IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF SMALL METALLIC CHAINS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, Gentleman, of Washington, in the
District of Columbia, United States of America, now of 87, King Street,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF SMALL METALLIC CHAINS."-A communication from Edwin H.
Perry, of Rhode Island, United States.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Haseltine at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th March 1859.
I, GEORGE HASELTINE, Gentleman, of Washington, in the District of
Columbia, United States of America, now of 37, King Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SMALL METALLIC CHAINS," to be as follows:-
Said improvements relate to a new description of small chains for watch
guards and other articles of jewelry, as well as to novel machinery, by which
the chain is constructed. The functions performed by this machine are cutting
the links of which the chain is composed from strips of metal, and forming
said links into chain without any intervening manipulations. The machine is
also self-feeding. The strips of metal of the required width and thickness
being presented to the machine, are drawn under the punch by rollers acting
at regular intervals, or other convenient device. The strip of metal being in

page_text: posetion between the punch and dic, the said punch descends and cuts the
required link.
The links, of which chains now manufactured by this machine are composed,
have a circular body with a central perforation, taking away a considerable
portion of the body and three irregular arms. The chain formed of these links
is novel in its character and appearance, and by a simple modification of the
forming parts, the same machine may be adapted to tho manufacture of all
required sizes of this new chain, and also to other styles of chain now in use.
The link having been cut passes through the die, lodges on the carrier, and is
transferred to a former, where the body of the link is struck into the required
form. Then, by a simple device, the link is thrown out of former, for the
purpose of being deposited in a position to be formed into a chain. Instead,
however, of throwing out the links & carrying them to the tube wherrin the
chain is formed, use may be made of a seperating former or die, in which to
strike up the links, the tube being situated immediately below. Then the
required form being given to a link, this die opens, and the link falls upon the
tube. The link having been deposited on the tube by either of these methods,
is retained in the proper position by a peculiar construction of the tube itself,
while, by means of slides or other similar device, the arms of the under link
are being bent over the link last deposited. Then the same operation is
repeated.
The forming tube rotates, and an adjustable contracting collar is made use
of for the purpose of keeping the chain in the required position while being
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 2
by the said George Haseltine, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, Gentleman, of Washington, in the District of Columbia, United
States of America, now of 37, King Street, in the City of London, send 30
grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto 3
me, the said George Haseltine Her special licence that I, the said George, i

page_text: Haseltine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said George Haseltine, 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 for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SMALL METALLIC CHAINS," (a communica-
tion from Edwin H. Perry, of Rhode Island, United States,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Haseltine, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their 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 I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 Improvements in the manufacture of small metallic chains, relate to the
construction of an improved kind of chain composed of domed or cup-shaped
links, the several operations being performed by means of a novel combination
and adaptation of mechanical devices. While the form of machinery described
is especially adapted for making this improved chain, it may be so modified as
to produce other styles of chain without essentially changing the character of
the Invention. These chains are made of sheet metal, and all the necessary
operations for constructing the chain may be performed by a single machine;
but the blanks may be cut out, and even struck up or domed before being
placed in the machine, these operations in themselves forming no part of my
improvements

page_text: a view of a complete chain composed of said links; chains made of sheet metal
have been united by turning over the arms of one link upon the body of the
next succeeding link, in such a manner that open spaces were left between
the arms of any two links, equal at least to double the thickness of the metal
used. In heavy chains especially, this is a great objection. To obviate this
objection, as well as incidentally to produce a more beautiful and flexiblo
chain, I make use of domed or cup-shaped links. The precese form given to
the domed link is immaterial, provided it is sufficiently dished to give stiffness
to the link, and to permit the arms of the under links being bent close to the
inside of the next succeeding link.
The pattern of the chain is determined by the form of the edge of the link
used. The advantages resulting from the use of domed links are especially
observable when the chain is composed of two-armed links, it being impossible
to construct a strong chain of such links by the methods heretofore employed.
Where the links are domed, and the arms of the under link are turned down
closely against the inside of the dome of the next, only two arms are required
to make a perfect chain. A, Figure 1, is the table to which the working
parts are fixed; B is the main shaft. The device for feeding is shown in
Figure 4, and when used in connection with the other parts of the machine, is
placed on the back side of it. As it is an ordinary feeding device, it is unne-
cessary to describe it, but it is fully shown in Figure 4.
When links are cut out by the machine, long strips of metal are prepared
of sufficient width to obtain a full sized link. These strips are inserted in tho
fingers a, between the guides b, b¹, Figure 1, into the nippers, Figure 4.
These nippers give the required intermittent movement to the metal. The
strips being in position, the punch C, moved by tho cam C', cuts the required
blank, and forces it through the die upon a carrier D, Figures 1 and 13. The
carrier D has a perforation of the form of the blank, the bottom of which is
covered by the movable plate d, which prevents the blanks passing through
the perforation. The punch C having risen, the carrier moves with the blank
towards the plunger E. In passing, the movable plate & comes in contact
with a perforated plate F, Figure 12, the tops of the plates F and d being on
the same level. This contact arrests the progress of the plate d, while the
carrier D moves on, sliding the blauk into the cavity f in the plate F, Figure 12.
The shape of this cavity corresponds to the form of the blank, said cavity
having a perforation through its centre of the shape of the completed chain.
In case the blank fails to pass from the carrier, the plunger E may be made
to descend and force the blank into the cavity f, and then return. The
carrier D returns and strikes the pin d', Figure 13, and brings the plate & in

