CERTAIN IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING SCREWS, BOLTS, RIVETS, AND NAILS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, LEONARD
BOWER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, and
THOMAS FORTUNE, of Harborne, in the County of Stafford, Mechanic, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of
July (One thousand eight hundred and fifty), in the fourteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Leonard Bower and Thomas Fortune, our exors, admors, and assigns,
Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the
said Leonard Bower and Thomas Fortune, our exors admors, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Leonard Bower and Thomas Fortune, our exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING SCREWS, BOLTS, RIVETS, AND NAILS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said Leonard
Bower and Thomas Fortune, or one of us, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date

page_text: 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, we, the said
Leonard Bower and Thomas Fortune, do hereby declare that the nature of
our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
are fully described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
Figure 1 represents a side view, Figure 2 an end view, and Figure 3 a plan
of our machine for "slitting" or making the groove in the heads of screws or
screw blanks. The screws or screw blanks are introduced into the feeding
apparatus either by hand or by means of one of the machines herein described
and represented in Figures 4, 5, and 6. The feeding apparatus (which
slightly modified is also represented in front view in Figure 5, and an exami-
nation of which Figure will facilitate the comprehension of its action) is
constructed as follows:-a, b, are two parallel strips of metal or guides placed
at such a distance apart that the body of the screw or blank can readily pass
between them, but the said scrow or blank be prevented from falling through
the opening by the head of the said screw or blank. These guides a, b,
are so inclined that the screws or blanks introduced at the top slide
down to the bottom; they are delivered into the machine one by one in the
following manner-c is a spring on which is a pin d (shewn in dotted
lines in Figure 3), which passes through the side of the guide a; e, is
another spring on the other side of the guide, which said spring has a pin
f, which passes through the side 6 of the said guide, and has also a block g, of
a length equal to the thickness of the guide into which it enters). The pin d
of the spring c bears against the block g. The spring c, when at liberty, does
not press against the side of the guide; and the spring e, when at liberty, does
press against the side of the guide. h is a lever turning upon the axis i, and
worked by the arm j and camb k. When the lever h moves opposite to the
inclined part c' of the spring c the said spring c no longer presses against the
side of the guide; the pin d is withdrawn, and ceases to press on the block g.
On the withdrawal of the pin d from the opening between the guides the pin
f advances. The whole of the blanks now descend, the lowest one pressing
against the pin f. On the return motion of the lever h, to take the position
represented in Figure 3, the pin d enters between the lowest blank and that
next above it; and the pin f, taking the position represented, lets the lowest
blank fall to the bottom of the guides, where it is retained by the two springs
,, as seen in Figure 3 (see also the said springs in the side view of the

page_text: feeding apparatus, Figure 4. By the action of the lever h the blanks (as
already described) are made to fall one by one into the said springs i, . The
blank thus held, as shewn at Figure 1, is next taken hold of by the forceps
1, m, to be transferred to the part of the machine where the slitting is to be
effected. The construction and action of these forceps (which, slightly modified,
are also represented in plan in Figure 8, an examination of which said Figure
we recommend in connection with the following description) is as follows:-
The two blades l, m, of the forceps turn upon a centre at n. o, p, are arms
connected at right angles to the blades of the forceps. The said forceps are
attached to a bar q, which slides with friction in the guides r, r. j is a lever
turning upon an axis i, and worked by a camb k acting on the arm j. The
arms o, p, of the forceps l, m, enter the forked ends s, t, of the lever j. The
forceps being open, and the camb k by its motion allowing the spring u to
force down the arm j, the forked ends s, t, of the lever j, pressing against
the arms o, p, of the forceps, causes them to turn upon the joint n and
close the forceps; the blank is now grasped by the said forceps, and the
pressure of the forked arms s, t, of the lever j still continuing, the said
forceps and bar q slide in the guides r, r, and the blank is now brought
immediately under the circular saw u. When the blank is taken hold
of by the mechanism next described the return motion of the fork s, t, first
open the forceps; and the said motion continuing, next causes the said
forceps and bar q to slide back into the position in which they are represented
in the Drawing. The blank is held to the circular saw, by which the slit is
made, in the following manner :-v, w, are a pair of forceps which, beside
opening in a horizontal plane, have motion in a vertical plane by turning
upon the axis x.. By the action of the camb y, lever, and connecting
link 1, the forceps v, w, are made to turn upon the centre x, so as to
depress the ends carrying the screw blank. When the blank is carried
by the forceps under the saw u the forceps v, w, then close, and by the
action of the camb y the blank is raised first into contact with the saw,
and by the eccentricity of the said camb is slowly raised during the cutting
of the slit. The opening and closing of the forceps v, w, is effected by
the vertical lever 2, jointed to the frame of the machine at 3. The upper
end of this lever is connected with the rod 4, which slides horizontally,
being guided by sliding in the block 5. Two connecting links 6, 7, connected
with the arms v³, w³, of the forceps, are jointed to the rod 4. 8, shewn in dotted
lines in Figure 1, is a horizontal sliding bar, which is moved to and fro by the
camb 9 on the driving shaft acting on the rollers 10, 11, on the said bar.
The said bar 8 is connected with the vertical lever 2. By the action of this

