IMPROVEMENTS IN HAMMERS AND IN MECHANISM USED THERE- WITH
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Chatwood, of Bolton, in the County of
Lancaster, Safe and Lock Engineer. and John Sturgeon, of Burley,
near Leeds, in the County of York, Consulting Engineer. for the Inven-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Chatwood and
John Sturgeon at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 15th December 1866.
We, SAMUEL CHATWOOD, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Safe and
Lock Engineer, and JOHN STURGEON. of Burley, near Leeds, in the County
of York, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAMMERS AND IN MECHANISM USED THERE-
WITH," to be as follows:-.
Our Invention has for its object improvements in hammers and in
mechanism used therewith, and consists, in the first place, in so arranging
direct-acting steam or other power hammers that the working cylinder,
together with the hammer itself, may be elevated or lowered over the anvil
block so as to admit articles of varying depth under the hammer without
[Price 8d.1

page_text: limiting the length of its stroke. In the hammers heretofore made the
greater the bulk of the forging the less will be the height of fall of the
hammer, and consequently less power is obtained where in reality more power
is required; but by our improvements objects may be forged of any depth
within the range of the traverse of the cylinder without reducing the length
of stroke and the power of the blow. This may be effected in a variety of
ways, for instance. the working cylinder may be carried between two uprights
which form the frame of the hammer or in suitable guides in front of the
frame, and may be raised or lowered between the cheeks of the frame by
means of à chain and pullies or by screw racks or other contrivance, and
secured in its required position by bolts fitting in T slots in the frame; or
a screw thread may be formed on the outside of the working cylinder, so that
the latter being carried in suitable bearings on the frame, between which
bearings is fitted a nut working in the thread formed on the cylinder may be
raised or lowered by turning the nut round. The feed pipes may be jointed
to allow for the varying positions of the cylinder, or they may be rigidly con-
nected to the hammer frame so as to communicate with a chamber in which
the feed pipe to the cylinder is fitted working in suitable glands or packing so
as to be capable of sliding vertically along with the cylinder.
Secondly, our Invention consists in arranging power hammers whether
direct acting or of the lever form so as to be capable of being traversed along
slides by means of screws, racks, or other suitable gear, so that the hammer
or hammers may be brought to bear over a series of different anvils and
swages or over different parts of the work. The feed pipes may be arranged
to slide in or out upon the telescope principle to allow of the traverse of the
hammer along the slide.
Thirdly, our Invention consists in an improved arrangement of hammers
of the lever form, commonly called "Olivers". In this arrangement one or
more hammers are carried upon a cross shaft, to which they are not rigidly
attached, but are allowed to swing loosely thereon. The hammers have
counterweights attached to them so applied that they will always keep the
hammer elevated above the anvil at a certain convenient height when not in
use. A rocking motion is imparted to the cross shaft by steam or other
power (as. for instance, by a foot treadle), and any of the hammers may be
at any time brought into gear with the rocking shaft so as to receive a to-
and-fro motion therefrom by means of clutches, wheels, or other contrivance;
or the hammers may be carried upon a separate shaft behind which the rock-
ing shaft works, and with which any of the hammers may be thrown into or
out of gear as above described.
+

page_text: Fourthly, our Invention consists in so arranging the arm carrying the head
in lever hammers that it may be adjusted in any required direction whether
vertically, transversely, longitudinally, or angularly, so that when using dies
they may be readily and accurately adjusted over the work.
Fifthly, when using power hammers, whether direct acting or of the lever
form, where it is required that the hammer should remain elevated above the
anvil when not in use, and when a continuous rapid succession of blows is not
required, we apply a motion to the valve of the following nature. The move-
ment of the hammer in its upward stroke is caused to impart a partial
movement to the valve not sufficient to reverse it entirely, but only to close
the ports retaining steam on the lifting side of the piston, and so keeping the
hammer elevated until by depressing a foot lever the valve is entirely reversed
so as to give the blow. As soon as the foot lever is released it, is brought
back into its former position by a spring or counterweight or other suitable
contrivance, the tendency of which is always to keep the valve open on the
lifting side of the piston: the hammer is then caused so ascend until it again
causes the valve to close the ports, and it will remain elevated until the foot.
lever is again depressed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Chatwood and John Sturgeon in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEL
CHATWOOD. of Bolton. in the County of Lancaster, Safe and Lock Engineer,
and JOHN STURGEON, of Burley, near Leeds. in the County of York,
Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six. in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors. give and grant unto us, the
said Samuel Chatwood and John Sturgeon, Her special licence that we, the
said Samuel Chatwood and John Sturgeon. our executors, administrators.
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Samuel Chatwood and John
Sturgeon, our 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 HAMMERS AND

