IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to. William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,.
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS."-A com-
munication from Jean Felix Bapterosses, of Paris.
Sealed the 9th June 1857, and dated the 31st January 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton-
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st January 1857.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS," to be
as follows:-
These improvements in the manufacture of buttons relate to a novel mode
of constructing shank buttons, and consist, first, in making these buttons of
porcelain, or enamel, or other ceramic substance, in which the shanks may be
secured in a peculiar manner. The buttons may be made of any suitable forms
and dimensions, and are manufactured by means of special mechanical processes.
of a very simple and economical nature, and allowing of a large number being
manufactured at a time.
I will first describe the practical means employed by the Inventor for fixing

page_text: the shanks in the buttons, and will next explain the mechanical processes by
which they are manufactured.
The operation required to be performed is to fix a shank in a simple, firm,
and economical manner in a button made of porcelain, enamel, or other hard
substance, or in a substance capable of being moulded, and so that the said
shank shall not be detachable therefrom even at a very high degree of tem-.
perature. This object-the -Inventor has-succeeded in effecting in a practical
manner.
For the purpose of making the aperture to receive the shank two methods
may be employed the first consists in forming a cylindrical tapped hole in the
body of the button; the other consists in forming a conical hole, having its
larger diameter inside and its smaller diameter at its mouth. In either case
the operation is effected during the moulding of the buttons, either by means
of the apparatus hereafter described, or by other suitable means.
.
According to the first method, the female screw is produced by means of
screw rods, which are screwed into the compressed material, several turns'
being given to them for the purpose of producing the screw threads. By the
second method, the hole is formed by means of rotating expanding tools. In
both cases the tools are caused to rotate on entering the body of the button,
and thereby form a countersunk hole therein, after which they are withdrawn,
by the same aperture at which they entered; by this means a countersunk
cavity is formed, which in the latter case will be wider inside than outside, so
as, to present a dovetail form in section. In these conical or tapped holes
some fusible metal is run for the purpose of holding the shanks fast.
For placing the shanks in the bodies of the buttons I make use of a copper
plate, having handles at its extremities for the purpose of carrying, it from
place to place; this plate is provided with a number of recesses or cups,
arranged in rows for the reception of a series of buttons, which are placed
therein, with the sides intended for the reception of the shanks upwards.
Children are employed to place a small piece of fusible metal upon the
orifice of each button, and when they have all been thus provided, the plate is
carried to a furnace, heated by gas or other suitable means, for the purpose of
melting the metal, which is thereby caused to run into and fill the recesses in
the buttons, into which the shanks (to which the required form has previously
been given) are now introduced, and on the fusible metal cooling they will be
firmly fixed therein.
The apparatus which has been found most suitable and easy. of application
for the production of the buttons consists of a swing lever press, provided with
a number of matrices and corresponding dies.

page_text: The fixed moulds or matrices receive the substance of which the buttons aro
to be formed, and by means of the swinging arm the dies are brought down
upon the moulds with sufficient force to compress the material therein..
While the bodies of the buttons are in the moulds, and therefore in a
plastic state, the rotating tools or screws whereby the countersunk holes are
made are introduced, and by being rotated by means of suitable gearing; the
holes or recesses for the shanks are produced, after which the tools are with-
drawn and the prepared body removed to be submitted to the next operation,
as above mentioned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th July 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane; in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of January, in the year of our
Lord One-thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others; from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise; and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland; the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF "BUTTONS," being a communication
from Jean Felix Bapterosses, of Paris, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain tho
nature of tlie said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Offico.
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
These improvements in the manufacture of buttons relate to a novel modo
of constructing shank buttons, and consist in making these buttons of porcelain
or enamel, or other ceramic substances, in which the shanks may be secured
in a peculiar manner. The buttons may be made of any suitable forms and
dimensions, and are manufactured by means of special mechanical processes of
a very simple and economical nature, and allowing of a large number being
manufactured at a time.
I will first describe the practical means employed by the Inventor for fixing
the shanks in the buttons, and will next explain the mechanical processes by
which they are manufactured.
The operation required to be performed is to fix a shank (in a simple, firm,
and economical manner) in a button made of porcelain, enamel, or other hard
substance, or in a substance capable of being moulded, and so that the said
shank shall not be detachable therefrom even at a very high degree of tem-
perature. This object the Inventor has succeeded in effecting in a practical
manner.
For the purpose of making the apertures to receive the shanks two methods
may be employed :-the first consists in forming a cylindrical tapped hole in
the body of the button; the other consists in forming a conical hole, having its
larger diameter inside and its smaller diameter at its mouth. In either
case the operation is effected during the moulding of the buttons, either by
means of the apparatus hereafter described, or by other suitable means.
In the accompanying Drawing, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 represent various
views of a shank button with a tapped hole therein for the reception of the
shank, and Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 represent various views of a similar button
having a conical aperture for the same purpose. I would here observe, that
although I have only shewn one form of button, it will be evident that this
Invention is equally applicable to buttons of other forms.
According to the first method, the female screw is produced by means of
screw rods, which are screwed into the compressed material, several turns
being given to them for the purpose of producing the screw threads. By the
second method, the hole is formed by means of rotating expanding tools. In
both cases the tools are caused to rotate on entering the body of the button,
and thereby to form a countersunk hole therein, after which they are with-
drawn by the same aperture at which they entered; by this means a counter-
sunk cavity is formed, which in the latter case will be wider inside than

