CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN NAILS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Rowley, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Button Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN NAILS."
Sealed the 26th April 1858, and dated the 26th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Rowley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 26th October 1852.
I, CHARLES ROWLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Button Manfacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN Nams" to be as follows, that is to say:-
My improvements relate entirely to ornamental nails, and may be
placed under the following heads:-
Firstly, in ornamenting the heads of nails by the application of glass,
coloured or plain, which glass may be cut in imitation of precious stones
or otherwise ornamented.
Secondly, in the application to the same purpose of stones, porcelain,
ivory, bone, pearl, tortoiseshell, leather, wood, gutta-percha, vegitable
ivory, or other suitable substances.

page_text: Thirdly, in ornamenting the heads of nails by piercing and clipping
them in various ways.
Fourthly, in ornamenting the heads of nails by enamelling them.
Lastly, in applying underneath the afore mentioned pierced and
clipped heads any suitable material of any desirable colour, such as
leather, ivory, bone, &c.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.
filed by the said Charles Rowley in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME. I.
CHARLES ROWLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick. Button
Manufacturer, send greeting.
grant
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of October, Anno
Domini One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
unto me, the said Charles Rowley, my exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Rowley, 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
of years. 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
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN NAILS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Charles Rowley, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Charles Rowley, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):
64
"
I will first recite my Provisional Specification, which is as follows:-
"My improvements relate entirely to ornamental nails, and may be
'placed under the following heads :-
"Firstly, in the ornamenting the heads of nails by the application of
glass, colored or plain, which glas may be cut in imitation of precious
"stones or otherwise ornamented.
"Secondly, in the application to the same purpose of stones, porce-
"lain, ivory, bone, pearl, tortoiseshell, leather. wood, gutta-percha,
vegitable ivory, or other suitable substances.
66
"Thirdly, in ornamenting the heads of nails by piercing and clipping
"them in various ways.
"Fourthly, in ornamenting the heads of nails by enamelling them.
"Lastly, in applying underneath the afore mentioned pierced and
"clipped heads any suitable material of any desirable color, such as
"leather, ivory. bone, etc."
Having thus recited my Provisional Specification, I will now proceed
to describe in what way my Inventions mentioned in the same may be
best realized, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, observing that I use the
same letters to denote the same parts when shown in different views.
The first part of iny Invention (which consists in the application of
glass to ornamenting the heads of nails) is represented in side and top
views at Fig. 1, and is made as follows:--I take a disc of common tin
plate, having a hole in the centre as represented at a; I next take a
common tin tack, the shank of which I pass through the hole in the
disc a, and secure it by soldering the head, the tack and disc being
afterwards flattened or planished down level ready to receive the glass
top, which having been prepared or quickened may be easily applied
to the same by means of common solder which will fuse at a low
temperature. Fig. 2, is a side and top view of the same description of
nail, drawn merely to show that the shape of the glass head is not
material, and that it may be of any colour, and cut in imitation of any
kind of precious stones. Fig. 8, represents the same kind of nail, but

