A New or Improved Method of and Instrument for Gauging and Measuring Wire, Rods, and Bars.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1886.
Complete Left, 4th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 6th May, 1887.
A New or Improved Method of and Instrument for Gauging and
Measuring Wire, Rods, and Bars.
I WILLIAM WALTON, of Harrytown Hall, Romiley, in the County of Chester,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for A NEW OR IMPROVED
METHOD OF AND INSTRUMENT FOR GAUGING AND MEASURING WIRE, RODS AND BARS, to
be as follows:-
My invention is particularly applicable for accurately gauging the size of fine wire,
but it may be also used for measuring rods. and bars.
In carrying out my invention I employ an instrument to measure the circumference
of the wire or rod in combination with a graduated scale and pointer to indicate the
size or gauge of the same.
The instrument consists of two parallel bars, the adjoining edges of which are
perfectly straight and smooth; one of the bars is free to move longitudinally in
guides and the other to move in guides to and from the first named bar, the second
bar being held toward the first by a spring or otherwise in order to admit different
sizes of wire between the bars; fine spur teeth which form a rack are cut on one
edge of the first bar, and a pinion in gear with this rack is carried in stationary
bearings in the frame of the instrument; to the pinion is secured a pointer which
indicates the movement on the graduated scale.
To gauge wire with this instrument a short length of the wire, say one inch is cut,
and one end is bent over at about a right angle to the other, one leg of the wire is
then passed between the parallel bars and the position of the bent end resting over
the bar is then carefully noticed; after this has been done the toothed bar is moved
longitudinally the friction on the wire between the bars causing it to revolve and

page_text: traverse with the sliding bar; the sliding movement is continued until the wire has
revolved say six times which can be readily seen by means of the bont end of the
wire which also shows at what point to stop the movement of the instrument. The
position of the finger on the indicator or quadrant will now denote both the mean
diameter of the wire in parts of an inch or its gauge or either of them or any other
standard of measurement.
By revolving the wire, six times as I propose to do, and making the scale to
correspond I reduce to a minimum the chances of inaccuracy and I determine the
exact circumferential measurement of the wire.
My Invention may be applied to apparatus for gauging and measuring rods and
bars of metal.
Measuring Wire, Rods, and Bars.
I WILLIAM WALTON of Harrytown Hall Romiley in the County of Chester
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 :-
My invention is particularly applicable for accurately gauging the size of fine wire
but it may be also used for measuring round rods and bars.
In carrying out my Invention I employ an instrument to measure the circumference
of the wire or rod in combination with a graduated scale and pointer to indicate the
size or gauge of the same. The instrument consists of two parallel bars the adjoining
edges or surfaces of which are perfectly straight and smooth; one of the bars is free
to move longitudinally in guides and the other to move in guides to and from the first

page_text: named bar the second bar being held toward the first by a spring or otherwise in order
to admit different sizes of wire between the bars; fine spur teeth which form a rack
are cut either on one edge of the first bar or on an independent bar and a pinion in
gear with this rack is carried in stationary bearings in the frame of the instrument;
to the pinion is secured a pointer which indicates the movement on the graduated scale.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings reference being had to
the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a plan with the top plate or casing removed and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal
vertical section of an instrument made according to my Invention for gauging and
measuring wire.
a designates the base plate or table constituting the frame or foundation of the
instrument to which are secured guide pieces a¹ a² a³ respectively for the bar b which
is free to be moved longitudinally between the guides. The guides a³ a³ also form
guides for the transverse bar c one end of which is held normally in contact with the
bar 6 by means of springs d d secured at one end to the stationary guides a² a³ and at
the other end to a cross piece c¹ on the bar c on which is also fixed a small knob or
thumb piece for moving the piece c away from the bar b when required.
Fulcrumed to the stationary guide piece a¹ at a¹ is a hand lever e slotted at e¹ where
it is fitted over a stud b¹ on the bar b and also slotted at e' where it is fitted over a
stud g' on the bar g; a block or bowl might be mounted on each of the studs b¹ and gl
instead of fitting them directly into their respective slots as above described. Secured
to the base plate a are two additional guide bars ff between which is fitted and free
to slide the bar which carries the stud g¹ and on which is formed or secured a fine
toothed rack g² into which a pinion gears. The pinion h is fixed on a stud jon
which is also fixed a pointer or finger k. The stud; has its bearings in the baseplate a
and the top plate; or upper casing I so that the pointer k moves with the pinion when
the latter is turned which is effected by operating the hand lever e and moving the
bar g longitudinally between its guides ff. It is obvious that the stud j might be
fixed and the pointer and pinion be fitted thereon and arranged to move together
when the pinion is turned.
The graduated scale is represented by a ring which is secured to or formed on
the top plate and this ring may be divided to indicate or correspond with a Wire
Gauge as shown or into fractional parts of an inch or any other suitable or convenient
standard of measurement. In practice it is convenient to have the wire gauge sizes
round one edge of the ring and the fractional divisions of an inch or other standard
round the other edge so that both measurements may be ascertained by one
operation.
To gauge wire with this instrument a short length of wire say one inch is cut and
one end is bent over at about a right angle to the other and when the hand lever e
and the pointer k are in the position indicated by dotted lines Fig. 1 one leg of the
wire is passed through a slot in the top plate and between the parallel bars b and c.
The position of the bent end of the wire is then carefully noticed and after this has
been done the hand lever e is operated and the bar b is moved longitudinally the
friction on the leg of the wire between the two bars b and c causing it to revolve and
traverse with the sliding bar b. The sliding movement of the bar 6 is continued until
the wire if of fine gauge has revolved say six times the number of revolutions being
readily checked by watching the bent end of the wire the position of which also
shows at what point to stop the movement of the hand lever e.
By operating the hand lever e to move the bar b the bar g is also caused to slide and
by means of the rack g² and pinion h the finger k is traversed over the graduated scale /^,
so that when the six revolutions of the wire are completed as above described the
position of the finger k on the scale l, which in this case is graduated to allow for
six revolutions of the wire will denote both the gauge of the wire and its mean
diameter in parts of an inch or either of them or any other standard of measurement
desired and set out on the scale.

page_text: By revolving the wire six times as I propose to do for fine sizes and making the
scale to correspond I reduce to a minimum the chance of inaccuracy and I determine
the exact circumferential measurement of the wire. For larger sizes of wire the
number of revolutions may be reduced the scale being graduated accordingly.
My invention may be applied to apparatus for gauging and measuring round rods
and bars of metal.
I would have it clearly understood that I do not limit myself to the exact details
herein shown and described as the same may be varied or modified without departing
from the nature of my Invention which consists essentially in gauging or measuring
wire or rods or bars circumferentially by the instrument specified or any mere
mechanical equivalent thereof for example the one bar may be moved longitudinally
by any convenient means and any suitable device for indicating registering or
recording the gauge or circumferential measurement may be employed.
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 method of gauging and measuring circumferentially wire rods and bars
of round section and
2. The apparatus or instrument for effecting the same substantially as herein
described and as illustrated by the accompanying Drawing.
3. In an instrument for gauging and measuring wire the combination with two
parallel bars one of which is free to be moved in guides longitudinally and the other
is free to be moved in guides to and from the first named bar with which it is held
normally in contact by springs or otherwise, of means for moving the first named bar
longitudinally and means for indicating or recording the gauge or circumferential
measurement of the wire or rod or bar as described.
Dated this 2nd day of April 1887
H. B. BARLOW,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for Applicant.