Improved Process for Manufacturing Buttons and Decorative Nails for Upholstery Work.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application. 11th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th June, 1894-Accepted, 7th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Process for Manufacturing Buttons and Decorative Nails
for Upholstery Work.
I, LATIMER BELLARS NOTT FINCH, of James Street, The Barton, Bristol,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved process for making metal-faced buttons and
fancy headed nails for upholstery work, on which ornamental designs may be
stamped or embossed.
My invention consists in making the base or body of the button or nail-head of
some firm but plastic material, such as leather, mill-board, or similar composition,
and covering the base with a thin metal casing, which after being clipped tightly
at the edge, is stamped with any suitable die, the plastic nature of the base enabling
the face of the metal to receive and retain the impression made thereon by the die;
a wire nail is inserted in the base when fancy nails are required, and an ordinary
wire shank when the heads are required for use as buttons.
" .:
A suitable manner of putting my invention into operation is as follows: A sheet
of leather-board or the like is cut into strips of suitable width, and when the
ornamental nails are required, a number of small headed wire nails are inserted in
the strips at such intervals that in cutting or punching, there shall be as little waste
of material as possible; the strips are then put under punches, the nails forming
centres, the strips are cut into circular discs, with a nail exactly in the centre of
each; a cap or casing of copper or other suitable metal is then put over the disc,
and the edge of the casing made to enclose the disc and compress it tightly within
the casing by the action of an ordinary m. and f. die, leaving the greater part of the
nail projecting through the disc; the head is then put under another die in which
an ornamental pattern has been cut, and by stamping, the pattern is embossed on
the head; after this, the face may be polished or otherwise treated with oxidising
or colouring matter, to add greater variety of ornamentation: the nail is then ready
for use, and may be driven into wood or similar material, the leather board disc
being so tightly compressed by stamping and embossing, that blows from an
ordinary hammer will not destroy the ornamental appearance.
:
In the manufacture of buttons, the strip of leather or leather board is prepared
as already described, but instead of a nail being inserted, an elongated slot is made,
in which a piece of wire bent and doubled in the middle, and then bent again to
form a T piece, is inserted in the slot, the upper part of the T resting on the disc,
and the doubled part going through, the process of making the button is then
similar to that described for nails, except that at the finish, the doubled part of
the wire is opened to form a loop or shank, and set to the proper shape for use in
attachment.
For stronger buttons, such as those used for leather leggings, the casing will be
made of stouter material, and the leather or board discs be made thicker, or two
discs may be used, one smaller than the other, by which the button can be more
easily pressed into the globular shape usually adopted for legging buttons.
Dated 9th day of September 1893.
J. G. WESTLAKE,
Applicant's Agent.

page_text: manufacturing Buttons and Decorative Na118
for Upholstery Work.
I, LATIMER BELLARS NOTT FINCH, of James' Street, The Barton, Bristol,
Manufacturer 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 :-
My invention relates to a new or improved process for making metal covered
buttons and nails for upholstery work, on which plain or ornamental designs may
be stamped or embossed.
"
This invention consists in making the base or body of the button or nail-head of
some firm yet compressible material, such as leather, mill-board, leather-board or
similar composition, and covering the base with a thin metal shell or casing, which
is put over one face and the edge of the base, and then tightly gripped and
stamped with any suitable device, a nail or shank having been inserted in the base
as hereinafter described, according to whether a nail or button is to be made.
A suitable manner of carrying this invention into effect is described and shown in.
connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which all the figures are
enlarged, to show the details more clearly.
Sheets of leather board or the like are cut into strips of suitable width, according
to the size of the nails or buttons to be made; for. the manufacture of nails, a
number of ordinary nails are driven into the strips at the required distance apart,
as shewn in sectional elevation and plan in Figs. 1 and 2, the dotted circles in.
Fig. 2 (and also in Figs. 5 and 6,) showing where the punch is intended to operate:
and cut the strips into discs, the nails being placed in holes in the die plates to:
ensure the nail being exactly in the middle of the disc when punched; for the
manufacture of buttons, instead of first cutting a slot in the disc and then inserting:
a bent shaped piece of wire to form the shank, as mentioned in the Provisional
Specification, which process is found to be complicated and uncertain in its
operation, it is considered preferable to adopt the old and well known method of
forming the shank, viz. by driving staples into the strips sufficiently far that they
may be bent by pressing on a grooved anvil or plate to form the shanks, and leave
the D ends of the staples projecting to form the eyes of the buttons, as shown in
Figs. 3 and 4; Figs. 5 and 6 are plans of a strip of material in which the shanks
are inserted, one showing the eyes, and the other the bent parts of the shanks;
Fig. 7 is an elevation of a disc with a nail attached, ready for the metal shell, and
Fig. 8 is a section of a disc with button shank inserted, also ready for the metal
shell.
Sometimes it is required to make the disc for the base of the nails or buttons of
greater thickness than is possible with one piece of leather board, or thin board
only may be available, in this case the nails or staples are inserted in the thinners
strips, as in Figs. 1 and 4, and then on the heads of the nails and the bent part of
the shanks, a second strip of material of the same width is laid and secured by any
suitably adhesive substance; the strips are then passed between grooved rollers
with a considerable pressure, to secure complete adhesion, and will appear as shown
in section, Figs. 9 and 10; the compound strips are then punched into discs in the
manner already described, and the result is shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the discs
being ready for the metal shell or casing. This method of forming a compound
disc for the button or nail head, prevents the shank of the button or the head of the
nail coming into contact with the metal casing, and thus a better impression is
obtained when the casing (Fig. 13) is put on and pressed over the lower edges of
the disc, and the metal face put under an embossing die to receive any suitable
device, either geometrical or ornamental, as outlined in Figs. 14 and 15. After

page_text: being embossed, the faces of the metal discs are coloured or treated with oxidising
material, and then cleaned and polished as may be required.
Leather-board, being a compressible material, appears to be most suitable as a.
base for receiving and retaining any impression made on it and the casing when
stamped as described.
In all cases, central holes or slots are made in the die plates to receive the points:
of the nails or eyes of the buttons, so as to ensure the strip or disc being in its exact
position when operated on by the punch or die, and for the nail or shank to appear
in the centre of the head or button.
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 :-
1. In the manufacture of metal faced buttons and nails, the insertion of ordinary
nails or staples in leather board or similar material in such a manner that the nail
heads or staple shanks will be firmly embedded in the material, substantially as
herein set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In the manufacture of metal faced buttons and nails, forming the base or body
of the nail or button of compressible material, covering the same with a thin metal
casing, and embossing on the head thereof any plain or fancy device that may be
suitable, substantially as described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
J. G. WESTLAKE,
2, John Street, Bristol, Applicant's Agent.
J. G. WESTLAKE,
2, John Street, Bristol, Applicant's Agent.