IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING PEARL AND OTHER NON-METALLIC HANDLES TO DESSERT AND FISH KNIVES AND FORKS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Stokes, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturing Jeweller and Silversmith, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING PEARL AND OTHER NON-METALLIC HANDLES
TO DESSERT AND FISH KNIVES AND FORKS."
Sealed the 28th January 1879, and dated the 7th September 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Stokes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th September 1878.
WILLIAM HENRY STOKES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu,
facturing Jeweller and Silversmith. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING PEARL AND
OTHER NON-METALLIC HANDLES TO DESSERT AND FISH KNIVES AND FORKS."
In the ordinary method of attaching pearl and other non-metallic bandles to
dessert and fish knives and forks the pearl or other non-metallic handle is made
hollow, and the knife or fork is furnished with a tang which takes into the hollow
handle, and is secured therein by cement;
Handles attached in this way are liable to become loose and detached by use and
cleaning, as well as discoloured by the action of the tangs upon them.
•
My Invention consists in attaching the said handles to dessert and fish knives
and forks in the manner herein-after described, whereby. the loosening and dis-
colouring of the handles which frequently occur when attached in the ordinary way
are prevented.
In attaching the said handles to dessert and fish knives and forks, according to
my Invention, I dispense with the ordinary tang on the knife or fork, and I use a
solid handle instead of a hollow handle, that is, a handle without a central hole or
recess, and I attach to or make in one piece with the bolster of the knife or fork a
tubular collar or tubular extension of a size and shape proper to fit upon the inner
end of the solid handle.
:

page_text: In attaching the handle to the knife or fork the tubular collar or tubular exten-
sion on the bolster of the knife or fork is passed on to and made to fit tightly the
inner end of the solid handle, and the said collar or tubular extension is fixed to
the handle by rivetting or pinning it thereto. The handle is thereby attached
very firmly to the knife or fork without cement, and without a tang on the knife
or fork.
I do not limit myself to any particular length of the said tubular collar or tubular
extension of the bolster, nor to its shape, but I prefer to give the said collar an
ornamental form.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Henry Stokes. in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
March 1879.
WILLIAM HENRY STOKES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturing Jeweller and Silversmith. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING PEARL AND
OTHER NON-METALLIC HANDLES TO DESSERT AND FISH KNIVES AND FORKS."
In the ordinary method of attaching pearl and other non-metallic handles to
dessert and fish knives and forks, the pearl or other non-metallic handle is made
hollow, and the knife or fork is furnished with a tang which takes into or passes
through the hollow handle, and is secured therein by cement.
Handles attached in this, way are liable to become loose, and detached by use and
cleaning, as well as discolored by the action of the tangs upon them.
My Invention consists in attaching the said handles to dessert and fish knives
and forks in the manner herein-after described, whereby the loosening and the
separation of the handles from the knives or forks; and the discolouring of the
handles, which frequently occur when attached in the ordinary way, are prevented.
In attaching the said handles to dessert and fish knives and forks, according to
my Invention, I dispense with the ordinary tang on the knife or fork, and I use a
solid handle instead of a hollow handle, that is, a handle without a central hole
or recess, and I attach to or make in one piece with the bolster of the knife or fork
a tubular collar or tubular extension of a size and shape proper to fit upon the
inner end of the solid handle.
In attaching the handle to the knife or fork the tubular collar or tubular exten-
sion on the bolster of the knife or fork is passed on to the inner end of the solid
handle, fitting the said end of the handle tightly, and the said collar or tubular
extension is fixed to the handle by rivetting or pinning it thereto. The handle is
thereby attached very firmly to the knife or fork without cement, and without a
tang on the knife or fork.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Iuvention is to be performed.

