IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OFF AND HEADING LENGTHS OF METAL APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF RIVETS AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Archer, junior, of Dunston, Gateshead, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OFF AND
HEADING LENGTHS OF METAL APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF RIVETS
AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Sealed the 2nd March 1858, and dated the 15th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Archer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th September 1857.
I, THOMAS ARCHER, junior, of Dunston, Gateshead, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OFF
AND HEADING LENGTHS OF METAL APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF RIVETS
AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for cutting off
and heading lengths of metal, and consists of a peculiar combination of mecha-
nical parts into a machine applicable in the manufacture of rivets and other
articles. For these purposes a shaft or axis turns in suitable bearings which
are fixed on the bed plate of the machine. This axis or shaft is driven by a
strap actuated by a steam engine or other suitable power. On the axis or
shaft are fixed a fly wheel, an eccentric, and two cams, which respectively give
motion to the parts herein-after mentioned. The rod of metal which is to be
cut into lengths is fed into the machine in a hot or cold state, according to the
nature thereof, and it is fed into the machine through a hole formed through

page_text: the cross head or fixed upper part of the machine. On the under surface and
at the lower end of the hole is fixed a cutter plate, through which there is a
hole. The lower end of the rod, which is passed down through the hole,
passes also through a hole in the cutter plate and into another cutter
plate, which has a die below of a length depending on the length of the
stem of the rivet or other like article to be headed therein, and the end of
the rod descends till it comes sufficiently below the dies to allow for a head
being formed out of the protruding portion. The moveable cutter and the die
are carried by a sliding plate, which in the working of the machine is caused
in succession to assume three positions. First, to receive the end of the rod
of metal. Second, by being slided a distance it causes a length to be cut off
the end of the rod, and the cut end is thereby brought under a solid surface
of the plate fixed to the under surface of the cross head, and there it remains
till the head is formed. Third, by a further sliding of the plate, which carries
the moveable cutter and die; the die is removed from the position over the
heading punch, and it comes under a forcing pin which passes through the
fixed cross head or top of the machine and forces the rivet out of the die;
the sliding plate is then moved back by a spring or otherwise to its first posi-
tion. The punch or heading die has a recess in its upper end, corresponding
with the form of the head to be produced. The punch or heading die receives
motion from the excentric on the shaft or axis. The forcing pin receives
motion from one of the cams on the shaft or axis, and the sliding plate,
moveable cutter, and die, receive motion from the other cam on the axis or
shaft, such cam giving motion to a wedge-formed surface on a bar which is
raised by the cam, and it is caused to press on the cam by its own weight
and an additional weight applied at the upper end.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Archer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ARCHER, junior, of Dunston, Gateshead, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,

page_text: the said Thomas Archer, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Archer,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Archer, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING OFF AND HEADING LENGTHS OF METAL APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFAC-
TURE OF RIVETS AND OTHER ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Thomas Archer, my executors or adminstrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Archer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for cutting
off and heading lengths of metal, and consists of a peculiar combination of
mechanical parts into a machine applicable in the manufacture of rivets and
other articles. For these purposes a shaft or axis turns in suitable bearings
which are fixed on the bed plate of the machine. This axis or shaft is driven
by a strap actuated by a steam engine or other suitable power. On the axis
or shaft are fixed a fly wheel, an excentric, and two cams, which respectively
give motion to the parts herein-after mentioned. The rod of metal which is
to be cut into lengths is fed into the machine in a hot or cold state, according
to the nature thereof, and it is fed into the machine through a hole formed
through formed through the cross head or fixed upper part of the machine.
On the under surface and at the lower end of the hole is fixed a cutter plate
through which there is a hole. The lower end of the rod which is passed down
through the hole passes also through a hole in the cutter plate and into another
cutter plate, which has a die below of a length depending on the length of
the stem of the rivet or other like article to be headed therein, and the end of
the rod descends till it comes sufficiently below the dies to allow for a head
being formed out of the protruding portion. The moveable cutter and the die
are carried by a sliding plate, which in the working of the machine is caused
in succession to assume three positions. First, to receive the end of the rod of

