IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOT AND IN APPARATUS 21 THEREFOR
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gerhard Lampen, of 21 Denmark Street, Gateshead on
Tyne, in the County of Durham, Shot Manufacturer, for an Invention of
'IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOT AND IN APPARATUS
21
THEREFOR
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gerhard Lampen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st June 1883.
GERHARD LAMPEN, of 21 Denmark Street, Gateshead-on-Tyne, in the County
of Durham, Shot Manufacturer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOT
AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
"
"
My invention relates to the manufacture of that class of shot commonly known
89 buck," "swan and "wild-fowl" shot. Shot of these sizes or description are
usually cast or made in moulds or forms.
In manufacturing such shot according to my improved method, I form the lead,
or other metal from which the shot are to be made, into rods of a diameter adapted
to the size of the shot required; such rods being by preference chilled or otherwise
hardened. By means of suitable apparatus, I cut the rods into short pieces; the
length of each piece corresponding approximately with its diameter. The pieces
of metal so cut are placed in a revolving mill or other apparatus adapted to grind
or reduce the said pieces from a cylindrical to a spherical or approximately spherical
form. By this process, I am enabled to produce shot of the character alluded to
possessing greater uniformity and with increased expedition and economy in
manufacture, as compared with any system hitherto employed with which I am
acquainted.
For cutting the rods into sections, a drum provided circumferentially with a
series of knives may be employed; the rods being brought into contact with the
said knives. Or the rod may be rotated in contact with fixed or moving knives.
Other methods of severing the rod may, however, be employed.
The mill or grinding apparatus consists of a hollow drum, the ends whereof are
closed and the periphery of which is furnished with internally projecting arms of
steel or other suitable material. The said drum is partially filled with the pieces
or pellets to be operated on, and is mounted axially in bearings through which a

page_text: shaft passes; the said shaft being provided with radial arms, so arranged as to
avoid the arms or projections already referred to as being mounted on the internal
surface of the drum. By means of pulleys attached to the drum and shaft
respectively, I cause these to revolve in opposite directions, whereupon the attrition
between the pellets and the surfaces of the drum and arms result; in effecting the
required modification in the form of the said pellets. The surfaces of the drum
and armis may be serrated or roughened, or hardened if preferred.
forms of apparatus for grinding or reducing the pieces or pellets may, however, be
devised.
Various
The lead or other rods may be rolled or drawn of uniform diameter; or, by
passing them through suitably shaped rolls, they may be indented at regular
intervals and produced in a form resembling a string of spherical beads slightly
flattened where laterally in contact with one another. It will be understood that
the reds so formed are cut at each indentation, or point of contact between two
adjacent beads; the pieces resulting thus closely corresponding in shape with that
required to be ultimately produced.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Gerhard Lampen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st December
1883.
GERHARD LAMPEN, of 21 Denmark Street, Gateshead-on-Tyne, in the County
of Durham, Shot Manufacturer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOT
AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
"
"
My invention relates to the manufacture of that class of shot commonly known
as "buck," "swan and "wild-fowl" shot. Shot of these sizes or description are
usually cast or made in moulds or forms.
"
In manufacturing such shot according to my improved method, I form the lead,
or other metal from which the shot are to be made, into rods of a diameter adapted
to the size of the shot required; such rods being by preference chilled or otherwise
hardened. By means of suitable apparatus, I cut the rods into short pieces, the
length of each piece corresponding approximately with its diameter. The pieces
of metal so cut are placed in a revolving mill, or other apparatus, adapted to grind
or reduce the said pieces from a cylindrical to a spherical or approximately spherical
form. By this process, I am enabled to produce shot of the character alluded to
possessing greater uniformity and with increased expedition and economy in
manufacture, as compared with any system hitherto employed with which I am
acquainted.
For cutting the rods into sections, a drum provided circumferentially with a
series of knives may be employed; the rods being brought into contact with the
said knives. Or the rod may be rotated in contact with fixed or moving knives.
Other methods of severing the rod may, however, be employed; one of which will
be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The Mill or grinding apparatus consists of a hollow drum the ends whereof are
closed and the periphery of which is furnished with internally projecting arms of
steel or other suitable material. The said drum is partially filled with the pieces
or pellets to be operated on, and is mounted axially in bearings through which a
shaft passes; the said shaft being provided with radial arms, so arranged as to
avoid the arms or projections alreally referred to as being mounted on the internal
surface of the drum. By means of pulleys, spur gear or equivalent means,
attached to the druin and shaft respectively, I cause these to revolve in opposite
directions; whereupon the attrition between the pellets and the surfaces of the
drum and arms results in effecting the required modification in the form of the
said pellets. The surfaces of the drum and arms may be serrated or roughened,
and hardened if preferred. Various other forms of apparatus for grinding or
reducing the pieres or pellets may however, be devised. For example two cylinders
may be employed, the one arranged inside the other; the pieces or pellets being
introduced into the annular space between the two. In this case, the operating
surfaces may be fluted, grooved, or of such other character as will produce the
required effect on the material under treatment.
