US428056A - Island - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1. G. B. SMITH.

MAKING SEAMLBSS GOLD PLATED WIRE.

vPeflzenfced May 13, 1890.

INVENTUFM WITNESSES- (No Model) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. B. SMITH. MAKING SBAMLESS GOLD PLATED WIRE. No. 428,056. Patented May 13, 1890.

FIE-E,

lEn-"l- INVENTUR,

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G. R. SMITH. MAKING SEAMLESS GOLD PLATED WIRE. No. 428,056.. Patented May 13, 1890.-

"II I O 1; T/ R 0% I W' "T -Hs a wrrN Eases. INVEN TUR- UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

CHARLES R. SMITH, OF PROVIDENCE, RIIODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF TIVO- THIRDS TO EDIVARD D. \VILLIAMS ,AND FRANK l\i[. MATHEIVSON, OF SAME PLACE.

MAKING SEAMLESS GOLD-PLATED WIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,056, dated May 13, 1890.

Application filed March 8, 1890. $eria11Io. 343,152. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: stock toughens and hardens the fiber of the Be it known that I, CHARLES R. SMITH, of gold, making the wire less capable of being the city and county of Providence, in the State worked to advantage. of RhodeIsland,haveinventeda new and use- By my improved process I dispense with ful Improvementin Processes of hflanufacturthe prelimii'lary formation of a compound ing Gold-Plated ire; and I declare the folsoldered plate or ingot, and also the entire lowing to be a specification thereof, reference process of reducing the stock to the desired being had to the accompanying drawin diameter by drawing, (except the final draw- Like letters indicate like parts. ing to get a proper finish.) I thus obtain a 10 Figure 1 IS a side elevation of the mechanbetter result and at a less cost.

ism used in my improved process. Fig. 2 is In the drawings, A represents a shell or an end elevation of the standard or guide split tube of gold made from flat stock in the plate used to support the wire during the prousual manner. This tube has the usual loncess. Fig. 3 shows in side elevation and crossgitudinal opening a.

I 5 section the shell or split tube of gold which B is the solid wire of composition or any is to be plated on the wire. Fig. 4E shows, suitable metal. The shell A should be covpartly in side elevation and partly in longiered with borax or any of the well-known tudinal and cross-sections, the composition or fluxes, and the wire B is also covered with the base-metal wire which is to be plated. Fig. same preparation. The shellAis then slipped 5 shows, partly in side elevation and partly or drawn on the wire B, as shown in Fig. 5,

in longitudinal and cross-sections, the gold the opening a being apart, as before. shell in position upon the wire of base metal. Fig. 6 shows the result of my process, which Fig. 6 shows, partly in side elevation and is-a solid wire having an inner core of infepartly in longitudinal and cross sections, rior metal and an outer seamless tube of gold 25 the seamless gold-plated wire which is the plate soldered firmly thereon by the process product of my improved process. Figs. 7, '8, hereinafter described. and 9 are respectively side and end eleva- Any suitable mechanism which will rotate tions and a top plan of a modified form of and feed the wire at a proper rate of speed said mechanism adapted to receive the gold may be adapted to this process. In the draw- 30 in the form of a ribbon or wire to be plated ings I represent a form of mechanism suiton the composition wire. able for this purpose. It consists of a ma This invention relates to the. manufacture chine having a bed-piece C and upright bearof that class of wire used by jewelers, which ings D. A shaft E is mounted in said bearconsists of an interior solid wire of basemetal ings. The shaft E has a longitudinal slot 1),

35 and an exterior solid tube of gold, which is .and is movable along pins c, which enter said soldered upon said inner wire. It has been slot. F is a friction-clutch, engageable in the common hitherto to make such wire by drawusual manner with the pulley G, by means of ing through a draw-plate a compound cylinwhich clutch the pulley is made fast or loose drical ingot of goldlhaving a core of inferior upon the shaft, as may be desired. The shaft 4 metal, until it is reduced in diameter to the E is screw-threaded, and is movable longi- 9o requisite size, the result being awire of base tudinally when revolved by its engagement metal having a thin covering of gold plate, or with a feeder II, which is screw-threaded on by soldering a gold plate upon a fiat piece of its upper surface, and which is vertically composition stock and then cupping this commovable through the bracket I. The feeder 45 pound plate untilatube is formed, which can II can be thrown up into engagement with be drawn down into a solid wire through 'a the shaft E, or may be disengaged therefrom draw-plate. These processes, however, are by means of a suitable lever or treadle. The tedious and expensive, and the stock requires shaft E is thus capable of rotation and l0ngifrequent annealing from time to time during tudinal motion at the same time by theen- 5 the operation. The repeated drawing of the gagement of the friction-clutch F with the ICC) pulley G and of the feeder ll with the shaft E, respectively. At the end of the shaft E is a socket (Z and a setscrew 0. A standard .T has a slotted head K and a set -serew f. In the slotted head rests a guide-plate L, which is horizontally adjusted in the slot of the head K, and when it is in the desired position it is secured by the sct-screw f. The guide-plate L has an opening or aperture g, which is V-shaped in its lower part, as seen in Fig. 2. A set screw 71, passing through a boss m on the top edge of the guide-plate L, has its lower end projecting into said. aperture, as seen in Fig. How-pipes M, of any desired number, preferably two or more, are placed as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

After the gold shell A has been put upon the wire B, as shown in Fig. 5, a sleeve or tube N, made of platinum, is slipped on the wire loosely and is passed through the aperture g of the guide'plate L. One end of the wire is inserted in the socket (I of the shaft E, and is fastened there by the set-screw c. The platinum sleeve N rests in the aperture 9 of the guide-plate L, and is held in its adjust ment there by the set-screw 7!, as best seen in Fig. 2.

