IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND DRESSING HORSE-SHOE AND OTHER NAILS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's
Inn, in the County of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the
City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND DRESSING
HORSE-SHOE AND OTHER NAILS."-A communication from abroad by Charles
Alexandre Louvrier, of Paris, Machinist.
Sealed the 23rd October 1863, and dated the 6th May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th
May 1863.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINENY OR APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND DRESSING
HORSE-SHOE AND OTHER NAILS," (a communication to me from abroad by Charles
Alexandre Louvrier, of Paris, Machinist,) to be as follows:-
Tho characteristic feature upon which the present Invention is based
consists in the operation of four tools placed at right angles, which open and
close two at a time, striking in such a manner as to obtain a forging effect
analogous to that produced by hand.
The tools, in working, allow of no escape at the side, and it is only
necessary to have a special feeding apparatus to the machine so arranged as

page_text: to supply the necessary amount of iron or material to the tools in order to
make the required length.
The dressing machine is intended to finish the rods or shanks of the nails,
and at the same time to efface the marks of the tools or hammers, which,
although very slight, are nevertheless perceptible.
The forging is performed by four tools or hammers placed at right angles to
each other, two being vertical and two horizontal, so actuated as to strike the
rod alternately from below upwards, and from right to left, the movement
being repeated a certain number of times according to the length of the nail
and the breadth of the hammers.
The rod of which the nails are to be formed 'is advanced a certain distance
at each blow of the hammers by a suitable arrangement of mechanism. It is
first struck in a vertical direction and next in a horizontal direction; a fifth
hammer or punch then acts with extreme pressure against the hammers, and
forms the head of the nail at the extremity of the rod.
The punch has at its end a recess of the form desired to be given to the
head of the nail, and for making horse-shoe nails a corresponding recess is
formed in the angles of the hammers; for making nails with flat heads the
hammers retain their square edge. The head of the nail being formed,
the hammers open, the iron rod is advanced, and the hammers striko again,
re-opening and closing as many times as may be necessary to finish the nail,
which is then cut off by cutters adapted for that purpose; the same move-
ments are then repeated for other nails.
The movements of the hammers and the feeding of the iron rod are effected
by means of cams suitably formed and keyed on a shaft driven by toothed
gearing from the main driving shaft of the machine. The cutters for cutting
off the nails as they are formed are actuated by two excentrics keyed upon the
same shaft. In this machine either one pair or all four of the tools or
hammers may have a rolling or oscillating movement given to them by means
of cams as well as a striking motion.
The machine for dressing the nails and making the points is constructed on
the same principle as the machine for forging, excepting that the tools or
hammers open and close all four at once. This machine is applicable to tho
dressing and finishing of nails, whether made by the preceding or any other
machine, or forged by hand in the ordinary manner.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th
November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Davies, Her special license that I, the said George
Davies, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said George Davies, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there.
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND DRESSING HORSE-SHOE
AND
OTHER NAILS," (a communication to me from abroad by Charles
Alexandre Louvrier, of Paris, Machinist,) upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Davies, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Davies, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say:-
The characteristic feature upon which the present Invention is based
consists in the operation of four tools, placed at right angles, which open and
close two at a time, striking in such a manner as to obtain a forging effect
analogous to that produced by hand.
The tools, in working, allow of no escape at the side, and it is only

