CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SHEARING, SHAPING, PUNCHING, AND COMPRESSING METALS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GLASGOW, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twelfth day of January, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty, in the thirteenth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Glasgow, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said John Glasgow, my exors, admors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said John Glasgow, my exors, adñors, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time,
and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein mentioned and
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
that part of Her said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
called England, Her Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
SHEARING, SHAPING, PUNCHING, AND COMPRESSING METALS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said John Glasgow, shall particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed and carried into effect, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in Her said

page_text: Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Glasgow, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed and carried into effect, are
particularly set forth, described, and ascertained in and by these Presents,
reference being had unto the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
The nature of my said Invention consists, firstly, in the application of the
expansive force or pressure of steam, air, or other elastic fluid, to the
operations of shearing, shaping, punching, and compressing metals by means of-
the direct action of the piston and piston rod of a steam or other cylinder, and
without the intervention of the machinery usually employed for transmitting
and applying such force.
Secondly, in the mechanical arrangement and construction of a certain
engine or machine, by which the various operations of shearing, shaping,
punching, and compressing metals are performed by the direct application of
steam, air, or other elastic fluid, as above mentioned, together or in concert
with other operations, in a more economical and expeditious manner than by
the machinery now in use for such purpose.
And, thirdly, in the mechanical arrangement and construction of a certain
other engine or machine, whereby the operations of punching, shearing, and
shaping metals for the formation of screw nuts are performed in a more
economical and expeditious manner than by the methods hitherto in use for
that purpose.
And the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is
to be performed and carried into effect, will be seen and understood by the
following description and explanation of such engines or machines, and by
reference to the annexed two Sheets of Drawings, which Drawings, and the
Figures or representations therein delineated, are progressively numbered,
and the letters, indices, or figures of reference, employed to indicate any
particular part or parts of the said engines or machines in one Figure, are also
made use of to denote the same part or parts in every other Figure wherein
such letter or figure of reference is used :—
Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents a side elevation of the engine or machine
first above mentioned, as applied to form the heads of rivets, spikes, or bolts;
Figure 2, Sheet 1, is a plan or bird's-eye view of the same machine; Figure 3,
Sheet 1, is an end elevation of the nearest end of Figure 1; Figure 4, Sheet 2,

page_text: is a longitudinal vertical section taken along the line W, W, in Figure 2;
Figure 5, Sheet 2, is a transverse vertical section taken at V, V, Figures 1, 2,
and 4; Figure 6, Sheet 1, is a transverse vertical section of the upper portion
of the machine, taken at Y, Figures 1 and 4; and Figure 7, Sheet 1, is a
similar section of the same part of the machine at Z, Figures 1 and 4;
Figure 8, Sheet 2, is a side elevation or general view of the engine or machine,
last above mentioned, for punching, shearing, and shaping metals for the
formation of screw nuts; Figure 9, Sheet 2, is the same view, on an enlarged
scale, of the punch and cutter boxes of the same machine; and Figure 10,
Sheet 2, is an end view, partly in section, of the same parts of the same
machine.
I shall describe and explain, in the first place, the engine or machine
first above mentioned, as constituting the second part of my Invention, and of
which the machine, represented in the Drawings at Figures 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7,
Sheet 1, and at Figures 4 and 5, Sheet 2, is an exemplification, being a
modification of such machine as applied to the purpose of making rivets,
spikes, or bolts; and to render the subsequent description more clear, and the
uses and purposes of the various parts of the machine more easily intelligible,
I shall here state that the process of forming the heads of rivets, spikes, or bolts
by this machine comprises four movements or operations. The first is the
cutting off or separating a portion of rod iron of the precise length required
for the rivet or bolt proposed to be made. The second is the placing the iron
so cut off in the proper situation to receive the action of the heading die, and
retaining it there during such action. The third is the application of the
heading die to the piece of iron, so as to cause the formation of a head thereon
by the compression of the metal under the die, and the retiring of the die so .
soon as its office has been discharged. The fourth is the removal of the piece
of iron so headed from the disc or receiving die, in which it has been secured
while undergoing the process of compression. A, A, are fast and loose pulleys
to receive the driving strap, and are keyed on the same shaft with the pinion
A'; B is a shaft passing lengthway through the machine, carrying the spur
wheel B', which is driven by the pinion A¹, and carrying also the cams or.
tappets B³ and B³, which it causes by its rotation to act on the vertical sliding:
plate C and the elbow or cranked lever L respectively, in the manner herein-
after explained; C is an upright sliding plate, moving freely in perpendicular
guides c, c, firmly bolted to the framing. The upper part of the sliding plate
C contains a recess for the reception of the receiving die c', which is to hold the
iron while operated on by the heading die. The receiving die c' is a plate whose
thickness is equal to the length of the shaft of the bolt, spike, or rivet to bo

