IMPROVEMENTS MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC CARTRIDGE CASES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Jones, of Birmingham, in the County of
IN
Warwick, Machinist, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC CARTRIDGE CASES."
Sealed the 8th December 1871, and dated the 20th June 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Jones at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th June 1871.
I, EDWARD JONES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC CARTRIDGE
CASES," to be as follows :-
My Invention consists of the following improvements in machines for
contracting or producing the required neck at the open ends of
metallic cartridge-cases and giving the required taper to the cartridge
cases.
The said machines consist essentially of the following parts :—A
hollow tool or die having a horizontal reciprocating sliding motion com-

page_text: municated to it is situated and works in the axis of the machine, the
motion of the said tool being effected by a crank on the principal shaft of
the machine. The acting end of the said tool or die has the same
internal shape as that of the neck or contraction to be given to the
open end of the metallic cartridge case and the taper of the case.
The cartridge cases to be operated upon are fed by a feeder having a
reciprocating motion in a horizontal plane and at right angles to the
motion of the hollow tool described. The said feeder advances the cases
to be operated upon one at a time into the machine. The cases fed into
the machine are taken hold of by a pair of spring fingers on the long
end of a lever, the short end of the said lever being operated upon by a
cam which gives it the required motion. By means of the said lever
and spring fingers the cartridge cases are brought one at a time and are
supported in a line coincident with the axis of the hollow tool or die
before described, the open end of the cases being presented to the said
tool or die. By the advance of the said tool or die it passes or slides
on to the cartridge case, contracting the said end, and giving the case the
required figure. The head or closed end of the cartridge case is sup-
ported by a fixed adjustable stop. On the retiring of the hollow die.or
tool the shaped or necked cartridge case falls from the machine, a fixed
rod in the axis of the tool preventing the retiring tool bringing the
necked cartridge case with it. The feeder and the lever carrying the
spring fingers are actuated by secondary shafts which take their motion
from the principal shaft of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
JONES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Hèr
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
· and grant unto me, the said Edward Jones, Her special licence that I

page_text: the said Edward Jones, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Edward Jones, 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 Ircland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC CARTRIDGE CASES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Jones, my executors or administrators,
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 Edward Jones, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the following improvements in machines
for contracting or producing the required neck at the open ends of
metallic cartridge cases, and giving the required taper to the cartridge
cases.
The said machines consist essentially of the following parts:-A hollow
tool or die having a horizontal reciprocating sliding motion communi-
cated to it is situated and works in the axis of the machine, the motion
of the said tool being effected by a crank on the principal shaft of the
machine. The acting end of the said tool or die has the same internal
shape as that of the neck or contraction to be given to the open end of
the metallic cartridge casc and the taper of the case.
The cartridge cases to be operated upon are fed by a feeder having
a reciprocating motion in a horizontal plane and at right angles to the
motion of the hollow tool described. The said feeder advances the cases
to be operated upon one at a time into the machine. The cases fed into
the machine arc taken hold of by a pair of spring fingers on the long
end of a lever, the short end of the said lever being operated upon by a
cam which gives it the required motion. By means of the said lever
and spring fingers the cartridge cases are brought one at a time and

page_text: are supported in a line coincident with the axis of the hollow tool or
die before described, the open end of the cases being presented to the:
said tocl or die. By the advance of the said tool or die it passes or slides.
on to the cartridge case contracting the said end and giving the case
the required figure. The head or closed end of the cartridge case is
supported by a fixed adjustable stop. On the retiring of the hollow die
or tool the shaped or necked cartridge case falls from the machine, a
fixed rod in the axis of the tool preventing the retiring tool bringing
the necked cartridge case with it. The feeder and the lever carrying
the spring fingers are actuated by secondary shafts which take their
motion from the principal shaft of the machine.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan a machine for the manufacture of metallic
cartridge cases constructed and arranged according to my Invention;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same taken on the line A, A,
Figure 1; and Figures 3 and 4 are vertical transverse sections taken on
the line B, B, Figure 1. In Figures 1, 2, and 3 the machine. is repre-
sented in the act of shaping a cartridge case, and in Figure 4 a cartridge
case is represented in the act of being fed to the spring fingers of the
machine.
The other Figures represent parts of the machine and an unshaped
and shaped cartridge case. The same letters of reference indicate the
same parts in the several Figures of the Drawings.
case.
a is the hollow tool or die by which the shaping of the cartridge case
is effected, the said tool or die having the same internal shape as that
of the neck to be given to the open end of the case and the taper of the
The said hollow tool or die a is situated in the axis of the machine
and is carried by the horizontal sliding bolt 6 to which a reciprocating
motion is given by the crank c on the principal or driving shaft & of the
machine. The said sliding bolt works through the cross guides b², 6²,
on the bed of the machine; ff, are the spring fingers by which the
cartridge case to be shaped is lifted from the feeder and carried down
until its axis is coincident with that of the hollow tool or die a.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3 a cartridge case marked e is shown supported
by the spring fingers f, f, in the last-named position. The rising and
falling motions of the spring fingers are effected in the manner herein-

