US1297428A - Spring-beard needle. - Google Patents

Description

F. WILCOMB.

SPRING BEARD NEEDLE.-

' APPLICATION man SEPT. 9, 1916.

Patented Mar. 18,1919.-

a l M L Sew/011s A 4 4- FRANK WILCOMB,

OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WILDMAN MFG.

(10., 0F NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SPRING-BEARD NEEDLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

Application filed September 9, 1916. Serial No. 119,269.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK WILCOMB, .a

citizen of the United States, residing at Norristown, Pa., have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Beard Needles, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to spring beard needles and one object thereof is to provide a construction which will not be subject to crystallization at the nose, this being due in prior practice to the movement of the beard in ressing.

pring beard needles of the common variety are' formed with beards considerably thinner than the nose and with the stem back of the beard considerably heavier than either, so that when the beard is pressed the movement takes place in the beard and about a point at the nose and after a period of use, the bent nose crystallizes and the beard I drops off.

In carrying out my invention I form the needle stem back of the beard thinner than has been done heretofore and I make this portion as-thin or thinner than the beard from the nose downward, and of a substantially uniform size for a long distance so that the bend shall not be confined to one spot which would tend to crystallize the metal. The flexing action is distributed over a long distance, no one point getting more bending movement than another. The

beard also has a long uniform size of wire that must bend in a long are without localizing at a spot and having a tendency to crystallize, so that the flexing action takes place in this part and in the beard, it being intended to avoid flexing at the nose.

Further I provide a construction in which the nose is stiffened against flexing movement without increasing the amount of metal in the nose over that of the needle stem back of the beard, the efiect being, when the beard is pressed, that a long portion of the needle stem back of the beard bends in a long are well below the nose and in that portion back of the beard while the nose itself being stiffened moves bodily but does not bend within itself or at the point where it joins the beard. The beard may also bend in the usual manner.

Not only does the construction provide a stiffening against bendi of the nose, as the heard is pressed, but 1t provides a nose thinner than the stem so that sufficient space is allowed for the yarn between the needle, and needle walls, or web holders. Space has heretofore been provided by making the head of the needle tapered from the stem to the nose, and the beard continuing the taper toits point. The needle nose is about twenty per cent. narrower than the stem in ordinary needles. In the present instance the stem width continues uniform up to the point where the nose is thinned. The thinned nose may be about twenty per cent. less in thickness than the stem and beard while the measurement in depth, 2'. e. vertically in the illustration, Figures 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10, will be about twenty per cent. greater than the depth. of the flexing portion of the needle stems Other features of the invention will be clear from the following description and the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings a Fig. 1 is a view of a blank from which my improved needle is made, this view also showing cross sections of the wire at the points opposite which the sections are located. V I

Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1 showing the-blank of said Fig. 1 after flattening, this View also showing cross sections of the wire at points adjacent the location of the cross sections.

Fig. 3 is a front View of the needle.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a needle embodying the invention, this view also including a certain cross sectional view.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4: showing a needle adapted for plating.

Fig. 6 is a view of the needle of Fig. 5, when pressed, this View serving to show the action which would take place 1n connection with the needle of Fig. 5 when the same is pressed.

Figs. 7 and 8 are views of a needle of ordinary form.

Figs. 9, 9 and 10 are views of general style of needle as in Figs. 7 and 8 but with my improvement embodied therein.

In these drawings, 1 is the blank from which the needle is formed, this being of round wire the upper end of which is reduced in diameter above the lines FF and the extreme upper end being tapered above edge or side a of the blank is made to lie in the same plane throughout, including thetapered end portion or' point. The portion of the blank above the line FF is of the same size and flattened shape throughout up to the line ee where the taper occurs for the front of the beard. This portion between the line FF and the tapered point, under the flattening action assumes substantially oval-like form, as indicated by the cross sectional view at b. The needle beard, the nose and the portion of the stem back of the beard are all formed from the oval portion of the blank above the line EE, so that when this portion is bent into the form of a hook the part back of the stem will be as thin as the beard itself and will be capable of flexing when the beard is pressed. After bending, the nose is flattened at K and is thus stifi'ened. Under these conditions, when pressing takes place, the entire upper portion of the needle will bend in a long are as indicated in Fig. 6, and the needle beard will also bend in the usual way, but there will be no bending in the needle nose itself. The dotted line 00 in said figure represents the vertical position or the normal position of the back of the needle. This bending of the portion back of the beard is contrary to prior methods, as generally carried out in factory practice, in which the back of the needle "does not bend in rear of the beard but all of the flexing takes place at the nose and in the heard so far as the needle head is concerned. The flattened or oval form of wire contributes to the flexing of the stem back of the hook, it bein understood of course that the major axis 0 the oval wire is at right angles to the direction in which the flexing takes place. Therefore the needle during the pressing action is more flexible in the direction of the beard closing movement than in a side direction and the bending action is distributed over a greater length of wire than has been the case under prior factory practice in which the bending takes place within the nose.