page_text: necessary to have a special feeding apparatus to the machine so arranged as
to supply the necessary amount of iron or material to the tools in order to
make the required length.
The dressing machino is intended to finish the rods or shanks of the nails,
and at the same time to efface the marks of the tools or hammers, which,
although very slight, are nevertheless perceptible.
The forging is performed by four tools or hammers placed at right angles to
each other, two being vertical and two horizontal, so actuated as to strike the
rod alternately from below upwards, and from right to left, the movement
being repeated a certain number of times, according to the length of the nail
and the breadth of the hammers.
The rod of which the nails are to be formed is advanced a certain distance
at each blow of the hammers by a suitable arrangement of mechanism. It is
first struck in a vertical direction and next in a horizontal direction; a fifth
hann er or punch then acts with extreme pressure against the hammers, and
forms the head of the nail at the extremity of the rod.
The punch has at its end a recess of the form desired to be given to the
head of the nail, and for making horse-shoe nails a corresponding recess is
formed in the angles of the hammers; for making nails with flat heads, the
hammers retain their square edge. The head of the nail being formed, the
hammers open, the iron rod is advanced, and the hammers strike again,
reopening and closing as many times as may be necessary to finish the nail,
which is then cut off by cutters adapted for that purpose; the same movements
are then repeated for other nails.
The movements of the hammers and the feeding of the iron rod are effected
by means of cams suitably formed and keyed on a shaft driven by toothed
gearing from the main driving shaft of the machine. The cutters for cutting
off the nails as they are formed are actuated by two eccentrics keyed upon the
same shaft. In this machine either one pair or all four of the tools or hammers
may have a rolling or oscillating movement given to them by means of cams
as well as a striking motion.
The machine for dressing the nails and making the points is constructed on
the same principle as the machine for forging, excepting that the tools or
hammers open and close all four at once. This machino is applicable to the
dressing and finishing of nails, whether made by the preceding or any other
machine, or forged by hand in the ordinary manner.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention for " Improvements
in Machinery or Apparatus for Forging and Dressing Horse-shoc and other
Nails," I will now proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which

page_text: the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect; and
in order that the same may be distinctly understood, I have annexed hereunto
two Sheets of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with
figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof, that is to say :-
In the annexed Drawings the Figures from 1 to 9 (Sheet 1) represent the
tools performing the different phases of the manufacture of a horse-shoe nail.
The rough or unwrought iron O placed at A (Figure 1) between the
hammers L and N (see also Figure 6) is immediately struck by the lateral
and upward or downward pressure of the hammers, which causes the iron to
assume the form represented at Figure 2, and at the same moment (seo
Figure 3) the iron receives the strong pressure of a punch D fitted in the
ram C, which presses the iron against the hammers and forms the head E of a
horse-shoe nail; immediately the ram retires to allow the material to bo
lengthened by the pressure of the hammers, as represented at J (Figure 8).
The movements of the hammers are as follows:-The hammers N close only
as at V (Figure 5, and open immediately as .at A (Figure 6), before the
hammers L make the same movement, as seen at I (Figure 7), and the latter
opens also as at A (Figure 6), before the hammers N again perform their
movement, and so on. The hammers repeat these movements the desired
number of times, according to the arrangement of the machine, which is
intended to make the nail of a greater or lesser length.
If it be desired to have a nail two inches and a half in length (for example).
and cach stroke of the hanımers gives a quarter of an inch, then ten strokes of
the hammers will be necessary to produce the same. As soon as the nail is
forged the hammers re-open as at A (Figure 6 front view and Figure 1 side
view), and at the moment that the hammers remain open the iron is caused
to advance through the hammers, and at the same instant the nail is cut off,
and immediately the hammers strike in reclosing as at B (Figures 2 and 8),
and so ou. The form of the hammers is shewn in end view at Figure 9. The
hammers can readily be made to strike in an irregular manner to make a
conical or pointed nail.
Figures 1 to 9 (Sheet 2) represent different views of a forging machine, so
arranged that the tools shall act in the manner above described. Figuro 1 is
a plan view of the machine complete, as seen from above; Figure 2 is a longi-
tudinal elevation of the same, and Figure 3 is a transverse section taken
through the line 1, 2, in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a front view of the tools and
of the pieces which actuate them; Figure 5 represents in detail the cam
which performs the forging by the aid of the vertical hammer; Figure 6

