AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE. MANUFACTURE OF PATCHED BALLSTURE OF PATCHED BALLS FOR FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Milo Peck, of the City and County of New Haven,
State of Connecticut, United States of America, Machinist, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE. MANUFACTURE OF PATCHED BALLS
LETTERS PATENT to Milo Peck, of the City and County of New Haven,
State of Connecticut, United States of America, Machinist, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE. MANUFACTURE OF PATCHED BALLS
FOR FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 4th August 1865, and dated the 9th February 1865..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Milo Peck at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th February
1865.
I, MILO PECK, of the City and County of New Haven, State of Connecticut,
United States of America, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PATCHED BALLS
POR FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:--
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents my patched ball complete ;
Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the same; Figs. 3, 4, and 5, are views
showing the process of manufacture; Figs. 6 and 7 are views showing that
the patch may be put on from the other or front end; and in Fig. 8 a ball is
shown as adapted to metallic cartridges.
The principal object of my Invention is to produce a patched ball for use
in the construction of cartridges for fire-arms.
The advantages which a ball properly patched has over a ball not patched
in giving direction to the ball, and to hold the lubricating substance, are ton
well known to require more to be said to properly set them forth.

page_text: The difficulties which have attended the manufacture of cartridges with
patched balls have chiefly arisen in gathering and holding the patch around
the ball; by my Invention this difficulty is entirely overcome, and the patch
so perfectly attached and secured to the ball as to make it, so far as the
manufacture of cartridges is concerned, a part of the ball itself.
My Invention consists in first forming one end of the ball so as to leave a
rim or flange of the metal, while the metal which is to form the balance or
other end of the ball is of a smaller diameter than the end first formed, and
stands in the centre and axially of the ball like a spindle; I then place the
first formed end upon a round patch of the requisite diameter; then gather
the outer edge up and over the said rim or flange, and then by proper dies or
other contrivances compress the balance of the metal down upon the edge
of the patch, so as to securely hold the patch and form the other end of
the ball.
To enable others skilled in the art to produce my improved patched balls, I
will proceed to more fully describe the construction as illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings. I first, in dies or moulds prepared for the purpose,
form the rear end a of the ball with a rim or flange c as seen in Fig. 3; the
metal d, which is to form. the balance or point of the ball standing like a
spindle in the centre; then set the rear end a upon a patch p of the proper
diameter and material, as seen in Fig. 4; then place the patch and ball into
a die which will gather the patch up around the ball; then with a follower
properly constructed turn the edge of the patch down on to the rim, as seen
in blue, Fig. 5, and then by another follower of the proper form press the
spindle d down on to the patch, and so as to form the point of the ball, as
seen in Figs. 1 and 2; this completes the ball, and the patch cannot be torn
from the ball.
The patch being so smoothly gathered around, and so firmly held to the
ball, there are no more difficulties attending its use in the manufacture of
cartridges than in the use of the bare ball. By dipping the rear end of the
patched ball into the lubricating material the patch will absorb a sufficient
quantity for its own use, and will be much cleaner to handle than balls when
the lubrication adheres to the metal as in ordinary cartridges.
For metallic cartridges I prefer to form a shoulder on the rear of the ball,
as seen in Fig. 8.
I have represented my patch as put on at the rear of the ball, but it may
be put on from the front or point, as seen in Figs. 6 and 7, where the point
is represented as first formed, the patch placed on the point, and gathered in
like manner as for the rear before described, then the balance of the metal

page_text: compressed in like manner as before described; I prefer however the process
first described, as it leaves the ball bare at the point, uses less material for
the patch, and is secured entirely around the ball so that it cannot be torn
therefrom, while in the other case the point may be forced through the patch
in its passage through the barrel of the arm, and the object of the patch
thereby defeated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Milo Peck, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th
August 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MILO
PECK, of the City and County of New Haven, State of Connecticut, United
States of America, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Milo Peck, Her special licence that I, the said Milo Peck,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Milo Peck, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVE-
MENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PATCHED BALLS FOR FIRE-ARMS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Milo Peck, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, 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 Milo Peck, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 represents my patched ball com-
plete; Figure 2 a vertical central section of the same; Figures 3, 4, and 5

page_text: represent the process of manufacture; Figures 6 and 7 show that the patch
may be put on from the other or front end of the ball, and Figure 8 repre-
sents a ball as adapted to metallic cartridges.
The principal object of my Invention is to produce a patched ball for use
in the construction of cartridges for fire-arms.
The advantages which a ball properly patched has over a ball not patched
in giving direction to the ball, and for holding the lubricating substance, are
too well known to require more to be said to properly set them forth.
The difficulties which have attended the manufacture of cartridges with
patched balls have chiefly arisen in gathering and holding the patch around
the ball; by my Invention this difficulty is entirely overcome, and the patch
so perfectly attached and secured to the ball as to make it, so far as the
manufacture of cartridges is concerned, a part of the ball itself.
My Invention consists in first forming one end of the ball so as to leave a
rim or flange of the metal, while the metal which is to form the balance or
other end of the ball is of a smaller diameter than the end first formed, and
stands in the centre and axially of the ball like a spindle, then place the first
formed end upon a round patch of the requisite diameter, then gather the
outer edge up and over the said rim or flange, then by proper dies or other
contrivances compress the balance of the metal down upon the edge of the
patch so as to securely hold the patch and form the other end of the ball...
To enable others skilled in the art to produce my improved patched balls, I
will proceed to more fully describe the construction as illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
I first in dies or moulds prepared for the purpose form the rear end a of
the ball with a rim or flange c as seen in Figure 3; the metal d which is to
form the balance or point of the ball standing like a spindle in the centre ;
then set the rear end a upon a patch p of the proper diameter and material as
seen in Figure 4; then place the patch and ball into a die, which will gather
the patch up around the ball, then with a follower properly constructed turn
the edge of the patch down on to the rim, as seen in blue, Figure 5; then by
another follower of the proper form press the spindle d down on to the patch,
and so as to form the point of the ball, as seen in Figures 1 and 2; this
completes the ball, and the patch cannot be torn from the ball. The patch
being so smoothly gathered around, and so firmly held to the ball, there are
no more difficulties attending its use in the manufacture of cartridges than in
the use of the bare ball.
By dipping the rear end of the patched ball into the lubricating material,
the patch will absorb, a sufficient quantity for its own use, and will be much

page_text: cleaner to handle than balls where the lubrication adheres to the metal as in
ordinary cartridges.
For metallic cartridges I prefer to form a shoulder on the rear of the ball
as seen in Figure 8. I have represented my patch as put on at the rear of
the ball, but it may be put on from the front or point as seen in Figures 6
and 7, where the point is represented as first formed, the patch placed on the
point and gathered in like manner as for the rear before described, then the
balance of the metal compressed in like manner as before described; I prefer
however, the construction first described as it leaves the ball bare at the
point, uses less material for the patch, and is secured entirely around the ball,
so that it cannot be torn therefrom, while in the other case the point may be
forced through the patch in its passage through the barrel of the arm, and
the object of the patch thereby defeated.
Therefore having fully described my Invention, and without confining myself
to patching either the front or rear end of the ball, I claim as new and useful,
and desire to secure by Letters Patent, as a new article of manufacture, a
patched ball for fire-arms when the patch is secured to the ball by compressing
the metal of the ball upon the patch, substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Milo Peck, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-five.
MILO PECK. (L.B.)