By distributing the bending action in a long are we eliminate the local crystallization point which has always been at the head or noseheretofore.

M etkod of making the needle.

rocess of manufacturing the new card needle produces a new struc- The spring ture throughout that part which is generally beard, beard point, the nose, and the stem back of the beard extending as far down the stem as corresponds to the length of beard. The process employed may be better understood by describing briefly a common practice of making this part of spring beard needles. This involvestaking a round wire and milling approximately half of the circle away for a distance sufficient to bend the nose and beard. The milled corners of the round wire are then slightly rounded on bufiing wheels to takeaway the sharp edge. The milling of the round wire makes a tapered blade with a greater amount of metal next to the round stem and a. gradual lessening of metal to the point of the wire. This leaves a wire substantially a half circle at a point equidistant from the beginning to the end of milling. After the beard is bent and the nose formed we have a structure in which there is a constantly decreasing amount of metal in the composition of the needle from thestem to the nose and from the nose to the beard point. All the steps of making this needle are not referred to as the method is well understood in the needle making art.

By my process the round wire is reduced from the point E--E to F, F Fig. 1 by what areiknown commercially as swaging machines, which hammer the wire in a round form to-smaller diameter and the w re may be tapered during this swaging operation to make the point. From F, F to 0' -0' the needle is-round and of uniform diameter, preferably throughout this distance. From 0 to the end of the wire the wire istapered to a point. The wire at this time has about the'shape or contour of a sewing machine needle without the eye or thread groove of such a needle. The wire is now placed on a flattening die and a die is pressed against the upper side forcing the round wire, as in Fig. 2, to desired thickness which will leave the wire in cross section with half round edges or sides, with a flattened front and back face produced by the dies and the preferred proportion of the thickness to width milled variety. The needle beard and'nose are now shaped by beard benders in the ordinary manner. The needle has now become distinctive by reason of it having a stem unswaged and rolmd and a needle stem back of the heard of a width equal to the unswaged stem, a depth (thickness) considerably less than half the diameter of the unsw aged wire, and the needle stem back of the beard has a long section of metal of uniform width and thickness and the nose has the usual face contour for spring beard neefrom a round wire.

menses dles but in cross section, it has substantially an oval shape being as wide as the stem of the needle, which is unswaged and of a depth substantially equal to the stem back of the beard. The needle beard has the same depth as the stem back of the beard for a greater part of its length and a width equal to the stem back of the heard for a large part of its length.

The pointed end of the beard is a gradual taper having a width at all points greatly in excess of its depth at any given point. lhe 'needle has great flexibility in the direction of closing the beard and it is unusually stilf against any sidewise deflection. The usual spring beard needle has a much narrower nose than stem and it has been considered necessary to have the needle of this lesser size to permit the yarn carried by the needle to pass between the needle and the metal guiding wall, sinker or web holder. The nose of my needle is flattened between dies to any desired thickness corresponding to needles of the usual form of a corresponding gage. This pressed nose at K in cross section has a width from one laterfl face to the other of less than the width of the needle stem, and it will have expanded the contour of the bend on the outside and reduced the size of the opening in the nose by reason of the metal flowing during the pressing of the nose.

lhe cross segrtion of the bent nose will be mgbstantiallyr square with heavily rounded corners .whichis a desirable form and serves to stifien the nose against any flexing when the needle beard is pressed the flexing taking place in the stem back of beard and in beard itself. lhe next step in the method, if the needles are desired to be thinner. from side to side than they are deep is to place the use dle in flattening dies and the needle is reduced by flattening a few thouszfndths of an inch throughout the length of the stem and that portion of the beard between the nose and the beginning of the taper of the beard which is considerably less than half the length of the beard. This needle after tempering and polishing in usual way has great durability, strength and takes a better temper by reasonlpf the metal being swaged smooth, than a iteedle which has been milled I The process-reduced to a few words cjnsists in swaging a round wire, flattening' the reduced portion until it attains a width equal to the m'ain round wire of the stem and after bending the nose and beard in the usual way, compressing the nose dle stem and beard with the object of producing a needle having rounded surfaces inside and outside of the needle beard and stemback of beard and a nose having rounded inside or outside surfaces, the nose being much thinner laterally than the stem and beard but stifl'ened in the direction in which the needle must bend in pressing.

It Wlll be clear that the part of the needle stem back of the beard may be thinner than the beard itself, and this Will in greater degree throw the flexing at this point.

