IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BUTT HINGES OF WROUGHT IRON OR OTHER METAL COMPLETE AT ONE OPERATION
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, of 32, Essex
Street, Strand, London, Patent Agent, for the. Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BUTT HINGES OF WROUGHT IRON OR
OTHER METAL COMPLETE AT ONE OPERATION." -A communication.
Sealed the 24th August 1855, and dated the 10th March 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux
Bellford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th March 1855.
I, AUGUSTE EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 32, Essex Street, Strand,
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BUTT HINGES OF WROUGHT IRON OR
OTHER METAL COMPLETE AT ONE OPERATION" to be as follows; and relates to
the novel construction, arrangements, & combinations of certain mechanical
devices and appliances for punching, bending, and cutting metal to form two
parts of a hinge, fitting 'them together, inserting a pin, closing the joint,
and for carrying them from one to another of the successive stages of
manufacture.
Two bars or strips of metal of a proper thickness, and of a width equal to
the length of the hinge, are fed into the machine at opposite sides in the same

page_text: line, and as they approach each other have the requisite holes & notches cut
by punches, and are bent by suitable mechanism to partly form the joint, and
afterwards advanced until they enter between and embrace each other. The
partly formed hinge is then cut off from the strips and moved away in a
direction laterally to the movement of the strips to the place where they receive
a pin, a little longer than the width of the hinge, & which is driven in by
coming in contact with a stationary. excentric curved piece; the then partly
formed joint is closed and the hinge completed.
Upon a strong table of cast iron are secured five strong headstocks, the first
four of which contain the punches and their respective dies, which punch the
holes & notches in the strips to form the blanks; & the fifth contains rising
& falling cutters, by which the partly finished hinges are cut from the strips.
The headstocks are arranged to bring their respective punches in line. The
punches are attached each to the short arm of one of four levers, whose fulcra
consist of pins attaching them to the respective headstocks of the punches, and
whose longer arms are connected with, and opperated upon by, eccentrics on a
main shaft of the machine, which operate all at the same time. The cutter
slider is connected to the shorter end of a lever whose fulcrum is like that
of the punch levers, & whose longer arm is held by a spring connecting it to
the table, in contact with the periphery of a cam on the main shaft, & is
formed in such manner that the movement of the cutters will be completed in
about a fourth of the revolution of the main shaft.
The preparatory bend is given by means of two parallel rollers arranged in
suitable bearings. These rollers are cut away or otherwise constructed at the
part where the strips of metal pass them in being conducted between the
punches and dies, as only to leave a central pin and a segment of less than
half a circle, the space between the said pin and segment being just sufficient
to admit the thickness of the strip which passes below the central pin. The
shaft of the rollers are geared together at their rear ends by. toothed wheels or
sectors, and the roller shaft carries a larger toothed wheel or sector gearing
with a similar wheel or sector on a small shaft, carrying a bevel toothed wheel.
or sector gearing with a bevel toothed wheel or sector on the main shaft. The
teeth on the sector only extend about one-sixth part of a circle, but the relative
sizes of the toothed wheels or sectors between it and the roller shaft are such
as to give half a revolution to the rollers for every revolution of the main shaft.
Before the sector comes into operation, the rollers are in the position with the
segments below the centre pins, and while stationery in that position receive
the hinge blanks between the said pins and segments. The half revolution
given to the rollers gives a semicircular bend to the blanks. Having thus

