Improvements in Machines for Manufacturing Indented Wire-nails.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Manufacturing Indented Wire-nails.
We, WILLIAM ALFRED EDWARD CROMBIE, Consulting Engineer, of 81, Denmark
Hill, London, S.E., and HARRY OCTAVIUS ALLEN, Civil Engineer, of Hamilton
House, Bishopsgate Street Without, London, E.C., do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to machines for the manufacture of indented
nails from continuous wire and is intended chiefly although not exclusively for
manufacturing indented wire-nails of the kind referred to in the Specification of
a prior Patent No. 18250 of 1896 granted to Charles Provis.
An important feature of our invention relates to the construction and arrange-
ment of the feeding and indenting contrivances so that the indentations formed in
the wire will always occupy the desired position in the finished nail.
According to our invention the indenting contrivance comprises a pair of
segmental pieces which are controlled by springs and are pivotally mounted on
a movable frame or carriage adapted to slide to and fro in a direction parallel
with the wire to be indented. The curved edges of these segmental pieces lie
opposite each other and are formed with grooves (preferably angular ones) to
receive the wire which is fed between them from a reel during the working of
the machine. The said grooves are provided with indentations or protuberances
shaped and arranged in accordance with the form and position of the indenta-
tions to be made in the wire. If desired the aforesaid grooves may be formed in
pieces which are capable of being readily detached from the segmental pieces,
so as to enable them to be substituted by others of a different form in accordance
with the form and size of the indented nails the machine is intended to produce.
As the aforesaid carriage advances the segments roll over the wire and form
the required indentations in it, but during the return movement of the carriage
they are caused to assume their original position and the wire passes freely
between them while being pulled forward by the feeding contrivance.
In order to compensate for wear that may take place at the pivots and in order
to keep the edges of the segments in intimate contact, the pivot pins may be
arranged eccentrically on screw stems, so that by angularly shifting said stems
the pivot pins will be caused to assume a new position and so adjust the segments.
It will probably be found desirable to provide the adjacent edges of the segments
with teeth to engage with each other so that the segments will work with increased
accuracy.
The feeding contrivance consists of a movable frame or carriage adapted to slide
to and fro in a direction parallel with the wire under treatment, and provided with
a pivoted finger or pawl which may have serrations on its free end for gripping
the wire. The position of the pawl is such that during the movement of the
carriage in the direction to feed! forward the wire, the said pawl firmly grips the
wire but releases it in the reverse movement of the carriage.

page_text: Figure 3 is a vertical section of the working faces of the segmental indenting
pieces.
A is the indenting contrivance and B the feeding device; C is a bracket upon
which these parts are mounted and 1) 1) are rolls vertically arranged on said
bracket for straightening the wire as it passes to the indenting contrivance.
aa are the segmental pieces of the indenting contrivance and a a² are their
pivots by which they are connected to the movable frame or carriage 2 which is
adapted to slide to and fro in a direction parallel with the wire to be indented.
a3 are the curved edges or working faces of the segmental pieces, such edges
being formed with angular grooves a having transverse protuberances a³ by
which the indentations in the wire are produced.
The aforesaid grooves at are preferably formed in segmental bars a6 which are
capable of being detached from the segmental pieces a so as to enable them as
before stated, to be substituted by others of a different form in accordance with
the form and size of the indented. nails the machine is required to produce.
For this purpose the curved edges of the segmental pieces may be made with
dovetail grooves to receive corresponding projections on the segmental bars which.
may be held in place by screws passed through lugs on the bars and entering
screw threaded holes in the segmental pieces as shown at Figure 2.
The curved edges of the said segmental pieces a are provided with gear teeth a²
to engage with each other so that the segments will work accurately together.
8 is a helical spring connected at one end to one of the segments a and at the other
end to the carriage a², such spring assisting to return the segments to their
original position after each indenting operation.
In order to compensate for wear that may take place at the pivots a¹ of the
segments and to keep the working faces of said segments in intimate contact,
the pivots are made with eccentric portions a² so that by angularly shifting
said pivots the eccentric portions thereof will be caused to assume a new position
and so adjust the segments relatively to each other.
The feeding device comprises a finger or pawl b pivotally connected to a movable
frame or carriage b', which, like the carriage a² of the indenting contrivance,
is adapted to slide to and fro on the bracket C in a direction parallel with the
wire under treatment. The said finger or pawl b has serrations at its free end to
enable it to effectually grip the wire. The position of the pawl is such that
during the movement of the carriage in the direction to feed forward the wire
the said pawl firmly grips the wire but releases it in the reverse movement of
the carriage.
The movements of the aforesaid carriages a² and are in opposite directions,
that is to say they move alternately toward and away from each other during the
working of the machine. This movement is effected by a rocking lever E
pivoted to the bracket C at its middle and connected at one end by a link E
to the carriage² and at the other end by a link to the carriage b¹. Motion
is imparted to the said rocking lever from a crank plate on the main shaft of the
machine and a connection rod E3, or other suitable means.
As the aforesaid carriages advance toward each other the said segments roll
over the wire which at this time is stationary and form in it the required indenta-
tions but during the return movement of the carriages the said segments assume
their original position while the wire is being pulled forward by the feeding
device and consequently do not indent said wire.
The other parts of the machine required for forming the heads and points of
the nails and for severing them may be of the ordinary construction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The indenting contrivance comprising pivotal segmental pieces geared