Abstract: The present invention relates to a stand for holding an item in an upright or vertical manner. The stand can have a shaft. A top cradle and a bottom cradle are provided and are pressed against the object being held. The top cradle is at or near a first end of the shaft, and can be adjustable vertically, rotatably and perpendicularly (distance from the shaft). Two brackets cooperate to form the lower or bottom cradle. The upper and lower cradles are separated by a distance. The two brackets also adjustably support at least three legs in a pivotable manner. Each bracket has at least one section having a leg pivot and at least one deployment hole. Three deployment holes arranged in an arc can be provided. Studs are provided for securement into a selected deployment hole.

Abstract: A two-piece canvas button comprises a shell, a back, and a piece of artist canvas tightly tucked between the shell and back. The shell provides a sturdy mounting for the artist canvas, on which an artist paints. The back may be a formed back with a frusto-conical margin that cooperates with a frusto-conical wall of the shell to tightly tuck the artist canvas. Alternately, the back may be a flat back, in which case the artist canvas is tightly tucked between the periphery of the flat back and the shell frusto-conical wall. A round canvas button with the flat back may have a flat coplanar flange; the artist canvas is tightly tucked between the flange and the back. A rectangular canvas button has coplanar flanges. Machines for manufacturing the canvas buttons may use either a third press stroke or only two strokes to manufacture the buttons with the coplanar flanges.

Abstract: A machine manufactures buttons having coplanar shell flanges in a two-stroke operation. The machine comprises a crimp die having different resistances to advancement of a ram. The first resistance enables a metal shell margin to partially bend under a flat back that is placed on a first surface of the crimp die. The second resistance enables the shell wall to completely bend against a second surface of the crimp die so as to form flanges that lie in a single plane. Both round and rectangular buttons are manufacturable using the same basic machine. The rectangular machine uses a shifter cage on the ram that rotates in response to indexing a die table on which the crimp die and a pickup die are attached. The round machine uses a rotatable frame on the ram. With the rectangular machine, the shell is initially bent during a pickup stroke of the ram.

Abstract: A circle cutting machine includes a template that is removeably installed in the bottom of a base. On the base bottom surface are a number of segments that define respective grooves for receiving the template. The base has a cross-beam that defines an axis of rotation and that receives a handle. On one end of the handle is a crank. The handle second end holds a cutting arm. A handle spring biases the cutting arm to contact the cross-beam. The handle is slideable in the cross-beam to locate the cutting arm below the plane of the base bottom surface for easy removing of the cutting arm from the handle. An adjuster rigidly locks and resiliently unlocks the cutting arm to the handle. The template has a circular periphery that enters the base grooves, and a tab that is between two segments, when the template is installed.

Abstract: An adapter enables a universal assembly machine to manufacture buttons with either flat backs or formed backs. The machine comprises a rotatably indexable die table to which are mounted pickup and crimp dies. A ram die is advancable and retractable in a pickup stroke and a crimp stroke. Indexing the die table causes a shifter post to rotate a ram outer ring into a pickup mode or a crimp mode to suit the ram pickup and crimp strokes, respectively. The universal assembly machine manufactures buttons with flat backs by using the adapter on the same crimp die pedestal as is used for manufacturing buttons with formed backs. The adapter has a top surface that is in the location relative to the ram die that suits flat back buttons. The adapter enables the same crimp die pedestal to be used for manufacturing both flat back and formed back buttons.

Abstract: A universal assembly machine manufactures button medallions. The machine comprises a rotatably indexable die table to which are mounted pickup and crimp dies. A ram die is advancable and retractable in a pickup stroke and a crimp stroke by means of a handle. Indexing the die table causes a shifter post to rotate a ram outer ring into a pickup mode or a crimp mode to suit the ram pickup and crimp strokes, respectively. The universal assembly machine also manufactures buttons with flat backs. To make a button medallion, a flat back button is loaded into the pickup die. The ram die is advanced in a third press stroke to bend the shell frusto-conical wall of the flat back button inwardly to be flat and parallel to the flat back. The thin edge of the button medallion enables it to be used as an attractive embellishment on flat surfaces.

