Improvements in Barbed Wire.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 26th Nov., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Barbed Wire.
I JOHN DRENNAN CURTIS of 210 Lincoln Street, in the City of Worcester,
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to he
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying drawings:-
My invention relates to barbed wire, and the object of my invention is to
improve upon the construction of two strand, four pointed barbed wire, as now
ordinarily made and to make a two strand barbed wire provided with. four pointed
barbs, said barbs made out of a single piece of wire of non-circular cross section,
and preferably half round wire wrapped once around one of the fence strands,
and with four projecting ends or points extending in opposite directions said four
points formed by cutting or slitting the ends of the barb.
My invention consists in the improved four pointed wire barb made in one piece,
& combined with a fence strand, as will be hereinafter fully described.
Referring to the drawing,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved barbed wire.
Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 22, Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow a
same figure.
Fig. 3 is a side or edge view of the barb before it is wrapped around the fence
strand.
Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4 4 Fig. 3, looking in the direction of arrow b,
same figure.
Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 5, 5, Fig. 4, looking in the direction of arrow b,
Fig. 3, showing the shape of the barb points in cross section to be a segment of a
circle.
Fig. 6 is a plan view on enlarged scale, of a piece of barb wire non-circular in
cross section, showing the cuts which are made at intervals therein to form the two
barbs or prongs at each end of the blank.
In the accompanying drawing, 5 and 6 are the wire strands of the fencing, which
are twisted together to form the fence strand. 7 is the barb, wrapped or coiled
once around one of the fence strands.
The barb 7 is made from a single piece of wire, of non-circular cross section, and
preferably half round wire, as shown in Fig. 4. The ends of the piece of wire are
cut or slit longitudinally, in the direction of the length of the piece of wire, for a
sufficient distance to form two separate ends or points 7', of a length equal to the
desired length of the barb points of the completed barb. The piece of wire,
provided with four ends or points 71, is wrapped or coiled at its central portion
once around one of the fence strands.
Before the piece of wire forming the barb is wrapped, or coiled around one of
the fence strands, two of the points 7' are preferably bent so as to extend above
and below the horizontal plane of the main body of the barb, and at substantially
right angles thereto, as shown in Fig. 2, and with the points of the barb preferably
in this position, the barb is wrapped or coiled at its central portion around one of
the fence strands, leaving the four points 71 of the barb extending in opposite
directions, and in planes substantially at right angles to each other, as shown in
Fig. 2, to form the completed four pointed wire barb.
It will be observed, by referring to Fig. 3, that in my four pointed wire barb,
the barbs or points 71 are at the two extreme ends of the piece of wire from
which the barb is made, and that the central portion of the barb, between, the

page_text: slit ends forming the barbs or points 7', is solid and intact, and of the full width
of the wire, as is the case in the ordinary two pointed wire barb.
In making my four pointed wire barb, the body of the barb, or that portion of
the wire blank between the slit ends or points 7, is made long enough so that
when the wire barb is applied to its fence strand the body or central portion of
the barb, between the barb points 71, will wrap entirely around and encircle the
fence strands, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the slit ends of the wire will lie
contiguous to each other, and pass slightly by each other, see Fig. 1, before the
points 7 of the barb begin to diverge, and extend out from the fence strand.
In Figure 6 is shown a plan view of a piece of barb wire with the cuts therein
needed to form successive blanks, each piece having a solid central portion. for
spirally wrapping around the strand wire and two pronged ends.
In this way
the blanks are formed without any waste whatever.
The advantages of my improved barbed wire will be readily appreciated by those
skilled in the art.
The great object sought after at the present time in the manufacture of barbed
wire, is to make barbed wire having very light and strong barbs made out of
wire, and firmly secured to one of the strands of the fencing by wrapping or
coiling the barb thereon.
Heretofore in the manufacture of barbed wire provided with four pointed barbs,
the barbs have been made out of slicet metal, or out of two separate pieces of
round wire. In the case of sheet metal barbs, the barbs to be sufficiently strong
to have the points effectively resist pressure, must be made heavy and bulky;
said sheet metal barbs cannot be attached to one of the strands of the fencing
hy wrapping or coiling it thereon, but must be attached to the fencing by inserting
the barb between the two strands and bending the points thereof, or otherwise,
as for instance by providing the blanks with tongues to clasp the strand.
In case of barbed wire having four pointed barbs made out of wire, as hereto-
fore made, the barbs have been made out of two separate pieces of round wire,
each of which has been wrapped or coiled once or more around one or both of
the fence strands, in such a manner as to leave the four points of the two pieces
of wire projecting in opposite directions. The four pointed wire barbs thius inade,
are heavy and cumbersome and add materially to the weight of the fencing.
In my improved barbed wire, as above described, I provide a four pointed wire
barb made from a single piece of wire, of non-circular cross section, preferably half
round wire; said barb is wrapped or coiled only once around one of the strands of
fencing. thus produce a very light four pointed wire barb, which is firmly
secured to one of the fence strands by wrapping or coiling it thereon, and said
barb has four short, sharp pointed ends, or points thereon, extending in four
opposite directions.
By making my barb from wire of non-circular cross section, preferably from half
round wire, I save about one-half of the stock used in making the ordinary barb,
made from round wire, and in my improved four pointed wire barb I use only one
piece of wire, instead of two pieces of wire, which have heretofore been used in
making four pointed wire barbs, thus saving one-half or more of the amount of
wire heretofore used in four pointed wire barbs.
I have shown in the drawing and described my improved wire barb combined
with two strands of fencing, but if desired the second free strand 6 may be
dispensed with, and a single strand of fencing, with my improved four pointed barb
coiled thereon, used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
•
el. The combination with a strand of wire, of a four pointed wire barb,.made, of
wire non-circular in cross section having divided ends which form the barb, and a

page_text: solid centre portion which is spirally wrapped around the wire strand, substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
2. The combination with a strand of wire, of a four pointed wire barb made of
one piece of wire, having divided ends which form the barb points, and a solid
centre portion which is spirally wrapped around the wire strand, substantially as
set forth.
Dated this 24th day of October 1892.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.