page_text: bent the blank, the rollers are returned to their prior position by a spring.
The rollers are always stopped in the desired position to receive the blanks by
stops at the ends of the gearing on their toothed sectors meeting and becoming
incapable of rotating beyond that position.
The strips of metal, while being submitted to the operations of punching,
cutting, and bending devices above described, are guided between fixed steps
or projections on the bottom plates of the punch headstocks and moveable
guide plates, which are secured to the said bottom plate by means of screws
passing through slots, to allow them to move laterally to the strips of metal.
The moveable guide plates have springs applied, to them to clamp the
edges of the strips and prevent lateral movement; but to allow the moveable
guide plates to yield to any want of uniformity in the width of the strips, the
strips are held down to the dies by means of clamping pieces of steel plate one
placed over each die...
:.
..
The strips are fed along towards the centre of the machine; the former by a
pair of reciprocating clamps, and the latter by a seperate pair. The lower
clamp of each pair consists of a 'quadrangular plate, fitting to slide easily
towards and from the centre of the machine between two guide pieces on the
table. The upper clamp consists of a plate of similar form, fitted to the lower
one by studs on the face of the latter, entering recesses or holès in the former.
The upper plate has a strong pin above it; to enter an eye in the front end of
one of two levers, whose fulcra consist of pins in two standards secured to the
table, and pivoted so that the levers are capable of two movements, a vertical
and a lateral. These movements are both given by two cams, aided by a spring
which connects the levers' together, and two springs which connect them with
the table. The cams are so constructed that as they move the levers to carry
the clamps towards the centre of the machine, they lift the back ends of the
said levers, and cause the front end to bear down on the top clamps, making
them grasp the strips to feed them along, but as they move in an opposite
direction they allow the springs to take off all pressure from the clamps to
allow them to return, which takes place while the punches are in operation,
and the strips thus held stationery, the length of the feed being just equal to
the width of the blanks.
The operation of the machine will now be described, before proceeding
further with the description of the other parts of the machine.
The strips to make the hinges are placed in the machine at opposite sides
and received within the clamps. The first operation which takes place is that
of the punching of the screw holes; after which the strips are fed by the
clamps towards the centre of the machine until they arrivé respectively under

page_text: the punches, and have the notches and the holes punched out. The next feed
movement, after the operation of the last punches, brings the parts into the
bending rollers to have the bending operation performed. The next feed move-
ment puts the two blanks together, and as soon as this is effected the blanks
are cut off by the descent of the cutters; on the foregoing operation the
punches all act at once, and the notches and holes to shape the pair of blanks
for one hinge are made while the screw holes of those to form another are
being punched.
The operations of cutting off the blanks which have received the preparatory
bend to form the joint, and giving the preparatory bend to the next pair,
must both take place during the same revolution of the shaft, and during the
time occupied by the operation of the punches; and the reason that the
cutters receive a quick movement by a cam, instead of a gradual movement by
eccentrics, like the punches, is to cut the bent blanks off quickly immediately
after the feed has taken place, and allow the bending rollers time to act on the
next blanks before the punches are entirely withdrawn, as the punches serve to
hold the strips in place during the bending operation.
When two blanks are put together and cut off they require to be moved
immediately to make room for the meeting of the next two. This is effected
in a forward direction, or at right angles to the movement of the strips, by
means of a slider working in guides above the table, and the partly finished
hinge is received in one of a number of suitable recesses in the periphery of a
horizontal disc or wheel, which rotates close to a raised part of the surface of
the table, upon a vertical shaft working through the table, for the purpose of
carrying the hinges to those parts of the machine where the insertion of the
pin and closing of the joint are performed, and to hold them during the said
operations.
The slider is driven by a cam on the main shaft acting between two studs
on a sliding rod, connecting with the slider by a stud passing through the table.
The same sliding rod serves to give the disc the necessary intermitting rotary
motion by means of a pawl attached to the said rod, and engaging with a
ratchet wheel at the bottom of the shaft. The insertion of the pin is per-
formed when the hinges severally arrive opposite to a tube, through which wire
for the pins is fed by a pair of feeding clamps from a reel or coil arranged in
any suitable manner. The feeding clamps consist of a plate working between
guides on the table, and having an upright pin attached to it, and a ring fitting
easily over the said pin, which has a hole through it near the bottom for the
wire to pass through. The pin is received above the ring in the forked end of
a lever, whose fulcrum is in a standard pivoted to the table. This lever, like

