IMPROVEMENTS IN COAL PICKS OR HACKS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Archibald Robert Strachan, Engineer, and Henry
Strachan, Coal Merchant, both of Gateshead on Tyne, and Robert Oliver, of
Winlaton, in the County of Durham, Iron Manufacturer, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COAL PICKS OR HACKS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Archibald Robert Strachan
and Henry Strachan and Robert Oliver at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents on the 26th August 1880.
ARCHIBALD ROBERT STRACHAN, Engineer, and HENRY STRACHAN, Coal Merchant,
both of Gateshead on Tyne, and ROBERT OLIVER, of Winlaton, in the County of
Durham, Iron Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN COAL PICKS OR HACKS."
Our Invention relates to improvements in coal picks or hacks whereby increased
economy, efficiency, durability, and other advantages are obtained.
In carrying out our Invention the points of the head are made separate from
the body thereof, to which they are attached by mortices and tenons, and the body
is secured to the extremity of a shaft, the whole constituting the pick or back.
The mortices and tenons may be of a square or any other suitable shape.
By means of this Invention the points may be made of a superior class of
material, whilst the body is made of material of any other class; great durability
is thus obtained in the points, and at the same time the cost of the whole pick or
hack is reduced. Facility is also afforded for replacing damaged points, and also
for sharpening, as the points may be detached for that purpose in lieu of its being
required to manipulate the entire pick or hack. The points may be sharpened
when required on a grindstone.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Archibald Robert Strachan and Henry Strachan and Robert Oliver
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th February 1881.
ARCHIBALD ROBERT STRACHAN, Engineer, and HENRY STRACHAN, Coal Merchant,
both of Gateshead upon Tyne, and ROBERT OLIVER, of Winlaton, in the County of
Durham, Iron Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN COAL PICKS OR HACKS."
Our said Invention relates to improvements in coal picks or hacks whereby
increased economy, efficiency, and convenience are obtained.
ور
In carrying out our Invention the "points or end portions of the tools are
made separate from the body or head thereof, to which they are attached by
mortices and tenons, or otherwise, as hereinafter described, and the body or head
is secured to a wooden shaft, the whole constituting the pick or hack.
The accompanying Drawings represent various modifications of picks constructed
according to our said Invention.
Figures 1 to 10 are elevations of the points or end portions and body or head
attached, and Figures 10, 11, 11, 11b, 11e, and 11d are other details hereinafter
referred to; a are the "points" or end portions of the tools, which we make separate
from the body or head b, to which they are attached by mortices and tenons, as
shewn.
The mortices and tenons may be either round, square, oval, "feathered," or of
any other suitable shape, examples of which are shewn in the Drawings. The
points or end portions are self fixing, but in order to more securely hold them in
their place, screws, cotters, pins, or other means of effectually retaining them may
be used, as shewn at c on Figures 1 to 9. In order to attach and secure the
points or end portions of the larger sizes of picks, such as those with which navies,
platelayers, and roadmen work, a hole d may be made through the points, and a
corresponding hole d¹ made in the body or head, and. a cotter, bolt, or other
fastening e inserted therein, as shewn in Figure 10. The points or "bits" may be
made reversible, as shewn in Figure 5. They may be also made a little larger or
smaller in proportion to the size of the body or head of the pick, which will be a
convenience to miners when they require a heavy or lighter pick according to the
class of work to be performed by them. One end of the pick may be solid, and it
may be used as a spanner (or other handy tool), such tool however may also be
made detachable from the body or head if so desired. The body or head may be
either a casting or forged from iron or steel; Figure 10ª is a sectional view of the
body or head suitable for the larger sizes of picks and hacks, but the body or head
may be either anchored, straight, or of any other suitable shape.
In order to reduce the shock of the blow a piece of rubber or other suitable
material may be inserted in the mortice hole. The eyes may be either pot shaped,
lugged, "solid," plain, or of any shape desired, and may be slightly tapered so as
to be fixed on an ordinary wooden handle by wedges or otherwise. When various
sizes of picks are used by one man we fix two tapered iron or steel plates f on the
sides of the "web" of the handle (see Figure 11), and this preserves the handle from
wear and injury and allows the pick to be quickly removed when required.
These plates may be self fixing, that is "spiked" (see Figures 11a and 11b), so as
to be easily fixed on to the wood, or they may be fastened to the shaft by means
of nails, rivets, or screws; they may likewise be perforated (see Figures 11c
and 11d) in order to reduce the shock of the blow, and at the same time the
"dead weight" of the handle will be lessened. In order to prevent the pick from
slipping off, a spring, wedge, or other simple contrivance may be attached if found
necessary. The points or end portions may also be attached to the head or body
by means of studs, clasps, springs, straps, wedges, clips, keys, or other fastenings.

page_text: By means of our Invention the points or end portions may be made of a superior
class of material, whilst the body or head is made of material of any other class;
thus great durability is obtained in the points, and at the same time the cost
of a set of picks or hacks is greatly reduced. The convenience to the miner of
only having to send or carry his “points” up out of the mine when his pick
requires sharpening is however the chief advantage of our Invention. Facility is
also afforded for replacing the damaged points, besides the mere convenience in
getting the blunt "points "sharpened in lieu of its being required to manipulate
the whole pick; there will likewise be a saving in handles, as the handles will
never be exposed to the fire when the points are being sharpened.
The points may be sharpened on an ordinary grindstone, when, as it sometimes
happens, workmen are at a distance from a blacksmith's shop.
Our improvements are applicable to coal picks or hacks of every description,
under which terms we include all kinds of mining, sinking, and excavating picks,
pickaxes, mattocks, and railway beating picks.
By our Invention old and worn picks may be fitted with detachable points and
so again made serviceable for use.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, we would observe in conclusion that we do not confine ourselves to the
precise details of manufacture herein before described, as the same may be varied
without departing from our said Invention, but what we consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as th _n ntion secured to us by the hereinbefore
in part recited Letters Patent is,―
Constructing the points or end portions of coal picks or hacks detachable from
the head, body, or centre part, substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, Henry Strachan (Gateshead), on behalf of Archibald
Robert Strachan and Robert Oliver and myself, have to this our Specification
set my hand and seal, this Twenty fourth day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.