Improvements in the Manufacture of Sheet Metal Portable Cases for the Packing or Steadying and Conveying of Artillery Shot or Shell and Cartridges, and in the Apparatus or Mechanism therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Sheet Metal Portable Cases for
the Packing or Steadying and Conveying of Artillery Shot
or Shell and Cartridges, and in the Apparatus or Mechanism
therefor.
I, THOMAS ROBB, of the City Saw Mills, Port Dundas, Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Foreman Joiner, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention to be as follows :—
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in, or connected
with the manufacture of the inner sheet zinc or other sheet metal portable cases
usually rectangular or square and close on all the four sides and bottom and used
for the packing and protection of artillery shot or shell against damp or other
contingencies, with their made-up cartridges, all ready for use and insertion into the
guns, which sheet metal cases are placed within ordinary strong outer protecting
wood cases.
The said sheet metal cases, have usually heretofore been made with
upper and lower shelves of wood resting on narrow flanges or projections on the
inside of the case, with holes bored in them for steadying the shot in a perpendicular
position within the cases. The lower shelf had sinallor holes slightly larger than the
shot to steady same some distance up from the points which rest on a wooden bottom
or other equivalent within the case, and the upper shelf bored with holes, slightly
larger than the sheet metal cartridge containing the powder to steady this upper
part vertically some distance down from the top. This inner case is closed with a
portable sheet metal lid, with a vertical flange round its outer edges, which is
inserted into a groove round the top rim of the case, hermetically sealed from the
atmosphere by some soft jointing material so that this inner lid may be easily removed
on lifting the top off the outer wooden case, for withdrawing and using the packed
shot and cartridges, as required. Heretofore these wooden shelves so bored and made
have been found to shrink and make the cartridges tight in their holes; and to avoid
this inconvenience of shrinkage an improvement has been recommended or devised to
make these steadying shelves also of sheet zinc or other sheet metal, and to give
strength to these to knee up the outer flanges all round, a depth of three-eighths of
an inch or so, to rest on the flanges on the inside of the case, and form the holes
with capped edges or rims at right angles to the plate inside, to bear and steady the
shot and cartridges without injuring them as the thin edge of the plate would do if
left only punched.
The essential novelty and improvements of this Invention consist in the mode of,
and means and mechanism for cutting out the said holes to a smaller size and then
capping or spinning up the said flanges out of the solid part of the plate left round
the holes, by revolving cutters and burnishers, all preferably at the same time or in
sets out of each zinc or other metal plate, and also capping up the flanges all round
the edges of the plate at the same operation, and in the same arrangement and
combination of machine, so that these zinc shelves are ready as removed from the
machine for insertion into the case, either portably or secured over their supporting
flanges. One construction of the new or improved machine, or arrangement and
combination of mechanism for effecting these improvements consists of a vertical
rectangular cast iron open frame with an open vertical double webbed headstock at
the inner or back end, sufficient to give front and back collar bearings to each of the
boring spindles set and divided off to suit the axes of the holes required in the
rectangular zine or other sheet metal plate to be bored and flanged. In front of
this set of drill spindles, planed slide guides would be formed or fitted in the two
side frames, with a moving vertical headstock or plate working in these, and actuated

page_text: by a screw spindle and fly or hand wheel, working out through a strong screw bush
in the centre of a transverse crosshead secured by Hanges to the front ends of each
fixed slide frame, so as to move the said vertical headstock to and fro, towards and
from the drills. A new construction of vertical plate is secured to this moving head-
stock by screws and bearing ribs which give it strength, and carry near its vertical
centre a crank or cam spindle in bearings in these projecting ribs, so as to traverso
with this moving hea Istock and act all us will hereinafter he described. The front
of this said fixed plate will be planed straight in the transverse and front vertical
directions, and have a boss of half an inch or more deep cut by drills or otherwise in
the axial line of the spindles, this boss being the exact diameter of the holes to be
cut out of the zine plate by the said drills before capping them up to the full size
desired. An annular groove would be drilled or ent out of the plate all round this
annular boss to the same depth and to a rather larger radius inside than the size of
the finished hole to he left through the plate with the capped flanges, to the extent
of the thickness of the plate to be capped up and flanged against this innor ring, as
will hereinafter he described, the upper edge of this annular rim being preferably
slightly rounded for brittle sheet metal such as zine, which is not easily embossed or
capped up. The rectangular edges of this plate so formed would be all planed, and
