CERTAIN IMPROVE-- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STIRRUPS, BITS, SPURS, BUCKLES, AND OTHER. PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hawkins, of Lisle Street, London, in tho
County of Middlesex, and of Walsall, in the County of Stafford, Bit,
Spur, and Stirrup Manufacturer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE--
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STIRRUPS, BITS, SPURS, BUCKLES, AND OTHER.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hawkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th April 1859.
I, JOHN HAWKINS, of Lisle Street, London, in the County of Middlesex;
and of Walsall, in the County of Stafford, Bit, Spur, and Stirrup Manu:
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STIRRUPS, BITS, SPURS, BUCKLES, AND
OTHER SUCH LIKE ARTICLES CONNECTED WITH HARNESS AND SADDLERY," to be as
follows (that is to say):-
My Invention consists partly in preparing the iron or steel and in giving:
the usual or particular forms to the articles or parts of the articles herein;
before named, by stamping and pressing separately or conjointly, with the aid.
of moveable or adjustable dies, according to the particular article I wish to
form, such for instance as bits which require a great variation in the length,.
form, and size of the bar and other parts, and to admit of such variation,
I remove or change the middle or other part. or parts of the dic, so. that by
allowing more or less iron or steel in particular parts a subsequent operation
of forging or forming by incans of swaging with suitable hammers-enables me

page_text: to greatly diversify the same. And by the same process I ain enabled to give
various forms to stirrups and other articles connected with saddlery and
harness work, as, for instance, the frames and tongues of buckles, moru
particularly buckles which may be designated spring tongue buckles, as
suitable for regulating the length of stirrup leathers and other purposes by
forming an enlarged or flat part on the back of the frame or tongue by means
of dies and swages, stamping or pressing, for receiving a suitable spring for
holding the tongue down on the bar. By these combined arrangements I am
enabled to make and form the same, and such like articles herein-before
named, not only with great accuracy as to their shape, but also with uniformity
of weight and economy in the cost of production, which are important more
especially for military purposes, such as military spurs, stirrups, bits, buckles,
and other parts manufactured or formed from iron or steel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Hawkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HAWKINS, of Lisle Street, London, in the County of Middlesex, and of Walsall,
in the County of Stafford, Bit, Spur, and Stirrup Manufacturer, send greeting.
"WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Hawkins, Her special license that I, the said John Hawkins, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Hawkins, my executors, administrators, or 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 THE
MANUFACTURE OF STIRRUPS, BITS, SPURS, BUCKLES, AND OTHER SUCH LIKE ARTICLES
CONNECTED WITH HARNESS AND SADDLERY," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Hawkins, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: "senting a fringe that has been forced out between the surfaces of the dies
'from the surplus metal; and Fig. 3 represents a bit cheek identical with
Figure 2, with the exception that the fringe or superfluous portion has been
clipped off by suitable clipping tools, the nature and character of which aro
well understood. This description of bit cheek are usually used for artillery 1
horses, and it is evident that from this mode of manufacture uniformity of
strength, weight, and shape is obtained; the filing and finishing are operations
that may be performed as heretofore, and forms no part of my Invention.
Fig. 4 represents a finished bit, commonly known in the trade as a "Bradoon
bit," with swivels attached; the rings are formed in the ordinary way, but the
parts C, D, I purpose forming of rod iron or steol, cut off to proper lengths
'and struck into form by being made red hot and struck between proper dies,
the surplus metal being subsequently clipped off, C' being formed by being
struck in the die as here represented, the irregular edge representing the
surplus metal forced out in the meeting of the dies to be afterwards clipped
off as before described; and D' represents an edge view of the corresponding
part, the double lines h, h, represent the meeting of the dies as this part is
struck, so that the loop i, which is here partially bent into form, is straight or
'nearly so with the other part, as will be seen at D", which represents the same
'part in a flat position, the ragged edge representing the surplus metal forced
out by the process of stamping, and marked h, h, as at D'; the swivels are
represented in edge views at Figure 4, marked E and F, and at F I have
represented the samo part as cut out of sheet metal and pierced in the form here
shown, and E represents a swivel after it has been further formed by being
heated and struck between a pair of suitable dies, which form is represented
at Fig. 5, in a transverse section, as taken through the dotted lines j, J, and
longitudinally as taken through the dotted lines k, k. Fig. 6 represents the
mouth-piece or bar of a bit in flat and edge view, formed from a rod of iron
or steel cut off the proper length, and slightly drawn out and reduced in the
middle, as also the ends, which may be readily done by means of an oliver, or
by swages, in the ordinary way, after which I purpose giving it the finished
shape as here represented, by striking it between 'dies, clipping the surplus
metal as before described, altering and varying the form as desired. Fig. 7
represents a flat and edge view of an off-side spring bar to be attached to
saddle trees for stirrup leathers to rest on, and which bars have heretofore
been forged or cast in malleable iron; and my improvements consist in cutting
them from sheet iron or steel, and striking them into form while in a hot state
between suitable dies, as before stated, fitted to an ordinary stamp, subse-
quently clipping the superfluous metal and cutting a slot (by means of a

