IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEEP SHEARS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clulow, of Sheffield, in the County of York,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEEP
SHEARS."
Sealed the 29th August 1865, and dated the 4th March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clulow, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
March 1865.
!
I, WILLIAM CLULOW, of Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF SHEEP SHEARS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements whereby machinery is
applied to the manufacture of sheep shears with great economy of time and
material. The bars of iron employed for the formation of the bows and
shanks are prepared of the proper or necessary width and thickness, but
having some portions thereof made of greater thickness than the remainder,
cither in the process of rolling or otherwise, such thicker portions of the bars
being at such distances from each other as to allow of the bows and shanks
being cut from the bar, so as to have a greater substance at the extremities
of the shanks, to which the blades can be welded. The bars for the bows

page_text: and shanks may be rolled or prepared by any of the known methods, the
parts from which the bows are to be formed being spread or widened by
passing them crosswise between rolls, or by hammering, or in any other
manner suitable to the purpose. The iron so prepared is then heated, and the
bows and shanks formed therefrom at one operation by means of upper and
lower dies worked by any of the known contrivances or machinery adapted
for the purpose of punching or pressing. The metal for the blades consists of
bars of iron and steel combined by the ordinary process of welding, and after-
wards drawn or rolled into rods of the size required, which may, if desired, be
cut into such lengths as can be conveniently submitted to the next operation:
The pieces of which the blades are to be formed are then punched or cut out
of the rods or portions.. thereof thus prepared (after the same have been
heated) nearly to the shape required by means of any of the known machinery
or apparatus adapted for the purpose. The ends of the blades which are
to be welded on to the shanks are then shaped by means of a print or prints
on the anvil face worked under a hammer, or by any other machine or
apparatus adapted for the purpose, and afterwards welded to the shanks
already formed. The blades are then finally spread out to their proper or
finished shape by means of any suitable apparatus or machinery. The various
processes above described may be somewhat modified, as, for instance, the
welding of the blades on to the portion of the iron intended for the shanks
and bows may be done before the latter is pressed to the required shape.
This Invention further consists-in-rolling iron into the shape of the moulds
at present made by hand forging, such moulds being the first step in making
shears in the ordinary manner. The moulds thus formed are afterwards
drawn and shaped by means of a machine hammer and various prints and dies
into the shape required for the shears, the steel being afterwards welded on
by means of a machine hammer. The shears, are then finished as above
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed s
by the said William Clulow in the Great Seal' Patent Office on the 4th
September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLULOW, of Sheffield, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Clulow, Her spécial licence that I, the said William
Clulow, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others' as 'I, the
said William Clulow, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEEP SHEARS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Clulow, 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 Inven
tion, 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 Clulow, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon:-
My said Invention relates to certain improvements whereby machinery is
applied to the manufacture of sheep shears with great economy of time and
material. The bars of iron employed for the formation "of the bows and
shanks are prepared of the proper and necessary width and thickness, but
having some portions thereof made of greater thickness than the remainder,
either in the process of rolling or otherwise, such thicker portions of the bars
being at such distances from each other' as to allow of the bows and shanks
being cut from the bar, so as to have a greater substance at the extremities'
of the shanks, to which the blades can be welded. The bars for the bows and
shanks may be rolled or prepared by any of the known methods, the parts.
from which the bows are to be formed being spread or widened by passing
them crosswise between rolls, or by hammering, or in any other manner suit-
able to the purpose. The iron so prepared is then heated, and the bows and
shanks formed thereon at one operation by means of upper and lower dies
worked by any of the known contrivances or machinery adapted for the
purpose of punching or pressing. The metal for the blades consists of bars of
iron and steel combined by the ordinary process of welding, and afterwards
drawn or rolled into rods of the size required, which may, if desired, be cut

page_text: into such lengths as can be conveniently submitted to the next operation.
The pieces of which the blades are to be formed are then punched or cut out
of the rods or portions thereof thus prepared (after the same have been
heated) nearly to the shape required by means of any of the known machi-
nery or apparatus adapted for the purpose. The ends of the blades which are
to be welded on to the shanks are then shaped by means of a print or prints
on the anvil face worked under a hammer, or by any other suitable machine
or apparatus, and afterwards welded to the shanks already formed. The
blades are then finally spread out to their proper or finished shape by means
of suitable apparatus or machinery.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention in general terms, I
will now proceed to explain the manner in which it is to be carried out, and
which will be more fully and clearly understood by reference to the annexed
Drawings.
Figures 1 and 3 represent the upper and lower dies by means of which the
shanks and bow are pressed into the required form, Figure 2 shewing the
face of the upper die. The portion of the boss marked A in Figure 1, and
which is used to form the bow, is movable, and may be replaced by a larger
or smaller piece according to the size required, thus obviating the necessity
for entirely distinct and separate tools for each size of shear. Figure 3 is the
lower die, which is fixed in a boss with a groove in the centre, thus enabling
it to be fixed by means of the set screws A, A, at any distance from each
other, in order to form the necessary size of bow, as regulated by the upper
die. Guides are fixed on the lower die, as shewn in the Drawing, the back
guide at B, and the front guide at C, so as to keep the strips of iron in proper
position while being pressed into the required shape. The front guide merely
projects over the top of the boss, say, to the extent of a quarter of an inch,
thereby enabling the iron to be readily dropped over them. When the upper
die is within, say, half an inch of the top of the lower die, the back guide is
considerably higher, thereby forming a support or guide to the upper die and
keeping it in proper position. I do not however confine myself to the method
just described, as it may be modified by using a pair of dies, which are in
reality only half of those above described, thus pressing one shank and knee
at a time instead of both, and thus enabling the bows to be made of variable
lengths according to the length of the strips of iron when cut up.
I may
here observe that the iron may be made of different sectional area, according
to the sectional strength of the finished shanks and bow, which varies with
each size and pattern of shear; and the increased thickness at the end of the
shanks may be varied at pleasure, and may either be done in the process of

