AN IMPROVED PNEUMATIC HAMMER, USEFUL ALSO FOR PUNCHING AND STAMPING METALS." HAMMER, USEFUL ALSO FORTALS.
Year: 1863

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LETTERS PATENT to William Walton, of Smethwick, in the County of
Stafford, Coppersmith, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PNEUMATIC
HAMMER, USEFUL ALSO FOR PUNCHING AND STAMPING METALS."
HAMMER, USEFUL ALSO FOR PUNCHING AND STAMPING METALS.'
Sealed the 24th November 1863, and dated the 11th June 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Walton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th June 1863.
I, WILLIAM WALTON, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Copper-
smith, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
PNEUMATIC HAMMER, USEFUL ALSO FOR PUNCHING AND STAMPING METALS," to be
as follows:-
I construct a cylinder, piston, and rod, and attach the hammer or stamp or
punch to the end of the rod. I place on the top of the cylinder two concave
plates, with the concave parts inward, and an india-rubber sheet or any
metallic substance bolted tightly between the two concave plates. A rod is
fixed to the centre of the india-rubber sheet or metallic plate by means of
two small plates, one of which is made fast at the bottom of the rod, the
other plate is put on the top side of the india-rubber sheet or metallic plate,
and over the rod and screwed tight down with a screwed nut on the rod.
This rod is connected to any suitable driving gear driven either by steam or
other power. The action is thus:-The india-rubber sheet or metallic plate is
slightly deflected upwards and downwards; the air is thus exhausted from

page_text: the top and bottom sides of the piston in the cylinder, and as there is an
opening at the bottom of the concave plate to the top of the cylinder, the air
is exhausted from the top of the piston, and the hammer rises as the bottom
of the cylinder is open. All kinds of hammers can be worked well by this
single method, such, for instance, as tilts, forging, planishing, and rivetting
hammers or stamps.
The mode by which I exhaust the air from the top and bottom of the
piston in the cylinder is this:-I attach a tube to the top concave plate, and
to an opening near to the bottom of the cylinder below the piston I place a
stuffing box and gland at the bottom of the cylinder for the piston rod to pass
through. I also place a stuffing box and gland on the top concave plate, so
as to make all perfectly tight on both sides of the piston; when the piston is
at top stroke a vacuum has been formed at the under side of the deflecting
plate and at the top side of piston, which causes the hammer to rise and
fall with great force and speed, or the hammer may be worked without the
bottom stuffing box and gland, if preferred.
By another modification of my Invention I substitute for the concave and
deflecting plates a large shallow. cylinder and piston, which may be placed on
the top of the hammer cylinder, and the small pipe attached to each. For
the purpose of moderating the power of the stroke or stopping the hammer, I
provide a small .cock beneath the diaphragm or piston in the large cylinder,
thus reducing the power of the vacuum.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Walton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WALTON, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Coppersmith, send
greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Walton, Her special license that I, the said William
Walton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as. I, the
said William Walton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times

page_text: 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
"AN IMPROVED PNEUMATIC HAMMER, USEFUL ALSO FOR PUNCHING AND. STAMPING
METALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Walton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should parti-
cularly 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 William Walton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
I construct a cylinder, piston, and rod, and attach the hammer or stamp
or punch to the end of the rod. I place on the top of the cylinder two
concave plates, with the concave parts inward, and an india-rubber sheet or
any metallic substance bolted tightly between the two concave plates. A rod
is fixed to the centre of the india-rubber sheet or metallic plate by means of
two small plates, one of which is made fast at the bottom of the rod; the
other plate is put on the top side of the india-rubber sheet or metallic plate
and over the rod, and screwed tight down with a screwed nut on the rod.
This rod is connected to any suitable driving gear, driven either by steam or
other power. The action is thus:-The india-rubber sheet or metallic plate is
slightly deflected upwards and downwards;, the air is thus exhausted from
the top and bottom sides of the piston in the cylinder, and as there is an
opening at the bottom of the concave plate to the top of the cylinder, the air
is exhausted from the top of the piston, and the hammer rises. As the bottom
of the cylinder is open, all kinds of hammers can be worked well by this
simple method, such, for instance, as tilts, forging, planishing, and rivetting
hammers or stamps.
The mode which I exhaust the air from the top and bottom of the
piston in the cylinder is this:-I attach a tube to the top concave plate, and
to an opening near to the bottom of the cylinder below the piston I place a
stuffing box and gland at the bottom of the cylinder for the piston rod to pass
through; I also place a stuffing box and gland on the top concave plate so as
to make all perfectly tight on both sides of the piston. When the piston is at
top stroke a vacuum has been formed at the under side of the deflecting plate

