IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CYLINDRICAL METALLIC CASES, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Sharp Henderson.
SIONAL
and Jolin Macintosh at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 11th July 1867.
WC, JOHN SHARP HENDERSON and JOHN MACINTOSH, both of the City of
Aberdeen, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CYLINDRICAL METALLIC CASES, AND
IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as follows, that is
to say;-
This Invention relates essentially to the manufacture of metallic cases, and
consists in bending sheets of tinned iron plate or other metal to the required
shape on cylinders, and in effectually soldering them whilst on the cylinders.
The metallic plates are introduced in succession between two cylinders or
rollers, the upper roller being acted upon by a spring or other yielding
arrangement, and the under or larger roller round which the plates pass has
[Price 8d.]

page_text: a check or groove upon its surface which forms the necessary seam upon each
plate. This lower forming cylinder or roller moves in a suitably formed or
hollowed out case, with a clearance for the plates to pass free, and as soon as
the plate has the cylindrical form, imparted to it the solder is applied by
soldering bolts, having an automatic parallel action, or they may be soldered
by hand bolts in the ordinary manner. These bolts are so formed that their
points remain perpendicular in any given arc of their revolution, the solder
pot being placed in such contiguous position that on being turned back the
bolt dips sufliciently deep to lift the supply necessary for each seam.
It will be observed that the foregoing modification is specially applicable
to the manufacture of cases whose seams require soldering, but the machinery
is equally applicable to the manufacture of cases with overlapping seams
which require no soldering by simply modifying the form of check on the
case forming cylinder or roller; the plates to be so bent having their ends
first bent over before being put into the machine so as to fit into a groove
formed in the bending roller, into which they are compressed during the
revolution of the cylinder for the purpose of imparting the cylindrical form.
SPECIE TION I pursuance of the conditions of
Letters Patent,
by the said John Sharp Henderson and John Macintosh in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 10th January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
SHARP HENDERSON and JOHN MACINTOSH, both of the City of Aberdeen,
North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said John
Sharp Henderson and John Macintosh, Her special license that we, the said
John Sharp Henderson and John Macintosh, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said John Sharp Henderson and John
Macintosh, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF CYLINDRICAL METALLIC CASES, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS

page_text: EMPLOYED THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Sharp Henderson and John Macintosh; by an instrument in writing
under our hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Juvention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed. 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 we, the said John Sharp Henderson and John
Macintosh, do hereby declare the nature of our 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, reference being had to the accompany-
ing Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
Our said Invention relates essentially to the manufacture of metallic cases,
and consists in bending sheets of tinned iron plate or other metal to the
required shape on cylinders, and in effectually soldering them whilst on the
cylinders. The metallic plates are introduced in succession between two
cylinders or rollers, the upper roller being acted upon by a spring or other
yielding arrangement, and the under or larger roller round which the plates
pass has a check or groove upon its surface which forms the necessary seam
upon each plate; this lower forming cylinder or roller moves in a suitably
formed or hollowed out case with a clearance for the plates to pass free, and
as soon as the plate has the cylindrical form imparted to it the solder is
applied by soldering bolts having an automatic parallel action, or they may be
soldered by hand bolts in the ordinary manner. These bolts are so formed
that their points remain perpendicular in any given arc of their revolution.
the solder pot being placed in such contiguous position that on being turned
back the bolt dips sufficiently deep to lift the supply necessary for each
seam.
It will be observed that the foregoing modification is specially applicable to
the manufacture of cases whose seams require soldering, but the machinery is
equally applicable to the manufacture of cases with overlapping scams which
require no soldering by simply modifying the form of check on the case-
forming cylinder or roller, the parts to be so bent having their ends first bent
over before being put into the machine so as to fit into a groove formed in
the bending roller, into which they are compressed during the revolution of the
cylinder for the purpose of imparting the cylindrical form.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood, we now
proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or
under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect,

page_text: reference, being had, for the sake of more complete elucidation, to the several
letters and figures upon the explanatory Sheet of Drawings which we have
hereunto appended, that is to say:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation; Figure 2 a vertical section; Figure 3
a vertical transverse section; Figure 4 an elevation showing the interior of
the expanding case in which the forming roller revolves. In these Figures
similar parts are indicated by corresponding letters of reference.
This machine is constructed with a forming roller A, on the top of which
it situated a pressure or feed roller B; both of these rollers are carried in the
case frame or headstock C and overhang their bearings, so that the metallic
cases may be easily removed from the rollers when they are formed. For
this purpose the spindle D of the lower or forming roller A is hollow or
tubular, into which there is fitted a rod E, and on the end of this rod which
projects into the interior of the forming roller A a metallic disc faced or not
with wood F is fixed, and by means of the rod E and disc F the cases are
pushed off the forming roller A, the disc being returned to the interior of the
roller by means of the spiral spring a, the collar b preventing it going too far.
The bearing of the top roller B is lined with an excentric tubular bush G,
which is turned by the lever H, so that the distance between the rollers may
be regulated according to the thickness of the metal of which the cases are
being made. To provide for inequalities in the thickness of the metal being
used a metallic or india-rubber spring c is placed on the top of the excentric
bush G, the required amount of pressure being applied by the set screw d.
The rollers are turned by the lever I and the pinions J, or by a cord passing
round the pulley K, actuating the toothed wheel L; when the cord and
pulley is not in use the wheel L is drawn out of gear with the pinions J by
sliding the spindle back in the slot of the bracket M, shown more particularly
at Figure 5. The lower or forming roller A is enclosed in jaws N fitted in
the slides on the sole plate. The jaws are pressed against the roller by
means of a cord passing over the pulley O; one end of the cord is attached to
the bracket P, and the other end to a weight or treadle; when the pressure
is relieved the jaws are pushed open by the spiral springs e, Figures 3 and 4.
The metallic plates are fed into the machine from the table Q, which is fur-
nished with a ledge on each side, one of which is grooved so that the plates
may be prevented from twisting as they are drawn in by the rollers.
The machine is supported in a ball-and-socket joint R provided with a
pinching screw P, Figure 3, so that it can be turned into any convenient
position for allowing the solder to run free upon and into the joint. Figure 6
is a sectional plan; Figure 7 a transverse section on the line a, a, Figure 6;
C

