IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND IN APPARATUS FOR TEMPERING SEWING AND SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES FISH HOOKS STEEL PENS AND OTHER SMALL ARTICLES MADE OF STEEL PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Victor Milward of the Firm of Henry Milward and
Sons of Redditch in the County of Worcester Needle and Fish Hook
Manufacturers for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF
AND IN APPARATUS FOR TEMPERING SEWING AND SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES
FISH HOOKS STEEL PENS AND OTHER SMALL ARTICLES MADE OF STEEL
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Victor Milward at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th April 1883.
VICTOR MILWARD of the firm of Henry Milward and Sons of Redditch in the
County of Worcester Needle and Fish Hook Manufacturers "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE METHOD OF AND IN APPARATUS FOR TEMPERING SEWING AND SEWING
MACHINE NEEDLES FISH HOOKS STEEL PENS AND OTHER SMALL ARTICLES MADE
OF STEEL
”
I will describe my method of tempering the said articles in conjunction with
the apparatus constructed according to my invention which I employ for that
purpose and for convenience of description I will describe my invention as
applied to the tempering of ordinary sewing needles which I will hereinafter call
needles.
A horizontal metallic table preferably of iron is heated by means of a flame of
ordinary gas mixed with air the smokeless flame of the burning gas being directed
against the underside of the said plate near one end thereof. At each end of the
said plate a horizontal roller is situated the axes of the rollers being parallel to
the ends of the plate and the highest point of each roller being a little higher than
the upper face of the iron plate. An endless band of wire gauze works upon the
said rollers the upper part of the said endless band travelling along and bearing
upon the upper face of the iron plate. The needles to be tempered are fed from a
hopper onto that end of the iron plate under which the flame is situated and the
direction of the rotation given to the rollers is such that the needles are carried

page_text: from that end of the plate over which the hopper is situated and under which the
flame is situated. As the needles are carried over the end of the plate opposite
to that over which the hopper is situated they fall into a receptacle placed to
receive them.
The temperature of the iron plate may be controlled by means of the gas flame
and the rate of rotation of the rollers determines the time during which the needles
are exposed to the heat of the plate. By varying the temperature of the iron plate
and the rate of rotation of the rollers any required degree of temper may be given
to the needles.
Articles which cannot be fed from a hopper such for example as fish hooks, are
fed to the endless or travelling wire gauze band by hand

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Victor Milward in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd October
1883.
VICTOR MILWARD of the firm of Henry Milward and Sons of Redditch in the
County of Worcester Needle and Fish Hook Manufacturers "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE METHOD OF AND IN APPARATUS FOR TEMPERING SEWING AND SEWING
MACHINE NEEDLES, FISH HOOKS, STEEL PENS AND OTHER SMALL ARTICLES MADE
OF STEEL
"
I will describe my method of tempering the said articles in conjunction with the
apparatus constructed according to my invention which I employ for that purpose
and for convenience of description I will describe my invention as applied to the
tempering of ordinary sewing needles which I will hereinafter call needles
A horizontal metallic table preferably of iron or copper is heated by means of a
flamo of ordinary gas mixed with air, the smokeless flame of the burning gas being
directed against the underside of the said plate near one end thereof. At each
end of the said plate a horizontal roller is situated the axes of the rollers being
parallel to the ends of the plate and the highest point of each roller being a little
higher than the upper face of the metallic plate. An endless band of wire gauze
works upon the said rollers the upper part of the said endless band travelling
along and bearing upon the upper face of the metallic plate. The needles to be
tempered are fed from a hopper onto that end of the metallic plate under which
the fame is situated and the direction of the rotation given to the rollers is such
that the needles are carried from that end of the plate over which the hopper is
situated and under which the flame is situated. As the needles are carried over
the end of the plate opposite to that over which the hopper is situated they fall
into a receptacle placed to receive them
The temperature of the metallic plate may be controlled by means of the gas
flame and the rate of rotation of the rollers determines the time during which the
needles are exposed to the heat of the plate. By varying the temperature of the
metallic plate and the rate of rotation of the rollers any required degree of temper
may be given to the needles.
Articles which cannot be fed from a hopper are fed to the endloss or travelling
wire gauze band by hand.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings
the manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation; Figure 2 in plan; Figure 3 in longitudinal
vertical section and Figure 4 in transverse vertical section, apparatus constructed
according to my invention for tempering needles (and other articles) the said
apparatus being used in conducting the method of tempering constituting part of
my invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawings.
a is the horizontal table or plate of iron, copper or other strong metal or alloy
heated in the manner hereinafter described over which heated table or metallic
plate the needles are slowly carried at a uniform speed for tempering them. The
horizontal table or metallic plate a is supported by the bearers b. b connected to
the side plates c, c which are built in the fire brick body d of the apparatus.
The space between the top of the table or metallic plate a, the sides of the
plates c, c and the roof of the fire brick body d constitutes a long flat chamber e
the ends of which are nearly closed by the angular end plates f, f.

