IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE-SHOE NAILS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAME
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes
and Son, Patent Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, for the In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE-SHOE NAILS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAME."-A communication from abroad by
John Starr Griffing, of the City and County of New Haven, United
States of America.
Sealed the 19th November 1869, and dated the 22nd May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd May 1869.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent
Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE-SHOE NAILS, AND IN MA-
CHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAME," a communication to me from
abroad by John Starr Griffing, of the City and County of New Haven,
United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in an improved horse-shoe nail, and in
machinery for the production of the same.

page_text: And in order that the Invention may be clearly understood I will
proceed to describe the same as illustrated in the accompanying five
Sheets of Drawings.
A bar of iron the size of the nail head is passed through a pair of
rollers, which reduce it at certain places to form a blank of the proper 5
size for the subsequent operations in making the nail.
Fig. 1 represents the rod of iron before it is operated upon; Fig. 2.
represents the same after it has passed through one pair of rollers h, b,
Figs. 5, 6, and 7 to crimp and reduce it, and form double blanks head to
head, and of a length to be separated intermediately into two blanks like 1
that shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 3 represents the bar after it has passed
through a second pair of rollers c, c, with projecting chisel-shaped cutters
that nip the said bar off between the heads, and intermediately to form
the said blanks a, Fig. 4. At this stage of the operation the top of the
nail is perfected, and in consequence of the rollers c, c, acting at right 1
angles to the rollers b, b, the end of the head is made of a pyramidal
shape or beveled at the edges, so that the hammer in driving the nail
will only strike upon the higher central portion of the head, and thereby
the blow will be centrál with the nail and cause it to drive straight,
whereas nails that are either cut off or forged square on the end of the 2
head require to be hammered up by hand or they are liable to drive
crooked or bend.
The rollers b, b, and c, c, are sustained in any suitable frame d,
and driven by competent power.
The rollers c, c, are to be set
up towards each other by screws 1, 1, or other means, so that their 2
chisel-shaped cutters shall nip off the rod, as before mentioned, or so
nearly separate the iron that the blanks a will fall apart in handling or
when subjected to the next operation. The rollers b, b, are formed of
the proper shape for reducing the metal, but instead of being made with
grooves of the shape of the half blank or nail as heretofore they are
formed with flanges 2 and 3, see Fig. 7, which set against the sides
respectively of the contiguous rollers so as to leave the space for the nail
rod. By this construction each roller has a right-angled recess, and the
feather, if any, on the rod comes at the angle instead of the middle, and
there is no possibility of the rod sticking in the groove, but it becomes 3
entirely free as the surface of the flange on one side draws away in one
direction as it rotates, while the other flange on the other side of the rod
draws away in the other direction, and the flange can be pressed against

page_text: the sides of the adjoining rollers to keep them tightly together by scţ
screws or other means acting at opposite ends of the respective axes of
the rollers. The blanks a are put into a revolving rumbler e, Fig. 8, in
which they are agitated sufficiently to separate any of the blanks that
may adhere to cach other by the small filament of iron at the point of
separation, and also to smooth off any feathers or burrs that there may
be on any part of the said blanks. When they have been sufficiently
agitated they are delivered from the same rumbler or put into another
provided with elevating buckets 4, 4, that raise up the nails and cast
them off upon the chute e¹ that conveys them to the reverse incline 5 that
delivers them to the inclined edge of the wheel, filled with cavitics
around its edge of a shape to receive the blanks a with their heads
downward. All those blanks not required, or that present themselves
incorrectly to pass into the said cavities, are shed off the said inclined
edge of the wheelf into the rumbler to be brought up again. Thẹ
wheel is revolved progressively by a pawl 6 from a lever g vibrated by
competent power in unison with each revolution of the rollers h, i, in
order that a hook 7 also acted on by the lever 9 may remove the
blank a from its notch in the wheel f, and deliver it into a chute 10,
beneath which is a slide 9 actuated by an arm 8, also by the lever g,
which presses the blank a head first in between the rollers, i, as they
revolve, so that the head comes against the end of a rib 12, see detached
Figs. 9 and 10. The roller his formed with a groove around its
periphery the width of the nail blank, and notched at 11 to receive the
nail head. The roller i has a rib fitting the groove of h, but cam-shaped,
as seen from 12 to 13, so that the blank a shall be reduced or flattened
along the shank and toward its point by the said cam 13 while the
body part of the nail is in the groove of h, and the nail then falls out or
is removed from between the rollers by a stationary clearer. The nail
blank is thus formed with an elongated shank, seen at k, Fig. 8. This
operation, acting from the head toward the point with a rolling operation,
extends the nail at the same time that it is consolidated and hardened.
The rolling operation last described, if performed cold, will leave the
body of the nail too hard for clinching, it becomes necessary therefore at
this stage to soften or anneal the nail blank by heat; but if the before-
described operations are performed with the metal in a hot state the nail
blank will be su ciently soft, but it must be allowed to cool before
being pointed by the next operation, in order that the point may be
rendered sufficiently hard for driving. The blank is next presented

