Improvements in Nail Making Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Aug., 1899-Accepted, 14th Oct., 1899
Improvements in Nail Making Machines.
I, ERNEST PARDY PARSONS, a citizen of the United States, residing at No. 348.
Kirtland Street, in the City of Cleveland, County of Cuyahoga, and State of
Ohio, United States of America, Gentleman, 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: --
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved
machine.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine except that a part is horizontally sec-
tioned on the line of the wire feed and dies where the nail is produced so as to
disclose the order of operation at this point.
Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional elevation of the machine.
Fig. 4 is a plan view on line 4, 4, Fig. 3, but omitting some unessential parts at
the side and front of the machine and illustrating the knocker mechanism for the
finished nail, as hereinafter more fully described.
Fig. 5 is a cross section of the machine on a line corresponding to 5, 5, Fig. 3,
looking to the left.
Fig. 6 is a plan view in horizontal section on the line of the wire of the feed-
head for the wire, taken substantially on line 6, 6, Fig. 3, the head being shown
here apart from other elements and enlarged.
Figs. 7 and 8 are perspective views of the dies or die sections for making the.
head and the point of the nail.
Fig. 9 is an elevation of the guide mechanism for the wire just in advance of
the dies on a line corresponding to 9, 9, Fig. 3.
The machine shown in these several views is designed to produce nails of any
desired size from a continuously fed piece or strand of wire, which is auto-
matically fed to the machine as nail after nail is automatically produced in a
perfectly finished state in what may be termed a single operation or movement
of the forming parts.
To these ends the machine comprises a main supporting frame A and an
actuating shaft B having suitable bands or pulleys C through which the power is
communicated to the machine.
D represents the yoke by which the dies are actuated and to this end the yoke
has a limited but sufficient back and forth sliding movement in the guides or.
supports d, Fig. 2. Motion is imparted to the yoke by a chain of mechanism
reaching back to power shaft, B, and comprising, in this instance, a vertically
sliding head D¹ traveling in guides, and actuated by pitman or connecting
rod D2 with a crank or eccentric on shaft B.
On the front of head D is secured a sub-head D3, which has a vertically
inclined face or engaging surface, deepest at the top and receding from top to
bottom, and engaging a correspondingly inclined surface in the extremity of the
head of yoke D. Flanges on the voke head engage at the rear of head D³.
so that said heads are held together in easy sliding relation one upon the other.
Hence as heads D¹, D³ travel up and down they operate the yoke D back and

page_text: forth within its own fixed guides, thus causing the yoke D to open and close on
the nail forming dies as will now appear.
There are two sets of dies E and F employed to produce a nail, or rather two
dies of two parts or sections each, one set for producing the head and the other
for producing the point of the nail. One member of each set is seen in Figs. 7
and 8, and the other members are duplicates or counterparts of these. Between
the extremities of the yoke D are two separate heads, G, carrying each two of the
said dies, one of each set. All the dies are firmly but removably supported in
said heads, and the space between the sets of dies fixes the length of the nail.
Hence I can make a pair of heads G serve to carry dies variously spaced apart
therein to form nails of varying lengths, within certain limits. Otherwise
different heads G may be introduced for nails of different lengths and in which
the recesses for the dies would be spaced relatively further apart than in case
shorter nails were made.
The dies F have point cutting edges as well as being shaped to round the
points in cross section, and the dies E are countersunk to fashion the head into
the desired shape. Feeding mechanism for the wire G¹, hereinafter described.
carries the wire forward the length of a nail and then retires to take a new
grip and feed forward the wire again in the same way. As this occurs the dies E
and F are momentarily separated to drop the nail that has been made and to
receive the stock for another, and then they are brought together again by the
side pressure of voke D as herein before described. It will he noticed that the
extremities of the yoke D flare somewhat outwardly, while the edges of the
heads engaged thereby taper inwardly in like degree or measure, but said heads
are otherwise confined so as to have only a back and forth movement to and from
the wire which passes centrally between them and the dies. Hence in the opera-
tion when the plunger D¹ descends the yoke D is driven forward and its arms
close gradually but very forcibly upon heads G, forcing the dies together to pro-
duce and complete the nail so far as the lateral action of the dies is concerned."
