NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOLTS, SPIKES, RIVETS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Groom Grice, of West Bromwich, in the
County of Stafford, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "NEW OR
IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOLTS, SPIKES, RIVETS,
Sealed the 23rd April 1858, and dated the 28th November 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Groom Grice at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th November 1857.
I, FREDERIC GROOM GRICE, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "NEW
OR IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOLTS, SPIKES, RIVETS, SCREW
BLANKS, AND OTHER ARTICLES OF LIKE MANUFACTURE," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the machinery herein-after explained for the
manufacture of bolts, spikes, rivets, screw blanks, and other articles of like
manufacture, from rods of iron heated at one end, the said machinery
forming a head on the said heated end of the iron rod. The heated iron is
dropped vertically into a die, a number of which dies are fixed in a rotating
bed by the intermitting motion of which the rods of iron are brought in
succession under the heading tools, the finished bolts being at the same time
carried away in their dies, from which they are removed by a rod passing
through the bottom of the die. The heading is effected in a pair of dies,

page_text: which, when brought together, have internally the shape of the head to be
made on the heated rod. These dies are connected to an outer slide, and
made by the action of a cam or crank to descend on the die containing the
heated iron; as the said slide descends, one of the dies is made to close by the
action of a wedge, screw, or weight; an internal plunger next descends on
the heated iron by the action of a cam fixed on the driving shaft. The said
cam possesses a number of projecting notches, the said notches striking in
succession a roller fixed on the end of the inner plunger, and forcing the said
plunger down by a series of blows. The heated iron contained in the dio is
thus formed into a head. The several tools retire, and the finished bolt is
carried away and removed as described. In order to prevent the softening
and cracking of the tools, I fix a number of notches on the driving shaft
corresponding with the notches on the cam which strikes the inner plunger.
The said first-mentioned notches are made to operate upon the rod passing
through the bottom of the cylindrical dic, so as to raise the partially formed
bolt between the successive blows of the inner plunger. A plentiful supply of
water being introduced into the dies, the said dies are kept cool and prevented
from softening.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederic Groom Grice in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERIC
GROOM GRICE, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Frederic Groom Grice, Her special liceuce that I, the said Frederic
Groom Grice, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Frederic Groom Grice, 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 "NEW OR
IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOLTS, SPIKES, RIVETS, SCREW

page_text: BLANKS, AND OTHER ARTICLES OF LIKE MANUFACTURE," upon the condition
(amongst others). that I, the said Frederic Groom Grice, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under 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 Frederic Groom Grice, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of the new or improved machinery herein-after par-
ticularly described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, for the
manufacture of bolts, spikes, rivets, screw blanks, and other articles of like
manufacture, the said articles being made from rods of iron heated at one end.
My new or improved machinery forms a head on the said heated end of the
iron rod, thereby converting it into a bolt, spike, or other similar article.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents my new or improved
machinery in front elevation;. and Figure 2 represents the same in side
elevation; and Figure 3 represents a vertical section taken through the line a,
Figure 1. b is a rotatory bed turning with an intermitting motion upon the
axis c.
A number of dies, one of which is shown at d, are fixed in the
rotatory bed b. The rods to be headed are placed with their heated ends
uppermost in the dies d, and by the motion of the bed b, the said rods are
brought in succession under the operation of the heading tools. The finished
bolts, spikes, or other articles are carried away by the rotation of the bed b,
and are removed from the dies d by a rod passing through the bottom of the
dies, or in any other convenient manner. The heading of the heated rod e is
effected in a pair of dies f, g, which, when brought together, have internally.
the shape of the head to be made on the heated rod. The said dies f, g, have
a vertical sliding motion, being fixed to the slide h, which is raised by the
cams i on the driving shaft k; the said cams i act on the rollers 1, 1, and. con-
necting rods m, m, jointed to the slide h. The descent, of the slide h is effected
by its own weight. The die f is kept to its bearing against the die g by means
of a screw n passing through the screw box o. The head of the screw n is
fixed to the lever p, which said lever turns upon a joint at g. As the slide h
rises, there is a partial rotation of the screw n in its screw box o. By the
dief being no longer kept to its bearing against the die g, the head of the

page_text: bolt made in the dies f, g, is no longer held tightly in the said dies, and the
said dies rise without carrying the bolt with them. As the slido à descends,
the die fis again made to bear against the die g by the action of the serèw n.
ris a plunger, which passes through a guide in the slide h, and enters the
cavity in the dies f, g. The plunger r in its descent compresses the upper end
of the heated rod e into the lower part of the cavity in the dies f, g, and
moulds the same into a head. The descent of the plunger r is effected by
means of a cam s on the main shaft k, the said cam s acting on the roller-t
fixed to the bolt which carries the plunger r. The figure of the cam s is
such, that it does not force down the plunger by a uniform motion, but com-
municates thereto a series of blows or impulses through the roller t, so as to
force the plunger into the dies f, g, with an intermitting motion somewhat
resembling that which would be given to the plunger r if it were struck a
series of blows with a hammer. I cause the rod e to be lifted slightly in the
mould after each blow of the plunger r.
This is effected in the following
manner: The rod a rests upon a moveablo bottom v in the bed b; a rod w
passing up through the bed of the machine is made to lift the moveable
bottom v by the following arrangement:-Tho said rod wis screwed in an
arm on the lower end of a vertical rod'y; the rod y is connected with a
lever, and the lever is acted upon by a series of teeth on the main shaft k,
which said teeth are indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3, and marked 1. By
the rotation of the shaft & the teeth 1 act upon the tooth 2 on the lever =, and
raise the said lever, rod y, arm a, and rod w; the motion of the latter raises
the moveable bottom v, and the rod of iron or bolt e. The relative positions
of the cams and teeth 1 are such, that the raising of the rod e is effected
simultaneously with the ascending motion of the plunger r.
The ascent of
the bolt u and plunger 7 is effected by a coiled spring 3.
By the operations described, the heated top of the rod e is formed into a
bead, and on the ascent of the plunger r and slide h the headed rode is left in
the die d, and is carried from under the hending mechanism by the motion of
the bed b. During the action of the machine a plentiful supply of water is
introduced into the dies f, g; the cooling action of the water, and the lifting
of the heated rod in the dies by means of the teeth 1 and rod w, prevent the
softening and cracking of the dies and plunger by which the head of the bolt
is formed.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I

page_text: claim as my Invention the new or improved machinery for the manufacture of
bolts, spikes, rivets, screw blanks, and other articles of like manufacture,
herein-before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing, that is
to say, machinery by which the head of the bolt, spike, rivet, or other article
is formed from heated iron of the size of the shank of the bolt or other article,
by a series of blows or compressions upon the end of the heated iron, situated
in a pair of suitably formed dies, the partially formed bolt, spike, rivet, or
other article being lifted in the dies between the blows of the plunger by
which the head is formed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederic Groom Grice, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
FREDERIC GROOM GRICE. (L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.