CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HINGES OR JOINTS, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I JOHN
HENFREY, of Weymouth Terrace, in the Parish of Saint Leonard, Shoreditch,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and thirty-eight, in the second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs,
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Henfrey, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Henfrey,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henfrey,
my exors, adors, 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, and also in all Her said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF HINGES OR JOINTS, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED
THEREIN;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
John Henfrey, shall cause a particular description of of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in
Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within, six calendar months next
and immediately after the date 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Henfrey, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):
My improvements in the manufacture of hinges or joints consist in so
bending a narrow plate or strip of iron or other suitable metallic substance as
to form a strap or bar, having along one of its longitudinal sides or hollow
knuckle adapted to receive the cylindrical pins of binges, the said strap or bar
being made of sufficient length that it may be afterwards cut transversely and
made into any convenient number of hinges. I do not limit myself to any
particular mechanism for bending the metal or metallic substances into the form
mentioned, but I give the preference to the following mechanical arrangements
which I have designed for that purpose.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the first or preparatory machine. Figure 2
is an end elevation of the same, and Figure 3 a plan of the same, in all of
which, where the same letters of reference occur, they indicate the same parts;
at a, a, a, is the main frame of the machine; b is a roller fixed one end of a
shaft c, and having an angular groove running around the circumference, as
shewn in Figures 2 and 3; d is another roller fixed on one end of the shaft e,
which shaft lies immediately above the shaft c, and the roller d is immediately
over the roller b; the roller d, as clearly shewn in Figure 2, revolves in the
groove of the roller b, to the shape of which it is adapted, the smallest
diameter of the roller 6 corresponding with the greatest diameter of the roller
d. The shafts c and e are made to revolve together at the same speed, in
.contrary directions, by means of the spur wheels f,f, fixed upon the ends of
of shafts c and e that carry the rollers b and d; g is a grooved roller fixed to à
shaft h; i is another roller (fixed to a shaft k, lying immediately over h); and
of a form adapted to revolve in the groove of the roller g, which arrangement
is best shewn in the end view of these rollers at Figure 4. The shafts h and k
carry at their opposite ends two spur wheels 1, 1, (indicated by red circles in
Figure 1,) geering into each other, and causing the two rollers to revolve with
equal velocities, but in contrary directions. m is a grooved roller of the form
shewn in Figure 5, mounted upon the end of a shaft n, on the opposite end of
which is a spur wheel o of equal diameter to the wheels f; f; and l, l. p and q
are two rollers of the form shown in Figure 2, fixed upon the lower ends of two
vertical shafts r and s, which are supported by a frame t bolted to the frame d.
On the lower face of the roller p is fixed a bevelled wheel v, which is driven

page_text: by a bevelled wheel w, of equal diameter, fixed on the face of the roller m; on
the upper ends of the shafts r and s are affixed two spur wheels u, u, of the
same diameters as the wheels f, f, which cause the rollers p and q to revolve
with equal speed, but in contrary directions; x, x, are two shafts, on the ends
of which are fixed the intermediate wheels y, y, (shewn by red circles in
Figure 1,) which geer into the spur wheels fixed on the shafts c, h, and n, and
the central shaft h being set in motion by any suitable power, the whole of the
shafts are caused to revolve together. [To avoid confusion, all the spur wheels
on the horizontal shafts in Figure 1 are indicated by red circles.]
:
The space between cach pair of rollers is regulated by means of the adjusting
screws marked z, which act upon the bearings in which the shafts revolve.
The operation of this machine is as follows:-The several rollers being set in
motion, a strip of iron of suitable width and thickness for forming the particular
kind of hinge or joint required, and six feet long (or any other convenient
length), is placed in the guide 1 (of which Figure 6 represents a longitudinal
section), and by it conducted between the rollers 6 and d, by the revolution of
which it is brought (in its transverse section) into the shape shewn at Figure 7;
as it emerges from the rollers 6 and d it is conducted by the guide 2 (fixed to
the frame, and which is in transverse section like Figure 7) to the rollers g
and h, and by passing between them is brought in its transverse section to the
form shewn in Figure 8. From the rollers g and h it is conducted by the guide,
3 on to the grooved roller m, and between the two horizontal rollers p and q,
by which it is brought in its transverse section to nearly the form shewn at
Figure 9; and this completes the first stage or process of the manufacture.
It may, however, be observed, that in some cases I find it to be preferable
to heat the metal before passing it through this machine, instead of working
the material in the cold state.-Note, to avoid confusion, the guides 1, 2, 3,
are not shewn in Figures 2 and 3. Figures 10, 11, and 12 represent my
second or finishing machine, Figure 10 being a side elevation, Figure 11 an
end elevation, and Figure 12 a plan. At a, a, a, is the main frame of the
machine supporting the several horizontal shafts, and another frame b, b,
projects from one of its sides, and carries thereon the several vertical shafts
represented; c, c, and c³, are three cylindrical rollers attached to the shafts
d', d, and d³, respectively all of which lie in the same horizontal plane. Each of
these rollers have a flange round that edge which is nearest to the frame a, a ;
el, e, and e, are three cylindrical rollers respectively fixed to the horizontal
shafts f, f, and f³, which lie in a horizontal plane above the shafts d', d²,
ds, the roller e¹ being posited over the roller c¹, cover c, and over c³.
The outer peripheral edges of these rollers are not left angular, but are turned.