The lead or other rods may be rolled or drawn of uniform diameter; or, by
passing them through suitably shaped rolls, they may be indented at regular
intervals and produced in a form resembling a string of spherical beads slightly
flattened where laterally in contact with one another. It will be understood that
the rods so formed are cut at each indentation or point of contact between two
adjacent beads; the pieces resulting thus closely corresponding in shape with that
required to be ultimately produced.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents in elevation a pair of grooved rolls of ordinary construction
adapted for rolling the lead, or other metal from which the shot are to be made,
into rods of various diameters, according to the size of the shot required. a, a
are rolls mounted in a frame b and geared together by means of the spur
wheels c. c.
Instead of the grooves in the rolls being semi-cylindrical, they may
consist of a succession of hemispherical concavities, as represented in Figure 1°.
The relative position of the rolls is so adjusted that the recesses in the respective
rolls face one another consecutively as the rolls revolve. By means of apparatus
to be hereafter described, these rods are cut into short pieces, or at each indentation
in the case of the beaded rods; the material is then conveyed to apparatus of the
character represented in Figure 2. This consists of a hollow druin d, the ends
whereof are closed and the periphery whereof is furnished with inwardly projecting
arms ff, and is rotated by means of the bevel wheel g attached to one of the closed
ends. The drum is traversed centrally by a shaft e which by preference is hollow
and is actuated by a bevel-wheel h. The bevil-wheels g and h gear with an
intermediate wheel i, with the effect that the drum d is caused to revolve in one
direction whilst the axis e carrying radial arms j. j. revolves in the opposite
direction. The drum d is partially filled with the pieces or pellets to be operated
on and is set in motion, whereupon the attrition between the pellets and the
surfaces of the drum d and of the arms f, j, results in reducing the pieces or
pellets to a spherical or approximately spherical shape. The drum is provided
with a sliding or other door in its periphery for the adinission and removal of the
charge; and its interior surface as well as the surfaces of the arms f, j, may be
serrated or roughened in order to produce the desired grinding effect. Although
I prefer the construction and arrangement of mill generally as described, it is
obvious that similar apparatus might be devised to work on a vertical or inclined
axis; and that the arms, instead of radiating from the axis and drum-periphery
respectively, might be mounted as to one set on a disc keyed on the shaft and as to
the other set on the inner face or faces of the drum-ends. One set may be
stationary, but I do not regard such a modification as advantageous.
The apparatus for cutting the metal rods into short lengths or pellets may be
variously constructed; but the mode I prefer is indicated in figures 3, 4 and 5,
of which figure 3 is a plan and Figures 4 and 5 are front and side elevations
respectively. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all these
figures. The metal rods k after leaving the rolls are laid side by side on a table 1,
above and beneath the surface level of which are arranged a pair of feed-rollers
mm which may if desired he geared together at n. These feed-rollers preferably
consist of or are covered with some semi-elastic material. The distance their
centres are apart may also be rendered adjustable to suit the different thicknesses
of rods operated on. The rods pass between the feed-rollers m, m³, and are
moved longitudinally forward, either intermittently or otherwise, so as to project
beyond the end of the feed-table and to present their extremities to the action of
a cutting knife or knives o attached to a revolving wheel p. This wheel is
mounted on a shaft q carried in bearings 2', p', and is actuated by means of a
strap pulley 2 or otherwise. To effect an intermittent feed for the rods k, I
rotate the feed-rollers m m' intermittently by means of mechanism of the following
description. On the shaft q carrying the cutter wheel p is fastened a disc r having
a cam-groove formed in its periphery. A roller mounted on the end of a hori-
zontally vibrating lever s engages with the cam-groove, whilst the other end of the
said lever s actuates a reciprocating bart mounted in bearings ', . The bart
carries a pawl u which acts in conjunction with a ratchet wheel -The latter is
secured upon the axis of the feed-roller m and imparts a rotative motion thereto-
The cam-groove in the disc is so formed and the disc itself so adjusted on the

page_text: shaft q that each longitudinal movement of the rods & takes place between the
several cutting operations of the knife or knives o, o. The operating portion of
the cam-groove will repeat itself as many times in the circumference of the disc r
as there are intervals between the knives o, o, upon the wheel p; it being under-
stood that a longitudinal novement of the rods follows each severing operation
of the knives o o. In order to vary or regulate the extent of feed to be imparted
to the rods in proportion to the thickness of the rods under treatment-or, in
the case of the beaded rod, in proportion to the distance between each indentation-
I mount the lever s on a movable pivot 8. By adjusting this pivot either towards
or away from the end of the lever a engaging with the cam-groove, the recipro-
cating movement of the bar t is increased or diminished and the degree of rotative
motion imparted to the feed-roller m correspondingly varied.
Having thus particularly described the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details described, as many of these may be varied
without departing from the principle of my invention; but I claim :-
1st The method of manufacturing shot by rolling the metal into rods, cutting these
into lengths corresponding with their diameters and subsequently reducing the
pieces to a spherical shape by attrition in a suitable mill.
2ndly. The use, in rolling rods for the purpose herein mentioned, of beaded rolls
substantially as described with reference to Figure 1.
3rd In the reduction to a spherical shape of bodies intended to be used as shot,
the use of a revolving drum furnished internally with arms and enclosing a series
of axially mounted arms revolving in an opposite direction, substantially as
described with reference to Figure 2.
4thly The use, for severing rods into short lengths for the purpose herein mentioned,
of cutting apparatus operating substantially as described with reference to
figures 3, 4 and 5.
In witness whereof I, the said Gerhard Lampen, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twenty ninth day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
GERHARD LAMPEN
(L.S.)