A NEW OR IMPROVED MANU- FACTURE OF SHIPS' THIMBLES, AND OTHER METALLIC FITTINGS USED FOR RIGGING
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Clement Sharp, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gentleman, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED MANU-
FACTURE OF SHIPS' THIMBLES, AND OTHER METALLIC FITTINGS USED FOR RIGGING
Sealed the 8th September 1857, and dated the 9th March 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Clement Sharp at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
March 1857.
I, CLEMENT SHARP, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "A NEW. OR IMPROVED
MANUFACTURE OF SHIPS' THIMBLES, AND OTHER METALLIC FITTINGS, USED FOR
RIGGING AND SAILS, AND ROPE GEARING IN GENERAL," to be as follows:-
In order that my Invention may be the better understood I, will first
describe the ordinary manufacture of ships' thimbles. A strip of iron having a
fluted or trough-like form is bent round a cylindrical mandril so as to. con-
stitute a ring, the concave side of the iron being outwards, 'the ends of the
piece of iron are then welded 'together.
.My Invention consists in manufacturing the said ships'. thimbles in the
following manner: I take lap-welded iron tube, or other tube or pipe, and
cut therefrom rings, ferrules, or short hollow cylinders of a length suitable for
the production of ships' thimbles; I then heat the said ferrules, and by means
of dies and pressing machinery I expand or fashion the open ends of the ferrule

page_text: into the requisite form, or the ferrule may be operated upon in a cold state.
When I wish to make ships' thimbles having an angle on one side, such as
are called heart shapes, and otherwise named, I divide the thimblo at one side
and give the divided ends the required shape.. The fittings called clues and
hoops, and others, may be made by the process I have described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed'
by the said Clement Sharp in the Great Seal Patent Offico on the 8th
September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CLEMENT
SHARP, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gentleman; send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
l'atent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Clement Sharp, Her special licence that I, the said Clement Sharp,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Clement
Sharp, 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
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED MANU-
J'ACTURE OF SHIPS' THIMBLES AND OTHER METALLIC FITTINGS USED FOR RIGGING AND
SAILS, AND ROPE GEARING IN GENERAL," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Clement Sharp, my exccutors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 imme-.
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Clement Sharp, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
In order that my Invention may the better be understood I will first
describe the ordinary manufacture of ships' thimbles. A strip of iron cut of.

page_text: the requisite length is then forged or shaped by various tools into a ring, con-
cave without and convex within, and joined or welded during the said processes
either before or after the shapo is given.
:.
My Invention consists in manufacturing the said ships' thimbles and other
metallic fittings for rigging and sails in the manner herein-after described, and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
I tako lap-welded iron tube, or other iron tube or pipe, and cut therefrom
rings, ferrules, or short hollow cylinders of the form represented in elevation at a,
and in plan at b, Figure 1, the said hollow cylinders Figure 1 being of a length
suitable for the production of ships' thimbles; I then heat the said ferrules or
cylinders, and by means of dies and pressing machinery I expand or fashion
the open ends of the ferrule into the requisito form, that is to say, of the form
represented in section at c, and in plan at d, Figure 2. Although I prefer to
heat the ferrule, Figure 1, before expanding it into the form, Figure 2, yet
the same may be effected without heating the ferrule.
Figure 3 represents in elevation (partly in section) a press and pressing
tools for effecting the expansion of the ferrule, Figure 1, and the production of
the ship's thimble, Figure 2. As the press, Figure 3, is of a kind commonly
employed in shaping metals, and constitutes no part of my Invention, I do not
think it necessary to describe the same excepting so far as may be necessary
for the explanation of the dies or pressing tools.
.
The dies or pressing tools used in the press, Figure 3, are represented in
vertical section in Figure 4, the said dies, Figure 4, being represented in full
size, suitable for the production of a ship's thimble of the size of Figure 2.
The upper die e is fixed to the bolt of tho press f, and the lower die g is
fixed to the bed h of the press, by means of the set screws i, i. The ring,
Figure 1, is heated to redness, and placed as shown at a, Figure 3, on the
lower die g. The upper die e is brought down, and entering the ring a
expands its upper edge, and at the same time forces the said ring down upon
the lower die g, thereby expanding its lower edge. The position of the ring
in the dies e, g, is indicated in dotted lines in Figure 4; on raising the die o
the ship's thimble formed may be lifted from the lower die g. 1 mako what aro
called open thimbles, which are the same shape as before described, by dividing
the thimble on one side by a saw, or otherwise cutting it.
In order to make ships' thimbles of the various sizes required, I take iron
tubing of greater or less size than that represented in Figure 1, and vary tho
size of the pressing tools, Figure 4, to suit the said tubing. I make ships'
thimbles of the formn represented in Figure 5, and which are .commonly
called heart-shaped thimbles, by dividing a circular thimble formed in the

