IMPROVEMENTS IN FISHING ROD JOINTS
Year: 1885

page_text: We THOMAS KIRKER and ADAM HUNTER both of Castle Arcade in the Town of
Belfast and County of Antrim in Ireland Gun Makers and Fishing-tackle Manu-
facturers do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
FISHING ROD JOINTS to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to get rid of the stiffness of the ordinary brass
ferule and to secure the flexibility attained by the lapped splice now frequently
employed for connecting the pieces of which fishing rods are made up.
For this purpose we construct a spiral metal band or coil of wire in the form of
a tapered tube and having a ferule at each end to fit the adjoining pieces of the
fishing rod. One of these ferules we fix upon or attach to one of the pieces of the
rod. The other ferule we connect with the other piece of the rod by means of a
threaded nut or spring-catch or other ordinary mechanical appliance so that the
two pieces of the rod may be separable.
The ends of the joints within the tapered band or coil are united by the
formation of scarf joints.

page_text: We THOMAS KIRKER and ADAM HUNTER both of Castle Arcade in the Town of
Belfast and County of Antrim in Ireland, Gun Makers and Fishing-tackle Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FISHING-ROD JOINTS' and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
"
The object of our Invention is to get rid of the stiffness of the ordinary ferrule
and to secure the flexibility attained by the lapped splice, now frequently employed
for connecting the pieces of which fishing-rods are commonly made up, combined
with the advantage of being easily and quickly put together or taken asunder,
when required.
For this purpose we construct a spiral metal band, or a spiral coil or spiral coils
of wire, projected into the form of a tapered tube, to fit closely round the adjoining
pieces of the fishing-rod and we employ this tapered spiral tube at every joint, a
that all the pieces of which the rod is made up may be separable, according to the
usual practice.
One of these tapered spiral tubes we fix upon or attach to the rod, at each joint,
by means of a pin, the wider part of the tube being preferably so fixed upon the
lower or thicker piece of the rod and the higher or thinner piece of the rod being
left free for connection or removal, when putting the rod together or taking it
asunder.
We encircle each end of the tapered spiral tube with an external ferrule or ring
which makes it fit more firmly upon the rod.
The higher or thinner piece of the rod may be held in connection with the
tapered spiral tube, while necessary, by means of a threaded nut or spring catch or
other ordinary mechanical appliance or contrivance, but the arrangement we prefer
to employ consists in the use of a stud attached to or fixed upon the higher or
thinner piece of the rod at a point at which, when the pieces are in proper
connection, it will pass through a longitudinal slot or groove under the external
ferrule or ring, into a transverse slot or groove cut in the tapered spiral tube, or
what is commonly known as the "bayonet catch," where it is held when turned
aside and out of the line of the longitudinal slot or groove.
Where the tapered spiral tube is constructed of a coil or coils of wire we may
find it necessary to modify its flexibility by the use of an additional collar or ring
or additional collars or rings placed externally between the terminal ferrules or
rings or at intervals between such ferrules or rings.
The adjoining ends of the pieces of the rod are united within the tapered spiral
tube by the formation of scarf joints or of a tapered counter or plug on the end of
the higher or thinner piece and a correlative bore or socket in the end of the lower
or thicker piece to receive the tapered counter or plug and we place an external
collar or ring on the tapered spiral tube opposite the part touched, internally, by
the extremity of the lower or thicker piece of the rod, when the pieces are in
proper connection, in order to give strength and firmness to the joint. A corres-
ponding collar or ring may be placed at a similar distance from the other end of
the tapered spiral tube for additional firmness or uniformity of appearance,

page_text: And in order that our said Invention may be more fully understood we shall
now proceed to describe the drawings upon the sheet hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating the same or corresponding parts of our said Invention
throughout all the figures upon said sheet.
.
Fig. I is a view of the end of the lower piece of a fishing rod with a spiral metal
band in the form of a tapered tube attached to it, the groove or slot to receive the
stud on the upper piece of the rod, and the external ferrule or ring at each end and
the collars or rings externally between the ends.
Fig. II is a view of the end of the adjoining upper piece of a fishing rod with
the stud to pass into the groove or slot in the tapered spiral tube and a tapered
counter or plug to fit into the correlative bore or socket in the end of the lower
piece.
Fig. III is a longitudinal section of the two adjoining pieces of a fishing rod
jointed together and of the tapered spiral tube connecting them and
Fig. IV is a view of the two adjoining pieces of a fishing rod jointed together
and enclosed within a tapered spiral tube as when in use.
a is the spiral metal band in the form of a tapered tube: b b are the external
terminal ferrules or rings at the ends of a: c c are collars or rings placed externally
between the terminal ferrules or rings b, b: d is the groove or slot in the tapered
spiral tube, a, to receive the stud, e, in the upper piece of the rod, f; and g is the
tapered counter or plug fitting into the correlative bore or socket in the end of h,
the lower piece of the fishing rod.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. The use, in fishing-rods, of a spiral metal band, arranged with ferrules and
collars or rings constructed and employed substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein before described and shown in the drawings hereunto annexed.
2. The use, in fishing-rods, of a spiral coil or spiral coils of wire, arranged with
ferrules and collars or rings, constructed and employed substantially in the manner
and for the purposes herein before described and shewn in the drawings hereunto
annexed and
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting our flexible fishing-
rod joint, constructed and applied substantially in the manner and for the purposes
herein before described and illustrated by the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 19th dor of Fab 1226
HYNDMAN & DICKSON,
Agents for Applicants.