page_text: IN MECHANISM USED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Samuel Chatwood and John Sturgeon, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Samuel Chatwood, on behalf of myself
and the said John Sturgeon, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is
to say:-
Our Invention has for its object improvements in hammers and in
mechanism used therewith, and consists, in the first place, in so arranging
direct-acting steam or other power hammers that the working cylinder
together with the hammer itself may be elevated or lowered over the anvil
block so as to admit articles of varying depth under the hammer without
limiting the length of its stroke.
In the hammers heretofore made the greater the bulk of the forging the less
will be the height of fall of the hammer, and consequently less power is
obtained where in reality more power is required, but by our improvements
objects may be forged of any depth within the range of the traverse of the
cylinder without reducing the length of stroke and the power of the blow.
This may be effected in a variety of ways, for instance, the working cylinder
may be carried between two uprights which form the frame of the hammer, as
is shown in front view at Figure 1. a, a, are two standards firmly fixed upon
a base plate b, and at the upper ends of the standards guides are formed in
which the steam cylinder c is able to slide up and down vertically so as to
increase or diminish its distance from the anvil d. The steam cylinder is
suspended from a fixed point vertically over it by means of the tackle e, and
by this tackle it can be raised or lowered as required. The valves and gear
for admitting steam to the steam cylinder are mounted so as to rise and fall
with the cylinder. The steam is conveyed to the valve box on the cylinder by
telescopic pipes, or it may be by a flexible or a jointed pipe connecting the
valve box with a stationary steam chest on one of the standards a. is the
piston rod carrying the hammer block at its lower end.
In place of the cylinder sliding between two standards a it may work in
suitable, guides in front of a frame, as is shown at Figure 2, and may be

page_text: raised or lowered between the cheeks of the frame by means of a chain and
pullies or by screw racks or other contrivance, and secured in its required
position by bolts fitting in T slots in the frame: or a screw thread may be
formed on the outside of the working cylinder so that the latter (being
carried in suitable bearings on the frame, between which bearings is fitted a
nut working in the thread formed on the cylinder) may be raised or lowered
by turning the nut round.
A side view of this arrangement is shown at Figure 3.1 a. a. is a strong
standard with a cylindrical passage through it at its upper end. into which
the steam cylinder b fits so as to be able to slide up and down, but it is
prevented from turning by means of a groove and feather or in other
convenient manner. On the exterior of the cylinder a screw thread is cut!
and upon it a large cylindrical nut c works; it fits into a notch or recess in'
the standard, which divides the cylindrical passage through the standard
into two parts. c' is a bevilled wheel on the nut c, it gears with the pinion' d'
carried in bearings on the standard, and which at its outer end receives a
handle by which it may be titrued when it is desired to raise or lower the
steam cylinder. The feed pipes may be jointed to allow for the varying
positions of the cylinder. or they may be rigidly connected in the hammer
frame so as to communicate with a chamber in which the feed pipe to the
cylinder is fitted working in suitable glands or packing so as to be capable of
sliding vertically along with the cylinder.
Our Invention also consists in arranging power hammers, whether direct
acting or of the lever form, so as to be capable of being traversed along slides
by means of screws. racks, or other suitable gear. so that the hammer or
hammers may be brought to bear over a series of different anvils and swages
or over different parts of the work. The feed pipes may be arranged, to slide
in or out upon the telescope principle to allow of the traverse of the hammer
along the slide. This arrangement is shown at Figure 4. which is a front
view of a frame carrying two hammers capable of being traversed sideways so
as to bring them over anvils of different forms, or it may be to bring them to
act on different parts of the work. d, 7. are two standards firmly fixed to a
bed plate band connected together near their upper ends by the cross
guides c, c: on these guides the steam cylinders d. d. are able to slide, they
being formed at the back with suitable face plates to fit against the guides,
and with dovetails to bind them thereto. The cylinders are capable of being
traversed along the guides by two screws e.. e, working with nuts at the back
of the cylinders d; these screws are carried in suitable collars at, the ends of
the guides, and they receive handles by which they can be turned. The valve

