IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF NUTS FOR SCREW BOLTS AND SUCH LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Joseph Bramwell, of Great George Street,
Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 31st January 1865, and dated the 4th August 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Joseph
Bramwell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition. on the 4th August 1864.
I, FREDERICK JOSEPH BRAMWELL, of Great George Street, Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF NUTS FOR SCREW BOLTS AND SUCH LIKE
ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to the forging part of the process of nut making
or to the making of the nut blanks or the blanks of similar articles.
In carrying out my Invention I employ a machine by which I indent the
end of a bar of iron or other metal, heated if required to the desired tempe-
rature. The indentation is made parallel or nearly so to the axis of the bar,
[Price 8d.]

page_text: and is made as deep or deeper than the thickness of the intended nut. From
the indented end of the bar is severed a piece of sufficient size to form the
nut. The indentation at the end of the bar of metal may be effected while it
is within a die of the form of the exterior of the nut, or this indentation may
be made while the end of the bar is not in such a die, in which latter case the
piece to form the nut after being severed from the bar is operated upon by an
internal or external die or dies, or both, so as to bring it into the right form,
or if desired the piece of metal even when indented in a die may be sub-
sequently operated upon in other dies. In order to facilitate the formation of
the nut it is preferred that the section of the bar of metal should be similar to
that of the intended nut.
The machine is provided with a stop or gripping arrangement for holding
the bar while being indented, and the indented piece when cut off is carried
to the finishing dies, from which it is discharged when finished, or if desired
the finishing dies may be brought up to receive the piece, which when finished
will be discharged therefrom. The indented end of the bar is cut off there-
from either by shears or by a saw. When it is required to heat the bar I
prefer to do so by passing it through a furnace adapted to the machine, so
that while the end of the bar is being indented, other portions of the bar are
being heated in the furnace. For this purpose the furnace is provided with a
neck or flue, in which the heated gases operate upon the bar while it is being
fed through, and in order to make the operation more continuous I prefer
that the bar should be made up into long lengths.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
JOSEPH BRAMWELL, of Great George Street, Westminster, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, Her special license. that I, the
said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or

page_text: such others as I, the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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, usc, 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 NUTS FOR
SCREW BOLTS AND BUCH LIKE ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 Frederick Joseph Bramwell, do hereby.
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and asceriained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):---
Heretofore in the manufacture of nut blanks or similar articles by
machinery it has been the practice when making such blanks from bars of
metal to feed in such bars of metal by hand, and to make the hole for the
bolt in the side of such bars, the portion of metal required for the nut blank
being separated from the end of the bar, and the bar being of such form as to
be suitable for receiving, as already stated, the perforation for the bolt hole in
the side of the bar, that is to say, the depth or width of the bar has been
equal or nearly so to the intended diameter of the nut blank, and the thick-
ness of the bar has been equal or nearly so to the intended thickness of the
nut blank.
Now this mode of making nut blanks by machinery, and especially when
those blanks were intended for six-sided nuts, has been a source of very con-
siderable waste, inasmuch as the nut blanks were, as a rule, formed from flat
bars with straight edges, and thereby the portions of metal situated between
the succeeding six-sided nut blanks were wasted and reduced to the condition
of mere scrap. In order to obviate this objection, it has been proposed to
form the bar of metal with indented edges made so as to accord with the size
of six-sided nut blanks to be manufactured from such bar, but this mode
involved difficulties which have prevented its ever being extensively adopted.
Further, when the hole for the bolt is made in the side of a bar, although
machines are used by which a large portion of the metal which filled the