page_text: of a different form, and also a different mode of applying the shank,
for which purpose I prefer using half round wire bent into the form
shown detached at b, which, being soldered on the under side of the
square plate c, is now ready to receive the glass head. The finished
nails is shown in side and top views at d, and e. Fig. 4, represents
another form of nail under the foregoing head, and which may be made
in the way last described, but with this difference,-to prevent the nail
being turned round in a direction different to the one intended, I use
two shanks, as shown at f, f. Fig. 5, represents another nail coming
under the first head of my Provisional Specification. g, represents the
head, which being made of glass may be cut or pressed into moulds for
the purpose of being impressed with any desired or appropriate design,
the same having a hole in the centre for receiving the shank, as shown
in section at h; the shank may be made of half round wire bent up
and spread on the top, which may be done by suitable tools, and this
shank head may be afterwards silvered, gilt, burnished, enamelled, or
otherwise ornamented. i, is simply a top view of the nail, showing the
head of the shank, which I have colored blne to represent enamel.
I will now describe my Invention mentioned under the second head
of my Provisional Specification, and show how the various materials
therein named may be applied to the making and ornamenting the
heads of nails. Referring again to Fig. 5, I will observe that the part
g, may be made of all or any of the materials therein mentioned, viz.,
stone, porcelain, ivory, bone, pearl, tortoiseshell, leather, wood, gutta-
percha, vegitable ivory, or such like suitable materials, the same being
cut or moulded into suitable forms, and having the shank applied, as
shown and described in the same Figure; but I do not confine myself
to the manner of applying the shanks therein described, as, for
instance, some precious stones would be spoiled by having a hole made
through them. I apply the shanks in a different way to plastic mate-
rials capable of receiving a finished form without the necessity of
subsequent heating, such as gutta percha, tortoiseshell, &c. Fig. 6,
show how I prefer applying precious stones to the ornamentation of
nail heads, viz., I take a disc of metal with a raised rim or edge, as
shown in plan at J, and in the section k, k, the said disc having a hole

page_text: in the centre through which the shank is passed and secured by any
suitable means, such as rivetting, soldering, etc., and the stone repre-
sented in top and edge views at l, m, is placed in the cavity of the shell
or disc j, and secured by the rim of the disc being pressed or burnished
around the stones. I will further observe, that the shell j, may be
so made as to receive several stones of different colours or hues, the
same being set in the ordinary way in which precious stones are set.
•
Referring to gutta percha, will now show how I propose. in some
instances applying the shank to nail heads made of this material.
Fig. 7, represents in top view and vertical section a nail, the head of
which is made of gutta percha pressed into a mould of that shape
while the gutta percha is in a warm and plastic state; and while it is
in this state I apply the shank, which may be made of half round wire;
as represented at n, and in a side view at o, o, in the longitudinal
section p, Fig. 8, which necessarily shows that an oblong nail may be
so made, having two shanks, if desired.. And Figs. 9, and 10, represent
in transverse and longitudinal, a nail with shanks applied as in the last
Figure. But before pressing the gutta percha into form, I spread over
the cavity of the mould any suitatie material or woven fabric, say, for
instance, satin or velvet, which, as the gutta percha is pressed-into the
mould, the satin or velvet will also be gathered or formed into the same
shape, and will adhere to the gutta percha when cold and taken from
the moulds, the red line 4, 7, representing such material. Figs. 11,
and 12, represent two forms of nail heads made of gutta percha, and
which à may be covered in the way described in the last Figures, or they
may be ornamented with a network of cord, as shown.
Fig. 13, represents the way in which I propose to ornament the
heads of nails, mentioned under the third head of my Provisional
Specification. I form a metal disc, as shown in plan at 1, and in edge
view or section at 8, s; and I next cut out and pierce, by means of
suitable tools, the part shown at t, which is afterwards put into the
form shown at u, u, and held together by the shank v, which may be
inade in the form here shown, or in the form shown at Fig. 5. Fig. 14,
is the same description of nail, but of a different form, and of which a
great variety may be made.

page_text: The fourth part of my Invention simply relates to the ornamenting
the heads of nails by enamelling them, and which may be wholly or
partly done to the nail heads last described.
The last part of my Invention relates to the further ornamenting the
heads of nails by inserting within the cavity of the hollow heads,
described at Figs. 18, and 14, such colored material as will have the
best effect as seen through the perforations, such as enamelled leather
or other material.
Having thus described the nature of iny Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
what I claim as my Invention, is the ornamentation of the heads of
nails by the application of glass thereto. Secondly, in the application
to the heads of nails of the several materials named in the second part
of iny Provisional Specification, the same being used in the manner
herein described. Thirdly, for the ornamentation of heads of nails,
described and represented at Figs. 18, and 14. and for the application
to ornamented nails of such shanks, shown and described at Fig. 5.
And, lastly, for ornamenting the heads of nails by wholly or partially
enamelling them.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Rowley, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, Anno
Domini One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
CHARLES ROWLEY. (L.S.)