page_text: manufactured, and having in its centre a circular aperture of the same diameter
as the proposed bolt or rivet. It fits into the cavity or recess formed to receive
it in the sliding plate C, as shewn in section at Figure 4, Sheet 2. In the
inner circumferential surface of this cavity or recess a groove is sunk, seen in
section at c, c, Figure 4, which passes quite round the cavity or recess, and
communicates by a perpendicular aperture with the cup or funnel c³, inserted
into the top of the sliding plate C. There is also a communication between
the highest part of this groove and the front side of the sliding plate C by an
horizontal aperture c'. The object of this arrangement is to keep the die cool
by the constant application of a stream of cold water admitted through the
cup or funnel c³. The water is brought from any convenient reservoir,
and conveyed by a pipe in a regulated stream to the funnel c³, through
which it finds its way into the groove or hollow channel c³, and filling
this completely surrounds the die. The groove being full, the water
overflows by the horizontal passage c', and is distributed over the out-
ward face of the die, and thus a constant check is maintained against the
tendency of the die to become heated. An alternating vertical motion is
communicated to the sliding plate C by the cam or tappet B³, and it will be
perceived that the form of the tappet B² is such that the sliding plate C will
dwell at each of the extreme points of its range during an interval equal to
about one-sixth of a revolution of the shaft B. On the top of the framing
behind the sliding plate C the cradle or block d is secured and adjusted by
bolts. Its sectional form is shewn at Figure 7, Sheet 1. It is traversed
lengthways by the guiding groove d¹, through which the heated iron is con-
ducted to the cutting apparatus, which consists of a cutter d³ placed in front
of the cradle d, and firmly fixed thereto by bolts or screws. The cutter d*
consists of a steel plate, having an aperture whose lower edge is bevilled on
the side opposite to the sliding plate C, so as to present upwards a cutting
edge in immediate contact with the surface of the receiving die fixed in the
sliding plate C. The axis of the guiding groove d' coincides with the centre
of the receiving die c¹ when the sliding plate C is in its highest position, so that
a rod of iron, passed down the guiding groove d', will be conducted through
the hole in the cutter, and also through that in the receiving die. To prevent
the further advance of the rod, when it has passed so far that the part of it
projecting beyond the receiving die will afford sufficient metal for forming the
head of the rivet or bolt, a stop or reste is placed immediately before the
receiving die, supported by the arm e', which slides in a socket in the fixture e²,
and is retained and adjusted by the set screws e³, e³. The distance of this
stop from the cutter determines the length of the piece of iron to be cut off

