Improvements in Spikes, Nails, and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 17th June, 1895-Accepted, 10th Aug, 1895
'PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spikes, Nails, and the like.
We, CHARLES KINGSTON WELCH, The Hollies, Eaton Road, Coventry, in the
County of Warwick, Engineer, and JOHN JOSEPH HADLEY, Hazelwood, High
Road, North Finchley, in the County of London, Merchant, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to spikes, nails, and the like.
According to our said invention we construct a spike or nail having a wooden or
like portion firmly secured to or in the head thereof into which wooden portion
another nail, screw, tack, or the like may be readily driven or inserted.
In carrying our invention into practice we provide in one construction a spike of
malleable cast iron having an approximately cylindrical head. Said head is
pierced with a conical hole the axis of which is parallel to the shank and the large
end of which is towards the point or points of the spike. A plug of wood of
corresponding shape to the hole in the head of the spike is forced into said hole,
the outer end of said plug being preferably cut flush with the outside of the spike-
head. We sometimes screw the plug of wood into the spike or we may use other
means for securing said wooden portion or portions to the spike head.
Such a spike when driven into a wall or the like may be used for very many
purposes. In all cases where any article is to be secured to a wall or the like we
may first drive in one or more of our improved spikes and then attach the article
to the wooden portion or portions of said spike or spikes. For example where
electric wires or appliances are required to be fixed it has been customary to plug
the wall at intervals and secure the wires or appliance in position by staples or the
like driven into the wall-plugs. By our invention the necessity for plugging the
wall is dispensed with as a suitable number of our improved spikes may be very
readily driven into the wall, the head of the spike being either left projecting or
driven in flush as desired, and the staples or the like fastening the wires or
apparatus in position being driven into the wooden parts of the spikes.
We make our improved spikes of any suitable material and of any convenient
size according to the purpose for which said spikes are required. We sometimes
form a spike by stamping. For example we may stamp out a T-shaped piece of
metal the arms of which are turned round to form the hollow head of the spike.
Instead of forming part of the head of the spike of wood we may use papier-maché
or any other suitable material.
We very often form our spikes with two or more
shanks and the head part of the spike is sometimes very large in proportion to the
shank or shanks.

page_text: We, CHARLES KINGSTON WELCH, of The Hollies, Eaton Road, Coventry, in
the County of Warwick, Engineer, and JOHN JOSEPH HADLEY, of Hazelwood,
High Road, North Finchley, in the County of London, Merchant, 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:-
Our invention relates to spikes, nails or like fastenings, and comprises the
improvements hereinafter described.
According to our said invention we construct a spike, nail or like fastening
having a piece or plug of wood or other suitable material firmly secured to or in
the head thereof into which piece or plug another nail or a screw, tack, or other
fastening may be readily driven or inserted.
The head of the spike or nail is made hollow, that is to say, it has a hole
extending through it in the direction of the length of the shank, said hole being
taper with the large end toward the point or points of the spike, and in the said
hole is inserted a plug or block of wood or other suitable material adapted to
receive and hold a nail, screw, or other fastening.
In the accompanying drawings we have shown by way of example several forms
of our improved spikes or nails.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved spike or nail having a round
head and one shank.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of said spike.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the plug or block of wood detached from the
head.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of another spike or nail baving two shanks and a
round head.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of another spike or nail having a rectangular
shaped head and two shanks.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of another spike or nail having a round head
which is slit on one side.
Figure 7 illustrates the blank from which the said spike shown in Figure 6 is
formed.
Figure 8 is a longitudinal section of another modified form of our spike or
nail.
Like letters denote the same parts in the several figures.
A is the shank of the spike or nail; B is the head; B₁ is the hole through the
head; and C is the block of wood or other material for filling the said hole in the
head.
The head may be circular as indicated by Figures 1, 4, 6 and 8, or it may be
rectangular as indicated by Figure 5 or it may have any other suitable shape, but
in any case it is pierced as shown at B' with a taper hole having the large end
towards the point of the spike or nail. The plug or block C of wood, papier maché
or other suitable material is made to fit the hole B' in the head of the spike or nail
and is tightly forced therein before the spike or nail is driven into the wall or the
like where it is to be fixed. The ends of the plug or block are preferably made to
be flush with the front and rear faces of the head.
The plug or block cannot be drawn out from the front of the head of the spike
or nail and by reason of the conical or taper formation thereof it will become
wedged in the head very tightly and will not readily turn therein.

page_text: In some instances we screw the plug into the hole in the head as shown in
Figure 8; and we may adopt other suitable means for securing the plug in or to
the head.
When the plug is screwed we may in some cases place the shank central with the
head instead of on one side thereof as shown in Figure 8.
The spike or nail may have one shauk as shown in Figures 1, 2, 6 and 8, or it
may have two shanks as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The shank may be flat as
indicated in Figare 1 for example in which case the flat formation may extend to
the front end of the head, or may project beyond the end of the head to receive the
blows of the hammer when driving the spike, or the shank or shanks may be curved
as in Figure 6, or have any other suitable form. The shanks are suitably pointed
to facilitate their entrance into the wall.
The T-shaped blank D Figure 7 is stamped from a sheet of metal and the head
of the T is then curved round to form the head of the spike or nail shown in
Figure 6. In some cases the ends may be caused to overlap and be secured
together by brazing or otherwise. We preferably make our improved spikes or
nails of malleable iron.
Such a spike or nail is extremely useful for securing articles to walls where a
firm hold is desired without risk of damaging the wall, or the instrument or othe
article to be fixed. We first drive in one or more of our improved spikes and the:
attach the instrument or other article by screws or nails or other fastenings to th.:
plug or plugs of said spike or spikes. For example where electric wires, telephones,
bells or appliances are required to be fixed to a wall it has been customary to plug
the wall at intervals and secure the wires or appliance in position by nails staples
or the like driven into the wall-plugs. By our invention the necessity for plugging
the wall is dispensed with as a suitable number of our improved spikes may be
very readily driven into the wall, the heads of the spikes being either left
projecting or fitted in flush as desired, and the staples, nails, screws or the like
fastening the wires or apparatus in position may then be driven into the plugs of
the spikes.
When the plugs are intended for the reception of screws we preferably provide
them with a hole as shown in Figures 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8. This hole may be
central or it may be eccentric. In the latter case it is possible by first loosening
the plug and then turning the same to adjust the hole to the exact position where
it is required to be.
When used for suspending pictures or the like, the head of the spike may project
from the wall and serve as the direct support for the cord or chain, and the plug
in the head may then be used for attaching thereto a rose or fancy head to cover
the head of the spike. Our improved spikes or nails may have more than two
shanks if desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. A. spike or nail having a hollow head and a filling of wood or other suitable
material adapted to receive and hold a screw, nail, or other fastening, for the
purpose specified.
2. A spike or nail constructed substantially as described with reference_to
Figures 1 and 2, or to Figure 4, or to Figure 5, or to Figure 6, or to Figure 8 for
the purpose specified.
Dated this 17th day of June 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.