İm̃- PROVEMENTS IN NUT CRACKERS AND LOBSTER CRACKERS
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas White at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th April
.1872.
I, THOMAS WHITE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “İm̃-
PROVEMENTS IN NUT CRACKERS AND LOBSTER CRACKERS," to be as follows:-
My Invention refers principally to the gripping parts of the blades or
sides of nut crackers and lobster crackers, and consists in making the
toothed, jagged, or roughened faces of the said gripping parts in the
manner herein-after described.
The toothed, jagged, or roughened faces of the gripping parts of the
said nut crackers and lobster crackers are ordinarily made by jagging
or indenting the faces of the gripping parts by cutting tools so as to.
form teeth or projecting points on the surfaces of the gripping parts.
The teeth or projecting points so made are small and imperfectly grip
or hold the article to be cracked and also readily wear away.

page_text: The object of this part of my Invention is to remedy these defects
by making the said toothed or jagged faces of the gripping parts in the
following manner:-I drill or otherwise make through the gripping
parts of the blades or arms of the nut cracker or lobster cracker a
series of holes at short distances apart. These holes are countersunk 5
at each face of the gripping part, and into cach hole a pin or rivet is
placed, the pin or rivet projecting on cither side the gripping part.
By the use of a press and press tools the projecting ends of each pin or
rivet are forced into the countersinks of the hole, and the pin or rivet
thereby fixed securely in the gripping part and a pointed head or tooth 1
at the same time formed on either side the gripping part. In this way
a series of strong teeth or points is made on opposite faces of the gripping
parts of the nut cracker or lobster cracker. The toothed faces of the
gripping parts thus made present a much neater appearance and are
stronger and more efficient than those made in the ordinary way.
1
Where the construction of the gripping parts of the nut cracker or
lobster cracker requires it the pins or rivets may be fixed separately
on the two faces instead of making the pins or rivets pass through
from face to face.
Although I prefer to secure the pins or rivets in the holes in the 2
gripping parts in the manner described, yet the said pins or rivets may
be secured in the said gripping parts by screwing or soldering. Instead
of forming the toothed or jagged surfaces of the gripping parts, by
means of rivets, as described, a plate or plates having teeth of projections
on it or them may be used and secured to the faces of the gripping parts 2
by rivetting, screwing, or soldering it or them thereto. The teeth or
projections of the said plate or plates need not interfero with any.
ornamental character it may be wished to give to the gripping parts of
the nut cracker or lobster cracker, as tho said teeth or projections may.
be incorporated with the ornament.
The improvements described are applicable to nut crackers and lobster
crackers in which the gripping parts are made on one face only of the
blades or sides instead of on both faces. In this case the teeth or points,
or the plate or plates are fixed on the single gripping face of the blade
or side of the nut or lobster cracker.
My Invention consists further in making the joints of nut and lobster
crackers as follows:-I make the middle knuckle of each-joint from.
g
3

page_text: the head of each blade or side of the nut or lobster cracker so as to form
a broad and strong middle knuckle, and I make the middle bit or piece
of the joint forked at each end, the forked end forming the outer
knuckles and embracing the strong middle knuckle. The joint is com-
pleted by a cross pin. By this construction a very strong and cheap
joint is made, which, when broken, is capable of ready repair.