US2035077A - Slug casting machine - Google Patents

Description

March 24, I936.

G. P. KINGSBURY SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed April 1, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 'INVENTOR 3 TTOzNE V5 March 24-, 1936.

G. P. KINGSBURY SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed April 1, 1955 6 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR M1 0 NEYS' March 1936. G. P. KINGSBURY SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed April 1, 1955 5 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 [N VENTOR H MfW J ATT RNEYS March 1936. G. P. KINGSBURY SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed April 1, 1955 6 Sheets-Sheet I llllfl I March 24, 1936. G. P. KINGSBURY SLUG CASTING MACHINE 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 1 March 24, 1936. G. P. KINGSBURY SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed April '1,' 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 11v VENTOR {W B Y W i W A TTO NE Y5 Patented Mar. 24, 1936 ATE QEFEE SLUG CASTING MACHINE George P. Kingsbury, Hollis, N. Y., 'assignor to Mergenthaler Linotype Company, a corporation of New York Application April 1, 1935, Serial No. 14,023

28 Claims.

This invention relates to slug casting machines, and particularly to a machine of the character shown and described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,980,110 to A. J. Stouges, wherein a slug or type 5 bar is cast in a slotted mold from a line of hand composed matrices presented in casting relation to the mold.

In the Stougesmachine, the line of matrices is transferred from the matrix composing hand 10 stick to an elevator which, after the inauguration of the machine cycle, descends to present the line of matrices to the mold; and during the cycle, a slug is cast against the matrix line, ejected from the mold, trimmed, and finally stacked in a galley 15' arranged conveniently at the front of the machine. Several molds of different point sizes (each comprising a fixed body portion and an adjustable cap portion), are mounted in a rotatable wheel or disc and are selected as desired for my cooperation with a line of matrices of a given point size.

Special matrix fonts are employed, the characters of which are positioned with reference to a datum line which passes through the bases of the upper case characters (inverted) so that characters of different sizes may be mixed in the same line and still be alined properly. With this system of alinement, the characters grow downwardly from the datum line as their size in- 30 creases, and consequently the composed matrix lines must be presented to the molds at different levels to bring the tops of the upper case characters in register with the casting surfaces of the fixed mold body portions.

5 The special molds with which the machine is equipped are shallower (from front to rear) than the regular molds of commercial machines, and the special matrices are therefore formed with routing notches sufiiciently deep to compensate for the'reduced depths of the molds. The matrices are of plain rectangular shape, being devoid of projecting ears, so that their plain casting edges above and below the routing notches are adapted to engage the flat front face of the mold 45 and seal it during casting; and the deep routing notches extend entirely across the casting edges of-the matrices, requiring the use of a blank matrix at each end of a composed line to prevent the escape of metal at those points when the 50 cast is made.

The composed lines of matrices are always of the maximum length (usually 42 ems), and in the event that a short or quadded line of characters is to be cast on a long slug body, either at thelleft or the right thereof or inthe center, it

is necessary to make use of blank matrices or quads to fill out the line. In either instance, it rests with the compositor properly to locate the character bearing matrices in the hand stick with respect to the position which the printing characters are to occupy on the slug body.

It is the object of the present invention to adapt the machine to cast slugs or type bars from a line of matrices while supported in a hand stick placed directly in casting position (thus dispensing with the necessity of transferring the line from the hand stick to the casting elevator), and to cast long or short lines of full length or automatically to quad or center matrix lines of less than full length (regardless of their actual length) so that the latter lines may be composed without blanks or quads and merely with the character bearing matrices necessary for the printed matter.

To this end, specifically, the machine is 2 equipped with a. pair of line clamping jaws movable inwardly from full line receiving position to clamp lines of any length supported in the hand stick, the movement of the jaws being effected by a low pitch screw operated from the main cam shaft of the machine and rotatable in opposite directions during each cycle of operation of the machine. The screw is formed with right-hand and left-hand threaded sections, one for each jaw, and the jaws are adapted to be selectively .30-

flush with the casting or mold engaging edges of the matrices. At its opposite ends, the stick is provided with end walls or abutments which (in-- stead of being fixed as ordinarily) are slidably arranged in guideways for unrestricted movement toward one another under the influence of the 45 line clamping jaws in closing upon a line of matrices for quadding or for centering.

When in casting position, the hand stick is mounted in a support or carrier which can be adjusted vertically to locate the stick at different levels properly to aline the characters of the line of matrices with the mold slot. The support is raised and lowered manually through the medium of a low pitch screw which automatically acts as a lock to maintain the support in any position to which it is adjusted, the screw being rotatable only under manual control and being, in the present instance, coupled with a disc bearing suitable indications for the accurate positioning of the support at one or another of the levels, as required.