the corners also slightly rounded, to the exact size of the inside of the rectangular
sheet metal plate to he bored and flanged; and would have a movable planed fat
plato in front of this fixed plate, with projecting flanges all round to take on to the
planed edges of the fixed plate, but leaving room between these for the thickness of
the sheet metal flanges to be turned, kneed, or embossed all round the outside of the
said sheet metal plate, by its to-and-fro motion on guides on the fixed frame, which
motion would be given by lateral studs projecting through the side frames of the
machine, and netuated by short connecting rods from cranks, eccentries or cams on
the before mentioned cross shaft carried between the fixed plate and its sliding frame,
and worked by a powerful hand lever or other equivalent on the one end of this
shaft, at one side of the machine when a plate was inserted to have its edges capped
and secured between the moving and tixed plates. Holes would be bored in this
outer moving plate also, preferably of the same radius or diameter as the finished
flanged holes would be, and which would enable this outer plate to steady the new
embossing and burnishing drills. Each of the new or improved cutting and ombossing
or capping drills, would under one arrangement be maile in the form of a simple
two-armed fork, with the cutting arm projecting slightly down below the opposite
arm, both arms being bored out or sized inside at the point to rub on the boss on
the inner fixed plate, so tapered or curved and tempered at the point as to cut through
the plate close to the boss; and when it has pierced the plate the outer end surfaces
of these arms are so rounded and burnished as in their rotation to gradually roll
down and expand the inside flange within the annular space around the boss up
against the outer surface of this annular space of the plate, without cracking or
injuring the flange, the whole of the drills effecting this simultaneously to all the
holes in the plate. These cutting and burnishing drills or tools would he made
portable for insertion within the front end of thoir rotating spindles in the same
manner as drills are in the spindles of luthes, and so that they can be made of
different sizes to suit for different sized holes, as also the bosses and annular grooves
within the fixed and movable plate of the moving headstock before mentioned,
which would also be made portable and of sizos to suit the different sizes of drills and
burnishers. In some cases those drills and burnishers might be arranged in three
rows as for rectangular cases, to bore and form eleven flanged holes, being a size
commonly used in the field artillery for six pounder shot, the two upper and lower
rows having each four holes and the centre row three holes placed in the centre
diagonally to the others, only allowing sufficient space between the holes to keep the
hoads of the cartridges clear of each other. And in this arrangement one row of
pinions on the back ends of the upper and lower rows of spindles would gear into

page_text: each other say close up to the headstock and be actuated by one pinion on a first
motion horizontal shaft at one side of the headstock; while the three pinions on the
central spindles would be fitted on the back ends of their spindles, and gear into one
another in a plane behind the former wheels, and be actuated by a different wheel or
pinion on the first motion shaft, which would be turned primarily by a belt and fast
and loose pulley from any adjacent motive shaft or other gearing of the work. Thus
these drill spindles would turn alternately in opposite directions, but their cutters
and burnishers would be made to act in the direction in which they turned to cut
the holes and cap up the flanges, all as previously described. But for square or
other rectangular sheet metal shelves, when the holes woro required to be in parallel
line with each other (not zigzag) as four rows both in the horizontal and vortical axis,
over each other as for carrying sixteen three pounder shot, these drills would be
formed in the headstock say opposite the first and third hole in the top row, and the
second and fourth hole in the second row, and the first and third hole in the third row,
the same as in tho first row, and the second and fourth hole in the fourth row as in
the second row; and pinions would be fixed on the back end of all these spindles
gearing into one another in one plane, and turned by one wheel on the first motion
shaft, every alternate set or pair of spindles turning in the reverse direction. Then
to bore and emboss the other set of holes, the plate shelf would require to be removed
and turned one quarter round, and inserted again between its fixed and movable
front securing plate, ready for piercing and capping the alternate set of holes left
blank in each row at the first operation. The construction of the cutting and
burnishing or capping up arms on the points of the drill spindles might be materially
modified, as by having three, four, or more arms instead of two forked arms as before
described, having the advance ones or alternate advance ones cutting out the disc
hole, and when this was cut, having these and the others so rounded on the outside
as burnishers, that the advanced arms would slightly expand and cap down the flange,
while the next would do it a little more, and the following a little more still, and so
have a more gradual action in expanding the flange part of the metal while capping
it than might otherwise be the case, with only one cutter and two capping burnishers.
