IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HAPTS OR HANDLES OP SPRING KNIVES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT. to William Gilbert and Fredric William Gilbert, both
of Saint Philip's Road, Sheffield, in the County of York, Cutlery Manu-
facturers and Co-partners in Trade, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the: said William Gilbert and
Fredric William Gilbert at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 18th October 1864.
We, WILLIAM GILBERT and FREDRIC WILLIAM GILBERT, both of Saint
Philip's Road, Sheffield; in the County of York, Cutlery Manufacturers and
Co-partners in Trade, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HAPTS OR HANDLES OP SPRING
KNIVES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the metal linings of the hafts or handles of spring
knives, and more particularly that part known and distinguished in the
trade as the "bolster;" and consists in covering same with bone, wood, horn,
stag, ivory, tortoiseshell, and mother-o'-pearl, combined together in different
patterns and devices. The ends, or bolsters aforesaid may be of any one or
more of the aforesaid materials..
Heretofore, the bolsters have been covered with iron, brass, and German
silver, all of which are subject to oxidation, which in practice is objectionable.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Gilbert and Fredric William Gilbert, in the
Great Seal Patent Office.on the 18th April-1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
GILBERT and FREDRIC WILLIAM GILBERT, both of Saint Philip's Road,
Sheffield, in the County of York, Cutlery Manufacturers and Co-partners in
Trade, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Gilbert and Fredric William Gilbert, Her special licence
that we, the said William Gilbert and Fredric William Gilbert, our exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Gilbert and Fredric William Gilbert, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HAFTS OR HANDLES
OF SPRING KNIVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said William Gilbert and Fredric, William. Gilbert, our executors or adminis-
trators, 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 William Gilbert and Fredric William
Gilbert, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the metal linings of. the hafts or handles of spring
knives, and more particularly that part known and distinguished in the trade
as the "bolster," and-consists-in-covering-same-with-boue, wood, horn, stag

page_text: ivory, tortoiseshell, and mother-o'-pearl, combined together in different patterns
and devices. The ends or bolsters aforesaid may be of any one or more of the
aforesaid materials.
Heretofore the bolsters bave been covered with iron, brass, and German
silver, all of which are subject to oxidation, which in practice is objectionable.
These improvements are intended to obviate such objection and to improve
the appearance of the haft or handle.
And in order to explain our said Invention more completely we now proceed
to describe the means by which it may be carried into practical effect as follows,
that is to say: The metal linings being formed in the usual way, we affix
thereto, by rivets or otherwise, pieces of bone, wood, horn, stag, ivory, tortoise-
shell, and mother-o'-pearl, for example, we cover the central portion of the
metal linings with one or more pieces of the above materials, and the ends or
bolster parts of the metal linings we cover with a different colored material
to produce a contrast between the centre portion and the bolster. For
instance, if the centre be of tortoiseshell, the ends or bolsters may be of
mother-o'-pearl; or the centre may be of ivory and the ends of ebony; or
mother-of-pearl centres, and either ivory, wood, or tortoiseshe, nds, or any
other fanciful combination of the above materials may be employe
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object or our said
Invention for improvements in the construction of the hafts or handles of
spring knives, together with the best means we are acquainted with for carrying
the same into practical effect, we would remark in conclusion that we hereby
declare our Invention to consist in, and we claim, covering the bolsters of
spring knives with bone, wood, horn, stag, ivory, tortoiseshell, and mother-o'-
pearl, as above stated.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Gilbert and Fredric William
Gilbert, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth day of
April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-five.
WILLIAM GILBERT.
(L.S.)
FREDRIC W. GILBERT. (L.S.)