IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES. FOR FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1884

page_text: Í WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings London in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the
nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES.
FOR FIRE-ARMS " to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to the manufacture of stamped iron cases or shells for
cartridges for all kinds of portable fire-arms.
The adoption of portable breech-loading fire-arms has led to that of cartridges
having metal cases or shells; and the study of means for manufacturing such cases
is of the greatest importance in all countries. The transformations they have
undergone are very varied, not only as regards their shape which is always
determined by that of the chamber of the gun, but also as regards the materials
which have been used in their manufacture, and the different methods or processes'
employed therefor.
Cartridge-cases were first made of paper, cardboard, gutta-percha or similar
material, but they were soon found unsatisfactory and modified, metallic ferrules
being fitted thereto. The cases thus made, however, still failed to give satisfaction
and were replaced by the metallic cartridge-cases which are now used by all
nations.
There is a great diversity in the manufacture of these metallic cases'; but that.
recognized as the best is what is called a continuous case that is to say, a case made
from a metal disc to which is given, by successive operations of stamping, the form
suitable for the cartridge case to be manufactured.
As the manufacture for stamping is difficult and very delicate to perform the
metal employed for cartridge-cases must be ductile, malleable, and tenacious;
accordingly copper and brass are used in all countries, it being deemed that other
metals are not capable of being subjected to this kind of manipulation, and that
although they can be wrought, they are deficient in elasticity and other properties
requisite for the object intended. Copper and brass, when applied to the
manufacture of cartridge-cases present the following defects, that is to say; their
cost is too great; they deteriorate under the action of the grease with which the ·

page_text: cartridges require to be covered; and lastly they decompose the powder used in
the charge when the cartridge becomes old, and exert a sufficiently injurious action
upon the initial velocity and the deviation of the projectiles employed, to render
them unserviceable.
These defects have led the inventor to devise means which will enable iron to be
employed in the manufacture of cartridge-cases in view of the excellent properties
of this metal and especially its tenacity and low cost in comparison with other
metals. The operations to be performed in order that the said metal, after having
been subjected to a gradual working, shall produce the desired result are hereinafter
described.
16
01
The iron employed must have the dimensions required for the manufacture of
each kind of cartridge and must also be of the best quality and as soft and
malleable as possible.
The operation is as follows, that is to say; -The piece of iron is first cleaned by
removing any oxide of iron which may have formed thereon. For this purpose it
is washed with water acidulated by. sulphuric acid; it is then washed several times
with clear water in order to remove the acid which may cause difficulties in the
manufacture of the cartridge case. In this state the piece of iron is passed through
a stamping machine analogous to those used for copper and brass cartridge-cases;
the said piece is stamped five times successively, and to facilitate these operations
the said piece is subjected, between the second and third stamping operations, to
the action of a fire and subsequently freed, by washing, from the oxides which may
have formed upon it, during its passage through the fire and which may injure the
tool as well as the cartridge-case which is being manufactured.
When a cartridge-case of the desired length has thus been formed, it is heated a
second, time, cleaned, and then passed through machines designed to trim it, to
form its head or flange and its anvil, to stamp' the conical part, to provide it with
a screw-thread and to polish it; the case thus completed is ready to be primed and
charged. All the above mentioned machines are similar to those employed in the
manufacture of brass cases, the only difference being that the diameters of the
punches must be modified so that the working shall be gradual and the dimensions
of the said punches should be in accordance with the nature of the cartridge-cases
to be manufactured. When the cartridge-case is completed it is reheated a third
time in order to restore to the iron all the properties which it has lost while being
wrought.
The number of stamping operations may be reduced by decreasing the sectional
area of the cartridge case. This reduction depends moreover upon the kind of
cartridge-case required and upon its shape, as all kind of iron cartridge cases are
intended to be manufactured by stamping. The following are the advantages of
iron cases over brass cases, viz;-the cost of the former is about half that of the
latter; the grease contributes to the preservation of the former; and the former
preserve the powder of the charge better than the latter. Experiments have
proved the practicability of manufacturing cartridges with cases made of iron by
stamping without soldering, and such cartridges are applicable to all kind of
portable fire-arms...
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page_text: "
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co, Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CARTRIDGES FOR FIRE-ARMS and in what, manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of stamped iron cases or shells for
cartridges for all kinds of portable fire-arms.
The adoption of portable breech-loading fire-arms has led to that of cartridges
having metal cases or shells; and the study of means for manufacturing such cases
is of the greatest importance in all countries. The transformations they have
undergone are very varied not only as regards their shape, which is always
determined by that of the chamber of the gun, but also as regards the materials
which have been used in their manufacture and the different methods or processes
employed therefor.
Cartridge-cases were first made of paper, cardboard, gutta-percha or similar
material, but they were soon found unsatisfactory and modified, metallic ferrules
being fitted thereto. The cases thus made, however, still failed to give satisfaction
and were replaced by the metallic cartridges-cases which are now used by all
nations.
There are various kinds of metallic cases; but that recognized as the best is
what is called a continuous case, that is to say, a case made from a metal disc
to which is given, by successive operations of stamping, the form suitable for the
cartridge to be manufactured.
As the manufacture by stamping is difficult and very delicate to perform, the
metal employed for cartridge-cases must be ductile, malleable and tenacious;
accordingly copper and brass are generally used, it being deemed that other metals
are not capable of being subjected to this kind of manipulation, and that although
they can be wrought, they are deficient in elasticity and other properties requisite
for the object intended. Copper and brass, when applied to the manufacture of
cartridge-cases, present the following defects, that is to say, their cost is too great;
they deteriorate under the action of the grease with which the cartridges require
to be covered; and lastly they decompose the powder used in the charge when the
cartridge becomes old, and exert a sufficiently injurious effect upon the initial
velocity and the deviation of the projectiles employed, to render them unserviceable.
These defects have led the communicator of this invention to devise means
which will enable iron to be employed in the manufacture of cartridge-cases, in
view of the excellent properties of this metal and especially its tenacity and low
cost in comparison with other metals. The operations to be performed in order
that the said metal, after having been subjected to a gradual working, shall produce
the desired result are hereinafter described.
The iron employed must have the dimensions required for the manufacture of
cach kind of cartridge, and must also be of the best quality and as soft and
malleable as possible.
'
The operation is as follows, that is to say:―The piece of iron is first cleaned by
removing any oxide of iron which may have formed thereon. For this purpose it
is washed with water acidulated by sulphuric acid, it is then washed several times
with clear water in order to remove the acid, which may cause difficulties in the
manufacture of the cartridge-case,