page_text: shows the cams which cause the iron to advance in exact proportion to the
forging of the shank of the nail.
The forging is performed by the four hammers 1, 1', 2, 2', (Figures 3
and 4,) the two former are placed vertically, and the two latter horizontally,
so as to strike the nail c alternately from below upwards, and from right to
left, which movement is repeated a certain number of times, according to the
length of the nail and the breadth of the hammers. The rod of iron intended
to form the nails and to feed the bammers is advanced a certain length at cach
stroke between the hammers, by a particular arrangement of mechanisın
explained hereafter. It is then struck in a vertical direction, and afterwards
in a horizontal direction; then a fifth hammer or punch m (Figure 1) brings
a strong pressure to bear against the hammers, and forms the head of the nail
at the extremity of the rod; the shank is then forged. This punch m has at
its extremity a recess having the form which it is desired to give to tho
head of the nail; a similar recess is formed in the angles of the hammers
in order to obtain the form shown in Figure 9 (horse-shoe nail). For
flat-headed nails (Figure 8) the angles of the hammers remain solid.
The head of the nail being formed, the hammers open and the rod of iron
advances, then the hammers striko, re-opening and re-closing as many times
as may be necessary to finish the nail, which is then cut off by cutters
arranged for that purpose. The same movements are then repeated for other
nails.
Movements of the hammers.-The arrangement of the hammers and the
manner in which they effect the forging are as follows:-A plate of metal u
(Figure 4, Sheet 2) carries two moveable pieces A and B, in which are fixed
the hammers 1 and 2. The pieco A is capable of moving in a vertical direc-
tion, working between the slides 7 and h', and the piece B in a horizontal
direction being guided by the slides h and h. The hammer 2' is fixed
immoveably to the plate u, and has no movement. The hammer 1 only moves
with the piece A in a vertical direction to strike against the hammer 1', but
the hammer 2, besides being able to move with the picce B in a direction
from right to left to strike against the hammer 2' can also move vertically
with the piece A, to which it is connected by a groove made in the upper part
a of this piece, as represented by dotted lines in the Drawing. It is the samo
with the hammer 1', which has no vertical movement, but which is actuated
by the piece B and moves in the same direction with it; it is connected to
this piece by a groove formed at b. A plate of metal 6' passing under the
hammer 1 is fixed by a gudgeon 6" to the piece A; it carries an eye through
which the iron passes before reaching the hammers, and guides the iron so

page_text: that it is always kept in the middle of the opening of the hammers during the
forging. The machine is mounted on a frame C supported by cast-iron
standards. The plate u which carries the hammers is fixed against the casting
C' by means of two adjusting screws u', u", by the piece D, supported abovo
by the hook d and the screw d', and below by a notch formed in the piece E
(Figures 1, 2, and 3). The two driving pulleys P and P¹ are mounted on the
which drives the wheel R'; the proportion of these two
wheels to each other should be in accordance with the number of strokes
which the hammers are required to give. The wheel R' is fixed on the hori-
zontal shaft turning in bearings F, and carrying eight cams or wheels, the
different functions of which will be hereafter explained.
shaft of the pinion R,
Feeding the iron rod.-The cam wheel I, arranged as shown at Figure 6,
serves to move the piece G (Figure 1), intended to feed the iron, that is, to
cause it to advance between the hammers. This piece carries bolted to its
extremity an arm G¹, to which is fixed a curved rod g', and to this rod is
jointed the spring rod 9", which presses forward the iron; for this purpose the
extremity of this lever is curved out and cut to a sharp bevil, in order not
to bite into the iron, and only to advance it at the time of the forward move-
ment of the piece G, and to slide on the latter when this piece recoils to take
a fresh hold on the iron, which movement takes place once for each nail.
The notches with which the curved rod g is provided serve to regulate the
tension of the spring 9", and consequently its' adhesion against the rod of iron
by placing the end of the said spring in one or other of the notches. The
piece G is connected to the framing of the machine by two bolts, which allow
of the to-and-fro movement which is given to it by the cams of the wheel I,
which should be an irregular movement, and operates as follows:-At the
other extremity of the slide G are fixed by bolts and regulating screws two
pieces and I" (Figures 1 and 6); the cam kabuts against a piece of steel
fitted to the slide G, and causes the latter to advance to give the iron neces-
sary for the formation of the head of the nail; immediately (and whilst the
bead is being formed) another cam I sends it back to take a fresh hold on the
iron by striking against the hook I", and brings the cams of the wheel I near
to the piece 1. These cams are arranged spirally, so as to push gradually the
rod or slide which feeds the iron for the shank of the nail. The punch m
before mentioned, and which forms the head of the nail, is put in motion by
the excentric K, the cam of which acts upon the friction roller m² of a support
O, in which the punch is fixed. The support moves in slides, and is thus
guided in its to-and-fro movement by the rod O' sliding in a notch in the
frame, where it is held by a strap "; a projection m" is fixed against the