page_text: lever on the sliding rod 4 the forceps v, w, are opened and closed. When the
links 6, 7, are in the position represented in Figure 8 the said forceps are
closed. When the rod 4 retires in the direction indicated by the arrow,
Figure 3, the links 6, 7, being inclined to each other, the forceps v, w, are
opened; the blank, having been slitted, falls from the said forceps. The
sliding bar 8 is not directly connected with the vertical lever 2, but is con-
nected therewith through the intervention of the spring 12, so that the forceps,
on closing, close only with the force of the said spring, and hence are fitted to
hold blanks of different sizes, and to yield in case of any derangement of the
machinery.
Figure 4 is a side view, and Figure 5 an end view of our machine for
turning the heads of screw blanks. The feeding apparatus 13 exactly
resembles that herein-before described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3,
and is supplied with blanks by mechanism herein-after described. The blank
having reached the position 14, is taken hold of by the forceps 15, and trans-
ferred to the dies 16, for the purpose of turning. The construction and
action of the forceps is as follows:-15, 15, are the two blades of the forceps
jointed together at 16. These forceps are carried on a collar 17, working
with friction on the horizontal axis 18, so that by the partial rotation of the
said axis the blades of the forceps, from being in a horizontal frame, can be
brought into a vertical plane. The opening and closing of the forceps, and
their motion on the axis 18, are effected by the lever 19 and connecting rod
20, the said lever 19 being worked by the roller 21 working against the
canıb 22. The axis 18 carries at its end the crutch 23, the ends of which are
wedge-shaped. The first effect of the motion of the axis 18 is the insertion of
one of the wedge-shaped ends of the crutch 23 between the blades of the
forceps. If the rod 20 ascend, the end 23¹ of the crutch being introduced
between the anterior portions of the blades, opens the same. If the rod 20
have a descending motion, the end 23" of the crutch is inserted between the
posterior portions of the blades, and the blades close. The several parts of the
machine being in the positions represented in the Drawing, the rod 20 com-
mences its descending motion, and thereby raising the end 23" of the crutch
closes the forceps upon the blank 14. The motion of the rod 20 continuing,
the forceps altogether commence turning upon the axis 18, and descend into a
vertical plane; by so doing the blank is brought between the dies, which take
hold of it, as hereafter described. As soon as the dies 16 take hold of the blank,
the ascending motion of the rod 20 commences, the effect of which is, first, the
opening of the forceps 151, 15', and the liberation of the blank, 14, and afterwards
the return of the said forceps into the position represented in the Drawing.