It 1s 1mportant in needles that all the corners be well rounded and l have found that a roundgvire flattened by pressing produces practically an oval wire which when bent to form the nose and heard has better rounded surfaces than a milled needle of the usual form. I have also found when the needle nose of a milled needle is pressed to thin it laterally that the inside or yarn surto bending the heard I may have a needle stifl'er in the direction .sidewise or in line with the major axis of the oval'than is the case with ordinary needles, and the needle nose which is made of oval wire when compressed is stiffer in the direction of the pressing movement of the needle, the metal being set up on edge.

The needle nose thinned by pressing, gives the desired stifl'ness against flexing, without increasing the amount of metal in the nose. Increasing the amount of metalis objectionable owing to it being too large for the stitches, and too wide to allow yarn space between the needle walls or web holders. To meet this objection, liner needles are ordinarily used, in which case the beards and the stems of the needle are too delicate for yarns that must be used with a needle having a reinforced nose.

I claim v 1. A spring beard needle having flexion in a long arc in its stem back of the beard, in the beard itself, and having an inflexible hose of equivalent cross-sectionalarea to its adjoining parts, said nose being thinner than the stem and heard and with its major axis parallel to the needle stem, substanalong the major axis of the needle, said nose {being thinner than the needle stem and beard, substantially as described.

3. A spring beard needle having fiexion in the stem back of the beard and a nonflexing nose, the metal of which is deeper than wide, but narrower than the contiguous parts of the beard and stem.

4. A sprin beard needle having flexion in the stem bac of the beard and a non-flextened at right-angles to the direction of the movement of the beard in pressing and said nose being flattened at right-angles to the plane of the flattened stem.

6. spring beard needle having its nose flattened laterally and of less width than adj acent parts of the stem and board but of equivalent cross-sectional area tothe ad joining parts, whereby said nose-is rendered inflexible relative to the stem back of the beard and the beard itself.

7 A spring beard needle having its beard and stem back of the beard of substantially equal width throughout and with the nose of less width than said beard and stem, but of equivalent sectional area to said stem and beard, substantially as described.

8. A spring beard needle havingits stem back of the beard of substantially oval shape in cross section and of substantially equal width but of less depth than the main part of the stem, the rear face of said main stem and the oval portion back of the beard being in line, the beard vhaving its mam part above its tapered lower end of substantiallythe same cross sectional shape as the stem back of the beard, and a substantially inflexible nose, substantially as describe 9. .A spring beard needle having its stem and be"ard of substantially oval cross sectional shape, and with their major axes extending from side to side of the needle and a nose portion substantially of oval cross sectional shape with its major axis at right angles and extending in a direction. lengthwise of the needle, said nose being of less width than the adjacent parts-of the beard and stem, and non-flexible in respect to the beard and stem, substantially as described.-

10. A spring beard needle having a nose laterally flattened and expanded outwardly and inwardly in respect to the adjacent portions of the stem andbeard, and being of less width than the beard and stem, substantially as des ribed. I v 11. A spring beardneedle flattened in its beard and in its stem back of the beard at right angles to the direction of movement of the beard, and flattened at the nose at right angles to the flattened stem and beard, said ,ture.

than the adjacent parts of the stem and beard, said nose being deeper than wide,

substantially as described.

13. The hereindescribed process of makang a spring beard needle consisting in swaging a round wire to a smaller diameter, throughout that portion which is to form the beard and the stem back of the beard, then flattening the wire of reduced diameter into substantially oval form, then bending the flattened wire in a direction at right angles to the major axis of the oval, to provide a nose, beard and a flexible stem portion back of the beard, and then flattening the nose laterally of the needle, substantially as described.

14. The hereindescribed processof making a spring beard needle consisting in swaging a round wire to a smaller equal diameter throughout that portion which is to form the beard, the nose and the stem backof the beard, pointing its end, swaging this reduced portion to substantially oval cross sectional shape while maintaining one flattened face thereof substantially coincident with the face of the unreduced main stem portion, and with the rounded side faces substantially coincident with the sides of'the main stem portion, bending the oval wire in a direction at right angles to the major axis of the oval to provide a nose,

beard, and a flexible portion back of the beard, and thinning the nose portion laterally, substantially as described.

15. The hereindescribed processv of making a spring beard needle consisting in swaging a portion of a round wire to substantially oval cross sectional shape while maintaining one flattened face thereof substantially coincident with the face of the unreduced main stem portion,.and with the rounded side faces substantially coincident with the sides of the main stem portion, bending the oval wire in a direction at right angles to the major axis of the oval to pro vide a nose, beard, and a flexible portion back of the beard, and thinning the nose portion laterally, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signa- FRANK WILCOMB.

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