IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPIKES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Moses Bayliss, of the Firm of Bayliss, Jones, and
Bayliss, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, and Gracechurch
Street, in the City of London, Bolt, Nut, Iron Hurdle and Fencing
Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF SPIKES."
Sealed the 27th April 1866, and dated the 31st October 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Moses Bayliss at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st October 1865.
I, MOSES BAYLISS, of the Firm of Bayliss, Jones, and Bayliss, of
Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, and Gracechurch Street, in the
City of London, Bolt, Nut, Iron Hurdle and Fencing Manufacturers, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF SPIKES," to be as follows (that is to say) :-
My improvements relate and are confined entirely to the dividing up or
cutting off the iron from which I desire to make my spikes, and to the shaping
or forming the points of the same, the heading process being effected by any
of the known means now in use. And I effect my improvements by means
of suitable tools fitted to the ordinary or other convenient press with sufficient
power, according to the size of the spikes I desire to make, such press being
worked by hand, steam, water, or other convenient power. By these means I
purpose dividing up rods or bars of iron, round, square, or other convenient
sectional form, into suitable lengths, each piece being divided by preference at
right angles at one end, with the desired amount of obliquity at the other end,
which oblique or taper end will form the point of the spike, whether chisel or

page_text: otherwise. This I effect by so arranging my tools that I am enabled to cut
off from the rod or bar, one, two, or more pieces at a time; but to effect its
completion I place the iron formed as described under the operation of a
more or less powerful press, stamp, or squeezing apparatus, by which means
the oblique end of the iron under operation will be pressed into an uniform
shape, forming the point to the spike. This pressing operation I perform by
preference with the iron cold, which leaves the point clean, hard, and free
from scale, thereby not only effecting a save of fuel necessary in the ordinary
manufacturing of heavy spikes and waste of iron by heating, but also a great
save of hand labour,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Moses Bayliss in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MOSES
BAYLISS, of the Firm of Bayliss, Jones, and Bayliss, of Wolverhampton, in
the County of Stafford, and Gracechurch Street, in the City of London, Bolt,
Nut, Iron Hurdle and Fencing Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Moses Bayliss, Her special license that I, the said Moses Bayliss,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Moses Bayliss, my executors, administrators, or 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 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 SPIKES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Moses Bayliss, 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 Moses Bayliss, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
My improvements relate and are confined entirely to the dividing up or
cutting off the iron from which I desire to make my spikes, and to the shaping
or forming the points of the same, the heading process being effected by any
of the known means now in use; and I effect my improvements by means of
suitable tools fitted to the ordinary or other convenient press or apparatus with
sufficient power, according to the size of the spikes I desire to make, such press
or apparatus being worked by hand, steam, water, or other convenient power. By
these means I purpose dividing up rods or bars of iron, round, square, or other
convenient sectional form into suitable lengths, each piece being divided by
preference at right angles at one end, with the desired amount of obliquity
at the other end, which oblique or taper end will form the point of the spike,
whether chisel or otherwise, or pieces may be divided at right angles at each
end, but of sufficient length to make two spikes, the same being obliquely
divided accordingly; this I effect by so arranging my tools that I am enabled to
cut off from the rod or bar one, two, or more pieces at a time. But to effect the
completion of the spike desired to be made (either before or after heading)
I place the iron formed as described under the operation of a more or less
powerful press or squeezing apparatus, by which means the oblique end of
the iron under operation will be pressed into a regular uniform shape
according to the form the point of the spike may be desired to assume, This
pressing operation I perform by preference with the iron cold, which leaves the
point clean, hard, and free from scale, thereby not only effecting a save of
fuel necessary in the ordinary manufacturing of heavy spikes and waste of
iron by heating, but also a save of hand labour.
But in order to be better understood I will now proceed to describe the
Drawings hereunto annexed, reference being made to the figures and letters
marked thereon (that is to say):-
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figs. 1 and 2 represent in plan and sectional side view a bed, bolster, or
cutter, which may be applied to an ordinary fly or swing press of sufficient
strength, as will be understood by users and workers of such kind of appliances,
or by other equivalent means. B, in Figure 2, represents the the top tool or
cutter, which is also shown in a detached end view at Fig. 4, the lower portion
of which marked a, is represented in transverse section in its working position
at Figure 1, also marked a, whilst Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of
the top tool or cutter, as taken through the dotted line b, b. C is an adjustable

