CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOOP OR NARROW STRIP IRON
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Bennett, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Iron Merchant, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOOP OR NARROW STRIP IRON."
Sealed the 10th October 1865, and dated the 18th April 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Bennett at the
Offico of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
April 1865.
I, THOMAS BENNETT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Iron
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOOP OR NARROW STRIP IRON," to be as
follows (that is to say):-
My improvements in the manufacture of hoop and such kind of iron will
be understood from the following description :-The general size of rolls used
in the mauufacture of hoop iron, the power of the engine, workmanship, and
other manufacturing incidental expenses are all comprebended for broad hoops,
and to use such appliances for the manufacture of narrow strips necessarily
causes a waste of power and appliances with the present system. And to
avoid this I purpose reducing the iron to the desired thickness without
particular regard to width; as this I purpose obtaining by slitting such strips
up as desired, using for this purpose by preference rotary shears, slitters, or.

page_text: cutters, means well known among manufacturers and others having occasion
to slit up or divide sheet metal, thereby effecting a great saving of time and
wear and tear of machinery in producing small hoop iron, and ensuring great
accuracy and uniformity of width. Thus it will be seen that my improve-
ments apply more particularly to the narrow strips required for narrow hoops,
where the additional trouble of rolling the strips greatly enhances the price as
now commonly produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Bennett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BENNETT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Iron Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
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 Thomas Bennett, Her special license that I, the said Thomas
Bennett, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, tho
said Thomas Bennett, 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 "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOOP OR NARROW STRIP IRON," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Bennett, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Thomas Bennett, 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 (that is to say) :-
My improvements in the manufacture of hoop and such kind of narrow

page_text: strip iron refer entirely to the description about and below one inch in width,
and will be understood from the following description :-The general size of
rolls used in the manufacture of hoop iron, the power of the engine, work-
manship, and other manufacturing incidental expenses are all comprehended
for broad hoops, and to use such power and appliances for the manufacture of
narrow strips necessarily causes a waste, and increases the cost of production
in proportion to the narrowness of the strips produced; and to avoid this I
purpose reducing the iron necessary for my purpose to the desired thickness
by the ordinary process of rolling, without particular regard to the width of
the strip so produced, which in a general way I purpose to be one to
three inches wide, more or less, as convenient, and strips thus prepared and
rolled to the proper thickness I purpose reducing into Barrow widths, using
for this purpose (by preference) rotary shears, slitters, or cutters, means well
known among manufacturers and others having occasion to slit up or divide
sheet metal, thereby effecting a great save of time and wear and tear of
machinery in producing such description of narrow hoop iron, not only
ensuring great accuracy and uniformity of width, but also a smooth and
regular edge; thus it will be seen that my improvements apply particularly
to the narrow strips required for narrow hoops or other purposes for which
such narrow thin strip iron may be required, as the additional trouble and
cost of rolling or producing such like single strips by the ordinary or common
process as before stated greatly enhances the price as well as leaving their
edges ragged and untrue.
But with a view of being fully comprehended as to the nature and object
of my Invention, I will further explain in connection with the Drawings
hereunto annexed the full intent and object of my improvements (that is
to say):-
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a strip of iron rolled down to any desired guage, and according to
the scale of the Drawings is about three inches and a quarter wide, and
assuming that it is desirable not only to trim the outer edge, but also to divide
it into five strips, cach half inch wide, I proceed to do so in the following
way: A set of circular cutters marked a, a, a, a, and b, b, b, Fig. 2, are fitted
on the spindle or axes C and D, having proper dividing and outside plates to
each, with the adjusting or set screws E, E, and F, F, for holding and setting
them up in position, as well as permitting the cutters to be removed and others
of different thicknesses to be applied. The spindles C and D are set up in
proper housings marked G, G', and II, H', together with the axis I, I, which
Fig. 1 is a strip of iron rolled down to any desired guage, and according to
the scale of the Drawings is about three inches and a quarter wide, and
assuming that it is desirable not only to trim the outer edge, but also to divide
it into five strips, each half inch wide, I proceed to do so in the following
way: A set of circular cutters marked a, a, a, a, and b, b, b, Fig. 2, are fitted
on the spindle or axes C and D, having proper dividing and outside plates to
each, with the adjusting or set screws E, E, and F, F, for holding and setting
them up in position, as well as permitting the cutters to be removed and others
of different thicknesses to be applied. The spindles C and D are set up in
proper housings marked G, G', and II, H', together with the axis I, I, which

