IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HEELS, CLOG IRONS HORSE-SHOES, CHAIN LINKS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES, AND IN. APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Bennie and William Moffat
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on
the 3rd July 1861.
We, JAMES BENNIE, Ironmonger, and WILLIAM MOFFAT, Smith, both of
Johnstone, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
HEELS, CLOG IRONS HORSE-SHOES, CHAIN LINKS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES, AND IN.
APPARATUS THEREFOR," to be as follows, that is to say:--
This Invention relates to the manufacture of heels, clog irons, horse-shoes,.
chain links, and similar articles in an improved and economical manner.
A first portion of the improvements consists in making the articles entirely
of steel, instead of steel combined with iron, or iron alone, as hitherto; or the
articles may by the present Invention be made of iron and be case-hardened,.
to render them more durable.
The improved apparatus to be used in making the articles comprises.
mechanism for effecting several distinct operations. The heel (or similar
article) is made out of a rod, which being, by preference, made red hot, is
placed in the first bending or shaping apparatus against a stop, whilst the
proper length is cut off by means of shears or other cutting tool. The blank
is in position to be immediately acted upon by a sliding shaper, the front end
of which is recessed and formed to the external shape of the heel. This slide
in coming forward bends the two ends of the blank round a stationary block
or die shaped to form the under side, and with its middle portion projecting

page_text: up and forming the inner edge of the heel. The sliding shaper forms the
outer edge and top surface, being formed with flanges for that purpose, which
at the same time hold the blank down on the block. The sliding shaper is
fitted at its extreme points with antifriction rollers placed on pins somewhat
smaller than their eyes, and these rollers coming against stationary inclined
planes cause the extreme ends of the heel blank to be bent slightly inwards to
present the shape required; or, instead of the antifriction rollers the extreme
ends of the sliding shaper may be jointed so as to be turned inwards by the
fixed inclined planes, and thereby bend in the ends of the heel blank. Before
the heel is removed from the block the nail holes are punched in it by means
of a descending lever head or block fitted with punches, the sliding shaper and
fixed block being both formed to admit of this punching action. The punching
being effected the sliding shaper is moved back, and the heel is lifted off by
points projected up through holes in the block. The heel is finally placed
upon a convex bedding block, and is struck by a corresponding concave
hammer head; or the block may be concave and the hammer head convex.
The different movements of the apparatus may be arranged to be effected
by hand levers or screws, or they may be derived from cranks, eccentrics, or
cams on a rotating shaft or shafts, and the machinery be entirely actuated by
steam or similar motive power.