page_text: manner herein-before described and straightening the divided ends; I then
give the same the requisite form, and bring the said.ends together, as repre-
sented in Figure 5. When it is wished to form a heart-shaped thimble;
Figure 5, without the ends k, k, being divided, I make use of the shaping
tools' represented in elevation in Figure 6, in vertical section in Figure 7, 'and
a plan in Figure 8. The bottom part is fixed on the bed of a 'press, and the
wedge'm is attached to the bolt or plunger of a press. The part n lifts off
the part o by the handle p, and the part 9 slides in the groover in the plate l.
The moveable tool n has in plan the same form as the fixed part o, which
said form will be best understood by an inspection of Figures 6 and 8.
In order to make a circular thimble, Figure 2, into a heart-shaped
thimble, Figure 5, by the use of the tools, Figures 6, 7, and 8, I proceed as
follows:-
P,
before it the part of the thimble
into the form indicated by dotted
converts the circular thimbles into
The wedge m being raised the sliding part q is pushed home, that is, into
<the position represented in Figure 8. The part n is removed by its handle
and a circular thimble's in a properly hoated state is dropped upon the part o,
as represented in Figure 8, the said thimble s receiving in its interior the
slide 9. The part n is then placed over the thimble. The bolt of the press
being brought down, the point of the wedge m entering the space t, Figure 8,
'causes the slide q to advance to the position indicated in Figures 6 and 7.
The said slide q in its advance pushes
.8, Figure 8; and forces the said part
lines at w, Figure 8, that is to say;
the heart-shaped thimble, Figure 5. The relative positions of the several
parts of the tools after the descent of the wedge m, and the heart-shaped
thimble formed thereon, will be understood by an inspection of Figures 6 and 7,
the thimble being represented in section at z, Figure 7, and its position
indicated by the dotted lines y, y, Figure 6. The fittings called clues and
hoops, and other metallic fittings used for rigging and sails, and for rope
gearing in general, and which clues, hoops, and fittings resemble in all essential
respects the ships' thimbles herein-before described, and may be made by the
methods herein described, and représented in the accompanying Drawings, with
such modifications only of the dies or tools as the size and shape of the said
fittings require.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the same may
be varied without departing from tho nature of my said Invention; but I claim
as my Invention,-
.).

page_text: Firstly, the manufacture of ships' thimbles and other metallic fittings for
rigging and sails, and rope gearing in general, herein-before described, and
illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the accompanying Drawing, that is to
say, by cutting off short hollow cylinders from iron tubes and expanding the
upper and lower ends of the said hollow cylinders by dies and
pressure.
Secondly, the manufacture of heart-shaped thimbles and other metallic
fittings for rigging and sails, and rope gearing in general, herein-before
described, and illustrated in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, either by dividing a circular thimble at one side and
fashioning the divided ends by forging or by pressing an undivided circular
thimble by means of the pressing tools represented in Figures 6, 7, and 8.
In witness whereof, I, the said Clement Sharp, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
CLEMENT SHARP. (L.S.)