CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING NAILS
Year: 1856

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Armand le Comte.
de Fontaine Moreau at the, Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 22nd January 1856.
I, PETER ARMAND le Comte DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of No. 4, South Street,
Finsbury, London, and 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of
France, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING
NAILS" to be as follows, that is to say:-
The Invention consists, firstly, of an improved method of flattening the
wire, by means of a system of levers, which cause suitable steel dies to act
upon the wire in opposite directions; secondly, of improved means for further
shaping, heading, and cutting the nail.
To a cast-iron frame or standard is fixed a shaft, working in suitable
bearings, and carrying a fly wheel and fast and loose pulley for giving motion
to the machine. Upon this shaft are placed a series of cams, one of which
actuates a lever of the second kind. To this lever is attached a connecting

page_text: piece, which connects two levers together. The fulcra of the latter are so
placed as to cause two steel dies to meet and press the wire in opposite direc-
tions, this being the first operation in forming the nail. By means of a
cam on the shaft, another lever is brought into action, for giving by suitable
steel sliding dies an angular or round shape to the shank or stalk of the nail.
Two other cams acting against suitable levers then cause the sliding steel
cutters to come into action, which hold, cut, and finish the shank or stalk of
the nail at the same time it is being headed by the header or hammer. This
header works horizontally between suitable guides. One end is provided with
a slot, in which works a cam on the shaft, for giving, in combination with a
wooden spring, a suitable movement to the header. At its opposite end is
placed the steel die, which heads the nail and finishes the operation. The
levers are furnished with antifriction rollers, against which the cams work.
The wire is fed in by suitable apparatus.
This machine is adapted for manufacturing horse-shoe and other nails of
various shapes and metais.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 21st July 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. PETER
ARMAND le Comte DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of No. 4, South Street, Finsbury,
London, and 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of France, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
Ta
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7. WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing, date, the Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, Her special license
that I, the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Peter Armand le
Comte de Fontaine Moreau, ny 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 "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING NAILS,"
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page_text: communicated to me from a foreigner residing abroad, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, 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 performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
The Invention consists,. first, in an improved method of shaping or flattening
the wire employed in the manufacture of nails, by means of an arrangement
of counter pressure levers, which cause suitable steel dies to act upon the
wire in opposite directions, in order to give to it the proper form; secondly,
of improved means for further shaping, heading, and cutting the nail.
Figure 1, Drawing 1, represents a plan of the machine; Figure 2, front
elevation; Figure 3, end view in partial section. Figure 4, Drawing 2, is
longitudinal section of the machine; Figures 5 to 19, detail views of the
cutting and shaping apparatus. The same letters on the Drawings refer to the
same parts.
A, Figure 1, is a strong cast-iron frame or standard. At one end works
in suitable bearings the driving shaft.B; upon this shaft is keyed the fly
wheel Z, and the fast and loose pulleys Y, Y', for giving motion to the
machine. C, C, C, are grooved cams, which, by the antifriction pulleys C',
actuate the levers D, F, F, working on stud pins Q, secured to the frame A
by nuts and washers; T is another cam, for setting in motion the long lever
G, working on the stud pin G₁, and provided with an antifriction pulley T.
To this lever is fixed in a suitable manner by the gripping piece J', J¹, the
connecting piece I. The latter is fixed at the top by a pin to the forked
ter pressure lever H, working on the stud pin L, and which forms its fulcrum,
and at the lower part to the counter pressure lever J, attached to the pin Ju
on the brackets J. K, K', are two pressing dies, which work vertically in the
guides C; they give the first pressure and shape to the wire by means of
the adjusting screws L', L", passing through the counter pressure levers H, J;
the guides C are adjusted by set screws f. M are the pressing slides, working
in cross guides g. g; bolted to the standard A. These slides are tipped with
coun-