page_text: posetion under the carrier. G, Figures 1 and 14, is a sliding bar, having
upon its face a die g, of the form of a domed link, and a perforation large
enough to admit the passage of the plunger E with the link around the end of
it. The plate G is so operated by a bell crank, connecting links 1, 1, 1, and
cam II, that h and gare alternately brought under the plunger E. The blank
being now in the cavity f, the carrier having returned, the die g is brought
under the plunger E, which descends and forces the body only of the link
through the cavity f, and domes or strikes it up in the die g, thereby
encircling the plunger E by the arms of the link. The plate F is made to
rise with the plunger E, by means of the arm F', pivoted at I, to prevent the
blanks falling off the plunger. The plunger E having risen with the link, the
aperture his brought under the plunger, which again descends, forcing
the link through h into the grasp of an upright spring tube, shown in
Figure 11, and there the link is left. Instead of the carrier D spring,
nippers may be used for conveying the links to the cavity f, and the same
device may be employed for removing the links from the die g to the spring
tube. But a simpler method of placing the link on the tube is shown in
Figure 21. This Figure represents a seperating die, and those parts of a chain
machine necessary to illustrate its operation. Figures 22 and 23 are views
of a divided and the guide in which it moves. The jointed connections
4, 4, 4, moved by the cam H, give the required motions to the die f². When
the sides f, f, of the die f, are in contact, the plunger E strikes up
or domes the link, and then the die seperating, the link falls down upon the
tube, followed by the plunger E. The die f² seperates any required distance,
and the halves are brought in contact after the plunger E rises. The same
object may be attained, though in a less perfect manner, by means of a die,
with an aperture to admit the passage of the plunger with the link directly to
the tube. While the link is coming to the tube, the latter is rotated,
by means of a pall, Figure 5, acting upon a ratchet wheel, Figure 9, attached
to the tube as shown in Figure 1, such a part of a circle as is necessary to
make the arms of each link interlock with those of the succeeding link. The
extent of rotation necessary depends on the number of arms on the links used.
The second link being deposited on the spring tube, the slides p, p, p, move
forward, and turn over the arms of the under link. If found desirable to bend
these arms more closely against the inside of the dome than can be done by
these slides, it may be done by a mandril or hammer striking the ends. The
slides p, p, p, receive a reciprocating motion through the cam L, Figure 1,
connections 8, 3, 3, and disk plate N, Figures 1 and 7, upon which they are
mounted. These slides pass through the apertures r, r, r, Figures 2 and 11.

page_text: The spring tube, Figure 11, consests of a simple piece of steel, similar
in appearance to those now used in making chains from sheet metal by hand.
It is hollow to admit the passage of the chain. Its upper end is conical, and
the apertures r, r, r, are cut about one half inch in length, and of sufficient
width to admit the free passage of the slides p, p, p. The tube is split down
about one inch and a half, s, s, s, Figure 11, and the end is brought to
a spring temper. A smple collar or ring O, Figure 11, is placed over
the end of the tube, and by pressing this down the flexible spring ends will be
brought closer together. This ring may be adjusted by means of a set screw.
By this construction of the tube the link is taken from the plunger E,
and firmly held while the arms are being bent over, and by varying the
firmness of the grasp of the tube, the chain is woven more or less compactly,
as may be desired.
Having thus fully specified my Invention, I wish it understood that I make
no claim to the manufacture of metallic chains by machinery, without
intervening manipulations; nor do I claim making ornamental chains without
solder, by turning over the arms of cach link upon the body of the next
succeeding link; but I claim,-
First, constructing by machinery metallic chains of domed or cup-shaped
link, by bending over the arms of each link against the inside of the dome of
the next succeeding link.
Second, I claim conveying the links, after they are domed, from the die to
the spring tube in the way specified.
Third, I claim grasping and holding the links, while they are being formed
into chain, by means of the spring tube, in combination with a contracting
collar, by which combination I am also enabled to weave the chain more or
less compactly.
Fourth, I claim bending over the arms of the links, while held by the spring
tube, by means of slides constructed and arranged as herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)