Or this drill might be made in the form of a hollow cylinder, with a number of
rounded scroll grooves at the point to act as a gradually expanding mandrel, the
grooves gradually expanding the flange part as they turned it inside the annular cup
round the central boss on the fixed plate. The central thin disc as cut out of each
hole in the sheet, may simply be allowed to fall down out through the wide hole in
the front movable plate, or it might be forced out by a short spiral wire spring
mounted in a hole in the centre of each central boss of the fixed die or shaping
plate. The drill spindles have all been described as mounted horizontally in their
headstock, this being considered best for the inserting and withdrawing of the plates
being treated in front of the drills, but it will be understood that these drilling
spindles might be mounted vertically as in multiple drilling machines, and have the
drills either working upwards or downwards. Although this machine has been
constructed to do all the operations required, to flange the plates and cut out all the
holes and cap or knee flanges all round these inside, out of the solid sheet-metal, yet
still it will be understood that the first part of the operation might be done in a
separate punching or stamping press to cut out the holes and emboss or knee the
flanges round the outer edge of the plates, which thus prepared might be fed
otherwise as described into this new machine to have the flanges capped up by the
burnishing fingers on the drills. Any number of drills may be mountel and actuated
in the headstock of this machine, to bore and flange as many holes as may be
required in the plate to be treated, to suit larger and smaller plates, all in an
equivalent manner to that described for eleven and sixteen holes in each plate. For
removing the end plates when completely treated, from the fixed plate on which they
are formed, the front plate is removed forward by the cam shaft as before described,
and two or more stationary long studs projecting from the crosshead pass through
holes in the sliding headstock and its fixed plate and the front ends of these studs

page_text: come up against and force off the plate by the mere screwing back of the sliding
headstock, so that the plate may either fall down into a shoot below the machine,
or he removed abovo before inserting a new plate.
Dated the 7th Fahrnary FILMU
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Avants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in the Manufacture of Sheet Metal Portable Cases for
the Packing or Steadying and Conveying of Artillery Shot
or Shell and Cartridges, and in the Apparatus or Mechanism
therefor.
I, THOMAS ROBB, of the City Saw Mills, Port Dundas, Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Foreman Joiner, do hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying two
Sheets of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say :-
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in, or connected with
the manufacture of the inner sheet zine or other sheet metal portable cases usually
rectangular or square and close on all the four sides and bottom and used for the
packing and protection of artillery shot or shell against damp or other contingencies,
with their unde-up cartridges, all ready for use and insertion into the guns, which
sheet metal cases are placed within ordinary strong outer protecting wood cases.
