Improvements in Dies or Punches, and in the Process of Manufacturing the same.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 10th July, 1894
Compl-te Specification Left. 10th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 15th June, 1895
Improvements in Dies or Punches, and in the Process of
Manufacturing the same.
I, ANDREW JACKSON BRADLEY, of 421 Chestnut Street, St. Louis, in the State
of Missouri, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to dies, especially to dies for punching thin blanks, and
also to a process of making such dies. The principal objects of my invention are
to lessen the labour and material involved in the manufacture of dies and to produce
a new article at less cost than dies of the kind now in use can be made; and my
invention consists in the process and in the article hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification,
Figure 1 is a plan view of an ordinary female die,
Figure 2 is an inverted end view of the ordinary male die or punch corresponding
to the die of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a vertical section of the ordinary female die with its punch in elevation,
and a punched blank shown in position ;
Figure 4 is a plan of the blank after it has been punched by the die shown in
Figures 1, 2 and 3; Figure 5 is a section thereof on the line 12-12 Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a plan of the portion punched out of such blank and Figure 7 is an
end view thereof;
Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the blank and its cut out portion ;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the shank upon which the cut out portion of
the blank is to be mounted ;
Figure 10 is a perspective view of the new punch ;
Figure 11 is an elevation of the complete article showing the female die in section
and a blank in position to be punched;
Figures 12, 13, 14, and 15 are inverted views of Figures 5, 4, 7 and 6
respectively.
My invention is based on the idea of utilizing sheets or blanks of metal, of
a thickness adapted to be punched with dies of the ordinary kind, by suitably
mounting both the punched blank and the punched out portion thereof to serve
as the female die and the punch respectively of the new die. I have observed
as a physical fact that the edge of a hole in a metallic blank made by a punch
is very slightly bevelled or rounded off at the surface which the punch strikes
first, while the edge at the under surface is sharp. The width of the opening
on the outer or upper surface is very slightly more than the width at the under
surface. On the other hand, the width of the punched out portion is greater
and its edge is sharper at the outer or upper surface than at the under surface.
A die with a round edge, such as would be formed by directly mounting the
punched blank and the punched out portion, is practically worthless; but by
inverting both the punched blank and the punched out portion, and then mounting
them, the wider side of the punched out portion, which also has the sharp edge,
forms the end or face of the new punch, and the side of the blank on which
the opening is narrower and sharper, fornis the face of the new female die.
The new die thus formed is the reverse of the die which formed it.

page_text: In carrying out my process, therefore, a die, consisting of a punch 1, and a
female die 2, is made in any suitable way, but its pattern is the reverse of that
of the die to be formed. Blanks or sheets of iron or steel of suitable thickness are
punched with this die. I have found steel blanks of a thickness of one-sixteenth
of an inch suitable for dies for stencil machines. As shown in the drawing,
the die to be made is of a pattern to cut the letter F. The original die 1, 2,
punches the blank as shown at 3, the upper edge of the opening being bevelled
or flared. The punched out portion, shown at 4, has its upper edge wider and
sharper than its lower.
The punched blank is mounted on a suitable base or block 5, with its sharp
edge outermost and its round edge next to the block. Any convenient means
of fastening the blank to the block may be used, but I prefer to screw it or
solder it with silver solder to the block. The block is mainly for the purpose
of providing a backing for the punched blank which forms the face of the die,
so as to prevent bending and to keep the edge of the die in place. There
should be an opening through the die block corresponding in size and shape to
the opening through the ordinary die, to allow the punched out material to pass
through.
The punched out portion 4, is mounted on a shank 6, provided therefor.
This shank is preferably of soft metal but it may be cast or otherwise cheaply
formed of any suitable material, with its end portion approximately of the
desired shape for mounting the punched out portion. The end of the shank is
preferably bevelled off or inclined so as to give its face plate an inclination to
the die and thereby constitute a shear, as in the common die. The punched
out portion is secured to the shank, preferably with solder and screws, and with
that surface exposed which the original punch struck. The punched out portion
thus mounted constitutes the new punch. The meeting edges of the new punch
and the new die are sharp but ordinarily a slight burr or feather-edge is made
by the punch, which is easily removed by a file. Very little work is required
to finish and dress up the parts so that they will fit exactly. It is noted that
the face-plates both of the punch and of the die are completely formed by the
simple process of punching so that except for removing the feather edge, they
are immediately in condition to be mounted.
The dies thus formed are specially adapted for stencil cutters and other
devices which punch thin blanks. Instead of forming each die by hand, as is
now the practice, in making dies for machines, only one hand made die is
necessary for each pattern and from this one, any number of others may be
formed, and they will be interchangeable. It is necessary in such machines to
provide for stays in the blanks to be cut in the formation of certain characters;
but as such provision is common in the art and requires only a simple and
obvious modification of the pattern of the original die, I have thought best to
illustrate a more simple pattern. Obviously, when the original die punched out
several pieces instead of a single piece, the several pieces must be so mounted
on a single shank as together to fit the pattern, punched in the blank, when the
blauk is reversed.
The principal advantages of my invention are its economy of labour and
material.
Dated this 10th f T..1 1004

