AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING NAILS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Aaron White Cook Williams, of Paris, France,
now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Merchant and
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
EXTRACTING NAILS."-A communication from abroad by George J.
11
T
Sealed the 27th June 1873, and dated the 6th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Aaron White Cook
Williams at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 6th January 1873.
I, AARON WHITE COOK WILLIAMS, of Paris, France, now of No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, London, Merchant and Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUs for
EXTRACTING NAILS," a communication, to be as follows:-
.
-
My Invention relates to a simple, cheap, and efficient implement for
extracting nails. The said implement will extract a nail even though
the head of the same is below the surface of the wood, and without
bending the nail or injuring the wood from which the same is extracted.

page_text: 1
The said implement has a hollow cylindrical stem which may be made
of gas pipe or other similar material. Firmly screwed or otherwise
secured to the lower end of the said stem is a steel plug, which tightly
closes the end of the same. The outer part of this plug or that
portion which projects beyond the end of the stem is flattened and
curved to form a sharp pointed claw. Affixed to this claw by a rivet
is a second claw made of steel, and of the same shape as the first claw;
from this second claw extends a curved arm which forms a fulcrum. By
the action of a spring the said fulcrum is pressed down, and its claw is
opened or separated from the other claw.
Into the cylindrical stem I fit a solid cylindrical rod or rammer, which
may be moved freely up and down within the stem, but is kept in
position therein by a strap attached to studs on the stem and rod, or by
other contrivances which will allow the said rod the required movement,
but prevent its being entirely withdrawn from the said stem.
The said implement is held perpendicularly immediately over the
head of the nail to be extracted. The rammer is then raised. or drawn
outward from the stem as far as the strap will permit, and is rammed
down against the aforesaid plug to force the points of the claws into
the wood under the nail head. The cylindrical stem is then grasped
and turned over on the aforesaid fulcrum, and the nail is withdrawn
without injury to itself of the wood in which it was driven.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Aaron White Cook Williams in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 4th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AARON
WHITE COOK WILLIAMS, of Paris, France, now of No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, London, Merchant and Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Aaron White Cook Williams, Her
*special licence that I, the said Aaron White Cook Williams, my

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Aaron White Cook Williams, my 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 "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTINg Nails,” a
communication to me from abroad by George J. Capewell, of Cheshire,
Connecticut, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Aaron White Cook Williams, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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 Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Aaron White Cook Williams, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawing, forming a part of this Specification.
My Invention relates to a simple, cheap, and efficient implement,
whereby the extraction of nails may be effected in a more convenient and
expeditious manner than has heretofore been practicable. With this
implement I can, without any difficulty, draw or extract nails, whose
heads lie below the surface of the wood into which they are driven, and
the said implement is so constructed and acts in such a manner that it
docs not bend or break the nails or injure the wood from which they
are extracted. The said implement consists essentially of a stem or
lever, two claws, and a rammer. The stem has the said claws attached
to its end in such a manner that when they are placed over a nail, they
can be forced into the wood to take hold under its head by means of the
rammer, and can then by properly manipulating the stem or lever be.
made to grasp the nail and draw it from the wood.
of
In the accompanying Drawing I have illustrated two different forms
said apparatus, either of which may be used as desired.
my
Figure 1 is an exterior view showing one form of my improved

page_text: Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an exterior view illustrating the other form of the said
implement.
Similar letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
In Figures 1 and 2 a is a hollow stem which may be made of gas
pipe or other similar material. To the lower end of this stem or tube a
I secure the sharp pointed steel claws b, c. The claw b is formed on
the extremity of a steel piece, whose upper portion forms a plug d, which
tightly closes the end of the said stem, as shown in Figure 1. The
claw c is secured to the claw 6 by a rivet e; from this claw c extends a
curved arm f, which forms a fulcrum for the implement in extracting a
nail; the said arm or fulcrum is pressed down, and the two claws are
opened or separated by the spring 9. On the claw I form a shoulder
or projection at 6', which acts as a stop to the claw c and prevents the
two claws being too widely opened.
Into the stem, rod, or lever a I fit a solid rod or rammer h, which
may be moved freely up and down within the stem, but is provided with
means for preventing its withdrawal therefrom in using the imple-
ment.
The contrivance I prefer to use for this purpose consists of a spring
studi on the tubular stem a, and a groove j in the rod h. The said
stud passes through the tube a, and allows the rod h to move outward
freely in the said tube till the groove ; comes opposite the said stud;
the latter then springs into the groove and prevents the outward move-
ment of the rod, but permits it to move inward or downward, and does
not impede its movement up or down within the proper limits.
Instead of this stud and groove I may use for the same purposo a
strap attached to the tube and rod by studs or pins; or I may employ
other convenient means which will allow the said rod the required move-
ment, but prevent its being entirely withdrawn from the stem or tube a,
in using the implement.
The said implement when used is held perpendicularly immediately
over the head of the nail to be extracted or drawn, as shewn in Figures
1 and 3. The rammer h is then raised as far as the spring catch, strap,
or other stop will permit, and is then driven down upon the plug d to
force the points of the claws into the wood under the nail head. The

page_text: stem or rammer is then grasped and used as a lever, that is to say, it
is turned over or downward on the aforesaid fulcrum f, and the nail is
thereby drawn out of the wood. As the lever or stem a is turned over
the fulcrum fpermits the claw.c to accommodate itself to the change of
direction from a right line to a curve, and the nail is therefore with-
drawn from the wood without being broken or bent, and will be fit for
further use, and morcover the wood from which the said nail is drawn is
uninjured by its extraction.
The implement shown in Figure 3 differs in its construction from that
shown in Figures 1 and 2, but its operation is the same. The claws b, c,
are attached to the rod instead of to the tube a, and the latter forms
the rammer. The said tube is closed at its upper end instead of its
lower end, and has a handle or knob a', whereby the implement is held
and operated as above described. The tube a is provided with a spring
stud i, or other contrivance for preventing its complete withdrawal from
the rod.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim, an implement for extracting
nails constructed and operating as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Aaron White Cook Williams,
have hereunto set my hand and scal, this Second day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-
thircc.
AAKON WHITE COOK WILLIAMS. (L.S.)