IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SWORDS AND MATCHETS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Mole, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, and Robert Mole, junior, of Birming
ham aforesaid, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SWORDS AND MATCHETS."
Sealed the 16th April 1858, and dated the 19th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Mole and
Robert Mole, junior, at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 19th October 1852.
We, ROBERT MOLE and ROBERT MOLE, junior, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF SWORDS AND MATCHETS" to be as follows:-
The improvements in matchets consist, firstly, in the mode of making
the tangs, which is done by means of cutting them out of the solid
metal by means of a pair of tools; secondly, tapering them by means
of back rolling, and afterwards cutting them out of the solid metal;
thirdly, putting in the hollow by means of tools worked in a tilt
hammer or stamp, and cutting them out of the solid steel by means of
steel tools; fourthly, cleaning out the furrows by means of a wheel

page_text: made of metal; fifthly, making the handles of matchets by first
roughly forming them by saws, and then turning them in an oval lathe,
and drilling the holes therein by means of three drills operating at the
same time.
'The improvement in manufacturing swords consists in applying
thereto the method above described of putting in the hollow and
raising the rib- on-the-point-by means of tools worked in a tilt
hammon
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Mole and Robert Mole, junior, in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the. 18th April. 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc,
ROBERT MOLE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufac-
turer, and ROBERT MOLE, junior,, of Birmingham aforesaid, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of October, in' the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
sixteenth year of Fer reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto us. the said Robert Mole and -Robert 'Mole,
junior; Her special licence that we, the said Robert Mole and Robert
Mole, junior, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we; the said Robert Mole and Robert Mole, junior, our executors,
administrators, or assigns,, should. at any time agree with, and .no
others, from time to time at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully night 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 MANUFACTURE OF SWORDS AND MATCHETS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Robert Molo and Robert, Mole, junior, or one
of us, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of,one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain

page_text: 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 we, the said Robert Mole and Robert
Mole, junior, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say.
The first part of our Invention consists of a method of forming the
tangs of matchets. In the ordinary method of manufacture the said
tangs are made of iron, and joined to the steel blade of the matchet by
welding. Our Invention consists in making the said tangs out of the
end of the steel blade of the matchet, and we give the requisite shape
to the said tangs by cutting the same in a pair of dies or tools worked
in a press or other machine suitable for cutting metals. We prefer to
heat the said steel to redness previous to cutting the said tang, but we
do not limit ourselves thereto.
The second part of our Invention consists in tapering the tangs of
matchets (where the same require to be tapered) by the process of back
rolling, which said process is thus practised :-The workman stands on
that side of a pair of rolls on which the opposed faces of the revolving
rolls advance towards him; the said rolls are plain or cylindrical.
excepting that a portion is cut away in one or both of the rolls, so
that the workman can introduce the tang to be tapered between the
said rolls in a direction contrary to that in which the opposed faces of
the rolls are moving; as the rolls continue their motion the uncut or
cylindrical faces of the said rolls grasp the said tang; and taper the
same, delivering it to the workman on that side of the said rolls on
which it was introduced. This process may be repeated until the tang
is sufficiently tapered.
The third part of our Invention consists of methods of forming the
groove or furrow which runs along both sides of a matchet near the
back edge thereof. In the ordinary method of manufacture the said
grooves or furrows are formed by rolling. Our Invention consists' in

page_text: forming the said furrows either by the action of a pair of dies or by
cutting tools. When we use a pair of dies for making the said grooves
or furrows we fix one of the said dies on an anvil block, and the other
die to a tilt hammer, and having heated the blade in which the grooves
or furrows are to be made, the said heated blade is drawn between the
said dies. The upper die being worked, the said grooves are formed by
the percussive action of the said tilt hammer, the groove on the under
side of the blade being produced by the lower or fixed die, and the
groove on the upper side being produced by the die attached to the tilt
hammer. The figures of the said dies are varied so as to produce
grooves or furrows of the form and size required. When we use
cutting tools to form the said grooves or furrows we fix the said cutting
tools in a way similar to that in which the cutting tools are fixed in a
planing machine, and we cause the matchet blade to be drawn under
the said cutting tools as the metal to be, planed is drawn under the
cutters in the ordinary planing machine; or we fix the said blade, and
cause the cutters to travel over the said blade. The matchet blade is not
heated, but the steel has been softened previous to subjecting it to the
action of the cutters. The form and size of the said cutters are varied
according to the form and size of the furrows to be produced. When
the grooves or furrows are made by the cutting process last described
the blade has to be hardened after the said grooves have been cut
therein, and during the said hardening the steel becomes blackened,
and the said grooves or furrows require to be polished or cleaned
out; and,
The fourth part of our Invention consists of a method of cleaning
out the said grooves or furrows. In carrying this part of our Invention
into effect we use a nietal wheel, the edge of which has the figure, or
nearly so, of the groove or furrow to be cleaned; and we make the edge
of the said wheel to work during its revolution in the grooves or
furrows of the matchet blade, and we supply the said wheel with any
suitable grinding or polishing material or mixture. We find a copper
wheel supplied with a mixture of emery powder and oil to answer very
well, but we do not confine ourselves thereto.
The fifth part of our Invention consists of a method of making the