The line clamping jaws are provided on their rear faces with mold engaging plates adapted to close the end or ends (as the case may be) of the mold slot when a short line is presented for casting. These plates are arranged to yield vertically in Order that the hand stick may be supported in the machine at any of the different levels, the plates being maintained normally in their uppermost positions and being caused to yield downwardly by the engagement therewith of the matrix retaining plate on the hand stick, which, as already stated, lies flush with the casting or mold engaging edges of the matrices.

The left-hand jaw is adjustable horizontally to different initial set positions for the purpose of positioning the jaw either with respect to mold slots of different lengths or with respect to a mold slot of maximum length, and, in accordance with the present invention, the setting of the left-hand jaw and the selective coupling of the jaws to their respective screw thread sections to condition the machine are effected by a common manually controlled device.

Various other features of the improved machine will appear from the detailed description to follow.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention has been shown merely by way of example and in preferred form, and obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a portion of the machine embodying the present improvements;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine, looking from the left in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the vise cap and a portion of the mold disc, showing the hand stick in casting position;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the improved hand stick;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the hand stick;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the vise cap and associated parts, partly in section and partly broken away to show the improvements embodied therein;

Fig. '7 is a plan view of the vise cap, partly in section and partly broken away;

Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 6, showing the hand stick positioned between the vise jaws;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the vise jaws and associated mechanism, as seen when facing the front of the machine;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of the portion of the jaw adjusting and connecting rod shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a view of the vise cap, looking from the right in Fig. 1, partly in section and partly in elevation and being broken away to show the different parts and to show a section taken on the line H-ll of Fig. 10 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11, showing the parts in a different position;

A Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the jaw setting and coupling control device shown in Fig. 14, looking from the right in that figure;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken on the line l t-I l of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a view taken on the line l5|5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 16 is a sectional perspective view of the jaw coupling cam rod.

The special matrices X (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) are of plain rectangular form and sufiiciently long to accommodate characters ranging up to '72 pt. size. The matrices are formed on their casting edges with routing notches x of slightly greater than normal depth, in the bottoms of which the intaglio characters are punched for base alinement, as already stated. The bottom edges m of the matrices are dressed to provide suitable alining surfaces so that, when the matrices are composed side by side in line and supported by their bottom edges, the characters (inverted) will be properly alined at their bases irrespective of size or font (see particularly Figs. 5 and 8). The matrices are further provided in their upper front edges with notches 0: and in their lower or alining edges with notches 37*, both of which extend transversely of the matrix bodies and are adapted to receive retaining or keeper elements with which the hand stick is provided in order to prevent disengagement of the matrices from the stick during handling and after the casting operation.

The disc A is provided with several (usually four) molds, some, if not all, of which are adapted for use only with the special matrices already described. These special molds L, shown in Figs. 1 and 3, are of less than normal height or depth to cooperate with the deeper recesses or routing notches a: of the special matrices and, moreover, have fiat front faces to cooperate with the special earless matrices X. The molds L generally in-- clude each a body port-ion L secured to the mold disc A, a cap portion L formed either with (Fig. 1) or without (Fig. 3) core sections L and intermediate end sections or liners L arranged at the opposite ends of the mold. The width of the mold slots of the various molds varies in size in accordance with the size of the matrix characters, and the length of a mold slot may be varied by the use of different liners or end sections L of the proper size or, if desired, other molds may be used. The casting surfaces Z of the mold body portions are coincident with the datum or constant line of the mold, and throughout the different molds they are arranged at the same distance from the axis of the mold disc A. Consequently, when the special matrices of different sizes are used with molds of corresponding sizes, it is necessary to present the composed lines at different casting levels depending upon the size of the characters employed. This is accomplished by varying the level at which the hand stick is presented to the mold, as will subsequently be described.

The improved hand stick Y (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) comprises an inverted L-shaped member which forms a rear wall 1 and an overhanging top wall 11 The rear wall y is recessed throughout its length and is formed in the upper and lower walls of said recess with parallel grooves or guideways 1/ and g spaced apart somewhat more than the length of the matrix bodies and in which are slidably arranged plates 1/ and 1 presenting end walls g and 1/ the full line spacing of these the rear wall g but the'walls being freely movable toward and away from one another within the limits of the stop pins. The front edges of the end walls 'J and g are of a height substantially greater than that of the routing notches of the matrices X bearing the largest characters and lie flush with the casting edges of the matrices when composed in the stick, whereby the edges of the end walls engage the front face of the mold and close the ends of the line during casting, rendering the use of blank matrices for this purpose unnecessary. In addition, each of the plates 1 and y is provided with a leaf spring 11 adapted to press against the rear wall y and create enough frictional resistance to hold the end walls in any position to which they are moved, so that, when the walls are in contact with a composed line they prevent endwise displacement of the matrices during handling. Arranged on the rear wall 3 is a scale g graduated in ems, to. serve as a guide in the composition of a line of matrices X of definite length, the matrices being positioned in the stick Y so that the notches x in their bases receive a front wall or lip y defining the groove 11*, and which lip acts as the lowermatrix retaining member while the bottom wall of the groove 1 serves as the lower matrix alining rail.

