IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOES, ADZES, OR OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sam Hague, of Westwinsted, Litchfield County, in
the State of Connecticut, America, but having a temporary residence in
the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Cutler, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOES, ADZES, OR
OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Sealed the 2nd May 1862, and dated the 9th November 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sam Hague at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th November 1861.
I, SAM HAGUE, of Westwinsted, Litchfield County, in the State of
Connecticut, America, but having a temporary residence in the Town and
County of the Town of Nottingham, Cutler, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOES, ADZES,
OR OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
Heretofore in manufacturing hoes, adzes, or other articles, their eyes have
been formed by welding together two lips of iron over a spindle or other
suitably formed article, which is an expensive mode of constructing these
implements. Now the primary object of my Invention consists in producing
these articles of a superior quality and at less cost. I have therefore devised a

page_text: mode or method of construction whereby the eye and blade of the hoe or adze
or other article is made from a single piece of iron or other suitable material
without welding, and my operation may be stated to be as follows:-The metal
intended to be used I first roll into strips or bars, which strips or bars I after-
wards punch or perforate with holes at suitable distances so that the strips or
bars may be cut up into various pieces. These pieces are then placed, after being
properly heated, on a perforated anvil or die plate, a hammer having a flat or
other face then falls upon it; the iron or other material used thus yields to the
form of the perforated die and makes the impression for the eye; the iron is
then taken to the plater who draws it to a suitable thickness, it then returns
to the eye maker and is heated and placed in a perforated die, which die gives
it the exact form or size required by the action of a corrugated punch; as the
punch descends it forms the eye; the corrugated punch carries the metal down
to the bottom of the forming die when the eye is formed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Sam Hague in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th May 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAM
HAGUE, of Westwinsted, Litchfield County, in the State of Connecticut,
America, but having a temporary residence in the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, Cutler, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Sam Hague, Her special licence that I, the said Sam
Hague, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as, I,
the said Sam Hague, 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 3
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 HOES, ADZES, OR OTHER SIMILAR.
ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Sam Hague,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should. particularly describe and

page_text: 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 Sam Hague, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon; that is to say:-
| Heretofore in manufacturing hoes, adzes, or other similar articles, their
eyes have been formed by welding together two lips of iron over a spindle or
other suitably formed instrument, which is an expensive mode of constructing
these implements. Now the primary object of my Invention consists in
producing these articles of a superior quality and at less cost. I have therefore
devised a method of construction whereby the eye and blade of the hoe or
adze, or other similar article is made from a single piece of iron or other
suitable material without welding, and my operation may be described as
follows: The metal intended to be used as the material I first roll into strips
or bars, these strips or bars I afterwards punch or perforate with holes at
suitable distances so that the strips or bars may be cut up into various pieces.
These pieces, after being properly heated, are next placed on a perforated anvil
or die plate upon which (that is on the piece of iron or other material placed
thereon) a hammer having a flat or other face then falls and the piece of iron
or other material on the perforated anvil or die thus yields to the form of such
anvil or die, and the impression is made for the eye. The piece of iron or other
material so treated is then taken to the plater, who draws it to a suitable
thickness and it is then returned to the eye maker and is heated and placed
on a perforated die, which die gives it the exact form or size required by the
action of a corrugated punch; as the punch descends to form the eye it carries
the metal down to the bottom of the forming die when the eye is formed.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention I now proceed more
particularly to describe the manner of performing the same with reference to
the accompanying Drawings.
The metal intended to be employed in the manufacture of hoes, adzes, or
other similar articles under this my Invention, I first roll into strips or bars
from say five-eighths or three-fourths of an inch in thickness, or into any
greater or less suitable thickness according to the article to be manufactured.
These strips or bars I punch or perforate with holes at suitable distances apart
so that the strips or bars may be cut up into various pieces. After they have

page_text: been so cut into pieces I take one or each such piece and after having
properly heated it I place it upon a perforated anvil or die plate A shewn in
section Figure 2, Sheet 1; I then cause a hammer B, having a flat or other
face and provided with a punch C, to fall upon the piece of iron or other
.material on the anvil or die plate, whereupon the said piece of iron or other
material will yield to the form of the perforated anvil or die and the impressión
for the eye will be made; the hammer B, as well as being fitted with a punch,
has four holes drilled through its lower part at suitable distances apart in
which are placed two pins D, between which pins the metal is placed to form
the hoe or other article at the required distance apart according to the width
of the article to be made. The pins hold the metal fast while the punch is
released from the partly formed eye by slightly turning it by means of a hand
lever E, which fits on its upper end; a portion of the top side of the lower part
of the hammer is cut away for the traverse of the lever. The punch is
secured in the lower part of the hammer by two lock nuts lying in a recess F
on the top side. Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents both parts of the hammer in
plan, and it also shews the position of the holes of the holding pins, but I do
not confine myself to the position there shewn as the holes are drilled
according to the width of the article intended to be made; the anvil or die
plate A is also represented in this view by dotted lines. Figure 4, Sheet 2,
shews the anvil or die plate in plan.
The pieces of metal having been perforated as described are then taken to
the plater who draws them to a suitable thickness, they are next returned to
the eye maker who reheats them, after which they are placed upon a second
perforated die plate shewn in section at Figure 6, Sheet 3, and in plan at
Figure 7, Sheet 3, which die imparts to the eye the exact or final form or
size required by the action of a punch; that is to say, a punch descends on the
metal when on this second die and carrying the metal down to the bottom of
the forming die as it descends so forms the eye. Instead of using the forming
dies shewn in section at Figure 2, Sheet 1, and at Figure 6, Sheet 3, I
sometimes use a forming die having a collar, which collar forms one end of the
eye as shewn in section at Figure 3, Sheet 1.
Figure 5, Sheet 2, represents a corrugated punch, which I sometimes use
instead of the punches seen on Sheets 1 and 3, and I secure one of the lock
nuts by pin G passing through the side of the lower part of the hammer and
into a hole in the side of the nut as seen in Figure 6, Sheet 3. I also in some
cases use springs between the upper part of the hammer and the heads of the
pins D, so as to insure the projecting of the lower ends of the pins during the
rise of the hammer, and I also sometimes dispense with the first or preliminary

page_text: operation of punching holes in the metals to assist in forming the eyes as the
punch or punches will effect that object.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim as my improvements in
the manufacture of hoes, adzes, or other similar articles, the mode of
producing or constructing the eyes thereof in a piece with the blades as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sam Hague have hereunto set my band
and seal this Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Office,
Nottingham.
SAM HAGUE. (L.S.)