IMPROVEMENTS IN NAIL-MAKING MACHINERY
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
CLINTON ROBERTSON, of No. 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eighteenth day of February, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Joseph Clinton Robertson, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Joseph Clinton
Robertson, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Clinton Robertson, my exors, admors, or assigns should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also
within the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also
within all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN NAIL-MAKING MACHINERY," communicated to me by a
certain foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso, that I, the said Joseph Clinton Robertson, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of the 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 immediately after the date of

page_text: 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, I, the said
Joseph Clinton Robertson, hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
A plan of a complete set of machinery suitable for making nails, and
embodying the improvements which form the subject of the present Patent,
is given in the Drawing annexed, one part of which is marked No. 3 and the
other part No. 4. An elevation of the part No. 3 is given in the Drawing
No. 1, and profile or side view of part of it in the Drawing No. 6. An
elevation of the part No. 4 is given in the Drawing No. 2, and a profile or
side view of it in No. 5. The part marked 1 is the platform or bed on which
the principal parts of the machinery, namely, those belonging to the part
No. 3, are fixed. A plan of this platform is given separately in No. 9. The
part marked 2 is a casting of metal, to which the spindles and accessories,
afterwards mentioned, are attached. A front elevation, a plan, and a profile or
side elevation of this casting are given separately in the Drawings Numbers 10,
11, and 12. 3 is the main driving shaft, which is supported on pedestals 18, 18,
and is connected at its outer extremity to the fly wheel 6; 4 and 5 are tight
and loose pulleys on the main shaft 3; 7 is a pinion on one end of the shaft
3,
that takes into a wheel 8, attached to the end of another shaft 60, also raised
on pedestals on the platform 1; 9, 9, 9, 9, are four spindles or shafts;
10, 10, 10, 10, circular plates of cast iron fixed on these spindles; 11, 11, 11, 11,
segmental pieces of steel attached to the inner faces of the plates, between which
the rod or bar of metal from which the nails are to be formed is passed, and
which act upon it after the manner of rollers; 12, 12, 12, 12, are four bevil
wheels which connect the top and side spindles 9 together; and 13, 13, two
pinions which connect the top and bottom spindles; the bevil wheels 12 and
pinions 13 are so adjusted as to act always in exact unison. 14, 14, are guides
inserted between the plates 10, the better to keep the rod of metal in its place.
Separate views of the parts 10, 11, and 14 are given separately in the Drawings
marked A, B, C, and C. 15, 15, 15, are the bolts, pins, screws, &c. by which
the parts 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 are secured to the casting 2. The rolling
steels 11 may be made of various forms and thicknesses to suit different sorts
of, nails, as exemplified in the two forms given in the Drawings C¹ and C², and
instead of employing two sets only, as represented in the Drawings, three or more

page_text: may be employed, according to the form of nail required, more being required
for making square-pointed nails than are needed for flat-pointed ones. 16 is
a large bevil wheel, attached to the inner end of the top spindle 9, and is moved
by the pinion 17, on the end of the main shaft 3. This wheel 16 has the same
number of teeth as the wheel 8, and the pinion 17 the same number as the
pinion 7. 19' is a pair of nippers, which take hold of and guide the rod of
metal after it has undergone the first rolling, as afterwards explained; 19ª, a
spring lever attached to the nippers, which is acted on by an eccentric 20, on
the bevil wheel 16, as shewn separately in the plan marked C; 21 is a nut, by
means of which the workman can regulate the nippers as required; 22, a
spring affixed to the platform 1, which acts on the lever 19 to bring back the
nippers when the eccentric 20 has passed; 23 is a framework, connected to
the platform 1 by bars 39, 39, (see No. 3 and No. 4); 24, a sliding table
with appendages which is mounted in the framework 23; 25, 25, are two
slides on which are placed the rod holders 26, 26, (an elevation, side view, and
plan of which are given separately in the Figures marked 29); 27, 27, are
springs which afford support to the slides 25 when the machinery is in action;
28, 28, cheeks between which the rod of iron is placed, shewn separately in
the Figures marked 28ª, 28°); 30, 30, are iron stops raised on the frame-
work 23, which cause the cheeks 28, 28, to open as they come alternately into
contact with them; 31, 31, are two thin pieces of iron which connect the
holders of each slide together; 32, 32, are two eccentrics, fixed on a shaft 41
(supported by bearings from the platform 1 and framework 23), which are
connected by the rods 32, 32", with the sliding table 24, and give a reciprocating
motion to it; 42 is a weight attached to the end of the eccentric shaft, to act as
a counterpoise to the eccentrics; 33 is a lever, supported on a column 36,) which
gives a like reciprocating movement to the slides 25, 25, moving to and fro at
the shaft end on a pin 34, which works between two collars 43, 43, and at the
slide end on a pin 34%, which works between two cheeks 35, 35, attached to
the slides; 37, (Drawing No. 1,) is a guide to the rods or bars of metal on the
entering side, an elevation of which is given separately in the Drawing
marked D; 38, another guide also on the entering side (an elevation and plan
of which are given separately in the Drawings E and F), which is attached to
the rods 39; 39; 40 is a pipe with a double spout through which water is kept
flowing to keep the rollers cool; 44 is a circular boss of metal fixed on the
extreme end of the shaft 41, a plan and elevation of which and of the parts
connected with it are given separately on the Drawings marked G and H;
45 is a small roller which turns within an opening in the centre of the boss on
a cross pin or axis 52; 46, 46, 46, 46, are four radial wings which project