page_text: The construction and action of the dies by which the blank is held and made
to rotate in the cutting tools by which the head is turued, is as follows:-
24 is a horizontal shaft, to which a rotatory motion is given by the band 25
and pulley 26. The dies 16 are jointed to the said shaft at 27; a collar 28
sliding on the shaft 24, and rotating with it, is jointed to the dies 16 by the
links 29; and by the sliding of the collar 28 to and fro on the shaft 24, the
lies 16 are opened and closed. This sliding motion of the collar 28 is effected
by the cambs 30, 81; these cams striking against the roller 32 cause the
bar 33, to which the said roller is attached, to slide horizontally, and the
fork 34 on the end of the said bar 33 engages in the collar 28 on the shaft 24.
While the blank 14 is thus held in the dies 16, the said dies are made to
rotate, the cutting tools 35 close upon the head of the said blank, and turn the
same into a proper shape. The cutting tools are fixed in the vertical levers 36,
turning upon joints at 37; these levers are connected with the cross bar 38
by the links 39; and the said cross bar 38 is raised and lowered by the
rod 40 connecting it with the weighted lever 41; as the camb 42 raises or
allows the weighted lever 41 to fall, the opening and closing of the cutting
dies is effected. The mechanism by which the blanks are supplied to the
feeding apparatus is constructed as follows:-43 is a hopper or vessel into
which a quantity of blanks are put. 44 is a wheel, part of the periphery of
which works against an opening in the side of the said hopper. 45, 45, 45,
are a series of forks on the periphery of the wheel 44, the said forks being
of a size suitable to take hold of the blanks in the hopper 43; as the wheel 44
revolves each of the forks 45 raises a blank, which by the revolution of the
wheel is delivered to the feeding apparatus.
Figure 6 represents in section another of our machines for supplying blanks
to the feeding apparatus. It consists of a hollow drum 46, into which the
blanks are put; this drum turns on a hollow axis 47, making an angle of
about 45 degrees with the horizon. 48 are forks fixed on the interior of the
drum, which said forks, by the revolution of the drum, pick up the blanks;
and when the said blanks have been carried at or near to the highest point
in the drum's revolution, they fall into the trough 49, and thence into the
feeding apparatus. Either this machine, or that last described, may be used
in connection with the feeding apparatus for supplying blanks to our several
machines, or to other screw-making machines.
Figure 7 represents a side elevation, and Figure 8 a plan of another of our
machines for turning screw blanks, and Figure 9 represents an end view of the
turning dies of the said. machine. This machine resembles in its general con-

page_text: struction the machine herein-before described and represented in Figures 4 and
5, we shall therefore only describe those parts in the said machine, Figures 7
and 8, which differ from the machine, Figures 4 and 5. The motion and action
of the forceps by which the blank is transferred from the feeding apparatus to
the dies which hold it while the head is being turned, very nearly resemble
the forceps herein described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3. The
blades 50 are furnished with arms 51 at right angles thereto, which arms
engage in holes in the discs 52; the said forceps are carried by a collar
which works with friction on the axis 53 of the said discs. When the
camb 54 permits the spring 55 to act on the lever 56, and the said lever
through the rods 57 on the discs 52, so as to give the said discs motion in
the direction indicated by the arrow 61, the first result of the said motion
is the closing of the forceps 50, the blades of the said forceps being made to
close by the pressure upon the arms 51. The rotation of the discs continuing,
the forceps holding the blank are made to turn upon the axis 58 until they
are brought into a vertical plane, and the blank 58 has assumed a horizontal
position. The said blank, although in a horizontal position, has not yet
entered the dies 59, which hold it while being turned, the said blank requiring
for that purpose to be carried horizontally in the direction indicated by the
arrow 60, and this motion is effected by the continued action of the lever 56
and rods 57; for after the said lever 56 and rods 57 have, by acting on the
drums 52, effected, first, the closing of the forceps, and the bringing of the
said forceps into a vertical plane, the forceps, and the whole of the me-
chanism supported on the rod 62, is carried in the direction indicated by the
arrow 60 by the sliding of the said rod in the guides 68. When the blank
has been taken hold of by the dies 59, the reverse motion of the rods 57 first
opens the forceps 50 (the link 64 limiting the extent to which the forceps
open); next, raise them into a horizontal plane; and lastly, by sliding the
rod 62 in the direction contrary to that indicated by the arrow 60, bring the
several parts into the positions represented in the Drawing. During the motion
of the bar 62 the forceps 50 are partially closed by entering between the
inclined sides 65 of the feeding apparatus 66; the blank 58 dropping into the
said forceps, the same are closed upon it by the action already described.
The turning tools in this machine differ from those herein described with
reference to Figures 4 and 5 only by the interposition of the spring 67
between the levers which move the said tools and the roller on which the
comb 68 acts; by the use of this spring the tools are closed by a force no
greater than the pressure of the said spring; and in case of any derangement