page_text: the levers of the clamps for feeding the strips, has two movements given to it,
the said movements being produced by a cam on the main shaft, and a spring
connecting it with the table. When the clamp moves in towards the tube, the
ring is pressed down by the lever, and to grasp the wire to insert the end
of it in the partly formed joint of a hinge, which at the time will be standing
opposite to it in a wheel or disc.
The movement of the clamps will be sufficient to feed the proper length of
wire for a hinge. Immediately after its insertion, and before any further
movement of the wheel or disc, the wire is cut off as close as convenient to the
hinge by a cutter, consisting of a disc attached to the end of a lever whose
fulcrum is on one side of the headstock, for punching notches in the strips,
the said lever being operated upon by a cam fixed on the main shaft to bring
the cutter in operation on the wire close to the mouth of the tube to cut off
the wire in the same manner as by a pair of shears. The small portion of wire
remaining protruding through the end of the joint will be driven in by coming
in contact as the movement of the wheel proceeds with a stationery eccentric
curved piece standing up from the table.
The closing of the joint to finish the hinge is effected when the hinges
severally arrive under a press, when the slider of the press which carries a die
of the requisite form comes down and closes the joint upon the pin. The
slider of the press is attached to one end of and operated upon by a lever
which has its fulcrum in a headstock of the press. The opposite end of this
lever is connected by a rod with the front end of a lever working on a fulcrum
at the left side of the table. The back end of this lever is operated upon by
a cam on the main shaft and a spring attached to the table. The finished
hinge is discharged from the machine by being carried over a hole which is
large enough to let it fall through.
The machine is equally as well adapted for the manufacture of double plate
hinges as for the manufacture of the single plate hinge. To make the blanks
for the double plate hinge, the distances between the punches, the bending
rollers, and cutters must be increased, and a longer feed be given to increase
the distance between the notches and holes. The cutting apart of the blanks
will take place midway between the notches, and four screw holes will be
necessary in each blank, and these must be so punched, that when the joint is
formed and closed, those on one part of the plate will match with those of
the other. The punches for the screw holes of these hinges must be made
each to punch four holes, two of which, when the blanks are seperated, will be
in one blank, and two in the other.
The number of knuckles in the joint of the hinge may be increased by

page_text: making the punches of such form as to punch one or more holes between
every two corresponding notches of one strip, and to punch two or more holes
between the same transverse lines through the other strip.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th August 1855.
"
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTE
EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in. the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, Her special licence that I, the said
Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, 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 ex-
pressed, 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 MAKING BUTT
HINGES OF WROUGHT IRON OR OTHER METAL COMPLETE IN ONE OPERATION," (a
communication,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Auguste
Edouard Loradoux Bellford, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, should particularly 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 Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
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, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the novel construction, arrangements, and com-
binations of certain mechanical devices and appliances for punching, bending,
and cutting the metal to form the two parts of a hinge, for fitting them together,
inserting the pin, and closing the joint, and for carrying them from one to

page_text: another of the successive stages of the manufacture, whereby the hinge is or
may be completed ready for use in one machine and at one operation.
This Invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, which
represent a machine embracing the whole of my Invention.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the machine complete; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the
same, in the line x, x, of Fig. 1.
Fig. 8, a vertical section in the line *, *, of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4, a central vertical section at right angles to Figs. 2 & 3.
Fig. 5 is a side view of a portion of the feeding mechanism for moving the
metal from one to another stage of the operation, and of a portion of the
punching mechanism, as seen from the right side of the machine.
Fig. 6 is a side view of the finishing mechanism, as seen from the left-hand
side of the machine.
Fig. 7 is a section, on a scale larger than the previously described Figures,
of the device by which the preparatory stage of forming the joint is effected.
Fig. 8 is a plan of a guide which conducts the metal to the successive.
punching and cutting operations, and of a guard attached thereto to release the
puncher.
-
Figs. 9, 10, 11, & 12 are face views of the punches and cutters employed
to punch and cut the metal to form the hinges.
Fig. 13 is a face view of a hinge, for the manufacture of which the machine
shown is specially adapted; Fig. 14 is an end view of the same.
Fig. 15 is a face view of a piece of the strip or bar of metal from which the
hinges are made; and Fig. 16 shows the appearance of the metal during the
inanufacture of the hinges.
Fig. 17 shows the shape of the two pieces which are cut out and punched
to form each hinge.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several
Figures.
Before proceeding to describe the construction and operation of the machine,
it will be well to give a general idea of the manner of forming the hinges,
which will in some measure simplify the description of the machine. Two
bars or strips of iron or other metal F, F, of a proper thickness, and of a width
equal to the length of the hinge, as will be seen by comparing the width of the
strip, Fig. 15, with the length of the hinge, Fig. 13, by its side, are fed into
the machine at opposite sides, but in the same line, and as they approach each
other are cut by punches, one F, to the form shown at the right hand of Fig. 16,
and the other F, to the form, shown at the left hand of the said Figure;
the former to represent a continuous repetition of the form A, shown at the

