AN IMPROVED MODE OF MANUFACTURING CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF CHAINS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
SEEBOHM; of, Horton Grange, in the Parish of Bradford, in the County of
York, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fourth day of December, in the eighth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Benjamin
Seebohm, Her especial licence, that I, the said Benjamin Seebohm, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Benjamin Seebohm, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use,exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, my Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF MANUFACTURING
CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF CHAINS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso obliging me, the said Benjamin Seebohm, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: (which cutters are placed at an angle to cut the bar of iron A for a spliced
weld) passes also through the last-made link of the chain. The cutter B
effects the cut by the pin D fixed to the large spur wheel 2 acting on the lever
E fixed on the shaft F, on the other end of which shaft F the fixed lever G
strikes the bent lever H, which strikes the pin I fixed on the upper cutter B,
the under cutter C, being attached to the side plate M (hereafter described),
remaining still at the time that the cutter B moves; but the cut being made,
both cutters retire back as the slide plate M proceeds, the cutters B and C
being attached to each other by the friction spring until the cutter B is stopped
against a pin, and the lower cutter C slides under it until they are in a
respective position to each other for another cut, and are both brought forward
to their former position by the slide plate M retiring. Note, the eyes of the
cutters B and C are left out in the elevation; Figure 1, but are shewn in the
detail plan, Figure 4. The piece of iron being now cut off it is formed into
a link round the inside of the last-made link and the mandril J by the pair of
clams K which are pushed forward against the piece of iron by the cani L
acting by the curved channel L' on the pin M', attached to the sliding plate
M, which carries the clams K, while the cams N pushing forward the bretches
piece O which is connected to the clams K by the pin and three links P,
which expanding the levers Q fixed on the pin R moving in the slide plato
M, gives the curved ends of the clams K an elliptic motion, which bends the
piece of iron round the mandril J; but as the curved points of the clams have
to pass each other to close the splice ends of the piece of iron round the
mandril, the curved ends of the mandrils K are fluted.or grooved in their outer
edges to take the piece of iron A; and the curved end of the clam K' is
made to descend one half of the thickness of itself by its other end passing
up the inclined slot S fixed on the slide plate M, while the curved end of the
clam K² is made to ascend one half its own thickness by its other end passing
down the inclined slot T. Thus the clams have a three-fold simultaneous
motion to bend the piece of iron round the mandril J, embracing also the end of:
the last-made link. That being completed, the cams N leave the bretches piece
O, and the clams K fly open by the power of the spring U, the one end of the
spring being attached to the link P, and the other end to the slide plate M.
The slide plate M and clams K are withdrawn by the cam V acting on the
bent rod W attached to the slide plate. The new link being now formed
round the inside of the last-made link and the mandril J, the upper die X is
lowered; sliding down on the mandril J, and pressing the link into the lower
fixed die Y while the sliding cover Z is brought up over the end of the link

page_text: by the pin a, links 6, levers c, shaft d, and cam f, by the pins 9 acting on the
levers e. The forms of these dies, cover, and mandril, are more particularly
shewn in Drawing No. 2, Figures 6 to 15, where it is shewn that 'the one
edge of the mandril J and the upper and lower dies X and Y are cut out to
receive the last-made link in a vertical position while the new link is being
made in a horizontal position. The weld is now made by the cam h acting
with a strong pressure on the upper die X. The link 'being now finished, the
sliding cover Z is lowered by the pin g leaving the lever e, and the pin i
pressing down the lever j fixed on the shaft d, while the mandril J is drawn
up out of the link by the pin k projecting into the mandril through a slot in
the upper die X, is drawn up by the pin o fixed on the upright rod p by the
cam 9 acting on the pin' r of the rod p. The new link is now withdrawn
from the lower die Y by the 'pin s, fixed on the cam t, raising the lever u,
which by the pall drives round the ratchet wheel w one tooth, as also the
shaft and wheel x, which pulls the chain a litte more than the length of a link
from the machine, while at the same time the last-made link but one is turned
from a vertical to a horizontal position by the two spring holders y fixed to the
hoop z, which hoop slides freely on a key fixed on the tube 1'. The tube 1,
through which the chain passes, receives an alternate motion on its axis of
about one quarter of a revolution by the toothed rack 2¹ turning the pinion
31 which is fixed on the tube 1. The tube 1¹ is supported in the rocking
shaft 1 so as to accommodate itself to the chain as the links being made are
pressed down on or lifted up out of the die Y. The rack 2¹ receives its alter-
nate motion from the two levers 4' acting alternately against one of the upright
sides of the frame 5¹ formed on the end of the rack rod 2', and the two levers
6 acting alternately on the other upright side of the frame 5¹ on the end of
the rack rod 21. These levers 4¹ and 6' are fixed on the same axle with the
wheel 71, which is turned by the wheel 8¹ fixed on the same axle with the five
levers 9¹, which are acted on by the lever 10¹ fixed on the shaft of the large
wheel 3. Note, these wheels 7 and 8 are to each other as 4 to 5 in diameter
and number of teeth. Over the tube 1¹ is fixed the curved plate 11', having two
angular slots through it, with a pin 12¹ in the one slot fixed on the hoop 2, and
the pin 13' in the other slot affixed on the other hoop 14', which hoop 14'
has also a pair of spring holders fixed to it at right angles with the spring
holders y, each pair of spring holders taking hold of each alternate link as
they are made, and turning the links to the vertical and horizontal positions
alternately, while the pins 12 and 13ª projecting from the hoops z¹ and 14' up
through the angular slots in the fixed plate 11¹ draw back and project forward

page_text: each pair of the spring holders to place the last-made link in a position
to receive the next piece of iron to make another link, as shewn by the
position of the last-made link in the side elevation, Figure 1. The pipe
marked 15 near the front of the mandril, and which has a flat narrow orifice;
is for the purpose of passing a blast of air from a pair of bellows or otherwise
upon the link while it is being made for 'the purpose of keeping it at a welding
heat, which it will do by the oxygen in the blast of air becoming ignited by
the hot metal. Figure 6 is an elevation of the upper die X pressing the new
link into the lower die Y for the purpose of welding it. Figure 7 is an eleva-
tion of the upper die X containing the mandril j. Figure 8 is an inverted
plan of Figure 7. Figure 9 is an elevation of the lower die Y and the cover
Z. Figure 10 is a plan of Figure 9. Figure 11 is a vertical section of
Figure 7. Figure 12 is a vertical section of Figure 9. Figure 13 is an edge
view of the mandril j. Figure 14 is a horizontal section of Figure 12. Figure
15 is an elevation of the concave side of the cover Z.
Having now declared the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same may be performed, I hereby claim the manufacturing of such
description of chains as are herein-before set forth by heating rods or bars of
wrought iron, and then cutting them off into proper lengths and turning them
with lap, splice, or jump joints within another link and welding them, and
thus forming a continuous length of chain by means of apparatus such as
herein-before described. And such my Invention being, to the best of my
knowledge and belief, entirely new, and never before used within that part of
Her said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, Her said Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, or
in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, or Man, nor in any of
Her said Majesty's Colonies or Plantations abroad, I do hereby declare this
to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my said
Specification doth comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or dis-
guise, with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
contained; wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and
privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Seebohm, the party to these
Presents, have hereunto set my hand and seal, the Fourth day of
June, in the year of our our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
forty-five

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourth day of Juné, in the
year of our Lord 1845, the aforesaid Benjamin Seebohm came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.