page_text: for forming the proposed rivet, spike, or bolt. The heated iron, being inserted
into the recess of the receiving die c', is brought by the downward motion of
the sliding plate C into forcible contact with the edge of the cutter d³, and a
portion of it sheared or cut off thereby, which remains in the recess of the
receiving die, and is lowered with it to the place where it is to undergo the
compressing action of the heading die. During the latter operation it is
prevented from being forced out of the receiving die by the sliding punch or
jingler 1, Figure 4, Sheet 2, the end of which nearly closes the circular hole or
recess in the receiving die which carries the iron. This sliding punch or
jingler, and the mode of its action, will be described hereafter. G is a steam
cylinder provided with stuffing boxes G', G', through which the rods H³, H',
of the piston H within the cylinder work. The cylinder G has attached to it
a steam chest K, within which is a slide or other valve for admitting steam to
each side of the piston alternately. The movements of the valve are con-
trolled by the bell-crank lever arm or handle k, the opposite arm of which is
connected with the valve rod by the links k', k¹. K¹ is the steam pipe, and
and K2 the waste or exhaust pipe. The extremity of the piston rod H' is
provided with a die o, Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 1, and Figure 4, Sheet 2,
fitting into a socket, and suitable to form the head of the bolt, rivet, or other
article in process of manufacture. The axis of the piston rod and the centre
of this heading die coincide with the axis produced of the sliding punch or
jingler l, and with the centro of the receiving die c¹ when the sliding plate C
is in its lowest situation, so that on steam being admitted behind the piston H,
the heading die o on the extremity of the piston rod advances, and the com-
pressing movement takes place. The recess in the receiving die being
immediately opposite the centre of the heading die o, the piece of iron which
it carries, and which is prevented from being forced back by the end of the
sliding punch or jingler 1, is compressed endways, and the portion of it which
projects beyond the face of the receiving die spreads by the pressure against
it, and forms the head according to the shape of the heading die o. The
valve being now reversed by the handle k, steam is admitted on the opposite
side of the piston, and the heading die withdrawn, leaving the finished bolt
or rivet in the recess of the receiving die c', from which it has to be dislodged
by the movement of the machine next to be described. The fourth move-
ment, or that for dislodging the finished bolt or rivet from the receiving die,
is performed thus:-The cam or tappet B³ on the shaft B, Figures 4 and 5,
Sheet 2, actuates the horizontal arm of the elbow or bell-crank lever L, which
vibrates on its fulcrum at L'. The extremity of the vertical arm of this lever
is connected with a sliding punch or jingler 7 by the links A, A, Figures 1.

page_text: and 2, Sheet 1. The jingler moves in a guiding tube in the cradle or
block 1, Figure 7, Sheet 1, which is secured and adjustable by bolts to the
framing. The cam or tappet B³ occupies such a position on the shaft B
relatively to the cam or tappet B², which actuates the sliding plate C, that
during the time that the process of compressing the iron by the heading die
is going forward, the lever L maintains the position shewn in the Drawing,
and the jingler 1, closing the recess in the receiving die c³, bears the pressure
of the rivet or bolt end until the head is complete. But just before the
sliding plate C ceases to be stationary in its lowest position, the cam or
tappet B³ depresses the horizontal arm of the lever L, thereby causing the
vertical arm to assume the position shewn in the Drawing by dotted lines,
and forcing forward the jingler 1, which enters the hole or recess in the
receiving die, and expels the finished bolt or rivet therefrom. The continued
rotation of the shaft B then causes the tappet B² to raise the sliding plate C
to its first position in readiness to repeat the operation.
I shall now recapitulate the above movements, and shew the mode of using
the machine: The main shaft B being put in action by the strap or gearing
on the pulley A, the operator having first heated the end of the rod of iron,
from which the rivet, bolt, or other article is to be cut in an adjoining
furnace, inserts it into the guiding groove d¹. The sliding plate C having
arrived at its highest position, the rod is pushed forward until its progress is
arrested by the stop or rest e. The tappet B² continuing its revolution now
causes the sliding plate C to move downward. In its descent it presses the
rod forciby downwards upon the edge of the cutter d², and thereby shears or
cuts off a portion of the rod of the requisite length, the distance of the stop e
from the cutter d being regulated according to the length of iron required
for making the bolt or rivet. This done, the operator returns the rod to the
furnace to be ready for the next operation, and the sliding plate C, having
reached its lowest position, brings the receiving die c¹ carrying the piece of
iron exactly opposite to the heading die o on the extremity of the piston
rod H', while the sliding plate C remains stationary in this position owing to
the dwell in the tappet B³, the after steam port is opened by means of the
handle k, and steam admitted bebind the piston H, whereby the heading die o
is driven forcibly against the portion of the rod projecting beyond the face of
the receiving die c', and by the pressure exerted on it causes it to spread
within the cavity of the die, and thus forms the head of the rivet or bolt.
The piece of iron is retained in the receiving die during this operation by the
end of the jingler 7, which sustains the pressure exerted endways on the iron,
and prevents it from being driven out of the die. The valve being now

