IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING NAILS, BRADS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 100, Fleet Street, in the City of London, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING
NAILS, BRADS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."- A communication from
abroad by William Avery Sweet and John Edson Sweet, Engineers,
both of Syracuse, in the State of New York, in the United States of
America
Sealed the 17th April 1868, and dated the 21st October 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Haseltine at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st October 1862.
I, GEORGE HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 100,
Fleet Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND IN MACHINERY FOR
MANUFACTURING NAILS, BRADS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," a communication
from abroad by the Inventors William Avery Sweet and John Edson Street,
Engineers, both of Syracuse, in the State of New York, in the United States
of America, to be as follows:
The said improvements relate to the employment of a punch and die instead
of shears for cutting or making nail and other similar blanks, to a novel
manner of constructing the die, to cutting or punching two blanks at one
operation or stroke of the punch, thereby entirely avoiding the necessity of

page_text: turning over the bar or plate; to the making of a nail machine self-feeding;
and to the manner of grasping the blank during the process of heading the
same.
These improvements are especially applicable to machines designed for
producing blanks from the end of bars or plates of metal, the width of which
plates or bars is the same as the required length of the blanks. The punch
used is operated in any convenient manner; the shape of its face corresponds
with the tapering sides of the blanks, and also with the shape of the die. The
die is formed of two bars of steel or other suitable metal; these bars are of
uniform size throughout their lengths, and one end of each forms the face or
cutting surface of the die; these bars, whose width is at least equal to the
required length of the blanks, is made adjustable lengthwise by means of set
screws or other convenient device. By this construction of the die a con-
siderable saving in expense is effected, as the bars may be readily removed
from the machine when worn, and their cutting edges sharpened by grinding
or filing off the ends of said bars, and then replaced and properly adjusted.
These bars may be placed vertically or horizontally, but for convenience in
making the machine solf-feeding they are placed horizontally. The machine
is made self-feeding by placing it in a position, or constructing the same in a
manner to receive the bars or plates through a vertical or inclined guide-way,
so that the weight of metal will cause the said bar or plate to fall sufficiently
as the blanks are cut or forced off from its lower end; but whether self-
feeding or otherwise, the bar is carried forward at each stroke or operation of
the punch a distance equal to the width of two blanks. The operation of the
punch forces one blank through the die, at the same time cutting off a similar
blank at the end of the bar or plate; these blanks then pass to the heading
apparatus. The gripers which hold the blanks while being headed grasp the
entire length of said blanks. As the head end of each alternate blank lies in
an opposite direction when severed from the bar or plate two headers are
employed, and are situated on opposite sides of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Haseltine in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st April 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE'
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 100, Fleet Street, in 3
the City of London, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Haseltine, Her special licence that I, the said George
Haseltine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said George Haseltine, my executors, administrators, and 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 vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING NAILS,
BRADS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," a communication from abroad by the
Inventors William Avery Sweet and John Edson Sweet, Engineers, both of
Syracuse, in the State of New York, in the United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Haseltine, my
executors or administrators, 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 George Haseltine, 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 Sheets of Drawings,
and the figures and letters marked thereon, the same making a part of this
Specification:-
The nature of said Invention consists in producing simultaneously two nail
blanks, brads, or other similar articles, by means of a single punch and die,
thereby avoiding the necessity of reversing or shifting the plate after it is
placed in the machine; in forming the die of two adjustable metal bars, the
end of which form the cutting edges, whereby a saving is effected in the
expense, and in the mode of combining and arranging different parts to secure
simplicity and efficiency, and consequently economy in constructing and
working the machine.
These improvements are more especially applicable to machines designed
for manufacturing from plates of metal, the width of which is equal to the

page_text: required length of the nail blanks or brads. The articles produced by this
machine are uniform and of a superior quality.
: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the nail machine; Figure 2, a longitu-
dinal vertical section near the centre; Figure 3 is a plan of the machine
with a portion of the upper part removed; Figure 4, a transverse vertical
section; Figure 5 is a detached view of the griping device; Figure 6, a
view of the parts employed for forming the blanks, drawn to an enlarged
scale; Figure 7 is a section of the die for forming nail blanks; Figure 8,
a section of a punch for forming nail blanks; Figure 9 is a section of a
die for producing brads; Figure 10, a section of a punch for producing brads;
Figure 11 is a plan of the fingers, with parts of the die and griper jaws;
Figure 12, an elevation of the same; Figure 13 shows the blanks in con
nection with the nail plate, and also the finished nails; Figure 14 shows the
brads in connection with the plate from which they are severed. Like letters
refer to corresponding parts in all the Figures.
A, is the frame of the machine; this frame is supported by the legs a.
B, Figure 3, is the driving shaft; on this shaft is fixed the tight pulley C
and the loose pulley C. Near the centre of said shaft is the excentric
D and the cam E; F is the fly wheel upon which a cam G is fixed; H,
Figures 2 and 3 is the punch; I, the punch stock; J is a connecting rod
between excentric D and the punch stock 1. The bars L, L', Figure 2,
shown enlarged at Figure 6, form the die. M, M¹, are fingers for forcing
the nail blanks into the griping jaws N, N¹, and O, 01, Figure 3; the
fingers M, M³, are connected by the bent levers P, P¹. The pieces c, c¹, are
stops secured to the bent levers P, P'. The jaws N, N¹, are secured to the
projection 6, 61, formed on a rock shaft Q, Figures 2 and 5; R is a
lever through which motion is conveyed from the cam E to the griping
jaws N, N¹; d, Figure 5 is a spring for raising the end of the lever R;
e, a set screw. S, S¹, Figure 3 are shafts. T, T', and U, U¹, are levers,
and ff, set screws, which constitute the headers. Motion is conveyed to
these headers through a hook 9 formed on, and the spring h fixed to
the connecting rod J, shown in Figure 2; V is a guide-way through which
the plates are fed into the machine, shown enlarged in Figure 6; W
is a stop, with a shoulder i cut thereon; X is a wedge placed between the
sides of the die L, L; j, j, j, are set screws for adjusting and securing
the pieces L, L; k, Figure 2, is a cap piece for securing the punch in the

