IMPROVEMENTS IN ARPARATUS FOR MAKING CARTRIDGES."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lightwood, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Gun Implement Maker, for the Invention of
***IMPROVEMENTS IN ARPARATUS FOR MAKING CARTRIDGES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lightwood at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 22nd September 1873.
"I, WILLIAM LIGHTWOOD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Gun Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING CARTRIDGES,” to be
as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention refers more especially to apparatus for making
cartridges having permanent bases or back ends, the object being to
provide a hand machine or tool by which all the operations required
to produce the cartridges may be performed, so that any person having
the requisite materials, and the apparatus or machine, may make
cartridges or reload exploded cartridge shells when required.

page_text: The apparatus, which is made of metal, consists of a cylinder of
suitable guage divided centrally by a milled flange or collar; the one
half of the cylinder, hereinafter termed No. 1 cylinder, is employed for
rolling the paper to form the cartridge tube, and it has a reduced or
shouldered end terminating with a screw for receiving the reducer or
sizer, which consists of a cap shaped upon its inner circumference to
correspond with the shouldered end of No. 1 cylinder, so that when the
paper tube is rolled round the cylinder the reducer or sizer is fitted over
the end of No. 1 cylinder and screwed down on to the terminating
screw, which is suitably wormed or tapped through the end for such
purpose this operation compresses the end of the paper tube contained
between the counterpart shoulders, reducing such end and providing
a shoulder thereupon.
The reducer or sizer is also formed on the inside to turn or curl
inwards the edge of the shouldered end of the paper tube. No. 2
cylinder, or other half of the entire cylinder, is also shouldered at the
end in a similar manner to No. 1 cylinder, but instead of a screw
termination I form a square recess in the end, and below that, at a
further depth in the end, a female screw. The square recess is provided
to receive a square nut formed as part of the nipple or plug of the base
or back end of the cartridge, and this nipple or plug having been
placed in position into the square recess the paper tube removed from
No. 1 cylinder is slid on to No. 2 cylinder; the base or back end,
suitably tapped or wormed through, is then slid over the shaped or
reduced end of the paper tube, on No. 2 cylinder, and screwed down on
to the nipple screw, thus connecting the paper tube, back end, and
nipple or plug, and forming the cartridge shell. The next operation
is that of capping the shell, for which purpose a cap is applied to the
cap hole formed in the nipple of the back end and pressed upon a
capper raised in the centre of a circular sunk plate having a rim for
holding the flange of the back end in position during the capping
process; the circular sunk plate also forms the bottom of a cup for.
measuring the ammunition, and in the cup is a screw to secure it when
out of use into the female screw of No. 2 cylinder, before named.
The cartridge shell thus capped is removed from No. 2 cylinder for 3
loading, No. 2 cylinder being employed as the rammer, and the cup,
already described, becoming the measure.
To crease or turn over the unclosed end of the cartridge when loaded.

page_text: I again employ the reducer or sizer of No. 1 cylinder, sliding it upon
the open end of the cartridge, and turning the reducer or sizer round
and round sufficiently to curl over on to the top wad the edge of the
open end of the cartridge, and thus secure it; to effect this operation
the reducer or sizer has an annular sunk face to give the shape to the
crease or turn over, which is assisted by inserting two projections or
stops in the annular sunk face. This completes the cartridge, but as
it will sometimes happen that a cartridge so made may not accurately
fit the gun for which it is intended I form a regulator consisting of
an annular ring the size of the chamber of the gun, and having two
projecting arms tapped to screw upon the terminating screw of No. 1
cylinder when in use, and the cartridge being pressed down the annular
ring will become regulated to the bulk or size required. For the
purpose of recapping an exploded cartridge case in reloading it the
cylinder No. 1 is employed as the expeller plunger, the terminating
screw forcing out the cap.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Lightwood in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LIGHTWOOD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Inplement
Maker, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three,
in the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Lightwood, Her
special licence that I, the said William Lightwood, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Lightwood, 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
•

