Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Heading Tacks, Nails, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 9th Oct., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Heading Tacks, Nails, and
the like.
I ALBERT HENRY BRIGHAM, of Whitman in the County of Plymouth and the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object the production of means whereby tacks, nails
and the like may be headed in a rapid and effective manner without necessitating
subsequent trimming and polishing to remove the thin fin of metal left by the
usual heading operation.
In machines for making headed nails or tacks from metal strips or wire the
blank is cut to the proper length and held firmly by two co-operating dies which
serve to form the underside of the head, and while the blank is so held a header
is moved towards it in the direction of its length, to upset the metal at the end of
the blank, crowding it into the recesses in the clamping dies and into a depression
in the face of the header.
The metal thus upset is forced out between the faces of the clamping dies and
header, in the form of a thin, irregular fin, which must be removed by subsequent
trimming and polishing to prepare the nail or tack for the market.
By this invention the trimming or polishing is obviated, as the head is formed
without any fin, and a symmetrical, smooth surfaced head is produced.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sufficient portion of a tack or nail
making machine to be understood, with the novel header applied thereto, a tack
or nail being shown as headed.
Fig. 2 is a similar view of the header, detached, and in normal position.
Fig. 3 is a face view thereof, and
Fig. 4 is a side elevation enlarged of a nail or tack headed in accordance with
this invention.
Referring to Fig. 1, the co-operating dies a, b to receive or grip the blank d
between them, and having suitable depressions a, b, to form or shape the under-
side of the head d¹ of the blank, are and may be of any well known construction.
The improved heading die consists essentially of a shank c, reduced at one
end to leave a central abutment c¹ and a shoulder, the abutment c' and shank
being longitudinally bored to receive a heading pin ³.
The heading pin is held in adjusted position as herein shown by a set screw c,
extended through the side of the shank c, to bear upon the pin, longitudinal
adjustment of the latter being effected by a threaded rod c, screwed into the
threaded, enlarged end of the central longitudinal bore in the shank.

page_text: Said rod also serves to take up the end thrust of the heading pin when in
operation.
A die proper or face plate f has an opening f¹ therein, the outer end thereof
being shaped to correspond to the desired shape of the upper portion of the head
of the completed nail or tack.
Headed guides, shown as screws h, are extended loosely through the die f into
the end of the shank c, and springs are interposed between the inner side of
the die and the shoulder c³, normally maintaining the die in the position shown
in Fig. 2, with the end of the pin extended more or less into the opening f¹.
The heads of the screws henter counterbored holes fx, the latter being of
sufficient depth to receive the screw heads when the face plate or die f is pressed
back upon the abutment c¹.
In operation the blank d, having been cut from the stock in usual manner, is
held clamped between the dies a, b, as in Fig. 1, and the heading die is moved
towards them.
The projecting portion of the blank, which is to form the head, enters the
opening in the heading die f, which continues to move forward until positively
stopped by the dies a, b, whereupon, as the shank or die carrier c continues to
move, the springs are compressed.
The heading pin ³ moving with the die carrier is thus brought up against
the end of the blank, compressing or upsetting it into the recess f in the heading
dief and into the recesses a¹, b₁ of the clamping dies.
Inasmuch as the heading die is brought firmly against the faces of the clamping
dies a, b, before the pin 3 acts upon the blank, the projecting portion of the latter
is entirely enclosed prior to and during compression, so that none of the metal
of the blank can work out into a fin or rough lip between the clamp and heading
dies.
As the die carrier c is thereafter moved away, the pin is first withdrawn, and
then the die or face plate f, the springs expanding as the pressure upon them
decreases.
By mounting the heading die f upon its carrier as described, it is self-positioning,
as it were, against the clamping dies, and during the final upsetting of the head
the abutment cl supports the back of the heading die.
The amount of pressure upon the head, and to some extent its shape, is regulated
by adjustment of the heading pin in the die carrier.
It is preferable to make the walls of the opening f slightly flaring outwardly,
in order to facilitate the removal of the heading die, the completed nail or tack
being shown in Fig. 4.
The invention is not restricted to the heading of nails or tacks, for it will be
obvious that other headed articles may be headed, as hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is: :-
1. The use, in a heading apparatus, of clamping dies to hold the blank between
them, and having depressions therein to form the underside of the head, a co-
operating heading die having a head forming opening therein, a carrier upon which
the die is yieldingly supported, to position itself upon the clamping dies, and a
heading pin secured in the carrier, to form the bottom for the head forming die,
substantially as described.
2. The use, in a heading apparatus, of a carrier having a longitudinal, partially
threaded bore and a central abutment at one end, headed guides rigidly secured
thereto at the sides of said abutment, a spring controlled die proper freely movable
upon the guides and having a head forming opening, a heading pin extended
into the bore of the carrier, an adjusting screw in the threaded portion of the bore
to bear upon the inner end of said pin, and a set screw to rigidly retain said pin

page_text: in adjusted position, the die proper being free to position itself upon the abutment
of the carrier, substantially as described.
Dated the 6th day of September 1897.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.