page_text: Improvements in Dies or Punches, and in the Process of
Manufacturing the same.
I, ANDREW JACKSON BRADLEY, of 421 Chestnut Street, St. Louis, in the State
of Missouri, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to dies, especially to dies for punching thin blanks, and also
to a process of making such dies. The principal objects of my invention are to
lessen the labour and material involved in the manufacture of dies and to produce
a new article at less cost than dies of the kind now in use can be made; and my
invention consists in the process and in the article hereinafter described and
claimed.
In the drawings filed with the Provisional Specification,
Figure 1 is a plan view of an ordinary female die,
Figure 2 is an inverted end view of the ordinary male die or punch corresponding
to the die of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a vertical section of the ordinary female die with its punch in
elevation, and a punched blank shown in position;
Figure 4 is a plan of the blank after it has been punched by the die shown in
Figures 1, 2 and 3;
Figure 5 is a section thereof on the line 12-12 Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a plan of the portion punched out of such blank and Figure 7 is an
end view thereof;
Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the blank and its cut out portion;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the shank upon which the cut out portion of
the blank is to be mounted ;
Figure 10 is a perspective view of the new punch ;
Figure 11 is an elevation of the complete article showing the female die in
section and a blank in position to be punched
Figures 12, 13, 14, and 15 are inverted views of Figures 5, 4, 7 and 6
respectively.
My invention is based on the idea of utilising sheets or blanks of metal, of a
thickness adapted to be punched with dies of the ordinary kind, by suitably mounting
both the punched blank and the punched out portion thereof to serve as the female
die and the punch respectively of the new die. I have observed as a physical fact
that the edge of a hole in a metallic blank made by a punch is very slightly
bevelled or rounded off at the surface which the punch strikes first, while the edge
at the under surface is sharp. The width of the opening on the outer or upper
surface is very slightly more than the width at the under surface. On the other
hand, the width of the punched out portion is greater and its edge is sharper at the
outer or upper surface than at the under surface. A die with a round edge, such
as would be formed by directly mounting the punched blank and the punched out
portion, is practically worthless; but by inverting both the punched blank and the
punched out portion, and then mounting them, the wider side of the punched out
portion, which also has the sharp edge, forms the end or face of the new punch,
and the side of the blank on which the opening is narrower and sharper, forms the
face of the new female die. The new die thus formed is the reverse of the die
which formed it.
In carrying out my process, therefore, a die consisting of a punch, 1, and a
female die, 2, is made in any suitable way, but its pattern is the reverse of that of
the die to be formed. Blanks or sheets of iron or steel of suitable thickness are

page_text: punched with this die. I have found steel blanks of a thickness of one-sixteenth of
an inch suitable for dies for stencil machines. As shown in the drawing, the die
to be made is of a pattern to cut the letter F. The original die 1, 2, punches the
blank as shown at 3, the upper edge of the opening being bevelled or flared. The
punched out portion, shown at 4, has its upper edge wider and sharper than its
fower.
The punched blank is mounted on a suitable base or block 5, with its sharp edge
outermost and its round edge next to the block. Any convenient means of
fastening the blank to the block may be used, but I prefer to screw it or solder it
with silver solder to the block. The block is mainly for the purpose of providing
a backing for the punched blank which forms the face of the die, so as to prevent
bending and to keep the edge of the die in place. There should be an opening
through the die block corresponding in size and shape to the opening through the
ordinary die, to allow the punched out material to pass through.
The punched out portion, 4, is mounted on a shank, 6, provided therefor. This
shank is preferably of soft metal but it may be cast or otherwise cheaply formed of
any suitable material, with its end portion approximately of the desired shape for
mounting the punched out portion. The end of the shank is preferably bevelled
off or inclined so as to give its face plate an inclination to the die and thereby
constitute a shear, as in the common die. The punched out portion is secured to
the shank, preferably with solder and screws, and with that surface exposed which
the original punch struck. The punched out portion thus mounted constitutes the
new punch. The meeting edges of the new punch and the new die are sharp but
ordinarily a slight burr or feather-edge is made by the punch, which is easily
removed by a file. Very little work is required to finish and dress up the parts so
that they will fit exactly. It is noted that the face-plates both of the punch and
of the die are completely formed by the simple process of punching so that except
for removing the feather-edge, they are immediately in condition to be mounted.
The dies thus formed are specially adapted for stencil cutters and other devices
which punch thin blanks. Instead of forming each die by hand, as is now the
practice, in making dies for machines, only one hand made die is necessary for each
pattern and from this one, any number of others may be formed, and they will be
interchangeable. It is necessary in such machines to provide for stays in the blanks
to be cut in the formation of certain characters; but as such provision is common
in the art and requires only a simple and obvious modification of the pattern of the
original die, I have thought best to illustrate a more simple pattern. Obviously,
when the original die punched out several pieces instead of a single piece, the
several pieces must be so mounted on a single shank as together to fit the pattern,
punched in the blank, when the blank is reversed.
The principal advantages of my invention are its economy of labour and
material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. The process of making dies consisting of punching a metallic blank, reversing
both the punched blank and the punched out portion, and mounting them in such
reversed position, substantially as described.
2. The process of making dies which consists of punching a metallic blank and
mounting said puuched blank so that the surface thereof which the punch struck
first rests against the part on which said blank is mounted, substantially as
described.
3. The process of making die punches which consists of punching a blank and
mounting the punched out portion on a shank with the surface thereof, which the
punch struck, exposed, substantially as described.
4. The process of making dies which consists of punching a blank, mounting said
punched blank with the surface thereof which the punch struck first, against the

page_text: part on which said punched blank is mounted, and mounting the punched out
portion, with the surface thereof, which the punch struck, exposed, substantially as
described.
5. A die consisting of a base-block and a punched sheet metal face plate, said
face plate being mounted so that the surface thereof which the punch struck, is
next to said base-block, substantially as described.
6. A punch consisting of a shank and a punched face plate, said face plate being
mounted on said shank with the surface thereof, which the punch struck, exposed,
substantially as described.
7. The combination of a die consisting of a base-block having a punched face
plate mounted thereon, with the surface, which the punch struck, against said block,
and a punch consisting of a shank having a face plate mounted thereon said last
mentioned face plate being punched out of a metal blank and mounted with the
side, which the punch struck, exposed, substantially as described.
Dated this 10th dor of Anvil 1905