IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFAC TURING NAILS, BRADS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFAC
TURING NAILS, BRADS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES."-A communi-
cation from abroad by Edwin Lewis Brundage, of Middletown, in
the State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 26th November 1869, and dated the 30th August 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th August 1869.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFAC-
TURING NAILS, BRADS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in adapting to a machine for forging nails
and other analogous articles of a hammer or forging tool worked by
direct action of steam.

page_text: In carrying out the Invention the hammer or forging tool, in the
form of a die or dies, is adapted to a moveable steam cylinder, which
is capable of being worked up and down in vertical guides on a fixed
piston, through the rod of which are made the passages for supplying
steam to the cylinder both above and below the piston.
The piston
rod terminates at top in a steam chest, in which is placed a slide valve
whereby the admission of steam to the cylinder is regulated. The
valve is connected by a rod or stem to the upper end of a vibrating
lever or arm worked by cams, which are connected with the moveable
steam cylinder so that as the latter moves up and down it vibrates the
valves in the steam chest. Another set of cams acts upon the feeding
arrangement for feeding forward the rod, and also upon the grippers
which hold the rod or piece of iron while it is being forged by, the dies
or hammer. The same arrangement of cams will also cut off the blank
from the long rod. In order to form the head of the proper shape
before the blank is cut off from the rod a heading tool and die is
employed to nick the rod at the proper place before the cutter comes
into operation. The rod is fed forward by an adjustable pall & ratchet,
which moves it up the requisite length and is capable of adjust-
ment so as to feed different lengths according to the kind of article it
is intended to produce. A guide for guiding the point or edge of the
nail to the die, anvil, or cutter is also employed so that the blank may
be accurately struck on the proper place.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence
that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING NAILS, BRADS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS
ARTICLES," being a communication to me from abroad by Edwin Lewis
Brundage, of Middletown, in the State of New York, United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Edward Newton, 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 William Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
This Invention relates to various improvements in machinery for
forging horse-shoe nails.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the
machine; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken in the line x, x, of Fig. 4;
Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, and Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken in the
line 0, 0, of Figures 1 and 3; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the steam ports,
and Fig. 6 a horizontal section through the line y, y, of Fig. 3.
The Invention consists in the adaptation of a steam hammer together
with the requisite motions and parts for forging nails, and also in the
use of grippers with the proper motions for carrying the blank for the
formation of the nail.
The main object of the machine is to obtain perfect work by means
of an active and rigid blow by the use of a direct-acting steam hammer.
The base A with the columns B, B, and plate C, is made in one casting.
An anvil D is placed thereon to carry a frame E and gripper carriage F.
The steam hammer G is hollow and also constitutes a steam cylinder,

page_text: and the steam is admitted into the steam chest H through the pipe a
by an ordinary throttle valve, and is admitted to the cylinder by the
slide valve 1 (through the ports b, b,) into steam passages c, d, through
the piston rod J, one steam passage c being made to discharge below
the piston K to force the hammer down, and the other d opening above
the piston to raise the hammer. The exhaust steam is discharged
through the port e and pipe f. The valve is operated by means of the
rod L connected to the lover M, and oscillating motion is given to the
lever by means of wedge cams N and 0 (which are the valve shifters)
Secured to a plate or arm P projecting from the hammer. The lever M
is secured by and works upon a fulcrum pin g between hugs h, h,
projecting from the frame. As the hammer descends the lever is
operated by the shifter N acting upon a stud I secured in the lever M,
and in like manner as the hammer ascends it is operated upon by the
shifter O, and the lever is thrown back and the valve operated so as to
admit steam alternately to the ports b, b. The shifters are made with
an open slot, one side being made in wedge form to give motion to the
lever, and at or near the end of the motion of the hammer they are made
so that the stud in the lever will fit the slot and will restrain it from
any impetus of motion and will ensure the exact required motion or
throw of the valve. To govern the exact extent of rise of the hammer
the shifter O may be raised or lowered by means of a slotted hole in
the plate P, through which the bolt passes for securing the shifter by
means of the nut j. In like manner the shifter N may be slid up or
down. (as may be required) to change the valve at any given point,
and thereby govern the strength of the blow. This is effected by
ádmitting steam to reverse the hammer at such point as to resist the
descent to such extent as to exactly govern its force of blow to the
force that shall be necessary to forge the nails even when each gripper
shall hold a blank for the nails. Motion is given to the gripper carriage
Fat each upward motion of the hammer an exact distance to carry
the grippers, k, k, the distance of from one blow to the next suc-
ceeding one, and at the same time cause the gripper to revolve one-
fourth of a revolution by means of the pinions 1, 1, working. in the
stationary rack m, by means of a cam-shaped slot Q made in a projection
of the hammer, and giving the lever R an oscillating motion by means
of a friction roller upon a stud o projecting from the lever. The roller
fills the slot in width, and as the hammer rises it throws the lower
end of the lever forward to give motion to the carriage by means of