page_text: place afterwards occupied by the hole is driven into the body of the nut.
nevertheless, in all instances of machines in large practical use, a portion of
metal, technically called a wad, was not driven into the body of the nut, but
was separated therefrom, and became converted into mere scrap.
Now my Invention has for its object the doing away with the before-
mentioned objections, and the enabling nut blanks to be manufactured by
machinery with more certainty and less waste than that which accompanies
the present ordinary modes of manufacture, while at the same time the nut
blanks can be made from bars of ordinary sections, and such as are not more
costly than common inerchant bar iron.
In carrying out my Invention 1 employ a machine by which I indent the
end of a bar of iron or other metal, heated if required to the desired tem-
perature. The indentation is made parallel or nearly so to the axis of the bar,
and is by preference made as deep or deeper than the thickness of the intended
nut. From the indented end of the bar is severed a piece of sufficient size to
form the nut. The indentation at the end of the bar of metal may be effected
while it is within a die of the form of the exterior of the nut, or this inden-
tation may be made while the end of the bar is not in such a die, in which
latter case the piece to form the nut after being severed from the bar is
operated upon by an internal or external die or dies, or both, so as to bring it
into the right form, or if desired the piece of metal, even when indented in a
die may be subsequently operated on in other dies. In order to facilitate the
formation of the nut it is preferred that the section of the bar of metal should
be similar to that of the intended nut.
The machine is provided with a stop or gripping arrangement for holding
the bar while being indented, and the indented piece when cut off is carried
to the finishing dies, from which it is discharged when finished, or if desired
the finishing dies may be brought up to receive the piece, which when finished
will be discharged therefrom. The indented end of the bar is cut off there-
from either by shears or by a saw, and a nut blank with a hole through it is
thus formed.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention of improvements upon the
present manufacture of nut blanks by machinery, I will now proceed to refer
to the Drawings hereunto annexed for the purpose of explaining the con-
struction of a machine thereon delineated, which machine is put forward by
me as being one constructed so as to enable my Invention to be carried out;
but I do not mean to confine myself to the mechanical details therein shewn.
Sheet - Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the elevation of the machine;
Fig. 2 is a transverse section showing principally the saw and grip box;

page_text: Fig. 3, a transverse section showing the means of rotating the plate f;
Fig. 4 is a transverse section showing the mode of operating the slide
E, G; Fig. 5 is a transverse section showing the apparatus for working the
toggle.
Sheet 2. Fig. 6 is a plan of the machine; Fig. 7, a portion of a longi-
tudinal section; and Fig. 8, a portion of a plan of a modification of the machine
shown in Figures 1 to 6.
Sheet 3. Fig. 9, the times of the cams of machine, Figures 1 to 6;
Fig. 10, the times of the cams on shaft of machine, Figures 7 to 8; Fig. 11,1
times of the cams of the shaft of the machine, Figures 7 and 8.
a is the framing of the machine; b is the cam shaft carried in bearings b',
and driven by any suitable power operating in any convenient way, say by
actuating the spur wheel b2; 3 is a fly wheel on the shaft b, or a fly wheel
may be placed upon a shaft carrying the pinion that drives the wheel b.
c is a cam on the shaft b, which cam, by means of a lever and a forked
rod c, works a toggle joint c", having a motion the extent of which is capable
of being varied, but is so arranged that whatever may be the length of the
stroke, the links, when at their full throw upwards, are in a straight line or
nearly so, the variation of the length of the stroke being made in the down-
ward motion, and being effected by the alteration of the position of the ful-
crum of the lever c¹. The toggle joint works a cross head c', supported by
guides c c" is a shaft on which is the wheel c', capable of endway motion as
well as of rotation. The stepped circumference of the wheel c is interposeḍ
between the cross head c' and a thrust bar c, which works along the cavity
in the grip box d. The stepped wheel c' is made to rotate by means of a
weight c, suspended to a chain coiled round about the boss of the wheel c'.
The shaft has a tendency always to move endways in one direction, and this
tendency is produced by means of a weight co, the cord of which is attached
to a collar operating upon the shaft c". c is a winch handle on the shaft c",
by which, after the weight c" has descended, it can be wound up again to
repeat the operation of turning the wheel c. Stops (not shewn on the
Drawing) are provided to prevent the wheel c from being turned too far in
either direction. c is a catch by which, when the weight c" is wound up, the
winch handle may be locked to prevent the wheel from rotating until
required. The grip box d is provided with a moveable part d', which is
fulcruined at , and has a counterweight sufficiently heavy to cause this
moving part to open when it is not restrained by its connection with the latch
of the rod d'; this rod by means of the spring has always a tendency to