The matrices X are further held against displacement from the hand stick by an adjustable retaining plate 21 mounted for a limited parallel movement upon the front face of the top wall 11 by means of diagonal slots 2/ and cap screws 'J passing through the slots and threaded into the wall 11 In the raised or leftmost position of the plate 11 shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 5, the lower edge thereof clears the upper edges of the matrices, giving free access to the stick for composing and removing the matrices; whereas, when the plate 21 is pushed to the right, it moves downwardly by virtue of the inclined slots y until its lower edge engages in the notches 0: provided in the upper front edges of the matrices X. To hold the plate in both its raised and lowered positions, a spring detent 1 is arranged in the top wall 1/ of the hand stick Y and engages in one or the other of a pair of recesses y" formed in the rear face of the plate 11 For mounting the hand stick in its support, the rear wall y is formed at its opposite ends with vertical tongues :11 and on its rear face near its upper edge with a pair of rearwardly extending lugs 11/ The hand stick support, designated H, (see Figs. 3 and '7) is arranged adjacent the rear face of the vise cap T and has fixed to it a pair of upstanding posts H which present each a vertical shoulder or guideway h and a flat inner surface h the posts H being adapted to act as guiding means for positioning the hand stick Y on the support H. A pair of adjustable banking screws H are also carried by the support H on its top edge and are arranged to be engaged by the lugs 1 on the hand stick Y; and a locking screw H carried by a swinging arm H secured to the support H is provided to lock the hand stick Y to the support H.

The support H is adjusted vertically by a manually operable low pitch screw K journalled in a bracket G secured to the top of the vise cap. The screw K is vertically disposed and a collar K thereon is caused to ascend and descend on the screw as the latter is rotated, the collar K having a slide block form of connection J with a yoke J fast to a rock shaft J journalled in outer bearings G and G of arms G and.Gr and in inner bearings G andG- of a U-shaped member G this member G and the arms G1 and G forming part of the bracket G.

At opposite ends, the support H is guided in bearings 2' formed in a pair of brackets Isecured to the'vise cap T, and is connected near its ends to crank arms J fastened tothe rock shaft J before alluded to.

ing H adapted to receive a block J carried by a pin J journalled in the crank arm, this form of connection being best adapted to insure accuracy in the adjustment of the support H.

The screw K is journalled at opposite ends in the bracket G as at K (Fig. 3) and provided near its upper end with a pinion K arranged to mesh with a gear K on a vertical shaft K journalled in a bearing G formed in the cross extension of the U-shaped member G and is rotatable by a knurled knob Secured to the knob shaft K is a disc K graduated, as at K in terms of matrix character point size through arange of from 12 to 72 points. A pointer K fixed to the bracket G, is arranged to overlie the periphery of the disc K and by its registry with the graduations K indicate when the accurate adjustment of the support H has been effected. Recesses K are pro-- Vided around the periphery of the disc K in alinement with the graduations K and a detent K (Fig. 3) below the pointer K is arranged to engage with the recesses to maintain the disc in its different set positions.

The parts, as thus far described, have to dowith the preparation of the machine for casting, and the steps taking place up to this point may be set forth conveniently at this time.

The hand stick Y is guided in its insertion into the machine by the upright posts H as already stated, the stick being placed between the posts near their upper ends (see dotted lines in Fig. 3) with the tongues 31 banking against the shoulders h of the posts H The hand stick Y is then lowered until the lugs y projecting rearwardly therefrom, strike the banking screws H on the support H (Figs. 3, 6 and 7-), after which the locking screw H is swung into position over the hand stick and screwed down against the top wall 1/ thereof, locking the hand stick to its support.

Either at this time or prior to the insertion of the hand stick Y in the machine, the support H.

is adjusted to the proper level for the alinement of the matrices with the mold to be employed. In adjusting the support H, say for a 12 pt. mold as shown in Fig. 3, the dial K" is turned to the position shown in Fig. '7, so that the graduation numbered l2 is brought into alinement with the pointer K This adjusts the support H to present the line of matrices in. the hand stick Y with the upper edges of the routing notches a: in horizontal alinement with the lower casting face of cap portion Z of the mold L. If a larger mold, say one with a 48 pt. mold slot, were selected, the

line of matrices would be supported at a higher level as determined by rotating the disc K to bring the graduation numbered 48 into alinement with. the pointer. K and causing the support H and the hand stick Y to be elevated.