page_text: The metallic table or plate a fixed in the tempering oven in the way described
and represented is heated by means of two (or more) smokeless flames of gas
supplied by the gas burners i, i. The said burners are of the kind known as
Bunsen burners in which a mixture of gas and atmospheric air is burned. In the
Drawing the pipe supplying the air is marked k and the gas pipe is marked l. The
air is supplied to the pipe kunder pressure by means of a fan or blower.
The heated air and products of combustion from the burners i, i pass away by
the small flues g, g opening into the chamber d
The smokeless flames of the burning gas are directed against the underside of
the plate or table a near one end thereof and the said plate or table is thereby
heated; m is the endless or travelling band of wire gauze constituting a carrier by
which the needles to be tempered are slowly carried over the heated table or
metallic plate a. The upper lap of the endless band or carrier m. works in close
contact with the upper face of the heated table or plate a as best seen in the
longitudinal section Figure 3. The said endless band or carrier m of wire gauze
passes over the rollers n, p to which a slow continuous rotary motion is given.
The roller n at the feeding end of the apparatus is fixed on and driven by the
shaft q carrying the driving pulley q³ and the roller p at the delivery end of the
apparatus is driven at the same speed as the roller n from the driving shaft q
through the pulleys ", and driving band 8.
By means of the driving appliances described and illustrated, a continuous
uniform travelling motion in the direction of the arrows is given to the endless
band of wire gauze m and the needles to be tempered are thereby carried at a
uniform speed in the direction indicated over the heated metallic plate or table a
from the feeding end to the delivery end of the said table.
The needles to be tempered are fed to the endless wire gauze band or carrier m
by the following mechanism.
A stream
t, t is a double or divided hopper situated over one end of the band m.
of needles from each of the compartments of the double hopper is permitted to
pass onto the endless band or carrier m by means of the plain feeding wheel u on
the shaft x. The feeding wheels u, u are capable of lateral adjustment on the
shaft x, which shaft is driven from the driving shaft q through the toothed gearing
represented. By means of the clutch lever y the shaft a of the feeding wheels u, u
may be thrown out of gear with the driving shaft q. The needles received on the
wire gauze band m are slowly carried in the direction of the arrows over the
heated plate or table a by which they are heated and their tempering effected.
The heated needles are carried over the delivery end of the plate or table a and
fall into the pan or receptacle z placed to receive them.
In this way, the needles fed from the hopper t are tempered to the required
degree the heat of the table a being controlled by the gas flames and the time of
exposure of the needles to the heat of the said table being determined by the
rate of rotation of the rollers n, p. By varying the temperature of the metallic
plate or table a and the rate of rotation of the rollers n, p any required degree
of temper may be given to the needles.
By means of a thermometer fitted into the hole d³ in the top of the heating
apparatus and dipping into the chamber e the temperature of the said chamber e
may be ascertained.
Instead of feeding the needles to the endless travelling band m from a hopper
by means of the feeding appliances represented, or other like feeding appliances,
the needles may be placed in wire gauze trays which are deposited by hand on
the endless travelling band m. On the trays reaching the delivery end of the
plate or table a they are lifted from the endless band.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself
to the precise details herein described and illustrated as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of invention.
my

page_text: But I claim as my invention First-The improved method of tempering sewing
and sewing machine needles, fish hooks, steel pens and other small articles made
of steel herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings;
that is to say, tempering needles and other small steel articles by causing them to
pass at a higher or lower rate of motion over a heated metallic plate or table
substantially as before described and illustrated.
Secondly The improvements in apparatus for tempering sewing and sewing
machine needles, fish hooks, steel pens and other small articles made of steel
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings; that is to
say, the combination of an endless wire gauze travelling band with a heated
metallic plate or table contained in a nearly closed chamber, the needles or articles
to be tempered being fed to or carried by the said endless wire gauze band and
made slowly to travel over the said heated metallic plate or table substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof I the said Victor Milward have hereunto set my hand and
seal this thirtieth-day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.