Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Wire Nails and to Machines therefor.
Year: 1888

page_text: .Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Wire Nails and to
Machines therefor.
I, EUGENE FONTAINE, of Auburndale, in the County of Lucas 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 :—
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the construction of
Wire Nail Machines, and the invention consists in the novel construction, arrrange-.
ment and operation of different parts, whereby the capacity of the machine is greatly
enlarged, all as more fully hereinafter described.
In the drawings which accompany this specification,
Fig. 1 is a vertical central section of the operating parts of my machine.
Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof on line e, x, of Fig. 1, looking to the left.
Fig. 3 is a similar cross-section, looking to the right.
Fig. 4 is a plan also Fig. 5.
:
Figs. 6 & 7 are detail cross-sections.
A, represents the wire feeding device, which may be of usual, or any suitable
description, B is the movable shear of the wire cutting device, which, as in the usual
manner, is adjustably mounted on the free end of a power lever C, operated by a
revolving cam D. Below this lever is pivotally secured in bearings, a lever E, the rear
end of which is depressed into the normal position shown, in Fig. 3 by a suitable.
spring, while to the forward end is secured the finger F, preferably of spring metal.
A pin a is secured to the lover E in such relative position to a vertical arm 6 which is.
adjustably secured to the lever C, as to depress the finger whenever the wire is cut off
by the shear.
G, is a stationary die, and H is a movable die, acting in connection therewith, both
being adjustably secured in the usual manner of securing such dies. The adjustable
die H is mounted on the free end of the power lever J, actuated by the revolving
cam K. Each of the dies is grooved upon its face, and their relative position to each
other and to the wire is such as to firmly clamp the free end of the wire at certain.
intervals of the operation of the machine.
L, is a plunger die, slidingly secured in axial line with the wire, and this plunger
die is suitably actuated at proper intervals of time, to deliver a blow against the ends
of the wire, while the latter is held by the dies, to form a head, as in the usual
manner.
M; M and M are three rotating disks which jointly form a rotary carrier. . The
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page_text: disk M, is mounted on the end of a shaft c journalled at d in the frame of the machine
and provided with a bearing e into which is journalled the inner end of the shaft f.
The shaft revolves in stationary bearings and has a disk M¹¹ secured upon it; while
the disk M¹ is loosely mounted upon it.
All the disks revolve in the direction of the arrow, the outer disks M, M¹ revolve
at perfectly equal speed, while the central disk revolves at a greater speed than the
outer disks, preferably twice as fast. To this end, a screw gear wheel his secured upon
the shaft which receives motion from the screw upon the drive shaft j thereby
communicating motion to the disk M". The gear wheel k upon the shaft transmits
motion to the gear wheel on a counter-shaft. m from which it is conveyed to the
disk M through the medium of the gear wheels n and to the disk M₁ through the
medium of the gear wheel p which engages with the gear y formed on the disk M¹.
The outer disks M, M' are of a little larger diameter than the central disk M", and
have formed around their peripheries the radial pockets correspondingly arranged in
both disks.
N is a flexible tension strap, preferably of metal, one end of which is attached to
the arm near the top of the carrier, while the other end is secured to a tightener P,
preferably provided with a tension spring Q. This tension, strap bears upon the
periphery of the wheel M¹¹ between the wheels M, M¹, for a certain distance around
the periphery of said wheel.
R, are rotary cutters, or emery wheels, placed in proximity to the carrier.
The parts, being constructed and arranged as described, they are intended to operate
as follows:
As soon as the wire feed has delivered the necessary length of wire, the dies G & H
clamp the face end thereof firmly between them, while the plunger die or hammer strikes
a blow which forms the head, at or nearly the same time, the shear B cuts off the wire
at the length required. The finger F being. simultaneously actuated with the shear,
then passes the severed piece of wire which is now provided with a head and released
from the dies, into the rim of the cam wheel, where it drops into the first set of pockets
brought underneath, the finger continuing to hold it down into the rim of the central
wheel M until the rotation of the carrier wheel introduces it underneath the strap.