page_text: lock itself over the moving part d' of the grip box d; d is attached to a
lever do, which receives its motion from the cam d carried on the cam
shaft b. To adapt the machine to make various sizes of nuts, and to operate
on various sizes of iron, d is a changeable mouthpiece or tool applied to the
grip box d, and d is a changeable lining for the grip box, such tool and
lining being each in two portions fastened to the grip box d and the moveable
part d' respectively, and in the same way the thrust bar c is to be changed to
accord with the size of the iron, and likewise a wheel with a different size of
step is to be provided in the place of the one shewn as c', the difference, in the
size of the step being made suitable to the thickness of nut required to be
formed.
The mouthpiece and lining of the grip box are, by preference, to have
their interior shape to suit that of the bar of metal to be gripped in them,
which bar of metal I prefer to be of the same form as that of the finished
nut, say a six-sided bar for a six-sided nut, and a square bar for a square nut,
but this is not absolutely indispensable, as the indenting tool, in indenting the
metal, will, in many cases when the metal is hot and very plastic, swell the
outside of the end of the bar until it assumes the form of the die box. I also
prefer that the cavity in the die box should be somewhat larger than that in
the grip box, so that the metal to be employed will be somewhat less in
section than that of the nut made from it; when this is the case, I then much
prefer the bar of metal to have the same form as the nut. When pieces of
heated iron of considerable length are fed into the grip box, it may be desi-
rable to form the lining of that box of fire tile or other refractory material
made to the required form, and thus prevent a too rapid cooling of the heated
metal. e is an indenting tool of a size fit for the perforation to be made in
any particular dimension of nut blank, and therefore capable of being changed
for other tools of varying diameters according to the size of the nut. This
tool is provided with packings e¹ and ea to regulate its endway position. e³ is
a key at the back of the packings e; e' is the sliding holder in which c is
carried; e is actuated by one of the vertical limbs on a shaft worked by the
lever e, which derives its motion from the cam ce on the cam shaft b. e', e',
are springs applied to the axis es of the lever e to admit of that axis yielding
should the indenting tool e meet with any improper obstruction. is the
die holder and transferer; it is carried on the axle f', supported in the bear-
ings . In the plate are two dies f, f, capable of being changed so as
to be replaced by other dies having their interior cavities of a form adapted to
the particular size of nut being made. On the axle f' is a disc f', having four

page_text: In
slots,, terminating in V's at their outer extremities. f,, are discs
on the cam shaft b, carrying two pins F, f, suitable for engaging in the
slots f, and placed at such distances apart as that when the pin is leaving
one of the slots f the pin f shall be engaging with another slot f.
this way at every revolution of the cam shaft b the disc will be caused
to make a half turn; f' is a wedge-shaped catch suitable for engaging in
the V's at the ends of the slots f, f, and owing to the spring 10, it has
always a tendency so to engage, but by means of the cam projection " is
restrained and prevented from so doing except at the times required. f, f,
are a pair of guard plates to prevent the nut blank from falling out of the
die during the time the blank is being transferred. g and gare tools
working in die boxes and g; g₁ is hollow, and works over the stationary
pin g attached to the fixing g. These tools, boxes, and pins are capable of
being removed and of being replaced by other tools, boxes, and pins suitable
for the size of nut blank being made. g is carried in a sliding holder g, and
is worked by the other vertical limb on the shaft actuated by the lever e",
already mentioned, and is adjusted endways by the packings g', g, and is held
in position by the key g"; g' and g" are carried in the block g10; g¹ is operated
on by the lever g", which is carried in the fulcrum g, and is worked by the
cam g on the shaft b. g is an incline on to which the nuts fall when they
are delivered from the die box g", and by which they are conveyed clear away
from the machine. h is a circular saw carried on a shaft , and supported
in bearings, h, which are formed in the upper part of the frame h³, which
is pivotted on a shaft at h, and is made to vibrate by means of the antifriction
bowle near the end of the arm h, which bowle receives its motion from the
cam h upon the cam shaft b, against which cam the bowle is constantly
pressed by means of the weight h; h is a driving pulley upon the axle ',
and is caused to rotate by means of the band or strap 10 driven from a rigger
or pulley on any suitable shaft, which shaft is not shewn in the Drawings.
i is a cam fixed on the cam shaft b, which by means of the implement
operates upon the shaft ', and thereby either holds it so that the transfer
presses against the mouth of the grip box d. or moves it so as to leave room
between and the grip box for the saw h.
Having now referred to the principal parts of which the before-mentioned
machine is composed, I will proceed to describe its action. I will assume
hat it has been provided with the stepped wheel, the thrust bar c, mouth-
piece . lining d" for the grip box d, the indentor e, the dies f, f, the tools
and die boxes g. g. 92, g, and pin g, all suitable for making one particular

