AN IMPROVED MODE OF MARKING METAL PLATES FOR RIVETTING OR BOLTING, AND THE APPLICATION OF A NEW MATERIAL AS A TEMPLATE FOR RECEIVING SUCH MARKS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Shaw, of Plaistow, Essex, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF MARKING METAL PLATES FOR RIVETTING OR
BOLTING, AND THE APPLICATION OF A NEW MATERIAL AS A TEMPLATE FOR
RECEIVING SUCH MARKS."
Sealed the 22nd May 1855, and dated the 23rd November 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Shaw at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd November 1854.
I, STEPHEN SHAW, of Plaistow, Essex, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF MARKING METAL PLATES FOR RIVETTING
OR BOLTING, AND THE APPLICATION OF A NEW MATERIAL AS A TEMPLATE FOR
RECEIVING SUCH MARKS," to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention consists of a mode of marking the position of
rivet holes in metal plates: this I effect by means of an improved "reverser."
which instrument resembles in appearance a pair of tongs, or a clip, having
between the upper and lower parts a flexible tongue or spring. The ends of
the clip or reverser are perforated. The hole in the upper jaw enables the work-
man to see when the ends are exactly over the spot where the hole is to be
punched in, the plate. In a hole made in the tongue or spring is placed a tin
cup or vessel, containing-a-small quantity-of-the marking-fluid. The lower part
of the cup terminates in a cylinder, which projects through the hole in the lower

page_text: jaw. When the jaws of the clip are brought together, the pressure of the
upper jaw forces the cylinder down upon the plate below, and causes a portion
of the marking fluid to flow down the inside of the cylinder (which is made
double for the purpose), and leave a mark or ring of colour upon the surface
below the "clip." This reverser may be used to mark the position of the rivet
holes upon the templates, as well as on the plates intended to be punched.
The second part of my Invention relates to the application of a new material
as a template to be used in the construction of iron ships. The material I use
for the purpose is a perforated substance; for example, a sheet of zinc, gutta
percha, or other suitable material, the area of which is perforated with holes.
The application of a perforated material as a template to be used in ship-
building is new.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Stephen Shaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd May 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STEPHEN
SHAW, of Plaistow, in the County of Essex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her, most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Stephen Shaw, Her special license that I, the said Stephen Shaw, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Stephen
Shaw, 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 of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF MARKING
METAL PLATES FOR RIVETTING OR BOLTING, AND THE APPLICATION OF A NEW
MATERIAL AS A TEMPLATE FOR RECEIVING SUCH MARKS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Stephen Shaw, by an instrument 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.
-

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Stephen Shaw, 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:
My Invention consists, firstly, of an improved reverser, for transferring the
marks made upon the templates used in building iron ships and other vessels
to the plates to be punched.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents a plan of one of my
reversers; Figure 2 is a side view; and Figure 3, an under side view of the
same. A; A', is a piece of iron, steel, or other suitable metal or material,, bent
at the part b, so as to form a sort of clip or nipper; at the part marked c the
metal is bent downward at an angle, as shown, to allow the spring F being
fitted, as hereafter described. d, d', du, are three pieces of metal, forming
supports or rests for the instrument. The end of the upper jaw is made wide
enough for an aperture three-quarters of an inch in diameter to be made
therein; but the size of the aperture must be regulated according to the size
of the holes required to be punched in the plates. Upon the upper side of the
jaw. A', two or more thin plates of metal e, e¹, are fastened by the screw e¹¹;
one of these plates has an aperture five-eighths of an inch in diameter made in
it, and the other plate has an aperture half an inch in diameter pierced in it.
Fis a thin piece of metal, secured by screws f¹, f¹¹, or otherwise fastened to the
handle. This spring has an aperture made at its outer end, similar to the one
in the upper jaw; in this hole is placed a small metal cylinder g, forming
a holder for the marking fluid; the holder is retained in the aperture by.
the metal plate h, which is fastened to the spring F by a screw h¹. Upon the
lower end of the holder g is fitted a cap g¹; this is perforated with holes, as
shown in the under side view, Figure 3; a small ring of metal g¹¹ is soldered to
the cap, so as to form a channel round the holes, through which the marking
fluid flows, when the spring F is depressed, and the cylinder g touches the
plate. A lever or trigger i is secured by a pin to the rest d", and its other end
fastened to the spring F. k is a guide in which the spring F moves. When
the reverser is used for marking upon plates the position of the rivet holes,
the template is laid upon the plate to be marked, and supported by pieces of
wood or other material, so as to allow the lower part of the reverser and the
spring F to pass freely between the under side of the template and the plate
to be marked;, the holder g is filled with the marking fluid, and the aperture,
or one of those in the plates e or e¹, (according to the size of the holes
required to be punched in the plate,) is brought over the mark-made-on-the-
template, the trigger i -is-pressed upwards by the fore-finger, which-depresses

