66,,Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF HORSE-SHOE NAILS, AND IN THE APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the formation by rolling or otherwise
of iron plates (out of which horse-shoc nails are to be punched) of a

page_text: peculiar shape for the purpose of saving the raw material and giving
proper form to the nails.
Secondly. To the construction of the punches and dies by which the
said nails are produced, whereby the expense of constructing and keeping
them in repair may be materially reduced.
The opposite edges of the rolled plate are of such shape and thickness
as to give to the heads of the horse-shoe nails when the same are
punched out (transversely of the plate) a suitable shape; the plate also
gradually diminishes in thickness towards the centre thereof. The plates
will generally be rolled singly, but by having rolls properly constructed
several plates may be rolled in one bar or sheet and then be cut apart.
In punching out the nails transversely of the plate (the thick squared
edges forming the heads of the nails) the point of each nail will extend
about half an inch beyond the centre and thinnest part of the plate.
This is important, as it is very desirable. that the point of the nail should
be a little thicker than the stem a little in rear of the point, and as the
plate is the thinnest in the centre the projection of the pail beyond the
centre gives the desired form.
-
The punches and dies which are used in manufacturing the nails from
the above-described plates differ from those heretofore used for similar
purposes. The cutters or punches take in plan view the profile of the
nail, and they are firmly secured in any given number in their proper
position in the press by means of steel blocks or sections, which embrace
the cutters and are clamped firmly thereto, grooves corresponding with
the shape of the cutters or punches being formed in the sides of the
steel sections to receive the punches. When therefore one of the cutters
becomes broken or dull it can be removed, repaired, and returned to its
proper place. If any one of the cutters or punches should be broken it
can be taken out, ground down, and put back in its place. The dies
are constructed in a similar manner, consisting merely of steel sections
with grooves so formed that when the sections are secured together by
means of bolts and screws the spaces or openings corresponding with the
shape of the nails will be left extending through from the top to the
bottom of the dies.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th March 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in
the thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
Her special licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HORSE-SHOE NAILS, AND IN THE
APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN," being a communication to me from
abroad by Jacob Davy Kingsland, of Burlington, in the State of Vermont,
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the formation by rolling or otherwise
of iron plates out of which horse-shoe nails are to be punched of a

page_text: peculiar shape for the purpose of saving the raw material and giving
proper form to the nails.
Secondly. To the construction of the punches and dies by which the
said nails are produced, whereby the expense of constructing and keeping
them in repair may be materially reduced.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 represents a face view of an
iron plate formed in the shape adopted by me for being manufactured
into horse-shoe nails; Fig. 2 represents a sectional view of said plate,
the plane of section being indicated by the line x, x, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3
represents the skeleton of said plate after the nails have been punched
out; Fig. 4 represents the nail itself; Fig. 5 represents a perspective
view of the punch and dies used in producing the nails from the said
plates; Fig. 6 represents a sectional view of the punch, the plane of
section being indicated by the line x, x, of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 represents a
sectional view of a portion of the punch, the plane of section being
indicated by the line y, y, of Fig. 5; Fig. 8 represents a top view of the
dies; Fig. 9 represents an inverted plan view shewing the cutting ends
of the punches; and Figures 10 and 11 represent respectively the side
and end views of the cutting parts of the dies. The same letters refer
to the same part in the several Figures.
It will be observed that the plate, as shown in the Figures 1 and 2, is
so formed that the two opposite edges a and b are of. suitable shape and
thickness to form the heads of the horse-shoe nails when the same are
punched out, and that the plate gradually diminishes in thickness
towards the centre thereof. This plate is formed from ordinary plate
iron of suitable width and thickness by being passed hot through rolls,
the rolls being so constructed that the passage of the plate through them
will leave the edges a and b raised, as shewn. The plate in passing
through the rolls is rolled in a line with the grain of the iron, so that
the plate will not spread sideways. These plates are generally rolled
singly, but by having rolls properly constructed several of said plates
may be rolled in one bar or sheet and then be cut apart.
The process of forming iron sheets or plates of various forms by
passing them through rolls is so well understood by mechanics that any
further description is unnecessary. These plates however may be formed
into the desired shape by swaging instead of rolling. After the plate is
formed as shewn the nails are cut or punched out, as shewn by the dotted
lines in Figures 1 and 3, the grain of the iron being in all cases length-

page_text: wise of the nail. After the punching is completed the skeleton of the
plate on both sides is left in the form shewn at d, d, d, d, in Fig. 3. It
will be observed in Fig. 3 that the point of each nail extends about half
an inch beyond the centre and thinnest part of the plate. This is an
important advantage, as it is very desirable that the point of the nail
should be a little thicker than the stem a little in rear of the point, and
as the thinnest part of the plate is at the centre the projection of the
nail beyond the centre gives the desired form.
The punches and dies used in manufacturing the nails from the
above-described plates differ from those heretofore employed for similar
purposes. The cutters 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, Fig. 5, are of the form and shape
shewn in Figures 10 and 11, and are firmly secured in their proper
position in the press by means of steel blocks or sections e, e, e, e, e, e,
the bolts j,j, and clamps k, k. Between the steel sections e, e, e, e, e, e,
are grooves corresponding with the shape of the cutters or punches into
which said cutters are placed: Should one of the cutters be broken or
become dull by loosening the nuts to the bolts j,j, said cutter can be
removed, repaired, and returned to its proper place without interfering
with the other cutters. If any one of the cutters or punches should be
broken it can be taken out, ground down, and put back in its place.
Should the cutter then repaired be too short to reach to the top surface
of the steel sections or blocks the intermediate space can be filled up
with iron or steel plugs to prevent the said cutter or punch from being
driven upward. The dies are constructed in a similar manner, consisting
merely of steel sections with grooves so formed that when the sections
are secured together by means of the bolts and screws n, n, the spaces or
openings i, i, i, i, i, i, corresponding with the shape of the nails will be
left extending through from the top to the bottom of the dies.
Punches and dies thus constructed can be made much more expe-
ditiously and kept in repair more cheaply than those formed in the
usual manner: Punches and dies are usually constructed out of solid
blocks or picces of steel, so that if any portion of the operating
part of the punch or die becomes broken the entire punch or die is
destroyed or must be laid aside for repairs. As these punches and dies
are very expensive it will readily be observed that the use of the sectional
punch and die will effect a considerable economy in the manufacture.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of improvements in
the manufacture of horse-shoe nails, and in the apparatus to be employed,

page_text: as communicated to me from abroad, and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the
above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First. The compound cutting apparatus consisting of the series of dies
and the series of cutters constructed substantially as herein described.
Secondly. The method herein set forth of making nails for horse-shoes,
namely, by first rolling the plate to the form described and represented
by Figures 1 and 2, and then cutting the nails therefrom by means of
the series of dies and series of cutters secured or formed in sectional
holders, all as herein described.
Thirdly. Forming horse-shoe nails thinner a short distance from the
point than at the point, in the manner above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
set my