page_text: size of nut, say, for example, an ordinary six-sided nut for a three-quarter
bolt, and I will assume that a bar of metal (say, iron) has been duly heated
in a furnace to such a heat as to render it readily workable. The workman
then lays hold of the winch handle c", and causes the wheel c' to revolve until
arrested by the stop, which will be the case when the thinnest part of its
stepped circumference is brought opposite to the thrust bar e, in which posi-
tion the handle is retained by the operation of the catch c¹. The workman
then draws back the rod d' and liberates the moveable part d¹ of the grip
box d, which is thereupon by the weight caused to open, he then draws
back the thrust bar ca until it comes against the stepped wheel c', and thereby
he leaves in the grip box da cavity adapted to receive the heated piece of
iron, which he takes from the furnace and places in the cavity; he then raises
the weight, and thereby closes the lid of the grip box d, and at the same
time causes it to be held down by its engagement with the latch of the bar d',
which after having been thrust out of the way by the moveable part d' of the
grip box d in the act of closing, is by the spring d' caused to return and take
hold of the moveable part d' of the grip box. The workman now raises the
catch, and thereby leaves the wheel c' at liberty to be operated upon by its
weight c. On the next occasion of the toggle joint descending and drawing
back the sliding cross head c', the weight e causes the wheel c' to follow that
bar back, and so soon as the wheel c' has traversed endways sufficiently for
the next step upon it to be clear of the end of the thrust bars, the weight c³
will cause the step wheel to make a portion of a revolution equal to one step,
but it will be prevented from moving further by the next step coming in
contact with the thrust bar c³. The toggle joint then begins to make its
upward movement, and drives the wheel c against the thrust bar c, and this
latter against the piece of heated iron, which it forces along the grip box d,
which during the time the iron is being so moved is by the action of the
cam d held with its two parts slightly separated, so that the iron may readily
traverse along the grip box the amount of traverse, viz., the length from one
step to another on the stepped wheel c'; at the time when the bar of iron is
being moved along the grip box d the plate f is held locked by the catch",
so that one of the dies is immediately opposite the outlet of the grip box d,
while the other die f' is opposite the dies and die boxes g, g', g, g³, the heated
bar therefore as it protrudes from the end of the grip box d is received into
one of the dies f'. When the iron has thus been moved along the grip box d,
the toggle joint c³ is by the action of its cam c held in its upward position,
and thereby kept fully distended, so as to maintain the thrust against the bar

page_text: of. iron, and the cam d by its action operates on the rod d', so as to cause the
moveable part d' of the grip box to be brought to grip the bar of iron. the
iron being thus thrust against and held in the grip box, the indenter e comes
forward and indents the end of the bar to a depth (by preference, and as
shewn), equal to or greater than the thickness of the nut intended to be
made. The indenter c then retires, and the cam i. by its operation through
the implement i, separates the plate a sufficient distance from the mouth of
the grip box to admit of the revolving saw being operated by the cam,
so as to cause it to saw through the bar of iron between the plate f and the
mouth of the grip box. and thus separate from the bar the perforated portion
contained within the die the revolving saw then retires. When the
indenter e has gone back, so as to be clear of the plate f, the cam moves
the catch and allows the disc to be operated on by the pin f and f.
the first of which at this time comes into play, and thus the disc f' is caused
to make a half revolution, communicating a similar amount of motion to the
plate f. so that one of the dies f. which, during the operation first described,
was opposite to the mouth of the grip box, is with the perforated piece of iron
within it transferred so as to be opposite to the tools and die boxes y, g', 9, 9³.
while that one of the dies which was opposite to the tool and die boxes
is transferred to be opposite to the mouth of the grip box. During the
transference of the partially finished nut blank from its position opposite the
grip box to its second position opposite the tools and die boxes g, g', g², g². it
is, as has already been stated, prevented from falling out of the die by
means of the side guide plates . During the latter part of the half revo-
lution of the plate . the projection on the disc has got out of the way
of the lever of the catch, so that when the next. V notch at the end of
a slot in the disc comes opposite the catch f, that catch falls into
the V notch, and locks the disc and the plate . and owing to the V-form
of the notch and catch adjusts the position of the plate
taking up and rendering harmless any amount of slack or
may have been in the parts. During this revolution of the
has moved so as to allow the plate f, when it has made its half revolution, to
he close to the mouth of the grip box as before; at this time the cam shaft
has made one entire revolution from the position in which it was supposed to
stand at the commencement of this description, and the machine will then
go on to repeat during the next revolution of the shaft the operations of
pushing forward the bar of iron, and of indenting and sawing off the end so
indented, and of transferring it in the manner already described. But while
the indenting tool e is operating on the end of the bar so next put forward,
with accuracy,
back lash there
plate f the cam i

