CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF AND IMPROVEMENTS IX MACHINERY FOR MAKING PENS
Year: 1824

page_text: WRIGHT'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEMUEL
WELLMAN WRIGHT, of Wellclose Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifteenth day of May, in the fifth year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Lemuel Wellman Wright, His especial licence that I, the said Lemuel
Wellman Wright, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Lemuel Wellman Wright, my exors, adñiors, and 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, my Invention of "CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF AND IMPROVEMENTS IX
MACHINERY FOR MAKING PENS;" in which said Letters Patent there is con-
tained a proviso obliging me, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Lemuel Wellman Wright, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, aro fully
described and ascertained in and by the Drawing hereunto annexed, and the
following description thereof (that is to say) :-

page_text: My Invention of Certain Combinations of and improvements in Machinery
for Making Pins consist,―
First, in a mode of supplying the wire for making the pins, and of straight-
ening the wire as it advances.
Second, in the method of cutting the wire into suitable lengths for forming
the pins.
Third, in the mode of carrying the piece of wire so cut to be pointed and
headed.
Fourth, in the means and apparatus for pointing the said wire. And,
Fifth, in the manner of forming a head at one end thereof.
These operations, and the machinery employed in performing them, will be
fully understood by reference to the Drawings and the following description
thereof (that is to say):-
Fig. I. is a side view of the machine, Fig. II. an end view, and Fig. III.
a plan, in all which the parts are shewn upon a scale of one third the real
size, the same letters referring to the same parts in each of these three Figures.
I take a coil or hrank of brass wire of a proper size as it comes from the wire
drawer, and I place the said hank upon the reel A, which is capable of being
turned round freely upon a verticle spindle or axle; the end of the wire is
then brought forward and passed between the pins of the brass plate B, which
is commonly called a straightening board, intended to straighten the wire as it
advances; but as the process of straightening wire is well understood by pin-
makers I need not more particularly describe this part of the apparatus. The
wire is thence conducted between tho chaps of the pincers C, where it is
held fast. Having thus inserted the end of the wire, I proceed to put the
machinery in action for the purpose of producing pins. I now turn the
winch D, which is fixed to the axle E, and by means of the bevel-toothed
wheel F upon that axle taking into the teeth of the bevel wheel G upon the
end of the shaft H, H, H, that shaft is made to revolve, and with it the
several cams affixed thereto, the said cams being employed to move the
operative parts of the machinery herein-after described. The first movement
is to bring forward the end of the wire which is held between the chops of the
pincers C; this is done by the cam a working against the friction roller of the
slider i, and as the said cam revolves that slider is pushed forward. The first
effect of advancing this slider forward will be to move the end of the lever j by
a pin or stud fixed in the under side of the said slider, which pin passes
through a slit or martise in the end of the said lever, and, as the said lever is
thus pushed forward by a small tappet or friction roller on the under side of
the said lever, pressing against an inclined plane on one of the legs of the

page_text: pincers C (the other leg of the said pincers being a fixture), and thereby closes
the chaps and holds the wire fast between them. As the slider i moves on, the
projecting piece k is brought against a screw I fixed on the side of the carriage
of the pincers, by which means the said pineers with the wire are brought
forward a certain distance. This distance is regulated by the adjusting screw 7.
If the screw is advanced so as to contract the space in which the projecting
piece k acts, the length of the pin will be greater; if the said screw is with-
drawn so as to increase the length of the space, the pin will be shorter. On
the cam a receding from the end of the said slider i, a worm spring under the
said slider carries it back to its former position; and in doing this it first causes
the chaps of the pincers C to open, and then, the projecting piece k, striking
against the screw m, carries the pincers' carriage back with it to its original
position, the wire being at this time held fast by the straightening pins on the
plate B, and thereby prevented from returning. Thus the wire at every revo-
lution of the cam a is made to advance so much as will be equal to the length.
of the intended pin, together with the additional length of wire required for.
forming the head. The wire is then passed through the cutting nippers I, as.
seen in Fig. 8, where it is to be cut off, the mode of doing which will be best
seen in the detached Figure IV., which is a section of the cutting nippers I,-
drawn off the full size. a is a roller upon the end of the arm (shown at n in
Fig. 8), which is attached to the slider before mentioned. When this
slider returns after bringing the wire forward the roller presses against the
inclined plane of the lever or leg of the cutting nippers b, and by raising it
depresses the other end of the said lever and forces down the cutter c (which
had previously been held up by the spring d, and thereby cuts off the pin, as
shewn at e. The slider i, Fig. 3, at a second operation, brings forward the
roller a, Fig. 1 IV., when the lever b is allowed to descend, and the pin e is
released, the said pin being taken thence by the carriers about to be described.
These carriers K 1, K 2, K 3, K 4, see Fig. III., are attached to the
bar J at right angles with the sliding bar i, and the said bar J slides to and
fro for the purpose of conveying, first, the piece of wire from the nippers (after
it has been cut off) to the first pointing apparatus, secondly, from thence to
the second pointing apparatus, and so on in succession to the two other
apparatuses by which the head of the pin is formed. The movement of the
said bar J is effected by means of the cam b, which, as it revolves, presses
down the lever o, o. At to the end of this lever a cord or chain is attached that
passes over a pulley p to a shackle which is affixed by the shackle bolt to the
sliding bar J. Thus when the lever o descends the cord or chain draws the
sliding bar J, with the carriers K, in a lateral direction as far as will bring the