page_text: i
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING CARTRIDGES," upon
the condition (amongst otliers) that I, the said William Lightwood, 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 William Lightwood, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
This Invention refers more especially to apparatus for making
cartridges having permanent bases or back ends, the object being to
provide a hand machine or tool by which all the operations required to
produce the cartridges may be performed, so that any person having
the requisite materials, and the apparatus or machine, may make
cartridges or reload exploded cartridge shells when required.
The nature of my said Invention will be more readily understood by
referring to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon.
The apparatus, which is made of metal, consists of a cylinder, Fig. 1,
of suitable guage divided centrally by a.milled flange or collar (a), the
one half of the cylinder, herein-after termed No. 1 cylinder, is employed
for rolling the paper to form the cartridge tube, and it has a reduced
or shouldered end (b). terminating with a screw (c): for receiving the
reducer or sizer, Fig. 2, which consists of a cap (d) shaped upon its
inner circumference, as at (d¹), to correspond with the shouldered
end (b) of No. 1 cylinder, so that when the paper tube is rolled round
the cylinder the reducer or sizer, Fig. 2, is fitted over the end of No. 1
cylinder, and screwed down on to the terminating screw (c), the
reducer or sizer being suitably wormed or tapped through the end for
such purpose; this operation compresses the end of the paper tube
'contained between the counterpart shoulders, reducing such end and
providing a shoulder thereupon..

page_text: The reducer or sizer is also formed on the inside, as at (e), to turn or
curl inwards the edge of the shouldered end of the paper tube. No. 2
cylinder, or other half of the entire cylinder, is also shouldered at the
end as at (f), in a similar manner to No. 1 cylinder, but instead of a
screw termination I form a square recess (9) in the end, and below that,
at a further depth in the end, a female screw. The square recess (g):
is provided to receive a square nut formed as part of the nipple or plug,
of the base or back end of the cartridge, and this nipple or plug having
been placed in position into the square recess the paper tube. removed
O from No. 1 cylinder is slid on to No. 2 cylinder; the base or back end,
suitably tapped or wormed through, is then slid over the shaped or
reduced end of the paper tube on No. 2 cylinder and screwed down' on'
to the nipple screw, thus connecting the paper tube, back end, and
nipple or plug, and forming the cartridge shell. The next operation is
5 that of capping the shell, for which purpose a cap is applied to the
cap hole formed in the nipple of the back end and pressed upon a
capper (h), Fig. 3, raised in the centre of a circular sunk plate (2)
having a rim (2) for holding the flange of the back end in position
during the capping process; the circular sunk plate (i) also forms the
O bottom of a cup (k) for measuring the ammunition, and in the cup is
a screw. (7) to secure it when out of use into the female screw of No. 2
cylinder, before named. The cartridge shell thus capped is removed
from No. 2 cylinder for loading, No. 2 cylinder being employed as the
rammer, and the cup (k) already described becoming the measure...
.
5
.
To crease or turn over the unclosed end of the cartridge when loaded
I again employ the reducer or sizer, Fig. 2, of No. 1 cylinder, fitting
it over the open end of the cartridge, and thus secure it; to effect this
operation the reducer or sizer, Fig. 2, has an annular sunk face (m) to
give the shape to the crease or turn over, which is assisted by inserting
O two projections or stops (o) in the annular sunk face (m). This
completes the cartridge, but as it will sometimes happen that a cartridge
so made may not accurately fit the gun for which it is intended I form
a regulator, Figs. 4 and 5, consisting of an annular ring (p), the size of
the chamber of the gun, and having either two projecting arms tapped
5 to screw upon the terminating screw (c) of No. 1 cylinder when in use,
or formed, as shewn, with a nipple or needle box (7) on one side and
an extractor (s) upon the other side; the annular ring (p) having a
seating (p³), Fig. 5, to receive the back end or base of the cartridge

page_text: for expelling the old caps; (t) being a thumb piece and screw for
holding the back end or base whilst disconnecting the old paper tubes
therefrom, the cartridge being pressed down the annular ring (p) it
will become regulated to the bulk or size required.
For the purpose of recapping an exploded cartridge case in reloading
it the cylinder No. 1 is employed as the expeller plunger, and for
cartridges having back ends I employ a small stopper in the end of the
terminating screw (c) for forcing out the cap, but in the case of
ordinary cartridges I fix a needle therein.
The parts of the apparatus when not required for use are screwed -
and fitted together into one combined machine, and of a pocket size,
as shewn in Fig. 6.
Having thus described the object and nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, I claim,
without limiting myself to these precise details, the several "Im- 1
provements in Apparatus for Making Cartridges," substantially in
manner as herein more fully set forth and specified.
In witness whereof I, the said William Lightwood, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
2