When the disc K is.rotated clockwise (Fig. 7) the gear K? (Fig. 3) carried on the shaft K rotates with the shaft turning the pinion K fixed The connection of the crank: arms J with the support H comprises a pair of. brackets H formed each with a channel bear- The gear K is mounted-- to the low pitch screw K This rotation of the screw K causes the collar K to rise thereon and through the yoke J rock the shaft J which, through the arms J fixed thereto and to the brackets H on the support H, causes the latter to be raised. Rotation of the disc K in a counterclockwise direction causes the collar K to descend on the screw K and through the rock shaft J 1 and associated parts effect the lowering of the support H. By virtue of its low pitch, the screw K serves as a positive lock to maintain the support H in any set position, the screw being rotatable only by the manual rotation of the knob K After the casting operation has been completed, the hand stick Y is removed by loosening the locking screw H and swinging it forwardly from its position over the hand stick, the latter then being free to be lifted manually to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3 and removed from between the posts H Coming now to the line clamping jaws and associated parts: The jaws E and F (Figs. 6 to 9) are equipped with mold engaging plates E and F respectively, arranged for vertical movement relative to their respective jaws. Since the construction is the same in both instances, a description of the left-hand jaw E will serve for both, although the reference characters for the righthand jaw will be designated f instead of e to distinguish the corresponding parts. The plate E is dovetailed to the jaw E as at e and e to make sliding connection therewith and has associated therewith a pair of bell-crank levers e and e arranged in recesses e and e formed in the jaw E. These levers are pivoted at their bends to the jaw E on pins e e the long arms being pivoted by pins e e to the plate E and the short arms by similar pins to opposite ends of a connecting link e A tension spring 6 fixed at one end to the jaw E and at the other end to the link e maintains the levers e and e in the position shown in Fig. 6, causing the plate E to occupy its normal or uppermost position which is determined by the banking of the short arm of the bell-crank lever e against the stop pin e With this form of mounting, regardless of the point at which pressure is exerted on the plate E to move it downwardly, any movement of the plate which will affect one of the bell-crank levers e e is transmitted through the link e to the other lever and, hence, the levers maintain the plate in a horizontal position and prevent twisting and binding of the dovetail connections e 6 The same condition exists when the tension spring e pulls on the link e to return the plate E to its upper position.

When the hand stick Y is inserted in the machine, the jaws E and F are received between the rear wall y and the front matrix retaining plate 21 and the plates E and F will occupy the space existing between the jaws and the face of the mold below the lower edge of the retaining plate y With this arrangement, when the hand stick Y is being placed on the support H, the opposite ends of the lower edge of the plate y engage-the top edges of the plates E and F (see Fig. 8), forcing the plates downwardly against the pull of the springs e, f until the hand stick Y comes to rest on the banking screws H of the support H. In the event that a short line of matrices is presented for quadding, one (or both if centering) of the plates E F as the case may be, is carried with its respective jaw as the latter is moved inwardly, sliding in engagement with the lower edge of the matrix retaining plate 11 and closing the end of the mold slot to form the blank or quadded portion of the slug, the plate being backed up during the casting operation by its respective jaw with which it has a fiat engagement throughout its length.

The jaws E and F are carried, respectively, by blocks E and F (Fig. 9) slidably mounted in the vise cap T and are movable toward and from each other by a low pitch screw M extending along the vise cap T and adapted for rotation in opposite directions during each cycle of the machine. The screw M is mounted in the vise cap T in three bearings T T and T and is formed with two oppositely threaded sections M and M lying on opposite sides of the center bearing T When either of the jaws E or F is coupled to its respective screw section for quadding, rotation of the screw in one direction effects the inward movement of the jaw toward the other and rotation of the screw in the opposite direction returns the jaw to its full line receiving position; while if both jaws are coupled with their respective screw sections for centering, they are moved simultaneously toward one another equidistantly by rotation of the screw M in one direction and returned to full line position by the reverse rotation of the screw. I

The screw M is rotated by a cam R on the main cam shaft R of the machine (Fig. 2) through a train of connections comprising a rack bar R mounted to slide fore-and-aft horizontally in a guide R. and having motion imparted to it by the cam R through a series of levers R R and R As best shown in Fig. 15, the rack R meshes with a pinion R which acts through a larger gear R to rotate another pinion R and thus step up the drive by the rack bar R Further to step up the drive, the pinion R rotates a bevel gear R which meshes with a pinion R, for driving a bevel gear R (Fig. 2) at the front of the machine, the gear R in turn meshing with a bevel gear R arranged at right angles thereto and which is fixed to the left-hand end of the screw M (see also Fig. 9).

