Improvements in Forming and Polishing Tubes Made from Sheet Metal, Paper, Leather, or other Material.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 24th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 16th Nov., 1889
PROVIDIUNAL CIDCIFICATION,
Improvements in Forming and Polishing Tubes Made from Sheet
Metal, Paper, Leather, or other Material.
1, WILLIAM RIGHTER COMINGS, Mechanical Engineer, of 49 Fann Street, City of
London, County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This process consists in first chamferring, or bevelling, the lapping or abutting edges
of the material.
2nd. One or both of these edges are then coated with a suitable cement or solder.
3rd. The sheet material is then bent round a mandril of the proper diameter which
is then by suitable mechanism forced slowly through a heated die, which, acting by
combined pressure and heat, causes the lapped edges of the material to become firmly
cemented or welded together.
4th. After the mandril has forced the tube entirely through the die, its motion is
reversed by suitable mechanism, and it returns at a quick speed; while the tube
catching against a shoulder or suitable grippers at the back of the die, is stripped off
from the mandril & the process is recommenced. Or if it is desired to impart a high
polish to the tube, it is allowed to remain on the mandril till after the return stroke,
the high speed of which imparts the extra finish desired; or it may be carried back &
forward through the die any desired number of times, till the requisite surface has
been obtained, when the stripping mechanism is thrown into operation & it is removed
from the mandril.
The heat is applied to the whole of the die, or an intense jet may be used simply
at the point of lap, & if necessary the heated die may be supplemented by the action
of extra jets or sources of heat operating upon the lapped joint in advance of
the die.
The heat may be applied by steam, ordinary gas jets, blow pipes, or electricity.
For work which requires extra pressure upon the seam, a roller is arranged to act
in combination with the solid die, so as to impart a special & regulated pressure upon
this part of the tube.
In order to better adapt the machine for use in simply finishing & polishing tubes
that have already been made by some other process, the mandril is connected to
the carriage or crosshead of the machine by hinge joint & spring latch. With this
construction, by a sharp pull the mandril can be swung to one side so as to clear
the die, a tube is then slipped on and the mandril pushed back to its normal posi-
tion in central line with the die, when the spring-latch or other suitable mechanism
is arranged to lock & hold it fast during the operation of polishing.
In carrying out this process, machines can be constructed on several different
plans, but for ordinary & general work the one I prefer to employ is constructed
as follows,
To one end of a bed of suitable length 1 bolt a strong bracket, adapted to support
& hold one or more dies at right-angles the length of the bed. The other end of the
bed has secured to it a sliding carriage with a crosshead which is at right angles to
the bed & parallel with the die-holding bracket; this carriage has a strong nut
which connects it with a screw running lengthwise of the bed; this screw is driven
by two belts, one moving at slow speed, and the other crossed & running at quick
speed.
A rod with adjustable tappits & belt shifters is arranged so that it can be actel
upon by the sliding carriage and the belts shifted at will, so as to obtain any desired
stroke for the motion of the carriace

page_text: This carriage carries one or more mandrils hinged, so as to be swung outward or
locked automatically in lines central with the axes of their respective dies.
I prefer to have three different piaces for attaching the mandrils,-One for heavy
work, placed in the centre of the crosshead near the upper part, and one on each side
of & below the centre.
Suitable arrangements are attached to the machine for applying the kind and
intensity of heat required for the work.
Where fluxes or soldering liquids are required, they are fed automatically to the
joint at the proper place & time.
The operation is as follows, The mandril being stationary the sheet material is
bent round the mandril, the cemented or soldered edges lapped on to each other,
the machine is then started, and the friction of the material on the mandril carries
it through the die, while the heat & pressure causes the cement or solder to melt ;
and then unite firmly together. When the tube has been forced through the die, the
carriage acting upon the tappits of the sliding rod, shifts the belts & thus reversing
the motion & causing the carriage to return and strip the tube from the mandril.
For most work I prefer to have the return speed about double that of the forward,
but the two speeds may in some cases be made equal, or to bear any desired relation to
each other, according to the work.
