IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE SUSPENDERS OF AGATE SCALE BEAMS, AND IN TOOLS OR و
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Patrick Henry Sharkey, of Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Provision Dealer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE SUSPENDERS OF AGATE SCALE BEAMS, AND IN TOOLS OR
و"
Sealed the 28th July 1871, and dated the 2nd February 1871..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Patrick Henry
Sharkey at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 2nd February 1871.
I, PATRICK HENRY SHARKEY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lan-
caster, Provision Dealer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SUSPENDERS OF AGATE SCALE. BEAMS, AND
IN TOOLS OR APPLIANCES EMPLOYED. IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE. SAME," to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in the suspenders of scale
beams or balences of the kind or class now extensively known as agate
scale beams, for which I obtained Her Majesty's Letters Patent,

page_text: No. 214 of the year 1857, that is to say, that kind or class of scale
beams or balances the suspenders of which are formed or provided
with boxes for containing bushes or bearings usually composed of agates
or hard stones, but capable also of being made of hard metal, and also
to tools or appliances employed in the manufacture of agate scale
beams.
The principal objects of my present improvements are (1) to prevent
snipping or breaking of the edges of the bushes or bearings when in
use, and (2) to ensure that the surfaces of each pair of the said bushes
or bearings in a suspender are truly axial or in the same plane.
For these purposes I proceed in carrying the first part of my Invention
into practice as follows:-I cast or construct the suspenders each in one
piece with the outer ends of the boxes open instead of closed as hitherto ;
I next bed and fix the bushes or bearings, preferably in a rough ground
condition, in the boxes, fitting close against the outer ends of each bush
or bearing when of agate or hard stone, a plate or piece of steel or hard
metal, also rough ground on its bearing surface or formed flush with
the bushes or bearings. This being done I finish, grind, and polish the
bushes or bearings, the steel plates when used being part thereof in the
position they occupy when in use on a parallel mandril or face plate
hereafter described. After the finishing, grinding, and polishing of the
bushes or bearings a plate or piece of gun metal or other hard metal is
fitted into or to the suspender over the outer ends of the boxes to serve
as thrust pieces for the ends of the vee-shaped or other centres. The
parallel mandril is made of a core of steel or rigid metal covered with
lead or soft metal, and the face plate of a backing of rigid metal faced
with lead or other soft metal. When the former is used for finishing
concave bushes or bearings I make it cylindrical and cause it to rotate,
and when the latter is used for flat bushes or bearings a to-and-fro
motion is imparted to it; in both cases emery, lapdaries' rottenstone,
rouge, or other reducing powder is employed.
According to the second part of my Invention, which has for its object
to finish, grind, and polish concave bushes in position in boxes with
closed outer ends a revolving mandril constructed as above described is
employed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Patrick Henry Sharkey in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PATRICK
HENRY SHARKEY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Provision
Dealer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Patrick Henry Sharkey, Her special
license that I, the said Patrick Henry Sharkey, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Patrick Henry
Sharkey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SUSPENDERS OF AGATE SCALE BEAMS, AND IN TOOLS
OR APPLIANCES EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAME,' upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Patrick Henry Sharkey, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Patrick Henry Sharkey, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet
of illustrative Drawings, and to the figures and letters of reference
marked thereon, that is to say :—
My Invention relate to improvements in the suspenders of scale
beams or balances of the kind or class now exclusively known as agate

page_text: scale beams for which I obtained Her Majesty's Letters Patent, No. 214
of the year One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, that is to say,
that kind or class of scale beams or balances the suspenders of which are
formed or provided with boxes for containing bushes or bearings usually
composed of agates or hard stones, but capable also of being made of
hard metal, and also to tools or appliances employed in the manufacture
of agate scale beams.
The principal objects of my present improvement are (1) to prevent
snipping or breaking of the edges of the bushes or bearings when in use;
and (2) to ensure that the surfaces of each pair of the said bushes or
bearings in a suspender are truly axial are in the same plane.
For these purposes I proceed in carrying the first part of my Invention
into practice as follows:-I cast or construct the suspenders each in one
piece with the outer ends of the boxes open instead of closed as hitherto;
I next bed and fix the bushes or bearings, preferably in a rough ground
condition in the boxes, fitting close against the outer ends of each bush
or bearing, when of agate or hard stone, a plate or piece of steel or hard
metal, also rough ground on its bearing surface or formed flush with the
bushes or bearings. This being done, I finish, grind, and polish the
bushes or bearings, the steel plates when used being part thereof in the
position they occupy when in use on a parallel mandril or face plate
hereafter described. After the finish, grinding, and polishing of the
bushes or bearings a plate or piece of gun metal or other hard metal is
fitted into or to the suspender over the outer ends of the boxes to serve
as thrust pieces for the ends of the vee-shaped or other centres. The
parallel mandril is made of a core of steel or rigid metal covered with
lead or soft metal, and the face plate of a backing of rigid metal faced
with lead or other soft metal. When the former is used for finishing
concave bushes or bearings I make it cylindrical, and cause it to rotate,
and when the latter is used for flat bushes or bearings a to-and-fro
motion is imparted to it; in both cases, emery lapidaries' rottenstone,
rough, or other reducing powder is employed.
According to the second part of my Invention, which has for its
object to finish, grind, and polish concave bushes in position in boxes
with closed outer ends, a revolving mandril constructed as above
described is employed...

