Ix- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TABLE FORKS AND SPOONS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TABLE FORKS AND SPOONS." A communi-
cation from abroad by Brown and Brothers (Incorporated), of Waterbury, in
the State of Connecticut, United States of America.
ealed the 1st August 1876, and dated the 22nd May 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd May 1876.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
TABLE FORKS AND SPOONS."
"
This Invention relates to the manufacture of forks and spoons from German silver
or albata and other ductile metals or alloys in which the entire article, including its
handle, is made from the same piece of metal.
In the ordinary process of manufacturing such articles it is customary, first, to
cut or punch out the fork or spoon blank from a sheet of metal which has been
rolled to the required thickness of the thickest part of the shank in a transverse
direction to the face of the article, and subsequently to reduce or taper off the blank
from the shank towards the two ends to give the necessary diminished thickness at
the handle and bowle or pronged portion of the spoon or fork. Said blank is then
further shaped and finished without materially changing either the thickness or
width of the shank at its junction with the bowl or prong and handle portions of
the article, the width of the shank being as left by the blank when first cut out from
the sheet and its thickness being unaltered by the subsequent rolling of the blank to
reduce its ends.
This Invention consists in condensing, hardening, and stiffening the metal in the
shank by pressure applied to the blank on opposite edges of the shank in a
direction transverse to the plane of the sheet and to the direction of the pressure
produced in the rolling of the latter. This condensation gives to the metal in the
shank a quality resembling a spring temper, whereby it is not only enabled the
better to resist any pressure applied in a direction to bend it and thus is not so
easily bent, but if it should yield in some degree to such pressure it will return by
its elasticity to its normal shape or condition.
f Price Rd7

page_text: To practically carry out this construction the fork or spoon blank instead of being
cut or struck out of the width required for it at its shank when finished is formed
or stamped out with a swell, or otherwise has an extra quantity of metal given it at
such part, then the ends of the blank are rolled off as before, and subsequently the
shank of the blank subjected edgewise, or in a direction transversely to its face, to
the blow of a drop or hammer to condense and temper the metal in the shank,
making it of a spring-like temper or giving it increased density and stiffness at
such part. This action of the drop or hammer may also serve to give an in-
creased thickness to the shank in a transverse direction to the face of the article,
so that the fork or spoon may be inade from oven a thinner inctal sheet than usual,
thereby reducing end rolling of the blank yet producing a much stiffer article at
the shank.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 22nd
November 1876.
46
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
TABLE FORKS AND SPOONS. ' A communication from abroad by Brown and
Brothers (Incorporated), of Waterbury, in the State of Connecticut, United States
of America.
This Invention relates to the manufacture of forks and spoons from German silver
or albata and other ductile metals or alloys in which the entire article, including its
handle, is made from one and the same piece of metal.
In the ordinary process of manufacturing such articles it is customary, first, to
cut or punch out the fork or spoon blank from a sheet of metal which has been
rolled to the required thickness for the thickest part of the shank in a transverse
direction to the face of the article, and subsequently to reduce or taper off the blank
from the shank towards the two ends to give the necessary diminished thickness at
the handle and bowl or pronged portion of the spoon or fork. Said blank is then
further shaped and finished without materially changing either the thickness or
width of the shank at its junction with the bowl or prong and handle portions of
the article, the width of the shank being as left by the blank when first cut out
from the sheet, and its thickness being unaltered by the subsequent rolling of the
blank to reduce its ends. Although this produces a greater relative thickness at the
shank where the greatest strain comes on the article when in use, the best and
strongest forks and spoons heretofore made, and more especially the forks, are very
liable in use to be bent in that part, which notwithstanding its greater thickness is
practically weaker than any other part. To give a still greater relative thickness
to the shank by the ordinary process of manufacture, which would have to be done
by making the blank from thicker plate and reducing it more by rolling toward the
ends, would only imperfectly remedy the above described defect.
This Invention while it admits of giving an extra thickness to the shank does
not necessarily involve any increased thickness of the sheet out of which the blank
is cut, nor is it dependent upon any relative thickness of the shank in a transverse
direction, but it consists in condensing, hardening, and stiffening the metal in the
thank by pressure applied to the blank on opposite edges of the shank in a
direction transverse to the plane of the sheet and to the direction of the pressure
produced in the rolling of the latter. This condensation gives to the metal in the
shank a quality resembling a spring temper, whereby it is not only enabled the
better to resist any pressure applied in a direction to bend it and thus is not
so easily beut, but if it should yield in some degree to such pressure it will return
by its elasticity to its normal shape or condition.