page_text: point first to a pair of pointing rollers l, m, Figs. 11, 12, and 13. To
deliver the nails properly to these rollers I employ a rumbler and
elevator e, chute e', incline 5, and wheel, similar to those before
described, only the recess in the inclined edge of the wheel are adapted
to the changed shape of the mail blank, and the heads are upward. The
hook 7 from the lever g and the incline 10 may also be used to deliver
the nail blank k to the slide , which is formed, as seen endwise in
Fig. 14, of a pieco of sheet metal bent nearly in a V form where the nail
falls, and the sides are bent closer together toward the rollers l, m, so.
that the nail will be turned up and presented edgewise toward the said
rollers by the pusher o, actuated by the connecting rod o', and crank
or other suitable mechanism that slides the blank k forwards at the
right time to pass between and be taken by the rollers l, m, and pointed,
as next shown. The rollers l, m, are each formed with a flange (similar
to the rollers b, b,) the flange of one setting against the side of the other,
and the said flanges are removed, as at 14, and the ends of these. flanges
beveled or rounded, as seen in Fig. 13, and the rollers l, m, are formed
eccentric or cam-shaped at 15. It will now be seen that as the rollers
rotate in the direction indicated, and the blank is pushed forward, it
will pass in between the rollers in the opening bounded by their flanges,
and that the cam-shaped portion will extend the nail, rolling the point
down edgeways into a shape similar to that shewn at 2, at the same time
passing the nail back towards its former position, from which it is
allowed to drop by the withdrawal of a slide 10 forming the bottom of
the trough n. The slide 16 may be actuated by any suitable means.
I
have shown it upon a spring plate 17, from which is an inclino 18 acted
upon by a stud 19 on m running under the said incline. I prefer the
nails to be placed in a rumbler to smooth their corners, and delivered
from it in manner aforesaid to grooves in a wheel, Fig. 15, of a shape
to receive the said nails, but they might be deposited in any suitable
receptacle by any convonient means that would present the points
diagonally to the file or cutting instrument q' that dresses off the slide
of the nail point in order that it may drive in a curved line through the
hoof of the animal, and turn outwards, as is required in shocing. I have
represented a reciprocating file q' resting on the stationary bar 20, and
the head of the nail as kept down by pressing under a flanged strip 21.
The nail is now completely formed and shaped ready for the last and
finishing operation. I employ a press that acts on the two edges of the
nail to straighten the same perfectly and slightly compress it, and then