The said sheet metal cases, have usually heretofore been made with upper and lower
shelves of wood resting on narrow flanges or projections on the inside of the case or
otherwise secured, with holes bored in them for steadying the shot in a perpendicular
position within the cases. The lower shelf had smaller holes slightly larger than
the shot to steady same, some distances up from the points which rest on a wooden
hottom or other equivalent within the ease, and the upper shelf bored with holes,
slightly larger than the sheet metal cartridge containing the powder, to steady this
upper part vertically some distance down from the top. This inner ense is closed
with a portable sheet metal lid under the hinged lid of the outer wooden case, with n
vertical flange round its outer edges, which is inserted into a groove round the top
rim of the case hermetically sealed from the atmosphere by some soft jointing
material such as india-rubber so that this inner lid may be easily removed on
lifting the top of the outer wooden case, for withdrawing and using the packed shot
and cartridges, as required. Heretofore these wooden shelves so bored and mado
have been found to shrink and make the cartridges tight in their holas; and to avoid
this inconvenience of shrinkage an improvement has been recommended or devised to
make these steadying shelves also of sheet zine or other sheet metal, and to give
strength to these to knoe up the outer flanges all round, a depth of three-eighths of
an inch or so, to rest on the flanges on the inside of the case or le soldered to the
sides of the case and form the holes with capped edges or rims at right angles to the
plate insido, to hear and steady the shot and cartridges without injuring them us
the thin edge of the plate would do if left only punched.
The essential novelty and improvements of this Invention consist, in the mode of,
and means and mechanism for, cutting out the said holes to a smaller size, and then
capping or spinning up the said flanges out of the solid part of the plate left round
the holes by revolving cutters and burnishers all preferably at the same time or in
sots out of each zinc or other metal plate, and also capping up the flanges all round
the edges of the plate at the same operation, and in tho samo arrangement and
combination of machine, so that these zinc shelves are ready as removed from the
machine for insertion into the case either portably or secured over their supporting
Hanges.

page_text: And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended two explanatory Sheets of Drawings, in which the same reference letters
are used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figuros where shown. Figures 1
and 2, on Sheet 1, show a side elevation and a plan respectively of my new or
improved machine for the manufacture of the said sheet metal capped shelves of the
cases for the packing of artillery shot or shell and cartridges. Figure 3 on Sheet 2
is a longitudinal sectional elevation of same corresponding to Figures 1 and 2 and as
taken near the line 1---1 of Figure 2, with the driving shaft and part of the spur
gearing removed. Figure 4 is an end view showing the back wheel gearing of the
machine for driving the spindles and with the main driving wheels e", e, e³, doited in.
Figure 5 is an end view looking on the face of the front die plato e on its moving
frame for capping up the flanges b', B³, round the holes and edges of the
plate B. Figures 6 and 7 are a face view and sectional plan respectively, looking on
the reverse die and cutting plates d, d', and their whole moving frame D. Figure 8
shows to a large scale a side and edge view of one of the cutters a' of the spindles a
which cuts out the holes and embosses the flanges round them in the plate B.
Figures 9 and 10 are an edge section and under plan respectively, to a large scale, of
an upper finished tray T of a box V; and Figure 11 is a sectional edge view of the
plate B as it is removed from the machine shown in Figures 1 to 8, before reducing
and finishing the flanges on the under flanged side. Figure 12 is a side and end
view, to a large scale, of the burnishing cutting and finishing tool 62, 63, for dressing
off the sharp rough edges of the flanges of the holes b in the plate B. Figure 13
shows the head of a lathe H, and slide rest. H2 and pressing plate H' for using the
tool bb, shown in Figure 12. Figure 14 is a sectional elevation of the portable
internal zinc case U with the new embossed divisional finished shelves T, T',
soldered into it for steadying the shot S vertically. And Figure 15 shows a similar
view of the zinc case U and outer wooden box V complete with a few of the shot S
dotted-in in position both to large scales.