page_text: rolling, or afterwards when cut up into lengths, or even after having been
pressed into shape, and in some patterns of shears may even be altogether
dispensed with. When the bows and shanks have been thus formed by means
of the dies above mentioned, the bows are spread to their proper or finished
shape, either by hammering or by being pressed crosswise between rollers
suitably constructed and arranged for the purpose. I prefer, however, that
the bows shall be finished by hammering.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 represent various sections shewing the manner in
which the iron and steel previously combined by welding may be rolled, such
sections being variable according to the pattern of shear required. The
combined iron and steel may be punched out in various shapes, as shewn in
Figures 7, 8, and 9; for instance, sections A and B in Figures 4 and 5 may
be punched out in many various shapes, as shewn in Figures 7, 8, and 9 at
A, B, and C, according to whichever method of performing the next operation
is preferred; the combined iron and steel, as shewn at section C in Figure 6,
may be cut up as represented in Figure 10 at D, being first cut crosswise into
lengths, and afterwards cut diagonally, as shewn from I to I, thus avoiding
any waste, but requiring more shaping afterwards than those punched to the
exact shape, as in A, B, and C, in Figures 7, 8, and 9. The blades thus
punched out may be prepared for joining on to the bows in various ways,
depending upon the pattern of the shear required, and as will be understood
by persons acquainted with such manufactures. I will, however, here give some
further particulars which will render my Invention more intelligible. The
shape of blade shewn at A in Figure 7 may be prepared in various ways,
either by bending over the portion b, b, b, and then printing it into the form
required for joining to the shanks, or may be flattened and the stop formed,
and then welded to the flat strips of iron for forming the bows and shanks,
this being done if required before the iron is pressed into the required shape
of shanks and bow. The shape represented at B in Figure 8 may be used
either by simply turning over the end C, C, to a right angle with the blade,
thus forming the stop, and the shank can be then welded to it by a clip weld
on each side of the blade, or a bolster may be "shot" or welded on, and then
printed as above described for shape A. At C, in Figure 9, is shewn a way in
which the above methods may be modified by being punched out to the shape
shewn, and a loose stop or bolster, as shewn at Figure 11, being fitted on.
This method would be employed if the blades and shanks were joined together
by the operation of brazing, which may be preferred for some patterns of
shears, and is only one of the ways in which the principles of my said Inven-
tion can be carried out. Figure 10 is a length which forms two blades, and

page_text: which after being cut out may be prepared by any other of the above methods,
or modified in some other analogous manner, requiring, however, to be spread
and shaped as herein-after described. The smithing of the blades thus punched
out is performed either by means of suitably shaped dies or faces fixed in a
stamp, steam hammer, or other hammer or striking apparatus driven by
machinery, or by means of similar faces fixed-in' a fly press or other machine
best suited to the purpose. If the shapes shewn in Figures 7, 8, and 9 are to
be made, I prefer to use a fly press; but if the form shewn in Figure 10 is to
be manufactured, a hammer or stamp will be found best suited for the
operation. The above described processes having been performed, the blades
are then ready to be united to the bows and shanks, which may be effected
by welding or brazing. The shears having been thus completed are then ready
for hardening and grinding.
4
The moulds shewn in Figures 12 and 13 of the annexed Drawings
are formed by rolling iron in the known manner by means of an eccentric
roll; such roll being of the size required; and being grooved to admit of the
parallel portions of the mould to pass through. These moulds are then drawn
as shaped by means of a steam or other hammer worked by machinery,' first,
for the blades by means of dies 'printed in the anvil and hammer faces
according to the pattern of blade required, the portion for the bows and shanks
being drawn to the proper strength required for them, and finished by means
of the upper and lower dies shewn in Figures 1 and 3 of the annexed
Drawings, the steel being then welded on to the blades. The blades may
then be finished to their proper shape by means of the dies described above.
Having thus fully declared and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which it is to be performed, I would observe in con-
clusion that I do not confine or restrict myself to the precise details herein.
before mentioned, as variations may be made therefrom without departing
froni the main features or principles of my said Invention; but what I
consider novel and original, and therefore claim as constituting the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent are,"
First, the pressing into shape of thin iron suitable for the bows and shanks of
sheep shears by means of upper and lower bosses or dies fixed in any machine
adapted for the purpose of pressing or stamping, as herein-before substantially
set forth and described.
Secondly, the punching out of the blades to nearly the shape required from
previously combined iron and steel by means of beds and punches fixed in
any punching machine or other apparatus suited for the purpose, as herein-
before substantially set forth and described.

page_text: Thirdly, the smithing of the blades to the required shape by means of dies
or faces, as herein-before substantially set forth and described.
And, fourthly, the finishing of the shears after the steel is welded or united
to the blades by means of the various processes herein-before described and
set forth, or any mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clulow, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
WILLIAM CLULOW. (L.S.)