IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL METALLIC CHAINS."
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Wolverson, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL METALLIC CHAINS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Wolverson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th March 1865.
I, EDWIN WOLVERSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL METALLIC CHAINS," to be
as follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in the
manufacture of ornamental chains from sheet metal without the use of solder,
the said improvements being especially applicable to the manufacture of
guard chains and albert chains, and chains for other articles of jewellery, but
are also applicable to the manufacture of chains for various other purposes.
I will first describe the general construction of a hollow cylindrical chain
made according to my Invention, and afterwards explain the way in which the
links of the chain are made, and are fastened together. Each of the links of
the chain consists of a short hollow cylinder or cup closed at one end, the sides
of the said cup having ornamental perforations in them, the perforations in
each link being situated in the finished chain in a line with one another.

page_text: Each link is fastened to that next above it by the upper ends of the sides of
the lower link being bent or closed upon the upper side of the bottom of the
link next above it.
In making a chain of the kind described I proceed as follows:-I cut out
at a press from sheet metal blanks having a somewhat cruciform shape, that
is, the said blanks consist of a central disc having four projecting equidistant
radial arms, the said disc and arms being in the same plane. The said arms
are forked, the forked part tapering down near to the junction of the arms with
the central part of the blank. By bending the arms of the blank into a plane
at right angles to the central part of the blank, a hollow cylindrical link closed
at one end is produced, the said closed end being made from the central part
of the blank, and the sides from the arms of the blank. By the bending
described the upper ends of the arms are brought close together, so as to
touch each other. In commencing to make a chain I take a link of the kind
described, and place in the forked parts of the arms or sides of the bent up
link one of the described blanks; the central part of the blank being situated
within the link, and the arms crossing the said link through or inside the
forks thereof, and extending beyond the said forks. By closing or bending
the upper ends of the arms of the link upon the top of the central part of the
blank, and raising the arms of the said blank into a plane at right angles to
the central part, another link is made and fastened to the preceding one, those
parts of the lower link which are closed upon the bottom of the upper link
being situated in the small ornamental spaces between the raised arms or
sides of the said upper link, and the raised arms or sides of the upper link
being situated between the spaces in the closed forks of the lower link. The
closed ends of the forks of the links are prevented from being drawn out of
the spaces, in which they are situated, by small swells or projections on the
inner sides of the extreme ends of the said forks, thus effectually preventing
the detachment of the links from one another. By taking other blanks the
requisite number of links can be formed and fastened together without solder,
and a hollow cylindrical chain thus produced, each of the links of the chain
being put on in the same line as the preceding one, and constituting a
complete portion of the chain. The links thus fastened together are capable
of motion both laterally and in the direction of the length of the chain, so as
to give to the said chain the necessary flexibility. By varying the shape of
the arms of the blanks internally and externally, chains of different ornamental
patterns may be produced. The central part of the blanks may be perforated,
and the ends of the arms closed around the ring thus produced, instead of
being closed upon the flat central part of the blank, as before described. In

page_text: this case the arms are made of greater length to permit their ends to be
folded around the central ring of the blank. Chains made according to the
last described way do not possess the same flexibility as chains made according
to that first described. Instead of using four arms in the blanks, two or
three arms, or more than four arms may be employed, the links being made
and fastened together in essentially the same manner as when blanks with
four arms are used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edwin Wolverson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWIN
WOLVERSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edwin Wolverson, Her special licence that I, the said Edwin Wolverson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Edwin Wolverson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "In-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL METALLIC CHAINS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edwin Wolverson, 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 Edwin Wolverson, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in the

page_text: manufacture of ornamental chains from sheet metal without the use of solder,
the said improvements being especially applicable to the manufacture of guard
chains, and albert chains, and chains for other articles of jewellery, but are
also applicable to the manufacture of chains for various other purposes.
I will first describe the general construction of a hollow cylindrical chain
made according to my Invention, and afterwards explain the way which the
links of the chain are made, and are fastened together. Each of the links of
the chain consists of a short hollow cylinder or cup closed at one end, the
sides of the said cup having ornamental perforations in them, the perforations
in each link being situated in the finished chain in a line with one another.
Each link is fastened to that next above it by the upper ends of the sides of
the lower link being bent or closed upon the upper side of the bottom of the
link next above it.
In making a chain of the kind described I proceed as follows:-I cut out
at a press from sheet metal blanks having a somewhat cruciform shape, that
is, the said blanks consist of a central disc having four projecting equidistant
radial arms, the said disc and arms being in the same plane, or in different
planes. The said arms are forked, the forked part tapering down near to the
junction of the arms with the central part of the blank. By bending the
arms of the blank into a plane at right angles to the central part of the blank,
a hollow cylindrical link closed at one end is produced, the said closed end
being made from the central part of the blank, and the sides from the arms
of the blank. By the bending described the upper ends of the arms are
brought close together so as to touch each other. In commencing to make
a chain I take a link of the kind described, and place in the forked parts of
the arms or sides of the bent up link one of the described blanks, the central
part of the blank being situated within the link, and the armis crossing the
said link through or inside the forks thereof, and extending beyond the said
forks. By closing or bending the upper ends of the arms of the link upon
the top of the central part of the blank, and raising the arms of the said
blank into a plane at right angles to the central part, another link is made and
fastened to the preceding one; those parts of the lower link which are closed
upon the bottom of the upper link being situated in the small ornamental
spaces between the raised arms or sides of the said upper link, and the raised
arms or sides of the upper link being situated between the spaces in the
closed forks of the lower link. The closed ends of the forks of the links are
prevented from being drawn out of the spaces, in which they are situated, by
small swells or projections on the inner sides of the extreme ends of the said
forks, thus effectually preventing the detachment of the links from one another.