page_text: after explained; g is the adjustable stop by means of which the head of
the cartridge case e is supported during the shaping operation, the
depression or cap chamber in the head of the cartridge case engaging,
with or taking upon a peg on the end of the said stop g. The said
stop g is adjusted and fixed by the screws-h, h; i is a fixed rod capable
of adjustment for removing the necked or shaped cartridge case from
the shaping tool or die a. The said rod i is situated in the axis of the
tool or die a and its rear end is screwed and works in the screwed
bracket or upright k on the bed of the machine (see Figures 1 and 2)..
By turning the rod i in the screwed bracket & its position in the hollow
die or tool a may be adjusted.
The spring fingers f; f, are represented separately of the full size in
Figure 7, and their construction will be best understood by referring to
the said Figure 7 and also to Figures 8, 9, and 10. The said spring
fingers consist of two arms or blades turning on a common centre and
pressed together by a spring f2 (see Figure 9). The holding or claw
parts of the spring fingers have together a nearly rectangular Figure, a
cleft or opening being left between them at the bottom, the sides of the
said cleft being rounded.
By the construction described of the spring fingers f, f, their claws
are capable when depressed upon the cartridge case beneath them of
opening outwards and passing on to and closing upon and supporting
the cartridge case preparatory to the advance of the shaping tool or die a
and also of releasing themselves at the proper time from the cartridge
case as herein-after more fully explained. The said spring fingers f, fi
turn on the axis 7 carried by the plate m (shown separately of the full
size in Figure 8), the said plate being screwed by the screw and a
nut to the upper end of the actuating lever n, the said plate taking
into a slot in the said lever. The manner in which the plate m of the
spring fingers is connected to the end of the lever n will be understood
by an examination of Figures 9 and 10 which represent the end of the
lever n, plate m, and fingers f, f, of the full size. The said spring
fingers ff, are situated at one side of the machine and the feeder is
situated at the opposite side of the machine. The said feeder marked p,
q, r, feeds the cases one at a time to the spring fingers f,f. The said
feeder consists of a slide p having a reciprocating motion in a horizontal
plane and in a direction at right angles to the motion of the hollow
At the end of the said slidep is a depression q into
shaping tool a.
.

page_text: which a cartridge case falls from the inclined feeding box or trough ».
When the feeding slide phas made its return stroke the said depression q
comes beneath the open bottom end of the box or trough and a
cartridge caso falls through the said bottom into the depression q as
illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. By the advance of the feeding slide p
the cartridge case in it is carried under the spring fingers f, f, as
illustrated in Figure 4, which descend upon it and grip. it between
their claws. The spring fingers now rise with the cartridge case and
remove it from the feeding slide p which slide makes its return stroke
taking the position represented in Figure 3 and thus permits of the
descent of the spring fingers without obstruction. The spring fingers
with the case between them again descend and bring the cartridge case e
into a line coincident with the hollow tool or die a as represented in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, and support the case in that position, the open
end of the case being presented to the tool or die a. By the advance of
the tool or die a it passes or slides on to the cartridge case e contracting
its open end and giving the case the required taper figure. As the tool
or die a.advances upon the cartridge case the said case is pushed forward
a short distance and its head made to engage with the peg on the stop g.
As soon as the case e is thus supported at one end by the stop g, and
at the other end by the advancing die or tool a, the spring fingers ƒ,ƒ,
rise and by opening outwards release themselves from the cartridge
case which is now free for the shaping die or tool a to pass on to it.
In Figure 6 the die or tool a, case e, and stop g, are represented in
section of the full size, the said die being represented in the position
which it occupies after it has advanced upon and shaped the cartridgo
case e. After the die or tool a has shaped the cartridge case in the
manner illustrated in Figure 6 the said die or tool makes its return
stroke and the shaped case falls from the machine. As the, die or tool
a retires it is prevented from bringing with it the shaped cartridge case
by means of the fixed rod i in the axis of the said die or tool (sce
Figure 2).
The required motions are given to the lever » carrying the spring
fingers ff, by the side shafts upon which the said lever n is secured, the
said shaft s being worked by the principal shaft d; and the reciprocating
motion of the feeding slide p is effected by the arm ❝ on the side shaft
t worked by the principal shaft d. Each side shaft s, t, has a rocking
motion given to it. The motion of the shafts in one direction is given

page_text: to it by the cam on the shaft d, acting upon an arm w on the said side
shaft, and the return motion or motion in the opposite direction is given
to it by the spring herein-after mentioned.
A similar motion is given to the side shaft by the combined action
of the cam & on the shaft d acting on an army and a spring herein-
after mentioned.
A front elevation of the cam x, arm y, and portion of the shaft t is
represented in Figure 11. The arms w, y, of the shafts s, t, are pressed
into contact with the faces of the cams v, x, and. the return motions
given to the said side shafts by means of ribbon or coiled springs
situated in the boxes 1, 2, and coiled around the said shafts, one end of
each ribbon spring being secured to its shaft & or t, and the other end to
its fixed box 1 or 2. The boxes 1, 2, are fixed to the framing of the
machine in the manner shown in the plan Figure 1.
Figure 12 represents the cartridge case of the full size before it has
been operated upon by the machine, and Figure 13 represents the same
after it has been shaped by the machine.
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 the improvements in
machinery for contracting or necking metallic cartridge cases, and
giving the required taper to metallic cartridge cases herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to
say,―
Firstly. The construction and combination or arrangement of the
reciprocating hollow tool or die d, stop g, and removing rod i, and parts
for working and adjusting the same substantially as described and
illustrated.
Secondly. The combination of the parts of the feeder and the arrange-
ment of parts for actuating the same substantially as described and
illustrated.
Thirdly. The construction and combination of the parts of the spring
fingers and the arrangement of the parts for actuating the same sub-
stantially as described and illustrated.

page_text: Lastly. The general arrangement or combination of the parts referred
to in claims 1, 2, and 3.into a machine for necking and tapering metallic
cartridge cases.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Jones, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
EDWARD JONES. (L.S.)