page_text: In this state, the piece of iron is passed through a stamping machine, analogous
to those used for copper and brass cartridge-cases; the said piece is stamped five
. times successively and to facilitate these operations is subjected, between the second
and third stamping operations, to the action of a fire and subsequently freed, by
washing, from the oxides which may have formed upon it during its passage
-through the fire, and which may injure the tool as well as the cartridge-case which
is being manufactured.
When a cartridge-case of the desired length has thus been formed, it is heated a
second time, cleaned and then passed through machines designed to trim it, to form
its head or flange and its anvil, to stamp the conical part; to provide it with a
screw-thread and to polish it, the case thus completed is ready to be primed and
charged. All the above mentioned machines are similar to those employed in the
manufacture of brass cases, the only difference being that the diameters of the
punches must be modified so that the working shall be gradual and the dimensions
of the said punches shall be in accordance with the nature of the cartridge-cases to
be manufactured. When the cartridge-case is completed, it, is again reheated in
order to restore to the iron all the properties which it has lost while being
wrought.
The number of stamping operations may be reduced by decreasing the sectional
area of the cartridge-case. This reduction depends, moreover, upon the kind of
cartridge-case required and upon its shape, as all kinds of iron cartridge-cases are
intended to be manufactured by stamping. The following are the advantages of
iron cases over brass cases. The cost of the former is about half that of the latter;
the grease contributes to the preservation of the former; and the former preserve the
powder of the charge better than the latter. Experiments have proved the practi-
cability of manufacturing cartridges with cases made of iron by stamping without
soldering, and such cartridges are applicable to all kinds of portable fire-arms.
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
The employment of iron in, and the above described method of preparing the
same for, the manufacture by stamping of continuous cartridge-cases, for all kinds
of portable breech-loading fire-arms.
Dated thie 18th day of October 1901.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.