Improvements in or relating to the Sharpening or Paring of Litho- graphic Crayons, Conté Crayons, Coloured French Crayons, Charcoals and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 3rd May, 1893-Accepted, 2nd June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Sharpening or Paring of Litho-
graphic Crayons, Conté Crayons, Coloured French Crayons,
Charcoals, and the like.
I, ERNEST BEAUMONT, Designer, of Amberley House, Amberley Street,
Nottingham, in the County of Nottinghamshire, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to the sharpening or paring of lithographic crayons,
Conté crayons, coloured French crayons, charcols and the like used by lithographic
artists, designers, oil painters and others.
Lithographic crayons commonly called chalks have of late years been extensively
used in the execution of pictorial and other lithographic drawings. In doing litho-
graphic drawing the chalk fixed in one end of the port-crayon is held by the artist
or draughtsınan in his right hand; when requiring sharpening or paring it is passed
into the left while the right goes for the penknife. As penknives are generally
small they often get under papers &c. causing delay. The sharpening or paring of
the aforesaid crayons is operated in a contrary direction to that of the ordinary
blacklead pencils. Both hands are employed and the parings as they are issued
get between the artist or draughtsman's fingers, papers and so forth to his discomfort
and often damage to the work before him.
Concerning lithographic artists or draughtsmen as the largest proportion of
ingredients necessary in the manufacture of lithographic crayons consists of fatty or
greasy matters and the surface of the lithographic stone which is to receive the
drawing is obviously required to be kept free from any greasy or fatty particles lest
they should interfere with the drawing it would be advantageous to a lithographic
artist or draughtsman to sharpen or pare his chalk by employing one hand instead
of both as it is hitherto practiced therewithal suppress the freedom of the parings.
The object of this invention is to provide an efficient substitutionary method for
sharpening or paring the aforesaid crayons and one that is inexpensive easily and
readily applied and that will prevent making litter.
According to this invention I construct an instrument which any artist, designer
or draughtsman may place on the desk before him. When his chalk requires
sharpening or paring he can carry it with his right hand as he is holding it to the
said instrument and with a few quick movements of the hand the chalk is readily
sharpened or pared to the desired shape while the parings as they issue from the
chalk are involuntarily forced into a chamber or body of the instrument and
confined therein until required to be empted out through a door made for the
purpose.
My construction of the aforesaid instrument consists of two (or any number of)
steel blades of a rectangular form having the longer edges perfectly straight one of
which absolutely sharp the opposite one being blunt.
Both blades are placed on top or deck of a box made of a suitable form and of
metal or other suitable material.
The top or deck of this box has two narrow perforations of a parallelogram form
and parallel to or diverging from each other, or otherwise.
Each of the two aforesaid blades rests on and covers each of the said two
perforations with its knife-sharp edge towards and slightly over one of the edge
sides of each perforation which is straight as well as the sharp edge of the blade
and so arranged together as to leave a hair line or such other convenient space free
between the knife sharp edge of the blade and the edge side of the perforation.
Said blades are pressed down and kept firm by means of springs controlled by

page_text: screws or other suitable means and so arranged as to render their removal when
requiring sharpening easy and their replacement easy and correct.
The uppermost surface of each blade when fixed as herebefore mentioned forms
to a certain extent an obtuse angle with the top or deck of the box. The same
arrangement applies to the use of any number of blades. The use of two blades
furnished with knife sharp edges and arranged as aforesaid is intended for one of
them to be used for coarse the other for fine sharpening or paring.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1893.
ERNEST BEAUMONT.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Sharpening or Paring of Litho-
graphic Crayons, Conte Crayons, Coloured French Crayons,
Charcoals, and the like.
I, ERNEST BEAUMONT, Designer, of Amberley House, Amberley Street,
Nottingham in the County of Nottingham, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has reference to the sharpening or paring of lithographic crayons,
Conté crayons, coloured French crayons, charcoals and the like used by lithographic
artists, designers, oil painters, and others.