page_text: In carrying out this Invention the fork or spoon blank instead of being cut or
struck out of the width required for it at its shank when finished is formed or
stamped out with a swell, or otherwise has an extra quantity of metal given it at
such part; then the ends of the blank are roller off as before, and subsequently the
shank of the blank is subjected edgewise, or in a direction transversely to its
face, to the blow of a drop or hammer to condense and temper the metal in the
shank, making it of a spring-like temper or giving it increased density and
stiffness at such part. This action of the drop or hammer may also serve to
give an increased thickness to the shauk, so that the fork or spoon may be
made from even a thinner metal sheet than usual, thereby reducing end rolling
of the blank yet producing a nuch stiffer article at the shank. The subsequent
operation of bending to give it the required curvature has had the effect of
weakening the metal at the shank whero increased stiffness is required. This is
due to the disturbance of the molecular arrangement of the metal by the act of
bending. To restore the strength and elasticity of the shank after curvature the
article is subjected to pressure in a direction perpendicular to its face, whereby
any impairing of the strength of the shank by the act of bending is fully or more
than compensated for.
This Invention accordingly includes the condensing or hardening the metal of
the shank in all directions, and the accompanying Drawing, to which only brief
reference here need be made, will serve to illustrate this Invention.
Figs. 1 represent face and edge views of a table fork blank cut from a sheet of
metal of uniform thickness, said Figuro also representing the blank after it has
been annealed.
Figs. 2 represent face and edge views of said blank after it has been rolled to
grado.
Figs. 3 represent face and edge views of a fork blank as it is first stamped or
cut out for the purpose of this Invention from the sheet, the same being formed
with a swell or increased width at its shank b.
Figs. 4 represent face and edge views of the graded blank cut out as required to
form the fork, also shewing the same as it appears after being annealed.
Figs. 5 represent face and edge views of the graded cut-out blank, shown in the
immediately preceding Figure, after said blank has been further shaped and
roughed out," or after the metal in the shank has been condensed by pressure
applied in a direction transverse to the plane of the blank and been "roughed out"
on a polishing belt.
Figs. 6 represent face and edge views of said fork blank after it has been bent to
give the fork or spoon its required contour lengthwise, and after the metal of the
shank has been condensed by pressure in a direction perpendicular to the face
of the blank, that is, after said blank has been bent into form; such condensation
reducing the thickness of the metal at the shank 6, as compared with that shown
for it in Figs. 5, to an extent corresponding with the amount of pressure brought
to bear upon the blank in a direction perpendicular to its face after said blank
has been bent.
Figs. 7 represent face and edge views of the finished fork.
By condensing the metal of the blank by pressure in a direction perpendicular
to its face, after bending (the blank having been previously condensed by pressure
in a direction transverse to its plane) the full benefit of that condensation is
retained as herein-before described. This pressure and condensation of the metal
of the shank in a direction perpendicular to the face may, if the dies be suitably
formed, be performed by the same dies used to produce the ornamental configuration
of the fork, spoon, or other article.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in "the
Manufacture of Table Forks and Spoons," as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondents, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish
it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim
manufacturing table forks and spoons from ductile metals with an elastic shank,

page_text: the elasticity of such part being obtained by the condensation of the metal at the
shank in the manner and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Edward Newton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the 22nd day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
H. E, NEWTON. (L.S.)