page_text: a drop that acts upon the sides to slightly flatten and harden it, and
thus ensure great beauty in the finish of the nail as well as perfect
unanimity, and also ensure the stiffness necessary for driving properly.
I provide an anvil r (see clevation, Fig. 16, and sectional plan, Fig. 17,)
at the sides of which is a frame S or slides carrying a drop t, actuated
by any usual means. On the surface of the anvil are the compressing
blocks,, actuated by bent levers 21 and links v, v, drawn up by a pin
projecting from the drop t, so that a nail dropped automatically between
the dies u, u, is compressed sideways, and then as the hammer & drops
the links by their weight open the dies u, u, leaving the nail on the
anvil to be struck by the projecting die of the drop and given a perfect
finish on its side. As the drop rises a pin 22 projecting from the drop t
takes an incline 23 on the hanging lever 24, the end of which is con-
nected to the slide 25, in which is a notch, and draws the said slide so
that the notch presents itself on line with the nail, and the anvil being
on an incline the nail slides through the opening, the pin 22 passes
beyond the end of 23, and a spring 26 returns the slide ready to retain
another nail when dropped. The blow of the drop hardens the nail
sufficiently to ensure its driving straight by acting upon the side of the
nail to spread the lower part of the head and the shank, as seen in
Fig. 17, in order that the metal may not be liable to bend at the junction
of the shank and head.
I will now proceed to a description of different mechanism for cutting
the nails from the rod after the heads have been formed, as illustrated in
Figs. 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22.
In the Drawing a represents the shank portion and the heads in the
uail rod. These are formed by running a rod through a pair of rollers
that act upon the edges of the rod, leaving the same in about the shape
represented in Fig. 21. The nail rod thus prepared is laid into a
trough c, in which it may be steadied by hand or by a spring clamp to
keep it in place as drawn along progressively by the pair of rollers d, e.
These rollers d, e, are upon the shafts f, g, geared together by the
wheel, and driven by competent power. Upon the edges of the
rollers d, e, are cam-shaped reducing surfaces i, i, for reducing and
extending the blank for two nails the proper extent between the heads,
and adjacent to these cam surfaces i are sectional flanges o, 8, the
sectional flange o on the roller d being towards one edge of that roller,
while the sectional flanges on the rollere is towards the other edge, so

page_text: that there is between the said flanges when they come round opposite
to each other an opening of a width corresponding to the width of the
shank a of the nail blank, as seen in Fig. 20, where the rollers are shown
detached. When the advancing ends of the sectional flanges o, 8, come
round one passes on one side and the other on the other of the shank a,
and come up against the head of the nail blank that has been standing
between the rollers d and e unacted upon by the said rollers after the
cam-shaped reducing surfaces left the said nail blank upon the previous
revolution of the rollers d, c. As soon as the ends of the flanges o, 8,
fake the head of the nail blank the nail rod is drawn along and reduced
between one pair of heads and the next pair of heads, so as to form the
shanks of the proper thickness and length. This movement passes the
previously rolled pair of nails along to and between the cutting appa-
ratus. is a standing cutter placed below the point where the pairs of
nail heads have to be separated at the time the nail rod is stationary;
and is a diagonal cutter so placed as to be on the line where the
respective nails are to be separated to form the points by a diagonal cut;
and m is a cutter on a lever u to come down over the cutter ; and a is
a diagonal cutter on the same lever matching the cutter. This lever
is actuated by the cam q. revolved in unison with the rollers d, e, and
acts upon the lever to separate the nails transversely between the
pairs of heads, and diagonally to form the points in the manner shewn
in plan, Fig. 19. The unils are to be straightened and finished by
separate or after-acting mechanism.
I will now proceed to the further operation of finishing the nail after
it has been rolled down to form the shank, referring to Figs. 23, 2.1,
and 25.
In the said Figs. a is a bed carrying the parts of the mechanc; b, a
head block carrying the actuating shaft c; and d a sliding head moved
up and down by a crank pin e, and block running in a slot transversely
to the head d. Upon the bed a is a circular carrier plate h, having
notches i around its edges of a size and shape adapted to take in the head
of the uail, and I move this plate around progressively and automatically
by the pawl, acted upon by the adjustable plate q' on the head d. The
pawl has its fulcrum upon a stationary plate 9 attached to the centre
stud, around which the carrier h revolves, and the plate may be turned
upon its attaching bolt o so as to adjust the pawl to make it move
the carrier to the right place each time the head d commences to