page_text: wooden handles of matchets. We form the said handles by cutting the
same in a machine constructed in the following manner:-A series of
cutters are fixed in the circumference of a wheel or disc, rotating on a
horizontal axis; the said cutters are fixed in the circumference of the
said wheel in a position intermediate between a tangent and radius; to
the said circumference we prefer to use six or eight of the said cutters
fixed at equidistant points, but we do not limit ourselves to any particular
number. The wood to be made into a handle is first roughly formed
by sawing or otherwise, and then fixed in an apparatus rosenbling an
ordinary turning lathe: the said apparatus consists of three uprights,
two of the said uprights having collars or journals in which a spindle
works. and a third upright carrying a fixed centre; the three uprights
slide on a triangular or prismatic bar, as in the ordinary lathe, and the
ends of the said triangular bar turn on centres, so that the piece of wood
to be made into a handle is capable, when fixed between the end of the
spindle and the fixed centre, of three different motions; that is to say, it
may be made to rotate on its axis by the spindle; it has a motion along
its axis on the bar, and it has a motion in a plane at right angles to its
axis by the turning of the triangular bar on its centres. A model or pat-
tern handle of the shape which the one to be made is intended to have
is fixed at the end of the spindle, which communicates a rotatory motion
to the wood to be fashioned, and a fixed pointer or guide on the bed of
the machine hears against the side of the said model or pattern handle.
The axis of the before-mentioned system of cutters is parallel to the
spindle which carries the wood to be fashioned, and the edge or circum-
ference of the said cutting wheel is brought against the said roughly
fashioned piece of wood; a rapid rotatory motion is communicated to the
system of cutters, and a slow rotatory motion to the piece of wood to be
made into a handle, the said wood at the same time being made to slide
along its axis in the said sliding motion, the model or pattern handle
bearing against the fixed stop or guide determining the exact distance
to which the piece of wood shall approach the revolving cutters, and
consequently the shape of the handle. The rotatory motion and sliding
motion of the said piece of wood are effected by mechanism resembling
that which is used for cutting screws in lathes, and the whole apparatus

page_text: (apart from the cutters) so nearly resembles an ordinary lathe that we
do not consider a more particular description necessary.
The sixth part of our Invention consists of a method of drilling the
holes in the handles of matchets, by which the said handles are rivetted
to the tangs of the said matchets. In carrying this part of our Inven-
tion into effect we cause two or other number of drills (equal to the
number of holes to be made in cach handle) to be made to rotate rapidly,
the axes of the said drills being parallel, and the ends of the said drills
being on the same level. We prefer. the said drills to be stationed ver-
tically (but do not confine ourselves thereto). The handle to be drilled
is placed on a small table or bed, and raised up by the-foot acting or a
treadle against the ends of the rotating drills, and pressed against the
same until the said drills have passed through the said handle; or the
said handle may be made to bear against the said drills in any other
convenient manner.
Our improvements in the manufacture of swords consist, firstly..'in
applying the methods herein described of forming and cleaning the
grooves or furrows of matchets to forming and cleaning the grooves or
furrows of swords; and, secondly, in raising the rib which is usually
formed near-the end of a sword, and on both. faces thereof, by beating
the same up by means of a tilt hammer.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed. we wish it to be under-
stood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise methods of carrying
our Invention into effect herein described, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of our said Invention; but we claim,
Firstly, making the tangs of matchets by cutting the said_tangs out
of the end of the flat steel bar of which the blade is made by means of
dies or cutting tools, and tapering the said tangs (when the same are
required to be tapered) by the process of back rolling, as herein
described.
Secondly, making the grooves or furrows of matchets by dies or by
cutting tools, and cleaning out the said grooves (when the same require
cleaning) by a revolving metallic wheel and a cutting substance or
inixture, as herein described.

page_text: Thirdly, making the wooden handles of matchets by turning ma-
chinery, as herein described.
Fourthly, drilling the holes by which the handles of matchets are fixed
to the tangs by means of two or more drills working simultaneously.
Fifthly, making the grooves or furrows of swords by dies or cutting
tools, and beating up the ribs of swords by a tilt hammer, as herein
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Mole and Robert Mole,
junior, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixteenth day
of April, in the year of our Lord Oue thousand eight hundred
and fifty-three.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
ROBERT MOLE.
(L.S.)
ROBERT MOLE, JUN. (L.S.)