IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE FORGES
Year: 1878

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of the Firm of Herbert and Com-
pany, Patent Agents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer
for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE FORGES." A communi-
cation from abroad by Charles Hammelmann, of Buffalo, State of New York,
United States of America.
Sealed the 2nd August 1878, and dated the 5th February 1878
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Haddan at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th February 1878.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Patent Agents,
of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PORTABLE FORGES." A communication from abroad by Charles Hammelmann, of
Buffalo, State of New York, United States of America.
The Invention relates to forges in which a rotary blower employed to produce
the blast is actuated by means of a pivoted vibrating lever acting upon a crank or a
crank disc, to convert said motion into a rotary one, said rotary motion being com-
municated to the blower by means of wheel or belt gearing; and its object is to
overcome several serious objectious inherent to that class of forges, viz., the frequent
running of the blower in the wrong direction and the stopping of the crank at the
dead centres, and consequent trouble of starting the same. To overcome these
drawbacks I provide the main spur wheel of a train of gearing with one or more
radius levers pivoted upon the axle of said main wheel, and provided with pawls
engaging ratchet teeth on the inner periphery of said main wheel, said radius levers
being connected with the forge lever by rods, and when vibrated thereby revolve
said main wheel in the direction which corresponds to the relative positions of the
pawls and ratchet teeth.
Also, in so pivoting the forge or hand lever that it may be actuated from any
point within the compass of said lever.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Herbert John Haddan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
August 1878.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company. Patent Agents,
of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PORTABLE FORGES." A communication from abroad by Charles Hammelmann, of
Buffalo, State of New York, United States of America.
The Invention relates to that class of forges in which a rotary blower employed
to produce the blast is actuated by means of a pivoted vibrating lever acting upon
a crank or crank disk to convert said motion into a rotary one, said rotary motion
being communicated to the blower by means of a wheel or belt gearing; and its
object is to overcome several serious objections inherent to that class of forges, viz.,
the frequent running of the blower in the wrong direction, and the stopping of the
crank at the dead centres and consequent trouble of starting the same.
To over-
come these drawbacks I provide the main spur wheel of a train of gearing with
one or more radius levers pivoted upon the axle of said main wheel and provided
with pawls engaging ratchet teeth on the inner periphery of said main wheel, said
radius levers being connected with the forge lever by rods, etc., etc., and when
vibrated thereby, revolve said main wheel in the direction which corresponds to
the relative positions of the pawls and ratchet teeth.
The Invention further consists in the peculiar construction and method of pivoting
the forge or hand lever, so that it may be actuated from any point within the
compass of said hand lever.
And in order to enable others skilled in the art to which the Invention appertains
to make and use the same, I shall proceed to describe its particulars of construction
as illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front
elevation of a portable forge constructed in accordance with my Invention; Figure
2 is a similar view showing a forge slightly modified; Figure 3 is a front, and
Figure 4 a rear view of the main wheel and its accessories,
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A is the main wheel of a train of gearing, such as usually employed for operating
the fan blower, provided on its periphery with cogs or teeth. In the usual styles of
forges this wheel is either rotated by a crank handle, or it is, by means of a con-
necting rod and wrist pin, operated by a vibrating handle, and it has the dis-
advantage that it may be turned in the wrong direction, and frequently stops at
the dead centres. To avoid this I provide the main wheel with ratchet teeth B on
its inner periphery and cause it to revolve by means of either one or two radius
bars D, D¹, pivoted to the axle C, to which the main wheel is secured, or upon
which it may revolve. These radius bars are provided each with a pawl E, E¹, and
they are connected to a lever G by means of two connecting rods F, F', which
lever G is pivoted upon the pin g in the bracket G¹ attached to the hearth or bowl
N, and are operated by the land rod H.
The spur wheel A meshes with a pinion J secured to the shaft k, together with
the pulley K, and drives the fan blower L in conjunction with a belt passing from
the pulley K to the arbor of said fan. One end of the radius bar D is bent, as
shown at d (Figs. 3 & 4) and the pawl E pivoted to this end of said radius bar is
provided with an arm e¹, to which the connecting rod F is bolted by means of a
stud passing through the space in said bend.
The radius bar Ď' is T shaped at its lower end, and connects with the connecting
rod F' at f
The handle H is provided with a socket or swivel c, by means of which it is
enabled to revolve upon the pin g. This arrangement enables me to operate the
forge in almost any position, which is a very desirable feature because it allows the
attendant to reach any tool, etc., etc., within the compass of the forge handle without
stopping the blast.