page_text: boxes on the steam cylinders are supplied with steam by means of the pipes g
which slide in and out of the stationary steam chests at the upper ends of
the standards through stuffing boxes. i. i. are piston rods of the steam
cylinders with the hammer blocks at their ends, and k. k. are the anvils
adapted in their forms to the work which it is desired to produce; or for this
series of anvils a continuous anvil face may be substituted, so that where the
work is very heavy the hammers may be traversed along it whilst the work
remains stationary.
In some cases it is desirable that the steam cylinders which work the
hammers should be capable of adjustment both in a vertical and horizontal
direction. A front view of such an arrangement is shown at Figure 5.
A, A. are the uprights carrying the cross slide B, which may be raised or
lowered on the uprights by the screws C. C, worked from the shaft D. as in
a planing machine of the usual form, and secured in the required position by
bolts E, E. The hammer cylinders F, F. are arranged to traverse along the
cross slide in the manner of the tool box of a planing machine, or the spindle
in a radial or traversing drill, so as to bring the hammer to bear over different
dies as required. To effect the traversing movement of the hammers we use
a single fixed screw G, round which a nut G' carried by the moveable slide is
made to revolve by turning a handle on a short cross shaft geared by bevel
wheels to the nut. Instead of the screw motion a lever and link may be used
as shown in the red lines. The steam is admitted to the, working cylinders by
the pipes H. H. and passes out through the exhaust pipes I. I. which com-
municate with a pipe at the back of the frame; these pipes are all jointed in
the manner shown in order to allow of the horizontal and vertical movements
of the two cylinders. A series of swages K. K. are shown, the top swages
being supported on springs so as not to touch the metal until the moment
when the blow is struck. but ordinary swages may be used or plain anvils.
and the hammer may be elevated or lowered on the uprights according to the
requirements of the work.
In place of the arrangement shown at Figure 4, in which the traversing
motion is given to the steam cylinders, the cylinders may be stationary and
communicate an up-and-down motion to guides on which the hammer blocks
are able to slide. A front view of this arrangement is shown at Figure 6.
a, a, are the steam cylinders, they are fixed in an upright position on a bed
plate b, or on a hydraulic ram, and on their piston rods c, c, which are guided
truly by passing through stuffing boxes at the top of the cylinders the
guides d, d, are fixed so as to form a cross head connecting the two piston
rods; e is a slide on the guides d capable of being traversed by a screw, as

page_text: in Figure 4; e is the hammer head at the lower end of the slide, and g. 9. a
series of anvils over which it may be brought by traversing the slide by a
screw; the steam, is admitted to and exhausted from the cylinders.a simul-
taneously, and, so the hammer head is worked up and down.
Figure 7 is a side view of an arrangement in which a lever hammer is
arranged to traverse from anvil to anvil along a slide. a, a, is a base block
with a dovetailed guide on the top; b is a slide capable of being traversed
along this guide by means of the screw c; d is a steam cylinder fixed upon
the slide with a piston within it. the rod of which is connected with the lever e,
which rocks upon a fulcrum at e¹, and at its outer end carries a hammer
head e f is one of a series of anvils over which the hammer head emay
be brought by means of the slide.
In this arrangement one or more
Our Invention also consists in an improved arrangement, of hammers. of the
lever form commonly called Olivers."
hammers are carried, upon a cross shaft to which they are not rigidly attached,
but are allowed to swing loosely thereon. The hammers have counterweights.
attached to them so applied that they will always keep the hammer elevated
above the anvil at a certain convenient height when not in use. A rocking.
motion is imparted to the cross shaft by steam or other power (as, for instance,
by a foot treadle), and any one of the hammers may be at any time brought
into gear with the rocking shaft so as to receive a to-and-fro motion there-.
from by means of clutches, wheels, or other contrivance; or the hammers may
be carried upon a separate shaft, behind which the rocking shaft works and,
with which any of the hammers may be thrown into or out of gear, as above.
described.
Figure 8 is a side view of such an arrangement. a is an axis supported,
in bearings on standards b, b, and having a rocking motion through a quarter
circle more or less communicated to it in any convenient manner; c is a boss
mounted on this axis so that the axis can turn independently of it is an
arm formed or fixed on the boss c, and carrying at its outer end the hammer
head is a weighted arm also fixed on the boss c, and sufficiently heavy
to maintain the hammer head in the position in which it is shown in the
Drawing; a clutch surface is formed on one side of the boss c, and another
similar clutch surface is mounted on the axis a so as to be able to slide
upon it
but not to turn independently of the axis; d is a lever, by means of which the
clutch surface on the axis can be brought up to the corresponding clutch
surface on the boss c, and then this boss will partake of the rocking motion
of the axis a, and the hammer head will be brought down upon the anvil e,
and this movement will be repeated until the clutch lever d is again moved,

