Methods of and Apparatus for Forming Finger Rings.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1890-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Methods of and Apparatus for Forming Finger Rings.
I, WILLIAM HENRY PECKHAM, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, and
State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 :-
The invention relates to improvements in methods of and apparatus for forming
finger-rings from flat circular blanks having a circular opening; and it consists in
first subjecting said blanks to a die by which the inner portion thereof surrounding
the central opening is given an inclined position while the outer portion thereof is
made vertical, said inner portion forming one edge of the ring, and then in reversing
the position of the blank in another die and forming the opposite edge of the
ring, the opening in the ring being left with vertical sides and the exterior thereof
slightly thickened at its central portion. The ring, after leaving the dies, is
subjected to forming-rolls, and by them finished, said rolls being adapted, either to
finish the exterior of the ring with a convex surface or with a plain flat surface, as
may be desired.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1, is a central vertical section of a die and swage adapted to punch the
circular blanks from a plate of metal.
Fig: 2 is a face view of the blank formed by the device illustrated in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3, a central vertical section of a die and swage for punching the central
opening in the blanks;
Fig. 4, a face view of the blanks having the central opening formed therein;
Fig. 5, a central vertical section of a dic and swage for performing the first
step in the operation of forming the ring from the blank illustrated in Fig. 4;
Figure 6, à central vertical section of a die and swage for performing the second
step in the operation of forming the ring;
Fig. 7, a plan view and side elevation of the partly-formed ring after leaving the
die illustrated in Fig. 5; and
Fig. 8, a plan view and vertical section of the ring after leaving the die illustrated
in Fig. 6, when it is in condition to be subjected to the action of forming-rolls.
In the drawings A designates the swage, and B the die, by means of which the
circular blanks D may be cut from the metal plate E; and F designates the swage,
and G the die, by means of which the central opening or aperture H may be cut in
the blank D; as illustrated in Fig. 4. After the blank D has been removed from
the die G, it is placed upon the die I; as illustrated in Fig. 5, and subjected to
the action of the swage J, the effect of which is to turn the inner portions of the
blank Dsurrounding the opening H downward conforming to the walls of the
opening L in said die I, while the outer portion of the blank D is left in a vertical
position, as indicated in Fig. 7. In the drawings I have lettered the inner portion
of the blank which is given an inclined position by the die illustrated in Fig. 5, a,
and the outer portion of said blank, which is given a vertical position by the
said die b:
The die I contains an annular recess M, surrounding the opening L thereof to
receive the blank D, as illustrated in Fig. 5, and the walls of said die converge
inward toward the lower portion thereof, and then diverge outward, as denoted
at N.
The swage J consists of the spindle P, having a threaded lower end receiving the
sleeve Q, and a spring R between said sleeve and its shoulder S. Upon the
spindle P is placed the movable sleeve T, having an annular shoulder V at its lower
portion, against which the spring R has a bearing. The sleeve T is provided.

page_text: adjacent to its upper portion with the vertical elongated slots W, through which the
pin X extends, said pin being passed through an aperture in the spindle P, as indicated
by dotted lines in Fig. 5, and having its ends terminating in the slots W.
Upon the blank D being placed in the die I and the swage J driven upon it, the
smaller end of the sleeve enters the opening Hin said blank and drives the
portion a of the ring downward against the walls of the opening L in the die, while
the outer portion 6 of the blank turns upward against the exterior walls of the
sleeve and against the lower edge of the sleeve T. The swage J is caused to
descend upon the blank D with sufficient force to drive said blank entirely through
the die I, and during this operation the resistance of the blank against the lower
edge of the sleeve T has the effect of forcing the said sleeve upward on the
spindle P, the slots W permitting this movement. As soon as the blank has passed
entirely through the opening L in the die I, the spring R forces the sleeve T to its
former position, being that illustrated in Fig. 5. The effect of the sleeve T is to
afford an equal bearing-surface entirely around the outer edges of the blank D, when
the latter has been turned upward against the lower edges of said sleeve, and thus the
partially-formed ring, after leaving the die illustrated in Fig. 5, has a uniform upper
edge, and is in condition to be subjected to the die illustrated in Fig. 6, whereby
the edge b of said partially formed ring is given an outline and condition conforming
to the edge a thereof, leaving the ring in the condition illustrated in Fig. 8.
In placing the partially formed ring illustrated in Fig. 7. in the die Y of Fig. 6.
the upper edge of said partially-formed ring is first inserted in the opening Z of
said die, the edge a being uppermost, after which the swage d is depressed, bringing
the stud e in the central opening of the partly-finished ring and the shoulder f
against the edge a thereof, and forcing the ring through the opening Z, during
which operation the portion a of the ring is left practically unchanged, while the
portion thereof is made to conform to the portion a by being forced against the
gradually-tapering walls of the opening Z. After the ring has left the die Y, it has
a central opening with plain walls and an exterior which tapers inward from the
centre toward the edges, leaving the greatest thickness around the annular centre
of the ring at the point where it is most desired.
After the ring has left the die I it is in condition to be subjected to forming-rolls
and finished either with a convex surface or a plain flat surface, or with such surface
as may be desired, according to the formation of the rolls. It will thus be seen that
by means of two operations, the first with the die illustrated in Fig. 5, and the
second with the die illustrated in Fig. 6, I am enabled to transform the flat annular
blank provided with a central opening into a ring having vertical walls around its
opening and with edges which conform to each other, and an exterior surface
substantially in the outline desired for finger-rings.
By means of the die shown in Fig. 1, substantially one half of the ring is
formed and then by means of the die illustrated in Fig. 6 the other half of the ring
is formed. In the formation of the first half of the ring the outer portion of the blank
turns up against the vertical sides of the sleeve Q, and this fact, together with the
pressure exerted by the sleeve T, insures the direct even passage of the blank
through the die I and its regular and uniform transformation into the partly-formed
ring illustrated in Fig. 7.
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:
1st. The method hereinbefore described of forming rings from flat circular blanks
having a central opening, which consists in first, by means of a swage, driving said
blank entirely through a die having tapering walls to form substantially one half
of the ring, then reversing the position of the blank in another die having tapering
walls, and by means of a swage driving it entirely through the same to form the
other half of said ring, and finally finishing the ring on forming-rolls, as
described.

page_text: 2nd. The method hereinbefore described of forming rings from flat circular blanks
having a central opening, which consists in first, by means of one die, forcing the
inner portion of the blank surrounding the central opening outward to form one half
of the ring, at the same time bending the outer portion of the blank into substan-
tially a vertical position, and then by means of another die in forcing the substantially
vertical portion of the partly-formed ring inward to form the other half of the
ring, leaving the greater thickness of the ring along its annular centre and its
opening with vertical walls.
3rd. For forming finger-rings the die I and the swage J, having the yielding
sleeve T, jointly with the die Y and swage d, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 31st day of October 1890.
HERBERT J. ALLISON,
Agent for the Applicant.