IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GOLD, SILVER, AND METAL LEAF
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Bennett, of Woodbridge Street, Clerkenwell,
in the County of Middlesex, Gold and Silver Beater, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GOLD,
SILVER, AND METAL LEAF."
Sealed the 27th March 1855, and dated the 5th October 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Bennett at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th October 1854.
I, THOMAS BENNETT, of Woodbridge Street, Clerkenwell, in the County of
Middlesex, Gold and Silver Beater, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF GOLD, SILVER, AND METAL LEAP," to be as follows:-
Heretofore in the manufacture of gold, silver, and metal leaf, the beating
or hammering process has been performed by hand, and it requires consider-
able strength in the workman as well as skill. Now, the object of my
Invention is to relieve the workman from the working of the hammers
employed, and to substitute mechanical agency for actuating the hammers,
and thus simply to require the skill of the workman in manipulating the
leaf as the process progresses. For this purpose I cause the hammers to

page_text: be raised by a machine put in motion by steam or other power, and the com-
bination or arrangement of the apparatus is as follows:-The hammer is
attached to a bar (connected with a frame) which slides and is guided in two
uprights; under the hammer the anvil is fixed. The bar with the hammer
is raised by projections on two connecting rods, which rods are attached at one
of their ends to crank pins, affixed to two wheels on an axis, which receives
motion by a strap from one of two conical drums; the other ends of the
connecting rods are attached to a cross head above the hammer bar, which
rises and falls with, the hammer bar; one of the cones receives motion from
the steam engine or other power, and motion is communicated from the first
cone to the second cone by a strap, and according as the strap is moved to
and fro on the two cones, so will be the varying speed of the hammer. The
"mould" is moved under the haminer by means of a framie, which consists of
two parts, so that the "mould "may have a reciprocating and rotating motion.
This frame receives its motion by a pulley and band from the axis, aided by
a screw or other mechanical instrument.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the. Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Bennett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th April 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BENNETT, of Woodbridge Street, Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex,
Gold and Silver Beater, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Bennett, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Bennett, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Bennett, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
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 THE APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GOLD, SILVER, AND METAL LEAF," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Bennett, by an instrument

page_text: in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Thomas Bennett, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 thereof (that is to say) :-
Heretofore in the manufacture of gold, silver, and metal leaf, the beating
or hammering process has been performed by hand, and it requires consider-
able strength in the workman as well as skill. Now, the object of my
Invention is to relieve the workman from the working of the hammers
employed, and to substitute mechanical agency for actuating the hammer,
and thus simply to require the skill of the workman in manipulating the
leaf as the process progresses. For this purpose I cause the hammers
to be raised by a machine put in motion by steam or other power, and
the combination or arrangement of the apparatus is as follows:-The
hammer is attached to a bar (connected with a frame) which slides and is
guided in two uprights; under the hammer the anvil is fixed. The bar
with the hammer is raised by projections on two connecting rods, which rods
are attached at one of their ends to crank pins, affixed to two wheels on an
axis, which receives motion by a strap from one of two conical drums; the
other ends of the connecting rods are attached to a cross head above the
hammer bar, which rises and falls with the hammer bar. One of the cones
receives motion from the steam engine or other power, and motion is commu-
nicated from the first cone to the second cone by a strap, and according as the
strap is moved to and fro on the two cones, so will be the varying speed of
the hammer. The "mould" is moved under the hammer by means of a frame,
which consists of two parts, so that the "mould" may have a reciprocating and
rotating motion. This frame receives its motion by a pulley and band from
the axis, aided by a screw or other mechanical instrument.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 an end elevation, Figure 3 a
vertical section, and Figure 4 a horizontal section, of a machine constructed