page_text: right of Fig. 17, and the other a continuous repetition of the form A', shown
at the left of the same Figure. The parts a and a, a, at the inmost extremity
of the two bars or strips, when they have nearly met each other are bent by
suitable mechanism to partly form the joint, and afterwards advanced till they
enter between and embrace each other. The two blanks A and A', constituting
the partly formed hinge, are then cut off from their respective strips, and
moved away in a direction laterally to the movement of the strips to the place
where they receive the pin, and the parts a and a¹, a¹, are closed upon the
pin to complete the hinge. B is a strong table or bed of cast iron, which may
be supported by suitable standards to bring it to a convenient height. Upon
this table are bolted five strong headstocks C, C, D, D¹, and E, the first
four of which contain the punches c, c, d, d', best shown in Fig. 3, and
their respective dies which punch the strips to form the blanks A and A',
and the fifth contains the cutters, by which the partly finished hinges are
cut from the strips. The above headstocks are all ranged to bring their
respective punches in line. The punches c and c', nearest the two sides
of the machine, are both alike in form, and are either of them represented
in Fig. 9, the former being to punch the two screw holes e, e, in the blanks
A, and the latter similar holes in the blanks A¹. The punch d, next
to that c, is to cut the opposite notches f, f, in the sides of the strip F, as
shown in Fig. 16, to form the blanks A, and the punch d', next to c¹, occu-
pying a corresponding position to d, on the opposite side of the machine,
is to cut out the holes g to form the blanks A¹. The dies h, k, belong-
ing to all of the above punches, are made to fit them in the same manner
as the dies of punching machinery generally. The cutters by which the partly
formed hinges are cut from the strips consist of rising and falling cutters h, h,
attached to an upright slider i, which is placed in the centre of the machine,
and resembles in its character the punches above described, and they cut
the metal over stationary cutting edges at the bottom of the headstock E.
These cutters must have a recess between them of suitable size and form to
enable the cutting to be effected without closing the joint of the hinges, which
will be partly formed before they operate. The punches are attached each to
the short arm of one of four similar levers G, G, H, H, whose fulcra consist
of pins attaching them to the respective beadstocks of the punches, and whose
longer arms are connected with and operated upon by eccentrics I, 1', J, J', on
the inain shaft K of the machine. These eccentrics are set for all the punches
to operate at the same time. The cutter slider i is connected to the shorter
end of a lever L, whose fulcrum, like that of the punch levers, is in its own
headstock, and whose longer arm is held by a spring 1, connecting it to the