Abstract: A universal assembly machine manufactures conventional buttons with formed backs. The machine comprises a rotatably indexable die table to which are mounted pickup and crimp dies. The die table indexes about a center column of the machine frame. A ram die is advancable and retractable in a pickup stroke and a crimp stroke by means of a handle. The ram die includes a ram outer ring that is rotatable by means of a shifter post joined to the die table. Indexing the die table causes the shifter post to rotate the ram outer ring into a pickup mode or a crimp mode to suit the ram pickup and crimp strokes, respectively. The universal assembly machine also manufactures buttons with flat backs by using a different crimp die pedestal than is used with the formed backs. An adapter on the crimp die pedestal used with formed backs allows that crimp die pedestal to also be used for manufacturing buttons with flat backs. The invention also embraces button medallions.

Abstract: A universal assembly machine manufactures button medallions. The machine comprises a rotatably indexable die table to which are mounted pickup and crimp dies. The die table indexes about a center column of the machine frame. A ram die is advancable and retractable in a pickup stroke and a crimp stroke by means of a handle. The ram die includes a ram outer ring that is rotatable by means of a shifter post joined to the die table. Indexing the die table causes the shifter post to rotate the ram outer ring into a pickup mode or a crimp mode to suit the ram pickup and crimp strokes, respectively. The universal assembly machine also manufactures buttons with flat backs. To make a button medallion a flat back button is loaded into the pickup die. The ram die is advanced in a third press stroke to bend the shell frusto-conical wall of the flat back button inwardly to be flat and parallel to the flat back. The thin edge of the button medallion enables it to be used as an attractive embellishment on flat surfaces.

Abstract: A universal assembly machine manufactures conventional buttons with formed backs. The machine comprises a rotatably indexable die table to which are mounted pickup and crimp dies. The die table indexes about a center column of the machine frame. A ram die is advancable and retractable in a pickup stroke and a crimp stroke by means of a handle. The ram die includes a ram outer ring that is rotatable by means of a shifter post joined to the die table. Indexing the die table causes the shifter post to rotate the ram outer ring into a pickup mode or a crimp mode to suit the ram pickup and crimp strokes, respectively. The universal assembly machine also manufactures buttons with flat backs by using a different crimp die pedestal than is used with the formed backs. An adapter on the crimp die pedestal used with formed backs allows that crimp die pedestal to also be used for manufacturing buttons with flat backs. The invention also embraces button medallions.

Abstract: A splice assembly joins two short or broken sickle bars with their attached cutter sections. The sickle bars and cutter sections have a series of aligned holes. Top and bottom splice plates sandwich the bars and cutter sections, and have a series of openings that register with the holes in the bars and cutter sections. The outer surface of each plate is countersunk at the openings, and a plurality of bolts with conical heads are received in the countersunk openings in one plate and a plurality of nuts with conical ends are threaded onto the bolts and received in the countersunk openings of the other plate.

Abstract: A button press has an indexable turntable on which are mounted a plurality of alternating lower forming die asseblies and crimping die assemblies. The lower die assemblies are positioned beneath an upper die assembly as the turntable is indexed. The upper die assembly is reciprocated towards and away from the lower die assemblies to first form a cover sheet and display sheet about a metal button front and then to join that subassembly to a metal back having a pin. The indexing of the turntable and the vertical reciprocation of the upper die assembly are provided by a single electric motor. The motor drives a sprocket which is mounted on a shaft leading to a right angle drive mechanism which converts the continuous rotation of the shaft into incemental rotary motion of the turntable. A vertical linkage extends from a face of the sprocket to one end of a walking beam whose other end is connected to a ramrod that mounts the upper die assembly.

Abstract: A button press has an indexable turntable on which are mounted a plurality of alternating lower forming die assemblies and crimping die assemblies. The lower die assemblies are positioned beneath an upper die assembly as the turntable is indexed. The upper die assembly is reciprocated towards and away from the lower die assemblies to first form a cover sheet and display sheet about a metal button front and then to join that subassembly to a metal back having a pin. The indexing of the turntable and the vertical reciprocation of the upper die assembly are provided by a single electric motor. The motor drives a sprocket which is mounted on a shaft leading to a right angle drive mechanism which converts the continuous rotation of the shaft into incremental rotary motion of the turntable. A vertical linkage extends from a face of the spracket to one end of a walking beam whose other end is connected to a ramrod that mounts the upper die assembly.