IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF CLIPS OR SPRING BOXES FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO. BE EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jacob Walker, of Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF CLIPS OR SPRING BOXES FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES,
AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO. BE EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 7th January 1868, and dated the 13th July 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jacob Walker at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th July
1867.
I, JACOB WALKER, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF CLIPS OR SPRING BOXES FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES,
AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows
(that is to say):-
This Invention consists in making the clips or spring boxes for railway and
other carriages by taking a strip or plate of iron of sufficient length to form
a clip when the ends shall have been closed, and heating it to a pliable state;
it is then bent upon a suitable tool into a hollow or arched form and the two
ends parallel to each other, but with one end slightly longer than the other if
it is intended to form a closed spring box. Thus operated upon the blank is
reheated if necessary and taken to a machine consisting of a strong holster or
standard carrying shafts and dies, advanced to and from a common centre by
the operation of cams driven by toothed wheel or other suitable gearing, and

page_text: is placed with the open end downwards upon an anvil formed upon the holster
of the machine. This anvil is grooved on the top to receive the thickness of
the metal, and is of smaller guage than the clip or box desire to be
produced; this difference of size is compensated for in the width by the
employment of a loose wedge filling plug inserted between the anvil and
the metal blank; in this position the side dies are caused to advance and
close the metal upon the sides of the anvil and the filling plug, recesses being
sunk in the meeting faces of the dies to allow for the thickness of metal;
thus held between the dies and the anvil a power hammer is brought
to bear upon the head of the metal blank, by which means the arch form of
such head is flattened into the end of an oblong or side of a square, as the
case may be, any excess of metal being forced into the angles; this done the
action of the dies is withdrawn and the filling plug is removed from the anvil,
and a jigger or lever contrivance placed below the anvil is brought into
operation, throwing the blank upwards and releasing it from the anvil; this
completes the formation of an open three-sided clip; but if desired to close the
fourth side, the next process is that of scarfing the edges of the two.ends
required to be united or welded; which is effected by heating and hammering,
and the blank form is then taken in a heated state to the bending tool before
named, where the two ends are made to close upon each other, after which
process it is again removed to the anvil and the finished end placed down-
wards, the hammer being brought into action as before; the ends of the clip
under operation are securely welded and flattened, which completes the clip.
Steam, hydraulic, or other power may be employed with this machinery.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jacob Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JACOB
WALKER, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Machinist, send
greeting. :
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Jacob Walker, Her special license that I, the said Jacob Walker, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jacob Walker, my

page_text: 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 MANU-
FACTURE OF CLIPS OR SPRING BOXES FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES, AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Jacob Walker, 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 Jacob Walker, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
--
This Invention consists in making the clips or spring boxes for railway and
other carriages by taking a strip or plate of iron of sufficient length to form a
clip when the euds shall have been closed, and heating it to a pliable
state; it is then bent upon a suitable tool into a hollow or arched form
and the two ends parallel to each other, but with one end slightly longer than
the other if it is intended to form a closed spring box. Thus operated
upon the blank is rebeated, if necessary, and taken to a machine consisting
of a strong holster or standard carrying shafts and dies advanced to and from
a common centre by the operation of cams driven by toothed wheel or other
suitable gearing, and is placed with the open end downwards upon an anvil
formed upon the bolster of the machine. This anvil is grooved on the top to
receive the thickness of the metal, and is of smaller guage than the clip or.
box desired to be produced; this difference of size is compensated for in the
width by the employment of a loose wedge or filling plug inserted between.
the anvil and the metal. blank; in this position the side dies are caused to
advance and close the metal upon the sides of the anvil and the filling plug,
recesses being sunk in the meeting faces of the dies to allow for the thickness
of metal; thus held between the dies and the anvil a power hammer is brought
to bear upon the head of the metal blank, by which means the arch form of
such head is flattened into the end of an oblong or side of a square, as the
case may be, any excess of metal being forced into the angles; this done the

