OF THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE OF THE State of Pennsylvania AND MECHANICS' REGISTER. DEVOTED TO MECHANICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE, CIVIL ENGINEERING, THE ARTS AND MANUFACTURES, AND THE RECORDING OF AMERICAN AND OTHER PATENTED INVENTIONS. EDITED BY THOMAS P. JONES, M. D. MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, OF THE ACADEMY OF NAT- AND SCIENCES, MASSACHUsetts, and CORRESPONDING MEM- BER OF THE POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY OF PARIS. NEW SERIES VOL. XIX. PHILADELPHIA: PUBLISHED BY THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE, AT THEIR HALL, Description of Presses for cutting out Blanks, or Planchets, for Coin, made for the Branch Mints at Charlotte and Dahlonega, from designs by, and under the direction of, FRANKLIN PEALE, of the Mint of the United States. It is always desirable in the construction of machines, that there should be no redundancy of parts, and that they be made as simple as is consistent with efficiency of operation. It is also equally desirable to distribute the requisite parts in as symmetrical a form as the object of their construction will permit, not forgetting that the laws of good taste are as applicable to machinery as to architecture, or to any other form in which inorganic matter may be presented to the eye. It was under the influence of these sentiments that the machine which is the subject of this notice was designed. The preparatory operations of coining are briefly stated for the information of the general reader. The ingots of standard metal, after being rolled to the desired thickness, nearly, are taken to the draw-bench, and by its operation are equalized in thickness throughout. They then pass to the cutting-out press, a few pieces are cut from the end of each slip, (the rolled and drawn ingot thus called,) and weighed, to test their accuracy, and if satisfactory in this respect, the whole slip is passed under the operation of the cutting-out press, the operator being assured that the several pieces cut out of the slip are of the same weight, or so nearly approximated to it, as to be within the allowance for error of workmanship provided by the Mint law. VOL. XIX. No, 1.-JANUARY, 1837. 1 |