IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HORSE-SHOE AND OTHER NAILS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn,
in the County of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City
of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
HORSE-SHOE AND OTHER NAILS."-A communication from abroad by Charles
Alexandre Louvrier, of Paris, Machinist.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
September 1861.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1,.Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of-
Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
HORSE-SHOE AND OTHER NAILS," (a communication to me from abroad by Charles
Alexandre Louvrier, of Paris, Machinist), to be as follows:-
The nature of this Invention consists in forming or constructing an appa-
ratus whereby horse-shoe or other nails are rolled and forged simultaneously.
To obtain this result sectors are used, serving the purpose of rolls, which form
the stem or body of the nail, drawing it out to the required dimensions, whilst
the head of the same is forged by a punch, of a suitable form, actuated with
great rapidity. Two sectors placed opposite to each other are mounted upon
centres or pivots, and are caused to oscillate by means of suitable mechanism,
the working or rolling surfaces of the sectors being so formed as to roll the
body of the nail. Two sliding blocks or hammers are placed at right angles

page_text: to the former, one working against the top of the lower sector and one side of
the upper one, and the other against the bottom of the upper sector and the
reverse side of the lower one, so as to enclose a rectangular space between the
four surfaces. One of the sectors lias a lateral motion imparted to it, whereby
it follows the movement of-the-blocks or hammers as they approach and recede
to and from each other. A rod of iron being placed in the space between
these surfaces is slightly reduced and held between them, whilst tho punch is
-advanced rapidly and forms the head of the nail. The rolling movement of
the sectors then forms the stem or body and point of the nail, but at the same
time the sliding blocks or hammers open and close rapidly by means of a cam,
and squeeze or forge the iron in the reverse or lateral direction. Any required
number of blows may be given by these blocks or hammers during one rolling
movement of the sectors, and consequently during the manufacture of each
nail.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on tho
17th March 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
"DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Liucolu's Inn, in the 'County of Middlesex, and
No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her leirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said George Davies, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agreo
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 MA-
CHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HORSE-SHOE AND OTHER NAILS,"
being a communication to me from abroad by Charles Alexander, Louvrier, of
Paris, Machinist, upon the condition. (amongst others) that I, the said George
Davies, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under

page_text: my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 George Davies, 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 in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say::
'The nature of this Invention consists in forming or constructing an appa-
ratus whereby horse-shoe or other nails are rolled and forged simultaneously.
To obtain this result sectors are used, serving the purpose of rolls, which form.
the stem or body of the nail, drawing it out to the required dimensions, whilst
the head of the same is forged by a punch, of a suitable form, actuated with
great rapidity. Two sectors placed opposite to each other are mounted upon
centres or pivots, and are caused to oscillate by means of suitable mechanism,
the working or rolling surfaces of the sectors being so formed as to roll the
body of the nail. Two sliding blocks or hammers are placed at right angles
to the former, one working against the top of the lower sector and one side of
the upper one, and the other against the bottom of the upper sector and the
reverse side of the lower one, so as to enclose a rectangular space between the
four surfaces. One of the sectors has a lateral motion imparted to it, whereby
it follows the movement of the blocks or hammers as they approach and recede
to and from each other. A rod of iron being placed in the space between
these surfaces is slightly reduced and held between them, whilst the punch is
advanced rapidly and forms the head of the nail. The rolling movement of
the sectors then forms the stem or body and point of the nail, but at the same-
time the sliding blocks or hammers open and close rapidly by means of a cam,
and squeeze or forge the iron in the reverse or lateral direction. Any required
number of blows may be given by these blocks or hammers during one rolling
movement of the sectors, and consequently during the manufacture of each
nail.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention for "Improvements
in Machinery or Apparatus for the Manufacture of Horse-shoe and other
nails," I will now proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the.
same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect; and in
order that the same may be distinctly understood I have annexed hereunto a
Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures-