page_text: The axis a may be of any desired length, and may have any convenient
number of hammers upon it.
Our Invention also consists in so arranging the arm. carrying the head in
lever hammers that it may be adjusted in any required direction, whether
vertically, transversely, longitudinally, or angularly, so that when using dies
they may be readily and accurately adjusted over the work.
This arrangement is illustrated at Figure 9. u is a standard which carries
an axis with the rocking lever b upon it; it receives its motion from a con-
necting rod c, which is actuated in any convenient manner, and is connected
with one of the arms of the lever; the other arm has a socket formed in it
through which the screw stem d passes, and is locked in any required position
by means of the lock nuts d', d¹; e is a tubular arm formed at the top of the
stem d, and through it the arm of the hammer passes; this also has a screw
thread upon it, and it is clamped in the required position by means of lock
nuts, ; thus it will be seen that by means of the lock nuts d' a vertical.
adjustment may be obtained, and also an adjustment in a circular direction
around the centre of the stem d, whilst by means of the lock nuts the
radial distance of the hammer face from the centre of the stem d may be
varied and the inclination of the hammer face to the work may be adjusted.
When using power hammers, whether direct acting or of the lever form, where
it is required that the hammer should remain elevated above the anvil when
not in use, and when a continuous rapid succession of blows is not required, we
apply a motion to the valve of the following nature:-The movement of the
hammer in its upward stroke is caused to impart a partial movement to the
valve, not sufficient to reverse it entirely, but only to close the ports retaining
steam on the lifting side of the piston, and so keeping the hammer elevated
until by depressing a foot lever the valve is entirely reversed so as to give the
blow. As soon as the foot lever is released it is brought back into its former
position by a spring or counterweight, or other suitable contrivance, the
tendency of which is always to keep the valve open on the lifting side of
the piston; the hammer is then caused to ascend until it again causes the
valve to close the ports, and it will remain elevated until the foot lever is
again depressed.
Figure 10 is a side view, partly in section, of a lever hammer arranged in
this manner.
a, a, is a base supporting a steam cylinder a' in which a piston b works, it
has a trunk upon it passing out through a stuffing box in the cylinder. cover;
c is a connecting rod working within the trunk, it is jointed to the upper side
pf the piston b and also to one end of the lever d, turning on a fulcrum at d

page_text: carried by brackets on the base a; is the hammer head working against the
anvile is a valve by which steam is admitted to and exhausted from the
cylinder a; its stem is connected with the treadle which is furnished
with a spring g' tending constantly to raise its outer end and cause it to act on
the valve in such manner as to admit steam to the cylinder a over the
piston so as to raise the hammer head off the anvil. When the workman
requires the hammer to strike a blow he places his foot on the treadle g, and
so moves the valve as to admit steam below the piston, and at once the
hammer head is brought down on to the anvil. As soon as the workman
removes his foot from the treadle it rises and reverses the valve, admitting
steam over the piston which then at once commences to descend, lifting the
hammer head, then immediately the stem fixed to the piston and which
passes out through a stuffing box at the bottom of the cylinder comes against
a bell-crank lever h, and this lever at its other end being jointed to the stem
of the valve the valve is raised so as to close the ports and imprison the steam
over the piston; the steam then in expanding brings the piston to the end of
its stroke, and there the parts remain stationary until the workman moves the
treadle to obtain another stroke. In place of steam, air, or other elastic
fluid under pressure may be employed in working these hammers.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that wes do not confine
ourselves to the exact details described, but what we claim is.-
First, the arranging direct-acting steam or other power hammers so that
the working cylinder together with the hammer itself may be elevated or
lowered over the hammer block so as to admit articles of varying depth under
the hammer without limiting the length of the stroke.
Second, we claim the arranging power hammers in such manner as to be
capable of being traversed along slides in such manner as to bring them over
different anvils or to act on different parts of the work.
Third, we claim the arranging lever hammers on a rocking shaft in such
manner that they can be clutched with it when desired to act, and thrown out
of gear when their action is not required.
Also, we claim the use of a counterbalance weight to lift the hammer head
when the clutch is released.
Fourth, we claim the arranging the arm carrying the head of a lever
hammer so that it may be adjustable in all directions in such manner that any
die which it may carry may be accurately adjusted in position.
Fifth, we claim the arranging power hammers in such manner that the
movement of the hammer in its upward stroke imparts a movement to the

page_text: valve not sufficient to reverse it entirely but only to close the ports
retaining the steam on the lifting side of the piston, and so keeping the
hammer elevated until the valve is again moved by the workman to obtain
another blow.
In witness whereof. I, the said Samuel Chaiwood, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of June. in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
SAMUEL CHATWOOD. (...)