page_text: As the
lescend. The nails are laid into the notches i by hand or auto-
matically, and are carried around to the successive operations. k is a
joint upon the bed a, to which the jaw block is attached; is a spring
just strong enough to turn up or lift the jaw block and the parts it
carries; 8, 8, are strong studs projecting horizontally from the block I,
and carrying the lever jaws n, n (see Figs. 21 and 25), and springs r
are employed to turn these jaws on their studs 8, so that the jaws will be
opened by their lower ends being separated. Upon the head d is a
plate controlling the motion of the jaws n, n. As the nail is brought
around by the carrier it pauses below the open jaws n, n.
head & descends those jaws are carried down until they rest upon the
bed a; they are still open because the spring yields much easier than
the springs r, r. The further descent of the head d closes those jaws by
acting upon their bent or lever upper ends, and in so doing the nail is
powerfully pressed on its edges by a lateral pressure between the
jaws, n, and the opening between them being the shape required for
the edges of the nail, said nail is given that shape by said pressure. The
head d raises the carrier h, moves forward, bringing another nail beneath
the jaws n, and carrying the previously straightened nail beneath the
die p attached to the head d. This die p and the bed a at that point are
of a shape to straighten the nail sideways, and compresses the shank at
its junction with the head suflicient to stiffen it at this point. From
the die p the carrier takes the nail next to the point cutter 9 attached
to the head d, and clips off the sharp point of the nail sufficiently to
remove any burr or feather that might interfere with the driving.
Where the nails vary slightly in length a stationary guide or a small
vibrating pusher may be used to bring the points of the nails to the same
position previous to the point being clipped off, so as to avoid too much
of the point being removed. The notches in the carrier are large
enough to allow the nail to be thus moved in slightly to bring the ends
all to the same position relatively to the cutter q. In order to remove
the metal at the side of the point to give it the chisel shape required in
driving I employ the reciprocating file r' actuated by the crank 8', or
other competent mechanism. The said file » comes up through the
bed so as to stand at the proper inclination to the nail. The plate / is
provided, extending from the stationary centre plate q out beyond the
edge of the carrier h, and made sufficiently thin to act as a slight spring,
and the distance between its outer end and the bed a is a little less
than the thickness of the shanks of the nails, so that as the said nails

page_text: are carried thereunder laterally by the movement of the disc h the said
plate will act as a spring clamp and steady the nail while being moved
under and acted upon by the file. The further movement of the
carrier carries the nail from under the plate t, and brings another
around to be operated upon. The file may be pressed down by a
spring w. The nails drop out through an opening in the bed a, and a
stationary arc is provided at u, beneath which the heads of the nails pass
while being subjected to the several operations aforesaid to hold them
into the notches in the carrier h.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents, 123,
Chancery Lane, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Mer
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Thomas Ilughes, Her special
licence that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors, adminis
trators, and assigns, or such others as L, the said Edward Thomas Hughes,
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 "In-
PROVEMENTS IN HORSE-SHOE NAILS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
a communication to me from abroad by Jolin Starr Griffing, of
the City and County of New Haven, United States of America, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or oue of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said lnvention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal

page_text: Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patont.
NOW KNOW YE, that the said Edward Thomas Hughes, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement (that is to say) :-
--
This Invention consists in an improved horse-shoe nail, and in
machinery for the production of the same.
And in order that the Invention may be clearly understood I will
proceed to describe the same as illustrated in the accompanying three
Slicets of Drawings.
A bar of iron the size of the nail head is passed through a pair of
rollers, which reduce it at certain places to form a blank of the proper
size for the subsequent operations in making the nail.
Figure 1 represents the rod of iron before it is operated upon;
Figure 2 represents the same after it has passed through one pair of
rol'ers b, b, Figures 5, 6, and 7, to crimp and reduce it and form double
blanks head to head, and of a length to be separated intermediately
into two blanks like that shown in Figure 4; Figure 3 represents the
bar after it has passed through a second pair of rollers c, c, with pro-
jecting chisel-shaped cutters that nip the said bar off between the heads,
and intermediately to form the said blanks a, Figure 4. At this stage
of the operation the top of the nail is perfected, and in consequence of
the rollers c, c, acting at right angles to the rollers b, b, the end of
the head is made of a pyramidal shape or beveled at the edges, so that
the hammer in driving the nail will only strike upon the higher central
portion of the head, and thereby the blow will be central with the nail,
and cause it to drive straight, whereas nails that are either cut off or
forged square on the end of the head require to be hammered up by hand
or they are liable to be driven crooked or bend.
The rollers b, b, and c, c, are sustained in any suitable frame d, and
driven by competent power. The rollers c, c, are to be set up towards
each other by screws 1, 1, or other means, so that their chisel-shaped
cutters shall nip off the rod, as before mentioned, or so nearly separate
the iron that the blanks a will fall apart in handling or when subjected
to the next operation. The rollers b, b, are formed of the proper shape
for reducing the metal, but instead of being made with grooves of the

