IMPROVEMENTS IN SCUTCHING WHEELS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ephraim Death and John Ellwood, both of
Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Engineers and Co-partners,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SCUTCHING WHEELS."
Sealed the 19th January 1872, and dated the 18th November 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ephraim Death and
John Ellwood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 18th November 1871.
We, EPHRAIM DEATH and JOHN ELLWOOD, both of Leicester, in the
County of Leicester, Engineers and Co-partners, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SCUTCHING WHEELS," to
be as follows:-
Our Invention has reference to those scutching wheels which are
employed to operate on the leaves of "Henequen" or "Sisal hemp"
and consists in forming on the rim of the wheel a series of lugs or
backings for the knives, whereby the knives are strengthened and made
adjustable as required.

page_text: The knives of brass or other metal hitherto employed for the purpose
have been liable to be broken by the transverse strain to which they are
exposed in working, and also to have their operating edges worn without
the means of adjustment. Now our Invention is intended to remedy
both these defects by providing a backing for the knives and making
them adjustable. For these two purposes the lugs cast on or fixed to
the outer edge of the wheel are nearly of the depth of the knives, and
are formed with strengthening ribs at their backs. And the knives
instead of being bolted to the rim as usual are in the form of plates
bolted to the front faces of the said lugs, and they are rendered
adjustable on the face of the lugs by having slots formed in them, and
by means of adjusting screws passing through the rim of the wheel.
Scutching wheels thus constructed may be employed for operating on
other materials besides "Henequen " ог "Sisal hemp."
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ephraim Death and John Ellwood in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 16th May 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EPHRAIM
DEATH and JOHN ELLWOOD, both of Leicester, in the County of Leicester,
Engineers and Co-partners, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in
the thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said Ephraim Death and John
Ellwood, Her special licence that we, the said Ephraim Death and John
Ellwood, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said Ephraim Death and John Ellwood, our 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
SCUTCHING WHEELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Ephraim Death and John Ellwood, our executors or administrators,

page_text: by an instrument in writing under our, 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 performed,
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 we, the said Ephraim Death and John Ellwood,
do hereby declare the nature of our 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 Drawings
hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):
:-
"
Our Invention of "Improvements in Scutching Wheels" has reference
to those scutching wheels which are employed to operate on the leaves
of "Henequen or
"Sisal hemp," and consists in forming on the rim
of the wheels a series of lugs or backings for the knives, whereby the
knives are strengthened and made adjustable as required.
The knives of brass or other metal hitherto employed for the purpose
have been liable to be broken by the transverse strain to which they are
exposed in working, and also to have their operating edges worn without
the means of adjustment. Now our Invention is intended to remedy
both these defects by providing a backing for the knives and making
them adjustable. For these two purposes the lugs cast on or fixed to
the outer edge of the rim of the wheel are nearly of the depth of the
knives, and are formed with strengthening ribs at their backs. And
the knives instead of being bolted to the rim as usual are in the form
of plates bolted to the front faces of the said lugs, and they are rendered
adjustable on the face of the lugs by having slots formed in them, and
by means of adjusting screws passing through the rim of the wheel.
Scutching wheels thus constructed may be employed for operating on
other materials besides "Henequen" or "Sisal hemp."
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, we will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed by
the aid of the accompanying Drawings, in which are represented both the
old mode of fastening the knives and the new mode under our Invention.
DAMPAS

page_text: will describe our improved mode shewn in Figures 3 and 4, which will
be readily distinguished from the old mode, shewn in Figures 1 and 2,
by a comparison of the two sets of Figures, the same letters of reference
being used to indicate corresponding parts.
A is the rim of the wheel, on the outer edge of which are cast or fixed a
lugs B, which are nearly of the depth of the knives C, and are formed
with strengthening ribs D at their backs. The knives C, it will be seen,
are in the form of plates and are bolted to the front faces of the lugs B,
on which they are rendered adjustable by having slots formed in the
knives, and by means of the adjusting screws E-passing through the
rim A of the wheel, and capable of acting on the lower or inner edge of
the knives, and raising or moving them outwards in order that they may
be fixed in their required position on the faces of the lugs.
By constructing and fixing the knives on the lugs in the manner
represented and described the knives will be strengthened and enabled
to resist the transverse strain to which they are exposed in working and
will also be capable of ready adjustment as required.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we hereby declare that what we
claim as of our Invention is the mode of strengthening the knives and
rendering them adjustable, as represented in Figures 3 and 4, and herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Ephraim Death and John Ellwood,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Eleventh day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
Witness,
JOHN NOON,
73, Catesby Street,
Leicester,
Clerk.
EPHRAIM DEATH. (L.S.)
JOHN ELLWOOD. (L.S.)