IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES TO BE USED IN MAKING MOULDS FOR CASTING NAILS."
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Shadrach Williams of Aston near Birmingham in the
County of Warwick Manager of Works for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES TO BE USED IN MAKING MOULDS FOR CASTING NAILS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Shadrach Williams at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd August 1882.
SHADRACH WILLIAMS of Aston near Birmingham in the County of Warwick,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES TO BE USED
Manager of Works
MOULDS FOR CASTING NAILS
"
IN MAKING
My invention consists of the construction and combination hereinafter described
of the parts of inachines for pricking or moulding the shank half of the mould,
which in combination with the head half of the mould is used for casting nails.
By the use of my invention the pricking or moulding of the shank half of tho
mould is effected with great facility, certainty and uniformity.
The construction and combination of the parts of a machine made according to
my invention are essentially as follows. On a fixed horizontal platform the half
mould is supported during the moulding operation. This platform is carried by
four uprights. The moulding platform is provided with a series of holes equal in
number to the nails to be cast in the mould and also with longitudinal and cross
ribs to form the "gets" in the half mould. Beneath the moulding platform is a
parallel horizontal plate capable of a rising and falling motion to and from the
said platform.
This rising and falling plate carries a series of prickers corresponding in position
and number with the holes in the moulding platform. The sliding pricker plate is
supported on four vertical racks sliding in guides in the uprights of the moulding
platform. Two parallel axes underneath the moulding platform carry at their ends
pinions which gear with the vertical racks. These pinions are geared together by
pinions of like size so that the whole of the pinions work simultaneously. On the axis
of one of the pinions is a winch or handle by which the pricker plate may be raised
or lowered. By moving the winch or handle through a greater or less angle, the

page_text: pricker plate is raised to a greater or less degree to prick nails of different lengths.
The winch or handle traverses a graduated plate provided with stops, against one
of which the winch or handle is brought so as to regulate its motion and
consequently the height to which the pricker plate is raised.
The pricker plate carries three or other number of guide rods which pass
through corresponding holes in the moulding platform and during the pricking or
moulding operation take into holes in the half mould box supported on the
platform so as thereby to secure the relative positions of the half mould box and
platform.
In using the machine the half mould box containing the sand is placed face
downwards upon the moulding platform, the guide rods projecting from the face
of the said platform, taking into holes in the said half mould box so as to fix its
position.
By moving the winch or handle described to the stop on the graduated plate
the pricker plate is raised towards the moulding platform and the several prickers
carried by it are made to pass through the holes in the moulding platform and
enter the sand in the half mould and prick therein the requisite impressions for
the formation of the stems or shanks of the nails to be cast. On depressing the
pricker plate, the prickers are withdrawn from the completed shank half of the
mould. The shank half of the mould thus made being placed upon the head half
mould the complete mould is ready for the casting operation. The head half of
the mould is formed in the ordinary or other convenient way.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Shadrach Williams in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th February 1883.
SHADRACH WILLIAMS of Aston near Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Manager of Works. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES TO BE USED IN MAKING
MOULDS FOR CASTING NAILS."
My invention consists of the construction and combination herein after described
of the parts of machines for pricking or moulding the shank half of the mould
which in combination with the head half of the mould is used for casting nails.
By the use of my invention the pricking or moulding of the shank half of the
mould is effected with great facility, certainty and uniformity. The construction
and combination of the parts of a machine made according to my invention are
essentially as follows:-On a fixed horizontal platform the half mould is supported
during the moulding operation. This platform is carried by four uprights. The
moulding platform is provided with a series of holes equal in number to the nails to
be cast in the mould and also with longitudinal and cross ribs to form the "gets" in
the half mould. Beneath the moulding platform is a parallel horizontal plate
capable of a rising and falling motion to and from the said platform. This rising
and falling plate carries a series of prickers corresponding in position and number
with the holes in the moulding platform. The sliding pricker plate is supported on
four vertical racks sliding in guides in the uprights of the moulding platform.
Two parallel axes underneath the moulding platform carry at their ends pinions
which gear with the vertical racks. These pinions are geared together by pinions
of like size so that the whole of the pinions work simultaneously. On the axis of
one of the pinions is a winch or handle by which the pricker plate may be raised or
lowered. By moving the winch or handle through a greater or less angle the
pricker plate is raised to a greater or less degree to prick nails of different lengths.
The winch or handle traverses a graduated plate provided with stops against one of
which the winch or handle is brought so as to regulate its motion and consequently
the height to which the pricker plate is raised
The pricker plate carries three or other number of guide rods which pass through
corresponding holes in the moulding platform and during the pricking or moulding
operation take into holes in the half mould box supported on the platform so as
thereby to secure the relative positions of the half mould box and platform.
In using the machine, the half mould box containing the sand is placed face
downwards upon the moulding platforin, the guide rods projecting from the face of
the said platform taking into holes in the said half mould box so as to fix its
position
By moving the winch or handle described to the stop on the graduated plate the
pricker plate is raised towards the moulding platform and the several prickers
carried by it are made to pass through the holes in the moulding platform and enter
the sand in the half mould and prick therein the requisite impressions for the
formation of the stems or shanks of the nails to be cast. On depressing the pricker
plate the prickers are withdrawn from the completed shank half of the mould. The
shank half of the mould thus made being placed upon the head half mould the
complete mould is ready for the casting operation. The head half of the mould is
formed in the ordinary or other convenient way.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent end elevations of a machine to be used in making
moulds for casting nails, the parts of the said machine being constructed arranged
and worked according to my invention.