page_text: from the boss 44, and are acted on in manner to be presently explained; 47, 47,
are eccentrics attached to the inside of the wheel 8; 48, 48, galleries, one on
each side of these eccentrics, which are supported by projecting bars from the
wheel; 49, 49, are two tappets, shown separately in the Drawings I, I, which
are also attached to the inside of the wheel 8 and rest on the wings 46. An
elevation of part of this wheel 8 is given separately in the Drawing Number 8,
shewing more clearly the relative positions of the eccentrics 47, galleries 48,
and tappets 49. 51 is a spiral spring attached to the shaft 41, for the purpose
to be afterwards explained. The parts next to be described, namely, from 53
to 73, both inclusive, are those employed in the cutting and heading of the
nails, and a profile or side elevation of them is given separately in Number 6.
53 is a metal table raised on the platform 1; 54 is a plate which turns freely
on the face of the table 53 on a pin 55; 56 and 57 are two pieces of steel,
placed between the table 53 and sliding plate 54 in the diagonal position
as regards one another, represented in the Drawing Number 3, and secured to
the table and plate by pins a, a, on which they are free to turn to a certain
extent; these steel pieces are filed off at their opposing edges, so as to form a
hole between them of the form of the nail to be headed. 58 is an up-and-down
cutter, which projects from one end of the table 53; and 61 a revolving cutter,
which is attached to and revolves with the shaft 60; 59, 62, 63, and 64 are
four eccentrics attached to the shaft 60, separate views of which are given in
Nos. 59, 59, 62, 63, 64, and 64; 65 is a shaft, supported in bearings from
'the platform 1, to which is attached a lever 66 and a striker 67; 68 is a punch
or die of the form required to be given to the heads of the nails; 69, a roller
attached to the longer end of the lever 66, which is continually acted upon by a
spring 70; 71, 71, are two regulating pins attached to the ends of the shaft 65,
and keep it in its required position; 72 is a pipe for supplying water to keep the
steel chaps 56 and 57 cool; and 73 is a guage to regulate the length of the nail.
The mode of operating with the machine (supposing the main shaft to be
put in motion by means of a steam engine or some other suitable power) is as
follows: The workman takes a rod of iron (50) heated at one end, and places
it on one of the rod holders 26 and between the cheeks 28, the main shaf
giving motion to the wheel 8, one of the tappets (49) attached to that wheel
comes in contact with one or other of the wings 46 at the end of the shaft 41,
and causes that shaft to turn half way round; the half turn of the shaft 41
causes the eccentrics 32 attached to the shaft to draw the sliding table 24
with the rod holder 26 and rod 50 immediately opposite the rolling steels 11, 11,
which have been also put in rotary motion through the medium of the wheel
and pinion 16 and 17; one of the eccentrics 47 on the wheel 8 coming now in

