IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL WRENCHES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer & Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL WRENCHES."-A communication from
abroad by Messrs. Pierre Augustin Samuel and Auguste Toussaint
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
January 1862.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer & Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL WRENCHES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in wrenches for screwing
and unscrewing nuts and tubes of any form and dimensions whether round,
square, hexagonal or otherwise. This improved wrench is simple in construc-
tion, and is designed as a substitute for what is termed the "Clyburn wrench.'
It is formed with two jaws between which the nut to be screwed or unscrewed
is locked, one of the jaws is fixed while the other receives motion by means
of a handle which causes it to open from or close upon the fixed jaw. The

page_text: movable jaw or wrench may receive motion in any suitable manner, such as
by racks, eccentries, or otherwise.
In the annexed Drawings are represented several arrangements of wrenches
according to this Invention. Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of one arrange-
ment. Fig. 2 an edge view of the same. Fig. 3 a central vertical
section of a second arrangement of wrench, and Fig. 4 an edge view of the
same. The same letters of reference indicate like parts seen in different
positions. a, handle or stem of the wrench at. one end of which is a toothed
segment 6, in the form of a semi-pinion; c, movable jaw of the wrench
sliding in grooves furnished with a rack d, gearing with the toothed part 6,
of the handle a; e, fixed jaw of the wrench in which are two grooves,
h, sérving as guides for the movable jaw c, they may be dovetailed therein;
f, axis for connecting the handle a, and jawe of the wrench; g, inclined piece
on one of the jaws running into the angular opening h of the other jaw, this
constitutes one of the principal features..of...the improved wrench. It will
be readily understood that if the jaw e remains stationary, and motion be
imparted to the handle a in either direction the movable jaw c will be
advanced towards or withdrawn from the other so as to make. the space i
between the two jaws of greater or less extent for the purpose of gripping
nuts or tubes of various dimensions with greater or less force; according to
the amount of force exerted on handle a. Figs. 3 & 4 represent a modifica-
tion of the foregoing wrench.. a, handle or stem; b, axis or pivot fixed to
the handle a; c, movable jaw in which is formed a heart-shaped eccentric d;
e, fixed jaw having guides h.; f axis connecting the handle a, & jaw è;
9, inclined piece for strengthening the jaws; h, angular mortise or guide
made in the other.jaw.
By working the handle a, in either direction, one of the pivots 6 is caused
to bear on part i of eccentric d in such manner as to cause the jaws to
open or close towards each other, as before described. Fig. 5 shows a side
elevation of another arrangement of wrench for. unscrewing round nuts or
tubes of various diameters. The arrangement differs from that represented
at Figs. 1 & 2, simply in having two handles instead of one, one handle
forms part of the fixed jaw, and the other of the toothed pinion. represented
in the Drawing by two teeth. The Invention thus consists of the improved
arrangements of wrenches herein-before described and represented to be used
for the purposes of a wrench and otherwise in exerting torsion.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th July 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Clark, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL
WRENCHES," a communication from abroad by Messrs. Pierre Augustin Samuel
and Auguste Toussaint Ozou de Verrie, both of 29, Boulevart, St. Martin,
Paris, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument 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 per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said.
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings, hereunto annexed, and "to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to the construction of improved self-acting wrenches
for screwing and unscrewing nuts of circular, hexagonal, or other form and
of any dimensions, which wrenches are an improvement on what is known as
the "Clyburn wrench." This improved wrench is formed with two jaws for
gripping the part to be moved, one being fixed and the other opening from or
closing on the part to be held by turning the handle in one or other direction,
in such manner that the jaws may grip tubes or nuts' of different dimensions

page_text: while the more difficult the nuts are to turn the greater is the force applied
for pressing the handles together and compressing the nut between the jaws,
and as the wrench cannot slip the nut is forcibly turned.
shown by the red
I have represented several arrangements of this improved wrench in the
Drawing annexed. Figs. 1 and 2 of which show a side and front elevation of
the first arrangement. In these two Figures the same letters of reference indicate
similar parts seen in different positions. The wrench is composed of three
principal parts having three pins which serve as joints. a, jaw for acting on
the nut or other part to be turned furnished with two joint pins f, e; the other
pin c is fixed in the movable lever d, and slides in a groove g made at one
end of d, and in movable jaw b. The movable jaw b turns on pin f, by
moving the lever or handle h on pin e, said handle h in its movement carries
with it the pin c, which in moving to the right or left, as
outline, inclines jaw b in such manner that its upper extremity opens out
from or closes on fixed jaw a. It will be seen by this arrangement that nuts
of different diameters may be gripped, and that the more difficult they are to
screw or unscrew the more force is exerted on the handle h, and consequently
the harder the jaws are pressed together in order to compress the nut; on
the other hand as the wrench cannot slip the nut must give way for screwing
or unscrewing it. Figs. 3 and 4 show front and side elevations of a second
arrangement of wrench constructed on the same principle as the foregoing.
The wrench is as before formed with two jaws between which the nut or
other part to be screwed or unscrewed is gripped, one jaw is fixed while the
other receives motion by means of the handle for opening out from or closing
on the fixed jaw. The movable jaw receives motion from the handle by
means of a toothed segment, formed on the end of said handle and gearing
with a rack formed on the under part of the movable jaw. In these two
Figures 3 and 4 the same letters of reference indicate like parts seen in
different positions. a, handle of the wrench on the extremity of which there
is a toothed segment b; c, movable jaw of the wrench sliding in grooves, it
is furnished at its lower part with a rack d, gearing with toothed segment b,
on the end of handle a; e, second jaw of the wrench having two grooves h,
serving as guides for the first jaw c, they may be dovetailed in the jaw;
f, pivot serving to connect the handle a, and jawe of the wrench; g inclined
piece formed on one of the jaws which in closing is carried along into an
opening h¹ in the other jaw which affords greater strength to the wrench. It
will be seen in this wrench that if the jaw e remains fixed, and the handle a,
be moved in either direction the movable jaw c, will be opened out or closed
upon the other jaw, so as to leave a space g¹ of more or less width between

page_text: the two jaws for gripping nuts of various dimensions. It will be understood
that the greater the pressure on handle a, the tighter the nut will be
gripped.
Figs. 5 and 6 represent another arrangement of wrench similar to the
preceding. a, is the handle; b, acting pins on said handle; c, movable jaw
on which is formed a heart-shaped excentric d; e, fixed jaw having mortises h;
f. joint pin uniting the handle a, and jaw e; g, incline on the fixed jaw;
h, inclined mortise on movable jaw. By working the handle a, in either
direction one of the pins 6 acts against part i of excentric d, which causes
the jaws to open or close as in the preceding arrangement. Fig. 7 shows
an elevation of a wrench on the same principle as those herein-before
described for screwing and unscrewing round nuts, and other parts of different
diameters. It differs from the third and fourth arrangements by having two
handles instead of one, the fixed jaw forms part of the one handle while the
other handle is furnished with a toothed segment as represented in the
Drawing; lastly, Figs 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 represent front and side
elevations and details of another form of wrench similar to the one shown.at
Figs. 3 and 4 but of much simpler construction, all the parts being rounded
and made either in a lathe or stamping machine. The parts are all the same
as those described with reference, to Figs. 3 and 4, therefore the same letters
will also apply thereto.-
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of perform-
ing the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the construction of the
improved wrenches herein described and represented in the Drawings annexed
for screwing and unscrewing nuts or tubes of circular, square, hexagonal or
other form of various dimensions as an improved substitute for the "Clyburn
wrench," in the manner and as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, bave hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
W. G. E. SWINNOCK,
53, Chancery Lane.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)