IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFAC TURE OF PROJECTILES
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
DAVID NAPIER, of York Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
by Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bear-
ing date at Westminster, the Twelfth day of February, in the Third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said David Napier, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said David Napier,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said David
Napier, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Ber-
wick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFAC
TURE OF PROJECTILES," in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, that I, the said David Napier, shall cause a particular de-
scription of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately

page_text: after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and
at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I,
the said David Napier, do hereby declare the nature of my Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say):
My improvements in the manufacture of projectiles have two dis-
tinct features, although both apply exclusively to leaden balls or
projectiles made by compression in contradistinction to casting.
The first mode has reference more especially to such balls as are
used for rifles, musquets, and other small fire-arms where great cor-
rectness is required. The second mode relates to what are termed
shot, and which are generally smaller in dimensions and less accu-
racy required in form.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, (the same, letters pointing out the
same parts,) will enable me to explain the first part of my In-
vention. The lead being previously prepared, as at A, either by
rollers or otherwise, in which state it is submitted to the com-
pressing machine at B, the action of which is as follows:-C, the
fly wheel connected with the crank shaft D; E, the connecting rod
from crank, D to the knee joints F, F; G, a fixed centre regulated
by the screws H, H, forming an abutment for the joints F, F, and
to sustain the pressure; I, a sliding plunger, maintained in con-
nexion with the joints F, F, by the action of the springs K; L,
a die conformable to one half of the ball, inserted into the sliding
plunger I, and secured therein by the colter M. N, is a sliding
plug passing through the die L, the point of which is made to
correspond in the curve with the bottom of the die L; when under
pressure it abuts against the colter M, and when released from pres-
sure it is made to protrude by the action of the spring O, and
thereby delivers the ball from the die L; the opposite die P, is in-
serted into the stationary plug Q, which plug is regulated by the

page_text: screws R, R, and the die P secured by the screwed quill S, and
screw T; the sliding plug U abuts against the end of the quill S,
when under pressure, and is protruded forward by the spring V,
for the discharge of the ball from the die P, when the pressure is
withdrawn as on the opposite side.
Figures 5 and 6, represent the finishing process to this descrip-
tion of ball. A represents the state in which the balls come from
the compressing machine, connected together by a thin film of
lead round their hemispheres where the dies meet. B, is a hollow
punch or dye having a hole through it corresponding to the diameter
of the ball, and through which it is forced by the punch C, which is
made to descend by the action of the foot on the treadle D, when
the balls roll down the trough E.
Figure 7, will serve to illustrate the second feature of my In-
vention. The rollers A, B, C, and D, are placed on the outside
of the frame, and are connected together by wheels or gearing
which it is unnecessary to shew. A, B, and C, are shewn in section.
A and B are made with any suitable number of hemispherical
recesses on their periphery, so that as they meet together they
represent spheres. The roller C is turned out on the face at E, and
is provided with a suitable number of holes passing through the
periphery, corresponding in size (on the outer edge) with the hemi-
spherical recesses in the rollers A and B. The lead is introduced
in the form of a rod through the guide F, and is preserved in con-
tact with the roller B, by the guide G, until the hemispheres of
lead are introduced into the holes on the periphery of the roller C,
where it is again maintained by the guide H, until the roller D
presses the spheres (or shot) out of the film of lead into the recess
E of the roller C, from whence they may be conducted through a tube
or otherwise, and the film, divested of the shot, is carried over the
roller D, as at I.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and how I prefer to
construct the machinery, I wish it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to the particular constructions or arrangements of
the machines, so long as the mode of working is retained; but what