page_text: Figure 1 represents in front elevation, and Figure 2 in side elevation, a dessert
knife, the pearl or other non-metallic handle of which is attached to the blade of
the knife according to my Invention.
Figure 3 represents the blade and handle of the knife detached, a portion of the
blade, its bolster, and the tubular collar or tubular extension of the bolster being
represented in section.
> Figures 4 and 5 represent the handle attached to the blade, the junction of the
two parts being represented in section, the section of Figure 4 being taken in a
plane at right angles to that in which the section of Figure 5 is taken.
Figure 6 represents a cross section of the knife taken through the fastening pin
or rivet.
Figure 7 represents a dessert fork, the handle of which is attached according to
my Invention.
The same letters indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the Drawing.
a is the blade of the knife, and 6 the solid pearl or other non-metallic handle of
the same; c is the bolster of the knife blade; and d is the tubular collar or tubular
extension of the bolster. The said tubular collar or tubular extension d of the
bolster c is either made separate from the bolster, or made in one piece with the
said bolster. When made separate from the bolster the tubular collar or tubular
extension of the bolster is attached to the bolster by brazing or hard soldering, or
by screwing or otherwise. When the tubular collar d is made in one piece with
the bolster the bolster end of the blade is provided with sufficient metal to form the
bolster c and the tubular collar or tubular extension d of the bolster; or the tubular
collar or tubular extension of the bolster may be cast on the bolster, and finished by
turning, drilling, and filing, or otherwise.
.
The tubular collar or tubular extension of the bolster is made either of the same
diameter throughout, or slightly taper, and is perforated at c for receiving the fixing
pin or rivet.
The end 62 of the solid pearl or other non-metallic handle b is made of a size and
shape proper for the collar or tubular extension d of the bolster to fit upon, and the
said end b is drilled with a hole f for the fixing pin or rivet to pass through.
In attaching the solid handle b to the blade a of the knife the tubular collar or
tubular extension d of the bolster is passed on to the end 62 of the solid handle b,
on which it fits tightly. A fixing pin or rivet g is next passed through the holes e
and fin the collar d of the blade a, and the end 62 of the handle b and the said pin
or rivet g rivetted in its place upon the said collar. The handle b is in this way
very firmly attached to the knife blade a, and the inconveniences herein-before
referred to attending the ordinary method of connecting pearl and other non-metallic
handles to knives and forks are avoided.
The handle of the dessert fork represented in Figure 7 is attached to the fork in
the manner described with respect to the attaching of the handle of a dessert
knife.
In the said Figure 7 h is the fork; 1, the tubular collar or tubular extension of
the bolster i, made in one piece with or attached to the bolster; and 6 is the solid
pearl or other non-metallic bandle.
Instead of a single fixing pin or rivet, as described and illustrated, two or more
fixing pins or rivets may be used where necessary, and the position of the fixing pin
or pins or rivets may be varied.
Instead of connecting the tubular collar or tubular extension of the bolster to the
end of the non-metallic handle by a pin or rivet, or pius or rivets, as described, the
said tubular collar or tubular extension of the bolster may be secured upon the end
of the handle by pressure in various ways. For example, I make a series of annular
depressions or grooves in the end of the handle, into which the tubular collar is
forced by the process called spinning, that is, the knife or fork with the handle
fitted to it being placed in a lathe and rotated, the inetal of the tubular collar or
tubular extension of the bolster is by means of a pressing or burnishing tool forced
into the said depressions or grooves in the end of the handle; or the extreme end

page_text: of the tubular collar or tubular extension of the bolster may by a burnishing or
pressing tool be forced into a notch or depression in the end of the handle; or the
said end of the tubular collar may be closed, or contracted upon a shoulder or rib
made at the required place on the end part of the handle.
In either of the way's described the handle of the knife or fork is secured to. the;
tubular collar or tubular extension of the bolster without the use of pins or
rivets.
I do not limit myself to any particular length of the tubular collar or tubular
"extension of its bolster, nor to its shape.
T
I attach pearl and other non-metallic handles to fish knives and forks in the.
manner herein-before described, and represented in the Drawing with respect to;a
dessert knife and fork..
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,
the improvements in attaching pearl and other non-metallic handles to dessert and
fish knives and forks, herein-before. described, and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, attaching to or making in one piece with the bolster of the
knife or fork a tubular collar or tubular extension of the said bolster, the said
tubular collar or tubular extension of the bolster fitting tightly upon the innerṛend
of the solid handle of the knife or fork, and being fixed in its place substantially as
described and illustrated, whereby the use of the ordinary tang on the knife or fork
and the central hole or recess in the handle as well as the fixing.cement is dispensed
.with.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Stokes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of February; in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
Witness,
RICHARD, SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM HENRY STOKES. (L.S.):