page_text: wch amerent parts turn; o is a notch cut
in the finger M; Y is a nail plate; Z is a brad plate; p, p, are nail blanks;
q, q, are finished nails; and r, r, are brads, as severed from the plate.
MODE OF CONSTRUCTION.
The frame of the machine is constructed of any convenient form and
suitable material. The frame shown in the Drawings, including the bearings
of the driving shaft B, and the uprights forming a portion of the guide-way,
are comprised in a single casting. The driving shaft turns in suitable
bearings on the frame. For the manufacture of ordinary sized nails or
brads this shaft is found sufficient, but for heavy work it may be desirable
to use a secondary shaft, the latter connected by gearing with the driving
shaft, for the purpose of giving greater power and uniformity of motion to
the parts. The connecting rod J is constructed as shown in the Drawings
in order to accomodate the movements of the headers to the movements of
other parts of the machine, the time occupied in closing said headers being
considerably less than the time occupied by opening. The same result
however may be obtained by changing the position of the main shaft.
For convenience and economy, the parts composing the heading device are
cast in one piece. The headers turn on the adjustable centres o, o. The ends
of the set screws f, f, serve as hammers for forming the heads of the nails.
These hammers may be arranged in any convenient way, and modified in form
to adapt them to any required shaped head. The punch H is secured to the
stock I by a cap piece, and is made adjustable by means of the wedges 1, 1;
for these wedges set screws may be substituted. The punch is formed of
tempered steel or other suitable metal bar, having parallel sides and edges,
and a cross section of which corresponds with the tapering sides of the required
blank or brad. The punch stock is hung on the adjustable centres n, n. The
dies for cutting nail blanks are constructed of two simple pieces L, L, so
arranged that the space between their outer ends corresponds with a cross
section of the punch and also with the tapering sides of the blanks. These
pieces are held and adjusted by the set screws j, j, j, and the wedge X.
The cutting edges of these pieces are made somewhat longer than the
required length of the nail blanks, only two sides being necessary for dies
which are used in cutting these blanks. By this construction and arrange-
ment the parts constituting the die as well as the punch may be con-
veniently removed for the purpose of grinding, and again suitably adjusted

page_text: in the machine. The fingers M; M', Figures 11 and 12, are two suitable
pieces of metal moved by the cam G in grooves formed in the frame of
the machine. Their inner ends are made about the size of the points
of the nails to adapt them for forcing the blanks into the griper jaws.
The stops c, c, are attached to the levers P, P¹. For convenience these
stops may be made adjustable, their object being to regulate the amount
of stock left protruding from the griper jaws of which the head of the nail
is afterwards formed. In constructing machines, especially those for the
manufacture of large nails, it may be found expedient to operate the fingers
from opposite sides of the machine, with springs or spring griper jaws to stop
the blank in the proper position, in place of the stops c, c. The rock shaft Q with
the projections b, b', and the lever R are all formed in one piece. This
shaft turns on the adjustable centres m, m. The jaws N, N¹, are fixed to
the projections. b, 6. One end of the spring d is secured to the lever R,
while the other end rests upon the main shaft B. The set screw e passes
through the end of the lever R. The guide-way V may be constructed in any
convenient manner, being placed in a vertical position in order to make the
machine self-feeding. The opening is sufficiently large to permit the metal
plate to fall freely when the punch is withdrawn from the die. The stop W,
shown enlarged at Figure 6, is formed with a shoulder i, and is so fixed
to the frame of the machine that the said shoulder is located immediately
below the guide-way V. The cam G is constructed on the fly wheel as shown
in the Drawings.
. A modification in the form of the working parts, producing a relative
change in the movements, may be found desirable,, and be made without
departing from the spirit of my Invention.
MODE OF OPERATION.
A nail plate of the proper width and thickness having been placed in the
guide-way, descends until arrested by the shouider on the stop W, which is
situated the width of a nail blank below the under side of the die. Power
being applied to the pulley C, motion is communicated to the punch through
the excentric D and the connecting rod J. The punch advancing forces a
blank into the die, at the same time cutting off another blank from the end of
the bar; the latter blank is forced from the shoulder i into the space between
the griper jaws N¹ and O' by the finger M, which receives its motion from
the cam G working in the notch o', the former blank is simultaneously
forced into the space between the griper jaws N and O by the fingers M',

page_text: which receives its motion from the finger M through the bent levers P, P¹
these blanks are arrested at the proper time by means of the stops c, c, and
are loosely held by the griper jaws, the latter being kept together by the action
of the spring & upon the lever R, shown in Figure 5; the punch is then
withdrawn from the die, and the plate drops in position for forming more
blanks; the cam E on the driving shaft next forces the spring d into contact
with the end of the set screw e, and then lifts the lever R, which closes the
griper jaws N, N¹, and O, O', thereby firmly holding the blanks. The force
with which the blanks are held in the jaws can be readily regulated by the set
screw e. The hook g formed on the connecting rod J acts upon the levers
T, T', and turns the levers U, U', inward, bringing the set screws f, f, against
the ends of the nail blanks with sufficient force to form the heads; while the
punch is again advancing, the levers U, U³, are withdrawn by the action of
the spring h against the levers T, T'; the cam E ceasing to operate upon
the lever R, the griper jaws are again kept together solely by the action of
the spring d; the finished nails are thrown out by the next pair of blanks,
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.s.)