IMPROVEMENTS IN HAIR-PINS AND IN APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME PROAL
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frank Kingston of Albyn Road St John's in the County
of Kent for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAIR-PINS AND IN APPARATUS
FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frank Kingston at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th September 1882.
FRANK KINGSTON of Albyn Road St John's in the County of Kent "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HAIR-PINS AND [IN] APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
33
According to my present invention I construct hair pins with the two prongs or
tines formed with a helical twist, such that they can only be withdrawn from the
hair by a screw-like rotation, and are consequently held in place much more
securely than straight hair pins. For this purpose the prongs of the hair pin are
twisted round on a central mandril inserted between them, so that they form as it
were a double threaded screw thereon and the mandril being removed they have
the helical twist desired. The twisting of the prongs may be effected in various
ways, thus according to one arrangement the mandril is enclosed between two
plates each of which has grooves formed upon it in such manner that on placing
the plates together they form two helical passages round the mandril. By
thrusting the prongs of the hair pin into these grooves they are bent so as to assume
a corresponding helical shape. A number of such mandrils with the helical
grooves may be formed round a circular disc made to revolve step by step so that
the hair pins may be inserted into the grooves at one point of the revolution and
removed therefrom at another point.
Or according to another arrangement the mandril may be fixed at one end and
carry at its other end a rotatable disc having two holes or notches, so that on the
hair pin being inserted through these holes or notches and into a pair of stationary
holes or notches, the rotation of the disc will cause the prongs to be twisted
helically round the mandril.

page_text: A
A number of the mandrils with their discs may be mounted on a table rotating
step by step so that at one point of its revolution the hair pins are put on the
mandrils, at another point the discs become engaged with gearing causing them to
revolve, and at another point the twisted pins are removed. The twisting may
also be effected in the process of making the hair pins in the following manner.
piece of wire cut off to suitable length being laid in a groove, a mandril notched
at the end is made to advance against the middle of the wire and to press it
through a die, the mandril or die having at the same time a revolving movement
so as to twist the two parts of the wire helically round the mandril. The feeding
of the wire in desired lengths, the cutting off to lengths and the bending and
twisting may be all effected by one machine having its moving parts worked by
cams or otherwise suitably timed. The ends of the wires may also be pointed at
the same time as the wire is cut by making the cutters with coned recesses which
squeeze the cut ends to conical forin.

page_text: 12 2
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frank Kingston in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th March 1883.
FRANK KINGSTON of Albyn Road St John's in the County of Kent ** IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HAIR-PINS AND IN APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
"
According to my present invention, I construct hair pins with the two prongs or
tines formed with a helical twist, such that they can only be withdrawn from the
hair by a screw-like rotation, and are consequently..held in place much more
securely than straight hair pins. For this purpose, the prongs of the hair pin are
twisted round on a central mandril inserted between them; so that they form as it
were a double threaded screw thereon, and the mandril being removed, they have
the helical twist desired. The twisting of the prongs may be effected in the
process of making the hair pins in the following manner. A piece of wire cut off
to suitable length being laid in a groove, a mandril notched at the end is made to
advance against the middle of the wire and to press it through a die, the mandril
then receiving a revolving movement so as to twist the two parts of the wire
helically round the mandril. The feeding of the wire in the desired lengths,
the cutting off to lengths and the bending and twisting may be all effected by
one machine, having its moving parts worked by cams or otherwise suitably
timed.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a bair pin with helical twist according
to my invention, and the other figures illustrate appliances to an ordinary hair pin
making machine, for giving the helical twist, that is to say, Fig 2 is a part section,
Fig 3 an elevation and Fig 4 a plan of the parts of the machine that are
modified for the application of the twisting apparatus. In these machines as they
are usually constructed and worked, wire fed intermittently is cut off to the
required lengths, and these lengths of wire are rolled along a table A passing in
their course a pair of grinding discs which point the two ends of the wire. Each
length, as it is rolled over the edge of the table A, drops into a pair of V guides B
which lodge it centrally over a hole in a fixed die plate C, this hole being circular
with a notch at each side. A mandril D with a notched end then descends upon
the wire and pushes it through the die thus bending it into the form of a hair
pin, and the mandril D, rising again, leaves the hair pin free to fall away below
the die. So far the machine is constructed and worked in the usual way, the
movements of the parts being effected by cranks, eccentrics or cams on a driving
shaft, timed to give the required movements in due order and succession. For the
purpose of giving each hair pin a helical twist, I make the following modifications.
I fit the stem E of the mandril to slide through a toothed pinion F fitted with a
feather working in a slot of the stem. With the pinion F gears a rack G which
is moved intermittently to and fro causing the pinion F and the stem and mandril
to make one to two revolutions forwards and backwards. Under the die C I fit a
sliding clamp H which is intermittently moved to and fro by a rocking cam K.
Cams on the driving shaft give the required intermittent movements to the rod L
which moves the mandril D up and down, to the lever M which moves the rack G
to and fro, and to the lever N which rocks the cam K. The operation of these
parts is as follows:-When the length of wire pointed at its ends is rolled off from
the table A and lodged in the guides B centrally over the hole in the die C, the
mandril D descends without revolving and bends the wire pushing it down through
the die C until the two ends of the wire are just below the die plate. The clamp H
then advances and grips the ends of the wire, and then the rack G advances,
causing the mandril D to revolve and to twist the two limbs of the wire helically

page_text: round it. The mandril then ascends and by the back stroke of the rack G is
turned back, the clamp H is released, allowing the twisted hair pin to drop or to
be pushed down by the next wire, and the action is repeated. The mandril D
consists of a central spindle surrounded by a tube free to revolve on it.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim :-
Helically twisting the prongs of hair pins, substantially as and for the purpose
herein set forth. .
In witness whereof, I the said Frank Kingston have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Nineteenth day of March in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty-three.