IMPROVEMENTS IN KNIVES AND FORKS AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF KNIVES AND FORKS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Fielding trading as Henry Fielding and Son of
Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer for an invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN KNIVES AND FORKS AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
KNIVES AND FORKS.
a
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Fielding at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st July 1882.
HENRY FIELDING trading as Henry Fielding and Son of Birmingham in the
County of Warwick Manufacturer "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNIVES AND FORKS AND
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF KNIVES AND FORKS
"
My invention consists in making on the opposite broader sides of the handles of
knives and forks concave depressions extending by preference from the bolster to
nearly the rear end of the handle, or by also making depressions of the kind
described on the narrow sides as well as on the broader sides of the handle, the
said concave handles being made in one piece of metal with the blade of the knife
or prongs of the fork. The said handles afford a more efficient grip when grasped
by the hand; they are lighter than handles of the ordinary kind and being in one
piece with the blade of the knife or prongs of the fork the knife or fork is
practicably unbreakable.
I will describe my invention in connection with the manufacture of a metallic
knife.
A bar of metal of suitable length and strength is annealed and the handle part
is shaped by the action of dies worked in a stamp-. The blade part is operated
upon by the process called cross rolling and the blade thereby roughly formed. The
hollow or concave parts of the handle are produced by planing or grooving.
The partially formed knife is annealed and the processes described are repeated
until the required thickness of handle and thinness of blade are obtained.
The knife is finished in the ordinary manner by the processes of clipping, filing,
grinding and polishing.
The manufacture of forks according to my invention differs in no essential
respect from the manufacture of knives as herein before described.
My invention is applicable to knives and forks made of silver, nickel and German
silver, steel and iron and other metals and alloys.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Fielding in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th January
1883.
HENRY FIELDING trading as Henry Fielding and Son of Birmingham in the
County of Warwick Manufacturer "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNIVES AND FORKS AND
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF KNIVES AND FORKS.
"
My invention consists in making on the opposite broader sides of the bandles of
knives and forks, concave depressions extending by preference, from the bolster to
_ nearly the rear end of the handle; or by also making depressions of the kind
described on the narrow sides as well as on the broader sides of the handle, the
said concave handles being made in one piece of metal with the blade of the knife
or prongs of the fork. The said handles afford a more efficient grip when grasped
by the hand; they are lighter than handles of the ordinary kind and being in
one piece with the blade of the knife or prongs of the fork the knife or fork is
practicably unbreakable.
'
•
I
I will describe my invention in connection with the manufacture of a metallic
knife.
A bar of metal of suitable length and strength is annealed and the handle part
is shaped by the action of dies worked in a stamp The blade part is operated
upon by the process called cross rolling and the blade thereby roughly formed.
The hollow or concave parts of the handle are produced by stamping and planing
or grooving.
The partially formed knife is annealed and the processes described are repeated
until the required thickness of handle and thinness of blade are obtained. The
knife is finished in the ordinary manner by the processes of clipping, filing, grinding
and-polishing.
The manufacture of forks according to my invention differs in no essential
respect from the manufacture of knives as herein before described.
My Invention is applicable to knives and forks made of silver, nickel and german
silver, steel and iron and other metals and alloys.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation and longitudinal section, a knife having a
metallic handle in one piece with the blade constructed according to my invention;
Figure 2 is a cross section taken through the blade on the line a a Figure 1 and
Figure 3 is a cross section taken through the handle on the line b, b Figure 1.
c is the handle and d the blade of the knife. On the opposite broader sides of
the handle care concave depressions e, e, extending from the bolster f to nearly the
rear end of the bandle. The narrow sides of the handle are rounded convexly as
seen in the cross section Figure 3 but concave depressions may be made in the
narrow sides or edges of the handle as well as on the broad sides as represented.
By providing the broad sides, or both the broad and narrow sides, of the handle
with concave depressions as described and illustrated, the advantages hereinbefore
pointed out are secured.
The metallic handles of forks are constructed as described and represented with
respect to the handles of knives.
In making a knife according to my invention I proceed in the following
manner I take a strip or blank of silver, German silver nickel or other strong
and ductile metal or alloy of the kind represented in Figure 4 and from the wider
half of it I shape the handle part c. by means of diles worked in a stamp. I also
:

page_text: produce by the action of the shaping dies narrow concave depressions i in the
broad sides of the partly made handle and when required I produce by the
stamping operation concave depressions in the narrow sides or edges of the handle.
Figure 5 represents in edge view, front elevation and longitudinal section and
Figure 6 in cross section taken on the line k k Figure 5, a partly made knife the
handle of which has been produced by stamping as described. The concave
depressions i in the stamped handle are brought to the proper depth and breadth
by planing or grooving and the handle is finished by grinding, filing and
polishing.
A series of five stampings I find sufficient to shape the handle but I do not limit
myself to that number. The partly made knife is annealed during the stamping
operations.
I make the blade of the knife from the part of the strip or blank. Figure 4 by
operating upon it by the process called cross rolling so as to produce a roughly
formed blade. By annealing the partly made blade and repeating the rolling
operation the required thickness of the blade is produced as represented in Figure 5
and marked . The blade thus formed is trimmed and finished in the ordinary
way.
In making a fork the rolled part 7 Figure 5 is pierced to form the prongs of the
fork and the roughly formed prongs are finished in the ordinary way.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention :-
First The improvements in knives and forks having metallic handles solid to
or in one piece with the blade of the knife or prongs of the fork hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figures 1. 2 and 3 of the accompanying Drawing; that
is to say, making on the broad sides, or both on the broad and narrow sides, of the
said handles, concave depressions of the kind and for the purposes described and
illustrated.
Secondly Manufacturing knives and forks of the kind claimed in the first claim
by the processes or combination of processes herein before described and illustrated
in Figures 4. 5 and 6 of the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Fielding have hereunto set my hand
and seal this thirteenth day of January in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three