CERTAIN IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE MAKING OF NAILS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bass, of Little Broughton, in the County of
Cumberland, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE MAKING OF NAILS,
"
ARTER
Sealed the 21st May 1867, and dated the 24th November 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bass at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
November 1866.
I, WILLIAM BASS, of Little Broughton, in the County of Cumberland,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE MAKING OF
NAILS, SPIKES, AND OTHER ARTICLES OF A SIMILAR CHARACTER," to be as
follows:-
In
This Invention relates to the formation of nails, spikes, and other articles
which may require to be more or less taper, either throughout their entire
length, or for a lesser part thereof, whether made of iron or other malleable
metals, and consists of a novel arrangement and construction of machinery for
this purpose. The metal may be used cold, or more or less heated, as the size
or nature of the metal may require; for iron I prefer to use it red-hot.
beating the metal I employ by preference a furnace formed with a horizontal
flue, in which the metal in the form of a coiled rod is inserted, and one end is
led out of the front of the furnace. The rod is drawn into the machine by a
pair of vertical quadrants having a groove in the centre of their outer rim
corresponding with the form of the finished nail or spike, and having a back-

page_text: ward and forward motion given to them by means of a connecting rod attached
to some suitable part of the machine; the rod then passes on to a lesser pair
of quadrants placed horizontally or at an angle to suit the section of the
article to be produced; these also have a groove in their edges, and are
moved backwards and forwards, but do not necessarily act on the rod in its
forward motion; from these the rod passes into or between a pair of dies,
where it is firmly held while a hardened iron or steel cutter carried by a
transverse sliding bar comes forward and cuts off the length of rod required
to form a nail blank and at the desired angle to form the point of the next
nail, a sufficient length projecting beyond the end of the dies to form the head
of the nail. The use of the smaller quadrants in their backward motion when
the nail blank is receding is to push the part of the severed rod left on one
side by the slanting action of the cutter into the centre, and to draw down the
iron ready to be operated upon by the larger quadrants. The dies receive a
lateral intermittent motion from a cam or its equivalent, but they remain
stationary while receiving the rod and during its severance. When the blank
is cut off they move along a slide bed to one side, where they are again
stationary, and by means of an excentric on the fly wheel shaft a block having
the desired form for the head of the nail sunk in it is pressed against the
projecting nail blank to form the head; this being completed the dies move
towards the centre of the machine again, one jaw, however, being held back
by a suitably arranged catch to allow the nail to fall out. When the finished
nail has fallen the jaw is released, and it is moved forward by means of a
spring.
The advantages of these improvements are, that by this arrangement of the
parts of the machine a great saving is effected in the wear and tear of the
machinery used for forging nails, and that they can be made to any desired
shape by simply cutting the grooves to the required form, and the parts being
so arranged as to work smoothly and free from all uncertain knocking
motions frequently in use can be worked both rapidly and economically.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Bass, Her special licence that 1, the said William
Bass, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Bass, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE MAKING OF NAILS, SPIKES, AND
OTHER ARTICLES OF A SIMILAR CHARACTER," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Bass, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters 'Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Bass, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention relates to the formation of nails, spikes, and other articles
which may require to be more or less taper either throughout their entire
length or for a lesser part thereof, whether made of iron or other malleable
metals, and consists of a novel arrangement and construction of machinery for
this purpose, the same being a modification of the machine patented by
Mr. George Tomlinson Bousfield, dated January Twenty-first, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-two, No. 156. The metal may be used cold or more
or less heated as the size or nature of the metal may require, for iron I prefer
to use it red-hot. In heating the metal I employ by preference a furnace
formed with a horizontal flue in which the metal in the form of a coiled rod
is inserted and one end is led out of the front of the furnace. In my improved.
machine the rod is drawn in by a pair of reciprocating vertical quadrants
having a groove in the centre of their outer rim corresponding with the form
of the finished nail or spike; the rod then passes on to a lesser pair of
quadrants placed horizontally or at an angle to suit the section of the article

