US34153A

US34153A - Improvement in casting projectiles for fire-arms

Info

Publication number: US34153A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1862-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 1879-01-14

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN A. MASON, OF NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN CASTING PROJECTILES FOR FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,153, dated January 14, 1862.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN A. MASON, of Newport, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machinery for Forming Projectiles for Fire- Arms, termed Mini Ballsg and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in Which- Figure l is a vertical section of the machine, taken in the plane of the axis of the camshaft; Fig. 2, a horizontal section taken at the line A a of Fig. l; Eig. 3, a vertical section of the cam-shaft, representing the cams and and their yokes; and Eigs. 4 and 5 represent an elevation and section of the projectile when formed.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The object of my invention is to form by pressure that kind of proj ectile generally known as the Mini ball, represented in Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

The lead or other metal is first formed into wire or round rods of less diameter than, and out into slugs of such length as that each shall be of the weight of, the intended projectile. These slugs are introduced by band one at a time into a vertical hopper a of the machine. As a slug is introduced it descends in the hopper and is there held by horizontal spring-followers b o b, which pass through the lower part of the hopper. It may be held up by other and equivalent means, such as a sliding stop at the lower end of the hopper; but if the attendant is sufficiently attentive such means may be dispensed with. Below the hopper there are two dies c c, which when in close contact present a cavity of the ex act form of the exterior of the intended projectile. These dies are iitted into the faces of two blocks of metald d, or the required form may be cut into the faces of these two blocks, in which case they will be the dies; but I prefer to make the dies separate and tit them into cavities in the face of the blocks. These blocks slide on a strong bed-plate e and between two solid cheek-pieces ff and under a cap-plate g, to which the hopper is secured, and the said cap-plate is firmly secured to the upper surface of the cheek-pieces. The blocks should be accurately fitted to slide in ways thus formed, but without play. The rear ends of the blocks are connected with toggle-joint levers h 7L, which are in turn connected with the bed-plate and cheeks, and the toggle-levers are hinged to the lower ends of two vertical slides i t', working in guides j, and these are in turn coupled to rods la 7c,

having yokes Z l, which embrace cams m m on the cam-shaft n. These cams are of the form represented in Fig. 3, and are so shaped as to operate the two toggle-levers simultaneously to separate the two dies sufficiently to permit the projectiles when completed to fall out freely through a hole o in the bed-plate and to force the dies into contact and there hold them firmly, so that they shall not yield when the lead is forced into them. The togglelevers should be in a straight line at the time the dies are closed. So soon as the dies are closed the slug of lead is forced into them by a plunger or punch p of the form of the rear end of the intended projectiles. This plunger is secured to the lower end of a slide q, working between ways r r, and at the upper end of the slide there is a connecting-rod s, provided at the upper end with a yoke t, which embraces a cam u on the cam-shaft n, formed as represented, and so located on the shaft relatively to the cams m m that as soon as the dies are closed and while the concentric part of the cams are keeping them closed the cam Lt forces down the plunger or punch, which, acting on the upper end of the slug .of lead, forces it down from the hopper into the cavity of the dies, that the lower end may be pointed, while atthe same time it enters the upper endof the slug to form the cavity in the rear part of the projectile, thereby spreading the lead all around to form the periphery with the `grooves, as represented in Figs. 4: and 5. The cams m m then separate the two dies, and the cam u lifts the plunger, which releases the formed projectile, that it may drop through the hole in the bed-plate. The dies are then again closed and another slug of lead put into the hopper preparatory to the 4 next descent of the plunger.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claim of invention to the mechanism above described for imparting the required movements, as other and equivalent means maybe substituted therefor.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*- The reciprocating dies and plunger, substantially as described, in combination with the hopper provided with the spring-stops or equivalent means for holding up the slug of lead until it is acted upon by the plunger, as set forth.

BENJ. A. MASON.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM S. WHITE, DAVID SCOTT.