The connections just described are mounted both on the fixed frame of the machine and on the movable vise frame 75; and in order that the vise frame may be opened and rocked about its hinge t without requiring any manual disconnection of or causing any interference with the train of connections, the parts are arranged so that the opening of the vise frame will simply carry the bevel gear R out of engagement with the gear R The lever R is pivotally mounted midway of its length, as at R and one arm thereof carries a roller R adapted to track on the periphery of the driving cam R, while the other arm is connected by a link R to one end of the lever B. fixed at its opposite end to a shaft R journalled in the fixed frame of the machine. Also fixed at one end to the shaft R is the lever R the opposite end of which is connected by a linkR to the rack bar R As already stated, the rack bar R is slidable in the guide R and this guide is formed in an extension of a bracket R (Fig. 15) secured to the fixed frame of the machine by bolts R and set screws R The bracket R is also formed with bearings R and R in which are respectively mounted gear shaft R and the forward end of gear shaft R (the bearing for the opposite end of shaft R and the bearing for shaft R not being shown).

The shaft R has fixed to it the pinion R meshing with the rack bar R and gear R meshing with the pinion R fixed to the shaft R Loosely mounted on the opposite end of the shaft R is the bevel gear R which meshes with the pinion R fixed to the shaft R the gear R being driven by the pinion R through a friction clutch R fixed to the shaft R and having its friction discs R one of which is carried by the loosely mounted. gear R pressed together by a spring R Thus the gear R relies solely upon the friction clutch for its drive and, hence, when the screw M is arrested by the clamping of the line of matrices between the jaws E and F, the resistance offered causes the clutch to slip and allow the rack R to partake of its full stroke without rotating the gear R or any of the train of connections between it and the screw M. Likewise, .since the return of the jaws is effected by the initial return movement of the rack bar R under the influence of a heavy pull spring R secured at one end to the lever B and at its other end to the fixed frame of the machine, the resistance offered by the jaws being arrested in full line receiving position causes the clutch R to slip and allow the rack bar to make its full return stroke. Because of its low pitch, the screw M is rotatable only through the train of driving connections and hence acts to lock the jaws in Whatever position to which they are moved when the screw ceases to rotate.

The jaw blocks E and F are equipped with oppositely threaded segments e and f, respectively, adapted to be moved selectively into and out of engagement with their respective screw sections M M to couple the jaw to the screw M, the segments being carried by slide blocks e f arranged in guideway (such as F shown in the block F in Fig. 11) extending transversely of the respective jaw blocks E and F and the lower edges of the segments e and riding on a bearing surface T of the vise frame T. The slide blocks 2 and f have depending from them fingers e and f respectively, which provide camming surfaces in opposition to camming surfaces e and f on the inner faces of the respective segments. In order that the slide blocks e and I may partake of sufficient movement, the vise cap T is formed with a recess T into which each slide block extends when the segment occupies its inactive position out of engagement with the screw M.

Extending endwise through the vise cap T, parallel to the screw M, is a cam shaft P, located beneath the slide blocks e and f between the camming surfaces 6 f and e and journalled at its left end in a suitable bearing in the vise cap T and at the right in a bearing P formed in a bracket P suspended at the side of the vise cap (see Fig. 14). The cam shaft P presents three cam surfaces p, p and the first being a continuous surface of sufiicient length to cooperate with both segments e and 1 when the latter are spaced apart to their fullest extent, 1. e., when the jaws E and F occupy their full line receiving positions, and the latter surfaces p and p being approximately one-half the length of the surface p for cooperation each with but one segp engages the high point i of the segment f and forces it into engagement with the screw section M to couple the right-hand jaw F to the screw M and condition the machine for quadding right, the V cam 10 engaging the finger e to maintain the segment e in its retracted position. Continued movement of the cam shaft P through a. one-quarter pointse-" f of both segments 6 and f, respectively,

thereby coupling both jaws to the screw M and conditioning the machine for centering, the cam surfaces 10 p being inactive. Another onequarter turn of the shaft P in a clockwise direction brings the cam surface p into engagement with the high point e and the cam surface 11 into engagement with the finger f thereby maintaining the segment e in engagement with the screw M and retracting the segment 1, and thus conditioning the machine for quadding with the left-hand jaw E.

Although the conditioning of the machine for quadding with either jaw or for centering has been described in a particular sequence, it is to be understood that the cam shaft P is rotatable in either direction to effect the desired conditioning of the machine in the quickest manner.

