Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
GEORGE ROUND, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Lock
Filer, and SAMUEL WHITFORD, of the same place, Die Sinker, send
grecting.
f
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
by Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of June, in the second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
únto us, the said George Round and Samuel Whitford, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said George
Round and Samuel Whitford, our exors, admiors, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said George Round and Samuel Whitford, our exors,
adiiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Inven-

page_text: tion of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GUN AND PISTOL
Locks;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we,
the said George Round and Samuel Whitford, or one of us, shall cause
a particular description of the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and imme-
diately 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 we, the
said George Round and Samuel Whitford, do hereby declare that the
nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to
be performed and carried into effect, is described and clearly shewn
in the Drawings hereunto- annexed, and the following description
thereof:
13:
Our certain improvements in the manufacture of gun and pistol
locks consist in the making the plates
the plates, hammers, sears, tumblers,
bridles, and jaws by means of stamps, dies, and presses, instead of, as
at present. is the case, simply by a handhammer, anvil, and a few
other tools. By which, improvements the two following advantages, are
obtained, first, that any number of the aforesaid limbs plates may be
made of exactly the same size and shape; whereas, by the usual
methods, of manufacturing them, it is with great difficulty-that any two
can be made exactly similar to each other; and this is not a merely
nominal advantage, as it is always a great desideratum among military
and sporting men to have all the plates and aforesaid limbs of exactly
the same size or shape, in order that if any one of those plates or limbs
should break, another may be fitted with as little difficulty as possible.
Secondly, the plates and limbs, which are made in this manner are
much more readily finished. The improvements by which these
advantages are obtained, and of which our Invention consists, are
effected in the following manner, as will be more clearly seen by
reference to the annexed Drawings.
4
it's

page_text: in manufacturing the plates. Figure 2, represents the top die for thie
same operation. These dies are set in a common stamp, large enough
to take a hammer of one-hundred and forty or one hundred and fifty
pounds weight, with rods of about eight feet. In Figure 2, A repre-
sents an impression made in the dic of the same shape and depth, but
about the one sixteenth of an inch broader and longer than the plate
which is required to be made; B, represents a hole made in the die,
deeper and wider than a hole sufficient to contain enough iron to form
the pan of the plate which is required; C, in Figure 2, represents the
-nib of the plate required. This impression should be of exactly the
same size as the nib in the plate required to be made. A piece of flat
iron is then taken, wide enough and thick enough to fill up all parts
of it when hammered under the stamp, and a piece of square iron,
sufficient to fill up the hole, B, and the nib C. These pieces are then
heated and welded together, then heated again, and laid on the die 'in
Figure 1; the top die, Figure 2, is let fall on it five or six times, until
every part in the impression A, is proper. The fraise is then cut off
by means of a pair of clipping tools fixed in a large press, and this first
operation is then complete. Instead of welding two pieces of iron
together, a bar of iron may be taken rolled into this shape
This bar would require no piece welded to it.
Figures 3, 4, and 5, represent the dies used in forming the pans in
a flint gun and pistol lock. In Figure 3, the part. of the surface of
the die D, is raised above the part F, a distance equal to the height
of the fence of the pan required.; E, represents an impression made on
the lower surfaces of the die F; exactly similar to the pan required.
The die in Figure 4, is exactly the same height as the lower surface in
the die in Figure 3, viz., E. C, is an impression made in the die,
exactly equal and similar to the nib of the lock required. The dies
in Figures 3, and 4, are placed in a stamp of about the same size
as the 'die before mentioned, at a distance from each other, so as

page_text: readily to admit of the plate put in edgeways when it has undergone
the first operation, the lump formed by the first operation being
placed exactly over the pan F. The dies are kept at this distance
by means of a piece of iron of the right thickness being placed
between the lower parts of the dies. Figure 5, represent the top
die for forming the pans. This die is so formed that the part R,
being placed on D, in Figures 3 and 4, the parts I and L, just meet
the parts F and H, and the lump J projects into the pan E, so as
to form what is called the bore of the pan; M, is a nick cut in this
die to admit the portion of the fence which projects above the rib.
This top die is fixed in the stamp, and one blow forms the pan.
The fraize is then cut off by a pair of clipping tools fixed in a press,
and the operation is then complete. The plate in this state should
either be shaken in what is called a rattling box, or some other
means adopted for forcing it from the scale which arises from these
operations.
Figures 6, and 7, represents the dies used in finishing the plates.
Figure 6, (the bottom die) has an impression made in it, N, exactly
similar and of the same size as the plate required, with studs left
projecting from the impression to mark the holes required in the plate.
O, represents a hole large enough to admit the pan formed in Figures
3, 4, and 5. This die is perfectly flat. Figure 7, (the top die) is
likewise flat, with the exception of a portion, P, being cut out the
depth and length of the nib of the lock. This die has no other impres-
sion whatever. The plate after the second operation being heated and
placed on the impression N, with the pan inserted into the hole O,
receives two blows in the same stamp as before. All the fraise being
then cut off and the plate again rattled, it is then heated warm red,
and again placed in these same dies and struck twice, which makes it
exceedingly smooth. The holes are then pierced in it by a small press,
and the piece in the pan to admit the seat of the hammer is cut out
by means of a more powerful press.
Figure 8, represents the bottom die for stamping the bridles. Q, is
the impression, exactly of the same size and shape as the bridle required;
the top die is perfectly flat. A piece of iron, nearly square, is heated