page_text: The operation of my device is as follows:-The handle H is operated in precisely
the same manner as those now in use by successive up and down strokes. This
causes the lever G to vibrate, and thereby to impart a similar motion to the radius
bars D, D. These bars being located above and below, and pivoted upon the centre
of the main wheel, swing back and forth within the same both in the same direction,
and alternately engaging with their pawls E, E'; the inner circumference of said
main wheel A cause the same to revolve and thereby to impart motion to the
remaining parts of the gear.
The connecting rod F being pivoted to the pawl E on the short arm thereof,
causes with every movement a corresponding motion of said pawl, thus when said
rod commences to move in a direction from the main wheel it causes said pawl
to partly revolve around its pivot, and thereby to disengage the pawl from the
ratchet teeth B before the radius bar D is set in motion. This takes effect as soon
as the stud to which the rod F is connected reaches the bend D. Thus connecting
said pawl with the connecting rod F produces a positive, action thereof under all
circumstances. A similar result may be obtained by placing a spring under the
pawl, or by providing the pawl with a counter weight to keep it elevated; but such
an arrangement, although answering the purpose more or less satisfactorily in
practice, will not be as positive as the device heretofore described.
In order to positively engage the wheel A with the pendent radius bar, which has
a gravity pawl E', and at the same time to avoid lost motion, it (the radius bar D¹)
is provided with two pawls E', E", of which one is as much shorter than the other
as half of the pitch of the ratchet teeth, so that when one pawl rests against a
tooth the other is midway between two adjacent teeth.
Now when the rod H is depressed the ratchet pawl nearest to a tooth will make
connection, but should it fail to do so, the other pawl will engage the main wheel.
By this construction any possibility of oscillation of said radius bar without engaging
the main wheel is avoided.
Instead of the two radius bars and pawls, either the upper or lower one may
alone be employed, and perform the duty of revolving main wheel in the same
manner as both would conjointly, except that in this case the hand lever would
operate in one direction only.
Such an arrangement I have illustrated in Fig. 1, in which the upper radius bar
and connecting rod is dispensed with. But since the inertia of the gearing when in
motion will cause a further revolution of the same before being exhausted, such an
arrangement will, as in this instance, be sufficient for all practical purposes, especially
when a very regular motion is not a particular object. So may the ratchet teeth
be placed into an annular projection on or upon the external periphery of the main
wheel, and with a slight modification of the radius bars and pawls be operated from
the lever G in precisely the same manner as the device heretofore described; or the
ratchet teeth may be dispensed with and the pawls arranged to act as brakes upon
a smooth surface on the wheel A. All such modifications will produce the desired
result in the same manner as the device herein-before described, and are therefore
mechanical equivalents thereof.
It is obvious that in my device a difference in the length of the stroke of the
lever G causes the main wheel to revolve faster or slower, as the case may be, in
contradestinction to a crank movement wherein the stroke is a fixed one, and in
which the speed of the main wheel is altogether dependent upon the number of
strokes in a given time. This arrangement is therefore a very desirable one, because
it enables the main wheel to be operated at the desired speed without necessitating
the tiresome rapid vibration of the operating handle.
.It is evident that the mechanical movement employed in my forges is, in addition
to its indicated purpose, applicable for driving machinery of different kinds, such
as foot lathes, drill presses, etc.,.etc, velocipedes, and many others.
Having thus fully described my Invention, I claim as new,―
1. The mechanisin for operating forges, etc., etc., consisting essentially of a main
wheel A, having serrations R or the equivalent thereof, the pendent radius bar D¹,

page_text: provided with one or more pawls E, the connecting rod F, and a suitable lever for
operating said radius bar substantially as specified.
2. The mechanism, substantially as described, consisting essentially of the serrated
main wheel A of the pivoted radius bar or bars D, arranged to vibrate upon the
shaft of said main wheel, and mechanism for vibrating said radius bar or bars, as and
for the purpose specified.
3. The combination with the main wheel A, having the serrations R, and mounted
upon the shaft C of the radius bar D¹, having the slotted part d, the pivoted pawl
E, and the connecting rod F, attached to said pawl for the purpose specified.
4. The combination with the serrated main wheel A of the radius bar D, having
the pawl or pawls E¹, E¹, radius bar D¹, provided with the slotted part d and pawl
E, connecting rods F, F', and operating lever G, the parts being arranged to operate
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
5. The combination with the lever G of the bracket G¹, having the pivot g' and
the swivel C, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert John Haddan, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second of August, A.D. 1878.