The actuation of the cam shaft P to condition the machine is effected by the rotation of the con trol rod S (which is primarily intended for adjusting the left-hand jaw E) the shaft P having fixed to its right end a gear P meshing with a gear 12 keyed to the control rod S by a key P arranged in an extended keyway S topermit relative movement between the rod S and the gear P for a purpose to be set forth hereinafter. It may also be noted at this time that the supporting bracket P for the right hand end of the cam shaft P is fixed to the end of the vise cap T as by screws P (Fig. 13) and the gear P is journalled therein in a bearing P and restrained from facewise displacement by a pin and groove connection P', P (Fig. 14).

As a guide to the operator for the proper conditioning of the machine, the gear P carries a pointer P which cooperates with a scale on a plate P fixed to the vise cap as at P and to the end of the cam shaft P as at P The plate P P bears designations QR meaning quad right, C meaning centering, QL meaning quad left, and S meaning set left-hand jaw, these designations indicating the four positions of the cam shaft P for selectively coupling and uncoupling the jaws E and F to and from the actuating screw M and being located with respect to four recesses P with which a detent P on the pointer P is engageable for accurately locating and maintaining the cam shaft P in the different positions.

When centering a short line of matrices there are two conditions which may arise. It may be desired in one instance to center the line with respect to the transverse median line of the slug body and at another time to center the line with respect to a transverse line offset from the median line of the slug body. For this purpose, the lefthand jaw E is manually adjustable to'diffe-rent initial set positions from which its extent of inward movement, equal to that of the right-hand jaw F, will be exactly that required to center the line as desired. I The adjustment of the jaw E is accomplished by means of the control rod S (Figs. 9 and 10) extending substantially the entire length of the vise cap T and having fixed to its left end a collar S formed with parallel teeth s adapted to engage fixed rack teeth s on the vise cap to lock the jaw in its set position, the collar S serving as a banking block to determine the full line position of the jaw E at all times Within the vise cap T, the control rod S passes freely through upstanding bosses F F of the jaw block F and E E of the jaw block E and terminates at the left just beyond the boss E As best shown in Fig. 10, the teeth s on the collar S are cut away at one side as at so that, when the rod S is rotated by its knurled handle S to bring the pointer P (Fig. 13) to the position marked S on the dial P the cutaway portion 8 registers with the teeth s and the rod S is free to be moved horizontally, as for example to the dotted line position in Fig. 9 or to any other desired extent accurately determinable by a scale S on the rod S (Fig. 10). The scale S is marked off in ems reading from right to left and when any graduation is in register with a suitable marker, the jaw E will be set to cooperate with a mold or a full length line, as the case may be, of that particular cm length. The key P (Fig. 14), which secures the gear P to the rod S, rides freely in the keyway S and allows the rod to move relatively to the gear P Fixed to the left end of the boss E of the jaw block E is a segmental plate 5 in which a pin s projecting from the rod S is adapted to move when the rod is turned. In the position shown in Figs. 10 and 11 (when the teeth s are disengaged from the teeth the pin s lies between the end of the boss E and the plate .9 so that movement of the rod S in either direction will carry the block E and jaw E with it for adjustment to a set position, whereafter the rod S is locked by rotation to reengage the teeth 3 with the rack teeth In any set position of the jaw E, the collar S by engagement with the plate .9 on the boss E determines the full line position of the jaw E. However, when the machine is conditioned for quadding or centering, the pin s registers with one of three slots s so that the left-hand jaw may be moved by the screw M inwardly, relatively to the rod S, to clamp the line of matrices. On its return movement, the jaw is stopped in its original set position by banking against the collar S It should be noted that it is unnecessary for the left-hand jaw E to be locked in its set position, since at any time that the jaw is coupled to the screw M it must have freedom of movement toward the right-hand jaw F, and only its full line receiving position need be determined, as it is at all times by the collar S When quadding with the right-hand jaw F, the jaw E remains in its full line receiving position backed up by the collar S and the jaw F is moved by the screw M to force the line up against the jaw E. It should be noted further that the right-hand jaw F is always free to move, but will do so only when coupled with the screw M. At other times, the jaw F banks against the usual stop on the vise cap T (see the dotted lines Fig. 1) in alinement with the end of the mold slot and the line is forced against it by the movement of the lefthand jaw E.

Since the improved hand stick is provided with movable end walls (rather than fixed end walls as customary) and is not intended to contain expansible spacebands, it is necessary that the jaws E and F be caused to exert a clamping pressure on the composed line even when the latter is of full length. For this reason, it is contemplated that the machine will always be conditioned either for quadding right, quaddin'gleft or centering, which means that the screw M will always be connected to one or both of the jaws and thus utilized to exert the required clamping pressure. hand stick of ordinary construction, or one with fixed end walls or equipped with its own line clamping means, the machine could be left in its set condition with the screw M disconnected from both jaws, the hand stick in such case being located and held in proper casting position by the support H and its posts H Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In or for a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of line clamping jaws, a matrix composing hand stick designed for support in casting position in the machine and formed to permit the line clamping jaws prior to casting to clamp matrix lines of different lengths.

