Improvements in Machines for the Manufacture of Fish Hooks.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for the Manufacture of Fish Hooks.
I, WILLIAM BESTWICK MAXFIELD of No. 19 Bowling Green Street Leicester
in the County of Leicester, England, Patent Agent (being a communication to me
from Carl Wilhelm Haneback of Iserlohn in the Kingdom of Prussia, Germany,
Manufacturer) 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:-
This invention relates to a machine for the manufacture of fish hooks in which
the wire to be formed and shaped into a fish-hook is handled automatically and
continuously by the devices hereinafter described and illustrated in the drawings
annexed.
My invention consists of a machine comprising a feed-wheel for feeding singly
and successively into the machine the wire blanks, a stationary and a movable
guide, a cutter, a form bar and devices for holding the said blank in the various
positions to form the hook portion of a fish-hook, and also of means for producing
an eye on the fish-book. And further, the improvements hereinafter set forth and
pointed out in the claims.
My invention will be more fully understood taken in connection with the accom-
panying drawings forming part hereof and in which ;
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine.
Figure 1 is a top view of the same.
Figures 2 to 9 inclusive are views illustrating in detail the different steps for
making a fish-hook, as follows:-
Figure 2 represents the cutting in the barb and Figures 3 and 4 show in what
manner the barb is bent, while Figures 5 to 9 illustrate the formation of the eye :
Figures 10 to 20 represent the various excentrics and cams which impart proper
motion to the different devices for forming and constructing a fish-hook from a
wire blank and Figures 21 to 28A represent the different devices for carrying out
the various steps, represented in Figures 2 to 9 Sheet 2.
Within bearings of the bed 1 of the machine is mounted a main or driving
shaft 9 provided at one end with a fly-wheel 29 and at the other end with two
pulleys 30, by means of which the main shaft 9 is rotated in the direction of the
arrow, indicated by Figure 1 Sheet 1. At the bed 1 of the machine is fixed a
receptacle B Figures 1 and 2 for containing the wire blanks to be formed into
fish-hooks, and these blanks are of equal length and flattened at one of their ends.
The receptacle B is formed with bearings of a shaft 2, which is provided with a
fluted roller 3, while at the outer end of the said shaft 2, a feed wheel 4, is arranged,
adapted to be rotated intermittently by the spring-portion 5 of the lever E. This
lever E has its fulcrum at 6 in a standard 7 fixed at the bed 1. The other end of
the lever E, which may be adjustable is actuated by a projection 8' of a disc 8 on
the driving shaft 9, (Figures 10 and 19).
Thus the spring portion 5 of the lever acts upon the wheel 4, whereby a wire
blank is pushed out from the receptacle B and laid upon the V shaped recesses of
the forks A A2, which support the wire blank freely at the ends, as represented in
Figure 19 Sheet 2.
The fork A' is movable and is actuated in the manner hereinafter described,
while the fork A is stationary and fixed at the bed 1.
At the bed 1 is fixed a plate 10 having guides 11 for guiding the bent lever F,
which serves for advancing the wire blank (Figures 21 to 224), Sheet 3. This
lever F is connected at its rear end to a lever G, also bent and guided in a suitable
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page_text: mauner. The lever G is moved forwards by a cam 12 on the driving shaft 9
(Figure 11).
In order to retract the lever G after having passed the highest point of the
cam 12, a spring G¹ is provided for between the guide 13 and the front portion of
the lever G. In like manner a spring 14 may be arranged between the lever F
and lever G, which tends to press forwards the lever F.
When the cam 12 acts upon the lever G, the lever F is moved forwards, whereby
the wire blank pushed into a recess at the lower side of a lever C, as shown
in Figures 2, 3 and 4 Sheet 2. For holding fast the wire blank at the time the
barb is cut in, a lever C is fulcrummed at 16 upon a plate 15 (Fig. 14), the lever
being held in position by a set-screw 40 of a pressing lever D. This lever D is
pivoted at 39 in the standard 7 and is provided at the rear end with a roller 41,
acted upon by a cam 42 on the main shaft 9 (Figure 15, Sheet 2).
In order to release the wire blank when the pressing lever D is inoperative, the
lever C is provided at its rear end with a counter-weight C', so that the lever C
may swing about its pivot 16.
The movable fork A' extending through the bed is provided at its lower end
with a counter-weight 17, and connected to a lever O, which is fulcrummed beneath
the bed while the other end of this lever is operated by a cam 18 on the driving
shaft 9, Figure 13.