page_text: and Figure 8 a transverse section on the line b, b, Figure 6, showing another
modification of our machine in this arrangement. The forming roller A is
placed uppermost, and the jaws. B are opened by means of the levers C
actuated by the springs D, and drawn by a cord attached to each lever C,
passing over a pulley P on the opposite lever. Figures 9 and 10 show
another method of opening and closing the jaws by means of a disc A, having
two segmental slots B, B, formed excentrically to the axis of the spindle C;
pins a, a, are fitted into each of the jaws E, and pass through the slots B in
the disc A; by turning the handle D the jaws E are opened or closed.
The mode of operating with the machine is as follows:-The sheet of
metal is placed on the feed table Q, the end of it being inserted into a groove
formed in the steel plate S, Figure 3, of the forming roller .A;i the machine
is now turned by the handle I or the pulley K, and the case is formed in the
annular space between the roller A and the jaws N. As the annular space
is only sufficient to allow one thickness of metal to pass as soon, as one revo-
Intion is performed and the lap of the joint arrives at the point the top or
pressure roller B is released by turning the excentric tube, and the bent plate
now being released from pressure springs from the lower roller and against the
interior of the case, thus allowing the lap edge of the plate to leave the groove
in the steel plate S as the roller passes a little further round, thus giving a
solid part of the roller to the seam to be soldered; the bottom is now put on,
and to permit of this being done conveniently the end of the canister is
allowed to project a little beyond the rollers. The side seam is soldered, the
edge of the plate being held down by the spring or "ductor. O (Figures 3
and 11), which is screwed to the excentric bearing G. The jaws N are now
released and pushed open by any of the modes herein-before described; the
top roller is also lifted by the eccentric bush G turned by the lever H,
Figures 2 and 5. The forming roller A is now perfectly free, and can be
turned into any convenient position for soldering the bottom; when that is
done the canister is pushed off the rollers by the disc F, being pushed out by
the rod E. For some purposes it is preferred to fit the lid or cover of the
canister inside, and when so fitted a crease is formed round the mouth of the
case by a similar form of grooves and projections being given to the neck of
the rollers as shown at n, Figure 2. The jaws are now closed, and the feed
roller B is brought back to its position by turning back the lever H until it
comes in contact with the stop or set screw wc, which is set in the arc T,
Figure 5, to preserve the same space between the rollers while working with
the same thickness of metal; another sheet of metal is now put in, and the
operation proceeds as before,

page_text: The soldering of the cases may be done in the ordinary manner by hand
bolts or by the apparatus shown in Figures 12 and 13, in which the bolt. A is
held in clips B carried upon the levers C; which can be turned round on their
horizontal axes and applied to the canister, as shown dotted at Figure 12, the
solder being held in the pot D.
On Figure 2 the forming cylinder A is shown perforated, so that in
soldering the heat may not be abstracted too rapidly from the solder, or the
roller may be formed of or covered with wood. A steel plate u is fitted on
the top of one of the jaws. as the solder does not adhere so readily to steel.
This apparatus is also applicable for making canisters in which the joints are
not soldered, but the edges are made to clasp each other, convenient grooves
being formed in the rollers to suit the form of joint.
It is to be understood, that in addition to forming cylindrical cases in the
manner herein-before described, they may be made of other forms, viz.,
elliptical or polygonal, the forming and pressing rollers in either case being
shaped so as to enable the revolving action necessary for the production of
those forms to be effected.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect,
we would observe, in conclusion, that what we consider novel and original
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the general arrangement and combination of mechanical details con-
stituting the apparatus for forming metallic cases, as herein-before described,
or any mere modification thereof.
Second, the placing of the forming rollers within a casing consisting of
moveable jaws in any of the modes, herein-before described, or any mere
modification thereof.
Third, the construction of the forming roller with perforations for the
admission of heat to facilitate the soldering of the joint and the carrying of
sich roller upon a hollow axis, together with the use of the sliding bar and
piston for the purpose of forcing the formed cases off the forming cylinder, as
herein before described.
Fourth, the use and application of an eccentric tubular bush for the purpose
of adjusting the pressure roller, as herein-before described, or any mere modi-
fication thereof.
Fifth, the employment of the regulating plate for binding the seam whilst
being soldered, as herein-before described.
Sixth, the fixing and supporting of the case forming apparatus upon a base

page_text: plate mounted upon a universal joint, so that the apparatus may be adjusted
in position at any required angle, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Macintosh, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, on behalf of John Sharp Henderson and myself, this
Ninth day of January, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
St. JOHN VINCENT DAY, C.E.,
166, Buchanan St.,
Glasgow.
JOHN MACINTOSH. (L.S.)