IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF NUTS, BOLTS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATIIS FOR MAKING THE SAME
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Fletcher, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF NUTS, BOLTS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES, AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATIIS FOR MAKING THE SAME."
Sealed the 6th May 1856, and dated the 9th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Fletcher at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
November 1855.
I, HENRY FLETCHER, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lan-
caster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF NUTS, BOLTS, AND OTHER SIMILAR
ARTICLES, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE SAME," to be as
follows:-
To make square unscrewed nuts, I construct a punching machine with frame,
bed, and table, together with rollers and cams or suitable apparatus, so that the
square flat nut iron to be punched may be forced forward and held stationary
at certain intervals or distances to form the length or size of the nut. I
attach to the machine a circular saw or disc, working its periphery at right

page_text: angles with the nut iron bar, and by means of any suitable mechanical con-
trivanco I cause the saw or disc whilst it is revolving to advance to and recede
from the said bar at the required intervals above mentioned, and thus saw or
cut from the bar a piece of iron the requisite size for the nut, which is then
punched, and if desired shaped also by suitable apparatus, working at similar
intervals or distances in concert with the advance of the bar and the saw or
disc, thus forming a nut at each interval. I also propose to use if desirable
two or more of the said circular saws or discs at the same time, in which case
the times of descending the punch must be encreased in proportion to the
number of saws or discs; or I can have two or more of the said bars going
through at the same time, and the punch bar may contain two or more punches,
so as to make two or more nuts at the same operation. To make hexagonal
nuts 1 employ similar machinery to the above described, but I use hexagonal
bar iron, and as soon as the iron to form the nut is sawn or cut off, it is by
means of catches and stops made to fall on its flat side, and thus receive the
descending punch, or the piece of iron sawn or cut off may descend into a
recess in the bed, and be punched by a punch working horizontally.
One of my improvements in the manufacture of bolts is chiefly applicable to.
what are termed fish plate joints, used in connecting the rails of railways. I use
one piece of iron in the form of a staple or clip, instead of the two ordinary bolts
used to join the two plates and rail together. To manufacture the same, I take
a straight piece of round bar iron of the required length, and screw it at each
end; I then bend it to about the form of three sides of a parallelogram, the two
ends being the same distance asunder as the two holes in the fish plates. I
bend the said piece of iron by means of suitable swages and dies; one actuated
by a reciprocating motion, so that when it approaches the other with the
straight piece of iron between them the desired shape is given. I afterwards
place it on a swage formed similarly to that which is presented by a fish plate,
into which this double bolt is inserted, similar to two ordinary bolts, and screwed
up with a nut on each end, thus saving the expense of making the square
bolt head, and the time in screwing and unscrewing the joints.
Another part of my improvements in the manufacture of bolts relates to
those requiring heads of any shape or form, which I accomplish by means of
a pair of rollers so cut or engraved on the surface, or that part which draws
the bar, so as to form the required shaped head on the bar at certain required
distances; these bolt bars are then to be cut up by shears, saw, or any suitable
contrivance, and, if necessary, to be shaped afterwards.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Fletcher in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th May 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ПENRY
FLETCHER, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry Fletcher, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Fletcher, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Fletcher, 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 THE
MANUFACTURE OF NUTS, BOLTS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES, AND IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Henry Fletcher, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Royal Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Fletcher, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
To make square unscrewed nuts, I construct a punching machine with
frame, bed, and table, together with rollers and cams or suitable apparatus, so
that the square or flat nut iron to be punched may be forced forward and held
stationary at certain intervals or distances to form the length or size of the
nut. I attach to the machine a circular saw or disc, working its periphery at
right angles with the nut iron bar, and by means of any suitable mechanical
contrivance I cause the saw or disc whilst it is revolving to advance to nnul
recede from the said bar at the required intervals above mentioned, and thus
saw or cut from the bar a piece of iron the requisite size for the nut, which is
then punched, and if desired shaped also by suitable apparatus, working at

