US2281130A - Method of making brooches and the like - Google Patents

Description

April 28, 1942'. V E. M. WOODRUFF METHOD OF MAKING BROOCVHES AND THE LIKE Filed July 28, 1941 Patented Apr. 28, 1942 METHOD OF MAKING BROQCHES AND THE LIKE Edward M. Woodruff, Auburn, N. Y., assignor to The Woodrufi Compan poration of New York y, Auburn, N. Y., a cor- Application July 28, 1941, Serial No. 404,404.

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to the art of making brooches, badges, ornamental clasp pins and the like, and more particularly to the meth- 0d of preparing a brooch body for and the mounting of a pin fastener thereon.

An object ofthe present invention is the provision of a novel and improved method which includes the steps of forming or otherwise preparing an ornamental brooch body with a pin fastener receiving and supporting means on its rear face, inserting a partially formed pin fasten- Other and further objects of the invention will be hereinafter described, and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary somewhat diagrammatic vertical sectional view through a hydraulic ram type molding apparatus illustrating a set of complemental mold members used in forming the brooch body with a pin receiving recess in its rear face and cross webs intermediate the ends of the recess. separated position with the moldable material for the brooch deposited in the lower mold member;

Figure 2 is a similar view taken about on line 2-2 of Figure 1 disclosing the recess and web forming plate, in side elevation;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figure 1 but disclosing the mold members in their closed or molding position;

Figure 4 is a view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a rear view of the brooch body disclosing the pin receiving recess or groove and the cross webs or interruptions in the groove;

Figure 6 is a sectional View taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figure 6 disclosing one method of formingthe pin receiving apertures in the interruptions or webs in the groove;

The mold members are shown in Figure 8 illustrates the insertion of a partially formed pin fastener in the groove; and

Figure 9 illustrates in full lines the partially formed pin fastener in its final position in the groove. The dotted lines show the pin fastener after it is completely bent to form the clasp pin.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawing in which is illustrated a typical example of apparatus that may be used for carrying out my improved method of forming brooches and the like.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 to 4, A and B denote respectively upper and lower complemental mold members. These mold members are each formed with a number of brooch body forming cavities IA and IB.

A predetermined quantity of moldable material such as Bakelite in granular form is introduced into the mold member B in any suitable manner such as by a conventional delivery apparatus not shown. The lower mold member is secured to the upper end of a hydraulic ram 4 and when used with a material such as a Bakelite compound the mold members are heated. After the moldable material has been deposited into the lower mold member B, the molds are brought together as shown in Figures 3 and 4, and the brooch bodies 5 are simultaneously formed with a very thin connecting flash or sprue between and around the brooch bodies. The upper mold member A is formed with grooves or elongated recesses 6, one of these recesses being located in the base of each of the mold cavities IA. A recess and web forming plate I is positioned in each recess 6 and secured in place by the pins 8. These plates 1 are for the purpose of forming the recesses or longitudinal grooves in the rear faces of the brooch bodies and the cross webs or interruptions in the lastmentioned recesses or grooves. The plates preferably extend down into the mold cavities IA in the upper mold a considerable distance.

The portion ll! of each plate 1 is formed with interruptions or notches II. In the molding operation, as the mold members come together, the portion IU of the plate forms the groove l2 in the rear face of the brooch body 5, While the material which flows into the interruptions or notches ll forms webs l3 across the groove I2. Conventional vent openings may if desired be formed in the mold A to release any trapped air or excess moldable material during the molding operation. As the mold members come together, as above stated, the pressure together with the heat forms the brooches in a somewhat discshaped unit, and this resultant disc containing the three brooch bodies is ejected from the moid in any suitable manner as by the use of push pins I4 and introduced into any suitable tumbler, not shown, which breaks the flash around the bodies producing the individual brooch bodies as seen in Figures 5 and 6.

Each brooch body 5 may then be positioned with the ends of the groove [2 in alignment with the drills or piercing members l5 (see Figure '7), and these drills are moved relatively towards each other to form the pin receiving apertures IS in the webs IS. The pin receiving apertures I6 having been formed in the interruptions or webs I 3 in the groove 12, the partially formed pin fastener I1 is inserted through the aperture I6 as seen in Figures 8 and 9. The fastener illustrated is a pointed wire capable of forming a resilient clasp of the safety pin type, the wire initially being preferably reversely bent at one end as at l8 before assembly on the brooch and recessed at It to receive the pointed end 2d when the fastener is bent to the dotted line position as seen in Figure 9.