page_text: shape of the half blank or nail as heretofore, they are formed with
flanges 2 and 3, see Figure 7, which set against the sides respectively
of the contiguous rollers so as to leave the space for the nail rod. By
this construction each roller has a right-angled recess, and the feather,
if any, on the rod comes at the angle instead of the middle, and there
is no possibility of the rod sticking in the groove, but it becomes
entirely free as the surface of the flange on one side draws away in one
direction as it rotates, while the other flange on the other side of the
rod draws away in the other direction, and the flanges can be pressed
against the sides of the adjoining rollers to keep them tightly together by
set screws or other means acting at opposite ends of the respective axes
of the rollers. The blanks a are put into a revolving rumbler e, Figure 8,
in which they are agitated sufficiently to separate any of the blanks that
may adhere to each other by the small filament of iron at the point of
separation, and also to smooth off any feathers or burrs that there may be
on any part of the said blanks. When they have been sufficiently agitated
they are delivered from the same rumbler or put into another provided
with elevating buckets 4, 4, that raise up the nails and cast them off
upon the shute e', which conveys then to the reverse incline 5, from
whence they pass to the inclined edge of the wheel filled with cavities
around its edge of a shape to receive the blanks a with their heads
downward. All those blanks not required, or that present themselves
incorrectly to pass into the said cavities, are shed off the said inclined
edge of the wheel into the rumbler to be brought up again. The
wheel is revolved progressively by a pawl 6 from a lever g vibrated by
competent power in unison with each revolution of the rollers h, i, in
order that a hook 7 also acted on by the lever g may remove the
blank a from its notch in the wheel, and deliver it into a shute 10,
beneath which is a slido 9 actuated by an arm 8, also by the lever g,
which presses the blank a head first in between the rollers h, i, as they
revolve, so that the head comes against the end of a rib 12, see detached
Figures 9 and 10. The roller is formed with a groove around its peri-
phery the width of the nail blank, and notched at 11 to receive the nail
head. The roller i has a rib fitting the groove of h, but cam-shaped, as
seen, from 12 to 13, so that the blank a shall be reduced or flattened along
the shank and toward its point by the said cam 13 while the body part
of the nail is in the groove of 4, and the nail then falls out or is removed
from between the rollers by a stationary clearer. The nail blank is thus
formed with an clongated shank, seen at k, Figure 8. This operation,

