IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HORSESHOE NAILS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
HALL, of Bloomfield Iron Works, in the Parish of Tipton, in the County of
Stafford, Iron Master, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-fourth day of July, in the eighth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph
Hall, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said Joseph Hall, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said
Joseph Hall, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HORSESHOE NAILS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Joseph Hall, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be perforined, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Hall, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing 'hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
"
My Invention has for its object the making of horseshoe nails by
stamping them out of iron properly rolled for that purpose, combined with
the subsequent operation of annealing them, so as to remove the hardness
caused by cutting out the nails by means of dies. And in order that
my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, I
me. I cause iron of the
will proceed to describe the means pursued
proper quality for making horseshoe nails to be rolled into plates of any
desired width, so formed that the proper thickness for the head and the
tapering therefrom is attained by the rolling of the iron, as will be understood
by Figure 1, where a section and plan of part of a plate of iron properly
And. I wish it to be understood that
rolled for such purpose is shown.
separately I claim no novelty in making iron into this form for horseshoe
nails, it having been proposed to do so before; and it has also been before
proposed to cut, by means of suitable dies, the nails from such surfaces of iron,
as shown by the red dotted lines, and I therefore make. no claim to the so
cutting by dies; but having prepared suitably rolled iron, whether of the
shape shown or otherwise, with the proper thickness for the head, and tapering
therefrom to the point of the nail; I cut, by means of suitable dies, the iron
into as many nails as it will allow of; and I find, by such cutting by dies, the
iron is so hardened that it is. not fit for use as horseshoe nails; and I believe
that such means of making horseshoe nails from that cause has. not come into
general use.
Now my Invention consists of combining with the means above described
the process of annealing, by which I render the nails in a. proper condition
for the blacksmith to use, and he can hammer. and prepare them by
sharpening the point thereby as usual. This process of annealing I. propose
to accomplish by placing a large number together in any suitable annealing
pot, and place the same in a muffle or any suitable furnace, and make, the
nails a bright red heat, and then allow the nails to cool gradually.; I would
remark, that if there be any roughness on the sides of the nails by the cutting
of the dies, then the same is removed by placing the nails with or without any
ingredients in a cylinder, and cause the same- to revolve, as is well understood
when performing like operations. In some cases, in rolling the iron. suitable
for making horseshoe nails, I cause one of the rollers to be so formed that.the
proper shape of the horseshoe nail desired to be made shall be sunk in the

page_text: surface of the roller, so that the iron produced by such rollers will. offer the
appearance of a series of nails in relief, combined together on a thin plate of
iron, which alone will have to be cut through by the dics, which arrangement
will not only reduce the power necessary for cutting out the nails by the dies
used, but will at the same time save iron, the iron between the nails being
reduced to the thinnest degree practicable. In cutting out metal to a point
suitable for making horseshoe nails from iron properly rolled. for the purpose,
I have found that the cutting die is very liable. to be injured at the.end where
it forms the point, owing to that being the narrowest part of the dic. I have
therefore formed my cutting dies or punch, and also the bed die, in such
manner that the part of the punch or upper die where the point of the nail is
cut may be strengthened; for this purpose I increase the length of the cutting
die by forming a cylindrical or other shaped enlargement.
Figure 2 shews a punch or die suitable, the cutting portion thereof being
from a to b; and c is an enlarged end, which gives strength to the punch or
die, and the lower or bed die will have a corresponding hole formed to admit
of the enlargement c passing into the lower die. The metal to be cut being
first divided into the length of a nail is placed over the lower or bed die, so
that the thinner end thereof does not come beyond where the point b of the
cutting die will come when it descends, by which the nail will be cut; the
part of the die near will be strengthened, and not so liable to turn from its
work in consequence of the addition c as shewn.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,-
First, the mode of manufacturing horseshoe nails by annealing nails cut by
lies from suitably rolled iron, as herein described; and,
Secondly, I claim the employing of cutting dies with strengthening pieces
c, at the parts which cut the points of horseshoe nails, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Hall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
Signed, sealed, and delivered, by the
within-named Joseph Hall, in the
DECOD
of
JOSEPH (L.S.) HALL.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-sixth day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid Joseph Hall came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eighth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.