Meantime, however, two other operations and parts enter into the completion
of the product, consisting, first, of the plunger H constructed to engage and
upset the adiacent end of the wire or nail blank to form the head of the nail.
This plunger is actuated from the head D¹ the same substantially as the voke D.
but from the advanced inclined surface d' of head D¹, engaging the inclined
opposed surface of the end of plunger H, said narts being so constructed and
arranged as to force plunger H forward practically simultaneously with the for-
ward movement of yoke D. It. therefore, follows that the instant the dies E
and F are closed on the wire G the plunger H participates in the completion of
the nail by upsetting the head and more or less shaping the point in the dies F
by reason of the thrust on the end of the wire to make the head.
However, when the dies are separated and the wire is fed forward to make
another nail, there is apt to be such tremor or vibration in the extremity of
the wire as may render the feed into the gripper dies E uncertain, and thus
possibly defeat the action of the machine.
to
Therefore to steady and guide the wire between the dies, or from dies
dies E, thus bridging the intervening space. I employ the two guides J and J.
The upper guide J is stationary on the guide head K, while the lower guide J
is supported on arm M pivoted at m on the bed of the main frame and arranged
to swing into supporting position when engaging the wire and to swing back
again when not so engaged. For the latter purpose. to throw arm M hack and
brace Joutward laterally. I employ a bow spring m¹ in this instance, supported
at its ends on two adinstable pieces m³ and m³, the latter connected with arm M.
The actuation of arm M on its pivot m is produced by a sliding contact from the
head of the connecting link N, Fig. 4. which has a rounded shoulder or pro-
jection adapted to press against the swell or projection m on arm M and press
said arm inward when link N is moved forward past the same. As said link
moves back again to position as in Fig. 4 the spring m¹ is brought into action and

page_text: through arm M throws the wire guide J¹ laterally from beneath the nail, as in
Fig. 4. Of course any equivalent mechanism to the foregoing which will afford
an opening and closing intermediate guide for the wire or nail as it is being fed
along may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention. These
guides, J, J, open practically as soon as the wire has entered dies E.
Now, having produced a finished nail and opened the dies the nail is supposed
to be instantly discharged, so that the parts shall be ready to repeat the operation.
I have found, however, that prompt discharge or removal of the nail requires
more than mere gravity or the opening of the dies so that the nail may drop
out, because often the nail will stick to the dies and not fall of its own accord.
To obviate this objection and insure prompt discharge of the nail I have adopted
a knocker O, Figs. 3 and 5. The said knocker has preferably a hooked end to
engage the nail, and a downward pull or releasing movement by means of the
head O¹ on which it is supported and which head is adapted to slide in guides on
the bracket 02, Fig. 5, fixed on the bottom of the bed of the main frame A. A
lever 03 pivoted near its middle portion is vibrated up and down at the right time
regularly to give a quick downward movement to the knocker, and to this end
said lever is actuated by a curved projection B¹ fixed on shaft B, and adapted to
press against the rod 0 having a yoke shaped bearing surface riding on said
projection. The rod 0 is supported in hanger 05, engaging the outer end of
lever 03 which operates the knocker. The said mechanism is so timed with the
other operative parts that the knocker O will always act just as the dies are
opened and the nail would naturally drop out if it were sure always to do so
when released. But instead it is liable to adhere to one or the other of the
gripper dies and remain there unless forcibly removed. A spring o restores
lever 03 to normal position. Again, any equivalent and sufficient knock out
mechanism for the nail may be substituted for that shown without departing from
the spirit of the invention.
Referring now to Figs. 2, 5, and 6, we see some of the details of the wire feed-
ing mechanism. These details or parts comprise first of all a sliding feed head, S,
operating in guides on the main frame and adapted to move back and forth
therein a greater or less distance according to the length of the nail to be made.