page_text: carrier K 1 from the cutting nippers I to the pointing holder L 1, where the
pin is to be pointed, as will herein-after be described. The carrier is shewn
detached at Fig. V. of the full size, and an end view of it at Fig. VI. This
carrier is a pair of pincers. The upper chap a is a fixed piece of metal, the
lower chap is formed upon the end of a steel spring b. The opening of the
chaps is exactly in the line of the cutting nippers and pointing holders, so that
when the carrier K 1, by the sliding of tho bar J, is brought opposite to the
nippers I, the pin enters the chaps, and is there held by the spring in a small
groove (seen at Fig. VI.); the mouth of the cutting nippers now opens, as
explained, and releases the pin, which is then carried along, in the manner
beforo described, to the pointing holder L 1.
I now proceed to explain the means by which the pin is pointed. The
carrier K 1, Fig. III., brings the pin or piece of wire cut off as aforesaid to
the holder L 1 (which holder is shown detached full size by a side view at
Fig. VII. and a front view at Fig. VIII.); the chaps of the holder are here
seen open, and between these chaps the pin is brought by the carrier, where
it is held until the chaps close and confine it, which is done by the following con-
trivance: As the shaft H, Fig. III., revolves, the cam c presses against the
friction wheel of the sliding bar q, to the end of which bar the yoke r is affixed
(which is shown full size at Fig. IX.), this yoke is intended to cause the
collar S which it embraces to slide backward and forward upon the cylindrical
part of the pin holder L 1, the sliding bar 9 being pushed forward by the
cam c, as before said, causes the yoke to conduct the collar forward upon the
cylinder, when the chaps of the holder will be open, as seen at Fig. VII., but
the return of the sliding bar 9 when the cam c releases it (which is effected by
a worm spring beneath it) causes the yoko to draw back the collar, when the
notch of this collar, acting against an inclined plane at the hinder part of the
lever t, raises that lever and closes the chaps, by which means the pin is held.
The lover o, Fig. III., now being allowed to rise, the carrier K 1 will return to
its former situation ready to take the next piece of wire or pin, when the
carrier bar J (which is drawn back by a powerful worm spring M) first
begins to move in that direction. The spring of the chap (see Figs. V. and
VI.) allows the pin to pass out on the reverse side to that on which it entered.
The pointing of the pin is effected by the revolution of a steel wheel N 1,
cut like a file, in the shape represented in the Drawing, and the said
steel wheel N 1 is driven with considerable velocity by a series of band wheels
from the axle E of the fly wheel O. From the said fly wheel O, Figs. 1., II.
and III., a band extends to the rigger P, upon the shaft of which is a largo
wheel Q, and from thence a band passes to the rigger R; and upon the shaft

