CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL METALLIC CHAINS, AND IN CERTAIN APPLIANCES FOR PRODUCING THE SAME.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Bancroft, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Press Tool Maker, and John Wood, also of Birmingham,
aforesaid, Machinist, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL METALLIC CHAINS, AND IN CERTAIN
APPLIANCES FOR PRODUCING THE SAME.
"
Sealed the 18th April 1871, and dated the 20th October 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Bancroft and
John Wood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 20th October 1870.
We, WALTER BANCROFT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Press Tool Maker, and JOHN WOOD, also of Birmingham, aforesaid,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL METALLIC CHAINS, AND
IN CERTAIN APPLIANCES FOR PRODUCING THE SAME," to be as follows (that
is to say):-
Our Invention has for its object the manufacturing of fancy watch,
neck, and other chains, of various shapes in transversed section, and

page_text: facilities for linking or uniting the parts together forming the chain;
and we will describe our improvements as relating to the manufacture
of a round snake like chain, which we produce from thin sheet metal
cut and pierced of a suitable size and shape, the radial distance of the
pierce holes from the centre being within the circumference of the
intended chain, and opposite the pierce holes (adopting by preference
four in number) we form radial projections, the form of the metal
from projection to projection being of any ornamental shape. Plates
of thin metal thus formed we place on a suitable receiver connected
with our improved apparatus, and by advancing the clipped plate over
a sunken cavity we cause a pressing tool to descend, forming the plate
into a cup like shape, with the projections standing vertically, which
we effect by lateral slides advancing centrally, so as to ensure the pro-
jections standing in right position to enter the pierce holes in the
following link, that in the process of making up the proportions of the
projections entering the slots will be bent inwards and flattened down.
on the bottom or interior of the plate or link first operated on, and at
the same time giving form by the descending tool and lateral slides to
the next link in rotation, and so on until a sufficient number of links are
united together to produce a chain of the desired length. The mode
of actuating the top punch or tool or lateral slides may be by an attendant
or by auxiliary power, in which case unskilled labour may be employed
simply for advancing the flat pieces or links to the tools for shaping and
linking together. Other shaped chain than round are produced in like
manner by the form of the plates, and links, and tools being modified
accordingly.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Walter Bancroft and John Wood in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 20th April 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WALTER
BANCROFT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Press Tool
Maker, and JOHN WOOD, also of Birmingham, aforesaid, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year of

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Walter Bancroft and John Wood, Her special
license that we, the said Walter Bancroft and John Wood, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Walter
Bancroft and John Wood, executors, administrators, or 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
ORNAMENTAL METALLIC CHAINS, AND IN CERTAIN APPLIANCES FOR PRODUCING THE
SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Walter
Bancroft and John Wood, by an instrument in writing under our 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 we, the said Walter Bancroft and John Wood,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
:-
Our Invention has for its object the manufacturing of fancy watch,
neck, and other chains, of various shapes in transverse section, and
facilities for linking or uniting the parts together forming the chain;
and we will describe our improvements as relating to the manufacture
of a round ornamental chain, which we produce from thin sheet metal
cut and pierced of a suitable size and shape, the radial distance of the
pierce holes from the centre being within the circumference of the
intended chain, and opposite the pierce holes (adopting by preference
four in number) we form radial projections, the form of the metal from
projection to projection being of any ornamental shape. Blanks of thin
metal thus formed we place in a suitable receiver connected with our
improved apparatus, which in working advances a blank over a sunken
cavity, over which it is pressed into a cup like shape by a descending
press tool, causing the projections of the blank to stand up vertically
in the right position to enter the pierce holes in the following or