page_text: the cutting dies are capable of yielding. The camb 68 acts on the roller 69,
thereby depressing the fork 70, and through the spring 67 operating on the
links 71 so as to close the tool 72.
Figure 10 represents a side elevation, and Figure 11 a plan of a pair of
forceps to be used for transferring screw blanks from a feeding apparatus to a
worming machine. These forceps open and close, and slide to and fro, in
precisely the same manner as those herein-before described and represented in
Figures 1, 2, and 3; but they differ from the said forceps by having motion
in a vertical plane, the said forceps being fixed on the horizontal axis 78. The
object of this additional motion is to cause the blank, after it has been carried
into the worming machine, to be raised vertically. 74 is an inclined plane
consisting of a lever which turns upon a centre 75, and is pressed down by the
spring 76; when the bar 77, carrying the said forceps, is made to move in
the direction of the arrows 78, the pin 79 sliding up the incline 74 raises the
lever 80 to which it is attached, and depresses the forceps 81. When, how-
ever, the pin 79 has been carried to the point 82, the said plane terminating
there, the pin 79 and lever 80 are pressed down by the spring 83, and the
forceps 81 are suddenly raised. On the return motion of the bar 77, the pin
79 passes under the incline 74.
Figure 12 represents in plan our improved machine for making bolts or
rivets. As this machine resembles in many of its parts machines commonly used
for the purpose of making bolts, we shall only describe se parts of our
machine which differ from the common machine. 84 is the die in which the
bolt or rivet is held while its head is being made. This die is fixed in the bar
85, to which a sliding motion is communicated by the pin 86, on the said bar,
engaging, in the diagonal slot 87 in the bar 88; by the action of the driving
shaft on the bar 88, the sliding motion of the said bar 88 is effected. The
cylinder of iron of which the rivet is to be made being cut from the wire or
rod supplied to the machine, and being situated in the die 84, the said die is
brought by the sliding motion of the said bar 85 into the position represented
in the Drawing. The said cylinder of iron is supported behind by the plunger
89, shown in dotted lines, which said plunger is itself supported by bearing
against the incline 90. The heading die now advancing, compresses that portion
of the iron protruding from the die 84 into a head; the heading die 91 retiring,
the bar 85 slides in the direction of the arrow 92, and the plunger 89 being
forced into the die 84 by the incline 98, the bolt or rivet is forced out of the
said die 84.
The method of supplying and cutting off the iron constitutes no-part of our

page_text: Invention, and we therefore do not consider it necessary to describe the
same.
Figure 18 represents an elevation, and Figure 14 a section of our improved
dies, to be used in the manufacture of nails. Our improved dies differ from
the ordinary dies by having the taper form represented in the section, Figure
14, whereby the bar or rod of which the nail is to be made is compressed into
a taper figure at that part at which it is cut off and pointed; by thus tapering
the partially-formed nail, the action of the cutting and pointing dies is facili-
tated, and the nail so tapered is more convenient in use.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise methods of carrying our Invention into effect
herein described, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of our said Invention but we claim,-
First, the machine herein described and represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3,
for slitting or forming the groove in the heads of screws or screw blanks.
Secondly, the machines herein described and represented in Figures 4, 5, 7,
8, and 9, for turning the beads of screws or screw blanks.
Thirdly, the construction of the feeding apparatus herein described and
represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, whereby screws or screw blanks are
delivered one by one into slitting, turning, and worming machines, or such
other machines as are or may be used in the manufacture of screws.
Fourthly, the construction of the several kinds of forceps herein described
and represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11, for transferring the
screws or blanks from the feeding apparatus to that portion of the machinery
by which the slitting, turning, and worming of the screw is effected.
Fifthly, the construction of the apparatus herein described and represented
in Figures 4, 5, and 6, to be used for supplying screws or blanks to the feeding
apparatus.
Sixthly, the interposition of a spring between the cutting tools or dies used
in the turning of screws or screw blanks, and the camb or other mechanical
agent by which the said tools are acted upon, so as to enable the said tools to
yield in case of any derangement of the machinery, as herein described and
represented in Figures 7 and 9.
.
Seventhly, the interposition of a spring between the forceps used for holding
the blank during the process of slitting, and the camb or other mechanical
agent by which the said forceps are actuated, as herein described and repre-
scuted in Figures 1 and 2.

page_text: Eighthly, the construction of the machine herein described and represented
in Figure 12, for making rivets or bolts.
Ninthly, the construction of the dies to be used in the manufacture of nails,
herein described and represented in Figures 13 and 14.
In witness whereof, I, the said Leonard Bower, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.