page_text: reversed, steam is admitted on the opposite side of the piston, and the heading
die withdrawn, while the shaft B by its continued rotation brings the tappet
B to bear upon the horizontal arm of the elbow lever L, and by depressing
it causes the jingler 1 to discharge the rivet or bolt from the recess in the
receiving die. The tappet B³ then comes again into action and raises the
sliding plate C to its first position ready to recommence the process.
The above is a description of one modification or arrangement of the second
part of my Invention of improvements in machinery or apparatus for shearing,
shaping, punching, and compressing metals, as exemplified in an engine or
machine for forming the heads of rivets, spikes, or bolts by compression.
But it will be obvious to every person conversant with processes of this nature
that such machinery may be varied and adapted to work of other descriptions
than that which I have now described. For instance, by varying the con-
struction and forin of the dies employed, and of the parts wherein the
compression takes place, the same machine may be made applicable to the
making of nuts or the striking of medals, coins, or ornamental buttons, and
to a variety of other operations wherein compression is required. In like
manner, by the employment of suitable punches or cutters, the punching or
cutting of metallic plates may be effected. By other modifications the
machine may be made applicable to shaping, slotting, et cetera. It is also
evident that by putting the cylinder in communication with a condenser, and
leaving open one end thereof, the piston might be impelled by atmospheric
pressure. The periodical opening of the steam valve might also be accom-
plished by means of eccentrics or tappets worked by the shaft B. But as all
these modifications consist merely in the substitution of well-known forms
of apparatus or mechanism for other well-known forms of apparatus or
mechanism, and do not affect the essential character of my Invention, and
inasmuch as I have fully explained the nature of my improvements, and the
manner wherein the same are to be carried into effect as regards one machine,
I do not deem it necessary to go into the details of any such modifications,
which must depend upon the judgment of the maker, and the nature of the
work which it is designed to perform.
I shall now describe and explain the engine or machine which constitutes
the third part of my Invention, whereby the operations of punching, shearing,
and shaping iron for the formation of screw nuts, are effected in an improved
manner, and which is illustrated by the Drawings at Figures 8, 9, and 10,
Sheet 2. A is a pinion sliding on a feather, or keyed on and revolving with
the shaft a; B is a spur wheel on a stud or pivot 6, and driven by the pinion A ;
C is a connecting rod, one end of which is attached to an arm of the wheel B

page_text: by the pin c', which revolving with the wheel imparts a crank motion to the
end of the rod C. The other end of the rod C is attached to the extremity
of the vertical arm of the lever D by the pin c³; D is a double cranked or
treble armed lever, having one long vertical arm connected with the end of the
rod C by the pin c, and two short horizontal arms carrying the links e¹, e³,
suspended by the pins d', d³. The fulcrum of this lever is at d, and it will be
apparent that a reciprocating or oscillatory movement will be communicated
to it by the rod C when put in motion by the wheel B, and that by this move-
ment the short arms of the lever carrying the links e, e³, will be alternately
raised and depressed. The links e, e, have attached to their lower extremities
the rods ff, which move up and down in guides g', 9', 9, 9, and of course
are alternately raised and lowered by the motion of the short arms of the
lever D, to which they are attached. The arrangement of the lower ends of
the rods f¹, f, will be best understood by reference to the enlarged views of
one of them in Figures 9 and 10, Sheet 2. The rod is enlarged at its lower
end into a block k. This block contains a socket for the reception of the
shank of the punch l, which is retained by the set screw A. The box m fits
on the block k, and is secured thereto by bolts which pass through slots m³, m³,
by means of which the position of the box on the block may be varied. This
box also has a socket, in which the shank of the cutter n fits, and is secured
by the set screw n'. By inspection of Figure 10, it will be seen that by
means of the slots m', m³, the distance of the cutter n from the punch / can
be regulated at pleasure; q is a bottom plate, secured between the uprights t, t,
to a bench or block M, raised to a convenient height from the ground; o², o³,
are side pieces and p a cover, which together with a form the bed or anvil on
which the iron is placed to receive the action of the apparatus above. The
further extremities of the cover p and bottom plate q are just clear of the
course of the cutter n in its descent, and no more. There is a hole in the
cover p and also in the bottom plate q, so proportioned and situated as to
receive the punch when it descends; r is a rest or stop fixed in any con-
venient manner to the framing of the machine, and so adjusted that its
distance from the edge of the cutter n is equal to twice the distance of
the latter from the centre of the punch l.
The operation of this machine is as follows:-The wheel B, being driven
by the pinion A, imparts an oscillating motion through the connecting rod C
to the lever D, which vibrates upon its fulcrum d in alternate directions
between the position represented in full lines in the Drawing, and that shewn
by the faint or dotted lines. The motion, thus conveyed through the short
arms of the lever D and the links c¹, e³, to the rods f³, f³, causes them to rise

