IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR UNITING WOOD, METAL, CLOTH, LEATHER, AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Julian Bernard, of the Albany, Piccadilly, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FASTENINGS FOR UNITING WOOD, METAL, CLOTH, LEATHER, AND OTHER
MATERIALS."
Sealed the 17th July 1857, and dated the 3rd February 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Julian Bernard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
February 1857.
I, JULIAN BERNARD, of the Albany, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR UNITING WOOD, METAL, CLOTH, LEATHER, AND OTHER
MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of an improved fastening, which may be formed of
metal, wood, composition, or other material, by which the penetrating distance
of each end of the fastening is regulated, and the length which each separate
end is intended to penetrate the different parts to be joined or united. This
may be effected by forming a projection or division at any desired distance
between the ends of the fastening, or making such fastenings with shoulders, or
of different diameters at each end.
And it also consists of forming nails or similar fastenings with penetrating
ends, and pointed at both ends, whilst with or-without the projections described,

page_text: instead of being formed with leads as at present and it also consists of forming
barbs upon the nails or fastenings. running in contrary directions.
Such nails or fastenings may be produced either by forging or from sheet
metal or wire; if from wire, by passing the wire through a guiding aperture
in a piece of metal, in which is fixed a "die," so disposed and arranged
in relation to such aperture that the wire passes over or on the portion of
die "referred to; when in this position another corresponding portion of the
"die" is pressed or struck upon the wire, which will have the effect of
producing the projecting portion referred to, and pointing & cutting it to
the required length.
When produced from sheet metal, a strip of metal, on which I prefer to
have a raised or thickened part, which may be done by means of passing it
through rollers, of the required shape is passed through an aperture corre-
sponding with the picce of metal formed in a metal die, until it comes opposite
or under a die or plunger of the same shape as the fastening required, which
fastening is then struck or pressed on to the metal, when it will punch out the
required fastening; a corresponding opening with the punch being below the
metal, and tlirough which the fastenings fall or pass; the plunger being raised
and the metal moved forward, the operation may then be repeated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the, said, Julian Bernard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
..3rd August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULIAN
BERNARD, of the Albany, Piccadilly, in the County, of Middlesex, Gentleman,
send greeting. :
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did,, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the, said
Julian Bernard,. Her special license that I, the said, Julian Bernard, my
executors, administrators, and, assigns, or such others as I, tho said Julian
Bernard, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
yend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR

page_text: UNITING WOOD, METAL, CLOTH, LEATHER, AND OTHER MATERIALS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Julian Bernard, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and; in what manner the same was to be
perforined, 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 Julian Bernard, 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 accompanying Drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to an improved form of fastening suitable for
securing wood, leather, and other materials capable of being secured together
by nails or pins.
My improved fastening may be composed of metal, composition, or other
suitable material sufficiently hard and durable to penetrate the materials which
it is intended to secure or hold together.
:
The fastening is made with a point at each end, and is so' constructed that
each of the two parts: will only enter a certain regulated distance into the
materials to be joined or united.
I effect this by forming a projection or shoulder upon the fastening at any
desired distance: from the ends thereof, or by making the two parts of such
fastening of different diameters or widths, so as to leave a shoulder between
them. These fastenings may be produced either by forging or by cutting
them out of wire or sheet metal. When made from, wire, the wire is
passed. between a pair of rolls shaped in such a manner as to form the
projections or shoulders and points: When the fastenings are produced
from. sheet metal, I take a strip of metal of about the same width as the
length of fastening: to be produced, or rather wider, and I pass this strip
between a pair of rolls shaped in such a manner as to form a rib or pra
jection: either on one or both surfaces along, the entire length of the strip,
I.then pass the strip through an aperture of the same section as the strip,
such. aperture: being, made through a metal die, which has another aperture
made through it. in a plane at right angles to the first, and as the strip'
is passed in front of this last aperture or die hole a plunger or die is
made: to descend; and by being struck or pressed on to the strip it cuts or
punches out the desired fastening, the die and aperture being of. the same
shape as the fastening to be punched out. The fastening then falls through. a.

page_text: discharge opening made for that purpose under the die, and the strip is moved
forward again in readiness for the punching out of the next fastening.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now.
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed; the
same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of one form of fasten-
ing, having a penetrating point at each end, and a projection or head at or near
the middle between the points, such projection serving to regulate the depth
of penetration of each end of the fastening. Figure 2 is a modification of
the same, the depth of penetration of each. end of the fastening being regu-
lated by forming a shoulder between the points, the two ends of the fastening
being of different diameters or widths. In using these fastenings for securing
or uniting two pieces of material together, one of the points is pressed into one
piece as far as the projection or shoulder will admit, and 'the second piece is
then placed upon the other point and forced on to it until it reaches the pro-
jection, the two pieces being thus joined together without shewing any
fastening or nail head outside, as shewn in Figure 3, where two pieces of
wood are represented as being joined together in this manner. Figure 4
represents a partial section of a pair of rolls for making thin fastenings out of
a long length of wire. A are the rolls, which are grooved and formed with
slight notches in the groove to produce the heads on the fastenings, the points
being also formed by the pressure of the rolls, which are suitably shaped for
that purpose. a is the wire entering the rolls; and 6, the same wire leaving
the rolls, and formed into fastenings, which can be readily detached from each
other. Figure 5 represents a front view of a pair of rolls made with two sets
of grooves; the one A being for making the fastenings from wire, as just
'described, and the other groove B for rolling strips of metal with a rib on
'each surface, as shewn in section at Figure 6, preparatory to having the fasten-
ings punched out of it. Figure 7 is an end view of the rolls for shaping the
strips or strip of metal, a being represented as passing through the rolls.
Figure 8 represents a side elevation of the punching plate C, wherein the
fastenings (when made from sheet metal) are punched out; and Figure. 9 is a
plan of the same. The strip of metal with the rib rolled on each surface is
introduced into the correspondingly shaped hole in the side of the plate at c
and is pushed forward till it arrives under the die hole at d, this latter hole
'being of the same size and outline as the fastening to be produced. A die or
punch D, shewn in side and edge view in Figure 10, is now introduced into

page_text: the hole d and is forcibly struck or pressed down on to the strip, whereby the
desired fastening is punched out, and allowed to fall through the opening e
underneath the plates C. The face of the punch D has a small notch made
across it, as shewn in Figure 10, which notch fits over the rib on the upper
side of the strip of metal. I may here observe that I do not confine or
restrict myself to any particular mode of making or producing fastenings of the
descriptions herein before referred to, and that I have merely described by way
of example some out of several methods of making them.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of the said Invention; but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-the
peculiar constructions of fastenings, herein-before described, and illustrated
by my Drawings, for uniting or joining materials together.
In witness whereof, I, the said Julian Bernard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Third day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-seven.
JULIAN BERNARD. (L.S.)