page_text: contact with the roller 45 at the end of the shaft 41, causes it to advance and to
carry forward with it one end of the lever 33, which makes the other end which
is connected to the slides 25 to move in the reverse direction, that is, towards
the rolling steels 11, 11, until the rod 50, passing through the regulators 38
and 37, reaches its destination.
The end of the rod is passed in, the first instance merely between one set of
the rolling steels, that is to say, between the top and bottom ones of the first
set; for as the shaft 41 escapes from the pressure of the excentric (47) which
causes it to advance, the action of the spring 51. makes it recede to its original
position, and draw back with it the sliding table (24) and rod of iron (50),
which, so far as it has been thus operated upon, presents at the point the shape
shewn in the Drawing A*; but no sooner has the rod been so withdrawn than
another of the excentrics (47) comes into contact with the table 45, and
causes the shaft 41 once more to advance, and the rod to be carried forward
once more between the rolling steels, and once more to be withdrawn from
them. In this second operation, however, it is the side rolling steels which are
brought to act on the rod, and the moment they begin to act the excentric 20
on the wheel 16 comes into contact with the spring lever 19*, and causes the
nippers 19 to advance and take hold of the end of the red, as shewn in the
profile or side view No. 7. Without the assistance of these nippers the metal
would be apt to curl back on the roller pieces, and to have an edge raised on it
by the side rolling steels. Being made with a spring movement (19"), they open
as soon as one pair of rolling steels has passed, allowing the rod to pass in freely,
and when the next pair of rolling steels comes into play they naturally raise up
and guide the rod; when the rod has passed through this second operation it
presents at the end the form of a fine-pointed nail, to which the heading only
remains to be given. Should it be deemed advisable, for the sake of greater
finish, the same round of operations may be several times repeated by adding
to the number of rolling steels employed, and, correspondingly, to the number
of excentrics on the wheels 8 and 16. While one rod is thus being rolled and
pointed a second rod is placed upon the second of the rod holders 26, as before,
and when the wheel 8 has turned once round, the tappets 49, 49, come again
in contact with the wings 46, which cause the shaft 41 to turn again half
round, and all the other resulting movements, before described, to be repeated
in regard to the second rod. The bars, as they are pointed, and whilst still
in a heated state, are taken by another workman to the cutting and heading
branch of the machinery, and placed between the chaps 56 and 57, and against
the gauge 73. The excentric 62 coming against the end of the sliding plate
54 pressed that plate inwards, and thereby presses the steel chap 56 up against

page_text: the heated piece of metal, the revolving cutter 61 then comes round and severs
the body of the bar from the end which is between the chaps, leaving just as
much metal protruding from them as is necessary to form the head. The
excentric 64 acting now on the lever 66 and spring 70 brings forward the
heading lever 67, which throws up the punch or die 68 against the piece of
projecting metal, and so gives the head to the nail; and the same excentric
64 in its further progress sets free the lever 67, when the excentric 63 comes
into action, and pressing against the end next to it of the sliding plate 54,
withdraws the opposite end from its pressure against the nail, and allows the
nail to fail out in a finished state.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that no claim is made to any of the
parts of which the said machinery consists as being in and by itself new except
as is herein-after excepted; but that what is claimed is :-
First, the forming of heated rods of metel into shapes suitable for nails, by
alternately inserting and withdrawing the ends thereof between and from
rolling steels of shapes and thicknesses corresponding with those desired to be
given to the nails, as before described.
Second, the substitution of rolling steels of any required form or thickness
and of any required number attached to circular plates fixed on revolving
spindles, as before described, for the grooved rollers which have been here-
tofore employed or proposed to be employed in nail-making machinery.
Third, the employment of nippers, formed and acted upon as before-
described, to lay hold of and guide the rods when in the course of being
rolled.
.
Fourth, so much of the heading parts of the machinery before described as
are distinguished the numbers 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70 and 71, but in so far
only as the same are newly arranged and combined, for the purpose of heading.
nails manufactured from heated iron rods, as before described.
And, fifth, the employment in nail-making machinery of the inserting and 3
withdrawing process, first before claimed, whether the same is applied to seg-
mental rolling steels, as herein-before directed (by preference), or to entire
rollers grooved on the surfaces thereof, or in any other way.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Clinton Robertson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of August, in the year of 3
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
J. CLINTON (L.S.) ROBERTSON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of August, in
the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid Joseph Clinton Robertson 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.
Enrolled the Eighteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.