page_text: table B, in contact with the periphery of a cam M on the main shaft,
whose form is such that it will cause the movement of the cutters to be
completed during about a fourth of the revolution of the main shaft.
The preparatory bend is given by means of two parallel rollers m, m³,
arranged in suitable bearings to work between the headstock E and the head-
stocks D, D. These rollers are cut away or otherwise constructed at the part
where the strips of metal pass them in being conducted between the punches
and dies as only to leave a central pin n, and a segment p of less than half a
circle, the space between the said pin and segment being just sufficient to
admit the thickness of the strip which passes below the central pin. The strip
is shown in the section, Fig. 3, in red color. The shafts m* and m¹ of the
rollers m, m', are geared together at their rear ends by toothed wheels or
sectors N, N¹, and the roller shaft m*1 carries a larger toothed wheel or sector
O, gearing with a similar wheel or sector 0¹ on a small shaft P, (see Fig. 1,)
carrying a bevel toothed wheel or sector Q, gearing with a bevel toothed sector
Q' on the main shaft. The teeth on the sector Q¹ only extend about one-sixth
part of a circle, but 'the relative sizes of the toothed wheels or sectors between
it and the roller shaft m* are such as to give half a revolution to the rollers
in the direction indicated by arrows in Fig. 7 for every revolution of the main
shaft. Before the sector Q¹ comes into operation the rollers are in the position
indicated in Fig. 3, with the segments p, p, below the centre pins n, n, and
while stationary in that position they receive the hinge blanks between the said
pins and segments. The half revolution given to the rollers through the
section brings them to the position shown in Fig. 7, and in so doing gives
a semicircular bend to the blank, as indicated in the latter Figure, where, like
in Fig. 3, the strip of which the blanks are formed is shown in red colour.
Having thus bent the blank, the rollers are returned to the position shown in
Fig. 3 by a spring q, of india-rubber or other material, or by some equivalent
thereof, applied to one or other of their shafts, but shown applied to m*. The
rollers are always stopped in the desired position to receive the blanks by the
stops 7, 7, at the ends of the gearing on their toothed sectors meeting, and
becoming incapable of rotating beyond that position.
The strips of metal F, F, while being submitted to the operations of the
punching, cutting, and bending devices, above described, are guided between
fixed steps or projections s (see Figs. 5 and 8) on the bottom plates of the
punch headstocks and movable guide plates t, which are secured to the said
bottom plate by means of screws u, u, passing through slots to allow them to
move laterally to the strips of metal. The movable guide plates have
springs v, v, applied to them to make them clamp the edges of the strips and

page_text: prevent lateral movement; but to allow the movable guide plates to yield to
any want of uniformity in the. width of the strips, the strips are held down
to the dies by means of clamping pieces R of steel plate, one placed over each
die...These clamping pieces are cruciform, as shown in Fig. 8, where a top
view of one is given, and have two opposite arms secured to the headstock,
and the other two arms pressing upon the strip, and they have openings in
them to allow the punches to pass through..
'
The strips F, F, are fed along towards the centre of the machine, the former
by a pair of reciprocating feeding clamps w, w, and the latter by a separate
pair w, w. The lower clamp of each pair consists of a quadrangular plate,
fitting to slide easily..towards and from the centre of the machine between
two guide pieces. x, x, on the table B., The upper, clamp consists of a plate of
similar. form, fitted. to the lower one by studs y,,y, on the face of the latter,
entering recesses or holes in the former, as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 3,
and,also, shown in Fig. 1. The upper plate, has a strong pin 35 above it, to
enter an eye in the front end of one of two levers S, S', whose fulcra consist
of pins. z, z, in two standards T, T, secured to the table B. These standards
are pivoted to the,table B, so that the levers are capable of two movements,
viz., a vertical and a lateral one. These movements are both given by two
cams U, U¹, aided by a spring,1,,which connects the levers together, and two
springs 2, 2,. which connect them with the table A. The cams are so con-
structed, that as they move the respective levers to carry the clamps towards
the centre of the machine, they lift the back ends of the said levers, and cause
the front end to bear down on the top clamps, and thus make them grasp, the
strips to feed them along; but as they move the, levers in the opposite direction
they allow the springs 2,2, to take off all pressure from the clamps to allow
them to return, their return motion taking place while the punches are in
operation, and the strips thus held stationary. The length of the feed must
be just equal to the width of the blanks A, A', from the edges 3 to the edges 4,
see Fig. 17.
•
The operation of the machine, as far as its construction has been described,
will now be briefly described before proceeding further with the description of
the other parts of the machine. The two strips F, F', to make the hinges
are placed without any previous preparation in the machine at opposite sides
and received within the clamps. The first operation which takes place is that
of the punching of the screw holes by the punches c and c', after which the
strips are fed by the clamps towards the centre of the machine, till they arrive
respectively under the punches d, d', and have the notches f, f, and the hole
punched out. The next feed movement after the operation of the last punches

