IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COFERED SPADES AND OTHER COFERED TOOLS
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ORME, of Stourbridge, in the County of Worcester, Iron Master, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eighteenth day of February, in the fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Orme, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Orme, my exors, adñors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Orme, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of the years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COFERED
SPADES AND OTHER COFERED TOOLS" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, that I, the said William Orme, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within'
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Orme, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention; and'
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):-

page_text: "
In the manufacture of cofered spades and other such like cofered tools, cach
such spade or tool is formed, first, by forging a strap and hollowing out a part
of each of two pieces of iron; then by welding the two pieces of iron called
"half moulds" together, leaving the portions forming the straps and cofer for
receiving the handle open, and the cutting edge has steel applied thereto, by
welding steel between the two "half moulds;" or by applying it on the face of
one of the "half moulds;" the mould thus produced is afterwards hammered
or formed into the shape desired for the blade of the spade, shovel, or other
such like tool; and in making spades, shovels, or other like tools which are not
cofered, the blade of a spade or such like tool is forged out of either one piece
of iron or two pieces welded solidly together, having steel welded on to or in
the centre of the cutting edge and face of the blade.
Now, the object of my Invention is to form cofered spades and shovels, or
such like cofered tools, by forming the mold for each such cofered spade or tool
out of one piece or portion of iron, and to form the straps by splitting a part
of the said one piece or portion of iron when the piece of metal suitably
formed is in a heated or red-hot state, and then by a wedged-shape tool to
form or open out the cofer, so as to produce a similar recess to that now left
when two "half moulds" are used, but more perfect in form and soundness.
And in order to give the best information in my power, I will proceed to
describe the means pursued by me. I form a piece of iron into the shape it
would assume when two "half moulds" have been welded together (see
Figures 1 and 2), but according to my improvements the same would not be
opened at that part where the handle is to be received, but would be solid, and
require the straps and cofer for the handle to be separated or opened. The
picce of iron is to be heated to a red heat, and the part A is to be split, and
I prefer to do so by means of a circular saw, and the two parts being then
separated or opened out by means of a wedge-shaped tool, the cofer is to be
formed by driving such wedge-shaped tool into the piece of iron which is to
form the blade of the cofered spade or other similar cofered tool. The mould
will now be in form and character similar to what will be produced when two
"half moulds" of the former mode of making such cofered tools had been
welded together, and the mould so produced according to my Invention is to
be finished in the same manner as if "two half moulds" had been welded
together, which is well understood. And I have only to remark, that in
'steeling" the cutting edges of such cofered spades, shovels, or such like
cofered tools, that that oporation is performed in the same manner as heretofore
practised when making spades and other tools without coffers, which is well
understood, consisting of simply applying steel at the cutting edges, either on

page_text: the surface or inserted between the iron. My Invention does not, however,
relate to the mode of applying steel to the cutting edges.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents an edge view, Figure 2 a plan, of a piece of iron in the
proper shape for a spade or shovel when according to my Invention; Figure 3
shews the piece of iron when the part A has been split; Figure 4 shews a
section of the mould produced after having driven in a wedge-shaped tool to
form the cofer; Figure 5 shows an edge view of the "mould" produced
according to my Invention, as herein described; Figure 6 shews two views
of a cofered spade on a smaller scale than the other Figures. As my Invention
only relates to the mode of making the straps and cofer, whether the same be
for a spade or a shovel, or other similar tool, and as the nature or name of the
tool depends on the shape into which the metal is formed or forged, I have
not thought it necessary to shew a shovel or other similar tool with a cofer;
the forming of the blades of such tools will be similar to what has been
heretofore practised, and the straps and cofer will be made by splitting and
opening the cofer by sawing and driving in a suitable tool, as has been fully
described.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the processes herein mentioned which have been heretofore practised in the
manufacture of cofered spades and other cofered tools; but what I claim as
the Invention secured by the above recited Letters Patent is, the mode of
making cofered spades and other cofered tools, by dispensing with the use of
the two "half moulds" heretofore employed in making such spade or tool,
and forming the straps and cofers of spades and other tools as bercin
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Orme, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and forty-one
WILLIAM (L.S.) ORME.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-named
William Orme, in the presence of
RANDAL F. TONGUE,

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of August, in the
year of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid William Orme came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Third day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-one.