page_text: By taking other blanks the, requisite number of links can be formed and
fastened together without solder, and a hollow cylindrical chain thus produced,
each of the links of the chain being put on in the same line as the preceding
one, and constituting a complete portion of the chain. The links thus fastened
together are capable of motion both laterally and in the direction of the length
of the chain, so as to give to the said chain the necessary flexibility. By varying
the shape of the arms of the blanks internally and externally, chains of
different ornamental patterns may be produced. The central parts of the
blanks may be perforated, and the ends of the arms closed around the ring
thus produced, instead of being closed upon the flat central part of the blank,
as before described. In this case the arms are made of greater length to
permit their ends to be folded around the central ring of the blank. Chains
made according to the last-described way do not possess the same flexibility
as chains made according to that first described. Instead of using four arms
in the blanks, two or three' arms, or more than four arms may be employed,
the links being made and fastened together in essentially the same manner as
when blanks with four arms are used.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation a link of an ornamental chain made
according to my Invention, and Figure 2 represents in plan and edge view
the blank from which the said link is made, the said blank being cut from
sheet metal at a press. The said link, Figure 1, consists of a short hollow
cylinder or cup closed at one end, and having ornamental perforations in its
sides, as represented. The blank, Figure 2, from which the said link is made,
consists of a central disc a, having four projecting equidistant radial arms b,
the said disc and arms being in the same plane. The said arms 6 are forked,
and the sides of the forked arms have the form represented. In order, how-
ever, to facilitate the fastening of the links together I prefer that the central
part and forked arms of the blank be in different planes, and that the forked
arms be curved or have a trough-like form, as represented in Figure 2 A.
By bending the arms 6 of the blank, Figure 2, at right angles to the central
disc a, the link, Figure 1, is produced, the sides of the adjacent arms 6 being
brought close together by the said bending.
In making a chain from blanks of the kind represented in Figure 2, I
proceed in the manner illustrated in Figures 3, 4, and 5, which Figures
represent a partly made chain, a blank c being represented in position for
bending into a link; Figure 3 represents a plau, and Figure 4 an elevation of

page_text: the partly made chain before the blank c has been bent up to form a link ;
and Figure 5 represents a plan of the chain after the link has been formed.
In commencing to make the chain, Figures 3, 4, and 5, I take a bent up
link, Figure 1, and place in the forked parts d of the raised arms 6 of the said
link a blank c, in the position represented in Figures 3 and 4, the central
part a being within the link, and the arms 6 crossing the said link through or
inside the parts d of the raised forks of the said link. The blank c, having the
position in the link represented, the upper ends e of the arms of the link are
closed or bent upon the top of the central part a of the blank, and the arms b
of the blank are bent or raised into a plane at right angles to the central part
of the said blank. The link is thus made and fastened to the preceding one.
Those parts of the link which are closed upon the central disc of the blank
about.to.be made into a link are marked e in Figure 5. It will be seen from
an examination of Figures 3, 4, and 5, that those parts of the lower link
which are closed upon that next above it are situated in the small ornamental
spaces (one of which is marked i in Figure 1) at the bottom of and between
the adjacent sides of the raised arms of the upper link, and that the raised
arms or sides of the upper link are situated between the spaces in the closed
forks of the lower link, the said parts having some motion in the said spaces.
The closed ends e of the forks of the links are prevented from being drawn
out of the spaces in which they are situated by small swells or projections on
the inner sides of the extreme ends of the said forks. In this way a chain of
the necessary length may be made without solder, each of the links being put
on in the same line as the preceding one, and each constituting a complete
portion of the chain. The links fastened together in the manner represented
in Figures 3, 4, and 5, are capable of motion both laterally and in the direc-
tion of the length of the chain, so as to give the said chain the necessary
flexibility. Figure 6 represents on a smaller scale a portion of a chain made
in the manner represented in Figures 3, 4, and 5. The closed end of the
bottom link serves to attach the loop and ring f of the chain to. By varying
the shape of the arms of the blanks in the manner represented in Figures 7, 9,
and 11, chains of different ornamental pattern may be produced. Figure 8
represents a portion of a chain made from blanks of the kind represented in
Figure 7. Figure 10 represents a portion of a chain made from blanks of the
kind represented in Figure 9; and Figure 12 represents a portion of a chain
made from blanks of the kind represented in Figure 11. Figure 13 represents
a blank having three forked arms; and Figure 14 represents a blank having
two forked arms. Figures 15 and 16 represent chains made from the blanks
Figures 13 and 14 respectively. The blanks Figures 13 and 14 are made up

page_text: into chains essentially in the manner herein-before described with respect to
blanks having four forked arms.
Instead of closing the extreme ends of the raised forked arms of the
links upon the central disc of the link next below it, as herein-before
described and illustrated in the Drawing, the central part of the disc may be
pierced out and the ends of the arms closed around the ring thus formed.
The blanks, Figure 11, for making the chain, Figure 12, are made in the
way last described, the central piercing in the blank being marked g. The
manner in which the ends of the arms h, are closed around the central ring g
of the raised link, will be readily understood by an examination of Figure 17,
which represents in section and plan, on a large scale, some of the links of the
chain, Figure 12, fastened together. Chains of the last described kind do
not possess the same flexibility as those made in the manner herein first
described.
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 represented in the
accompanying Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from
the nature of my Invention, but I claim as my Invention the improvements
in the manufacture of ornamental metallic chains without the use of solder,
herein-before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing, that is
to say, making the links of the chains from blanks provided with four or other
number of forked arms, the said blanks being made into links, and each of the
links put on in the same line as and fastened to the preceding one, substantially
in the manner herein-before described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Wolverson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
EDWIN WOLVERSON. (L.S.)