Referring to these Drawings-One construction of the new or improved machine,
or arrangement and combination of mechanism for effecting these improvements as
shown consists of a vertical rectangular cast iron open frame A, with an open
vertical double webbed headstock A at the inner or back end, sufficient to give
front and back collar bearings A" to each of the boring spindles a set and divided
off to suit the axes of the holes 6 required in the rectangular zinc or other sheet
metal plate B to be bored and flanged. In front of this set of drill spindles a
planed slide guides would be formed or fitted at A² in the two side frames A, with
a front moving vertical headstock or plate C, working on these at C×, and actuated
by a screw spindle (secured at its centre (and fly or hand wheel (1, working
out through a strong screw brush in the contre of a transverso crosshead or
frame A secured by flanges and scrow bolts to the upper front ends of each fixed
slide frame A², so as to move the said vertical headstock C to and fro, towards and
from the drill spindles and drills a a¹, and from an intermediate sliding frame D
between the frame Cand the drills. This vertical traversing plate C has bolted or
secured to its front face a new construction of vertical embossing die plate c shown
in face view in Figure 5, and carries near its vertical centre a transverse crank
eccentric or cam spindle C in bearings in its end flanges at C, so as to traverse with
this moving headstock C, its ends projecting out through openings in the sides of
the guide frames A, to act all as will hereinafter be described. The front and side
edges of the said fixed die plate care planed straight in the transverse and front
vertical directions, and have a boss cll of half an inch or more deep cut by drills or
otherwise in the axial line of each spindle a, this boss being the exact diameter
of the holes & to be cut out of the zinc plate B by the said drills a, a', as dotted-in
in Figure 10, before capping them up as circular flanges 6 to the full larger size
desired, and as indicated by sharp lines in Figures 9 to 11. An annular groove is
drilled or cut out out of the plate B all round this annular boss e to the same depth
and to a rather larger radius inside than the size of the finished hole to be left

page_text: through the plate with the capped flanges to the extent of the thickness of the
plate to be capped up and flanged against this inner ring, as will hereinafter he
described, and as shown in Figure the upper ego of this annular rim being
preferably slightly rounded for brittle sheet metal such as zinc which is not easily
embossed or capped up. The rectangular edges of this plate a so formed would
be all planed, and the corners also slightly rounded, to the exact size of the inside of
the rectangular sheet metal plate B to be bored and flanged; and has a movable
planed flat plate d in front of this fixed plate e bolted to the front side of the slide
plate D, with projecting flanges d' secured to this plate, or to separate plates, all
round to take on to the planed edges el of the fixed plate e but leaving room between
these for the thickness of the sheet metal flanges B₁ to be turned, kneed, or embossed
all round the outside of the said sheet metal plate 13 as shown dotted-in in Figures 6
and 10, and shown in sharp lines as folded in Figures 9 to 11, by its to-and-fro
motion on its guides D" on the slides A', in a fixed frame A. To effect this
however corner pieces are cut out of the flanged parts B' of the plate B at B" by
corner punches or dies see Figure 5, screwed to the plate U, and fitting corre
sponding hollow cutters at d of the plates of the die plated in the frame D and
tho said motion of the plato D which cuts out these corners B and caps up the
flanges of the plate B, over the plate of the slide (, is effected by strong
Interal studs secured in the slide ends of the frame D and projecting through
openings in the side frames A of the machine, and actuated by short open ended
swivel eccentric connecting links or rods which are litted up by hand and take
on to eccentrics D³ mounted on opposite ends of the spindle C of the traversing
frame and on or near the axial ends of a powerful hand levar or levers L or other
equivalent when a plate B was inserted to have the edges capped and secured
between the moving and fixed die plates c, d, by the pulling down of the lovers L
to the position shown in Figure 3. The links D2 are put on to the eccentrics Dª by
hand after drawing the slide frame I with the plate B inserted close up to the slide
