IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SETTING STEEL PENS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Weber, of Zürich, in the Republic of
Switzerland, but now of 147, Cheapside, in the City of London,
Surgical Instrument Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR SETTING STEEL PENS."
Sealed the 4th June 1867, and dated the 21st December 1866..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Weber at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st December 1866.
I, MICHAEL WEBER, of Zürich, in the Republic of Switzerland, but now of
147, Cheapside, in the City of London, Surgical Instrument Maker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR SETTING STEEL PENS," to be as follows:-
The chief object of this Invention is to enable writers to set their steel
pens to suit their different styles of writing and to utilize pens which are now.
supposed to be worn out. To this end I mount a slip of Arkansas or other
cutting stone baving a fine grain upon a swivel frame, the ends of which are
carried by swivel pins or centres that are capable of sliding in parallel guides.
formed in a rigid arched frame; this frame may be secured to a base
forming a weight suitable for a counting house table, or it may be an arched

page_text: skeleton frame with a ring at its base for holding it. In the centre of the
arch I provide a bearing for a fulcrum pin which carries a rock lever; this
rock lever is intended to hold the pen to be operated upon, and for this purpose
it is provided near its upper end with a rest for the pen handle, and at its
lower end with a socket to receive the nibs of the pen; a spring is also
fitted to the socket for holding the nibs firmly in place. The frame carrying
the stone receives a tendency to move upwards or towards the rock lever
from coiled springs inserted in the hollow arms of the main or arched frame
and connected to the slides carrying the swivel pins or centres. The pen
when applied to the instrument is moved to and fro with its nibs in contact
with the stone, and the pressure or tension of the coiled springs will cause the
stone to remain in contact with the pen while the nibs are being drawn to
and fro over its surface, and at the same time the stone yields to the pressure
of the pen; the nibs may thus be quickly rounded to give the pen a smooth
passage over the paper in writing, and if a chamfered or rounded edge is
required to be given to the nibs it is only necessary to tip the swivel frame,
which will thus allow of their being ground to any required anglo. The
instrument is applicable not only to the setting of writing pens, but to the
setting of drawing pens.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Weber in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
WEBER, of Zurich, in the Republic of Switzerland, but now of 147,
Cheapside, in the City of London, Surgical Instrument Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Michael Weber, Her special licence that I, the said Michael Weber, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said Michael
Weber, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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

page_text: Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
SETTING STEEL PENS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Michael Weber, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Offico within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Michael Weber, 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 state-
ment, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The chief object of this Invention is to enable writers to set their steel
pens to suit their different styles of writing and to utilize writing pens which
are now supposed to be worn out without calling for any special skill on
their part. The apparatus or instrument which I have designed for this
purpose is also applicable when slightly modified to the setting of drawing
pens.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a front view, and Fig. 2 a side
view of the instrument applied to a slab, and fitted to stand upon the writing
table or desk ready for use; Fig. 3 is a front view, and Fig. 4 a side viow
of the same instrument formed with a thumb piece to hold it by. In point of
construction and action the two instruments are substantially alike, the same
description will therefore apply to both instruments.
A represents a slip of Arkansas or other cutting stone having a fine grain,
over which the nibs of the pen to be set are to be drawn. This slip of stone is
mounted in a swivel frame B, tho ends of which are made spherical, connected
to these spherical ends by means of swivel pins or centres (see the detached
sectional view of the frame at Fig. 5) are wings or guide plates B* which
slido in parallel guides formed in a rigid arched frame D; this frame may
be secured to a base forming a weight suitable for a counting house table, as
shewn at C, Figures 1 and 2, or it may be an arched skeleton frame with a ring
at its base for holding it, as shown at Figures 3 and 4. In the centre of the
arch I provide a bearing for a fulcrum pin E which carries a rock lever F;
this rock lever is intended to hold the pen to be operated upon, and for this
purpose it is provided near its upper end with a rest for the pen handle, and
at its lower end with a socket to receive the nibs of the pen, as shown at
Fig. 3. A spring f, shewn best at Fig. 1, is also fitted to the socket for

page_text: holding the nibs firmly in place. The frame carrying the stone receives a
tendency to move upwards or towards the rock lover from coiled springs G, G,
inserted in the hollow arms of the main or arched frame; in Fig. 1 these
springs are shewn as inserted below the wings or guide plates B* and as
pressing the frame upwards, but at Fig. 8. the swivel frame B. is shewn
suspended by the springs which are secured to fixed pins in the hollow
frame D. The pen when applied to the instrument is moved to and fro with
its nibs in contact with the stone, and the pressure or tension, as the case may
be, of the coiled springs will cause the stone to remain in contact with tho
pen while the nibs are being drawn to and fro over its surface, and at the
same time the stono yields readily to the pressure put on it by the reciprocating
movements of the pen. The nibs may thus be quickly rounded to give the
pen a smooth passage over the paper in writing, and if a chamfered or
rounded edge is required to be given to the nibs it is only necessary to tip
the swivel frame on its centres, when the nibs may be ground to any required:
angle. To render the instrument applicable to the finishing of the setting of
drawing pens the sockets for receiving the nibs must be slightly modified in
form, and it may with advantage be slit to enable it to open and receive nibs.
of various sizes.
Having now described the nature of my Invention of "improved apparatus
for setting steel pens, and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters.
Patent I claim, the apparatus for setting steel pens, constructed and operating
as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Weber, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
MICHAEL WEBER. (L.S.)