page_text: the tool g is being caused to advance by the action of one of the vertical
limbs on the shaft e that works the indenting tool, and thereby it drives the
portion of iron perforated at the last operation, and which has now been
transferred opposite to this tool g out of the die f, in which it was trans-
ferred into the die box g, and there presses it between itself and the tool g',
and the piece of iron being thus pressed on the two faces and confined about
the sides receives the finishing operation to make it into a perfect nut blank.
At the time the indenting tool c retires the tool g also retires, so that by the
time the indenting tool e has got clear of its end of the plate f the tool g has
got clear also of its end of the plate f. which is thus, as far as e and gare
concerned, at liberty to make the half revolution already mentioned. While
the plate is making this half revolution the cam operates through the
lever and pushes forward the tool g', and thereby drives the finished nut
out of the box g. The finished nut blank then falls upon the incline g, and
is delivered from the machine. In the event of the nut blank adhering to the
tool g', or otherwise sticking so as not to fall away on to the incline the
plate while making its half revolution will strike by its edge the nut blank
so adhering and will force it on to the incline ", and will clear it away from
the machine. When the nut blank has been driven out of the box the
cam by its movement allows the tool g' to retreat into the box, so as to be
ready to receive the fresh nut blank brought round by the plate f. From the
foregoing description it will be seen that after the first portion of the end of
the bar of iron is indented and cut off, there is a nut blank being finished
at the same time that a fresh portion of a bar of iron is being indented,
and that thus the two operations of indenting and finishing are going on
simultaneously.
My Invention may be carried out not only by the machine above described.
but by many modifications of it, of which I will now proceed to give a few
instances. For certain purposes it may be sufficient to do no further work to
the nut blank after it has been sawn off the end of the bar, and in this casc
the various parts lettered g, g', might be dispensed with except the tool g and
die box g, which would be retained for the purpose of delivering the nut.
blank out of that die which had been brought round opposite g. g. This
modification is so simple as to be capable of being understood from the fore-
going description without the aid of a Drawing.
Another instance of a modification would be the substitution of a shear
blade for the circular saw. Having already shewn a mode by which
the saw is made to advance across the face of the intended nut blank
and to retire therefrom, the method of performing the same operation by