page_text: metal. Second, by being slided a distance it causes a length to be cut off the
end of the rod, and the cut end is thereby brought under a solid surface of the
plate fixed to the under surface of the cross head, and there it remains till
the head is formed. Third, by a further sliding of the plate which carries the
moveable cutter and die, the die is removed from the position over the
heading punch, and it comes under a forcing pin which passes through the
fixed cross head or top of the machine, and forces the rivet out of the die; the
sliding plate is then moved back by a spring or otherwise to its first position.
The punch or heading die has a recess in its upper end corresponding with
the form of the head to be produced. The punch or heading die receives
motion from the excentric on the shaft or axis. The forcing pin receives
motion from one of the cams on the shaft or axis, and the sliding plate,
moveable cutter, and die, receive motion from the other cam on the axis or
shaft, such cam giving motion to a wedge-formed surface on a bar which is
raised by the cam, and it is caused to press on the cam by its own weight and
an additional weight applied at the upper end.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS,
which show various views of a double machine, in which the rods of metal
are fed in horizontally; but when a single machine is constructed it is con-
venient to arrange the machine so that the rods may be fed into the machine
vertically in place of horizontally. Figure 1 represents a plan of a double
machine; the frame or bed plate A is made of cast iron. The shaft B is of
wrought iron, revolving in two cast-iron bearings C, C, one of which is cast in
a piece with the frame, and the other firmly fixed with the bolts and nuts to the
frame, and motion is communicated to the shaft by an endless belt running on
the sheaves D, D, the outside one being loose on the shaft for the belt to run
upon when the machine is not at work. The shaft gives motion to the various
working parts of the machine, which I now proceed more particularly to
describe. E is a cam permanently fixed to the shaft B, within which cam in
a groove for the purpose runs a roll which is snpported by a pin in the end of
the wedge rod F, by which the wedge G is worked so as to move the slide H
into its different positions. I is an excentric fitted to the shaft in the same
manner as the cam before mentioned, on which runs the roll J, giving motion
to the heading ram K, the end of which ram is fitted with a header which is
cupped or flat according to the shape required for the rivet or spike head.
L is a cam also fitted firmly to the shaft upon which the roll runs connected

page_text: to the rod M, which works the lever N upon the fulcrum O, the use of which
being to work the rod P so as to force the rivet out (when complete) into a
shoot placed for the purpose of conducting the rivets into a box at the outside
of the machine. In the slide H of the machine I have a circular chilled
cast-iron cutter H¹, as shown at Figures 4 and 5; this cutter has a hole through
the centre large enough to allow the rod of which the rivet is to be made to
pass through freely. In the frame of the machine is also a hole of the same
size, at the cutting end of which is fitted another circular chilled cast-iron
cutter A¹. And when the cam E offers its lowest side E', Figure 6, to the
roll these two holes are in a line with each other, and the rod of which the
rivets are to be made will pass freely through both the hole in the frame and
the hole in the slide and come against a stop piece, which stop piece can be
adjusted to suit any size of rivet head required. The rod being in this position
is then forced forward by the first rise E² of the cam E, forcing the wedge G
forward, and this acting on the trucks or rollers in the slides H, forces the rod
into its second position, as shown by Figure 4, it being now cut off to the
proper length, and is also in the proper position for heading, which is next per-
formed by the header being forced to the end of its stroke by the eccentric I,
Figure 1. The end of the rivet being now opposite the blank in the frame
which receives the pressure of the rivet while heading, the slide is now forced
forward to the third position by the second rise E³, Figure 6, of the cam E, and
carrying the rivet (now complete) opposite the second hole A², Figure 4, in
the frame; the hole A' in the frame and the hole in the cutter II' are now
in a line and the rivet only requires to be forced out, which is performed by
the action of the rod P worked by the cam L. This completes the formation
of the rivet; the slide H now requires to be brought back to its first position,
which is formed by the pressure of the spring H*, Figure 5, acting on
the cranked lever H³, which is connected to the slide H by the link H*, as
soon as the roll in the wedge rod is brought back into its lowest part of the
cam E. R, Figures 1 and 2, is a spring for the purpose of bringing the
forcing pin P back after it has forced out the rivet from the machine. The
chilled cast-iron cutters can be removed for the purpose of changing or grind-
ing them by simply unscrewing the nuts H³, Figure 5. A jet of cold water is
kept continually running into the frame and slide by means of water pipes and
conducting holes, thereby keeping the parts cool while the heated metal is
passing through them. Oil holes are also drilled in the slide and frame so as
to keep them free.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would wish it to be understood that I make no

page_text: claim to any of the parts separately; but what I claim is the combination of
mechanism herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Archer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
GEO. PITT.
THOB ARCHER, JUN. (L.S.)