2. In or for a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of line clamping jaws, a matrix com posing hand stick designed for support in casting position in the machine and being open at least at one end to permit the line clamping jaw located at that end to occupy diiferent operative positions for matrix lines of different lengths.

3. In or for a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of line clamping jaws, a matrix composing hand stick designed for support in casting position in the machine and being open at its opposite ends to permit the line clamping jaws to occupy different operative positions for matrix lines of different lengths.

4. A matrix composing hand stick as set forth in claim 2, characterized by the fact that the hand stick is equipped with end walls and that the one at the open end of the hand stick is freely movable toward and from the other end wall.

5. A matrix composing hand stick as set forth in claim 3, characterized by the fact that the hand stick is equipped with end walls, both of which are freely movable from full line position toward one another.

6. A matrix composing hand stick as set forth in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the hand stick is open at its opposite ends and at the bottom.

'7. In or for a slug casting machine equipped. with a pair of line clamping jaws, a matrix composinghand stick designed for support in casting position in the machine, said hand stick being provided with end walls movably supported in guideways and being limited in their movement away from one another and unrestricted in their movement toward one another, and said stick being formed to permit movement of the line clamping jaws into and out of the stick to occupy different operative positions for matrix lines of diiferent lengths.

8. In or for a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of line clamping jaws, a matrix composing hand stick designed for support in casting position in the machine, said hand stick being open at opposite ends and at the bottom, a retaining plate carried by the stick for preventing edgewise displacement of the matrices and being movable into and out of engagement with the matrices, and a pair of end walls also carried by the stick and being movable freely toward each other to permit movement of the line clamping jaws into the stick to occupy difierent operative positions for matrix lines of different lengths.

9. In or for a slug casting machine equipped If, however, there were employed a with a pair of line clamping jaws and means for moving one of the jaws for quadding, a hand stick designed for support in casting position in the machine and being open at the corresponding end to allow the quadding jaw to move into the stick for contact with the matrix line.

10. In or for a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of line clamping jaws and means for moving either of the jaws for quadding, a hand stick designed for support in casting position in the machine and being open at both ends to allow either of the jaws to move into the stick for contact with the matrix line.

11. In a slug casting machine equipped with a mold and with a pair of line clamping jaws and means for moving one of the jaws for quadding, the combination of a hand stick supported in the machine in casting position in engagement with the front face of the mold and formed to allow the quadding jaw to move into the stick for contact with the matrix line, the jaw being spaced from the front face of the mold, and means on the jaw to close the end of the mold slot when the jaw is moved into quadding position.

12. In a slug casting machine equipped with a mold and with a pair of line clamping jaws and means for moving either of the jaws for quadding, the combination of a hand stick supported in the machine in casting position in engagement with the front face of the mold and formed to allow either of the jaws to move into the stick for contact with the matrix line, the jaws being spaced from the front face of the mold, and means on each of the jaws to close the end of the mold slot when the respective jaw is moved into quadding position.

13. In a slug casting machine equipped with a plurality of selectable molds of different sizes and with a pair of line clamping jaws and means for moving either of the jaws for quadding, the combination of a hand stick supported in the machine in casting position in engagement with the front face of the selected mold and formed to allow either of the jaws to move into the stick for contact with the matrix line, the jaws being spaced from the front face of the mold, means for supporting the hand stick at different levels for cooperation with the different sized molds, and means on each of the jaws for closing the end of the mold slot when the respective jaw is moved into quadding position regardless of the level at which the hand stick is supported in the machine.

14. In a slug casting machine equipped with a plurality of selectable molds of different sizes and with a pair of line clamping jaws and means for moving either of the jaws for quadding, the combination of a hand stick supported in the machine in casting position in engagement with the front face of the selected mold and formed to allow either of the jaws to move into the stick for contact with the matrix line, the jaws being spaced from the front face of the mold, means for supporting the hand stick at different levels for cooperation with the different sized molds, means for adjusting the supporting means to the different levels, and means on each of the jaws for closing the end of the mold slot when the respective jaw is moved into quadding position regardless of the level at which the hand stick is supported.

15. A combination as set forth in claim 13, characterized by the fact that the hand stick is provided with a matrix retaining member engageable with the front face of the mold and disposed between the mold and the line clamping jaws when the stickis incasting position, and that the jaws are equipped each with a mold closing plate adapted to be engaged by the lower edge of the matrix retaining member on the hand stick and yieldable vertically to allow the hand stick to be supported at the different levels.