page_text: circular saw, set in motion in any suitable way), for receiving the spring and
guard, as represented at Fig. 8, the guard being marked 7, and the spring in
dotted lines marked m, m. Fig. 9 represents a front view of a finislied
buckle, the frame of which being cut out and formed in suitable dies,
according to the principle herein-before described; and to the tongue of this
buckle a spring is secured, marked N, by means of a rivet or otherwise, the
tongue being formed from hot rod iron or steel in dies, with a broad flat part
left for receiving the spring; the free end of this spring bears upon a flattened
part formed in the frame for receiving it, as will be seen at Fig. 10, which
is a section of Figure 9 taken through the dotted lines O, O; and Fig. 11 is
a flat view of the tongue, not only showing the flattened part for receiving the
spring, but also the part for bending around the bar. The advantage of this
description of buckle is for adjusting the stirrup leathers or other parts of harness
that the tongue, which always presses upon the leather, will, on slackening
the end pulled, enter the desired hole for the adjustment, and this same effect
would be equally produced by rivetting or otherwise securing the spring to the
back bar, and allowing its free end to press on the tongue. I have not
thought it necessary to draw other shaped buckles, or such like parts of
harness to which this is applicable, as the process herein described is. well
understood and its application perfectly simple; but in order to exhibit my
improved portable means of fastening the head or leather part of a bridle to
its bit, I have represented in a front and edge view on Sheet Two at Figs. 12
and 13, a different shaped bit, such as used for cavalry bridles, in the
forming of the mouth or bar, and cheeks, of which I adopt the same means
as far as convenient, as described at Figures 1, 2, 3, and 6, on Sheet One;
and my improved attachment consists in drawing out the top part of the check
into a thin part forming a spring, as exbibited at G, and over this spring I
pass my improved loose top eye, represented in this Figure in a side view
marked H and at I in Figure 12, in which view it will be seen that provision
is.made that by turning it in the proper direction it may be removed from
under the spring before described; this part I form in dies by stamping or
striking, as before named, and its improvement consists that it is not liable to
become detached, as it can only be removed by pulling it down outwardly,
when the longest part of the hole by which it is attached will be presented.to
the widest part of the spring, from whence it may be pulled out by simply
overcoming the resistance of the spring, and which spring, being in a planc
with the cheek, there are no projections or tendency for this part to catch ini
the bridle or other trappings of other horses that may walking, galloping,
or otherwise rubbing against it while in use, which is a matter of great

page_text: ?'
importance in cavalry evolutions. Fig. 14 represents an edge view of a bridle
cheek, with the bottom bar and lower ring broken off for convenience of space,
and is drawn here simply for the purpose of illustrating another improved means
of attaching the head with its square eye to the top of the bit, and this I effect
by bending the cheek outward into a hook, against which a corresponding part
marked p is made to abut by its working on an axis at 9, and held in its
position by the spring r, and by pressing on the top part of the square or eye
at the lower end of the bridle head may be passed in, and this position is
represented in dotted lines. The simplicity and efficiency of this contrivance
is desirable for military purposes, and is very superior to the plan now in use.
My improvements in the manufacture of stirrups are of the character herein-
before described, but varying in shape as requirements or fancy may desire.
My first process is to take a strip of iron or steel of the desired breadth and
thickness, according to the character of stirrup I wish to make, but for
illustration I will describe my plan as applied to ordinary military stirrups,
which piece of iron or steel I have represented broken off for convenience of
space at Fig. 15, from which I have pierced out the holes markeds and & by
passing it between guides under and over suitable piercing tools, with a stop at
the back so regulated that at the time the holes v and w are being pierced,
the part J, J,. is being cut off from the bar, and so on until the bar is worked
up; an edge view of the part J, J, is exhibited at Fig. 16. The part J, J, is
next made hot and held securely by the top loop, while the lower parts are
turned at right angles and spread out, when it is again heated and the loop
part laid on a suitable die, and the corresponding one being fastened to a
stamp hammer, a blow of sufficient force will give it the desired form, which
form, after clipping, I have exhibited at Fig. 17, and in a transverse section
taken through x, y, at Fig. 18. The lower part of this stirrup may be cut
out and pierced, when requisite, with suitable tools, in the manner herein-before
described, or otherwise as may be desired, the ends of which are intended to be
bent up and welded to the lower ends of the part as exhibited at Figure 17;
the stirrup being subsequently finished by filing, polishing, and roughing in
the ordinary way, which finished stirrup I have exhibited at Figs. 19 and 20.
In cavalry stirrups used by lancers, I form a solid rivet at the top and a solid
eye at the bottom for receiving the lance rest, commonly called and understood
by the name of "lance buckets."
In the manufacture of spurs, whether for military or other riding, it has
been invariably the practice of welding the shank to the heel of the spur, which
is not only a tedious and expensive process, but is also objectionable on account
of the increased weight, as the process requires the iron or steel to be left full