page_text: and fall alternately, carrying with them the punches and cutters attached to
their lower extremities in the manner before explained. The machine being
thus in action, the workman takes a bar of flat iron of the proper section,
which has been previously heated in an adjoining furnace, and inserts its heated
end into the guiding groove o³, pushing it along the same until it is arrested by
the stop r. The rod f¹ or f³ then descends, and at one stroke shears off a
portion of the rod by the cutter n, and punches a hole by the punch 7. The
rod for f being first allowed to rise, the rod is now again advanced until
its extremity encounters the stop r. The rod f¹ or f³ once more descends
repeating the shearing and punching operations as before, and it will be per-
ceived that the piece of rod, cut off by this last descent of the rod, will have a
hole through its middle part, while the remaining portion of the rod will have
had another hole pierced in it. The piece separated by the cutter falls down
between the bottom plate q and the rest or stop r, and is removed by an
attendant, and completed by tapping in the ordinary mode. The rod is again
advanced, and the operation repeated, and another piece of iron suitably per-
forated will be cut off. In this manner the process is continued, and it will
be perceived that the distance between the stop r and the cutter n, being
made equal to the diameter of the bar of iron from which the nuts are cut,
the nuts will be square; and the cutter n being adjusted, so that its distance
from the centre of the punch is equal to half the diameter of the bar of
iron, the holes will be pierced in the middle of the nuts. By altering the
shape of the cutters it is evident that six-sided or other than square nuts may
be formed by this machine. It is also apparent that any convenient number
of the above apparatus may be arranged side by side, each of them having
the upper extremity of its lever D connected by suitable rods to the upper
extremity of the adjacent one, so as to combine a number of them in one
machine driven by the wheel B and pinion A.
Having now fully described and explained the nature and object of my
Invention, and the manner wherein the same is to be performed and carried
into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim as my Invention any
of the well-known parts, whereof the engines or machines, herein described,
are. composed or constructed, but only the combination and arrangement
of such parts into the above described machines respectively, and that I
do claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, the mode, herein pointed out, of applying the expansive force or
pressure of steam, air, or other elastic fluid to actuate suitable tools, machinery,
and apparatus for shearing, shaping, punching, and compressing metals by
2

page_text: means of the direct action thereon of a piston rod and piston, moving within
a cylinder under the influence of the said steam, air, or other elastic fluid.
And, secondly, the general mechanical arrangements of the machinery,
herein described, and of all modifications thereof under whatever varieties
of form or mode of application, so long as the essential and distinctive cha-
racteristics of my Invention be retained.
And such Invention being to the best of my knowledge and belief new,
and never before used or practised in that part of Her Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, called England, Her Dominion of
Wales, or Town of Berwick upon Tweed, I deliver this as my true and faithful
Specification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Glasgow, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid John Glasgow came before our said Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
temer of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
WEVA
Enrolled the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty.