Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Closing or Crimping the Outer or Front Ends of the Paper or Pasteboard Cartridge Shells for use in Breech-loading Shot Guns.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Apparatus for Closing or Crimping
the Outer or Front Ends of the Paper or Pasteboard Cartridge
Shells for use in Breech-loading Shot Guns.
I, GEORGE DUNN HUNTER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing
at Auburn Park, in the County of Cook and State of Illinois, one of the United
States of America, Gentleman 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:-
My invention relates generally to devices the title whereof is improvements in
and relating to apparatus for closing or crimping the outer or front ends of the
paper or paste-board cartridge-shells for use in breech-loading shot guns and, par-
ticularly, to improvements in this class of devices which render them more durable
than usual, and effective in operation, or capable of smoothly and perfectly closing
the ends of said cartridge shells after the powder, shot and wads have been placed
in their respective positions therein; and it consists in the peculiarities of con-
struction and arrangement or combination of parts and features hereinafter fully
disclosed in the description, drawings and claims.
The object of my invention is to provide a crimper for cartridge shells which
will be more durable or last longer than those usually employed, which will avoid
the great amount of friction usually pertaining to crimpers manufactured wholly of
brass or other metal, which will lessen the usual tendency to tear or roughen the
ends of the paper shells of cartridges while they are being inturned or crimped,
which will be capable of employment in fixed or portable machines for loading and
crimping cartridge-shells, in separate crimping machines, in separate machines for
cutting and crimping cartridge shells which may have been filled by hand, or in a
machine, for instance, of the character of that disclosed in the Letters Patent of
the United States of America, granted to me May 29th, 1888, No. 383,529, and
which will be simple in construction and cheap to manufacture.
This object is accomplished by the improved construction and arrangement or
combination of the parts and features of this invention, which is embodied in slightly
different forms or constructions, as shown in the accompanying drawing constituting
part of this Specification, in which the same reference numerals indicate the same
or corresponding parts, and in which―
Figure 1 represents a section of one of my improved crimpers for cartridge-
shells and of the glass crimping disk removed therefrom;
Figure 2, front views of complete crimpers, showing the glass crimping disks held
in place in the chambers of the holders by and without the inturned flange on the
front end of the latter ;
Figure 3, rear views of the glass crimping disk and the wheel for revolving the
crimper shown in Figure 1
;
Figure 4, partly sectional and front views of a modified form or construction of
my improved crimper ;
Figure 5, sectional and front views of another slightly modified construction of
the same, and
Figure 6, sectional and front views of another slightly modified form or con-
struction of the same.
In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates my improved crimper, which, as shown
in Fig.
of the drawing, is composed of the holder, 2, having the recess or
chamber, 3, formed in its front end or face, and the pinion, 4, on its rear end,
centrally of which is formed the axial recess, 5, for receiving a short shaft or bolt.
for supporting said crimper while it is being revolved, as for instance, by the means
disclosed in my above-mentioned patent.

page_text: In the recess or chamber, 3, of the holder, 2, is fitted the glass crimping disk, 6,
which has a body-portion, 7, of a shape corresponding to the interior of said
chamber and is seated, or imbedded. therein in a layer of plaster-of-paris, white-
lead, or other suitable cement, 8. On or in the rear, surface of this glass crimping
disk are formed the small ribs or grooves, 9, which are pressed into the cement for
preventing said disk from turning and for holding the same firmly in place in all.
directions. However, the attainment of these results may be assisted by the
inturned flange, 10, at the front end of the holder, 2, which will prevent all
possibility of outward or forward movement of said disk, The front or operative
surface of this glass crimping disk is formed with the raised centre, 11, the rim, 12,
the intermediate annular groove, 13, and the bosses or slightly raised projections, 14,
near the bottom of said groove.
A cartridge-shell, while being closed or crimped, is required to be firmly
supported at its rear end and prevented from turning. A device for accomplishing
this result may be the same as the chuck-cups or shell-rests used in connection with
the ordinary cartridge crimpers, or it may be the same as the adjustable chuck-
wheel disclosed in my above-named patent, which is capable of receiving and
firmly holding the rear ends of cartridges of various sizes.