page_text: and laid across the bottom of the die from R, to S; and the top die,
fixed in a stamp hammer of about ninety pounds in weight, is let fall
on it once, which is all that is required. The fraise is chipped off, holes
pierced, and the bridle is complete.
:
Figure 9, represents the bottom die for stamping the jaw. T, is the
impression, exactly of the same size and shape as the jaw required; the
top die is perfectly flat. A piece of square iron is heated and laid across
the bottom die from U, to V; and the top die, fixed in a stamp hammer
of about ninety pounds weight, is let fall on it twice or three times until
the jaw is perfect. The fraise is clipped off, and hole pierced, and the
jaw, is complete.
:
Figure 10, represents the bottom die for stamping the scars. It is
the impression exactly of the same size and shape as the sear required,
with the exception that the nose of the sear is made much longer in
the impression Y, than is required in the finished scar; indeed, it is
better to cut the nose in the impression to the edge of the dic. X,
represents a hole made through the die to admit the shank of the scar;
the top piece is perfectly flat. A piece of square iron is drawn out at
the end to form the shank and turned up at right angles, and then
placed hot on the impression W. The top die, fixed in a stamp
hammer about ninety pounds weight, is then let fall on it, and at one
blow, the, sear is formed; the fraise is then chipped off, and the scar
is complete.
.. 1
Figure 11, represents the bottom die for stamping the tumblers. A,
is the impression, exactly of the same size and shape as the tumbler
required; B, represents a hole made quite through the die to receive
the axle of the tumbler. The crane of the tumbler c, like the nose of
the sear, should be cut to the edge of the die. A piece of square irón
is then tapered and rounded at the end, cut off from the bar, heated,
and the taper end inserted into the hole B. A flat top die, slightly
concaved just over the axle of the tumbler, being fixed in a stamp
hammer about one hundred and ten pounds weight, is let down on the
bottom die once. The top die being then taken out of the hammer,
another flat die is put into its place, with a round hole about a quarter
of. an inch deep and one eighth of an inch in diameter. This hole is

page_text: set exactly over the centre of the axle. The tumbler is heated again
and another blow given to it; it is then clipped, which finishes it. A
like contrivance to force both the sear and the tumbler out of the bottom
die is represented in Figure 12. D, is either the tumbler or sear die.
E, the hole in either of these dies. F, is a piece of bent iron which.
acts as a lever on the fulcrum G.
This lever being struck with a
hand hammer at the point H, forces the sear or tumbler out.
Figures 15, and 16, represent the dies for forming the seats, toes,
and tails of the hammers. A piece of square bar iron being heated.is
drawn out at the end into something like the shape of the face of the
hammer. It is then taken and laid on the bottom die, Figure 16, the
part of the bar intended for the face extending over the side of the die
at K. The top die, Figure 15,, fixed in a stamp hammer of about one
hundred and thirty pounds in weight, is so set that the lump L, projects
over the side of the bottom die at K, at a sufficient distance from it so
as to admit of the thickness of the face of the hammer between the two
dies. The top die being Ict fall three or four times on the bottom forces
the face of the hammer at right angles to the seal S, by means of the
projection L, and at the same time raises the toe in the impression O,
and forms the seat in the impression N. The hammer is then taken
at the same heat, and the face of it placed on the bottom die, represented
in Figure:13, fixed in another. stamp. The top die, Figure 17, is let
fall on it in a stamping hammer of about ninety pounds. weight, and
forms the face. The hanimer being clipped is finished...
Figure 18, merely gives a side view of the die in Figure 13.
We claim as our Invention the stamping of all limbs and plates in
percussion as well as in flint locks. The method of manufacturing
these is perfectly similar to what we have already described.
:
In witness whereof, we, the said George Round and Samuel
Whitford, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
second day of December, One thousand eight hundred and

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of
December, in the year of our Lord 1838, the aforesaid George Round
and Samuel Whitford 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.
Inrolled the Twenty-ninth lay of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.