page_text: into grooves of a circular curve; g¹, 92, 9, are three rollers respectively
fixed to the vertical shafts h¹, h2, h3, the central lines of which shafts lie
respectively in the same vertical planes which pass through the axes of the.
shafts d' and f, d² and f², ds and f³. These rollers g', 92, and g³, have each a
semicircular groove around the peripheries, the radii of which semicircular.
grooves gradually diminish from g¹ to g³, and are intended exactly to corre-
spond respectively with the radii of the curves in the circular grooves of the
rollers e', e², and e³; and on reference to Figure 11 it will be clearly seen that.
the lower edge of the grooves in the rollers g is on a level with the highest
points in the circumference of the rollers c, and the upper edges of the grooves
are level with the lowest points in the faces of the rollers e, or with the upper.
edges of the grooves in those rollers. The peripheral edge of the rollers g
should be brought as nearly into contact as practicable with the faces of the:
rollers e and c. For the purpose of accurately adjusting these parts to one
another, set screws at i, i, i, are introduced; k, k, k³, and k*, represent a series
of guides bolted to the frame a, a, and serving to conduct the metal from one.
roller to another; they each consist simply of two plates of metal, with a piece
between them a little thicker than the strap of the hinge. To avoid confusion,
these guides are not represented in Figure 12. The whole of the rollers are
put in motion in the following manner:-On the shafts d', d³, and d³, are fixed
spur wheels, 2, and 13, at the end, opposite to that on which the rollers are
fixed. These wheels geer into spur wheels m³, m², and m³, fixed on the shafts.
ff, and f, and therefore cause them to revolve with equal velocity, but in
contrary directions. Between the shafts d'and d² is an intermediate shaft n³,
to which is fixed a spur wheel o¹ geering into the wheels and ², and between
the shafts d² and d³ is another intermediate shaft n², carrying a spur wheel o
geering into the wheels 2 and 3, so that the middle shaft d³ being set in
motion by any suitable power, the whole of the horizontal shafts are actuated,
and the motion is transmitted to the vertical shafts by means of bevelled wheels
p, p, p, fixed on to the faces of the rollers c¹, c², and c³, acting on bevelled
wheels of similar diameter 91, 92, and 93, attached to the under sides of the
rollers g', g, and 9³ respectively.
To avoid confusion the spur wheels on the horizontal shafts are indicated in.
Figures 10 simply by red circles. The operation of this machine is as
follows: The metal in the form shewn at Figure 9 is heated to redness, and
then passes in succession through the three sets of rollers c¹, e¹, and g¹, c², e²,
and g³, and c³, e³, and g³, by which it is brought into the form of a strap with a
hollow knuckle, but the strap is in two parts or leaves which require to be
welded together. This operation is effected by passing the metal at a welding.

page_text: heat between a pair of welding rollers of suitable figures, upon leaving which
the metal in its transverse section resembles Figure 13.
Instead, however, of passing the metal at merely a red heat through the
machine shewn in Figure 10, 11, and 12, and subsequently welding the strap
between a pair of welding rollers, the metal may be passed through the machine
at a welding heat, by which means the strap will be welded at the same time
that the knuckle is completed, and the welding rollers will not then be
required. When hinges are formed of any other metallic substance than
iron, such metallic substance, after passing through the machine shewn in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, and being brought into the shape shewn in Figure 9, has
the two portions which are to constitute the strap soldered or otherwise united
together previously to being passed through the machine, as shewn in Figure
10, 11, and 12, and for such hinges no welding process is required. The
strap and knuckle being thus formed, the metal cut into the required lengths
for the intended hinges by a saw (or any suitable means), as in Figure 14;
pieces of the knuckle are cut away from one leaf or flap, as shewn, by the
spaces a, a, and from the other leaf or flap, as shewn by the spaces b, b, in
Figure 15; the projections in the one piece corresponding to the gaps in the
other. The holes are then punched, and if necessary, countersunk, and the
two leaves being then united by a pin passing through the knuckle of each,
the hinge is completed.
Having thus described my improvements in the manufacture of hinges or
joints, and in the machinery employed therein, I proceed to describe the nature
and extent of my claims to exclusive privileges.
First, I claim the exclusive privilege, in the manufacture of hinges or joints,
of bending a narrow plate or strip of iron so as to form a strap or bar, having
along one of its longitudinal sides a hollow knuckle adapted to receive the pins
of hinges, the said strap or bar being made of a sufficient length that it may
be afterwards divided transversely and made into any convenient number of
hinges.
Secondly, I claim an exclusive privilege, in the manufacture of hinges made
of brass or other metallic substances, by forming a bar or strap, having along
one of its longitudinal sides a hollow knuckle adapted to receive the pins of
hinges, the said strap or bar being made of a sufficient length that it may
be afterwards divided transversely and made into any convenient number of
hinges.
Thirdly, as regards the improvements in the machinery for making hinges
or joints which forms the second part of the title of my Invention, I claim the
use of rollers of the form and figure, or combined in pairs or sets, in the