The movable fork A' being opposite to the stationary fork A, the front end of
the said lever O bears against the rounded portion 18' of the cam 18, whilst in the
other positions the lever O bears against the projection 18". The device for
cutting the barb, represented by Figure 23, Sheet 3, consists of a cutter H fixed
upon a slide I having suitable guides and moved forwards by a cam 19 (Figure 16,
Sheet 2), on the main shaft 9. The slide I is moved backwards by a hook-bar J
fixed thereon and adapted to be moved backwards by a cam 20 (Figure 12) on
the shaft 9. As long as the cam 19 advances the cutter H fixed at the slide I,
also the hook-bar J is moved forwards, the latter being operated by the cam 20
when the lower cam has finished its stroke. In Figure 1 the cam 20 is shown in its
highest position.
For bending over the fish-hook provided with the barb, a form-bar K (Figures 24
and 24, Sheet 4) is provided for, which is shaped to conform the size and contour
of the fish-hook to be manufactured. This form-bar is guided within the guides 21
fixed to the bed 1 and is connected at the end to a lever L. This lever is pivoted
at 28 and carries at its end the roller 22 (Figures 17 aud 17 Sheet 2) which is
acted upon by the cam 23 on the main shaft 9, whereby the form-bar K is moved
forwards.
For retracting the form-bar, it is connected to its rear-guide 21 by the spring M,
as shown in Figure 1.
By the operation of the lever L the form bar K is pushed over the fish-hook
provided with the bark (Figure 3 Sheet 2). In order to hold stationary the wire
blank against the pressure of the form bar, a lever N is pivoted at 24 within the
standard 26 (Figure 1) mounted on the bed 1, the lever N being fitted with a set-
screw 25. The free end of the lever N is operated intermittently by the cam
portion 231 Figure 17^ Sheet on the cam 23. The position of the lever N
shown in Figure 17, Sheet 2 corresponds with the backward movement j while
in moving forwards the roller 22 bears against the upper part of the cam 23.
"
For the purpose of drawing the wire blank. partially bent over the fore bar K
(Figure 4) after the retraction of the fork A' by its counter weight 17, within the
guides 27 of the bed 1 a bar P is adapted to slide "see Figures 26 and 264,
Sheet 5," so as to push the eye-end of the wire blank. between the recesses Q of an
adjustable plate 31 of the bed and between a pin X arranged in front of the
recess Q. In the working position the pin X is held stationary by a lever X
arranged beneath the bed and operated by a cam 43 (Figure 19) on the main
shaft 9.
The downward movement of the pin X is effected by the lever Z fulcrummed

page_text: beneath the bed and actuated by the cam-portion 23" of the cam 23. The forward
movement of the bar K is effected by a cam 35 on the driving shaft 9, while the
backward movement of the same is effected by the cam 36, attached to the-
adjustable hook 37 and to the hook 38 fixed beneath the bed of the machine, as-
shown in Figure 1, Sheet 1.
In order to be enabled to form the eye of the fish-hook the pin X must be held
stationary in front of the recess Q (Figure 5). For this purpose a movable.
pressing arm R is guided within suitable guides of the bed 1 and operated by a
lever W fulcrummed at 34. The lever W carries at one end a roller 32, which is
acted upon by the cam 33 (Figures 18 and 184) on the main shaft 9, whereby the
pressing arm R is moved forwards. For retreating the pressing arm R auto-
matically it is connected to its rear guide by means of the spring S.
For finishing the eye of the fish-hook a second pressing arm T is adapted to
slide within guides of the bed. This arm T is moved forwards by the lever U
pivoted at 44 and connected to a lever V, which is adapted to slide in the guides 45
and being operated by a cam 46 (Figure 20, Sheet 2) on the driving shaft 9.
the rear guide of the pressing arm T and to the hooked bar 47 a spring T¹ is
attached, so as to retract automatically the pressing arm T.
To
In front of the recess Q and the pin X an opening Y is formed, beneath which
a receptacle may be arranged, into which the completed fish-hook may fall.
The operation of the hereinbefore described machine is as follows: At first the
wire blanks to be formed into fish-hooks are fed to the receptacle B, from which
they are pushed out by a pressure from the lever E. This lever causes the toothed
wheel 4 to rotate one notch and force ar feed one wire blank into the forks or
The wire
guides A and A' at every one half revolution of the main shaft 9.
blank is then moved forward by the lever F, bar G and cam 12, so that the
flattened end thereof engages the recess in the lever C. The guide A' is now
moved downward by the counter weight 17, whereupon the cutter H mounted on
the slide I is advanced to cut the barb in the flattened end of the wire blank,
(Figure 2). The cutter H, lever F and bar G are then drawn into inoperative
position by their respective cams.