page_text: to be produced; these also have a groove in their edges, and are moved
backwards and forwards, but do not necessarily act on the rod in its forward
motion; from these the rod passes into or between a pair of dies, where it is
firmly held while a hardened iron or steel cutter, carried by a transverse
sliding bar, comes forward and cuts off the length of rod required to form a
nail blank, and at the desired angle to form the point of the next nail, a
sufficient length projecting beyond the end of the dies to form the head of the
nail. The use of the smaller quadrants in their backward motion when the
nail blank is receding is to push the part of the severed rod left on one side
by the slanting action of the cutter into the centre and to draw down the
iron ready to be operated upon by the larger quadrants. The dies receive a
lateral intermittent motion from a cam or its equivalent, but they remain
stationary while receiving the rod and during its severance. When the
blank is cut off they move along a slide bed to one side where they are again
stationary, and by means of an excentric on the fly wheel shaft a block
having the desired form for the head of the nail sunk in it is pressed against
the projecting nail blank to form the head; this being completed the dies
move towards the centre of the machine again, one jaw, however, being held
back by a suitably arranged catch to allow the nail to fall out. When the
finished nail has fallen, the jaw is released, and it is moved forward by means
of a spring. The advantages of this novel arrangement of the working parts of
the machine are that a great saving is effected in the wear and tear of the
machinery used for forging nails, and that they can be made to any desired
sbape by simply cutting the grooves to the required form, and the parts being
so arranged as to work smoothly and free from all the uncertain knocking
motions frequently in use can be worked both rapidly and economically.
Having thus briefly set forth the nature of my Invention, I will proceed
to explain the manner of operating the several above-mentioned parts,
premising for the purpose of clearness that any parts omitted in the Drawing
as not pertaining to the present Invention, but required to produce a complete
machine will be found in the Specification of the Patent above referred to.
Fig. 1 shows a general plan; Figures 2 and 3, the side elevations; Fig. 4,
the front elevation; Fig. 5, the back elevation.
A are two bearings in which works the main shaft B; this shaft carries
a fast pulley B¹ and a loose pulley B and also the fly wheel B³; one of the
arms of this wheel is slotted at B to receive a crank pin 135 which is fixed
by a screw, and a nut to allow for the alteration of the length of the stroke
to suit the length of nail desired to be manufactured; on this crank pin
works a conuecting rod B, which is also slotted at the end and fitted with

page_text: set screws B' which press on the steel plates B³, against the brasses B°; this
rod gives motion to the crank C', and is connected to it by the crank pin C²;
the opposite end of the crank is firmly keyed on to a shaft C which turns in
the bearings fitted between the upright standards A3, A3, A', A³; this shaft C
carries two toothed quadrants G' and G³ which gear into and drive two
similar quadrants G³ and G* keyed on to a shaft D which shaft works in the
bearings, (fitted between the same upright standards A2, A3, A4, A5,) and is
held down by set screws D³ and D with intermediate steel plates D³, D;
these set screws pass through plates D', D³, fixed to the top of the four
standards. The two shafts C and D are prevented from moving endways by
four set screws E', E, E, E, the first of these passing through the bent iron E
which is firmly bolted to the frame and the second through the plate E which
is also bolted to the frame, the remaining two pass through the ears D', D¹º,
on the plates D and D³. On these shafts are two fixed collars G³ and Go,
against which the quadrants already mentioned are firmly pressed by the
circular nuts G, G. Grooves are made in the quadrants by cutting off a
portion of the contact edges to suit the section of the required article.
Between the four quadrants G1, G2, G3, G4, and the two smaller quadrants H², H³,
steel guides are provided for the purpose of preventing the iron bending between
the first and second pairs of quadrants, and they may if desired be fitted with
relieving springs; these smaller quadrants H2 and H' are keyed respectively
to the vertical shafts H and H', which turn on points of the four screws H*;
on these shafts are also firmly keyed another pair of quadrants H³, He, which
are segments of toothed wheels that gear into each other. The shaft H thus
receives motion from the shaft H which is transmitted to it by the crank H';
this crank by means of a pin is connected to a rod H8 which receives its
motion from an excentric J on the main shaft B; this excentric has a groove
in its side of such a form as will give the required amount of motion to the
arm J¹ which carries a friction roller working in the before-mentioned groove;
the opposite end of this arm is keyed on and gives motion to a rock shaft J'
working in the bearings J³ which are bolted on to the frame of the machine ;
this rock shaft is connected to the before-mentioned rod H8, by the arm J*.
The iron or other metal of which the nails are made is rolled or wound into
a spiral coil which is placed in front of a furnace. The end having been
sufficiently heated passes between the first large quadrants and through the
steel guides before-mentioned to the second or smaller quadrants, and then
through other guides into a pair of steel dies K' and K'; the cutter L then
comes forward and divides the bar, and by being pressed by the spring L'
against the bevilled part of the second guides leaves the iron at the required