page_text: the spring F, and causes the holder g to touch the plate below; the marking
fluid flows through the holes in the cap and round the channel, leaving a ring
of colour upon the plate. The cap g¹ of the holder g must be made to mark
the plate with a ring of colour corresponding to the size of the holes to .be
made in the plate; it is therefore necessary to have a series of these caps each
made with a channel, or pierced with a circle of 'holes agreeing in size with
those in the plates e, e', and upper jaw A'. By these means one reverser is
made to mark various sized holes, the number of plates e, e', being increased
as required.
Figure 4 represents a side view of a reverser, the construction of which is
somewhat different from the foregoing. In this modification, the spring.
carrying the holder m is fitted below the lower jaw, and the lever n is fastened
to it, so that when the trigger is raised by the workman's finger, it draws the
spring down, causing the holder m to touch the plate. The other parts of this
reverser are similar to that herein-before described.
The second part of my Invention has reference to improvements in the con-
struction of templates used in building iron ships and other vessels.
Figure 5 represents a plan of one of my improved templates. A, A', are two
bars or plates of metal, or other suitable material, secured together at the ends,
so as to leave a slot or space between them, as shewn by A"; B, B', are two
other bars or plates, secured in a similar manner to those marked A, A'; C is
the main cross bar, made in the form of a T square; D, D, are other cross bars
or "timber plates," which may be-adjusted-at-any-desired distances apart by
means of the nuts and screws E, E. The cross bars D, D, and T square C, are.
made of thin metal, and in some cases I use perforated metal for the cross
pieces, as shown by D¹. F is a metal cross bar, having slots f¹,f", cut in-it,
in which are fitted the adjusting markers or poppets g, g; these are made
of thin pieces of metal, having a slot cut in them, as shewn, and secured
to the bar F by nuts and screws h; to the ends of each of the markers g is
secured a piece of vulcanized india-rubber g, or gutta-percha, or other suitable-
material; by means of the adjusting screws, the markers g, g, may be brought
over any desired spot, and the rivet hole marked on the part 9", as shown by
the dotted lines. The cross bars of the template are placed at such distances
apart as to correspond with the position of the frames or ribs of the vessel, and
these cross bars are then marked with rings of colour corresponding to the
holes made in the frames or ribs; marks are also made upon the edge of the
template where the plate is to be rivetted to the adjoining plate, and when a
lower row of holes is to be marked on the template, a broad plate similar to A¹
is substituted for the one marked B. Each cross bar has a slot cut in the

page_text: upper part, by which the width of the template may be made to agree with
that of the plate to be rivetted on the vessel; or the slots may be dispensed
with, and the width adjusted by: screws e, e¹, which clip the sides of the cross
bar and retain it in its place.
Figure 6 represents another mode of constructing a template. I, K, are
bars or plates of metal or other suitable material; to these are fitted the
cross bars L, L, and T piece M, by which the distance of the bars I, K, may
be adjusted. The cross pieces N, N, are made of vulcanized india, gutta
percha, prepared canvass, or other suitable material. These cross pieces are
secured by hooks or other means to a strip of perforated metal.O, fastened
to each of the bars I, K; these cross pieces are placed to correspond with the
ribs or frames of the strip or other vessel, as before described, and upon them
are marked the position of the rivet, bolt, or other holes. P is a strip of
vulcanized india-rubber, or other suitable. material, upon which the horizontal
row or rows of holes are marked. Adjusting markers or poppets, may be
fitted to the holes or slots in the cross bars L, L, and T piece M, when
required, as shewn by Q, Q.
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Figure 7 represents an improved marker for readily marking the templates.
It consists of a metal tube R; to the lower part of which is fitted-a-cap
similar in construction to the caps of the colour holders, before described.
At the top of the tube R is fastened a hollow cap or ball S, of vulcanized
india-rubber or other flexible material, forming a reservoir for the marking
fluid. The marker is filled at the lower end with the marking fluid (the
cap being removed), and when in use the reservoir is slightly collapsed by
the pressure of the hand, which causes the fluid to flow from the lower end
and mark the template. This marker may be fitted with a series of caps, in
order to mark the templates with circles of colour of various sizes.
Figure 8 represents a marker for marking the plates where the marking
surfaces of the template are made of vulcanized india-rubber, gutta percha,
prepared canvas, or other suitable material. This marker consists of a tube T,
in which is placed a centre punch U; the diameter of the tube corresponds
with the marks on the template. The tube T is placed over the mark on
the template, and the point of the punch U is driven by a blow through the
vulcanized india-rubber or other material, which leaves a mark upon the plate
below, indicating the centre of the hole to be punched in the plate.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to
the precise form-and-arrangement of the different parts of the-reversers first
herein-before described, or to the particular form and arrangement of the

page_text: templates or markers herein described, as the details may be varied without
departing from the peculiar principles of the Invention; but what I claim,
and desire to secure by the herein-before in part recited recited Letters
Patent, is,-
Firstly, the construction and arrangement of the reversers, substantially as
described herein, and shewn by the Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying
Drawing.
Secondly, I.claim the construction and arrangement of the templates and
markers as described and shown, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Shaw, have hereunto set my mark
and seal, this Twenty-second day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the presence of
Witnesses to the mark of Stephen Shaw,
CHARLES BARLOW,
CHARLES JOHNS,
both of 89, Chancery Lane, London.
(L.S.)
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