Thus the pockets are one by one filled with the nail blanks and carried underneath the
strap, where they are compelled to rotate upon their axis, owing to the greater speed
of the central wheel M" and while thus rotating, the point is formed on the nail blanks,
by the action of the rotary cutters, which are secured in proper proximity to the
carrier wheel. As soon as the nail blanks are freed from the confining strap, they drop
out of the pockets as finished wire nails.
In order to adjust the machine to make nails of different sizes, all the parts are
provided with the necessary adjustments for that purpose.
The operation parts of the machine are all so arranged that the blank is never
arrested for any purpose whatever until the nail is completed, the formation of the
head, and the cutting off the blanks being accomplished at an instant, and simul-
taneously, or nearly so, and the removal of the blank from the path of the wire being
accomplished almost at the same time, it is evident that I can use a continuous feed,.
and run the machine at a comparative high speed, and thus make a larger quantity of
nails than has been accomplished heretofore. To give time for the blank to be moved
out of the path of the wire however the cam D is constructed to keep the shear B
depressed. long enough, while travelling over the delay face s to allow the blank to
uiove out of the path of the wire, the friction freed of the wire allowing this to be
done. To guide the end of the wire while being fed, I preferably provide the cam K
with the flange t, which partially raises the die H, high enough before clamping, to
guide the end of the wire and keep it off the face of the carrier.
•
The spirit of my invention is thus principally embodied in the construction and
arrangement of the rotary carrier, and its combination with the cutter for pointing the
blank in transit: In the combination of the shear with the finger for removing the
blank out of the path of the wire, and in the combination of the finger with the rotary
carrier. One great advantage of the carrier is that the machine is thereby made

page_text: capable to make any kind of nail in commercial use, for instance such as shown in
Fig. 6, where the head is bevelled by means of a suitably placed cutter u, or as in
Fig. 7, which shows a so-called blind wire nail, which is sharpened at both ends by
using cutters on both sides of the carrier. Suitable guide rails w are used to prevent
lateral displacement while sharpening, or to effect lateral displacement to shove the
blanks endwise to bring them into proper contact with the cutters, and if necessary as
shown in Fig. 5, and if the blanks are liable to bend under the action of the cutters,
a suitable rest as shown in Fig. 4 is furnished to support the free end
thereof.
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 wire nail machine, the combination of the moveable shear, and a carrier to
receive the blanks, substantially as described.
2. In a wire nail machine, the combination of the moveable shear, a carrier to
receive the blanks, and grinding mechanism substantially as described.
.
3. In a wire nail machine, the combination of the moveable shear, the finger
actuated thereby and a rotary carrier to receive the blanks, substantially as
described.
4. In a wire nail machine, the combination with the continuous feed, of the sliding
plunger or hammer, the clamping dies, the shears and the finger, the parts being
arranged to co-act, substantially as described.
·
5. In a wire nail machine, the combination with the rotary cutters, of the rotary
carriers consisting of the outer disks provided with peripheral pockets and running at
equal speed, the central disk of smaller diameter, running at higher speed or in the
opposite direction, the friction strap over the central disk, and the rotary pointing.
cutters, substantially as described.
6. In a wire nail machine, the combination in a rotary carrier, of the outer
disks M, M', the central rotary disk M of lesser diameter, the peripheral
pocket r, formed in the outer disks, .the friction strap N on the central disk, and the
tightners P, having the spring tension Q, substantially as described.
7. In a wire nail machine, the combination with the rotary carrier, of the power
lever carrying the moveable shears, the lever E pivotally secured below said
power lever and carrying the spring finger F and pin a and the arm b on the power
lever, the parts being constructed to operate substantially as described.
8. In a wire nail machine, substantially as described the combination with the wire
feed tube, of the movable die the lever operating said die and the cam K, and the
flanget on said cam, substantially as described.
9. In a wire nail machine, the combination with the rotary carrier of the rotary
cutters R and the guide rails w, substantially as described.
10. The combination with the rotary carrier, of the power lever (carrying the
shear B and the arm of the lever E carrying the finger F and of the cam D having
the delay faces, substantially as described.
11. The herein described process of manufacture of wire nails, consisting in
delivering the blank after it is cut from the wire and provided with a head, into
pockets formed in a carrier which rotates the nail and carries the exposed end of the
shank over grinding rollers to form a sharp, conical point, substantially as
described.