page_text: brings the parts a and a', a', into the bending rollers to have the bending
operation performed; the next feed movement puts the two blanks together,
bringing the part a between the parts a', a¹, and as soon as this is effected the
blanks are cut off by the descent of the cutters h, h, which are at a distance
apart equal to the whole width of the hinge when open. In the foregoing
operation the punches all act at once, and the notches f, f, and hole g, to shape
the pair of blanks for one hinge, are made while the screw holes of those to
form another are being punched. The operations of cutting off the blanks.
which have received the preparatory bend to form the joint and giving the
preparatory bend to the next pair must both take place during the same revo-
lution of. the shaft, and during the time occupied by the operation of the
punches; and the reason that the cutters h, h, receive a quick movement by a
cam, instead of a gradual movement by eccentrics like the punches, is to cut
the bent blanks off quickly immediately after the feed has taken place, and
allow. the bending rollers time to act on the next blanks before the punches
are entirely withdrawn, as the punches serve to hold the strips in place during
the bending operation.
When two blanks are put together and cut off, they require to be moved
out of the way immediately to make. room for the meeting of the next two.
This removal is effected in a forward direction, or at right angles to the move-
ment of the strips, by means of a. slider V, working in guides above the
table, and the partly finished hinge is received in one of a number of suitable
recesses in the periphery of a horizontal disc or wheel W, which rotates close
to a raised part of the surface of the table B, upon a vertical shaft X working
through the table, for the purpose of carrying the hinges to those parts of the
machine where the insertion of the pin and closing of the joint are performed,
and to hold them during the said operations. The slider V is driven by a
cam Y on the main shaft, acting between two studs 4, 4, on a sliding rod Z,
working below the table, the said sliding rod connecting with the slider V by
a stud 5 passing through the table. The same sliding rod Z serves to give
the disc the necessary intermitting rotary motion by means of a pawl 6, see
Figs. 2 and 4, attached to the said rod, and engaging with a ratchet wheel 7
at the bottom of the shaft X. The insertion of the pin is performed when
the hinges severally arrive opposite to a. tube 8, through which wire for the
pins, represented in Figs. 1 and 2 by a blue line, is fed by a pair of feeding
clamps from a reel or coil arranged in any suitable manner. This reel or coil
I have thought it necessary to show. The feeding clamps consist of a plate q,
working between guides 10, 10, on the table, and having an upright pin 11
attached to it, and. a ring 12. fitting easily over the said pin, which has a hole

page_text: through it near the bottom for the wire to pass through. The pin 11 is
received above the ring 12 in the forked end of a lever 13, whose fulcrum is
in a standard 14, pivoted to the table B. This lever, like the levers of the
clamps for feeding the strips, has two movements given to it, the said move-
ments being produced by a cam 15 on the main shaft, and a spring 16 con-
necting it with the table. When the clamp moves in towards the tube 8, the
ring 12 is pressed down by the lever, and caused to grasp the wire to insert
the end of it in the partly formed joint of a hinge, which at the time will be
standing opposite to it in the wheel or disc W. The movement of the clamps
will be sufficient to feed the proper length of wire for a hinge. Immediately
after its insertion, and before any further movement of the wheel W, the wire
is cut off as close as convenient to the hinge by a cutter consisting of a disc 33,
attached to the end of a lever 34, whose fulcrum 36 is in one side of the
headstock D, the said lever being operated by a cam 87 on the main shaft
to bring the cutter in operation on the wire close to the mouth of the tube 8,
to cut off the wire, in the same manner as by a pair of shears. The small
portion of wire remaining protruding through the end of the joint will be
driven in by coming in contact as the movement of the wheel proceeds with
a stationary eccentric curved piece 17, see Fig. 1, standing up from the table.
The closing of the joint to finish the hinge is effected when the hinges severally
arrive under a press 18, when the slider 19 of the press, which carries a die
38 of the requisite form, comes down and closes the joint upon the pin. The
slider 19 of the press is attached to one end of and operated by a lever 20,
which has its fulcrum in the headstock 18 of the press. The opposite end
of this lever is connected by a rod 21 with the front end of a lever 22, see
Fig. 6, working on a fulcrum 27 at the left side of the table. The back end
of this lever is operated upon by a cam 28 on the main shaft, and a spring 29
attached to the table. The finished hinge is discharged from the machine by
being carried by the wheel W over a hole 30 in the table, which is large
enough to let it fall through.
The machine is equally as well adapted for the manufacture of double plate
hinges, of which one is shown in Fig. 18, as for the manufacture of the
single plate hinge. For the manufacture of the double plate hinge, the blanks
A and A require to be of the form shown in Fig. 19, and the bend will
be given at the parts a and a, a, throwing the portion 31 of each over
on to the portion 32. To make the blanks of this shape, the distances between
the punches, the bending rollers, and cutters must be increased, and a longer
feed be given to the strips to increase the distance between the notches f, f,
and holes g, as shown in Fig. 20, which represents the manner in which the

