IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEARS FOR CUTTING THE WOOL OR HAIR OF ANIMALS AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Gray Hallas, Frederick William Flower, and
Edward Pearson, all of Sheffield, in the County of York, Cutlery Manufac-
turers; for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
SHEARS FOR CUTTING THE WOOL OR HAIR OF ANIMALS AND FOR SIMILAR
PURPOSES”
Sealed the 27th June 1879, and dated the 5th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Gray Hallas,
Frederick William Flower, and Edward Pearson at the Office of the Commis-
sioners of Patents on the 5th February 1879.
"
CHARLES GRAY HALLAS, FREDERICK WILLIAM FLOWER, and EDWARD PEARSON,
IMPROVEMENTS
all of Sheffield, in the County of York, Cutlery Manufacturers.
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEARS FOR CUTTING THE WOOL OR HAIR OF ANIMALS
AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES."
Our Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of shears chiefly
designed for cutting or clipping the wool or hair of animals.
The object of the said Invention is the manufacture of shears in a more solid and
durable manner and at a smaller cost than heretofore practicable.
The usual methods of manufacture heretofore in use for shears having a spring
bow are as follows, that is to say:-The shears are made chiefly of iron, a piece of
steel being welded to each blade to form the cutting edge. Sometimes the shears
are made of steel, and are constructed in several distinct sections or parts, which are
afterwards united by rivetting or otherwise, and in some cases the blanks are cut
out of a strip or sheet of steel, a portion of the metal being turned over to form an
In
imitation of a solid back. There are several disadvantages in these methods.
some cases the shears are defective as regards strength and durability, and in other
cases the cost of production is too high to enable the manufacturer to realize a
profit.
Our said Invention obviates the difficulties heretofore existing, and is carried into
practice as follows, that is to say :-
The steel or other metal to be employed is first rolled to the required dimensions
by the process known as rod-rolling, and the pieces so rolled are then passed through
two cast iron chilled rolls. These rolls, which are of equal diameter, are caused to

page_text: rotate at equal speed by means of toothed wheels fixed on the spindle or axle of
each roll, these wheels being of the same diameter as the rolls, or this may be effected
by any other suitable means.
The said rolls are provided on their periphery with depressions or cavities forming
counterparts of the shears or parts of the same as desired, the counterpart of one
half of a pair of shears being in one of the said rolls and the counterpart of the
other half in the other roll, the said depressions or cavities in one roll being so
arranged relatively to those in the other roll that the pressure is exerted at the parts
where it is required, and the metal forced into the cavities as the rolls rotate receives
the desired shape. Any convenient number of the said cavities or depressions may
be-provided in the said rolls, and when the steel or other metal has passed through
them a rod of solid shear blanks will have been produced. These blanks are then
separated from each other and the flange is cut off. Each blank produced as above
described is then subjected to stamping or pressing in order to form the hollow
portion for the shanks and knee, and the shears are finished in the ordinary
manner.
It will be seen that the shears manufactured as above described are perfectly solid
throughout, and consequently are very strong, and they may be made of one piece
of steel at a less cost than is required to make shears according to ordinary methods,
partly of iron and partly of steel.
In some cases we may construct one of the aforesaid rolls without cavities or
depressions, and provide the counterpart of the shears entirely within the other
roll. When this is done no provision has to be made for driving both rolls at the
same speed.
In manufacturing according to our said Invention what are known as trowel-
shank shears we leave a strong substance of steel between the blades and the shanks,
which substance is afterwards bent down.
We prefer to make the shears of steel, but it will be readily understood that they
may be made of iron lined with steel. Shears with two blades working upon a
pivot as a centre may be advantageously manufactured according to this Invention,
the depressions or cavities in the rolls being provided according to the desired form
of such shears.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Gray Hallas, Frederick William Flower, and Edward Pearson
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th August 1879.
CHARLES GRAY HALLAS, FREDERICK WILLIAM FLOWER, and EDWARD PEARSON,
all of Sheffield, in the County of York, Cutlery Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEARS FOR CUTTING THE WOOL OR HAIR OF ANIMALS
AND FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES."
Our Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of shears of that class
or kind which are used for cutting or clipping the wool or hair of animals.
The object of the said Invention is the manufacture of shears in a more solid
and durable manner and more cheaply than heretofore.
In the ordinary methods of manufacturing shears having a spring bow the shears
are made chiefly of iron with a piece of steel welded to each blade to form its
cutting edge, or they are made of steel and in several distinct sections or parts,
which are afterwards united by rivetting or otherwise, and in some cases the blanks
are cut from a strip or sheet of steel, and have a portion of the metal turned over
to form an imitation solid back. These methods of manufacture are attended with
various disadvantages. In some cases the shears are defective with regard to their
strength and durability, and in other cases the cost of production is too high to
enable the manufacturer to realize any profit.