The form bar K, which corresponds with the size and contour of the fish-hook,
is now pushed by the lever L just above the wire blank and directly behind the
barb. The lever N operated by the same cam locks the blank in this position and
the fork A raised by the lever O causes the wire blank to receive its first bending
(Figure 3). The fork A' is hereupon withdrawn by the counter-weight 17 and
the folding bar or lever P, Figure 4, operated by the cam 35 folds or bends the
wire further around the form bar K, so that the straight part or end of the wire
engages the groove or recess Q and the movable pin X.
The lever W, operated by the cam 33 causes the arm R to press the wire firmly
against the block having the recess Q, as shown in Figure 5. The folding bar or
lever P now returns to its inoperative position, the lever N is caused to release the
wire and the spring M acts to withdraw the form bar K and lever L.
to
The lever which all this time has pressed upon and kept in position the lever
or matrix block C, is also released and the end of the lever C is elevated by the
counter weight C'. The pressure with which the lever W presses against the
arm R is now increased by the respective cam and causes the wire portion lying
across the recess Q to be pressed by means of the pin X into the said recess
form part of an eye for the fish-hook (Figure 6), whereupon the lever X holds
the wire by the pin X in position in the recess Q (Figure 7). The arm R with
lever W is now released and drawn back by the spring S, whereupon the arm T is
driven against the projecting part of the partly finished eye, by the lever U, bar V
and cam 46 to finish the said eye of the fish-hook (Figures 7 and 8). The bar T
with lever U and bar V are then released and drawn into inoperative position by
the spring T (Figure 1).
The lever X is also released and disengages the pin X, which latter is caused to
move in the direction of the bar R by the counter weight. The lever Z then

page_text: draws the pin X backward to strip off the finished hook and cause the latter to fall
through the opening Y into a collecting box, (Figure 9).
At the time the first position of the eye of the fish-hook is formed, a new wire blank
is fed by the feed wheel B into the machine, so that when the machine is in
operation two fish-hooks will be turned out at every complete revolution of the
main shaft 9 of the machine.
It is to be understood that instead of forming an eye a plate may be formed, if
desired. For this purpose it is but necessary to modify the portions forming the
eye of the fish-hook.
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 machine for manufacturing fish-hooks, characterized in that the wire blanks
of equal length and flattened at one end are fed to a receptacle B, from which they
are pushed out intermittently, whereupon they are fed to a cutter H for cutting
the barb, then partially bent by a form bar K and drawn by a bar P over the form
bar, then moved for forming the eye between a recess and a pin X hereupon
partly finished by a pressing arm R and finished by a second pressing arm T
whereupon the finished fish-hook falls through an opening X into a collecting box,
as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a machine characterized by Claim 1 a device for intermittently pushing out
the wire blanks from the receptacle B, consisting of a lever E operated by a cam 8
and provided with a spring portion 5, which intermittently acts upon a feed wheel 4,
whereby one wire blank is moved into the recesses of the forks, whereupon the
barb is cut into the blank, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a machine characterized by Claim 1 a device for cutting the barb, con-
sisting of a cutter H, mounted on a slide I, which is advanced by a cam 19 and
retracted by a cam 20 by means of a hooked bar J; the locking of the blank
while cutting the barb being effected by a weighted lever C, which during this
operation is depressed by a lever D operated by a cam 42, as and for the purpose
set forth.
4. In a machine characterized by Claim 1 a vice for bending the blank, con-
sisting of a form bar K actuated by a lever L, cam 23 and spring M and of lever N
actuated by a cam portion 23', the lever N locking the blank during the operation
of the form bar K, while the fork A¹ is raised and the blank is pushed over the
form-bar K by means of a lever P operated by cam 35 and spring 36, so as to
cause the straight part of the blank to engage a recess Q and a pin X, as and for
the purpose set forth.
5. In a machine characterized by Claim 1 a device for forming the eye of the
fish-hook, consisting of a pressing arm R, operated by lever W, cam 33 and
spring S; which arm presses the blank by means of the movable pin X completely
into the recess Q to form a part of the eye, whereupon arm R is drawn back,
while another pressing arm T, operated by lever U, rod V, cam 46 and spring Ti
is advanced, which arm T is driven against the projecting part of the partly
finished eye, to finish the eye, whereupon the finished fish-hook may fall through
the opening Y into a collecting box, as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 11th day of February 1893.
WILLIAM BESTWICK MAXFIELD,
19, Bowling Green Street, Leicester, Registered Patent Agent.