page_text: acting from the head toward the point with a rolling. operation, extends
the nail at the same time that it is consolidated and hardened. The
roiling operation last described, if performed cold, will leave the body
of the nail too hard for clinching, it becomes necessary therefore at this
stage to soften or anneal the nail blank by heat; but if the before-
described operations are performed with the metal in a hot state the
nail blank will be sufficiently soft, but it must be allowed to cool before
being pointed by the next operation, in order that the point may be
rendered sufficiently hard for driving. The blank is next presented,
point first, to a pair of pointing rollers l, m, Figures 11, 12, and 13. To
deliver the nails properly to these rollers I employ a rumbler and
clevator e, chute e', incline 5, and wheel f, similar to those before
described, only the recesses in the inclined edge of the wheel fare
adapted to the changed shape of the nail blank, and the heads are
upward. The hook 7 from the lever and the incline 10 may also be
used to deliver the uail blank k to the slide », which is formed, as seen
endwise in Figure 14, of a piece of sheet metal, bent nearly in a V form
where the nail falls, and the sides are bent closer together toward the
rollers, m, so that the nail will be turned up and presented edgewisc
toward the said rollers by the pusher o actuated by the connecting
rod o' and crank or other suitable mechanism that slides the blank k
forward at the right time to pass between and be taken by the
rollers, m, and pointed, as next shown. The rollers l, m, are cach
formed with a flange (similar to the rollers b, b,) the flange of one
setting against the side of the other, and the said flanges are removed as
at 14, and the ends of these flanges beveled or rounded, as seen in
Figure 13, and the rollers l, m, are formed eccentric or cam-shaped at
15. It will now be seen that as the rollers rotate in the direction
indicated and the blank k is pushed forward it will pass in between the
rollers in the opening bounded by their flanges, and that the cam-shaped
portion will extend, the nail rolling, the point down edgewise, into a shape
similar to that shown at p, at the same time passing the nail back towards
its former position, from which it is allowed to drop by the withdrawal
of a slide 16 forming the bottom of the trough . The slide 16 may be
actuated by any suitable means. I have shown it upon a spring plate 17,
from which is an incline 18 acted upon by a stud pin 19 on m running
under the said incline. I prefer the nails to be placed in a rumbler
to smooth their corners, and delivered from it in manner aforesaid to
grooves in a wheel, Figure 15, of a shape to receive the said nails,

page_text: but they might be deposited in any suitable receptacle by any convenient
means that would present the points diagonally to the file or cutting
instrument q' that dresses off the side of the nail point in order that it
may drive in a curved line through the hoof of the animal and turn
outwards, as is required in shoeing. I have represented a reciprocating
file q' resting on the stationary bar 20, and the head of the nail as kept
down by pressing under a flanged strip 21. The nail is now completely
formed and shaped ready for the last and finishing operation. I employ
a press that acts on the two edges of the nail to straighten the same
perfectly and slightly compress it, and then a drop that acts upon the
sides to slightly flatten and harden it, and thus ensure great beauty in
the finish of the nail as well as perfect unanimity, and also ensure the
stiffness necessary for driving properly. I provide an anvil (see
elevation, Figure 16, and sectional plan, Figure 17), at the sides of
which are frames or slides S carrying a drop actuated by any usual
means. On the surface of the auvil are the compressing blocks u, u,
actuated by bent levers 21 and links &, &, drawn up by a pin projecting
from the drop t, is that a nail dropped automatically between the
dies u, u, is compressed sidewise, and then as the hammer drops the
links by their weight open the dies a, a, leaving the nail on the anvil
to be struck by the projecting die of the drop, and given a perfect finish
on its side. As the drop rises a pin 22 projecting from the drop & takes
an incline 23 on the hanging lever 24, the end of which is connected to
the slide 25, in which is a notch, and draws the said slide so that the
notch presents itself on line with the nail, and the anvil being on an
incline the nail slides through the opening, the pin 22 passes beyond the
end of 23, and a spring 20 returns the slide ready to retain another nail
when dropped. The blow of the drop hardens the nail sufficiently to
insure its driving straight by acting upon the side of the nail to spread
the lower part of the head and the shank, as seen in Figure 17, in order
that the metal may not be liable to bend at the junction of the shank
and head.