page_text: in accordance with my Invention; Figure 5 shows a plan of some of the
parts, which in some respects differ in details of construction and arrangement
from those of the foregoing Figures. a is the shaft or driving axis, on which
are fast and loose pullies b, b, which receive motion from a steam engine or
other prime mover by means of a band c. There is a cone on the axis a,
which, by a band e, gives motion to another cone f on the axis g, and the
bande is caused to shift on the cones d and f by means of a fork d', which
travels on a screw d; and there are rods or guides d³, d³, which prevent the
fork revolving with the screw d², by means of portions of the boss or nut of
the fork d' sliding thereon; and this arrangement is for the purpose of alter-
ing the speed of the hammer as the work progresses, which the attendant
inspects from time to time. On one end of the cone g there is a pulley
formed, which, by a band h passing around it and a pulley i, gives motion to
the axis j. Upon the axis j, one at either end, are two wheels k, k, having
crank pins k¹, k, to which the lower ends of the connecting rods 1, 1, are
attached, their upper ends being connected to the cross head m, which travels
in guides n, n, formed in the framing. Upon the connecting rods 1, 1, are
formed or affixed projections, l, which, when the cross head m is down, pass
below the projecting ends o¹, o', of the cross head o of the hammer P, which
also travels in the guides n, n, of the framing, so that when the cross head m
rises, by the upward movement of the connecting rods 1, l, the cross head o
and hammer p (fixed thereto) will also be raised by means of the projections
,, which are so formed, that when the hammer p and cross head o (to which
it is attached) have been carried up to the fullest extent that the crank pins
admit of, and the connecting rods 1, 1, have begun to descend, the ends o¹, o',
of the cross head o, slip off the projections l', ', and the cross head o, and
hammer p being guided, as explained, fall on to the anvil g; but should they
not fall fast enough (as would be the case when working rapidly), then the
cross head m would drive them down. The mould r is caused to change its
position on the anvil slightly after every blow of the hammer p; and this move-
ment is obtained by the following means:-
There is a small pulley s on the axis j, which, by a band.t, acting on the
pulley u, gives motion thereto. There is on the face of the pulley u a pin or
projecting tooth u, which enters between the pins v¹, vl, of the wheel v in
such manner, that, upon each revolution of the pulley u, the projecting pin or
tooth u' drives the wheel on its axis to the extent of one tooth, or one-
twelfth of a revolution.
Upon the upper surface of the wheel v, and working in bearings (2), (2),

page_text: attached thereto, is a screw (3), on which is a nut (4), which travels thereon
when the screw is turned.
At the upper part of the nut (4) an axis is formed, on which is a small
pulley (5), and on the same axis is the connecting link (6), which serves to
connect the nut (4) with the metal ring (7), to which are attached rods (8), (8),
which work in guides (9), (9), attached to the anvil q, so that a slow to and
fro movement of the ring (7), is caused to take place upon the anvil q.
Within the ring (7) is another ring (10), which extends upwards a little
above the ring (7), such upper portion having a groove formed therein to
receive a gut or band (11), which by passing around it and the small pulley
(5), it is caused to revolve slowly within the outer ring (7). By these means
the mould (which is within the squared portion of the ring (10) receives a
slight movement after every blow of the hammer, such movement always
taking place during the ascent of the hammer p. In Figure 5, the wheel u
and pin u¹ give motion to the wheel v, in a manner precisely similar to that
just described; but in this arrangement the wheel has a groove formed in
it, which receives a gut or band (12), and thus communicates motion to the
pulley (5) on one of the guides (8). The pulley (5) is retained within the
forked guide (9), but its axis (8) is capable of sliding thereon by reason of
their being a slot or recess formed within that part of the axis (8) into
which a projection from the pulley (5) enters, so that as the wheel v and
parts connected therewith revolve on the centre w, the frame (7), (7),
attached to the guide rods (8), (8), will be caused to travel to and fro in the
guides (9), (9) attached to the framing. Within the framing (7), (7), is
another frame (10), within which the mould is placed to be beaten; it receives
motion from the axis (8) of the pulley (5) by means of the worm (8*),
which takes into and drives the tooth wheel (13), which works on a stud
affixed to a cross bar of the frame (7), (7). There is a screw (14) working
in bearings carried by the toothed wheel (13), upon which is a nut, to the
upper part of which the link (14*) is attached, its other end being connected
to the square frame (10), so that upon each successive rising of the
hammer P, the mould r (and metal contained therein) changes its position
on the anvil q.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to
any of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the precise
details shown and described, so long as the peculiar character of my Inven-
tion be retained; but what I claim is, the combining of mechanism, as

page_text: herein described, for actuating a hammer and for moving the "mould
anvil when manufacturing gold, silver, and metal leaf.
on the
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bennett, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
FRED HARRIS.
THOMAS BENNETT. (L.8.).