page_text: at that part, in addition to which a bad or an unsound welding destroys the
spur, its unsoundness not being discovered until the last process or finish is
given to it, the whole expense of manufacture becoming a loss. To avoid this,
and to facilitate their production, I take a rod of iron or steel, say of a size
suitable for military spurs, as exbibited in a transverse section at K, Fig. 21,
and cut off the length here exhibited; this piece I lay into a suitable bed and
gradually advance it against the edge of a rapidly revolving saw or disc of soft
thin steel, as either the one or the other will effect my object, which is to slit
it down as here represented, which I prefer doing in a hot state, as in that
condition it admits of being opened at the same time, and when slit down,
(having a stop in front of the saw) I am able to cut the piece off to the
right length, when the rod may be again heated and treated as before until
worked up; from this state the pieces of iron or steel so opened are again
heated and put into a compound die constructed with a steel face dovetailed
sideway or lengthway into a cast or wrought iron base, formed for receiving
a trap lever, that when the cars of the spur is formed, as at b', b, Fig. 22, a
blow struck on the outward end of the lever will cause its inner end to strike
violently against the extreme end of the shank of the spur marked c, which will
knock it out of the dic, and according to the amount of iron that may be
required in forming the nib and neck of the shank, so I apply a shorter or
longer piece of steel in the hole of the die for receiving the shank; from this
process the heel and nib of the spur is clipped of any superfluous. metal that
might extend beyond its true form, as exhibited at Fig. 23 in the part of the
heel extending to the left, while the part extending to the right has not under-
gone this process, the superfluous metal being represented by the irregular
outer line; I thus by three processes, not only get rid of the precessity of
welding, but I form and clip the heel, which heretoforo has been done with
dies worked with three processes, two to form the heel, and one to form the
nib; in this state I bend the heel into the shape required in the usual way,
and from this condition I impart, the desired form to the shank of the spur, as
exhibited at Figs. 24 and 25, to be subsequently finished straight as for hunting
spurs, or hent into the military form, as exhibited at Fig. 26, of which Fig. 27
represents a finished spur, in which Figure the side screws are exhibited, and the
heel pin marked d', and which pin I purpose forming from the iron or steel of
which the spur may be formed, and instead of drilling and tapping it in, as now
done, which always renders the pin weak and reduces the strength of the spur
at the neck of the shank, which is very injurious to the present mode of
manufacturing military spurs when the shank is being welded on; I eflect this
by sinking an hollow in the face of the stamp hammer, used for giving form to

page_text: the spur, as exhibited at Fig. 22, so as to leave a projection, as shown in
dotted lines in that Figure at e', which substance of iron or steel I subsequently
operate on in a hot state between proper tools, so as to elongate it in or near
the form as exhibited in the last Figure marked d.
Having thus described the nature and object of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same may be carried into effect, I wish it understood,
that I do not purpose confining myself to the shape, size, or proportions of any
of the parts herein described and exhibited, as the whole may be varied as
required; but what I claim and wish protected by these my in part recited
Letters Patent, are,-the manufacture of the iron or steel parts of saddlery
and harness which have heretofore been forged or formed of cast iron by the
process of casting, by the means of cutting out, piercing, bending, and forming,
as herein described and extensively exhibited.
Secondly, the manner of applying springs to buckles, as described and
exhibited at Figures 9, 10, and 11, the same being used for harness and
saddlery purposes.
Thirdly, in the manner of constructing and applying loose top eyes to bit
cheeks, as exhibited at Figures 12 and 18; also in the mode of applying spring
top eyes to bits, as exhibited at Figure 14.
Fourthly, I claim the means of making and forming stirrups, as hercin
described.
And, lastly, in the mode herein described and exhibited of forming the heels.
and shanks of spurs of one piece of iron or steel, as exhibited at Figures 21,
22, 23, 24, 25, and 26, as also in the forming of the heel pin, as described at
Figures 22 and 27, from the same piece of iron or steel from which the spur
has been formed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hawkins, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
JAMES S. COCKINGS, C.E.,
'Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
JOHN HAWKINS. (L.S.)