Improvements in the Manufacture of Golf Balls, and in Apparatus Employed therein.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 26th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
Date of Application, 28th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 26th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
Improvements in the Manufacture of Golf Balls, and in Apparatus
Employed therein. .
I WILLIAM HILLMAN of Stoke Green, Coventry in the County of Warwick,
Director of Works, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be as
follows:-
The invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of golf balls and in
apparatus employed therein.
Heretofore golf balls have been marked with grooves in various directions across
and around the same; this method of marking however necessitates the employ-
ment of very expensive moulds or dies in the manufacture thereof except when
using roughly made moulds or dies.
According to my invention instead of marking such balls with lines as heretofore
I mark them all over with small segmental spherical projections which enables me
to employ, in the production thereof, moulds or dies which are comparatively
inexpensive to produce.
In the production of this class of mould I first turn two hollow hemispheres in
blocks of metal the edges of which are chamfered off so as to produce a sharp or
nearly cutting meeting edge to each of such blocks, I also by the aid of a spherical
milling tool mill out over the whole of the interior surface of such hemispheres a
number of segmental spherical recesses in any desired order and distance from each
other and I turn the exterior of such blocks cylindrically for a certain distance
from the meeting edges and form a flange or annular projection or seat at the
bottom of such cylindrical part, I fit around the cylindrical parts of such blocks
a closely fitting ring which is somewhat shorter than the distance between two
flanges when the meeting edges of the two half moulds or die blocks are in contact;
such ring acts as a guide to cause the two half moulds or die blocks to approach
each other truly when forced together.
In the manufacture of golf balls by the said moulds or dies I first soften the
ball material (generally gutta percha) and place a suitable quantity to form a ball
within one of the half dies or moulds with the movable ring around the cylindrical
part thereof I then force the other half die or mould down upon the same until
the meeting edges of the two half moulds or dies touch each other when the excess
material will pass out between the chamfered edges and will be so thin at its
junction with the ball as to be readily removed after the ball is taken out from the
moulds or dies.
By the employment of the loose ring and the chamfered edges of the moulds or
dies I am enabled to dispense with the cross cuts in the edge of one of the dies
for the escape of the surplus material and by the removal of the ring I am enabled
readily to take the ball out of the moulds or dies by gripping the projecting fin of
material produced between the chamfered meeting edges of the dies or moulds.
Dies or moulds of the above character can be used in ordinary presses when
commercially making such balls but for home use the dies or moulds and ring may
according to my invention when placed together with the plastic material enclosed
therein be placed in a clamp formed to receive the combined moulds or dies and
ring and support the same on the sides, back and bottom and having a key-way
formed in the top to receive a key or wedge which when driven between the

page_text: upper mould or die and the upper part or bar of the clamp will force the two
parts of the mould or die together until their meeting edges touch each other,
after which the key or wedge is driven out and the ball removed from the moulds
or dies.
Or the outer surfaces of the die or mould blocks beyond the plain cylindrical
parts may be formed the one with a right hand screw thread and the other with a
left hand screw thread in which case the outer ring will be suitably extended in
width and will be formed internally at each end of the plain cylindrical central
part thereof with corresponding threads so that when the parts are in correct
juxtaposition the two half moulds or dies may be forced closely together or
separated from each other by turning the ring in one or the other direction; to
facilitate this operation the ring and the moulds or dies are formed to receive
levers by which they may be held and rotated as required; the lever acting upon
the moulds or dies being forked so as to hold both of the latter securely against
the rotation of the ring.
When taking castings from ny improved construction of moulds or dies I am
enabled to smooth out and finish the same much more cheaply and effectively
than can be done with castings of moulds or dies of the construction heretofore
in use.
WILLIAM HILLMAN,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Golf Balls, and in Apparatus
Employed therein.
I, WILLIAM HILLMAN, of Stoke Green, Coventry, in the County of Warwick,
Director of Works, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
The invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of golf balls and in
apparatus employed therein.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which :-
Fig. 1 is a view of my improved golf ball.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the moulds used to produce the same.
Fig. 3 is a plan or face view of oue part of the mould shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a section of another form of mould showing a closely fitting guiding
ring or cylinder around the two parts thereof, and
Fig. 5 is a face view of one part of the mould shown in Fig. 4.
Figs. 6 and 7 are exterior views of the moulds shown at Figs. 2 and 4 respectively,
when placed within the closely fitting guiding rings or cylinders.
Figs. 8 and 9 are two views, partly in section, taken at right angles to each
other, showing a form of apparatus suitable for making golf balls at home, and
Fig. 10 is a plan of the same.
Heretofore golf balls have been marked with grooves in various directions
across and around the same this method of marking however necessitates the
employment of very expensive moulds or dies in the manufacture thereof, except
when using roughly made moulds or dies.
According to my invention, instead of marking such balls with lines as heretofore,
I mark them all over with small segmental spherical or rounded projections, as

