Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 6th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 4th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 4th Mar., 1887.
I, ROBERT ELSDON of 76 Manor Road, Brockley in the County of Kent, Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Heretofore the steel or steel-faced dies used in the manufacture of buttons, military
ornaments, and other articles to which designs are imparted by the process of stamping
or pressing, have been generally cut and prepared by hand for which it has been
necessary to employ skilled labor of a high class. Several attempts have been made
to employ means other than skilled hand labor for this purpose, but so far as I am
aware they have been more or less unsuccessful.
This invention relates to improvements by which such dies may be manufactured in
a simple, quick, cheap, and efficient manner and by which skilled hand labor is more
or less dispensed with.
In manufacturing dies according to this present invention, I take a cast or
impression of the design it is required to reproduce, which cast may be in Plaster of
Paris, or other suitable or convenient material, and may vary according to the nature
of the design or the material of which such design is composed. When this cast has
become thoroughly hard or dry, I take a second cast or impression thereof in glass or
other similar and suitable substance, preferably in the following manner: I place the
plaster or other cast with the design uppermost at the lower end of, and central with
a tube, box, or guide of metal or other material and I then pour, press or force into
this tube the fluid or plastic material before mentioned. When this material is set or
hard I remove the plaster or other cast from the lower end or face thereof, on which
will now appear a reproduction of the original copy and the whole may now be placed
in position under the hammer of the stamping machine. I now take a suitably shaped
forging preferably of steel, or iron with steel face, and I heat same to a suitable
temperature in a muffle or furnace in which provision is made for the prevention of
oxidation on its upper face, preferably by covering same with a cap of metal or
suitable clay or earth. When sufficiently heated I place this forging under the glass or

page_text: other force in the stamping machine, the hammer thereof or its equivalent is then
allowed to descend and I have found that the design on the lower face of the glass or
other "force" will be imparted to or imprinted in the upper surface of the steel
forging, before the glass or other "force is broken to atoms by the blow. By this
means a sharp design in steel may be obtained, the lines of which may be subsequently
finished or sharpened by hand labour, if required. This steel die may be afterwards
hardened in the usual way.
When it is required to prepare dies from an original design, I sometimes impart
that design to the glass or other "force" direct, either by engraving, acid etching, or
other known process, but I prefer to produce the design by engraving or otherwise in
a material which may be easily operated upon, and which will afterwards form the
mould from which the glass or other "force may be prepared as hereinbefore
described.
R. ELSDON.
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C.,
Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Dies.
I, ROBERT ELSDON, of 76 Manor Road, Brockley, in the County of Kent, Civil
Engineer, 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 stateinent:-
Heretofore the steel or steel faced dies used in. the manufacture of buttons, military
ornaments, and other articles to which designs are imparted by the process of stamping
or pressing, have been generally cut and prepared by hand for which it has been
necessary to employ skilled labor of a high class. Several attempts have been made
to employ means other than skilled hand labor for this purpose, but so far as I am
aware, they have been more or less unsuccessful.
This invention relates to improvements by which such dies may be manufactured in
a simple, quick, cheap and efficient manner, and by which skilled hand labor is more
or less dispensed with.
In manufacturing dies according to this present invention I take a cast or impression
of the design it is required to reproduce, which cast may be in Plaster of Paris,
Steatite, or other suitable or convenient material, and may vary according to the
nature of the design or the material of which such design is composed. When this
cast (which may be called the mould) has become thoroughly hard or dry, I take a
cast or impression thereof in glass or other similar and suitable substance, whereby
a fac-simile of the original design is produced. I make this second cast preferably in
the following manner. I place the mould, with the design uppermost, at the lower
end of and central with a tube, box, or guide of metal or other suitable material, and
I then pour, press, or force into this tube the aforesaid glass or other similar and
suitable substance, in a fluid or plastic state. When this second cast has set or
hardened I remove the plaster or other mould from the lower end or face thereof on
which will now appear a reproduction of the original design. I now take a suitably
shaped forging, preferably of steel, or of iron with a steel face, and I heat the same to
a suitable temperature in a muffle or furnace in which provision is made for the
prevention of oxidation of the steel face by covering the same with a cap of metal, or
with suitable salt, clay, or earth, for example. When sufficiently heated I secure this
forging to the anvil or bed of a stamping machine, under the above described glass or
other cast (technically called a "force. The hammer of the stamping machine or
its equivalent is then allowed to descend, and I have found that the design on the
lower face of the glass or other "force" will be imparted to or imprinted in the upper
surface of the steel forging before the glass or other similar force is broken to
atoms by the blow. By this means a sharp design in steel may be obtained, the lines
of which may be subsequently finished or sharpened by hand labour if required. This
steel die may be afterwards hardened in the usual way.

page_text: Instead of making the beforementioned "mould "by casting in Plaster of Paris or
other material as hereinbefore described, I may obtain the necessary reproduction by
any of the well known electro-depositing processes.
*
When it is required to prepare dies from an original design, I sometimes impart
that design direct to the glass or other "force" either by engraving, acid-etching, or
other known process, but I prefer to produce the design by engraving or otherwise
in a material which may be easily operated upon, and which will afterwards form
the mould from which the glass or other "force" may be prepared as hereinbefore
described.
I have found glass to be a suitable substance of which to make the above described
force," but I do not confine myself to that material, as any substance which is
capable of being reduced to a fluid or plastic state, by heat or otherwise, so as to take
the impress of the mould, and is sufficiently hard when solidified after taking such
impress, may be employed for the purposes of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :
The employment of a "force" made of glass or other similar material, for the
purpose of imparting a design to, or impressing the same in, the face of a die as
hereinbefore described.
R. ELSDUN.
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London,
Agent.