page_text: the pawl 2 (shewn in Fig. 3 and in dotted lines in Fig. 4) taking into
the teeth q, q, of the carriage. As the hammer descends it carries the
paw back the distance of one tooth of the carriage. The pawl p is
secured to the lever by a ball-and-socket joint r, Figures 3 and 4, and
as the pawl is carried back it is thrown out by riding over the next
tooth immediately back of the one just operated upon and is forced
in by the spring u. As the carriage is propelled forward with a quick
motion it is secured from impetus and travelling further than the exact
required distance and is stopped at the exact line for the blow to be
given by the stop pawl t, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4.
This stop
pawl is forced in a space of the teeth by the spring s. As the carriage
receives motion the pawl is thrown out for the next succeeding motion
of the carriage by means of the lever operating upon the arm of the
stop pawl, and as the carriage is moved forward and brought with
force against the stop pawl (which causes it to recoil). the pawl wis
forced in by the spring and secures the carriage from such recoil, and
as the carriage is moved forward the next succeeding tooth of the
carriage forces the pawl out for its own passage. The lever R is secured
upon the fulcrum pin z in the arm S which forms part of the frame.
There are two cutter stocks carrying the cutters for cutting the blanks
from the nail rod. One stationary stock T holds the cutter a' and rests
upon and is secured to the frame by the bolt b', and the other (or moving
stock) U is secured in the rock shaft V, and carries the cutter c' and
receives its motion from the cams d', d', d', projecting from the edge
of the carriage which operates the rock shaft V by means of the arm e¹.
When the carriage moves the cutter operates at every second stroke
of the hammer. The cams are so arranged that the cutter is thrown
back and power is gathered upon the spring f', which bears upon the
arm g of the rock shaft sufficiently to cut the iron as it is forced in
by the spring from the abrupt end of the cam, thereby equalizing power
upon the hammer in moving the carriage on each motion of the
hammer alike. The nail rod is fed into the feeder at ' against the
gauge as the cutter is thrown back, and as the blank is cut off the
rod is forced forward over the groove j' as the hammer is raised nearly.
or quite its full height, and as it descends it carries the blank down
into the gripper jaw by the punch, the gripper resting immediately
under said groove. For giving a bevil shape to the head of the nail
edgewise, as at ', Fig. 16, a die m' is placed in the feeder under the line
at which the rod is fed to the gauge, and a header n' is hung upon the

page_text: hammer by the pin o', so that when the cutter rests and immediately
after cutting a blank and the hammer descends the header strikes the
bevil of the cutter stock at p', and is forced in and strikes the nail rod
immediately over the die m'. The lower end of the header being shaped
the same as the die will make a nick in both edges of the iron, as at q',
so that as the iron is next forced against the gauge it is cut off in
the narrowest part of the nick, leaving the blank shaped as detached
at, and forming the head as desired. By the next succeeding blow
as the cutter rests in the position represented in the Drawing the header
is thrown back by the spring s and passes to the side of the rod. The
drawing dies t', t¹, are made in sections of four blows to each section and
the finishing dies u in six blows, and are bolted to the anvil by bolts d'
and to the hammer by bolts w', the latter bolts also securing the head
of the cylinder x. The hammer is limited in its exact length of stroke
by the anvil stop W and the hammer stop X to prevent the anvil and
hammer dies coming in contact, and to regulate the exact distance which
the dies approach each other. To make the nails of a uniform length
the points are cut off (immediately before coming to the finishing dies) by
cutters placed in dies of the anvil and hammer, and shown at y' in the
anvil and represented in the dies drawn one-half size in Figures 7, 8, 9,
and 10. The anvil die z¹ (Figures 8 and 9) and hammer die a" (Fig. 7)
are represented in section, and the cutter stock 6 is hung in the die
upon a pin c. The cutter y' is driven in a groove of the die so placed
that in the descent of the hammer a guide projection e" of the cutter
stock will be forced against the anvil die at f" by the spring g" and
will exactly guide the edge h" of the cutter to the edge of the anvil
cutter, thereby ensuring a perfect cutting-off of the points however
much of lateral or lost motion there may be to the hammer in its
ways.
The hammer
Fig. 10 represents the hammer cutter in perspective.
has projecting V's ",", which slide in ways or gibbs j", j", secured in
recesses of the frame, plainly represented in Fig. 6. These gibbs are
secured and held firmly in place by wedges, k, and set bolts ", "
The gibbs are made separate and independent each side of the V so that
they may be set in on either side of the hammer either the whole length
or at top or bottom, and withdrawn upon the opposite side. The
hammer is therefore made to work in an exact perpendicular and central
line, and the hammer and anvil dies have exactly their relative approach