In this sliding head there is located a gripping heads, having the outline
substantially as shown, and carrying the substantially chisel shaped dog s in
position to so set itself onto or against the wire Gas to make effective feeding
engagement therewith. The gripping head s is horizontally pivoted at 3 on
the part immediately beneath, and the line of actuating mechanism extends
thence back to power shaft B through connecting bar N, bell crank lever T¹ and
pitman T. The bell crank T is pivoted on a bracket from the main frame, and
connected with a wrist pin T3 on a head T4 on the extremity of shaft B and
eccentric to its axis, and a clutch T5 effects operative engagement between said
head and shaft. A compensating link 5 pivoted at one end on the feed head S
and at the other to the heel of gripping head s serves to modify the severe effect
of the grip of dogs which would otherwise occur, and also to give a measure of
elasticity to the parts and thus insure a more efficient action.
In Fig. 9 I show a cross section of the guide head for the wire, consisting of
two parts
and V, and set screws which serve to adjust said parts to take
up possible wear and to adapt the guide to different sizes of wire. Hard metal
shoes and on said parts have opposite channels forming together the passage
for the wire, and by screws these shoes may be separated or brought closer
together. The dies F come just within the said guide head and receive the wire
directly from it.
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. In a nail making machine, two sets of laterally movable sectional dies for

page_text: forming both ends of the nail at the same time, and guides for the wire between
said sets of dies and directly in line therewith, and one of said guides being
fixed, substantially as described.
2. In a nail making machine, sectional dies to form the head of the nail and
sectional dies to form the point of the nail, said sections being uniformly movable
laterally, opposite guides for the wire between said dies and one of said guides
movable, substantially as described.
3. In a nail making machine, two sets of sectional nail forming dies, said
sections connected in pairs, two wire guides between said dies, and a pivoted
arm supporting one of said guides, substantially as described.
4. In a nail making machine, dies in sets for forming the nail, a fixed guide and
a movable guide for the wire between said sets of dies, a pivoted arm carrying
the said movable guide and actuating mechanism for said arm comprising a spring
to move the arm in one direction, substantially as described.
5. In a nail making machine, two sets of nail forming dies having each two
laterally movable sections, and a device between said sets of dies to dislodge the
finished nail from the dies, said device having an up and down movement, and
a pivoted lever controlling said device, substantially as described.
6. In a nail machine, the two sets of dies, and the guides for the nail between
the dies, one of said guides being stationary and the other movable, in com-
bination with the knocker arm between the said dies and guides, and a pivoted
lever to actuate the said arm, substantially as described.
7. In a nail machine, the feed head for the wire, and a gripping head therein
having a dog to engage the wire and a support on which said gripping head is
pivoted independently of the said feed head, and means to carry said gripping
head and dog away from the wire when it is fed backward, substantially as
described.
8. In a nail machine, the feed head for the wire and guides in which said head
slides, in combination with a gripping head within said feed head, a movable
support on which the gripping head is pivoted, and a link connection between
the gripping head and the feed head, substantially as described.
9. In a wire nail machine, two sets of dies, and guides for the wire between
said sets of dies consisting of a fixed upper guide and a laterally movable lower
guide, and the mechanism to feed the wire in the same horizontal plane as the
said dies and guides, substantially as described.
10. In a wire nail machine, two sets of dies for forming both ends of the nail at
the same time, a two part guide for the uncut wire arranged in advance of the
dies and in line therewith, and means thereon to adjust said guides to adapt
them to different sizes of wire, and a set of guides between said dies, one of which
is fixed, substantially as described.
11. In a wire nail machine, the two sets of dies for making the nail and
means to open and close the dies laterally, in combination with a pair of guides
for the wire above and below the same and located between said sets of dies, the
upper guide being fixed and the lower guide movable laterally, substantially as
described.
12. The dies for making the nail arranged in pairs with a space between them
in combination with wire guides between said pairs consisting of a fixed upper
guide and a laterally movable lower guide, a horizontally arranged pivoted arm
carrying said movable guide at one end and means at its opposite end to actuate
said arm, substantially as described.
Dated at Cleveland. Ohio this 7th day of August 1800
ERNEST PARDY PARSONS.