page_text: of
outside, so as to present a dovetail form in section, as shewn at Fig. 5. Into
these conical or tapped holes some fusible metal is run for the purpose
holding the shanks fast. The metal preferred by the Inventor for this pur-
pose is an alloy of bismuth and lead, the proportions of which may vary
according to the temperature at which it is required to fuse.
For placing the shanks in the bodies of the buttons I make use of a copper
plate D (see Figs. 9 and 10), having handles E at its extremities for the
purpose of carrying it from place to place. This plate is provided with-a
number of recesses or cups c, arranged in rows for the reception of a series of
buttons which are placed therein, the sides intended for the reception of the
shanks being upwards. Children are employed to place a small piece of fusible
metal d upon the orifice of each button, as shewn in Fig. 11, and when they
have all been thus provided, the plate is carried to a furnace heated by gas or
other suitable means, for the purpose of melting the metal, which is thereby
caused to run into and fill the recesses in the buttons, into which the shanks f
(to which the required form has previously been given) are now introduced,
and on the fusible metal cooling they will be firmly fixed therein, as shewn in
Fig. 12. For the purpose of adjusting the shanks, they are taken up by
children by means of pincers specially constructed for the purpose, and placed
severally in the position shewn at Fig. 4. The operation being completed, the
plate is removed from the furnace and replaced by a fresh one supplied with
another set of buttons.
The apparatus which has been found most suitable and easy of application
for the production of the buttons in a rapid and economical manner consists of
a swing lever press, provided with a number of matrices and corresponding
dies. The fixed moulds or matrices receive the substance of which the buttons
are to be formed, and by means of the swinging arm the dies are brought
down upon the moulds with sufficient force to compress the material therein.
Figs. 13 and 14 represent in vertical section and plan view, drawn to the
real size, two matrices and dies intended to be applied to this purpose.
Fig. 13 is a detached view of one of the matrices with its rod. The
matrices A are adjusted in a plate P, in which they are fastened by means of
pins a; the dies B are fastened in the same manner into the upper plate P¹
by means of pins b. The upper. faces of the matrices A are hollowed out
according to the form which is desired to be imparted to the lower face of the
buttons, that is to say, the face which is to be perforated to receive the shank
and the lower face of the dies B is prepared in the same manner, to corre-
spond to the other face of the button. The matrices A, which severally
correspond with the dies B, are perforated, to allow of the passage through

page_text: them of the vertical rods C, which rods are provided at their upper extremities
with screws, and at their lower extremities with toothed pinions D, which take
into a rack, set in such a manner that it shall act at once upon the whole row
of pinions upon the rods. It will thus.be seen that when the porcelain or other
plastic material of which the buttons are to be formed is compressed between
the two series of matrices, it will necessarily be pressed around the screwed
rods-C, which project. beyond the upper face of the matrices A, so that on
turning these rods as if in the act of unscrewing them, they will form a female
screw thread in the centre of the bodies of the buttons. In order to effect this,
it is only necessary for the attendant, after having given the necessary pressure
to the material by means of the rocking lever, to give a forward motion to the
rack, which will impart rotary motion to the screwed rods through their respec-
tive pinións. As soon as the screws on the rods have produced their effect
upon the button bodies they will in turning be disengaged therefrom.
Figs. 15 and 16 represent a pair of dies with the rotating tools so arranged
as to form conical or dovetail recesses in the bodies of the buttons, instead
of female screws,. for the purpose of holding the shanks. It will be seen
that this arrangement only differs from the preceding in the construction of
the rods C, which, instead of having screws at their upper extremities, are
simply made of a dovetail form, with their edges rounded off, so as not to be
too sharp. The operation is, however, effected in much the same manner, the
ends of the rods C¹ being also in this instance raised to such an extent as not
to reach the upper face of the body of the button. The dies are now in a
raised position, the 'attendant, then takes hold of the rocking arm, turns the
screw, and brings down the series of dies, in order to give the required form
to the substance to be moulded; he then imparts rotary motion to the tools C¹
as before, by means of pinions D' taking into a rack. By this means the
operating part of the rotating tools C' will, in rotating, form a conical or dove-
tail recess in the centre of the button bodies of a form corresponding to the
shape of their cutting ends. The operation will be completed as before, that
is to say, the dies are raised together with their guide plate, by which means
the whole series of moulded and pierced buttons, will be removed.
Having now described this Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, I would observe that I am aware that button's have been here-
tofore made of clay or plastic materials, moulded by means of pressure applied
to dies or moulds; I do not therefore mean or intend to lay any exclusive
claim to this mode of manufacturing buttons generally, but I desire it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,
Firstly,, the manufacture of shank buttons of clay, porcelain, or other plastic

page_text: material in the manner above shewn and described, or any mere modification
thereof, in which either screw-tapped or plain conical holes are provided and
filled with some fusible metal, for the purpose of fastening or securing the
shanks when placed therein.
Secondly, the arrangement of apparatus above shewn and described, or any
mere modification thereof, for making the screw-tapped or conical holes or
recesses in the moulded bodies of buttons of porcelain, enamel, or other plastic
substance, for the purpose of fixing the shanks therein by the insertion of a
plug of fusible metal.
I claim the mode of manufacture above described, and the application of
the mechanical means for carrying the same into effect, either to the improved
apparatus for manufacturing buttons, as above described, or to any other
machinery for moulding buttons, whatever may be their form or size.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)