IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDE AND OTHER LIKE WHEEL SPOKE ADJUSTERS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, EDWARD BARNES of Upper Webster Street, Aston New Town Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDE AND OTHER LIKE WHEEL SPOKE
ADJUSTERS" to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to spoke adjusters, commonly called tighteners, for
adjusting or screwing up principally the spokes of the wheels of velocipedes; and
my said Invention consists essentially of a fixed and moveable jaw, between which
the spoke to be rotated gripped and held. The opening and closing of the jaw
being effected by a thumb screw or fly nut, which when rotated upon a wormed
end of the fixed part, either in one or other direction, the sliding jaw travels
backwards and forwards according to the direction in which it is turned.
By my improvements, spoke adjusters or tighteners, are both simple in their
construction, efficient in their action, and are not liable to get out of order; and
from the fact of having double, triple or quadruple grips, it follows that should
one or any of the grips become worn or injured, the instrument is turned round
to the work, so as to present a perfect one.
I will describe my Invention in which a double grip only is required.
In constructing spoke adjusters according to my Invention; I make the fixed
jaw or head with a square shank or stem which is wormed at its end; the said
shank or stem is of much smaller diameter than the head, which allows it to
over-hang the shank, and so leave inside faces which have on opposite sides
grooves or seats cut therein, in which the spokes or wires of the wheel lie, when
being held.
The moveable jaw has a square hole through its middle which slides upon the
square shank of the fixed part, and is provided at its lower or grip end with V like
grips on opposite sides corresponding to the grooves or seats in the fixed part.
The other end has under cuts formed in which a like conical or annular shoulder
on the thumb screw or fly nut engages; that is, the top of the moveable jaw is
provided with cars or projections, which are undercut on their inner sides, so that

page_text: the conical collar on the end of the thumb screw or fly nut is capable of being
readily connected or disconnected therewith. Or the thumb screw may be
connected to the moveable jaw, by a pin passing through the top of the moveable
jaw and taking into an annular groove on the collar of the thumb screw or
fly nut.
In using the instrument, the spoke to be gripped is placed within one or other
of the grooves or seats of the fixed part, when by rotating the thumb screw in
the proper direction, the moveable jaw is advanced forward with the grips forcibly
pressing upon the spoke, which is thereby held or clamped between the fixed and
moveable part, and there held and rotated with the spoke, until the spoke has
been screwed up or properly adjusted within the wheel.
Deted this First day of Sentember 1884

page_text: I EDWARD BARNES of Upper Webster Street, Aston New Town Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDE AND OTHER LIKE WHEEL SPOKE
ADJUSTERS" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My Invention has reference to spoke adjusters, commonly called tighteners, for
adjusting or screwing up principally, the spokes of the wheels of velocipedes; and
my said Invention consists essentially of a fixed and moveable jaw, between which
the spoke to be rotated is gripped and held. The opening and closing of the jaw
being effected by a thumb screw or fly nut, which when rotated upon a wormed
end of the fixed part, either in one or other direction, the sliding jaw travels
back-wards and forwards according to the direction in which it is turned.
By my improvements, spoke adjusters or tighteners, aro both simple in their
construction, efficient in their action, and are not liable to get out of order; and
from the fact of having double triple or quadruple grips, it follows that should
one or any of the grips become worn or injured, the instrument is turned round
to the work, so as to present a perfect one.
I will describe my Invention in which a double grip only is required.
In constructing spoke adjusters according to my Invention; I make the fixed
jaw or head with a square shank or stem which is wormed at its end; the said
shank or stem is of a much smaller diameter than the head, which allows it to
overhang the shank and so leave inside faces, which have on opposite sides
grooves or seats cut therein, in which the spokes or wires of the wheel lie, when
being held:
The moveable jaw has a square hole through its middle which slides upon the
square shank of the fixed part, and is provided at its lower or grip end with V like
grips on opposite sides corresponding to the grooves or seats in the fixed part-The
other end, has undercuts formed in which a like conical or annular shoulder on
the thumb screw or fly nut engages; that is, the top of the moveable jaw is
provided with ears or projections, which are undercut on their inner sides, so that
the conical collar on the end of the thumb screw or fly nut is capable of being
readily connected or disconnected therewith if desired-Or the thumb screw may
be connected to the moveable jaw, by a pin passing through the top of the
moveable jaw and taking into an annular groove on the collar of the thumb screw
or fly nut.
In using the instrument, the spoke to be gripped is placed within one or other
of the grooves or seats of the fixed part, when by rotating the thumb screw or
fly nut in the proper direction, the moveable jaw is advanced, forward with the
grips forcibly pressing upon the spoke, which thereby held or clamped between
the fixed and movable part, and there held and rotated with the spoke, until the
spoke has been screwed up or properly adjusted within the wheel.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing,
the manner in which my Invention is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in front elevation, and Figures 3 and 4 longitudinal
vertical sections, a wheel spoke adjuster constructed according to my Invention,
the said Figure 1 shews the jaws of the adjuster raised, and Figure 2 represents