page_text: succeeding blank, and this we effect by two lateral slides, that in the
process of making up the chain, the portions of the projections.entering
the slots will be bent inwards and flattened down over the blank or
link last advanced, by radial slides advancing towards the centre, while
by the continuation of the revolving motion of the main or cam shaft
the forming tool is made to descend and the radial slides to retire to
give space for the next link to be advanced in rotation, and so on until
a sufficient number of links are united together to produce a chain of
the desired length, or to be continued in long lengths for dividing up
as required. The mode of actuating the top punch or forming tool,
lateral slides, and other motions may be by a handle attendant to the
cam shaft, or by auxiliary power, and in all cases unskilled labour may
be employed simply for working or superintending the working of the
machine. Other shaped chains than round are produced in like manner
by the form of the blanks and tools being modified and set accordingly.
But with a view of avoiding multiplicity of design we will restrict
our description to one pattern in two sizes as exhibited in the Drawings
hereunto annexed, which we will proceed to describe. Fig. 1 repre-
senting the chain worked up from blanks as represented at Fig. 2,
which blank will be hereafter referred to in describing the apparatus;
Figs. 3 and 4 represent the same description of chain in larger

page_text: ·
stand marked A, the ends standing up at right angles from the base
provide bearings for the main shaft marked B which carries the various
cams, the shaft B is fitted with a ratchet and pall marked C at one
end to prevent the shaft B being turned in the wrong direction, while
the other end of the shaft is fitted with a hand wheel, marked D,
to which is attached the handle E, by which motion is given to the
apparatus, notwithstanding the shaft B may have fitted fast and loose
pulleys in place of the hand wheel and handle if it should be found
necessary to work such apparatus by auxiliary power, and in like
manner between the angular end projections of the stand A rocking,
shafts are placed and adjusted between set centres, the rocking shafts.
are two in number, one immediately below the other, the top one is
marked F, the bottom one partly seen in Figure 5 is marked G. The,
circle marked H in the top view and by the-same letter in the front
view Figure 5, represents a standard broken off for convenience of space,
which in use extends up sufficiently high to support the hopper or
receiver marked I for holding the blanks, which is also broken off for
convenience of space. This hopper or receiver is held freely at the top.
by a bent arm of the standard H, while at the bottom it passes through
a square orifice formed through the part marked J, which has no motion
in itself while the apparatus is at work. In Figure 6 we have broken
off the rock lever that gives motion to the heading tool to avoid con
fusion, but the lever in both views is marked with the same letter K,
the heading tool in this case is screwed through the end of the lever,
and set in position by a lock nut, notwithstanding for some patterns of
chains where the blanks have to be raised deep in form we purpose
causing the heading or, forming tool -to work perfectly vertical by the
action of the rocking lever instead of working in a curve as here shown.
Centrally between the ends of the bed a circular boss is fixed, partly
shown in Figure 5 marked M, for carrying the various tools and motions
constituting our improvements; in the centre of this boss a vertical
hollow concentric bed tool is fitted, shown in a side and sectional view
marked L in Figs. 7 and 8, the central orifice is slightly contracted by a
steel nose marked a, which nose is partly cut away on the one side
to give a bearing to the spring N, the part removed from the nose piece
permits the upper end of the spring to slightly project inwards over the
circumference of the orifice, the object of which will be hereafter referred
to. The bed tool L is made to rise and fall by a forked lever attached
to the lower rocking shaft G, which lever is partly represented. at