16. A combination as set forth in claim 13, characterized by the fact that the hand stick is provided with a matrix retaining member engageable with the front face of the mold and disposed between the mold and the line clamping jaws when the stick is in casting position, and that the jaws are equipped each with a mold closing plate adapted to be engaged by the lower edge of the matrix retaining member on the hand stick and yieldable vertically to allow the hand stick to be supported at the different levels, said mold closing plates having a sliding engagement with the lower edge of the matrix retaining member on the hand stick and being carried bythe jaws in their movement into quadding position.

17. A combination as set forth in claim 13, including a low pitch screw adapted by its rotation to effect the adjustment of the hand stick supporting means to locate the hand'stick at the desired level.

18. In a slug casting machine equipped with a plurality of selectable molds of diiferent sizes and adapted to have a line of matrices in a matrix composing hand stick supported in casting position in the machine, an adjustable support for positioning the hand stick at different levels to cooperate with the different sized molds, and a low pitch screw operable to effect the adjustment of the sup-port.

19. In a slug casting machine equipped with a plurality of selectable molds of difierent sizes and adapted to have a line of matrices in a matrix composing hand stick supported in casting position in the machine, a vertically movable support to which the hand stick is adapted to be temporarily secured, said support being carried by arms fixed to a shaft mounted on the vise cap, and a low pitch screw operable by its rotation to rock said shaft and effect the vertical movement of said support to locate the hand stick at different levels for cooperation with the different sized molds.

20. In: a slug casting machine, the combination of an open ended matrix composing hand stick designed for support in casting position in the machine, a pair of movable vise jaws for clamping a line of matrices in the hand stick, said jaws being selectively movable toward and away from one another for quadding or for centering a short line, means for moving the jaws, and means for connecting and disconnecting the jaws to and from their moving means.

21. In a slug casting machine, the combination of an open ended matrix composing hand stick designed for support in casting position in the machine, a pair of movable vise jaws for clamping a line of matrices in the hand stick, said jaws being selectively movable toward and away from one another for quadding or for centering a short line, means for moving the jaws, and means for connecting and disconnecting the jaws to and from their moving means, one jaw at least being connected to said moving means in any operative condition of the jaws to clamp the line of matrices.

22. In a slug casting machine, the combination of a left-hand line clamping jaw, a right-hand line clamping jaw, means for setting the left-hand jaw in different line receiving positions, said -means including a fixed rack and an adjustable toothed abutment engageable with the rack in different positions, and means for moving the lefthand jaw from any of its set positions toward the right-hand jaw for quadding.

23. In a slug casting machine, the combination of a left-hand line clamping jaw, a right-hand line clamping j aW, means for setting the left-hand jaw in different line receiving positions, said means including a fixed rack and an adjustable toothed abutment engageable with the rack in different positions, and a screw section connectable with the left-hand jaw in any of its different set positions for moving it therefrom toward the right-hand jaw for quadding.

24. In a slug casting machine, the combination of a left-hand line clamping jaw, a right-hand line clamping jaw, means for setting the left-hand jaw in diiferent line receiving positions, said means including a fixed rack and an adjustable toothed abutment engageable with the rack in difierent positions, a screw section connectable with the left-hand jaw in any of its different set positions for moving it therefrom toward the right-hand jaw for quad-ding, and common means for coupling and uncoupling the left-hand jaw to and from the screw section and for eifecting the engagement and disengagement of the toothed abutment with and from the fixed rack.

25. In a slug casting machine, the combination of a left-hand line clamping jaw, a right-hand line clamping jaw, means for setting the left-hand jaw in different line receiving positions including an adjustable abutment for said jaw, and means connectable directly with the left-hand jaw for moving it inwardly away from its abutment toward the right-hand jaw for quadding.

26. In a slug casting machine, the combination of a pair of line clamping jaws, means for setting at least one of the jaws in different line receiving positions, said means including an adjustable abutment for the jaw, and means for moving said set jaw away from its abutment toward the other jaw for quadding.

27. In a slug casting machine, the combination of a pair of line clamping jaws, means for setting at least one of the jaws in different line receiving positions, said means including an adjustable abutment for the jaw, means for moving said set jaw away from its abutment toward the other jaw for quadding, and common means for adjusting said jaw and for rendering the jaw operable by its moving means when required.

28. In a slug casting machine, the combination of a pair of line clamping jaws movable equidistantly toward each other for centering, one of said jaws being adjustable to difierent set positions when the machine is at rest, a single screw having oppositely threaded sections, one for each jaw, for effecting the centering movement of the jaws, and common means for adjusting the adjustable jaw to set position and for selectively coupling and uncoupling the jaws to and from their respective screw sections.

GEORGE P. KINGSBURY.

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