page_text: Figure 3 is a side elevation of the machine and Figure 4 a plan of the same;
Figure 5 represents a plan of the machine with the half mould removed and
exhibits the moulding platform; Figure 6 represents a plan of the machine with
the moulding platform removed and exhibits the sliding pricker plate; Figure 7
represents in longitudinal vertical section the machine drawn to a larger scale and a
Figure 8 represents in side elevation the pricker plate detached drawn to the same
scale as Figure 7. The covering plate at the end of the machine carrying the
graduated scale and stop or peg (shown in Figure 2) is removed in Figure 1 to
exhibit the gearing pinions and racks.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawings.
a is the moulding platform made of metal supported upon the framing of the
machine. Upon the said platform a the half mould b is supported during the
moulding or pricking operation. The said half mould b is fixed in its place
vertically by the cross clamping bar c jointed to the upright d the said clamping
bar being held down upon the covering plate of the half mould by the hooked
The lateral motion of the half mould is prevented by the means herein-
after explained.
lever e.
The moulding platform a is provided with a series of holes equal to the number
of the nails to be cast in the mould and also with longitudinal and cross ribs to
form the "gets" or feeding channels in the half mould (see Figure 5); fis the
horizontal pricker plate situated and working beneath the fixed horizontal moulding
platform a. The said pricker plate f is capable of a rising and falling motion to
and from the moulding platform, the said motion being effected by the mechanism
hereinafter explained.
The pricker plate f carries a series of prickers g, g corresponding in position and
number with the holes in the moulding platform a. On the upper face of the
pricker plate fare three guide rods h, h, h which work in holes in the moulding
platform and on the rising of the pricker plate pass through eyes in the half mould
box and fix its position laterally; that is, the said guide rods and eyes prevent any
side motion in the half mould during the pricking operation.
The sliding pricker plate is supported and worked in the following manner.
Working in a guide in each of the four uprights i, i, i, i of the machine is a vertical
rack to the brackets or heads of the said racks the pricker plate f is bolted as
best seen in the enlarged sectional view Figure 7; 1 m are parallel axes carrying
at one end the pinions la m³ which gear with the pair of racks at one end of the
machine and the other ends of the axes l, m carry similar pinions 13 m³ (sec
Figure 4) which gear with the pair of racks at the opposite end of the machine.
The axes l, m carrying the pairs of pinions 12, 13 and m², m³ are geared together by
the parallel axes np carrying the intermediate pinions m³, m which pinions m³, m¹
gear together and respectively gear with the pinions 12, m² as best seen in the plan
Figure 4, where the racks and train of pinions and their axes are indicated in
dotted lines. On the axis n is a lever or handle 9 by moving which in one or
other direction the whole of the pinions are simultaneously worked and the racks
raised or lowered and with them the pricker plate f. A hanging weight n³ on one
end of the axis n balances the weight of the lever or handle q. By moving the
handle or lever g through a greater or less angle, the pricker plate f may be raised
to a greater or less degree to prick nails of different lengths. In the Drawings the
pricker plate is represented in its raised position and its prickers projected the
required distance into the half mould to produce inch and a half nails. In order
to accurately determine the height to which the pricker plate q shall be raised, a
graduated scale r is made on the end plate of the machine (see Figure 2) and a
pointer s is fixed on the axis n carrying the handle q for traversing the said scale.
As the handle q is raised a like motion is given to the pointer s and when it has
reached the graduation on the scale indicating the length of the nails being made,
the said handle is arrested. Or a series of holes u may be combined with the
graduated scale as represented in Figure 2 and a removeable peg or stop t be

page_text: placed in one of the said holes against which stop the handle or lever g is brought
when the pricker plate has been raised to the required height.
The machine is used in the following manner :-The half mould box b containing
the sand is placed face downwards upon the moulding platform a, the ends of the
guide rods h, h, h which project slightly above the face of the platform taking into
the eyes in the half mould box. The half mould box is then clamped by the
clamping bar c and levere to the moulding platform as represented in the Drawing.
By moving the lever or handle q to the required stop t on the graduated scale, or
to the proper graduation on the scale as indicated by the pointer s, the pricker
plate fis raised towards the fixed moulding platform a and the several prickers g, g
carried by it are made to pass through the holes in the moulding platform a and
enter the sand in the half mould b and prick therein the required impressions for
the formation of the stems or shanks of the nails to be cast as illustrated in the
Drawing. As the pricker plate rises the guide rods h, h, h pass through the eyes in
the half mould box for the purpose before described. By returning the lever
its normal position the pricker plate fis made to descend and the prickers g, g are
withdrawn from the completed shank half mould. After releasing the clamping
bar c the half mould b may be lifted from the moulding platform a and the
operations described repeated. The head half of the mould to be combined with
the shank half thus made is formed in the ordinary way and the complete mould is
ready for the casting operation.
to
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself
to the precise details herein described and illustrated as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my invention
But I claim as my invention of "Improvements in machines to be used in
making moulds for casting nails."-
"
First The combination in a machine for pricking or moulding the shank half
of the mould, of a perforated moulding platform having ribs to form the "gets'
(upon which platform the half mould is supported) with a rising and falling
pricker plate, the series of prickers of the said pricker plate passing through the
perforations in the moulding platform before they enter the half mould for effecting
the pricking operation substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly Supporting the rising and falling pricker plate of the said machine
upon four vertical racks sliding in guides in the uprights of the framing of the
machine substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings
Thirdly The combination with the said sliding vertical racks of the gearing
pinions and their axes and parts connected therewith for simultaneously giving a
rising or falling motion to the pricker plate and for regulating the height to which
the said pricker plate is raised for pricking nails of different lengths substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Shadrach Williams have hereunto set my hand
and seal this thirteenth day of February in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT
37 Temple Street
Birmingham.
SHADRACH WILLIAMS (L.S.)