page_text: Figure 6, marked O, and detached at Fig. 9, the forked end being shown
in Figure 7, marked b, b. On the top of the circular boss M an annular
steel flat ring is placed, the boss projecting beyond its surface filling
up the inner cavity as seen in Figure 6, the annular ring being
marked P, P, and the central projection Q, Q. The part Q is divided
at right angles with grooves and slides, as at c, d, e, and f, one of which
is shown detached in side and edge views at Fig. 10, these slides extend
out and are held in radial expansion by coiled wire springs marked g, hi,
and j, h and i are partly seen in Figure 5, and parallel with the cam
shaft across the centre of the circular projections Q, Q, is another groove
the exact width of the blank to be worked up, such as exhibited in
Figure 2; working in this parallel groove is the feeding slide composed
of a thin blade of steel marked k that advances a blank from the
'hopper or receiver over the central orifice, which slide passes under
the part J held down by the strap or saddle B, and simultaneous with
the advancing of the blank to the centre the pointed holder is advanced,
the small end of which lies over the blank as it advances to its place
to prevent the blank rising, and these working parts we prefer covering
over by a plate, exhibited detached at Figure 6ª, in order to exclude all
dust or dirt from the slides and other motions. On each side of the
circular orifice are bits of hard steel, as exhibited detached at Fig. 11, the
edges of which are filed under, that as the blank is advanced the upper
edges of these parts shall overhang the blank and hold it down to be
operated on by the top or forming tool, these T pieces partly shown in
dotted lines are marked m, m. About a sixteenth of an inch below the
bed of the parallel groove last described a recess is formed a little wider
by preference than the parallel groove in which two slides work, the
outer ends of which are here seen marked n, n, and p, p, and which,
slides are shown detached in flat and edge views at Fig. 12; the object
of these partly invisible slides will be hereafter referred to. The slide k
for advancing the blank and the pointed holder requiring delicate and
positive adjustment (more particularly the former) as well as the
advancing of the partly invisible slides as exhibited at Figure 12, renders
it necessary that means for adjusting these parts should be readily effected,
and this we do by constructing the lateral sliding parts S and T in the
manner exhibited at Fig. 13, which is a longitudinal section of the
slide holder S, which has a vertical slot through it the width of the
thickness of the vertical screw q, and along the bottom of this slide holder
is a groove for receiving a thin piece of steel marked r, r, the inner end

page_text: of which being thickened up permits a recess to be formed for receiving
a projection formed at the end of the screw 8, 8, that by turning the
screw in or out the part r will be advanced or retired, the end of this
slider is so adjusted that when the slide holder S. is advanced with
the attendant parts in the process of working, the extreme end of the
part will be brought in contact with the outer end of the partly hidden
slide, shown separate at Figure 12 marked p, and advance it to its work;
this auxiliary adjustable slider is held in its place by the screw q, and
in like manner the slide holder T is constructed for adjusting the pointed
holder and operating on the partly hidden slide n. The general details
being described we will now put the several parts into action to perform
their various and distinct functions in the order of their necessary
working, first advancing the blank, cupping it, setting its points in
the exact vertical position for entering the pierce holes in the next
advanced blank, the bending in of the points that have passed through
the pierce holes of the last advanced blank ready for the descent
of the cupping or forming tool, and the adjusting of the points ready
for the reception of the next blank in rotation. To begin the order
of the operation of the apparatus. The main shaft B should be in
position in relation to the various cams projecting from the same as
indicated at Fig. 14, the line passing through the centre of the section
representing the datum of its starting point, the shaft being turned in the
direction of the arrow, lateral cams 1 and 2, which stand vertical behind
each other operate on the levers U and V, Figure 6, which advances a
blank from the one side and the pointed holder / on the other, and by the
simultaneous advancing of these slide holders S and T the adjusting slides
n, n, and p, p, and represented separate at Figure 12, as before stated, are
advanced to their work, cam number 3 comes into operation and places the
lever U in the position shown in the Drawing, thereby retiring the feed
slide k, and next cam 4 operates on the annular ring P by coming in con-
tact with the striking part W, advancing by the incline planes u and v
the slides d and f, and simultaneous with this the projecting cam 5
acts first laterally against the right hand side of the striking part V
to retire the pointed holder and passes on to perform its next operation,
before which cam 6 takes up its duty by coming around into the
position shown in the Drawings at Figures 5 and 6, for moving the
annular ring P in the reverse direction back to the extent of its throw,
which will bring the incline planes w and x in contact with the end
of the slides c and e to advance them to their work; as soon as this is
:

page_text: .
effected cam 5 depresses the lever X, by its direct eccentric action causing
the top rock shaft to slightly turn in the direction of the arrow, thereby
depressing the cupping or forming tool in connection with the lever K.
The next cam in rotation is formed by cutting a groove across the main
shaft to the extent indicated by dotted lines at Figure 14 marked 7,
and by its revolution just as the cam 5 has done its work the lever Y is
allowed to fall into the recess of the shaft, thereby slightly turning the
lower rock shaft downwards, causing the forked lever, shown and described
at Figure 9, to carry down the central bed, shown separate at Figures 7
and 8; these two levers X and Y have tension springs applied to their
back ends to hold the long ends in contact with the cams. Having now
made the revolution of the driving shaft we will imagine that cams 1
and 2 have been again brought into action, thereby advancing the blank
which has been permitted to drop from the receiver or hopper down
on the bed of the parallel groove, and has been carried forward by the
slide over the orifice or centre of the apparatus, and simultaneously
to advance the pointed holder over the said blank, number 3 cam has
now returned the slide S into the position shown in Figure 6, and has
passed around partially out of sight, and cam number 4 is brought
into operation first to operate on the lever V to take the slide holder T
to the right, carrying back the pointed holder 1, and following up a direct
action it depresses the lever X, thereby causing the descent of the cupping
or forming tool which takes the blank down and imparts to it the
desired shape, which cup with the continuous series formed into a
chain is held up by the spring before referred to, marked N, exhibited
at Figures 7 and 8, after which the said central bed tool retires or
falls by the action of the recessed cam 7, and the cupping or forming
tool rises at the same time; thereby leaving the centre free for the
advance of another blank in position underneath the pointed holder 1;
the advancing of the last blank and the pointed holder has brought
into action the invisible slides ? and n as before referred to, exhibited
detached at Figure 12, which has set the cup formed in position, that as
the same is being elevated by the action of the lever Y. its points will
thread through the pierce holes of the last advanced blank, when cam
number 4 operating on the annular plate P will advance the slides d
and for bending inward the points lying in their central motion, and
which slides retire as soon as they have performed their work by means
of the springs and i, when cam 6 reverses the annular plate and
operates on the radial slides c and e, performing the like operation, when

page_text: cam 5. will be brought in direct action to the extent of its throw on the
lever X, causing the descent of the cupping or forming tool, which not
only imparts form to the last blank advanced but planishes down the
four points operated on by the radial slides, and thus continuing the
operation the chain as each succeeding blank is applied descends through
the concentric hole in the central bed, as exhibited at Figure 8, to be
wound up or removed from the machine as desired. A piece of chain is
exhibited so descending from the central bed at Figure 5. At Fig. 15
we have shown a cup and blank in side and top views with the points
of the cup standing above the blank ready to be bent inwards, as
exhibited in side and top views at Fig. 16, drawn merely to show that
if we desire to make the chain of an angular form such as square,
rèctangular, triangular, or otherwise, two or three points could be
operated on, as well as the four points here represented, by simply
modifying the number of slides and inclines of the annular plate or
ring and timing the cams accordingly, as any workman skilled in such
mechanical operations will well understand.
Having now described our Invention, and the manner we have found
well calculated to give effect to the same, we will observe that the general
construction and details admit of considerable variation without departing
from the spirit and object of our Invention, as, for instance, chains of
any reasonable diameter from a sixteenth of an inch to an inch or more
may be made falmost with the same facility, and so by the design
or pattern of the chain, which may be greatly diversified, and by an
additional operation or operations to the blanks, both as to their flat
form and piercings, as well as the raising of slight projections on, or
depressions in the same, a desirable appearance would be imparted
to finished chains, either made of precious metals or alloys of metal,
according to the use or purpose for which such chains are or may be
required; but what we claim as of our Invention, and wish to protect
by these our in part recited Letters Patent is, the general mechanical
combination, herein described and exhibited, by which we are enabled to
manufacture with facility and exactness the descriptions of fancy chains
herein exhibited and more fully described, of various shapes and patterns,
the said chain being formed of pierced links cut from plain or ornamental
sheet metal linked and rivetted together as herein described by the
points of the cupped links passing through the pierce holes of the
succeding blank in the process of working, the said points being bent

page_text: inwards and flattened down centrally by the cupping or forming tool,
which imparts great strength, and centralizing the connection imparts
additional flexibility.
In witness whereof, we, the said Walter Bancroft and John Wood,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth day of
April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-one.
Witness,
JAMES S. COCKINGS,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
WALTER BANCROFT. (L.s.)
JOHN WOOD.
(L.S.)