Removing Lead Rivets Used for Locking Miners' Safety Lamps.
Year: 1888

page_text: Removing Lead Rivets Used for Locking Miners' Safety Lamps.
I ANDREW HOWAT of 6 Bellwood Terrace Old Trafford Manchester in the County of
Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The ordinary form of apparatus at present employed for scaling the lead rivets used
for locking the lower portion of a miners safety lamp to the main frame and also
sometimes for locking other parts such as the metal shield or bonnet to the frame
consists of a pair of nippers or pliers in the jaws of which are fitted and secured
separate blocks or dies shaped to form a head or impression on the lead rivet when
pressure is applied. This construction makes the nippers clumsy expensive and liable
to get out of order.
My improvements consist chiefly in dispensing with loose or separate dies and in
countersinking the dies or seals in the jaws of the nippers by which means the nippers
are smaller at the head cheaper to make and more convenient to handle than those of
the ordinary construction.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings reference being had to the
figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a front view of the improved nippers. Fig. 2 is a similar view with one
jaw in section and Fig. 3 a side view with one jaw removed.
a a are the handles pivoted together at a and b b the jaws of the nippers; in
each jaw is a countersunk hole c c of suitable size and depth to form a head and leave
a mark or seal on the ends of the rivet. The front portion of each jaw is recessed
at d d and formed with a cutting edge e e and one end or both the ends of the handles
are shaped to make cutting edges as shown at a'.
After a lead rivet has been placed in position to lock the lamp the nippers are
applied with the holes cc over the ends of the rivet and pressure exerted to form a
head on one end and to mark or seal both ends of the rivet.
To unlock the lamp one head of the rivet is cut off either by the sharp edge a³ on
one of the handles or by the cntting edges e e and the rivet is then removed by
seizing its remaining head between the sharp edges e e and plucking it out.

page_text: If found necessary or advantageous a spring might be fitted between the handles so
as to automatically open the jaws when pressure on the handles is relaxed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is―
1. The improved nippers for sealing the lead rivets used for locking miners
safety lamps said nippers having the dies formed by countersinking holes in the jaws
for the purpose specified.
2. The improved apparatus substantially as and for the purposes herein described
and as shown said improved apparatus consisting essentially in a pair of nippers
with countersunk holes cc combined with recesses d d and cutting edges e e.
Dated this 26th day of April 1888.
H. B. BARLOW,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for Applicant.