For some materials solder or cement will not be required, the pressure & heat being
quite sufficient to unite the edges securely. For some classes of work, where there is
great pressure & friction, instead of making the die solid, I construct it of two or more
wheels, having peripheries shaped to conform with the mandril.
Instead of actuating the carriage by screw, the motion could of course be obtained
through a rack & pinion mechanism, as used in an ordinary planing machine. The
object of arranging the crosshead for carrying three mandrils is to better adapt it for
light & heavy work.
When the machine is operating upon heavy work, the mandril for this is attached
upon the centre of the crosshead.
For light work, two mandrils can be used, one on each side of the centre of the
crosshead, & they can be operated at same time by two workmen one on each side of
the machine, thus making two tubes at each stroke. As the mandrils are placed at
equal distances from the centre of the slide, the pressure on the slide is balanced & a
smooth regular motion obtained.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1888.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Forming and Polishing Tubes Made from Sheet
Metal, Paper, Leather, or other Material.
I, WILLIAM RIGHTER COMINGS, Mechanical Engineer, of 49 Fann Street, in the City
of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
This process consists in first chamferring or bevelling the lapping or abutting edges
of the material.
2nd. One or both of these edges are then coated with a suitable cement or solder.
3rd. The sheet material is then bent round a mandril of the proper diameter which
is then by suitable mechanism forced slowly through a heated die, which, acting by
combined pressure and heat, causes the lapped edges of the material to become firmly
cemented or welded together.
4th. After the mandril has forced the tube entirely through the die, its motion is
reversed by suitable mechanism, and it returns at a quick speed, while the tube catching
against a shoulder or suitable grippers at the back of the die, is stripped off from the

page_text: is desired to impart a mig pons
to the tube, it is allowed to remain on the mandril till after the return stroke, the
high speed of which imparts the extra finish desired; or it may be carried back and
forward through the die any desired number of times, till the requisite surface has
been obtained; when the stripping mechanism is thrown into operation and it is
removed from the mandril.
Heat is applied to the whole of the die, or an intense jet may be used simply at the
point of lap, and if necessary the heated die may be supplemented by the action of
extra jets or sources of heat operating upon the lapped joint in advance of
the die.
The heat may be applied by steam, ordinary gas jets, blow-pipes, or electricity.
For work which requires extra pressure upon the seam, a roller is arranged to act
in combination with the solid die, so as to impart a special and regulated pressure
upon this part of the tube.
In order to better adapt the machine for use in simply finishing and polishing tubes
that have already been made by some other process, the mandril is connected to the
carriage or crosshead of the machine by hinge joint and spring-latch. With this
construction, by a sharp pull the mandril can be swung to one side so as to clear the
die, a tube is then slipped on and the mandril pushed back to its normal position in
central line with the die, when the spring-latch or other suitable mechanism is arranged
to lock and hold it fast during the operation of polishing.
In carrying out this process, machines can be constructed on several different plans;
but for ordinary and general work the one I prefer to employ is constructed in the
following manner reference being made to the accompanying drawings which form
part of this specification and in which
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a three mandril machine.
Fig. 2 being a top or plan view of same.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line y y of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of
the arrow.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the dies.
Fig. 5 a top or plan view of same.
Fig. 6 an elevation on the line x x of Fig. 4 and
Fig. 7 represents a die formed of rolls.
To one end of a bed plate A which is of suitable length I bolt a strong bracket B
adapted to support and hold the dies at right angles to the length of the bed.
The other end of the bed carries a sliding carriage D with a crosshead which is
at right angles to the bed and parallel with the die holding bracket B; this carriage ])
has a strong nut d which connects it with a screw E running lengthwise of the bed;
this screw is driven by belts e e¹ one moving at slow speed, and the other crossed and
running at quick speed. The rod F carries adjustable tappets ff and belt shifters gg
and is arranged so that it will be acted upon by the projection d' of the sliding
carriage D and the belts shifted to reverse the screw E and consequently the direction
of travel of the carriage.
The carriage D is represented as carrying three mandrils G but any number may
be employed said mandrils are preferably loosely hinged as at h so as to be swung
outward or locked automatically by spring catches ii in lines central with the axes of
their respective dies accurate adjustment being obtained by set screws G¹ upon which
the bases of the mandrils rest.