frame and taken off the eccentries when the plate is bored, embossed, and finished
by the action of the levers L, while these are in the upward position. Each plate B
when inserted for this purpose from the top, is made to rest on two lower guides d',
and up against a lateral guide, indicated at with chocks in them to retain the plate
in position until the slide frame D is brought close up towards the frame C. Holes d
are bored in the outer plate of the back moving frame 1 preferably rather larger
than the finished flanged holes and the largest part of the drill a', would be, and
which would enable this outer plate d to steady the new embossing and burnishing
drills u. Each of the new or improved cutting and embossing or capping drills a
as shown in Figure 8 detached from the machine is under one arrangement made in
the form of a simple two-armed fork all made sharp at the inner points of theso
forks both arms being bored out or sized inside at the point to clear the boss (11 on
the inner fixed plate e so tapered or curved and tempered at the point as to cut
through the plate B close to the boss ("; and when it has pierced the plate the
outer rounded or curved surfaces of the forks a" are so rounded and burnished as in
their rotation to gradually roll down and expand the inside flange within the annulur
space c² around the boss Cup against the outer surface of this annular space o, of
tho plato e without cracking or injuring the flungo 6 of the plate 3 being pierced
and flanged, the whole of the drills a effecting this simultaneously to all the
holes and flanges in the plate B. These cutting and burnishing drills or
tools a Figure 8, are made portable with a stem for insertion within the front
end of their rotating spindles a and secured by a pinching screw in the same manner
as drills are in the spindles of lathes and as seen particularly in Figuro 3,
and so that the cutting parts al of the drills may be made of different sizes to
suit for different sized holes to be made through the plates B as also the bosses"
and annular grooves c and d within the fixed and movable die plates c, d, of tho
moving slide plates C, D, before mentioned, and which would also be made portable
and serowed to these fraines C and D, and of sizes to suit the different sizes of drills
and burnishers. For square or other rectangular sheet metal shelves, when the holes b

page_text: were required to be in parallel line with each other (not zigzag) as four rows both
in the horizontal and vertical axes, over each other as for carrying sixteen three pounder
shot as more particularly shown in the Drawings, a spindle a of each drill a' for each
hole in the plate B, is mounted by bearings A", at its opposite ends in the head-
stock A¹ of the upper part of the main frame A, and each alternate horizontal row of
spindles a is geared together by pinions e, et, and at one side of the machine an
end spindle of the first and second rows is made to project beyond the back frame A',
and have each a spur wheel el mounted on it both gearing into a pinion el on a
spindle E, mounted in bearings at A, in the frame AP at one side of the machine for
actuating the whole of these first and third rows to turn in one direction. At the
other side of the machine, as seen in Figure 4, the outer spindle a of the second and
fourth rows are lengthened beyond the frame A', and have pinions on them,
gearing into a pinion e³ on a spinille E', which turns the whole of the spindles of the
second and fourth rows in the opposite direction to the spindles a of the first and
third rows, and both of these side shafts E, E', are turned by spur wheels E", E³,
through a centro pinion E³, on the first motion shaft F, carried in bearings in the contre
of the frame A, and an outer standard A, this first motion shaft F being shown as
actuated by a fast and loose pully F1, F, and shifting belt F from any adjacent
prime moving shaft of the works, and all driven in the direction indicated by the
arrows on the gearing, and shown more particularly in Figures 1 to 4. The two
frames C and D so drawn together as indicated in Figure with the flanges B' of
the plate B embossed, are now fed forward towards the drills a', a", by the screw C¹
and its acting hand wheel C, until the drills cut out the central pieces and holes
and cap up the flanges & of these holes, as indicated particularly in Figures 8 and 11,
after which the two frames Cand Daro brought back to the position shown in Figure 3
by their screw and hand wheel, when the levers L are thrown up and the links D³ taken
off the eccentrics D3 and the slide plate D pushed back by hand to the positions