Lithographic crayons commonly called chalks have of late years been extensively
used in the execution of pictorial and other lithographic drawings. In doing litho
graphic drawing the chalk fixed in one end of the port-crayon is held by the artist
or draughtsman in his right hand, but when requiring sharpening or paring it is
passed into the left hand while the right goes for the penknife; and as penknives
are generally small they often get under papers etc. thus causing delay. The
sharpening or paring of the aforesaid crayons is performed in a contrary direction
to that of ordinary black lead pencils. Both hands are employed and the parings,
as they are removed, get between the artist's or draughtsman's fingers, papers, and
so forth to his discomfort and often to the damage of the work before him.
Concerning lithographic artists or draughtsmen, as the largest proportion of
ingredients necessary in the manufacture of lithographic crayons consists of fatty
or greasy matters, and the surface of the lithographic stone which is to receive the
drawing is obviously required to be kept free from any greasy or fatty particles
lest they should interfere with the drawing, it would be advantageous to a litho-
graphic artist or draughtsman to sharpen or pare his chalk by employing one hand
instead of both as has been hitherto practiced.
The object of this invention is to provide an efficient method of and apparatus
for sharpening or paring the aforesaid crayons and one that is inexpensive, easily
and readily applied and that will prevent making litter.
According to this invention I construct an instrument which any artist, designer,
or draughtsman may place on the desk before him. When his chalk requires
sharpening or paring he can carry it with his right hand as he is holding it to the
said instrument and with a few quick movements of the hand the chalk is readily
sharpened or pared to the desired shape, while the parings as they issue from the
chalk are forced into a chamber or body of the instrument and confined therein
until emptied out through a door made for the purpose.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings
Figure 1 represents a vertical section of an apparatus constructed according to
this invention and Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Mounted on a box or receptacle a provided with a hinged door or lid bare two
knife blades e securely fixed in position by clamping screws d. Beneath the cutting
edges of the knives, which are slightly raised from the outer surface of the said
box, are slots e through which the parings from the crayon or the like pass when

page_text: cut by the knives into the interior of the said box. The knives are maintained
parallel with the slots e by abutment plates against which their ends are pressed
when being clamped in position by the screws d.
A hinged lid or cover is provided which serves, when open as shown, as a rest
for the crayons, but which when closed serves to preserve the blades c from injury.
The said lid is maintained in its closed position by a spring catch lever hand is
held open by a spring i. A rest or rack is also provided for holding porte-
crayons.
When using my apparatus the artist or operator holds his crayon or charcoal
fixed in one end of a porte-crayon, or, as otherwise required, between his fingers,
and resting the end of the said crayon or charcoal requiring sharpening or paring
on the top or deck of the aforesaid box a opposite to the sharp edge of one of the
blades e in a transverse position, and then with a slight pressure moves it towards
and at right or other angles with the sharp knife edge of the said blade till the
crayon or charcoal comes against the said sharp edge, and by continuing the
movement the first cutting to effect the sharpening or paring takes place,
the parings passing through the slots e into the chamber of the box directly they
are removed.
The crayon or charcoal is then brought back to its former position, being turned
round on the way and allowing the next part requiring cutting or paring to touch
the top or deck of the box, the operation being repeated as before described until
the crayon or charcoal is sharpened or pared to the desired shape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. An apparatus for sharpening crayons and the like comprising a knife blade or
blades mounted on a box or receptacle provided with a slot or slots for the passage
of the parings, the said blade or blades being fixed and clamped in position by
means of abutment plates and. clamping screws substantially as described.
2. In an apparatus for sharpening crayons and the like: the combination of the
box or receptacle a, cutting knife blades c rest hinged lid or cover g and spring
catch substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting my apparatus for
sharpening crayons and the like, the whole constructed and operating substan-
tially as described in the foregoing Specification and illustrated in the drawings
hereunto annexed.
Dated this 3rd day of May 1893.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.