page_text: Figure One is a side elevation, Figure Two an end elevation, in both
of these views one of the end suspenders is removed; Figures 3 and 4
vertical sections of a centre suspender, a cylindrical mandril being shown
in longitudinal section section in the lathe; Figure 5 an end elevation,
and Figure 6 a plan of an agate or other hard bush or bearing and steel
plate, all such Figures being views illustrative of a scale beam or balance
with concave bushes or bearings, and of a tool or appliance constructed
in accordance with the first part of my Invention. Like letters indicate
the same parts in all the views.
a denotes the beam; b, main knife edge contre; c, end knife edge
centres; d, centre suspender; e, end suspenders; f, boxes in suspenders
to receive the bushes or bearings g and steel plates / when the latter are
used. The outer ends of the boxes are cast or otherwise made open to
allow the mandril A, shown in Figure 4, or its equivalent, to be passed
through for the purpose of truly grinding the surfaces of the bushes or
bearings g and plates in the boxes, that is to say, both of the bushes or
bearings g and plates h at the same time. It will be seen that the inner
ends of the boxes are flush with the bearing surfaces of the bushes g,
and that the said inner ends of the boxes are ground at the same time as
the agates and plates of hard metal. If desired, plates of hard metal
may also be fitted at the inner ends of the agates or hard stones.. i are
closing pieces of metal or other hard material, which are fixed in the
suspenders, say in vee grooves, to serve as thrust pieces for the ends of
the centres b and c.
When the agate bushes g have flat bearing surfaces then the mandril
must have a flat grinding surface, so as to reduce the bushes and side
metals at the same time.
It will be evident that the side metal plates / may be dispensed with
without departing from my Invention. Scale beams constructed without
them, however, are liable to snipping of the edges of the bushes g.
The parallel mandril A is formed of a core j of metal or rigid material
and of a covering of lead or other soft material k. A mandrel of the
kind delineated is caused to rotate, and the bushes in the suspender
caused to bear against it; the bushes of a number of suspenders may be
caused to bear at the same time. In all cases emery, lapidaries' rotten-
stone, or other reducing or polishing powder is used. When a flat

page_text: '
surface mandril is employed a to-and-fro motion is imparted to it, a
reducing or polishing powder being also used.
When a revolving mandril is employed to grind bushes fitted in boxes
with closed outer ends under the second part of my Invention, that is,
boxes constructed under my 1857 Patent above referred to, such mandril
is made short, so that it will fit into the boxes, and there is affixed on it
at about its centre a pulley or gearing, or space is left for a driving or
operating cord, so that it can be rotated.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and par-
ticularized the same so that others will be enabled to work thereunder, ]
I claim,-
First. Constructing the outer ends of the suspenders open for the
purpose set forth.
Second. Fitting hard metal plates at the outer ends of agate or hard
bearings for the purpose of preventing snipping.
Third. In the manufacture of suspenders grinding the bearings in both
boxes at the same time for the purpose of ensuring that both bearings
are truly axial or in the same place.
Fourth. Fitting plates in or over the outer ends of the boxes for the
purpose of closing the same and providing thrust pieces for the knife 2
édge centres.
Fifth. Constructing and using parallel mandrils of a hard corc or
backing and a lead or other soft grinding surface.
Sixth. Employing a rotating mandril to grind two agates or hard
bearings at the same time in suspenders the boxes of which have closed 2
outer ends.
In witness whereof, I, the said Patrick Henry Sharkey, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Thirty-first day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
3
In the presence of
J. GLENNY.
PATRICK HENRY SHARKEY. (L.S.)