page_text: support O', which it withdraws by the action of a tappet n fixed to the
excentric K.
Vertical forging.-The cam wheel L (Figures 1, 2, and 5) serves to
actuate the moveable picco A (Figures 3 and 4) above described, and to
operate the forging from below upwards. The cams of this wheel strike
against a friction roller carried by a lever L, which is moveable on the
axis O. This lever is held in contact with the wheel L by means of the
coiled spring r, and is attached to the picce A by two bridles a and a¹; a
regulating screw is held by the hook v", which passes into holes made in
the circumference of the wheel which forms the head of the said screw. When
the friction roller is in contact with the space between the points 1 and 2
of the wheel L (Figure 5) the hanımer 1 holds the iron bebind the nail whilst
the cutters sever the same; then the cam 2 acts upon the roller and forgos
the iron behind the head, while the space between 3 and 4 presses the hammer
against the iron, whilst the punch m strikes the head of the nail; then the ten
cams, from 4 to 14, operate ten times to forge the shank of the nail, and so
forth. The number of blows must, of course, be varied according to the
length of the nail to be made. The space situated between 14 and 1 corre-
sponds to the recoil movement produced by the cam against the hook ]"
(Figure 6.) The number of cams of the wheel, and consequently the number
of blows to form the shank, may be varied according to the length of the
latter; but in order to obtain regularity it is necessary that those of the wheel
which feeds the iron should correspond therewith. Whilst tho space between
3 and 4 of the wheel L presses the iron upwards during the punching of the
head of the nail, the cam M' of the wheel M (Figures 1 and 5) acts on the
roller m carried by the sliding piece M", and forces the latter forward, tho
bevilled part of which acts upon the piece B (and consequently upon its
hammer) by pressing against a similar bevil with which this piece is furnished
(Figures 1 and 4), so that the iron is held or pressed at the same time from
below and from the side whilst the head is being struck.
Horizontal or side forging.-The side forging, that is to say, the horizontal
to-and-fro movement of the piece B, is obtained by means of the cam wheel Q
placed on the shaft of the pinion R (Figure 3), and which acts against the
lever Q', held in contact therewith by the spring S. This lovor is moveable on
its axis g, and its upper part engages in a slide fixed to the piece B by a
strapp; a roller p' receives the shock of the lever, and transmits the bori-
zontal forging movement to the piece B, which is drawn back by the head of
the lever Q' itself, the lower end thereof being acted on by the spring S, the
pressure of which is regulated by means of the screw V. The number of

page_text: blows of the side hammer ought always to be equal to those of the vertical
forging, that is to say, to have a gradual and regular thinning of the shank of
the nail, which is obtained by the wedge-formed slide T actuated by the
sliding piece T, which latter is put in action by the cam of the wheel N
striking against the roller y', which is regulated by the screw y. The slide T
carries the pointed wedges (Figure 1) which press against the bearings x and
(Figure 3) and cause the shaft q, and consequently the lever Q', to
approach nearer to the piece B. Thus by causing the wedges to penetrate
the pieces C to a greater or less degree, a corresponding degree of thinness
will be given to the shank of the nail by the side forging. When this is
finished the slide T" is withdrawn by a tappet t' carried by the wheel N, which
acts against the piece U, fixed with bolts and regulating screws upon the
slide T". It is at this moment that the iron intended to form the head of the
nail is advanced. The two excentrics II and II' actuate the cutters intended
to sever the nail by means of levers e and e¹ jointed at i, i, and carrying the
steel cutters ff. These levers, moveable round their axes o, o', are actuated
by the grooves of the excentrics H, II', in which their ends are engaged. The
nail, although severed by the cutters, still holds on slightly, and requires a blow
to detach it. The wheel J, furnished with a groove, produces this effect by
meaus of a lever J' moveable on the axis of the bracket I, fixed to the frame
by a bolt. A spring r tends to raise the lever and hold it against the wheel J
until its extremity coming opposite to the notch of the wheel falls thereinto
with force, then the rod t fixed to its other extremity strikes against the nail
and causes it to fall.
The different phases of the manufacture of the nail are as follows:-The
unwrought iron is first fed forward for the head; it is forged behind the head
before the punch m strikes the latter; then the shank is forged by a certain
number of blows according to its length; the nail is then cut off and the rod t
causes it to fall. The same movements are repeated for other nails with great
rapidity.
The hammers here described for forging by their ends may be so placed
as to forge laterally, that is to say, by their sides, which will produce the
same result.
To facilitate the action of the machine the shank may be made of a regular
thickness, and then finished cold and pointed by means of the machine here-
after described, which is constructed on the same principle as the forging
machine, but the tools of which open and close all four together. Figure 10,
(Sheet 2), shows a face view of the tools, which are mounted in such a
manner as to be capable of forging and oscillating at the same time.