page_text: action of the dies is withdrawn and the filling plug is removed from the anvil,
and a jigger or lever contrivance placed below the anvil is brought into opera-
tion throwing the blank upwards and releasing it from the anvil. This
completes the formation of an open three-sided clip, but if desired to close the
fourth side, the next process is that of scarfing the edges of the two ends
required to be united or welded, which is effected by heating and hammering,
and the blank form is then taken in a heated state to the bending tool before
named, where the two ends are made to close upon each other, after which
process it is again removed to the anvil and the finished end placed down-
wards, the hammer being brought into action as before, the ends of the clip
under operation are securely welded and flattened, which completes the clip.
Steam, hydraulic, or other power inay be employed with this machinery.
I will now proceed to describe my Invention more fully in detail, and by
aid of the Drawings hereunto attached.
Figure 1 represents a strip or plate of iron of sufficient length to form a
clip or spring box for railway and other carriages after it has passed through
the various stages of the improved manufacture, which are respectively
exhibited in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, all these Drawings being shewn one-
quarter full size.
The strip, as seen at Figure 1, is first heated to a pliable state, it is then
bent upon a suitable and ordinary bending tool into a hollow or arch form,
Figure 2, the two straight portions being parallel to each other, but with one
end slightly longer than the other, if it is intended to form a closed spring
box. Thus operated upon the blank, Figure 2, is re-heated if necessary and
taken to the machinery represented in front elevation and sectional plan at
Figures 7 and 8, and which consists of a strong holster or casting (a) for the
purpose of carrying an adjustable anvil die (6), which passes through the
holster (a) and is secured at the back of the holster by means of a rod passing
through lugs (a, a¹,) formed upon the casting (a) and through the anvil
die (6). The anvil die (b) is grooved or sunk on its upper surface as at (6¹),
Figure 8, for the purpose of receiving the thickness of the metal under opera-
tion, and it is of smaller guage than the clip or box desired to be formed, that
is to say, a recess is formed on the one side of the anvil die (6), aud, for
instance, as seen at (c), Figures 7 and 8. (d) is the anvil block, which has its
seating in the bed of the machine, and upon which is placed suitable metal
packing or filling-in pieces according to the size of clip desired.
The blank already described at Figure 2 is placed upon the anvil die (6)
with the open or unclosed end downwards, and the filling wedge piece, shown
in Figure 9, is inserted in the recess (c) and held in that position, when the

page_text: blank will be ready for the action of side dies (e), which are actuated to
and from the centre of the machine or anvil die by the operation of cams upon
the shafts (f) mounted in suitable bearings (¹), and these cams work within
slide boxes (9), in which are fitted the dies (e). The shafts (f) are here
sbewn as being driven by the pinions (h) engaging in similar pinions (h¹)
attached upon the shaft (i), upon the one end of which is mounted the cog
wheel (k) actuated by a smaller cog pinion (¹) driven by a hand wheel (1),
other suitable gearing may however be employed, if desired, to produce the
same results.
Figure 10 is a longitudinal section of one of the slide boxes (9), shewn as
carrying the die (e) and moving in a dovetail slide (p). (f) is the shaft carrying
the cam (r), the parts being shewn in their position of rest or backward throw
of the cam (r). The side dies (e) are by the means described now caused to
advance and close the metal or sides of the blank upon the sides of the anvil
and filling plug, Figure 9. The cams upon the shafts (f) having obtained
their lock, and the blank being thus held rigidly between the dies (e) and the
anvil die (b) a power hammer (m) fitted with a suitable hammer block (n) is
brought down upon the head of the metal blank, and the blow or blows
thereby given flattens the arched form of such head into the end of an oblong
or side of a square, as the case may be, Figure 3 shewing the blank after
these operations have been performed. The action of the dies (e) may now
be withdrawn by a reverse motion of the hand wheel (1), and consequent
backward or retiring motion of the cams upon the shafts (f) and the filling
block, Figure 9, removed, which will more readily effect the removal of the
blank from the anvil die (6), and as a further means for its removal a jigger
or lever contrivance (o) passing through the bed of the machine to the under
side of the anvil block (d) may be brought into operation, which will jerk the
blank upwards and release it from the anvil block. This completes the forma-
tion of an open or three-sided clip, and such as shewn at Figure 11, but if
desired to close the fourth side the next process is that of scarfing the edges of
the two ends required to be united or welded, which may be effected by heating
and hammering, and which will produce the form of Figure 4. The blank is
then taken in a heated state to the bending tool before named, where the two ends
are caused to close upon each other, as at Figure 5; this being done it is again
5 removed to the anvil die (6), the finished end being placed downwards and
the hammer (m) is brought into action as before, by which means the unfi-
nished end in flattened, the two ends being at the same time securely welded
and united together; this operation completes the clip which presents the
form of Figure 6. For the various requirements of size and guage of the

page_text: clips, the anvil die (b) and dies (e) may be exchanged for others when
requisite.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be carried into effect, I claim, without limiting
myself to the precise details herein described and shewn, the improvements
in the manufacture of clips or spring boxes for railway and other carriages,
and also the improvements in the machinery or apparatus for such párpose, as
berein more fully set forth and specified.
In witness whereof I, the said Jacob Walker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of January, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-eight.
JACOB WALKER. (L.S.)
JACOB WALKER. (L.S.)