page_text: rendering it soft and tough, while on the other hand the hammering or
rolling of iron stiffens it and imparts a greater density or hardness and
stiffness, and by availing myself of these well-known operations I cause
the different portions of the nail to be of the proper character for its.
particular duty, instead of being homogeneous as heretofore. Thus the
point is better adapted to penetrating the hoof because it is more deuse,
and hence harder and stiffer than the body of the nail in consequence of
the point being rolled down after the nail has been annealed. The
body of the nail is in the proper condition for clinching in consc-
quence of being but little acted upon. After being annealed the head
is less liable to bend than heretofore, because the iron at the junction
of the body and head is more dense than in the body of the nail in
consequence of being compressed at this point by the dies in the last
operation.
In addition to the aforesaid peculiarities of the said nail, I have the point
beveled on one side so as to drive properly, and I have a projection at
the centre of the head. These peculiarities have never before existed
in any ono horsc-shoe nail, and hence my improvements constitute a new
article of manufacture.
I will now proceed to a description of different mechanism for cutting
the nails from the rod after the heads have been formed, as illustrated in
Figures 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22.
Nails have heretofore been manufactured from rods by rollers acting
on opposite sides to reduce the rod into the form of a nail. Difficulties
have been experienced in this mode of manufacture in consequence of
the rollers not corresponding in their action; for if the nail blauks in
their first reduction are too long or too short but a hair's breadth, the
nails on the rod are spoiled by the impression of the second pair of
rollers not coming upon the proper part of the nail rod, especially
towards the last end of the rod. The nature of this part of the Invention
consists in a pair of rollers feeding the nail rod along by taking against
the sides of the heads formed in the first reduction, thereby each nail
blank is moved along the proper distance, and then the rollers cease
their hold upon the rod, hence there is a progressive feed of the nail rod,
and the difficulty before mentioned is avoided, and all the reductions of
the nail rod subsequent to the first are determined in position by the
feeding movement acting against the nail heads successively. 1 make
the horse-shoe nail in the required pointed form by dividing the reduced

page_text: nail blank by a diagonal cut that leaves the nail with the point on the
line of one side, and the nail is straightened and finished by mechanism
to be hereafter described.
In the Drawing a represents the shank portion, and the heads in
the nail rod. These are formed by running a rod through a pair of
rollers that act upon the edges of the rod, leaving the same in about the
shape represented in Fig. 21. The nail rod thus prepared is laid into
a trough c, in which it may be steadied by hand or by a spring clamp
to keep it in place as drawn along progressively by the pair of
rollers d, e. These rollers d, e, are upon the shafts f, g, geared together
by the wheel, and driven by competent power. Upon the edges of
the rollers d, e, are cam-shaped reducing surfaces i, i, to reduce and
extend the blank for two nails the proper extent between the heads, and
adjacent to theso cam surfaces i are sectional flanges o, 8; the sectional
flange o on the roller d being towards one edge of that roller, while
the sectional flanges on the roller e is towards the other edge, so that
there is between the said flanges when they come around opposite to
cach other an opening of a width corresponding to the width of the
shank a of the nail blank, as seen in Fig. 20, where the rollers aro
shown detached. When the advancing ends of the sectional flanges o, s,
come round, one passes on one side and the other on the other of the
shank a, and come up against the head of the nail blank that has
been standing between the rollers d & e unacted upon by the said
rollers after the cam-shaped reducing surfaces left the said nail blank
upon the previous revolution of the rollers d, c. As soon as the ends of
the flanges o, 8, take the head of the nail blank the nail rod is drawn along
and reduced between one pair of heads and the next pair of heads, so
as to form the shanks of the proper thickness and length. This move-
ment passes the previously rolled pair of nails along to and botween the
cutting apparatus. h is a standing cutter placed below the point where
the pairs of nail heads have to be separated at the time the nail rod is
stationary; and is a diagonal cutter so placed as to be on the lino
where the respective nails are to be separated to form the points by a
diagonal cut; and m is a cutter on a lever « to come down over tho
cutter h, and is a diagonal cutter on the same lever matching the
-cutter. This lever is actuated by the cam 7 revolved in unison with
the rollers d, e, and acts upon the lever u to separate the nails trans-
versely between the pairs of heads, and diagonally to form the points in