indicated in Figures 1 and 2 for the removal of the finished plate B and the insertion
of a new one to be so embossed and drilled with the capped up flanges 61. For
automatically removing the plates B when completely bored and embossed as
described, from the fixed plate e on which they are formed, before inserting a new
plate B, the front plate d and its frame D is removed forward by hand as before
described and two or more stationary long studs projecting from the crosshead A³
pass through holes in the sliding headstock and its fixed plate c, and the front ends
of these studs come up against and force off the plate B by the mere screwing back of
the sliding headstock C, so that the plate B may oither fall down between the two
frames C and D into a shoot below the machine, or be removed above by land before
inserting a new plate. The plates B so finished are delivered as indicated in
Figure 11 with a slightly sharp irregular elge bx on the capped flanges 'round
the holes b of the plate. To smooth off the sharp edges of the flanges of these holes
and taper them slightly wider on the flanged side, I use the tapered widener shown in
Figure 12, with grooves and cutting edges, indicated at 62, by fixing it by its stem "
in the spindle or chuck of the hea Istock H of a turning lathe as indicated in
Figure 13, fitted with a small cutter for turning off the sharp irregular edges 6x of
the flanges 6 as these are widened to the proper taper. I erect on the slide rest a
vertical plate H', with a hole through it in line opposite the widener ³, and I insert
the plate B, Figure 11, up against the moving plate H' of the slide rest H' on guide
blocks at H of different heights to suit the rows of holes in the plates, and shift
these along until each hole comes opposite the widener when I bring up the slide rest
to the widener and taper each hole slightly from the back or flunged side, until the
cutter comes up and takes the sharp or barbed edge off each capped flange & to
a uniform depth and finish these as indicated in Figure 9 in contrast to Figure 11.
By another arrangement the drill spindles and drills a a' might be fitted in the head
stock frame A', A', only opposite the first and third hole in the top row, and the
second and forth hole in the second row, and the first and third hole in the third row,
the same as in the first row, and the second and fourth hole in the fourth row as in the
second row, all as indicated by the crosses (X) in Figure 6; and in this case pinions e,e',

page_text: would be fixed on the back end of all these spindlos a in the even and odd rows
respectively gearing into one another in one plane, and turned by one wheel on the
first motion shaft, every alternate set or pair of spindles turning in the revorse
direction, instead of through the wheels e toe, and " to E as hefore described.
Then to bore and emboss the other set of holes, not market with the crosses, the
plate B would require to be removed from its die plate e and turned one quarter
round, and inserted again between its fixed and movable front embossing and
seunring plates c, d, ready for piercing and capping the alternate set of holes left
blank in each row at the first operation. In some cases these drills and burnishers a¹
might be arranged in three rows as for elongated rectangular cases, instead of four as
shown for square cases, to buro and form eleven flanged holes, as shown in Figures 6A
and A, being a size commonly used in the field artillery for six pounder shot,
and as shown in the plate of the former Figure and by the back end and
plan view of the spindles and gearing in Figure 4 A the two upper and lower
rows having each four holes, and the centre row three holes placed in the contro
diagonally to the others, only allowing sufficient space between the holes to keep
the heads of the cartridges clear of each other, and packed in the least possible
space. And in this arrangement one row of pinions e' on the back ends of the
upper and lower rows of spindles would turn in the same direction sny close up
to the back of the headstock A' and be actuated by one pinion on a first motion
horizontal shaft E at one side of the headstock A¹; while the three pinions e on tho
central spindles would be fitted on the front ends of their spindles, and gear into one
another in a plane in front of the former wheels, and be netunted by a different wheel
or pinion on the first motion shaft, which would be turned primarily by a belt and
fast and loose pulley from any adjacent motive shaft or other gearing of the work.
