US2060038A - Manufacture of metal utensils - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 10, 1936. w. T. CHRISTMAN 2,060,038

MANUFACTURE OF METAL UTENSILS I Filed Nov. 12, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l NVENTOR NOV. 10, 1936. w T, CHRIS-[MAN 2,060,038

MANUFACTURE OF METAL UTENSI LS Filed Nov. 12, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES MANUFACTURE William T. Christman,

F METAL UTENSILS Mount Lebanon, Pa., as-

signor to Federal Enameling & Stamping Company, McKees Rock Pennsylvania s, Pa., a corporation of Application November 12, 1934, Serial No. 752,760

' 3 Claims.

This invention relates to metal utensils and more particularly to domestic utensils made of sheet metal.

Sheet metal utensils of the type to which the present invention relates, particularly those which are enameled, usually have bail ears or lugs to which a bail maybe attached and in many cases a handle is also attached to the edge of the utensil for ease in pouring. Heretofore, it has been customary in utensils of this type, commonly termed household utensils, to form the ears or lugs separately to the desired configurations and thereafter fasten them in the desired location on the utensil by riveting or welding. Likewise, the handle has heretofore been separately formed for attachment to the utensil and has been attached in like fashion.

The sheet metal stock for forming the utensils is generally purchased by the manufacturer as individual square sheets. In forming a utensil of substantially circular shape, it has hitherto been the practice to trim to a circular section the square sheet metal blank of the dimension necessary to produce the desired article and to leave just enough metal so that the drawing may be successfully carried out, as the further the metal extends from the drawn portion of the utensil the more dificult it is to make a pro-per draw. The corners of the square sheet which are thus trimmed away to make a circular blank represent waste material. Some of this waste material is retained by the manufacturer who uses it as sheet stock from which to separately punch and form bail ears to be subsequently welded or riveted on the utensil.

According to the present invention, more of the original blank is initially utilized by forming integral bail ears and/or handles on the utensil from such corner portions of the blank, resulting in eliminating the operations of separately forming and attaching the bail ears and handles, producing an improved article by reason of the greater security of the integral handles, and ware of better appearance. Moreover, where the utensil is enameled, the integral ear eliminates any crevice or joint in which pickling solution can be trapped where the ware is cleaned prior to enameling. Where pickling solution can be trapped in a crevice, as where the bail ear is separately attached, it mars the enamel in the subsequent operation of firing and produces defective ware.

The invention further contemplates a preliminary trimming operation on the blank whereby an even draw of the metal is secured notwithstanding that the blank retains excess material from which to form the integral bail ears and/or handles.

Although the method of the present invention is particularly adapted and will be herein described as suitable for forming circular household utensils, it may be advantageously employed for the formation of other vessels or utensils not circular in outline.

The invention is applicable to the manufacture of utensils described in my (Io-pending application, Serial No. 697,935, filed November 14, 1933, and the present application, which is directed to the method employed in the manufacture of such utensils may be considered a division-in-part of the invention therein disclosed.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a sheet metal blank, trimmed according to my invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the utensil after the first drawing operation has been performed thereon;

Figure 3 is a viewon the line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the utensil after the second drawing operation has been performed thereon;

Figure 5 is a view on the line V-V of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the utensil after blanking-out, showing the projecting portions in chain lines and the blanked-out handle and lugs in full lines;

Figure 7 is a sectional view corresponding to Figure 6, showing the bail ears turned up and the outer edge of the utensil folded over;

Figure 8 is a side elevation of the completely formed utensil ready for plating or enameling, showing the edge of the handle curled over; and

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the completed utensil at right angles to the view shown in Figure 8 and having a bail connected thereto.

Figure 1 shows a square blank 2 of sheet metal of the approximate size and gauge from which the desired utensil is to be drawn, the dot-anddash lines indicating the original shape of the blank as it is supplied to the manufacturers. Each of the four corners 3 are cropped or trimmed to a rounded shape so that the blank when it is ready for drawing has the shape shown by the full lines. The dimension a-a and b-b of the blank is susbtantially the minimum dimension for producing a circular article of the character and depth which it is desired to produce. After shearing, the blank is placed in the appropriate dies and drawn to the depth shown in Figures 2 and 3. The blank now has a depressed portion 4 and laterally extending portions 5, 6, l, and 8. these extending portions being formed of the portions of the blank which originally lay along the diagonals of the original blank, 1. e. the remaining portions of the corners of the blank. After a second drawing, the blank is drawn so as to have a deeper depressed portion 9 and laterally extending portions IO, ll, l2, and I3.