page_text: of this rigger there are two wheels S1 and S2, from each of which bands
pass respectively to the rigger upon each of the axles of the pointing wheels
N 1 and N 2. Thus, as the shaft E turns, the steel pointing wheels N 1 and
N 2 are made to revolve with a velocity of from ninety to one hundred revo-
lutions for one revolution of the fly wheel O, the diameters of the steel pointing
wheels being, as represented in Fig. III., three inches and three eighths of an
inch. In order to bring the end of the wire or pin down to the pointing
wheel N 1, the holder L 1 is mounted on a carriage T, which is capable of
moving up and down in a small degree upon centers v, v. As the shaft
H revolves, the elevated part of the cam fpresses down the end of the lover u,
which said lever & is attached to the end of the carriage T (as seen more clearly at
Fig. VII.), and by these means the carriage is kept in a level position during
about one half of the revolution of the shaft H, but when the cam releases it,
which is the case at the time the pointing is about to commence, a worm
spring W draws up the lever, and by that means the carriage is tilted and
the end of the pin brought into contact with the pointing wheel N 1. It is
however necessary to hold the pin steadily upon the wheel while the pointing
is performed. This is done by the levers a, a, Fig. III., one of which is
shewn detached at Fig. X. in its full size. This lover moves upon an axle &
and as the shaft H, Fig. III., revolves, the cam e pushes the sliding bar y,
to the end of which said bar y a cross bar is affixed; this cross bar has
an inclined plane upon it, see Fig. X, which, as the bar slides, comes
in contact with the adjusting screw at the end of the lever a, and
causes the other end of that lever to be depressed, and the end of the
finger V (shewn on its front side at Fig. XI.) to press down upon tho
pin, and hold it in contact with the pointing wheel. In order to turn the
pin round, when in contact with the pointing wheel, the pin holder L 1 is
made to revolve by the following means:-Upon the shaft H there is a cam d
which, as it turns, raises the lever 1. At the end of this lover there is a
verticle rack 2 (shewn detached and full size at Fig. XII.) taking into the
pinion 8, which has upon its axle a toothed wheel 4, taking into another
pinion 5, upon the end of the pin holder L 1, by which means as the aforesaid
rack rises the said pin holder with the pin is turned round several times.
When the cam has withdrawn a weight suspended to this lever 1 carries
it down again, and thereby causes the rack in its descent to turn the pin
holder L1 the reverso way. While this is going on the pointing wheel N 1
continues revolving with great velocity, as herein-before stated, and thereby
cuts away the end of the wire in an oblique direction, and effects the pointing
of the pin. As one operation does not produce a perfect point upon the pin,

page_text: a second pointing wheel N 2, with a finer cut, is employed, which is turned by
the band from the wheel S 2. The pin after having undergone the first pro-
cess of pointing is carried from the holder L 1 to the second holder L 2 by the
carrier K 2 exactly as before described in explaining the action of the carrier
K 1. The second holder clasps the pin between its chaps by similar means
to those herein-before described, and tho holder is made to revolve by means
of a toothed wheel 6, which is driven by the wheel 4, as exhibited in the
detached Fig. XII., which wheel takes into a pinion upon the end of the axle
of the holder L 2, so that the ascent and descent of the rack 2 causes both the
pin holders L 1 and L 2 to turn. The carrier K 3 now takes the pin from
the second pointing holder L 2 and carries it to the first heading die U 1,
shewn full size at Fig. XIII., in connection with its carriage and other appen-
dages. The die is represented in section at Fig. XIV., its end view is seen
at Fig. XV., the lower portion of the die at Fig. XVI., and the upper portion
or chap at Fig. XVII. The lower portion of the die, Fig. XVI., is fixed
to the frame of the machine, as seen at 8, Fig. II. The upper portion
or chap to the lever 9, Fig. XIII., which is held up by a spring 10, so as to
keep the chaps sufficiently open for the pin to pass in between them, when
brought by the carrier, as herein-before described. The pin being in this
situation between the chaps the cam g, Fig. III., now acts against the friction
roller 11 at the top of the lever 12, Fig. 1, by which means the connecting
rod 13, attached to the lever 12, is driven forward when the bridle 14 con-
nected to it, as seen in Fig. XIII., causes the friction roller 15 to work
against the inclined plane 16, and by that means to draw down the upper chap
9, and hold the pin firmly between the dies. When the pin is thus secured
in the dies the cam h, Fig. III., acts upon the friction roller 17 at the end
of the heading bar W, and drives the bar forward upon the adjusting screw 18,
in the cross end of this bar, as seen at Fig. XIII., is pushed against the end
of the cylinder 19 of the heading apparatus, and by driving it forward causes
the steel punch 20 to press the end of the pin wire into the circular recess,
seen in the dies at Figs. XIV., XVI., and XVII., by which means a part of
the process of heading is effected. The carrier K 4 now takes hold of the pin,
when the further revolution of the cams g and h allows the rod 13 and the
heading bar W to retire, by which means the chaps of the die again open, and
the carrier K 4 proceeds with the pin to the second heading apparatus, shewn
in section at Fig. XVIII. The pin is thus held by the carrier K 4 opposite
to the opening of the second heading die U 2, Fig. III., where the advance
of the heading bar W, as before described, causes the punch 21 to be driven
forward, by which means the pin is pushed into the die, as shewn at