page_text: and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation
thereof, that is to say:-
In the various Figures in the annexed Drawing the two sectors F and F¹,
have an oscillating movement imparted to them by the aid of the mechanism
hereafter described, and thus produce the body of the nail; ono of these
sectors moves continually in a lateral direction all the time and in the
same ratio that the pieces G, G!, act, which press tlie iron in the other direc-
tion. Thus the iron placed in the opening A at Figure 1 is pressed imme-
diately in all directions by the movement of these parts till it assumes the
form shown at c in Figure 2 and at d in Figure 4. Thus the iron-takes a
square form, whilst the punch E, mounted in the hammer K, forges the head
of the nail, giving it the form represented at Figure 4; the extremity of the
nail is then drawn out by the rolling of the sectors F and F, till it takes the
form shown at p in Figure 3. During the time that the sectors F.perform'
their rolling movement the pieces G and G' open and close rapidly by means
of a cam, so as to cause the iron to assume alternately the forms shown at n
in Figure 8 and at c in Figure 2: The pieces G and G' open and close the
desired number of times in the same instant that the sectors F, F, change
from the position shown at Figure 4 to that shown at Figuro 5; and by means
of combined eccentrics the forging and rolling are performed irregularly; that
is to say, the thickness of the body or stem of the nail may be varied during
its fabrication.
The 'same result may be obtained by employing the pieces represented at
Figures 6 and 7, the pieces I being fixed, and the piece Fonly being move-
able, and the iron is thereby compressed under the piece H and takes the
form of the point of the nail. Figure 7. The two movements of these pioces
give absolutely the same 'results as tho preceding arrangement and perform
their work in a similar manner. Figuro 9 represents the portion of the
mechanism which actuates the pieces F. When the hammers' Grand Gopen
or separate the rolling inovement performed by the pieces Fis produced by
the stepped cam A, mounted on the driving shaft of the machine, and acting
on a steel point X fixed to the guide B; this guide joins the two rods C,
which are jointed to the pieces F in such a manner that when the cam A acts
by one of its steps upon the point X the guide B moves and draws with it the
rods C, which cause the picces F to oscillate on the points f, and thus the.
rolling is effected. When the 'cam has performed a complete revolution tlie
point I strikes against the piece V, and thus gives a retrograde movement to
the guide B and to the pieces F, which assume their original position to
recomnience a fresh rolling operation. If, on the other hand, 'the hammers

page_text: press the iron, the steps of the cam. A are at their "dead point," so that the
pieces F do not move.
I would here remark that, if preferred, the pieces F might be made to
revolve continuously instead of oscillating, their action and effect. being still
the same. The cylinders E and E¹ may be made to open at each stroke of
the hammers, G, which will also prevent the formation of seams when the tools
become worn. This movement may be obtained by giving an irregular form
to the cam which actuates the cylinders, this cam, instead of being round
where it gives the pressure, is, on the contrary, furnished with notches. A
spring placed under the beam which actuates the cylinders gives the required
movement thereto each time, that it meets one of the notches on the cam.
These notches being connected with the hammers, it is easy to regulate the
movement required to strike or roll the iron. On account of the opening of
the cylinders after each pressure their length may be reduced; that is to say,
their working surface need not be the length of a.nail, it being sufficient
that at the moment of their opening. they shall always return into such a posi-
tion that the action of the cam shall cause them always to perform the rolling
movement as many times as may be necessary. In making the body of the
nail it is advisable to have a special slide for feeding the machine to prevent
the irregularity which might occur from the tools being more or less worn.
Having. now described the nature and object of the said Invention for
"Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for the Manufacture of Horse-
shoe and other Nails," together with the manner in which the same is to be or
may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark, in con-
clusion, that I claim as the Invention communicated to me by the aforesaid
Charles Alexandre Louvrier,-
. Firstly, rolling the body of the nails by means of pieces which, in their
movement, compress and draw out the iron.
Secondly, forging the head of the same by means of a punch striking very
rapidly..
.And, thirdly, the accessory pieces which press on the sides of the iron,
limiting it to the desired dimensions.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
GEORGE DAVIES. (L.S.)