page_text: in reality is the driving shaft, and intended to be fitted on the projecting end,
partly broken away with fast and loose pulleys for giving motion to the same.
To the other end of this shaft is fitted a spur or toothed wheel, which gears
into wheels of the same description secured on the corresponding ends of the
shafts C and D, for giving motion to the circular shears, their speed being
regulating according to the driving pulley, or the diameter of the spur wheel J.
The housings are so constructed as to admit of the cross heads G¹ and H' to
be readily removed that the spindles carrying the cutters may be removed
altogether, and cutters of the desired size applied to the same spindles as may
be preferred.
Fig. 3 is a sideway section of Figure 2, taken through the dotted lines c, d;
of that Figure, shewing the cutter spindles and driving shaft C, D, and I in
section, the housings secured by holding down pins marked e and f to a
sleeper or wood frame marked K, K. In the front of the cutters, secured
conveniently to the housings, I place the table marked L, L, which has a
roller shown in section applied to its far end marked g, and working in suitable
guides; I apply two or more guide rolls on each side so that the strip intended
to be slit up may as here indicated pass over the roller G, and between the
guide rolls hand j, which keep the strip in the exact position for being
advanced to the operation of slitting as indicated by dotted lines, partly
through the strip Figure 1; but I will suppose that this slitting operation
has been continued through the strip, when it will be found from the in-
equality of pressure from the meeting of the shears that the hoops or strips
thus divided from the wide strip will be not only slightly irregular on the
surface, but the edges will be left with a ragged fray on their four angles, and
to obviate these defects I purpose passing each strip singly between what I
term flattening rolls, the under one of which 1 have represented at Fig. 4,
marked M, the upper roll being removed from the housings N, N, and 0, 0,
for the purpose of showing the strip under the operation of flattening, taking
off the fin on the angles and laterally straightening it. This I effect by
putting a table piece at the back of the rolls marked P, P, P, P, and fitting
up on suitable vertical axes revolving cutters marked k and 1, the edges of
which may be deep V-shape or slightly round at the bottom or deepest part.
These cutters are connected with plates underneath that permit of their
adjustment to suit the different widths of strip or hoop iron I may require to
pass between them, and on the same axis that carries the cutters small pulleys
are secured, around which an endless gut works, shown in dotted lines as
being beneath the table and passes round small pulleys at the sides marked in
and n, and from there in the direction shown around the driving pulleys

page_text: secured on the axis of the roller M marked p, and which axis projects
sufficiently far behind to receive a fast and loose pulley, by which it may be
put in motion by any convenient prime mover. On the table I also apply V
grooved rolls as here shown, marked q, q. q, and r, r, r, capable of being set
according to the width of the divided strip required to pass between them, as
also a small friction roller at the end of the table marked s. From this it
will be seen that the hoops or divided strips as here shown, marked R, passes
between flattening rolls, the lower one marked M revolving in the direction
of the arrow, which according to the pressure of the said rolls will flatten and
leave the strip smooth and uniform on its surface, and by the revolving of the
said roll M, the cutters k and I are put in rapid motion, also in the direction
of the arrows, which motion may be increased or decreased by the relative
size of the pulleys on the axis of the roll shaft, and the smaller pulleys not
shewn in connection with the said cutters, the revolving action of which will
have the effect of trimming or cutting off the fins from the angles or edges
of the strip, advancing it forward between the other rolls q and r, which
straightens the strip laterally, when I recommend the attendant to take hold
of the end of the divided strip R thus under operation,, and pull it towards
him as fast as it is freed by the rolls, when it will, be found flat, straight, and
smooth on its edges. From this condition, according to the degree of finish
or purpose for which strips thus prepared. may be subsequently required, I
either put the strip between the bed and corresponding piercing tool of a fly
press, or press worked by crank or other action, worked by steam or otherwise,
for pressing out holes of suitable size and distance through the whole length
of such strip as required, or omit the perforating altogether, and if a further
finish is required I pass them through a hot air or suitable furnace so as to
bring them to a dead red heat, which will leave them when cold of an uniform
colour instead of being black on the surface, and bright on the edge from tho
action of the cutters; in which condition they may be sent into the market
blacked or galvanized if so preferred, or they may be pickled and brightened
and coated with copper, for which iron has an affinity when dipped in acid
in which copper has been dissolved, or they may be blued or painted as may
be preferred.
Having thus given a general description of my Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I wish it understood that I do not set
up any claim for shearing metals indiscriminately, as that has been done by
means of rotary shears and commonly used for a long period and was the.
subject of a Provisional Protection granted to G. A. Hickman and A. Hick-
man, No. 195, 1857, by which means they trimmed the edges of strip iron

page_text: intended to be made into tubes, and in 1861 T. Coradine obtained a Patent,
No. 1374, for improvements in circular shears for cutting or dividing up iron;
also in 1862 A. T. Beck obtained a Patent, No. 3241, for improvements in
machinery for shearing plates of metal, which consisted of an improved
arrangement in connection with circular shears, but what I claim and wish
to protect by these my in part recited Letters Patent is, the production of
narrow hoop of strip iron below or about one inch in width, together with
the mode of flattening, trimming, and finishing the same in the manner or by
the appliances herein described and exhibited, or their equivalents, by which
means I not only economise the cost, but also render them of an improved
condition and finish to which such description of fine strip or hoop iron has
hitherto been produced.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bennett, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
WILLIAM LOACH,
Clerk to James S. Cockings,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
THOMAS BENNETT. (L.s.)