When the utensil has been drawn to the desired depth, the lugs or ears l4 and I5, and the handle portion l6 are blanked out of the laterally extending portions Ill, ll, l2, and I3, as shown in Figure 6. In this figure, the chain line shows the outline of the blank before the blanking-out operation, which outline is the same outline as that shown in Figure 4. It will be observed that the lugs or ears l4, I are blanked out of the laterally extending portions 10 and I2 and the handle I6 out of the extending portion [3. It is thus seen that the metal which was heretofore cropped or trimmed 01f has been utilized in forming the lugs or ears and the handle integral with the utensil.

After the bail ears and the handle have been blanked-out, the next operation consists in turning over the projecting edges I! of the utensil, turning down the outer edge l3 of the handle, and turning up the ears or lugs. A cross-section of the utensil at this stage is illustrated in Figure 7.

The next operation consists of curling over the downwardly projecting edge is of the handle l6, as illustrated in Figure 8. The utensil is now ready to have a bail attached thereto, or it may be subjected to a further process wherein the utensil is coated with the customary enamel or plating metal, after which the utensil may be tted with a bail l9, as shown in Figure 9.

It may be desirable that the completed utensil have an extended preformed handle attached to the handle Hi. This may be done by various methods, such as welding or riveting. In case the bail or lugs are not desired, the met-a1 of the laterally extending portions l0 and I2, from which the ears could have been blanked-out, as herein described, will be entirely removed. Likewise, it may not be desirable to have a handle on the utensil, in which case the handle portion l6 will be cut off and the ears or lugs l4 and I5 formed as heretofore described.

By following my herein described method, a utensil may be made which has bail lugs or ears formed integrally with the utensil and from the material which would normally be trimmed from the blank from which the utensil is formed. The utensil is stronger than one made by the conventional method of forming the lugs separately and then attaching them by welding or riveting, as is the customary practice. Furthermore, the cost of making the utensil is considerably reduced and a more attractive and satisfactory article is produced.

Whi e I have described my invention as applicable to a utensil produced by two successive drawing operations, it is not in practice limited thereto, as the number of draws is quite immaterial, and my invention is applicable to a utensil produced by one or by many draws.

It is not necessary to originally trim the corners of the square blank but by first trimming away these points or outer portions of the corners, the metal draws more uniformly than where this is not done. The reason for this is that the length of metal projecting beyond the edges of the drawing dies is not, after the corners have been trimmed, so unequal, the blank approximating in its drawing properties a circular blank.

I have illustrated and described by way of example one type of utensil made according to my invention. It will be understood that this method may be advantageously employed for the drawing of other utensils or vessels not circular in outline within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of forming imperforate sheet metal utensils having integral projections thereon providing handles and/or bail ears, which comprises forming a flat sheet metal blank of the approximate length and width necessary to produce a utensil of the depth and diameter desired but of a shape different from the shape of the utensil to be made, drawing the blank to produce the utensil and leaving a marginal flange on the edge of the utensil which margin has projections corresponding to the horizontal corners of the original blank, thereafter blanking out the utensil from the pressed blank in such manner that portions of the projections forming parts of the original corners of the blank are cui: to the desired shape and project laterally from the utensil, and subsequently bending the attached projection so formed to provide a bail ear or handle.

2. The method of manufacturing imperforate sheet metal utensils having integral bail ears thereon, which comprises forming a square blank of sheet metal the approx mate size necessary to produce a utensil of the diameter and depth desired, trimming the corners of the blank to round them while leaving the major portion of the sides of the blank square, drawing the blank so as to form the utensil body and leaving a laterally extend ng peripheral flange which flange has projections thereon corresponding to the corner portions of the original blank, thereafter blanking out the utensil from the blank and simultaneously forming integral projections on the utensil so blanked out from the projections of said laterally extending flange, and then bending the projections to shape to provide upstanding bail ears.

3. The method of forming sheet metal utensils having integral projections thereon forming handles or bail ears, which comprises forming a square biank of the approximate length and width necessary to produce a circular utensil of the diameter and depth desired, trimming the corners of the square blank to round them but leaving the blank of generally square shape. drawing the blank to produce a circular utensil having a lateral peripheral flange with eccentric portions thereon, thereafter blanking out the utensil from the blank so formed and in such manner that shaped projections integrally attached to the utensil are formed from one or more of said eccentric portions of the flange, and then bending said attached projection to form a handle or bail ear as the case may be.

WILLIAM T. CHRISTMAN.

Images