page_text: stop held down by the set screw c to the bed or base of the press or apparatus
for guaging or measuring the length of the iron desired to be cut off.
For explicitness I will assume that the top tool B is secured to a bolster
that is made (by the action of the press or apparatus) to rise to the extent
here shown and to descend sufficiently far into the opening of the bed that
the cutting edges or angles d, e, shall pass down below the corresponding
cutting edges of the bed A, which are well defined at Figure 2; and with
these appliances I will now proceed to divide up a rod of square iron, which I
first pass between a guide placed on the left-hand side of the working tools
A and B, so that the back edge of the rod may be in parallel contact with the
lower part of the top tool marked a, and by a descent of that tool a small
bit is nipped off to square the end of the rod, and as the top tool rises so the
rod is pushed forward until the end is in contact with the stop c, or in the
position represented by the dotted lines f, f, in Figures 1 and 2, that as the
top tool descends so the part ƒ and g will be divided off from the rod, the
part 9 falling through an opening in the lower bed into a receiver, whilst the
part may fall down and be carried away by a spout or other simple
contrivance also to a receiver, which leaves the tools free and clean that as
the top tool again rises the end of the rod f may be again advanced to the
stop c to be divided as before described, thus cutting off two spike blanks
at one operation; notwithstanding it is obvious, and will be well understood by
a practical man acquainted with these appliances, that by making a corre-
sponding opening in the bed tool as indicated by dotted lines h and i that four
spike blanks may be cut off at one time, but taking the tools as here
represented it is evident that the two blanks would be cut off, as shewn by
the dotted lines k and 1, Fig. 5, shewn also detached at Fig. 6, the angle being
varied according to the arrangement of the tools, and further that if it may
be desirable to cut the other ends slightly angular instead of square the same
may be effected and continued in like manner as the square ends are now
formed without making the least waste after trimming or shaping the end
of rod at the beginning and the remaining bit or piece at the ending.
Referring back to the parts represented at Figure 6, my next operation, which
may be done before or after heading, is to form by preference a chisel point
or, in other words, to convert the oblique angle at m into the form shewn at
n, Fig. 7, and this I effect by suitable press tools or squeezers worked in any
simple convenient way and at a sufficient speed to allow the removal of the
partially formed spike as represented at this Figure, and to place the next for
the succeeding action of the appliances by either of blanks, as exhibited at
Figure 6, so as to continue the work.

page_text: Figure 8 represents a flat and edge view of a finished spike as ordinarily
used for railway work, the obliquity of the division of the iron for the head
part as before mentioned and represented in dotted lines at r and s, Figure 5,
may be better suited for the subsequent forming of the head exhibited at
Figure 8, than cutting the iron off at the head part square, as here exhibited,
specially referred to at Figure 7.
I have not thought it necessary to represent other than square rod iron,
notwithstanding it must be obvious to practical workmen acquainted with the
use of such appliances that round or other sectional formed rods may be
operated on and subsequently made into spikes by the appliances and means
herein described.
Having thus given a general description of my Invention, I wish it under-
stood that I do not claim for any degree of angularity for the division of the
iron intended to form the chisel point or lower ends, nor the angle of the
upper end, as they may be varied without affecting the spirit of my Invention,
and in like manner I do not purpose limiting myself to the number of pieces
to be divided up or cut from the rod or rods at each action of the cutting
appliances, as they may be formed with convenience, and having additional
power and strength to cut or divide off eight spike blanks at one time, the
top and bed tool, Figures 1 and 2, being fashioned accordingly with attendant
guides and stops; but what I claim as new, and of my Invention, and wish
protected by these my in part recited Letters Patent is, the cutting or dividing
up rods of iron for the manufacture of spikes, and for pressing the points
of the lower ends into the desired form, as herein described and exhibited,
while the said iron bolts or blanks are in a cold state.
In witness whereof, J, the said Moses Bayliss, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
HERBERT HESKEY,
Clerk to James S. Cockings,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
MOSES BAYLISS. (L.S.)