page_text: similar intervals or distances in concert with the advance of the bar and the
saw or disc, thus forming a nut at each interval. I also propose to use, if
desired, two or more of the said circular saws or discs at the same time, in
which case the times of descending the punch must be encreased in propor-
tion to the number of saws or discs; or I can have two or more of the said
bars going through at the same time, and the punch bar may contain two or
more punches, so as to make two or more nuts at the same operation. To
make hexagonal nuts, I employ similar machinery to the above described, but
I use hexagonal bar iron, and as soon as the iron to form the nut is sawn or
cut off, it is by means of catches and stops made to fall on its flat side, and
thus receive the descending punch, or the piece of iron sawn or cut off may
descend into a recess in the bed, and be punched by a punch working
horizontally.
One of my improvements in the manufacture of bolts is chiefly applicable
to what are termed "fish plate joints," used in connecting the rails of railways.
I use one piece of iron in the form of a staple or clip, instead of the two
ordinary bolts used to join the two plates and rails together. To manufacture
these clip bolts, I take a straight pieco of round iron of the required strength
and length, and screw it at each end, which may be performed in one opera-
tion by means of a hollow spindle to hold the piece of iron, and two pairs of
dies acting at the same time; I then bend it to the form required by means
of suitable swages and dies. The top swage is actuated to move up and down
by any of the usual contrivances in such cases; the bottom swage or anvil is
fixed, and may be grooved to hold the heated bolt, which is bent by the top
swage being forced down upon it. The bolt may afterwards be shaped and
formed to that which is presented by a fish plate, and into which it has ulti-
mately to be affixed.
Another part of my improvements in the manufacture of bolts or spikes
relates to those requiring heads; and to save the expense of the usual mode of
swaging the bar down, so as to leave iron at the end sufficient to form the
head, or the other mode of lapping and welding a piece of iron round the bar
to form a lump sufficient for the head, I roll the iron bars with certain lumps
or thick places at certain intervals; and I effect this by cutting or engraving
the rolls to the form required, so as to form heads on the bar of any desired
size or shape at certain required distances, that is, by having the grooves in the
rolls widened at certain intervals, which may be either regular or irregular.
The bars may be shaped and cut either for single bolts, or the lumps may be
rolled sufficiently long so as to form two bolts when the lumps are cut through.
The said bolts or spikes may be shaped and swaged afterwards

page_text: The nature of my Invention will be clearly understood by reference to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, with the figures and letters of reference
thereon; in which Figs. 1 and 2 are elevations, and Fig. 3 a plan, of the
machinery or apparatus for forming nuts used for bolts. Figs. 4 and 5 repre-
sent the clip bolts, and the fish plate joints to which they are applied, drawn
to about one-half of the actual size; Fig. 6 is the fish plate detached; Figs. 7,
8, 9, and 10 represent the swages and dies employed in bending the clip bolts;
Figs. 11 and 12 represent the rolls for rolling bars of metal with certain
lumps or thick places at certain intervals. In Figs. 13 and 14 are shewn the
appearance of the bars and the pieces cut off. To make square unscrewed
Duts, I add to an ordinary punching machine the bed and frame a, b, together
with rollers c and circular saw or disc d, and so arrange levers and rods as to
cause the rollers c and saw d to work in unison with the punch e; the square
or flat iron f to be formed into nuts is in a heated state, and placed between
the rollers c in the groove of the bed a; the punch e will descend and form
a hole, as at g, at the same time the saw is made to advance through the
heated nut iron, and thus cut off the blank nut g by means of the rod h, which
is connected with or actuated by the same apparatus as the punch rod, and by
the action of the levers or legs i and k, and the rod 7 attached to the carriage
m, in which the saw revolves, and which slides on the bed b. When the punch
rises the saw will recede, and the lever o, which is on the
and I, will impinge on the lever at p, which will draw the rod 9, and thus
actuate the catch or ratchet wheel r, affixed to the spindle of the bottom
roller c; the barf will thus be advanced forward again, and the whole process
repeated.
same stud with i
I have in the Drawing left out the particular moving parts and frame of
the punching machine, as they are well understood; but the punch may be so
formed as to make the hole, and at the same time by means of a shoulder to
bevel or otherwise shape the nut. It is also evident that I may adapt two
or more punches to descend together, and two or more circular saws or discs
may be affixed to the spindle and carriage m, or two or more bars, as f may
be passed between the rollers cat the same time, so as to make two or more
nuts at the same operation. When hexagonal nuts are required to be made,
the iron which has been sawn or cut off to form the nut is made to fall on
its flat side by means of a catch or stop at g, or a projection in the groove of
the frame a, and thus receive the descending punch to form the hole.
The clip bolts, having their two ends the same distance asunder as the two
holes in the fish plates, which constitutes one part of my Invention, are seen
at s, Figs. 4 and 5. The swages for bending the said bolts are shewn in

page_text: Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10. The bolt, both before and after it is bent, is represented
at t; the top swage is shewn at u and the bottom swage at v.
Fig. 11 is a front' view, and Fig. 12 a section, of the rolls for drawing iron,
so as to form lumps or projections on the bars. The grooves, which are
.widened at certain intervals, are shewn at w, x, y, and ; the intervals in the
grooves may be regular, as w and z, thereby forming a bar, as shown in Fig. 13;
or they may be irregular, as in x and y, forming a bar resembling that shewn
in Fig. 14. The bars may be cut as represented by the dotted lines in
Figs. 13 and 14, forming pieces of iron with lumps or projections, as seen
at a¹.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I desire it to be
distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the exact details herein
set forth, as such may be varied or modified without departing from the principle
thereof; but I claim,―
Firstly, the arrangement and combination of machinery or apparatus for
punching and sawing metal bars, so as to form or make the nut at one and
the same opération.
Secondly, the application of a clip bolt to fish plate joints, forming one
double bolt instead of two single ones.
Thirdly, the arrangement of machinery or apparatus for rolling metal bars,
having at certain desired intervals lumps, projections, or irregularities sufficient
to form the heads of bolts or spikes, as such improvements are herein described,
and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Fletcher, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of May, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-six.
HENRY FLETCHER. (L.s.)
'Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-named
Henry Fletcher. in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.