An Improvement in Solitaires and Dress Studs.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Oct., 1890-Accepted, 20th Dec., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Solitaires and Dress Studs.
We, WILLIAM WEST, of 60 Westminster Road in the City of Birmingham, Manu-
facturer, and GEORGE FREDERICK SPITTLE, of Hamstead Road Handsworth near
Birmingham aforesaid, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the production of a part, of a two-part solitaire or dress
stud of the "West" construction.
The celebrated "West," solitaire, consists essentially of a disc or shell front, with a
stem or stalk upon its underside, of the one part, and a back disc, with a tubular stem,
disposed upon its underside, of the other part.
Our invention relates to the front part, which is made up of two seperate and
attached parts, viz. :-a disc or sheil, and a peg or stalk.
Our invention has for its object, the making of the said disc or peg, solid, or in one
piece, instead of making them seperate, and attachedly connecting them together, by
riveting, or spreading the metal of the attached end of the one, at the back of the
other.
The peg so affixed, oftentimes becomes loose, or detached, which renders the solitaire,
of which it forms a part, perfectly useless.
In carrying out our invention, we take a short length of round wire, containing
sufficient metal, when fashioned into form, as hereinafter described to form the disc or
shell, and peg of the said front part.
One end of this short length of wire, is reduced to the diameter, and length of the
peg required, then by means of press tools, or a stamp, the other and thicker end, is
spread or smashed out into a head aliko unto that of a nail or spike; then again, by
further spreading or smashing out the said head, and the stem part under it, to its
junction with the peg part, by successive operations, the said metal other than the said
peg-part, is flattened out, into a thin disc or shell, thus making the disc and shell and
peg, solid or in one piece.
The ragged edges of the disc or shell, is cleared, and the proper shape imparted, by
clipping and shaping tools.
The tools employed consist of top and bottom dies, the upper one, consists of a
smashing out or flattening die, whilst the lower one is a holding and supporting die,
whose cavity is of the inside shape of the lower and stem part of the wire to be
operated upon.
The process consists essentially in spreading out the metal, by successive operations,
of several sets of tools.
Dated this 21st day of January 1890.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Solitaires and Dress Studs.
We, WILLIAM WEST of 60 Westminster Road in the City of Birmingham, Manu-
facturer, and GEORGE FREDERICK SPITTLE of Hamstead Road Handsworth near
Birmingham, aforesaid, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in the production of one of the parts of a
two part solitaire, of the well known "West" construction.
"West's" solitaire consists essentially of a disc or shell front, with a peg or solid
stem, directed outwardly from the middle of its underside, of the one part, and a back
disc, with a tubular stem disposed alike as aforesaid upon its underside, of the other
part.
Our invention has reference to the first described or front part, which is usually
made up of two separate and attached elements, viz. :-a dise or shell, and a peg
or stem.
Our invention has for its object, the making of the said disc and peg, solid, or in
one piece, instead of making them separate, and attachedly connecting them together,
by riveting.
This peg or solid stem so affixed, oftentimes becomes loose, or detached, when the
solitaire, of which it forms a part, becomes useless.
In carrying out our invention, we take a short length of metal or round wire, and
containing sufficient material, when fashioned into form, to make both disc or shell,
and peg.
One end of this short length of wire, is reduced to the diameter, and length of the
peg required, then by press tools, or by a stamp, the other and thicker end or head, is
spread or smashed out, and then again, by further spreading or smashing out tools,
the said head is spread out into a plate, or disc, which is, by a subsequent process, or
by subsequent processes, still further flattened and reduced, to the size required, hence
the said part, with the disc or shell, and peg, is made solid or in one piece.
The ragged edges of the disc or shell, are cleared, and the proper shape imparted to
it by shaping tools.
The tools employed, consist of top and bottom dies, the upper one, being for
upsetting or smashing out or flattening, while the lower one is a holding and sup-
porting one.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing, represents in plan, and Figure 2 in vertical
section, and Figure 3 in side elevation, the said part of a
46 West" solitaire, made
according to our invention. It will be observed, that both the disc, and the peg or
stem, are made solid one with the other, instead of as formerly being made separate,
and the peg attached to the disc by riveting.
Figure 4 represents a short length of metal, from which the disc or shell, and peg,
are made.
Figure 5 represents in elevation, and underside plan, the said short length of metal
Figure 4, with one end reduced to the diameter, and length or dimensions of the peg
required.
Figure 6 represents the head or enlarged part of the blank Figure 5, smashed or
spread out into a-mushroom-shaped head.
Figure 7 represents a side elevation, and plan of the peg, with the head of the
mushroom headed stem Figure 6, smashed or spread out into a plate.
Figure 8 shows a section of the combined plate and stem Figure 7, further fashioned.
Figure 9 is an underside plan of Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a first pair of tools, for the upsetting of the enlarged part of the reduced
ended blank Figure 5.
Figure 11 is a second pair of tools, for the spreading out of the head, or the
mushroom head, into a plate or disc.

page_text: Figure 12 represents the same pair of tools, further spreading out the metal of the
disc, which is shown thereunder, at Figure 13, prior to the clipping and subsequent
fashioning by the pair of tools Figure 14.
In carrying out the production of the part, or the front part of the solitaire as
aforesaid, we proceed as follows:-
We take a piece of metal Figure 4, which is preferably a short cylinder, or a short
length of wire, containing sufficient metal to form the part, and by a turning or other
process, we reduce the diameter at one end, into a neck c², of the dimensions, or of
like dimensions as the peg required, whilst the other end now forms a head, and is
marked c.
This reduced part c², is then inserted within a central hole a², of a lower die a, and
with the part of larger diameter, resting upon, and coming above, the bed a³, of the
said die, when the descent of the upper die b, upsets, spreads out, or fashions the said
enlarged end c, into a cheese-headed end c³, (see Figure 10).
The operated upon part, (shown separately in Figure 6,) is then placed in the
central hole a², of the same, or a like lower die as Figure 10, and with the cheese
head 3, resting upon the bed a³, when the descent of the upper die, smashes or flattens
out the said head c³, into a plate c*.
This partially formed part, shown separately in Figure 7, is then operated upon
again by the same set of tools, and the plate or disc c', further flattened out into a
thinner disc e, see Figure 13, when the same is clipped by a pair of clipping tools,
and then placed between the dies Figure 14, when the part is finally finished, as shown
separately in Figures 8 and 9, hence the peg or solid stem, and plate or disc, are made
solid, or in one piece.
When required, a shell may be fashioned, instead of a disc or plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First: Making the disc or shell, of the part of a solitaire as herein described, solid,
or in one piece with the peg or stem, as described.
Secondly-Making the part or parts, of a solitaire as herein described, solid, or in
one piece, by the process, or combination of processes, as described and set forth.
Thirdly-Making the part or parts, of a solitaire as herein described, viz. :-the
disc or shell, and peg, solid, or in one piece, by tools, substantially as described and
set forth.
Dated this 21st day of October 1800
WILLIAM
WEST.
GEORGE FREDERICK SPITTLE.
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.