We have sought to obviate these difficulties, and have for this purpose devised
our improved method of manufacture, which is carried into practice as follows, that
is to say:
The steel or other metal to be employed is first rolled into strips or pieces of the
required width and thickness by the ordinary process known as rod-rolling, and
then by passing these strips or pieces through two cast iron chilled rolls the shear
blanks are formed in indentations or cavities in one or both of the said rolls. These
indentations, depressions, or cavities serve as dies to impart to the shear blanks the
exact form required to be given to them without forging or welding any of the
parts together or otherwise manipulating them as in the processes heretofore
employed in the manufacture of such articles. It will therefore be obvious that by
utilizing such rolls for the production of shear blanks we are enabled to carry into
effect a novel method of manufacture with results greatly superior to any attainable
by the hitherto known methods of manufacture.
The said Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, by the aid of
which we will now proceed to more fully describe the same. Figure 1 is a transverse
section of one of our rolls; Figure 2 is an elevation of a pair of rolls whereof one
roll has the said depressions or cavities formed in it, while the other roll is plain or
smooth on its surface. Each of these depressions or cavities is a counterpart of one
blank, or of a portion of the same. In this arrangement it is not necessary to make
provision for driving both rolls at the same speed; but we may have both rolls
provided, as shewn in Figure 3, with depressions or cavities forming counterparts
of the shear blank or parts of the same as desired, the counterpart of one half of
the shear blank being in one of the said rolls and the counterpart of the other half
in the other roll, the said depressions or cavities in one roll being so arranged
relatively to those in the other roll that the pressure will be exerted at the parts
where it is required and the metal forced into the cavities as the rolls rotate receives
the desired shape. In this arrangement the surface speed of both rolls must be the
same; we therefore prefer to employ two rolls of the same diameter geared together
by a pair of toothed wheels of equal diameter fixed on the axes or necks of the
said rolls. Figure 4 is a plan, Figure 5 is an edge view, and Figure 6 a transverse
section of a shear blank produced by the indentations in the roll, shewn in Figure 1.
The parts a, a, as, in the blank are formed by the parts 1, 2, 3, of the roll. We
are thus enabled to give the blank the exact thickness required at all parts of the
same.

page_text: Any convenient number of the said indentations, cavities, or depressions may
be provided in the said rolls, and they are arranged in such a position that
when the strip of steel or other metal has passed through them it will have been
converted into a continuous series of shear-blanks. These blanks are then separated
from each other, and the flanges or webs of surplus metal left by the rolls are
cut off.
Figure 7 is a plan of a pair of shears made from the said blank ready for grinding
and bending.
Figure 8 is a transverse-section-of-the-same through the bow. Figure-1-is-drawn-
to greatly enlarged scale.
Instead of making the shank of flat metal or concave we may make the same
solid and half-round in transverse section.
Each blank produced as above described is subjected to stamping or pressing to
form the shanks and knee, and the shears are finished in the ordinary manner.
It will be seen that every pair of shears manufactured as above described will
consist of one piece of metal, and will consequently be very strong and durable,
and in this manner we can make such shears entirely of steel at a cost less than that
required to make shears according to ordinary methods, partly of iron and partly
of steel.
In manufacturing according to our said Invention what are known as trowel
shank shears we leave a strong substance of steel between the blades and the shanks,
which substance is afterwards bent down.
We prefer to make the shears of steel, but it will be readily understood that they
may be made of iron lined with steel. Shears with two blades working upon a
pivot may be advantageously manufactured according to this Invention, depressions
or cavities in the rolls being provided as above described, according to the desired
form of such shears.
Having thus fully described our said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, we wish it understood that we are aware that rolls with dies, cavities, or
depressions in the surfaces thereof have been known and used for the manufacture
of various metal articles prior to the date of this Patent, as such rolls are described
in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to the aforesaid Charles Gray Hallas
and John Stevens on the 9th December, A.D. 1875, No. 4276, and we are aware
that rolls of a somewhat similar kind had been previously used for the manufacture
of files and similar articles. We are also aware that shears and other articles of
cutlery and the like have been already made by forging them of one piece of metal.
We therefore do not claim broadly or generally the exclusive right to the use of
such rolls, or to the manufacture of shears of one piece of metal, but we claim,"
The improved manufacture of shears by subjecting a metal strip or plate to the
action of the above described peculiarly shaped and arranged cavities; recesses, or
indentations in one or both of a pair of rolls, and thereby producing properly formed
shear-blanks, each consisting entirely of one piece of metal, substantially as set
forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Gray Hallas, Frederick William
Flower, and Edward Pearson, have bereunto set our hands and seals, this
First day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
CHARLES GRAY HALLAS.
(L.S.)
FREDERICK WILLIAM FLOWER. (L.S.)
EDWARD PEARSON.
(L.S.)