page_text: steel at their ends; at one end is a metal strap, in which a bolt or catch of the
lever D is fixed, which when in motion serves to draw back the slide; the
latter is adjusted by a screw. In the other end of the slides M are dove-
tailed the steel pressing dies M', Figure 8, which give a wedge form to the
shank or stalk of the nail, and which are shewn in full size in Figure 6. The
slide moved by the lever D presses the iron wire at the moment of making the
head of the nail; the second pressure is given at the same part of the wire, so
as to give the proper shape to the stalk of the nail. The pressing dies are
formed with a circular projection, in order to form a hollow in the head of the
nail when struck by the die S of the hammer or header N; the latter is
grooved, so as to work on the projection R, which serves to guide the hanımer
in combination with the cross guides P. The cam O, fixed to the shaft B,
causes the hammer or header to return by passing through a slot O"; "the
blow is then given to the head of the nail by a strong wooden spring D. To
a rod attached to the hammer is fitted the feeder V, working on the guide X,
in order to feed the wire a into the machine. The iron wire is placed on a
reel (not represented in the Drawing), the size of the wire being proportioned
to the size of the nail to be manufactured.
Figure 5 is a side view of the pressing dies K; at the extremity a. small
notch is made, in which the first pressure of the iron wire a takes place. The
same Figure represents the pressing slides M in the opposite direction, and
which give the second pressure. In the same Figure is seen the extremity
of the iron wire a, ready to be pressed between the pressure dies and slides.
Figure 6 shews an end view of the cutting dies h, h, in which the shank or
stalk of the nail is formed diagonally, and the wedge blank or brad is also
formed diagonally, being the counterpart of the stalk of the nail.
iron wire, shewing the formation of the nail.
"
a, a, is the
Figure 7 shews the iron wire ready to be cut, and also a part not pressed
for the formation of the head of the nail.
Figure 8, end view of the cutting dies M', which make but little waste.
Figure 9 is an end view of another form of cutting dies M', which cause
much waste.
.
Figure 10, side view of the cutting dies h, h, forming a wedge blank or
brad, and the shank or stalk of the nail at the same time.
,
Figure 11, another form of cutting dies h, h', effecting the same object. h'
is the side opposite to the other, which is made to taper; the opposite direction
of this taper is shewn dotted in the Figure on the right. On the left is a
small piece of steel at the back of this cutting die, which projects beyond the
end, and serves to fix and lift the head of the nail. The small iron band

page_text: should be inclined a little forward in entering the machine between the cutting
apparatus, since the first blow re-shapes the thick end of the head, and puts it
in communication with the die, in order that the head may be struck truly.
The means here described for the manufacture of nails apply not only to those
for shoes, but also to carpetting, saddlery, bellows, &c., and with all kinds of
metals except cast iron.
Figure. 12, M, pressing dies for forming the stalk of the nail...
29
Figure 13, A, cutting die, used for cutting the wire to produce the stalk of
the nail and brad.
Figure 14, M, another and longer cutting die, cutting two brads and the
'stalk of a nail.
Figure 15, B is a cutting die for cutting the blanks or nail head across.
Figure 16, M, pressing slides for making rose nails.
.'
Figure 17, D, cutting dies, for manufacturing nails from iron strips or
bands.
Figure 18, E, dies-for forming the stalk of the nail from the cutting of
the metal band; F, die of the hammer or header for forming the head.
Figure 19, dies for cutting nails from the iron band. J, cutting dies for
effecting the same object in an opposite direction; H, die of the header, which
forms the head.
To utilize the waste, which is very considerable in the manufacture of
nails from wire (excepting oval wire), I employ the refuse wedge blanks
as brads for fastening the soles of shoes made by machinery or hand, in
which case the cutting apparatus is so constructed and placed, that the part
on each side of the stalk of the nail falls into a small mould on either side
of the cutter, so that there are two small brads to each nail. The cutting
dies employed are shewn in Figure 13. To avoid waste the wire must be
cut diagonally with proper cutting dies; half of the diagonal forms a thick
brad for heels of shoes, while the counter side of this diagonal is struck and
pressed to form the nail. This mode of operating is similar to that repre-
sented in Figures 10 and 11. The cutting dies M, Figure 14, may be used,
in which case they cut the wire diagonally on either side of the stem, and
from one end to the other, to give the point and stalk of the nail. The part
cut off as refuse can, if required, form two blanks or brads, as in Figure 14;
in that case the brads will be formed by the same means as the stalk itself.
After cutting the wedge blanks or refuse, these cutters form the stem or stalk,
which is disengaged and ready to receive the pressure to form the head.
After this operation, the wire advances, and the waste is cut off by the cutters
B, which cut the wire across. The cutters B, Figure 15, may be placed

