US23046A - Joseph saxton - Google Patents

Description

JOSEPH SAXTON, OF VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SEAL-PRESS.

To all lwhom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH SAXTON, of the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Presses for Sealing and Securing Letters, Papers, or other Similar Watters, of which the following is a, full, clear, and exa-ct description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of my improved sealing press,with its parts in the position they have just before forming a seal. Fig. 2, represents a vertical longitudinal section through the joint by which the arm carrying the stamp is properly adjusted, and F ig. 3 shows a vertical section through the guard.

All sealing presses previous to myinvention, have had for their object, a strong and somewhat sustained pressure, for the purpose of imprinting a device upon a plastic material, such as sealing-wax, or else upon a paper placed over a wafer. for a sharp impression, a very considerable force and a comparatively slow motion, involving the necessity of great strength in the parts of the press, together with a very nice construction, especially for seals of great size.

On the other hand the object of my improved press is, to form a seal according to my improved process of sealing, for which I have applied for a patent, which process consists, essentially in placing a fusible metal or alloy, in the fluidstate, upon the place of the seal, and by a sharp and quick blow, causing the said metal or alloy to penetrate the parts to be secured, while the device is imprinted and the metal solidified, simultaneously.

For carrying out this process, I have invented a press which does not need the great solidity required in the presses used in the ordinary mode of sealing and which I have arranged so as to be capable of rapid motion while at the same time I am enabled to provide a very simple and eflicient means of adjustment for bringing the face of the stamp or die into a proper position, which could not be used when great force was required. My press also allows ample room for conveniently putting' the fused metal upon the article to be sealed, when in its place upon the press, as well as space for the interval between the seal and the edge of the paper These require or other matter to which it is to be attached. As no great amount of force is required I am enabled to `make my press with a much lighter base than that required in ordinary presses and consequently this base may very advantageously be made the top of a receptacle for inclosing a drawer for containing the sealing material, a lamp formelting it, a basin in which to melt it, a spoon or ladle for measuring it out in proper quantitym together with other means and `appliances which may be deemed necessary in carrying out the process. Besides these peculiarities which distinguish mysealing press from all others heretofore knownI have also invented certain contrivances forfacilitating the process of sealing with fused metals which will hereinafter be described.

I shall now proceed todescribe in detail the mode of construction of my improved press. The base-LAQ may be made of any suitable material, such as well seasonedV wood, and this may be made the top or' a receptacle for inclosing a drawer containing the various articles required, as above mentioned. Upon this base is firmly secured a standard (Bc) terminating at its top in a hinge or joint (5,) upon which a` lever ((3,) turns freely in a vertical direction. The other end of this lever is formed into a spherical enlargement or ball (c',) to which the arm (D,) carrying the stamp or die (S,) is attached, so as to becapable of adjustment, in the following manner. The ball is provided with a vertical perforation through which passes a screw (E) entering t-he upper end of the arm (1),) carrying the die (S,). This screw should be so much smaller in diameter than the perforation that the arm may be turned 'in any direction re.-

quired, without coming in contact with the `sides of the hole. Then great ranges of motion are needed the hole may be made conical above and below. The object of this adjustment is, to bring the die horizontally upon the surface of' the matter to be sealed, as this latter varies in thickness.

The upper end of the arm is made cup shaped so as to adapt itself to the ball on the end of the lever. Above this ball is a cup shaped washer (F,) with a less radius of curvature than that of the ball, so that the screw (E) passing through it and into the arm, h'olds the latter against the ball, in any required position,.by the elasticity of the washer. This washer may conveniently be made by striking it up from a plate of brass.

The arm (D) holds the die (37,) which may be screwed into it, or attached in any other proper manner.

In order to hold the letter or papers during the act of sealing, clamp springs (R, R,) may be attached to the base by screws or pins, on each side of the standard, the letter, being pushed under these springs, will be held firmly in the proper position. In sealing with fused metal if there is any eX- cess of metal above that required for the seal, it is driven outward in all directions, and in order to retain this excess I make use of a guard (II) having a flat base where it is intended to bear upon the letter or matter to be sealed. If the internal surface of this guard came down perpendicularly upon the plane of the paper, the metal driven against it might be so forcibly checked, that it would adhere to, or cause a stain upon, the paper. To avoid this difficulty, I make the inner surface of such a form, that its vertical section is concave toward the seal, coming down to the paper so as to form an inclined plane of small angle, directedtoward the seal, as is more particularly shown in Fig. 3. By this contrivance, the metal driverimoff from the seal is carried up the inclined plane and becomes solidified in the concavity of the guard. In order to facilitate the removal of this metal, the part of the base of the guard which projects inward, may be made a separate piece (It) spring into its place. This can readily be taken out and the solidified metal, which does not adhere, can then be removed. The guard also aids in holding and securing the matter to be sealed and therefore may be used without the clamp springs. Although I have shown this guard as not attached to the press, it may in many cases be deemed advisable to connect it to the base by an arm, hinged or jointed so that it may at once fall into its proper place.

Having 'thus explained the construction of my press, its mode of operation can readily be understood. The letter (L) or other matter to bev sealed being placed upon the base, and if necessary, held by the clamp springs, the place of the seal is brought friction of the washer. The die being thus adjusted if necessary-the lever is to be thrown back, the guard put in its place and the fused metal deposited in suflicient quantity upon the part to be sealed. The lever is then seized by the hand, between the hinge and the ball and is rapidly brought down so as to throw the die upon the metal, which is made, by the force of the blow, to penetrate the parts to be secured, and is then solidified, bearing a clear and sharp impression of the die or stamp. In this operation the momentum of the die is constantly increasing up to the instant when it comes in contact with the fluid metal which giving way before it absorbs the whole of the force, sov that there is no rebound and the contact thus made and continued even a short space of time-by reason of the rapid communication of heat through the metal-insures the solidification of the whole mass of the seal. The length of the lever which enables me to give such a percussive action to form the seal, also furnishes a considerable distance between the place where the stamp strikes and the base of the standard-so that the seal may be placed at a distance from the edge of the paper, which in some cases may be a great convenience.

that I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A sealing press operated by a lever to which the stamp is attached by an adjustable joint-the whole being adapted to the purpose of sealing with fusible metal or alloy, substantially as above described.

Q. The guard for retaining the excess of metal driven off from the seal in the act of making the impression.

JOS. SAXTON.

Vit-nesses:

WVM. A. SAYTON, GEORGE C. SCHAEFER.

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