I prefer to have three different places for attaching the mandrils-one for heavy
work, placed in the centre of the crosshead near the upper half, and one on each side
of and below the centre as shown. Any suitable arrangements may be attached to
the machine for applying the kind and intensity of heat required for the work.
Where fluxes or soldering liquids are required they may be fed automatically to the
joint at the proper place and time.
The operation of the machine is as follows. The mandrils G G being stationary the
sheet material which need not necessarily be bevelled is bent round them the edges to

page_text: be cemented or soldered are brought together and the machine started, and the friction
of the material on the mandrils carries it through the dies, while the heat and pressure
causes the cement or solder to melt, and then unite the edges firmly together. When
the tubes have been forced through the dies, the projection d' on the carriage, acting
upon the tappet 1 of the sliding rod F shifts said rod and through belt shifters g g
the belt e is shifted from the tight pulley onto the loose pulley while at the same:
time the belt e¹ running from the opposite direction is shifted from the loose pulley j² to
the tight pulley j. This movement is assisted by the action of the weighted lever M
pivoted at m and having a slotted connection at m¹ with arm 2 projecting from ro: F',
and by the balance or fly wheel O on screw E which is sufficiently heavy to carry the
parts over the dead centre and cause the belts to be completely shifted. The shifting
of the belts reverses the motion of the screw and consequently the direction of travel
of the carriage which returns to its first position the tubes being stripped from the
mandrils if desired by means of plates k k bolted to slides k¹ and consequently adjustable
for different sized mandrils or for different thicknesses of material and held to their
work by springs 1 1.
For most work I prefer to have the return speed about double or even triple that of
the forward, but the two speeds may in some cases be made equal, or may bear any
desired relation to each other, according to the work.
For some materials solder or cement will not be required, the pressure and heat
being quite sufficient to unite the edges securely. For some classes of work, where
there is great pressure and friction, instead of making the dies CC solid, I construct
them of two or more wheels or rollers N having peripheries shaped to conform with
the mandril as indicated in Fig. 7 and one of such rollers may be used in connection
with the die for imparting extra pressure to the seam as indicated in Fig. 6.
Instead of actuating the carriage D by screw E the motion could of course be
obtained through a rack and pinion mechanism, as used in an ordinary planing
machine. The object of arranging the crosshead for carrying three mandrils is to
better adapt it for either light or heavy work.
When the machine is operating upon heavy work, the mandril for this is attached
upon the centre of the crosshead.
For light work, two mandrils can be used, one on each side of the centre of the
crosshead, and they can be operated at same time by two workmen, one on each side
of the machine, thus making two tubes at each stroke. As the mandrils are placed at
equal distances from the centre of the slide the pressure on the slide is balanced and a
smooth regular motion obtained. It will be evident that the machine may be used for
the manufacture of box covers or bottoms as well as for the making of tubes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The process of forming and polishing tubes which consists in first placing the
material on a mandril having a reciprocating motion and then forcing it through a
suitable die with or without an additional pressure roller for the seam substantially as
set forth.
2nd. The process of forming and polishing tubes which consists in first placing the
material on a mandril having a reciprocating motion and then forcing it through a
suitable die with or without an additional pressure roller for the seam and then
automatically stripping it from the mandril substantially as set forth.
3rd. In apparatus for forming or polishing tubes or the like the combination of. a
carriage carrying one or more mandrils with means for imparting a reciprocating.
motion thereto and a bracket carrying dies corresponding with said mandril. and
adapted to polish the tube and strippers for stripping the tubes from said mandrils
substantially as described.
4th. In apparatus for forming or polishing tubes or the like the combination with
carriage D having projection d of a belt shifting rod F having adjustable stops ff¹

page_text: thereon whereby the direction of travel of said carriage is reversed at any desired point
substantially as set forth.
5th. In apparatus for forming or polishing tubes or the like the combination with
the carriage D of the mandrils & hinged thereto and adjustable in relation therewith
substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 24th day of September 1889.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Applicant's Agent.