In the modified forms or constructions of my improved crimper shown in Figures 4
and 5 of the drawing, the glass crimping-disks, 6, are substantially the same as the
one already described. The holders, 2, however, are different from the one above
described, that shown in Figure 4 being made in the form of a cap or collar which
is interiorly screw-threaded and enlarged along its rear portion, which is contracted
along its front portion, for forming the recess or chamber, 3, for the glass crimping
disk, 6, and into which, at its rear portion, is inserted the exteriorly screw-threaded
and enlarged shaft-head, 15, which fits removably therein, and is formed with a
flat front face opposite the flat rear face of said glass disk. Intermediate of the
flat rear face of this disk and the flat front face of this shaft-head may be placed
the annular soft-rubber plate, 16, which will form a yielding seat for said glass
disk and prevent its breakage from jar or frictional contact with cartridge shells
while they are being crimped; also, this disk is placed in the recess or chamber, 3,
of the holder, 2, by being passed forwardly through the opening in the enlarged rear
portion thereof, after which it is firmly held in place by its rim, 12, resting against
the inturned flange, 10, on the front end of said holder, and by the rubber plate, 16,
when used, and the enlarged shaft-head 15, pressing against its rear face. The
annular channel, 17, is formed in the inner surface of the holder, 2, for the purpose
of facilitating the formation of its internal screw-thread. The holder, 2, for the
glass crimping-disk, 6, shown in Figure 5 of the drawing is of substantially the
same construction as the holder shown in Figure 1, the only difference being that
it has no inturned flange on its front end (but.may have) and that it has no pinion
for effecting its revolution, but, instead, is formed with the interiorly screw-
threaded neck, 18, into which is fitted an exteriorly screw-threaded shaft-head,
like that shown in Figure 4. In the additional, slightly modified form or con-
struction of my improved crimper shown in Figure of the drawing, the only
change resides in the fact that the holder, 2, is formed integrally with the shaft-
head, 15.
It will be evident from the foregoing that the gist of my invention resides in the
encasement of a glass crimping-disk, of the construction described, in a suitable
metallic holder, which can be accomplished in many different ways, that the
employment of this glass crimping disk will, obviate all the frictional disadvantages
that are incident to the use of brass and other wholly metallic crimpers, in which
the bosses or slightly raised projections wear out in a very short time and roughen
the paper from which the shells are made, that this glass disk will make smoother
crimps in shells than when wholly metallic crimpers are employed, that the seating
or imbedding of said glass disk in cement holds it firmly in place, insures it against
breakage, affords it a true or level seat in its recess or chamber in the holder and
permits the outside of the latter to be turned true after said disk has been placed

page_text: in operative position; whereas, when the entire crimper is made of metal, it is
generally cast and then swaged to the desired size, which cannot be done with
certainty or accuracy, owing to the roughness and shrinkage of the metal, and that
a crimper provided with this glass crimping-disk will turn over or crimp the dry
paper shells of cartridges without any twisting strain thereon whatever, and will
operate with less friction than metallic crimpers, and, consequently, require less
power for its operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A crimper for cartridge-shells provided with a glass crimping disk, sub-
stantially as described.
2. A crimper for cartridge-shells provided with a holder having a recess or
chamber in its front end or face and a glass crimping-disk secured in said chamber,
substantially as described.
3. A crimper for cartridge-shells provided with a holder having a recess or
chamber in its front end or face, a layer of cement therein and a glass crimping-
disk seated or imbedded in said cement, substantially as described.
4. A. crimper for cartridge-shells provided with a holder having a recess or
chamber in its front end or face, a layer of cement therein and a glass crimping-
disk seated or imbedded in said cement and formed with a series of small ribs or
grooves on or in its rear surface, substantially as and for the purpose described.
5. A crimper for cartridge-shells provided with a holder having a recess or
chamber in its front end or face an inturned flange at its front end and a glass
crimping disk within said chamber, substantially as described.
6. A crimper for cartridge-shells provided with a holder having a recess or
chamber in its front end or face, a layer of cement therein, a glass crimping-disk
seated or imbedded in said cement and formed with a series of small ribs or grooves
on or in its rear surface and an inturned flange at its front end, substantially as
and for the purpose described.
7. A. crimper for cartridge-shells provided with a holder having a recess or
chamber in its front end or face, and inturned flange at its front end, a glass
crimping-disk within said chamber, an interiorly screw-threaded rear portion and
an exteriorily screw-threaded and removable shaft-head, substantially as described.
8. A crimper for cartridge-shells provided with a holder having a recess or
chamber in its front end or face, an inturned flange at its front end, a glass
crimping-disk within said chamber, an interiorly screw-threaded rear portion, an
exteriorly screw-threaded shaft-head and a rubber plate arranged intermediate of
the rear face of said glass disk and the front face of said shaft-head, substantially
as described.
9. A crimper for cartridge-shells provided with a holder having a recess or
chamber in its front end or face, an inturned flange at its front end, a glass
crimping-disk within said chamber, an interiorly screw-threaded rear portion, an
exteriorly screw-threaded shaft-head, a rubber plate arranged intermediate of the
rear face of said glass disk and the front face of said shaft-head, and an annular
channel formed in the inner surface of said holder, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
Dated this 21st 1 f L 1001
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.