page_text: angles to form the point of the next nail. The cutter L is joined to the
plate L by means of a binge, and the plate is bolted to a sliding bar L³.
The bolts passing through holes made oval in the longitudinal direction of
the said plate allow of the setting of the cutter L that it may act on the iron
a little sooner or later as may be required. The bar L³ passes through a
guide I which is bolted firmly to the frame; this bar receives its motion
from the crank pin M of the shaft M², the crank pin working in the vertical
slot L³ of the bar (see Fig. 4). The pin is fixed in a crank arm M¹ keyed
on the end of the shaft M³, which shaft runs in the bearings M; on this
shaft is also fixed a bevilled wheel M* gearing into a similar one M³ on the
main shaft B and through this means the shaft M2 receives its rotary motion.
The die K¹ is fitted into the slide block K³ and is held by the set screws K,
after being adjusted by those marked K. The die K is similarly held and
adjusted by the screws K and K' in a moveable jaw N fixed at the part K³
by a pin N¹ which acts as a binge; this jaw is kept closed against the other
by a spring N2, all this slide block moves freely along the slide bed K. The
iron to form the nail or spike having been cut off as explained, the block K
immediately commences to move towards the header, being pushed by the
outer edge of the excentric M° (which is firmly keyed on the shaft M²)
pressing on the friction roller M' mounted on the slide block in such a
manner as to allow of its being set into position by the set screws M. The
shaft Ms having revolved so far as to bring the larger concentric part of the
excentric M against the friction roller M' the block stands again, the dies
being firmly closed by the stop N³ against which the part N is pressed by
the aforesaid excentric, and the catch N has hold of the pin No; the
header O now advances being drawn up by the two rods O¹ which pass
through eyes on the upright standards A³ and connect with the header by
the cross head O'. The header passes through an eye on the standard A³,
and through a single eye 0s; motion is given to these bars by the two cross
heads 0, 0, each of which can by the movement of the nuts 0 be nicely
adjusted on the said bars. The cross head 04, carries a friction roller O',
which bears on the centre part of the three-faced cam Os and the crosshead Os
carries another roller 0 bearing also on the aforesaid cam. This cam is fixed
to and revolves with the shaft B, the excentricity of the cam gives the required
intermittent longitudinal motion to the header. The top rod O' passes through
a guide marked O", which is firmly bolted to the frame and the bottom rod
through a guide at O" to give steadiness to the motion of the header. The
nail being headed the slide block begins to return to the centre of the machine
by the inner edge of the excentric M coming in contact with the two rollers

page_text: Mo, which are mounted on the block K³, but as the catch N has hold of the
pin N³ the loose portion of the block cannot recede the dies K' and K*
therefore open and allow the nail to fall out when the catch N releases itself
and by the spring N the dies are immediately closed again; the catch N*
now returns to its former position by the action of a spring. The machine
is then ready to receive the bar for the second nail when the same operation
is again gone through.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Bass, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of May, in the year of our Lord