In molding these brooches of Bakelite material, I preferably employ the rotary type of molding machine in which 21] or more molds and their hydraulically and automatically operated rams are employed. The use of this automatic equipment is more or less immaterial since the brooch bodies could easily be molded by the conventional method of compression molding in a flat bed press, or they could be molded out of thermo-plastic material, such as cellulose-acetate by the injection method. In the event that the brooch bodies are made by the injection method, the two holes through which the pin fastener passes could be molded simultaneously with the groove and interrupting cross webs by the use of draw pins.

It will be understood from the foregoing that one of the important features of this invention is the simultaneous molding of a slot or groove in a brooch body with the interruptions or webs so as to provide an improved mounting for the pin fastener, which serves to at least partially conceal the pin and which also serves to facilitate assembly of the pin by simplifying guiding of the pin into the apertures It during the assembly operation. Due to the simplified method of manufacture and assembly of these brooches, they can be completed in less time than is otherwise possible in a composition or molded brooch in which the pin fastener is molded into the body of the brooch. In the use of the groove in a molded brooch body, the reduction of section thickness reduces the curing time required.

Although the method hereinbefore described is especially advantageous in the manufacture of molded brooches which have a section substantially as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, certain of the advantages will be obtained with brooches and the like having a relatively thinner section by omitting the groove and integrally molding the equivalent of the groove interruptions in the form of protruding lugs or bosses of a height adequate for drilling to receive the pin in the same manner as previously described.

While the specific details have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confined thereto, as changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of making brooches and the like ornaments, which comprises forming an interrupted groove in the rear face of the body of the brooch, piercing the groove-interrupting portion of the body in the plane of the groove with the central axis of the pierced opening extending generally parallel to the groove, inserting into the pierced opening aforesaid an elongated resilient fastener member having a catch portion provided at one end thereof to project rearwardly from the body at one end of the groove and a pointed pin portion at its other end of sufiicient length to project beyond the pierced opening when inserted therethrough, and thereafter reversely bending the pin portion outwardly of the groove at the opposite end of the latter and towards the catch portion of the fastener member to dispose the pointed end in a position to releasably engage the catch in the manner of a safety pin.

2. The method of making brooches and the like ornaments, which comprises simultaneously forming a brooch body and providing an interrupted groove in the rear face thereof, piercing the groove-interrupting portion of the body in the plane of the groove with the central axis of the pierced opening extending generally parallel to the groove, inserting into the pierced opening aforesaid an elongated resilient fastener member having a catch portion provided at one end thereof to project rearwardly from the body at one end of the grove and a pointed pin portion at its other end of sufficient length to project beyond the pierced opening when inserted therethrough, and thereafter reversely bending the pin portion outwardly of the groove at the opposite end of the latter and towards the catch portion of the fastener member to dispose the pointed end in a position to releasably engage the catch in the manner of a safety pin.

3. The method of making molded brooches and the like ornaments, which comprises molding a brooch body while simultaneously forming an interrupted groove in the rear face thereof, piercing the groove-interrupting portion of the body in the plane of the groove with the central axis of the pierced opening extending generally parallel to the groove, inserting into the pierced opening aforesaid an elongated resilient fastener member having a catch portion provided at one end thereof to project rearwardly from the body at one end of the groove and a pointed pin portion at its other end of sufficient length to project beyond the pierced opening when inserted therethrough, and thereafter reversely bending the pin portion outwardly of the groove at the opposite end of the latter and towards the catch portion of the fastener member to dispose the pointed end in a position to releasably engage the catch in the manner of a safety pin.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the groove is so formed as to provide a plurality of interruptions longitudinally spaced from each other in the length of the groove.

5. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein the interruption of the groove is so formed in the molding of the body as to provide a plurality of longitudinally spaced webs integral with the body and extending transversely of the groove.

6. The method of attaching fastener members of the safety pin type to ornament bodies which are intended to be secured to wearing apparel, which comprises forming an interrupted groove in one face of the ornament body, piercing the interrupted portion of the groove to form pin receiving openings therein and inserting a partially formed wire pin fastener in the groove and through the openings in the interruptions in the groove and completing the pin fastener while the same is in the groove.

7. The method of making brooches and the like which consists in forming a brooch body with a depression in the rear portion of the brooch and an apertured Web extending across the depression, inserting in the depression and through the aperture a supporting fastener having a pin portion, and extending the pin portion of the fastener across the rear face of the brooch body.

8. The method of making brooches and the like which consists in forming a brooch body with a depression in the back thereof, and an apertured pin receiving web in said depression, inserting a partially formed clasp pin through the aperture and completing the formation of the clasp pin by positioning the opposite end portions of the pin at opposite sides of the web with the extremities of the pin extending towards each other in releasable cooperative engagement.

EDWARD M. WOODRUFF.

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