page_text: shown at Fig. 1, which enables me to employ in the production thereof, moulds or
dies which are comparatively inexpensive to produce.
It is evident that the invention may be modified by making the projections above
referred to of a conical, or of partly cylindrical and partly conical form.
In the production of this class of mould I first turn two hollow hemispheres a in
blocks of metal b, the edges b' of which are chamfered off, so as to produce a sharp
or nearly cutting meeting edge to each of such blocks b. I also, by the aid of a
spherical milling tool, or by a twisted or plain drill or bit having its end of the
required form, mill out over the whole of the interior surface of such hemispheres a,
a number of segmental spherical or rounded or other shaped recesses in any desired
order and distance from each other, and I turn the exterior of such blocks
cylindrically for a certain distance from the meeting edges and form a flange or
annular projection or seat 62 at the bottom of such cylindrical part, as shown
in Figs. 4, 5 and 7. I fit around the cylindrical parts of such blocks, a closely
fitting guiding ring or cylinder c, which is somewhat shorter than the distance
between the two flanges 6 when the meeting edges 6' of the two half moulds or
die blocks bare in contact; such ring or cylinder e acts as a guide to cause the
two half moulds or die blocks to approach each other truly when forced together.
In the manufacture of golf balls by the said moulds or dies, I first soften the
ball material (generally gutta-percha) and place a suitable quantity to form a ball
within one of the half dies or moulds & with the movable ring or cylinder c around
the cylindrical part thereof. I then force the other half die or mould down upon
the same until the meeting edges of the two half moulds or dies b touch each other,
when the excess material will pass out between the chamfered edges and will be
so thin at its junction with the ball as to be readily removed after the ball is taken
out from the moulds or dies b.
By the employment of the loose ring or cylinder c and the chamfered edges b' of
the moulds or dies, I am enabled to dispense with the cross cuts usually employed
in the edge of one of the dies for the escape of the surplus material, and by the
removal of the ring or cylinder c I am enabled readily to take the ball out of
the moulds or dies by gripping the projecting fin of material produced between the
chamfered meeting edges of the dies or moulds b.
Dies or moulds of the above character can be used in ordinary presses when
commercially making such balls, but for home use the dies or moulds 6 and ring or
cylinder c may, according to my invention, when placed together with the plastic
material enclosed therein, be placed in a clamp d, as shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10,
formed to receive the combined moulds or dies b and ring or cylinder c and support
the same on the sides, back and bottom, and having a key-way d¹ formed in the top
to receive a key or wedge e, which, when driven between the upper mould or die
and the upper part or bar of the clamp, will force the two parts of the mould or
die together until their meeting edges touch each other, after which the key or
wedge is driven out and the ball removed from the moulds or dies b.
When using the clamp d the ring or cylinder c is formed with two lugs or
projections, which rest against the sides of the clamp and prevent the ring or
cylinder c and moulds 6 moving when the wedge e is being driven in by a hammer.
I have found in practice that the moulds or dies 6 may be formed, as shown at
Figs. 2, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 10, without any flange or aunular projection b².
In another method of carrying my invention into effect the outer surfaces of the
die or mould blocks, beyond the plain cylindrical parts, may be formed, the one
with a right hand screw thread and the other with a left hand screw thread, in
which case the outer ring or cylinder will be suitably extended in width and will be
formed internally, at each end of the plain cylindrical central part thereof, with
corresponding threads, so that, when the parts are in correct juxtaposition, the two
half moulds or dies may be forced closely together or separated from each other by
turning the ring or cylinder in one or the other direction. To facilitate this
operation the ring or cylinder and the moulds or dies are formed to receive levers
by which they may be held and rotated as required, the lever acting upon the

page_text: moulds or dies being forked so as to hold both of the latter securely against the
rotation of the ring or cylinder.
The method of manufacturing the interior faces of moulds or dies for producing
golf balls is also applicable to moulds or dies of the ordinary or other construction.
When taking castings from my improved construction of moulds or dies, I am
enabled to smooth out and finish the same much more cheaply and effectively than
can be done with castings of moulds or dies of the construction heretofore in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A golf ball formed with a number of small projections somewhat close together
over its entire surface, substantially as herein described.
2. A golf ball having a number of small segmental spherical or rounded
projections on its surface, substantially as herein shown and described with
reference to Fig. 1.
3. The manufacture of moulds or dies for making golf balls, by turning two
hollow hemispheres in blocks of metal having chamfered meeting edges and
producing over the whole of the interior surface of such hemispheres a number of
segmental spherical or rounded recesses by means of a spherical milling tool or
by a twisted or plain drill or bit with rounded end, substantially as herein shown
and described.
4. A mould or die for the manufacture of golf balls, consisting of two blocks of
metal, each having a hollow hemisphere turned therein, the interior surfaces of
which have segmental spherical or rounded recesses, said blocks of metal being
guided in position by means of an outer ring or cylinder, substantially as herein
shown and described.
5. An apparatus for the manufacture of golf balls, consisting of two blocks or
dies guided in a ring or cylinder having two lugs or projections, said ring or cylinder
fitting within a clamp having a key-way formed therein to receive a key or wedge,
which, when driven between the upper block or die and the clamp, will force the
two parts of the mould or die together, substantially as herein shown and
described.
6. A mould or die for the manufacture of golf balls having each half thereof
formed with a number of small recesses in its interior surface, substantially as
.herein described.
7. The improvements in apparatus for the manufacture of golf balls, substantially
as herein shown and described.