US2811065A

US2811065A - Metal crimping tool

Info

Publication number: US2811065A
Application number: US574554A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edwin H Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-03-28
Filing date: 1956-03-28
Publication date: 1957-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 1974-10-29

Description

Oct. 29, 1957 E. H. JOHNSON METAL CRIMPING TOOL Filed March 2a, 1956 Fig.4

EDWIN H. JOHNSON IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent 2,811,065 METAL CRIMPING rooL Edwin H. Johnson, Portland, Oreg.

Application March 28, 1956, Serial No. 574,554

1 Claim. (Cl. 81-15) This invention relates to improvements in hand tools and more particularly to a metal crimping tool designed for but not necessarily limited to use in automobile body and fender repair work.

The modern trend of elaborately styling the fenders and other sheet metal parts of a vehicle renders their entire replacement expensive and wasteful, especially when such replacement becomes necessary even though the part is only partially damaged and the undamaged portion could otherwise be salvaged.

Accordingly, it is one of the principal objects of my invention to provide a tool of the character described by means of which a partially damaged fender or car body can be repaired and refinished at only a fraction of the cost of an entire replacement part and its installation.

Prior to applying my tool to the work to be dealt with the damaged portion thereof is cut out along straight or curved lines as desired or necessary and an inset of matching sheet metal is cut to a size slightly greater than that of the cut-away portion. Following this my tool is applied to the marginal edges of the remaining metal and those of the inset and progressively crimped thereby to complement each other when nested one within the other. The nested edges are then spot-welded together. The resultant channel surrounding the inset is then filled with lead or other suitable material and the entire surfaces are finally smoothed off and painted to match the original color of the vehicle fender or body.

The foregoing and other objects will appear as my invention is more fully hereinafter described in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a metal crimping tool made in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of Figure 1 showing the jaws of the tool in position for engagement with the marginal edge of a sheet of metal being dealt with.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the position of the jaws at the completion of the metal crimping operation.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sheet of metal after a damaged section has been removed and the edges of the metal defining the opening caused by such removal have been crimped by my crimping tool.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 illustrating a metal patch or inset whose marginal edges have been crimped to nest within the crimped marginal edges de fining the opening in the sheet of Figure 4. A portion of the channel formed by adjacent crimped edges is shown provided with a filler.

Figure 6 is a sectional end view taken along the line 66 of Figure 5.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing:

The working or tool parts of the invention may be made of malleable casting or other suitable material, with the exception of the crimping jaws orshaping elements, which are of steel or like hardened metal. As shown in the drawing, the tool comprises two handles, indicated by reference numerals 1 andZ, which may be of any desired length as indicated. The-handles near one of their ends are formed with rounded'interengaging portions 3 pivotally interconnected by a rivet or the like as at 4. The handles 1 and 2 extend forwardly of the pivot 4 as at 5 and 6, respectively, the handle 2 extending forwardly a slightly greater distance than the handle 1 as shown. To .these terminal ends of the handles I pivotally attach by means of rivets 7 and 8 the rear ends of forwardly diverging cooperating metal crimping jaws 9 and 10, respectively, pivotally interconnected intermediate their ends by a rivet or the like as at 10A.

The upper surface of the forward end of the jaw 10 is provided with a vertical lip 11 extending upwardly from the rear edge of its forwardly extending horizontal terminal portion 12. The lower surface of the jaw 9 terminates in a forward pendent lip 13 and a rearwardly spaced limit stop 14 extending downwardly to a greater extent than the lip 13 and below the lip 11 of the jaw 10.

The utility of the limit stop 14, lips 11 and 13, and the horizontal portion 12 of the lower jaw 10 is best illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 wherein it will be seen that the limit stop 14 provides a gauge for the extent to which the edge 15 of the sheet metal 16 being dealt with can be inserted between the jaws 9 and 10. The amount of insertion establishes the width of the offset marginal portion 15A formed at the completion of the crimping operation as the cooperating lips 11 and 13 are forced toward each other by their respective handles 2 and 1.

The damaged portion of a sheet of metal to be repaired or patche is first cut out along straight or curved lines as desired or necessary and the edges of the metal are then crimped as aforesaid-for example, as shown in Figure 4. Following this a section of matching metal 17 is cut to fit the area defined by the edges of the cutout portion. The edges of the patch or inset are then crimped as at 18 in the same manner as those of the main sheet 16 to complement the same so that they will nest one within the other as shown in Figures 5 and 6. When so nested the overlapping ofiset marginal edges 15 and 18 can be spot-welded as at 20 or otherwise secured together in any approved manner. When the patch is thus secured in place the resultant channel 21 surrounding the inset is filled with lead or other suitable material as at 22 and then smoothed and painted along with the patch 17 and main sheet 16.

The tool may be applied to the sheet metal in the position shown or in an inverted position, and in either position greater leverage will be applied to the jaw 9 than to the jaw 10 through the medium of the shorter handle extension 5 of the handle 1 to which the inner end of the jaw 9 is pivotally attached.

While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to other skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A metal crimping tool comprising elongated handles pivoted together at one of their ends, forward extensions of unequal length formed on the pivoted ends of the handles, jaws pivoted at one of their ends to said. extensions and pivotally interconnected intermediate their ends, the free ends of the jaws having opposing faces, the jaw Patented Oct. 29, 1957 connected to the longer of said extensicms terminating in References Cited in the file of this patent a fiat horizontal projection on its said face and provided UNITED STATES PATENTS with a vertical lip at its inner end, the other of said jaws connected to the other of said handle extensions being iz "g; 5%? et a1 provided at the forward end of its said face with a pendent 5 m Say um lip parallel to and forwardly offset from the vertical lip FOREIGN PATENTS q t other of said jaws a p ov d w a P d n 774,948 France Oct 1, 1934 hunt stop in rearward spaced relation to its pendent hp 617 386 Germany Aug 17 1935 to limit inward movement of the edge of a sheetof metal 874:280 Germany Apr 1953 between said jaws. I