page_text: The two sectors or cylindrical-faced hammers 1 and 1' (Figure 10) arc
placed similarly to those in Figure 4, in a vertical direction, and in their
double movement of forging and oscillation they knead (as it were) the nail c,
whilst the two hammers 2 and 2¹ forge it in a horizontal direction. The cast-
iron plato u carries two moveable pieces, the one A, placed in a vertical
position and moving between the slides 9 and h', and the other B placed in a
horizontal position, being guided by the slides h and h' and the hammer 2'.
The sector 1 only moves with the piece A in a vertical direction to approach
the sector 1' fixed to the picco B, and having only a horizontal movement.
It is with this same piece B that the hammer 2 also moves to strike against
the hammer 21, which is fixed immoveably against the the plate u. But the
hammer 2, besides being carried in a horizontal direction by the piece B, can
also move in a vertical direction, being actuated by the piece A, to which it
is also connected by a groove formed in the upper pafta of this piece. The two
sectors oscillate to a certain extent round their axes 9' and q".
purpose they are fixed with bolts and regulating screws against the two
pieces s and s¹, moveable round these axes, and fixed to the sliding pieces A
and B. The oscillating movements of the pieces s and s' is obtained by a cam
wheel.
For this
The rod of iron intended to form the nails is advanced between the tools by
a mechanism analagous to that above described, and it is held in the middle
of the tools by a piece of iron b' and ", (Figures 4 and 7).
The oscillating movement of the sectors or cylindrical hammers is intended
more especially to smooth the shank of the nail on its thinnest sides. This
polishing is less necessary on the flat and broad sides where the strokes of the
hammer are less apparent, but the hammers 2 and 2' may also oscillate, this
movement being obtained by a second cam wheel in such a manner that the
four hammers shall oscillate together, rolling and forging the iron.
For nails of the form shown at Figure 9 (horse-shoc nails), a recess similar
to that of the punch m is formed in the angles of the tools, which, on the
contrary, remain sharp for flat-headed nails, as at Figure 8, (ship nails.)
The oscillating movement of the sectors is produced by a cam wheel which
should agree exactly with the cam wheel L (Figure 5) which operates the
vertical forging. These cams cause a guide to advance, which unites two rods
attached to the moveable plates s and s' of the sectors by two screws =
and ¹.
In the bot forging of horse-shoe or other nails by means of machines
analogous to that above described, it is difficult to avoid a greater or lesser
torsion of the shank of the nail.