page_text: strips are cut for the double plate hinges. The cutting apart of the blanks
will take place in the dotted lines midway between the notches f, f, or the
holes g, g, and four screw holes é, e, e, e, will be necessary in each blank, viz.,
two on cach side of the parts a* & a, a, and these must be so punched,
that when the joint is formed and closed, those on one part of the plate will
match with those of the other. The punches for the screw holes of these
hinges must be made each to punch four holes, two of which when the blanks
are separated will be in one blanck, and two in the other..
The number of knuckles in the joint of the hinge may be increased by
making the punches of such form as to punch one or more holes g¹ between
every two corresponding notches f, f, of one strip, and to punch two or
more holes g between the same transverso lines through the other strip, as
shown in Fig. 21.
Having thus fully described the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be
understood that what I claim is,―
First, the arrangement, as described, in the same line of the punches d and ď
which cut out two blanks to the proper shape for a hinge, and the bending
rollers m, m, which give the preparatory bend to the two blanks to form the
joint, whereby two strips or bars of metal fed at proper intervals of time
towards each other under the said punches and through the said rollers are
cut into blanks, bent, and put together ready to receive the pin, substantially
as herein set forth.
Second, connecting together the two cutters h, h, which cut off the two
blanks, and arranging and operating the said cutters so that they will cut off
the blanks both at the same time, but not until they have both received the
preparatory bend to form the joint, and been put together ready to receive
the pin, substantially as herein set forth.
Third, so controlling the operation of the punches & and d', which cut out
the metal blanks, the rollers m, m', which give the preparatory bend to
form the joints, and the cutters h, h, which cut off the partly formed hinge from
the strips, that all act during each intermission of the feed movement, but
that the cutters act more quickly or carlier than the punches, in order that the
preparatory bending operation, which takes place after the action of the cutters,
may be effected before the punches are entirely withdrawn from the metal, and
that the punches may serve to hold the strips during the said bending opera-
tion, substantially as herein set forth.
Fourth, the method, substantially as herein described, of removing the partly
formed hinges from where they are put together and cut from the strips of

page_text: metal from which they are formed, and carrying and holding them to receive
the pins and have their joints closed, by means of the.. slider. V working
transversely to the direction. in which the strips move, .to be submitted to the
successive operations of punching, bending, and cutting off, and the inter-
mittently rotating wheel placed on the opposite side of the strips to the said
slider.
Fifth, the arrangement of the wire feeding and: cutting apparatus and the
press which carries the closing die 38, in such a manner that the horizontal
intermittently rotating wheel W, which receives the partly finished hinges
when they are cut off, may bring and hold the hinges severally and succes-
sively, first opposite the said feeding and cutting apparatus to receive the wire
to form the pin, and afterwards opposite the said closing die to have the joint
closed. This I claim irrespectively of the particular means of feeding: and
cutting off the wire, as almost any kind of feeding and cutting apparatus may
be used; and of the particular method of operating the closing die, which may
be operated by any of the means commonly employed for such purposes.
Sixth, the eccentric curved piece, arranged substantially as shown in Fig. 1
of the Drawing, and herein described, for the purpose of finishing the insertion
of the pin in the hinge, by pushing into the joint so much of the pin as is
left protruding when the pin 'is cut off, said pushing being effected by the
carrying wheel W carrying the protruding end of the pin in contact with the
said curved piece:
Seventh, the general arrangement and combination of the several mechanical
devices and appliances, substantially as herein shown, to form a machine
for the manufacture of hinges from bars or strips of metal complete at one
operation.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
A. E. LORADOUX BELLFORD. (L.S.)