page_text: the same lowered with one of the said Jaws in the act of gripping a spoke. Figure 3
is a section of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a section of Figure 2-Figure 5 represents
the movable jaw in front elevation, side elevation, section and top and bottom
plans Figure 6 represents in elevation the fixed jaw, and its shank, also a plan of
the same Figure 7 shews a thumb screw or fly nut, in elevation and section-
Figure 9 represents a modification of the connecting part of the fly nut to the top
of the jaw.
Figure 10 shews a plan of the fixed jaw used with a moveable jaw having four
instead of two grips as described-Figure 11 is the said moveable jaw.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
a
is the fixed jaw or head with a square shank a² which is wormed at its upper
end a³; b is the movable jaw with its double grips 62, 63, situated at the lower end
thereof 3. 3. is a square hole passing through the said moveable jaw, which slides
upon the square shank a²-a. a. are grooves or seats, in which the spokes of the
wheel lie when being turned-c is a fly nut which screws upon the top of the
wormed shank a³ of the fixed jaw a; this fly-nut causes the moveable jaw b to
advance upon and retire from the spoke to be held in one of the seats of the fixed
jaw The said fly-nut is connected to the top of the moveable jaw by a screw
pin d which takes into an annular groove c² in the collar c³.
In using the instrument or adjuster, the spoke e to be gripped and adjusted is
placed within one or other of the grooves or seats a³. a*, when rotating the fly
nut c from right to left, the moveable jaw b is advanced upon the the square shank,
until one or other of the grips bª. 6ª come upon the spoke e as represented in
Figures 2 and 4, forcibly pressing the jaws or grips 62. 62. upon the spoke e, which
is thereby held or clamped between the fixed and moveable part, and there held
and rotated, with the spoke, until the spoke should have been screwed up, or
properly adjusted within the wheel.
To detach the spoke adjuster from the screwed up spoke, it is only necessary to
rotate the fly nut in an opposite direction, when the moveable jaw is caused to
retire and so liberate the spoke from its grip.
Spoke adjusters constructed according to my Invention herein before described
are both simple in their construction, efficient in their action by obtaining a direct
grip upon the object to be held, and moreover they are not liable to get out of
order, from the fact that should either of the seats or grips become injured or
worn, it is only necessary to turn the instrument to a fresh side, so as to present
a perfect grip or seat or both.
In Figure 8 the fly nut is attached to the top of the body of the moveable jaw
by a conical shoulder c taking into undercuts formed on the inner sides or
projections b³. The fly nut in this modification is capable of being disconnected
from the moveable jaw if desired-In Figure 10 the spoke seats are shown four in
number, in which four grips 62 of the moveable jaw respectively overhang.
In applying my Invention to spoke adjusters or tighteners for the wheels of
other vehicles, differs in no essential respect from its application to that of a
velocipede.
Having now particularly described the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is-
First Constructing and arranging wheel spoke adjusters or tighteners, with
two or more grips or holders in the manner hereinbefore described, and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing; whereby the moveable jaw carrying the grips or
holders of the spoke adjuster is caused to advance or retire upon a fixed stem or
shank by rotating a fly nut or thumb screw, either in one or other direction for
gripping and holding the spoke to be turned or for releasing the adjuster; the
Beveral parts being constructed, arranged and operating substantially in the manner
as described and illustrated.

page_text: Secondly The improvements in wheel spoke adjusters hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing; that is to say, the fixed jaw or
body a with single, double or quadrupal seats a', the moveable jaw b with its grip
or grips b³, and the thumb screw c attached to the top of the said moveable jaw';
the parts being combined, arranged, and working in the way as described and
illustrated.
Thirdly-The modification as shewn in Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the
accompanying Drawings.