page_text: immediately..under the cutters M, Figure 14, or the two may be made so as
to form one piece. To make nails termed rose nails, I use a small metal band.
These nails have a kind of double head, which are formed out of the width of
the band, which may be oval or nearly flat. The stalk is made by the process
before.described. The dies and cutters required for the manufacture of rose
nails are shewn in Figures 12 to 16.
For the manufacture of common nails from the thin metal band, Figure 17,
it is necessary to change the guides of the machine herein-before described,
and adapt the parts to return this strip in the usual way. The change of
guides serves to facilitate the entrance of the strip C into the cutting dies D, D,
which are open. The latter may be improved as follows:-The bottom or
wedge is rounded off from the side where the head is formed to the middle
or in the entire length. In the former case, the stalk of the nail. is round
from the under. part of the head to, nearly the middle, and the rest of the stem
is square. In the second case, the stalk is round throughout; a few notches are
made across it, just at the bottom of the dies, to indent the stem of the nail;
they may also be square, throughout. When the nail is cut out of the end of
the band C, it resembles a large wedge (as may be seen in Figure 18); the
large end projects. sufficiently to form the head of the nail. The wedge is
made to project beyond the die by the contact of the cutters E, E, against the
die F. The stalk being cut diagonally, from the band, is moulded and cut to
form a sharp point; the thick end is stationary during, the cutting, when the
header is made to head the nail by pressure, or a blow just at the top of
these cutting. dies. where the head of the nail is. struck. I make a small
projection, so that the under part of the head of the nail may be slightly hollow,
as in forged nails. The strip of metal being placed horizontally or vertically
in the operation does not alter the principle herein detailed. I
can likewise
replace the cutters E, E, by those marked h, h, before described. The cutting
dies may also be placed behind as well as before the pressing slides M., M,
for forming-nails from strips of metal. I also employ another means of
making these nails from sheet or cylindrical iron. When the strip, has
advanced to the cutters, there are two cutting dies I, I, Figure 19, which cut a
third or half of the wedge G from the thick end; the other cutters J, J, which
may be placed behind; before,. above or below, and by cutting, the small end
which forms the round or square rod, employing the means before described
for rendering the head of the nail slightly hollowed, if so required. The upper
part of the blank being. cut in half, as I have already described, serves to
complete the head of the nails by the pressure or blow of the die H, Figure 19.
The mode of forming. nails as above. described may, in like manner, be also

page_text: employed for the manufacture of horse-shoe nails, whether in a cold or hot
For this purpose I prepare the plate iron to be cut into nails, by
passing it through cylinders baving suitable grooves made in them; these
cylinders, by strong pressure, give the requisite shape to the iron plate.
I include in the improvements under the present Patent the mode of pre-
paring the iron for the manufacture of nails for horse-shoes by mechanical
process or by hand.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein laid down; but what I claim is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery for manu-
facturing nails of various forms as herein-before described, and shewn in the
accompanying Drawings.
Secondly, of an improved method of flattening the wire, by means of counter
pressure levers, which cause suitable steel dies to act upon the wire or plate
iron in an opposite direction, as herein-before described, and shewn in the
Drawings.
Thirdly, of improved means for further shaping, heading, and cutting
the nail, as herein-before described, and illustrated in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Third day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
תמו
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