page_text: means of an advancing and retiring shear blade need not be more particularly
described.
Figures 7 and 8, Sheet II., show so much of a nut-making machine as is
necessary to illustrate another instance of modification in which a circular saw
is not employed, neither is there any separate shear blade, but the severance
of the indented end of the metal bar is effected by means of an indenting tool
and of its die box, which being caused to move simultaneously in a direction
across the face of the grip box act in conjunction therewith as a pair of shears
to shear off the perforated end of the bar. The greater part of the framing
and many of the working parts are omitted from the Drawings, and also
from the following description. The omitted parts are to be taken as being
similar to those in the machine already described, as is also the framing, but
with such common alterations as will adapt it to the altered positions of the
various parts of the apparatus. The arrangement so far as the parts are
shewn or described is as follows:-d is the mouth of the grip box, in front of
which is the apparatus m carried in guides m', and capable of being made to
traverse to and fro across the face of the grip box. This traversing is effected
at the right time by means of the cam m (fixed on a cam shaft r), which
cam through the rod m communicates motion to the apparatus m. The cam
shaft is driven by gearing, not shewn in the Drawing, off the cam shaft b. the
gearing being so proportioned that the cam shaft z makes only half a revo-
lution, while the cam shaft. b makes an entire revolution. On the left-hand
side of the grip box is a die box n, and at an equal distance on the right hand
is a similar die box n', these boxes are fitted with hollow dies or bottoms ², 7",
in the hollow of which dies are situated the fixed pins n', '. The bottoms
,, are made to advance at the right time by means of a cam
the cam shaft a, and operating through the double-ended lever n
upon the die box bottoms ", n³.
fixed on
alternately
In the apparatus m there are two die boxes o, o', situated at the same
distances apart centre to centre as that which separates the centre of the grip
box and those of the die boxes and n' respectively to the left and right of
it, the amount of motion of the apparatus m is equal to that of the distance
before mentioned, so that the die box o may be placed either opposite the grip
box or opposite the die box n, and the die box o' may be placed either oppo-
site the grip box or opposite the die box n'. The die boxes o and o¹ are
respectively provided with indenting tools o, o, these tools o, o, work within
hollow die box bottoms o, o"; these hollow bottoms have a constant tendency
to retire within their respective die boxes o and o', which tendency is produced
by a spring o", and unless forced and held out by the means hereafter described

page_text: the die box bottoms o, o, are drawn within their boxes as far back as the
stops o, o permit them to retire. At the back of the apparatus m there is
a sliding piece o", which is carried on another sliding piece o". This latter
sliding piece is provided with a projection o", by which it receives motion
from the cam o on the cam shaft b, the sliding piece o¹ also carries a
powerful spring o³, and so long as the tools that are to be worked by the
piece o meet with no improper obstruction, the sliding piece o is caused to
move with the sliding piece o¹0, but if the tools meet with an improper obstruc-
tion, then the spring o¹³ yields and prevents accident. The sliding piece o
has three adjustable projections, the central projection o" works that indenting
tool which may be opposite the grip box, the side projections o¹³, o¹, work
respectively the die box bottoms o, o, when those bottoms are opposite the
die boxes n and n'; o, o¹, are inclined faces, against which the ends of the
indenter o, o, respectively bear as they travel from opposite the grip box to
opposite the die boxes n, n', and by this means the indenting tools when they
have passed away from the neighbourhood of the grip box are caused to pro-
trude a short distance through the faces of the nut blanks. To enable this
to be done without the nut blank being thereby partially driven out of its
die boxes, those boxes perform their traverse opposite the surface p, by which
means the nut blank is prevented from quitting its box, while owing to there
being a recess or chase p' formed in the surface p, the indenting tools have
space afforded them for their protrusion. After either of the inclines 017, 018
has pushed forward its indenting tool, it is on the return of that indenting
tool to be opposite the grip box, caused to descend by having its upper end
made with an incline, so that the back of the indenting tool may slide over
it, pressing it down in the act of so doing, and when the indenting tool has
passed it is brought up again by a spring o¹. The action of this machine
is as follows: Assume that the apparatus m is at the left-hand end of
its traverse, so that the die box o is opposite the die box and the die box o¹
opposite the grip box d, and assume that in the die box o is a nut blank
which has by the previous act of the machine been indented and sheared off
the end of the bar in the grip box, and that a fresh portion of iron has
just been protruded from the grip box into the die box o'. The sliding
piece o", with the three projections o", o, o, now advances, and the middle
projection o presses on the end of the indenter o¹, and drives it into the end
of the bar. At the same time the projection o presses on the die box
bottom o, and drives it forward, and thereby forces the nut blank from off the
indenter (which as before stated has been by the act of the incline o made
to protrude a short distance beyond the face of the nut blank) and drives the