page_text: the manner shown in plan, Fig. 19. The nails are to be straightened and
finished by a separate or after acting mechanism.
I will now proceed to the further operation of finishing the nail after
it has been rolled down to form the shank, referring to Figs. 23, 21,
and 25.
In the said Figs. a is a bed carrying the parts of the machine; b, a
head block carrying the actuating shaft c, and d, a sliding head
moved up and down by a crank pin e and block running in a slot
transversely to the head d. Upon the bed a is a circular carrier plate h
having notches i around its edges of a size and shape adapted to take
in the head of the nail, and I move this plate around progressively and
automatically by the pawlf acted upon by the adjustable plate g¹ on
the head d. The pawlf has its fulcrum upon a stationary plate g
attached to the centre stud, around which the carrier revolves, and
the plate g may be turned upon its attaching bolt o so as to adjust the
pawlf to make it move the carrier h to the right place each time the
head & commences to descend. The nails are laid into the notches i by
hand or automatically, and are carried around to the successive opera-
tions. is a joint upon the bed a, to which the jaw block is attached;
is a spring just strong enough to turn up or lift the jaw block and
the parts it carries; 8, 8, are strong studs projecting horizontally from
the block, and carrying the lever jaws n, n, (see Figs. 24 & 25) and
springs rare employed to turn these jaws on their studs 8, so that the
jaws will be opened by their lower ends being separated. Upon the
head d is a plate m controlling the motion of the jaws n, n. As the nail
is brought around by the carrier hit pauses below the open jaws n, n; as
the head a descends those jaws are carried down until they rest upon
the bed a. They are still open because the spring yields much earlier
than the springs r, r. The further descent of the head d closes those
jaws by acting upon their bent or lever upper ends, and in so doing the
uail is powerfully pressed on its edges by a lateral pressure between the
jaws n, n, and the-opening between them being the shape required for
the edges of the nail, said nail is given that shape by said pressure.
The head d rises, the carrier moves forward bringing another nail
beneath the jaws n, and carrying the previously straigthened nail
beneath the diep attached to the head d. This die p and the bed a at
that point are of a shape to straighten the nail sideways and com-
presses the shank at its junction with the head sufficiently to stiffen

page_text: it at this point. From the die p the carrier takes the nail next to the
point cutter q attached to the head d and clips off the sharp point of the
nail sufficiently to remove any burr or feather that might interfere with
the driving. Where the nails vary slightly in length a stationary guide
or a small vibrating pusher may be used to bring the points of the
nails to the same position previous to the point being clipped off, so as
to avoid too much of the point being removed. The notches in the
carrier / are large enough to allow the nail to be thus moved in slightly
to bring the ends all to the same position relatively to the cutter q. In
order to remove the metal at the side of the point to give it the chisel-
shape required in driving I employ the reciprocating file actuated
by the crank &', or other competent mechanisiu. The said file comes
up through the bed so as to stand at the proper inclination to the nail.
The plate is provided, extending from the stationary centre plate g out
beyond the edge of the carrier h, and made sufliciently thin to act as a
slight spring, and the distance between its outer end and the bed a is a
little less than the thickness of the shanks of the nails, so that as the
said nails are carried thereunder laterally by the movement of the
disc h, the said plate will act as a spring clamp and steady the nail
while being moved under and acted upon by the file. The further
movement of the carrier carries the nail from under the plate / and
brings another around to be operated upon. The file may be pressed
down by a spring wo. The nails drop out through an opening in the
bed a, and I provide a stationary arc at ", beneath which the heads of
the nails pass while being subjected to the several operations aforesaid
to hold them into the notches in the carrier h.
Having fully described this Invention, what I claim as new and useful.
and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,―
First. A horse-shoe nail in which the point and junction of the body
with the head are more dense or stiffer than the body portion of the
nail, the point being beveled upon one side (without being spread
in the direction of the width), and the head having a projection in the
central parts, for the purpose herein set forth.
Second. Moving the rod of blanks forward and adjusting succssively
cach blank to its proper position before the dies bite upon them by
means of the lateral flanges o, 8, arranged and operating in the manner
herein described.

page_text: Third. I claim combining with devices for feeding the nail blank
the two pairs of cutters h and m, and land n, arranged substantially as
described.
Fourth. I claim the combination of the cutters h and m, and land n
with the rollers d and e formed with cam-shaped surfaces i and flanges o
and s, for the purposes specified.
Fifth. The jaws n, n, fitted and actuated substantially as specified, to
straighten the nail by pressure on its edges as set forth.
Sixth. I claim the diep in combination with the carrier plate h for
acting upon the side of the nails as they are brought round successively,
as specified.
Seventh. I claim the cutter q in combination with the carrier plate h
for clipping off the nail points as successively presented by said carrier
plate h, as set forth.
Eighth. I claim the spring friction plate in combination with the.
carrier plate and a file for removing the side of the point, substantially
as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.