page_text: and at the top side or piston, which causes
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great force and speed, or the hammer may be worked without the bottom
stuffing box and gland, if preferred.
:
By another modification of my Invention I substitute for the concave and
deflecting plates a large shallow cylinder and piston, which may be placed on
the top of the hammer cylinder, and the small pipe is attached to each. For
the purpose of moderating the power of the stroke or stopping the hammer, I
provide a small cock beneath the diaphragm or piston in the large cylinder,
thus reducing the power of the vacuum.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a vertical section of my improved hammer; Figure 2, a
plan of the diaphragm and guide; Figure 3, an elevation of the valve;
Figure 4, a sectional plan through the cylinder at x, x; Figure 5, a section
of the shallow cylinder which may be employed in some cases in preference
to the diaphragm.
(A, Figure 1) is a cylinder, (B) the piston, and (C) the piston rod, to
which is secured, as shewn in the Drawings, a hammer block (D). A punch
or stamp may take the place of this hammer block if the purpose of the
apparatus require it; (E and F) are the two concave plates, their concave
surfaces inwards on the top of the cylinder (A); (G) represents a sheet or
diaphragm of india-rubber or of any metallic substance if preferred; this
diaphragm is sprung in between the plates (E, F). (H) is a rod fixed to the
centre of the diaphragm by the two small plates I and J), the one marked
(J) being made fast at the bottom of the rod (H) and the other one (I)
secured above the top surface of the diaphragm (G) over the rod (H), and
screwed tightly down by the screw nuts (K). The rod (H) is connected to
any suitable driving gear, the apparatus being worked by hand, by treadle, by
'steam, or any other suitable power, a pulley (Z) for driving by steam power
being shewn in the Drawing.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-By the revolution of the crank
(Y), to which the rod (H) is connected, an upward and downward deflection of
'the diaphragm (G) is produced, thus causing either a vacuum or partial-vacuum,
as may be required, alternately above and below the piston. The upward
deflection of the diaphragm produces a vacuum above the piston and the
hammer rises, the air being forced beneath the piston through the tube (M, N).
The downward deflection of the diaphragm withdraws the air beneath the
piston through the same tube, and the hammer falls, and to regulate the
power of the vacuum thus produced, and consequently the force of the blow

page_text: struck, I employ the slide valve (S), shewn separately in Figure 3, by which
air may be admitted into the cylinder beneath the piston, and thus cushion
the fall of the piston, and graduate the force of the blow; whilst for the
purpose of similarly regulating the vacuum above the piston, the stop-cock (R)
and the pipe (Q), which opens into the cylinder at L, are provided.
(O and P) are stuffing boxes and glands to make all secure above and below
the piston, but the hammer may, if preferred, be worked without the stuffing
box and gland (O), and also without the pipe (M, N,) and top plate (F).
(Figure 5) shews in vertical section the form of shallow cylinder before
mentioned, which may be employed instead of the diaphragm for large
hammers; it is to be fixed on the top of the hammer cylinder, and the upper
end of the pipe (M, N,) may open into the cover of the exhausting cylinder.
The hammer thus constructed works solely by pneumatic action, but
without any compression of air; and to render the apparatus available as a
stamp or punch, it merely requires that suitable tools should be fixed in place
of the hammer block.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I do not limit myself to these precise
details, as they will admit of variation; but I claim the arrangement and
combination of the several mechanical parts or appliances, or their equivalents,
forming an improved pneumatic hammer, punch, or stamp, substantially as
herein more fully set forth and specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Walton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord. One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
WILLIAM WALTON. (L.S.)