page_text: nut blank into the die box n. and over the stationary pin n; the nut is thus
pressed on the two faces between the die box bottoms n° and o, and having
within it, and being confined at the sides by the die
the stationary pin
hox n, is perfected. During the time these operations are taking place the
cam has moved, so as to cause the die box bottom n to advance, and thereby
drive out of the nut box n' the nut blank that had been finished there by the
previous operation of the machine. The can now makes a further move-
ment, whereby the spring of is allowed to draw back the bottom of of the die
box o, which takes with it the indenter o² until o' is stopped at its maximum
distance backward by the stop o. The cam m³ now by its further movement
causes the apparatus m to travel towards the right hand, and the end of the
indenting tool being fair with the face of the grip box, the indented and
heated end of the bar is sheared off and carried in its die box o' towards and
to the right-hand die box n'. During its passage the indenter is protruded
by the incline ots (which at that time is elevated so as to be opposite the end
of the indentor o) through the face of the nut blank, by which means any thin
film of metal, called technically fins," or "thins," or "Hashes," that may
remain after the shearing is driven outwards from the nut blank, so that when
the nut blank is transferred onto the stationary pin ", these films may not be
forced into the nut at the risk of making an unsound hole, which would in the
subsequent operation of tapping form thread that might split off. When the
apparatus m has completed its full traverse to the right the moveable part of
the grip box is relaxed, and a fresh portion of iron is fed forward into the die
hox o, and at this time the cam shaft has performed a complete revolution
from the position in which it was supposed to be at the time this description
was commenced, the cam shaft having performed a half revolution.
I have not thought it desirable to show a separate view of each of the cams
employed, but have confined myself to showing on the side views of the cams the
amount of traverse which each of them is capable of giving, and to pointing out
on the Diagrams, Figs. 9, 10, and 11, the commencement and termination of
their times of action, as in this way the relative operations of the cams are made
more clear than they would be were the cams shewn separately and in detail,
and having by these Diagrams given the beginnings and ends of the motions
to be performed by the cams, and having shown in the side view the extent of
the travel caused by them, any workman conversant with the setting out of
cams will at once know from the directions thus given how to construct each
individual cam. will merely observe that I prefer they should, as is well
understood, be so made as to communicate a motion commencing gradually
and coming to rest gradually.

page_text: I would further observe, that in lieu of the particular cams and modes of
performing the return action shewn on the Drawings, other cams may be
substituted at the discretion of the workman, as, for instance, edge cams may
be put in the place of cylinder cams, and these latter in the place of edge cams,
and so on, proper alterations being made in the levers or rods to adapt them to
the change; and the return motion may be effected either as shewn, or by the
interchange of any of the means shown, or by any other of the ordinary modes
which comprise the use of can paths with the antifriction bowls contained
within such path, and actuated thereby in both directions, the use of weights
or springs to cause the parts to have a constant tendency to follow the cams or
the use of counter cams, that is separate cams made to operate on suitable
levers, and thereby to cause the reverse motions to be effected, all of which
matters require no further explanation from me, as they are well understood by
workmen of ordinary ability engaged in the manufacture of machinery in
which cams are employed.
I have described the transfer plate f in the machine shewn at Figures 1 to 6
inclusive as having a movement of rotation, and the apparatus m in the last
described modification as having a sliding movement, but it is evident that f
might be arranged to work by a sliding movement, there being a suitable
number of die boxes provided, and that the apparatus m might be made to
act by a movement of rotation; also that the movement of rotation might be
either always in one direction, as described for f. or might reciprocate; and
further, that instead of the movement amounting to a semi circle during the
production of one nut blank, it might be made to amount to a very different
portion of a whole revolution, the exact amount depending upon the number
of dies in the circumference of the plate f or its equivalent, care being taken
that there be space enough left between the dies to admit of the discharge of
the finished nut blank from the boxes in which they are completed. Although
I have shewn the determination of the traverse in each direction of the
apparatus m, and also the holding of the apparatus at the ends respectively of
its traverse to be due solely to the action of the cam m, it is clear that a
certain amount of back lash might be left in the parts, and that the final ad-
justment of the position of the apparatus, and its retention in those positions.
might be effected by means of latches, similar in principle and mode of
action to the V latch spoken of in the description of the machine, Figures 1
to 6; but all these changes are some among the many modifications have
spoken of, but not described, as being readily and obviously made in the
machinery used by me to carry out my Invention.
Having thus described the nature and action of the machine shewn on the

page_text: Drawings, and having given instances of some of the many modifications
that may be made therein without departing from my Invention. I declare
that I claim as my Invention the making of nut blanks as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I. the said Frederick Josephi Bramwell, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
F. J. BRAMWELL. (...)