When the pulley G has been made'fast to the shaft E by the clutch F and the feeder ll has been engaged with the shaft E, as already described, a rotary and progressive movement is imparted to the wire B and its inclosingshell A. Said mechanism advances or feeds the wire through the platinum sleeve (which is snugly held within the guide-plate L by the set-screw 71) on between the blow-pipes ill. The heat of the blow-pipes should be regulated at 2,000 Fahrenheit. \Vhen the wire and shell are exposed to this heat, the gold is immediately melted and flows over the wire in a solid mass, closing up the opening (I. As is well known, the heated metal is drawn toward the flame, and as the wire is both rotated and fed the gold is flowed uniformly over the wire and united to it, forming a solid mass having a surface of gold-plate, which is seamless throughout.

Instead of placing a split tube or shell of gold-plate on the wire, as above described, leaving a longitudinal opening a, I may apply the gold plate in strips or ribbons, or in the form of a wire, and arrange to feed it upon the base-metal wire in an angular direction. Toaccomplish this purpose the modifications of mechanism shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are useful. An arm 0, pivoted at n, earries a red I, fastened to itby the collar 0 and screw 1). A sliding collar Q, adjustable on the rod P by the screw 1, has a downwardlyprojecting piece 0', bent, as seen in Fig. 8, to which a steel plate .5- is fastened by a screw '1". A platinum guide R is secured to the steel plate .5- by the screw 1!. Near the end of the red I is a supporting-rod S, which passes through the rod 1' and is vertically adjustable therein by the set-screw r. The lower poraespse tion of the rod is broadened transversely, as seen in Fig. 8, and there concaved, so as to rest on the wire as the latter is advancing. The arm 0 and all these connected parts can be swung upward into the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 8. As the steel plate s is slotted, as shown at w in Fig. 7, it is vertically adjustable and can be held in the desired position by the set-screw t. .lly such adjustment the delivery of the platinum guide R can be brought to any required distance above the wire which is to be plated, while the supporting-rod S, adj ustable in the rod 1? by the set-screw 2:, holds the arm l and the guide R connected therewith at a uniform height above said wire.

The strip of gold plate T is fed from a suitable reel. through fced rolls, (not shown,) which are of such size and so timed in rate of speed in relation to the rotation of the wire to be plated that the length of the strip T, fed as stated, is equal to the circumference of said wire. The wire I havingbeen properly covered with the fluxing mat crial is supported in the holding-plates U and is fed to the blowpipes V \V, and at the same time rotated by the mechanism hcreinbefore described, or in any suitable manner. As soon as the gold strip T, which has also been previously coated with the tlnxing material, is exposed to the heat of the blow-pipes it melts and flows on the wire 13 in the same manner as already explained. The blow-pipe V is oblong and should give a flame heated to about; $300" Fahrenheit, which sweats the wire 1 or partially softens it to adapt it the better to receive the gold plating. It is made oblong, so as to give an extended flame for this purpose. The blow-pipe \V (shown in Fi 8 and 5), but notshown in liig. 7) is the common blowpipe having a small round discharge. The heat of its flame should be 2,000 Fahrenheit. When the wire is exposed to the heat of both blasts, the gold is melted and flows over the wire B in a solid and uniform mass.

liy using a second guide R and two strips T of gold-one of red gold and the other of green gold--a pleasing contrast of: color may be obtained, which, by regulating the comparative speed of the rotation and advance of the wire 13 and by other readily apparent modifications, will produce various novel and artistic results. lly this process gold of a high grade may be plated on gold of a lower grade, or silver can be plated on a baser metal, or any desired metal upon another, and this process is also applicable to plating flat stock as well as to plating wire.

liy feeding the wire and plate to the flames by means of power automatieall y, by suitable mechanism, a uniform rotation is given to the wire and a steady advance at the same time. Each ofsaid motions is capable of any desired degree of variation, so that the portion of the wire to be plated, as well as the lflftiilllg-lllel'tll, can be keptin the flame as long a time as is necessary to completely melt and flow the gold uniformly on the composition wire.

When the plating has been accomplished, the wire so plated is pickled in acid to remove the fiuxing material which may remain on the outer surfaces, and the wire is then drawn through a draw-plate to give it a smooth and polished appearance, or said wire may be finished by hammering, rolling, or in any other proper manner.

I claim as a novel and useful invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The improved process of plating herein described, consisting of the following steps: covering with a fluxiug material the metal which is to be plated, covering with a fiuxing material the plating-metal, placing the latter metal upon the former and passing them so in contact through the flame of one or more blow-pipes, and there fusing and flowing the plating-metal upon the metal to be plated in position in a solid mass, substantially as specified.

2. The improved process of manufacturing seamless gold-plated wire herein described, consisting of the following steps: covering a wire of base metal with a fluxing material, covering a split tube of gold plate with a fluxing material, placing the split tube upon the wire, feeding said Wire and tube with a rotary and longitudinal movement through the flame of blow-pipcs, and fusing there the gold tube upon the wire in a solid mass, and then smoothing and finishing the plated wire by any of the usual methods for that purpose, substantially as specified.

3. The improved process of manufacturing seamless gold-plated wire herein described, consisting of the following steps: covering a wire of base metal with a fluxing material, covering a strip of gold plate with a fluxin'g material, feeding said strip to said wire in an angular direction, feeding said wire with a rotary and longitudinal movement through the fiame of blow-pipes, and fusing there the gold strip upon the wire in a solid mass, and then smoothing and finishing the plated Wire in any suitable known manner, substantially as specified.

CHARLES R. SMITH.

Witnesses:

EDWARD F. LovEJoY, WARREN R. PERCE.

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