Thus these drill spindles would turn alternately in opposite directions, but their cutters
and burnishers would be made to act in the direction in which they turned to cut the
holes and cap up the flanges, all as previously described, but other arrangements of
the gearing for driving these spindles might be employed. The construction of the
cutting and burnishing or capping up arms a" on the points of the drill spindles a
might be materially modified, as by having three, four, or more arms instead of two
forked arms as before described, having the advance ones or alternate advance ones
cutting out the disc hole, and when this was cut, having these and the others so
rounded on the outside as burnishers, that the advanced arms would slightly expand
and cap down the flange, while the next would do it a little more, and the following
a little more still, and so have a more gradual action in expanding the flange part of
the motal while capping it than might otherwise be the case, with only one or two
cutters and capping burnishers. Or this drill might be made in the form of a hollow
cylinder, with a number of rounded seroll grooves at the point to act as a gradually
expanding mandrel, the grooves gradually expanding the flange part as they turned it
inside the annular cap flange round the contral hoss on the fixo plate. The central
thin dise as cut out of each hole b in the shoet B may simply be allowed to fall down
out through the wide hole in the front movable plate d, or it might be forced out
by a short spiral wire spring mounted in a hole in the centre of each contral boss of
the fixed die or shaping plate c, and fall out of the recess between the drill arms a".
The drill spindles a have all been described as mounted horizontally in their head-
stock A, A, this being considered best for the insorting and withdrawing of the
plates B, D, being treated in front of the drills a' but it will be understood that these
drilling spindles might be mounted vertically as in multiple drilling machines, and
have the drills either working upwards or downwards.
Although this machine has been constructed to do all the operations required, to
flange the plates B and cut out all the holes b and cap or knoe flanges 6 all round
these inside, out of the solid sheet-metal, yet still it will be understood that the first
part of the operation might be done in a separate punching or stamping press to cut
out the holes band emboss or knue the flanges 13 round the outer edge of the plates B,
which thus prepared might be fed otherwise as described into this new machine to
have the flanges b' capped up by the burnishing fingers a" on the drills a'. Any

page_text: number of drills a¹ may be mounted and actuated in the headstock A1, A¹, of this
machine, to bore and flange as many holes b as may be required in the plates or
shelves B to be treated, to suit larger and smaller plates, as required in these
artillery shot retaining cases, all in an equivalent manner to that described for
sixteen and eleven holes in each plate B.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
First. In sheet metal portable cases for the packing, or steadying and conveying,
of artillery shot or shell and cartridges the manufacturing or making of these with
sheet zinc or other sheet metal plates B to form steadying divisions or shelves T, T',
with spun or capped up flanges & round their steadying holes and embossed up
edge flanges B, substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.
Second. The mode of cutting out the holes 6 of sheet zinc or other sheet metal
platos B, and capping or spinning up the flanges 61 out of the solid part of the plate
left round the holes 6, and the Hanges B' round the edges of the plate B, to form
steadying shelves T, T', of sheet metal cases for the packing or steadying and con-
veying of artillery shot or shell and cartridges, substantially as herein described in
reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Third. The construction, or arrangement and combination of the parts, of a machine
or mechanism for cutting out the holes of sheet zinc or other sheet metal plates B
and capping or spinning up the flanges 61 out of the solid part of the plate left round
the holes b. and the flanges B' round the edges of the plate B, to form steadying
shelves T T of sheet metal cases for the packing or steadying and conveying of
artillery shot or shell and cartridges, substantially as herein described in reference to
and shown in Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth. The construction, or arrangement and combination of cutting or embossing
spindles and their drills a a' arranged in sets in line or concentric with corresponding
sets of holes and embossing recesses in plates c, d, for gripping the plates B between
them to have their holes b°cut, or the flanges b₁ of these spun or embossed to form
the steadying shelves of sheet metal cases for the packing or steadying and conveying
of artillery shot or shell and cartridges, substantially as and in the manner herein
described in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Fifth. In a machine or mechanism for the embossing of steadying sheet zinc or
other sheet metal shelves for the packing cases of artillery shot or shell and
cartridges, the combination of two embossing plates c, d, and their traversing
frames C and D traversed to and from each other by a crank, eccentric or cam
spindle and links for gripping the plate B to be treated, and a screw spindle for
traversing these frames Cor D to and from embossing drills, substantially as herein
described in reference to and shown in Figures I to 8 of the accompanying
Drawings.