page_text: The machine which is represented at Figures 10 to 14 (Sheet 1) is intended
to dress or finish the shank and at the same time to efface the marks of the
blows of the hammers, which, although very slight, are nevertheless per-
ceptible. This operation is termed finishing, and is equally applicable to
nails made by hand.
Figure 10 (Sheet 1) shows the arrangement and action of the tools specially
applicable to the finishing and pointing of nails; Figure 11 represents an
exterior front view of the finishing machine; Figure 12 is a corresponding
plan view as seen from above; Figure 13 is a transverse section through
about the line 1, 2, in Figure 11; and Figure 14 is a horizontal section
through about the line 3, 4, in the same Figure.
The four hammers 1 and 11, 2 and 2', are arranged as shown at Figures 10
and 11, the former Figure representing the hammers as opened. The
hammer 1 is fixed, the hammer 2¹ moves in a direction from left to right to
strike against the hammer 2. The hammer 1', besides moving in a vertical
direction to strike against the hammer 1, can also move from left to right,
pressing always against the extremity of the hammer 2, which only moves
downwards, sliding against the hammer 1. The displacement of these hammers
is dotted at Figure 10, and the space which they leave between their surfaces
(a space equal to the section of the shank of the nail) is colored black. This
is also the position of the tools when closed as represented at Figure 11. A
cast-iron plate A carrying the hammers 1' and 2 (Figures 11, 13, and 14) is
let into the frame B of the machine, against which it is capable of sliding in a
vertical plane, being held by four projecting pieces a bolted on each side against
the edge of the framing, against which also are fixed the four steel slides c
(Figure 11), each fastened by means of two regulating screws. These slides or
guides, which regulate the movement of the plate A, are bevilled off to an angle
agreeing with the bevils at the four corners of this plate, so as to cause the
latter (and consequently the two hammers which it carries) in its to-and-fro
movement to become displaced both in a vertical and a horizontal direction in
a degree according to the angle of the bevils. I have stated that the moveable
plato A carries the two hammers 1 and 2. The hammer 2 is held therein by
the claw G bolted at g, and the hammer 1' is placed in a notch in the plate A.
Its face is supported by the extremity of the hammer 2, with which it is always
in contact, as also with that of the hammer 2. The latter is placed in a groove
formed in the thickness of the frame B, and in which it can only move in a
horizontal direction, sliding at the same time on the face of the hammer 1,
which is itself fixed immoveably in the thickness of the frame of the machine,
where its position is regulated by the screw v. The three tools 1, 1', and 21,

page_text: are held in front by the piece E, which admits of their easy removal by means
of the pin c. A screw v holds the hammer 2 in its horizontal position, at the
same time permitting its vertical movement. Another regulating screw vll
(traversing the plate A with which it moves in the descent of the latter) forces
by its end the hammer 21 against the hammer 2; the small sleeve m serves
as a fulcrum for the tightening screw. The moveable parts actuating the
plate A are as follows:-The two driving pulleys P and P' and the fly wheel
V are fixed on a horizontal shaft supported by bearings C and C', and carrying
also the two cam wheels D and t (Figure 13). The plate A has always a
tendency to be forced upwards by the effect of the spring R, which opens the
tools, but the cams d coming against the roller h of the claw HI bolted to the
plate A, cause the latter to descend, and consequently the tools which are
fastened thereto and operate the forging as above explained. The spring R
should only have sufficient power to sustain the plate A in order not to
oppose too much resistance to the forging; the raising of the plato A is
effected by means of two cams t, which act against the roller t, fixed to
the piece F, which latter is bolted at fagainst the plate A. The workman,
seizing a nail by the head, inserts it between the open tools, then with-
draws it and inserts another, and so on. The finishing is effected with a
great rapidity, the number of strokes of the hammers being from five hundred
to six hundred per minute. The inclination of the bevils of the slides e, c',
should be in accordance with the section of the nail to be finished; if, for
example, this section is square, the angle should be forty-five degrees. For a
longer section, as that of a horse-shoe nail, the inclination should be smaller.
I may here observe that the action of the tools two at a time, as abovo
described with regard to the forging machine, can also be applied to the
finishing machine and will give equally good results.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention for "Im-
provements in Machinery or Apparatus for Forging and Dressing Horse-slioc
and other Nails," together with the manner in which the same is to be or may
be performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that
it will be seen from the preceding description, and from the accompanying
Drawings, that this Invention is characterized by a system of forging and
finishing horse-shoe and other nails by the aid of tools which act altogether, or
two at a time, in such a manner as to imitate the forging by hand; although the
combination of mechanism which actuates the tools may be varied, yet I claim
nevertheless, on behalf of the said Charles Alexander Louvrier, the arrange-
ment of mechanism described for each of the machines, reserving the right of
making such modifications thereof as practice may suggest.

page_text: I claim also the application, either together or separately, of the said
machines, observing that the finishing machine is applicable specially to the
finishing and pointing of square or flat nails made from hot rod iron by any
kind of machine whatever.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
GEORGE DAVIES. (L.S.)