page_text: Fig. XVIII., and the heading is perfected. The cylindrical rod 22 having, a
small piece of bone 23 in its end, into which the point of the pin enters, receeds
when the punch 21 advances, but when the punch goes back again the helical
spring coiled round the rod 22 causes it to push the pin nearly out of the
die when a prong or forked bar 24 attached to the heading bar W (shewn
detached at Figs. XIX and XX.) by descending down an inclined plane
drops over the head of the pin, and as the heading bar goes back pulls
out the pin from the die. The pin now being completely formed drops into
a box below in a finished state. As all the movements of the different
parts of this machine are produced by the revolution of the several cams fixed
on the shaft H, it becomes necessary to describe them more particularly, and
I have represented them in detached Figures of their sizes, and in their
relative positions. See Figures a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h. These forms and positions
require the greatest nicety of adjustment in the machine, but cannot be repre-
sented upon paper with sufficient accuracy; they must be fitted to the machine
as near, as may be, and adjusted to the movements of the parts when the
whole is put together.
.
-
Although I have in the foregoing description particularized all the parts
of this machine, and shewn their several movements and offices, it may
be desirable for the better understanding of the wholo to explain the several
operations by which from plain wire the pins are formed and perfected
in their progress through the machine. Five pins being under operation
at the same time, the wire is drawn off the reel A by the advance of the
pincers C, and is straightened in its passage between the pins of the plate B;
the rotation of the shaft H causes the several cams a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h,
attached thereto to move the several sliders and levers that work the different
parts of the machine, and which causes first the sliding bar i to push the
pincers C forward and carrying to the cutting nippers I at every advance. the
length of wire which is required for making a single pin, this length being
regulated by the stopping screws and m. The cutting nippers I are made
to cut off the length of wire by the descent of the upper chap, as shewn at
Fig. IV., and when the chap opens the carrier K 1 takes the pin thence to
the pointing holder L 1, where it is held to be pointed. The pointing of
the pin is effected by the rotation both of the file wheel N 1, and of
the holder L1; and after the first pointing the pin is taken by the carrier
K 2 to the second pointing holder L 2, when it is held against the wheel N 2,"
and the pointing completed. The carrier K 8 now takes the pin forward to
the heading die U 1; when by pushing up of the punch 20 by the heading
bar W, the head is formed. The pin is then taken by the carrier K 4 to the

page_text: second heading die U 2, when the driving up of the punch Q1 by the
heading bar W completes the heading. The pin is then pushed nearly out of
the die U 2 by the springing forward of the rod 22, when a fork at the end
of the bar 24, by the receeding of the heading bar W, draws the pin entirely
out of the die and drops it into a receptacle below.
Having thus described, both generally and particularly, the construction
and operation of my Invention, I lastly declare, that my said Invention
consists,―
5
First, in the combined means which I have employed, and herein-before
described, for supplying the wire for making the pins from a bank placed 1
upon a reel, of straightening it as it advances into the machine, and of
carrying it forward by sliding pincers, through the agency of bars and lovers
worked by revolving cams.
Secondly, the apparatus for cutting off the wire in proper lengths for pins.
Thirdly, the means and apparatus employed for carrying the pin from one 1
operation to the next.
Fourthly, the improved apparatus herein-before described for pointing the
pins.
Fifthly, in the improved construction or method of making the dies, and the
employment of two dies, by which the head of the pin is formed of a portion of 2
the same piece of wire which constitutes the body or shaft thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, havo hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelvth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-four