Figs. 436 and 439 show front and end views of a recent improved apparatus for manufacturing buttons, &c., from bone, vegetable ivory, and wood, its chief advantages being that skilled labour can he dispensed with, injury to the bands of the workmen prevented, and a greater quantity of the articles made in a given time than is possible with other machines in use. At the rear of the bed-plate A, is arranged a shaft B, on which is a puUey C for a band D, operated by an over head or underneath motion. The shaft carries at one end a bevel pinion gearing into a corre sponding wheel on a short shaft H at right angles to the shaft B. The shaft H has a couple of cams or eccentrics I upon it for actuating (through the intermediation of the sliding bars K L) the opening end closing of the revolving tools M N, by which the piece of rough material put in between them is cut and brought into the required shape, in accordance with the class of tool furnished to the tool spindles P Q. These last are driven by independent motions R, and thns revolve, the rotation for cutting purposes being in addition to the end-on motion from the cams and slide-bars. To the front of the bed-plate A, is attached a plate T, or it may be a skeleton frame, from which there projects towards the machine a rod II, at the end of which is fitted a jaw, for the piece of rough material to be put against by band. Hinged to the plate or skeleton frame T, is a counter jaw b, by which the piece of material is held in by pressure of a spring c, while the tools approach and perform the cutting. This spring is attached to a lever bar d, and the pressure is removed by a backward travel of the spring and its bar through the action of a plate. on which is a roller running in the race of cam f, on the forward end of the short shaft H, the release of the waste piece and the shaped button being effected by the attendant before putting iu a fresh rough piece. Sometimes a receiver arranged between the fixed jaw and the movable one, so that the piece of rough material can be put in while the jaws are apart, thus preventing injury to the fingers. The receiver is composed of two wings or cup plates, which can be opened when the tools retire after completing the cutting, and allow the article and the waste to fall ioto a receptacle beneath, closing again for the reception of a fresh piece.
The Figs. from 440 to 444, both inclusive, refer to a German improvement in presses and appliances for the manufacture of composition buttons in imitation of horn and vegetable ivory. It consists in providing the bed-plate A of an ordinary screw or lever press B, with a set of half dies C, capable of being raised and lowered by a hand lever D, and sliding wedge plates formed of zigzag bars E E, which move iu slots formed in a plate F, the upper part of which has chamfered or rounded-edged holes, in which the half-dies move. The " force " or head G of the press has upon its under side a corresponding number of half-dies H, these being formed by long pins or studs I, that they may pass through holes in a perforated plate J (Fig. 413), by which the composi tion forming the buttons is fed to the lower half-dies. The plate is capable of easy removal for each feed ; it has a groove on each side-edge for a plain plate to be slid in to serve as a bottom, upon which the pieces of prepared composition rest when put into the holes in the perforated plate.
The two plates act like a box ; when charged it is put over tbe lower half-dies C, and the plain plate is then drawn out aud the pieces of composition fall down on to the top of the lower dies ; the forco G is then lowered by rotating the handles L, and the pieces of composi tion become transformed into buttons of a shape and thickness corresponding to the distance between tho half-dies when the pressure is on. The half-dies, top and bottom, may have any devioe or design upon them, and one of them may have a couple or more of pins projectimg to form the holes for sewing purposes; or a short pin Di may be upon, sa.y, the upper half-die, by which the back of the button is formed, the pin M then making a hole of sufficient depth for the reception of a metal eyelet, shank, or loop, which oan be inserted after the button is removed from the press. In fitting metal shanks to such com position buttons, the shank pins are arranged in holes formed in a plate N (Fig. 444), and with the loops exposed that they may readily be taken hold of by a pair of pliers. This plate has a recess under it, in which a gas or other burner is fitted, for heating the plate, and for imparting sufficient heat to the shanks, that their pins may enter the holes in the button backs when applied, the heat softening the composition and forming the attach ment of one to the other. The ingre dients forming the composition, after being mixed in suitable proportions and of the colour desired, are placed in a caldron enclosed in an outer vessel, the space between the two vessels being filled with sand, to maintain an uniform heat. The composition, when heated to the proper temperature, is stirred and rabbled into a stiff pasty consistency, and used as desired. This is removed from the caldron in suit able pieces and rolled in long strips, from which are cut smaller pieces, t,o fill the holes in the perforated plate. The rolling operation is done upon a hot plate, and the first-named perforated plate is heated partly by the hot plate and partly by the press, the half-dies in which arc also heated, so that the composition, from the caldron to the finished button, is kept at about one temperature. The pressure is maintained upon each series or group of buttons for a few seconds, and when the " force '' is lifted, the first-named perforated plate is removed, and made ready for the reception of fresh pieces of the composition. The lower half-dies are then lifted by the sliding wedge bars, to lift the made buttons above the level of the holed plate on the bed. A many-tined fork is then put in between the raised half-dies, and the buttons are lifted off the dies by the tines, the superfluous oomposition beimg removed and thrown back into the caldron to be rabbled along with the other. The rough edge of each button is then dressed by a plunger tool. Instead of making holes in the buttons by the pressure operation, a cone-shaped lump can be left upon the back of each, through which a hole can be made parallel with the back by a heated piercer needle, the socket of which rides in a kind of box. The socket can be pushed in a given distance, to force the heated needle through the lump on a, button put into a receiver or socket ; the socket then recoils under. the action of a spring, and the pierced button can then be removed.