IMPROVEMENTS IN METAL FENCING
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I DAVID KINGHORN WEATHERLY late of N° 9 Fenchurch Street but now of
N° 1 Fenchurch Avenue in the City of London Merchant do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN METAL FENCING to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that class of Metal or wire fencing in which the
horizontal bars are of strained wire or metal rods and consists in a more simple
manner of connecting the horizontal wires or rods with the vertical standards the
object being to avoid the necessity of threading the horizontal wires or rods
through the standards or droppers as is the usual manner of attaching the wires
or rods to the standards.
The standards or droppers employed are preferably of a flat section of metal but
other shapes or sections may be used. At each point in such standard or dropper
through which a wire or rod has to be passed or connected therewith a piece of the
metal is punched or cut out in an angular direction upwards from one edge of tho
standard or dropper; this angular cut or slot has a width slightly greater than
the diameter of the wires or rods which form the fencing.
The wires or rods are first drawn up by the straining posts or standards in the
usual manner; the intermediate standards or droppers are pitched in their required
positions and driven into the ground the wires or rods are then placed in the
angular slots and the pointed end of metal which forms the upper part of the slot
is bent down by a blow from a hammer or by means of a pair of suitable forceps
or nippers and effectually confines the line or rod in its place. Any number of
lines or rods may be used and attached in a similar manner to the standard or
droppers according as an open or close fence may be required.
The other edge of the standard or dropper.has a slit cut sawn or punched in it
and the point of metal so left is bent outwards and downwards and as the slit is
also made in an angular direction into the bar the piece of metal so bent or turned
down forms a sharp barb or spiko which will prevent the cattle from rubbing
against the standards or droppers and displacing them.
The standards or droppers are intended to be so cut or punched at their ends that
a sharp double pointed termination shall be left at one end to facilitate its entrance
into the ground and the corresponding treble pointed termination of the upper

page_text: portion of the bent standard or dropper permits the two outer points to be after-
wards bent outwards forming a double barbed head or top to each standard or
dropper. This method of cutting the standards avoids any waste of material and
also presents a spiked or barbed head on each standard preventing cattle from
disturbing the standards or droppers at their upper ends.
The wires or rods can be slipped into the angular slots in the standards either
before or after they are strained tight and the standards or droppers can be
placed in their positions and driven into the ground before or after the wires or
rods are stretched tight as may be most convenient A flat form of standard or
dropper is preferably used but any other form may be used which permits the
angular slots to be cut out from the edges and the slits cut to as to form the barbed
spikes or points on the edges and tops of the standards. No wedges or other
separate pieces of metal to secure the wires or rods in their places or to the
standards are required.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I DAVID KINGHORN WEATHERLY late of N° 9 Fenchurch Street but now of
N° 1 Fenchurch Avenue in the City of London Merchant do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN METAL FENCING and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention consists of a plate of Mild Steel or Malleable iron of from
3 to 5 feet in length /th of an inch in thickness or thereabouts in mild steel and
proportionately thick in Malleable iron and 1 to 1½, in width (or wider according
to description of fencing required) and having key ways cut therein to hold the
wires of various diameters the key ways being formed by connecting a circular
hole with the outside edges of the plate or bar, cutting an opening somewhat
smaller than the circle obliquely downwards towards the bottom of the plate or
dropper. The sides of the opening cut to be parallel to each other and to be cut
to take the various sizes of wire in general use for fencing purposes as shewn in
drawing 1 herewith. The wire when applied passes up these openings and rests in
the circular hole. The droppers are fixed by pressure from the outside of the key
ways applied by a lever. The plates or droppers are barbed when required by
cuts made at intervals and the reflection of the outside portion of the metal from
the plate by this means as shewn in drawing 1 herewith also by teeth formed by
cutting plates into required lengths and the reflexion of the two outside teeth at
the top of each dropper. For Sheep and Ostrich runs the droppers can be used
without barbs. The advantages of this style of fencing droppers are many but
especially the ease with which it can be applied both to fencing already fixed and
the various varieties of barbed wire which cannot be threaded through a pierced
dropper.
It also does away with the necessity of wedges which are liable to become
loosened by cattle rubbing against the droppers and also by the weather. They
are also less liable to become stolen as once fixed they cannot be removed easily
without the proper tools whereas wedges can be easily loosened by application of
a stone or knocked out in other ways.
They can be manufactured at a very cheap rate and this is a great desideratum
when much fencing is required.
They are fixed with great ease and celerity by use of a tool made for the purpose.
In reference to the barbing of the droppers it is found that cattle more frequently
choose the standards and droppers to rub against and it is thought that the appli-
cation of the barbing to the droppers will probably do away with the necessity of
barbed wire to a great extent and secure the fencing at a less expenditure.
The key ways can be cut reverse ways as shown in drawing 2 herewith which
will be an additional advantage in many ways.
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 mode of applying droppers to wire fencing by means of the openings or
LAY MAN hafaza

page_text: reflexion of the outer portion of the key ways by pressure without bolt wedges or
screw or any extraneous fastening.
2. The mode of barbing the said droppers as herein before described by a simplo
oblique cut and reflexion of the outer portion of the metal and the cutting of tho
ends of the plate.
Dated this twenty third day of January One thousand eight hundred and