IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHAINS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Cominissioners of Patents on the 27th February 1878. A communication
from abroad by John Henry Helm, of Alleghany, Pennsylvania, United States
of America.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CHAINS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR." [A communication from abroad by
John Henry Helm, of Alleghany, Pennsylvania, United States of America.]
My Invention relates, first, to nechanism for forming the link blanks for chain-
making. This mechanism consists essentially of a mandrel, which has the form in
cross section of the opening in the link prior to its being welded. The said mandrel
is surrounded by a series of rollers or cams, whose peripheries correspond to the
irregular form of the mandrel.
In combination with the said mandrel and the cams or rollers are two feed wheels,
each having a groove in its periphery. The said feed wheels are adjustable, so that
the desired impinging force can be brought on the iron in the act of feeding it to
the mandrel. The mandrel revolves in a guide, which so directs the iron that it is
wound spirally on the same.
On the outer end of the axis of one of the said rollers or cams is arranged a
cutter, which at each revolution of the mandrel, rollers, & cutter separates a link
blank from the rod of iron fed to and wound on the mandrel by its revolving and
the rollers pressing the iron against it.
The second part of this Invention relates to a peculiarly constructed furnace for
beating the link blank. The crown of the said furnace has a detachable portion,
wherein are a series of openings forming heating cells for the link blanks, which
are suspended in the said cells by means of rods heated by the flames, heat and
gases passing out through the said cells. The base of the front or breast wall of
the furnace on a plane with the grate projects inward to a vertical line beyond the
cells in the crown, so that the air passing upward through the grate will pass
through the greatest body of burning fuel, thereby preventing the escape of free
oxygen through the openings or cells in the crown of the furnace. By thus pre-
ID...93%

page_text: venting the escape of free oxygen the wasting action common to the heating of the
links in the process of welding is avoided. The fire chamber of the said furnace is
provided with a fuel chamber, the bottom of which is above the plane of the grate,
and extends upward above the crown of the fire chamber, and it is so arranged
with relation to the fire chamber that the fuel by gravity is automatically fed to
the said fire chamber, and a sufficient quantity of burning fuel will at all times be
retained on the bottom of the fuel chamber to rekindle the fire after the operation
of cleaning the grate.
The third part of this Invention relates to dies for welding the chain links, and
which are so constructed that the line of parting of the cavity for the link is
distant from the centre or axis of said cavity, so that in the welding the flash or
fin formed by the first stroke of the dies will be worked into the body of the link
by turning it in the dies. The front side of the said dies is recessed for the purpose
of obtaining space for the manipulation of the link and tongs. The upper die is
manipulated by a pivoted arm operated by mechanism and power.