page_text: The
to each other throughout the circle. As the hammer is liable to great
twist and lateral strain and wear in the gibbs or slides (caused by the
several motions it imparts to other parts of the machine) the arrange-
ment of the gibbs (so as to be set and secure the hammer in its proper
The
working line) is important to secure the exit work of the dies.
wedges,, being freed by muts m", m", the gibbs j", j", are set in
by bolts n", n", to the desired line, and the wedges drawn in by the
nuts m, m, to firmly secure them to their desired place.
gripper and pinion are represented one-half working size in a longi-
tudinal section in Fig. 1 for holding and carrying the blank and
present it to the dies for forging the nails. The pinions 1, 1, are made
hollow to admit the grippers within them, and are caused to revolve
on the stationary rack m. The grippers k, k, are constructed in two
separate halves and are held together by a ring o". A separate one-half
inside view of the gripper is shown in Fig. 12, and the end view of
the same is shown in Fig. 13. Within and between the blades of the
gripper is a spring p" and follower q", and in the end of the pinion
is a gripper opener Y shown in end view in the pinion in Fig. 14. This
opener
is made with two flat sides so that it cannot turn in its socket, and
upon the inside is formed a hollow V to act as a wedge in opening the
grippers. Flat projections 1, 2, that span the gripper blades and hold the
opener from turning within the socket are shewn in Fig. 15. In the
grippers are inserted jaws s made of steel or other suitable metal, which
grip and hold the blank when being forged, the hot iron being very
destructive. In this arrangement they are readily repaired by replacing
with new ones, leaving the gripper comparatively perfect a great length
The two blades of the gripper are held together evenly by
the pin t held in grooves across the gripper, which also forms a fulcrum
for the blades of the gripper to work upon and also holds the jaw
in place from working out.
of time.
The operation of the gripper is as follows:-In the motion of the
carriage the opener Y is brought in contact with a stationary cam Z
immediately after the last blow is given to the nail, and the opener
is forced in so that it closes upon the blades of the gripper and opens
the jaw and discharges the nail. The gripper will remain open during
its revolution. and travel immediately under the feeder ready to receive
a blank, when as it starts the opener will pass the end of the cam and
be thrown out by the force of the spring p", which also forces the gripper

page_text: blades open and closes the jaws upon the blank with the required force
to hold it when receiving its blows. The gripper is pressed in the
socket by the spring a pressing upon the end of the follower q", and
the ring o" is made to bear against a flange in the end of the socket,
thereby governing the exact distance at which the gripper approaches
the dies. When the blow is given to the blank the ring o" will allow
the gripper to recede equal to the elongation of the blank in the
respective blows.
In Fig. 17 is shewn another arrangement of the gripper, to wit, a
substitution of a helical spring " in place of the flat spring p". The
helical spring will force a wedge w which is made fast between the
projections, of the opener, and when the opener is forced in it
closes the spring and acts upon the gripper to open it, and when free
to act forces the opener and wedge out and closes the gripper upon
the blank, as before described.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated
to me as aforesaid, and having explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters
Patent as aforesaid,-
First. The arrangement of the moving cylinder G, steam chest H,
steam ports b, b, exhaust port e, steam passages c and d, through the
stationary piston rod J and the valve I in the construction of a steam
forge hammer, as herein set forth.
Second. The arrangement and combination of a direct-acting steam
hammer arranged with dies and operating revolving and progressive
grippers to forge horse-shoe nails (or to forge nails or other articles).
Third. I claim operating the valve by the wedge cams N and O
carried by the hammer and operating so as to exactly govern the stroke
and force of blow, as described.
Fourth. I claim the cam slot Q in the hammer by means of which
the lever R is operated, and communicates motion to the gripper
carriage by the pawl p or its equivalent, and by which the stop pawl t
is operated.
Fifth. I claim operating the cutter for cutting the blanks from the
rod by the system of cams d', d', d', or the gripper carriage by each
alternate blow of the hammer, as described.

page_text: Sixth. I claim the gibbs or slides j", j", made fast in or to the frame
so that they may be set, and the working of the hammer secured in its
proper line, as and for the purpose described.
Seventh. I claim the hammer point cutter 6", having a guide e¹¹ to
guide the edge to the edge of the anvil cutter, as described.
Eighth. I claim the construction of the gripper having a fulcrum on
the pin t" and made to hold and carry the blank, as described.
Ninth. I claim the follower q" acted upon by the spring u in the
manner and for the purpose described.
Tenth. I claim the opener Y operating to open and close the grippers,
as described.
Eleventh. I claim the repairing gripper jaws s", s, used with the
grippers, in the manner and for the purpose described.
Twelfth. I claim the header n¹ and die m' to nick the rod before the
blank is cut off for the purpose of forming the head of the nail, as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of
February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy.
W. E. NEWTON.
(L.S.)