IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF TABLE CUTLERY
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Thomson King, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF TABLE CUTLERY." A communication from abroad by John Pedder
and George Abel, of Beaver Falls, in the County of Bevor, Pennsylvania,
United States of America.
Scaled the 1st September 1876, and dated the 11th March 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Thomson King at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th March 1876.
JOHN THOMSON KING, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TABLE CUTLERY."
This Invention relates to blanks to be used in the manufacture of knives, forks,
and like articles.
Heretofore in the production of blanks for the purposes named two methods
have been adopted, the first being to forge the blanks separately, which involves
loss of time, great labor, and much expense; the second consisting in rolling a bar
having two transverse inclines extending the length of the bar, the one narrow for
the tang, the other wide enough for the length of tine or blade to be made, and
such a bar was then cut transversely into blanks of the required width. The
objections to these methods are the labor and expense involved in the first method,
and in the latter method the great difficulty experienced in rolling the bar and the
necessity of cutting across the fibre of the material.
The object of the present improvements is to avoid the labor and consequent
expense of forging the blanks as well as the necessity of working across the grain
of previously rolled blanks, and the Invention consists,-
First. In forming a bar or skelp for the production of fork blanks a face of said
bar is made up of a series of long and short longitudinal inclines which slope in
reverse directions, a long incline corresponding to the tines of a finished fork, and
a short incline corresponding to the tang composing a set, and the length and
width (the latter if desired) of a bar being multiples of a set.
Second. In a skelp or bar for the production of a series of knife or similar
blanks; said bar has on one or both faces a series of longitudinal inclines, a short
incline corresponding to the length of a tang, and a long incline corresponding to

page_text: the blank, and transverse bevels from a central line to give the taper from the back
to the edge of the blade.
Grooved or embossed rolls, the circumferencos of which are by preference
multiples of the blanks to be made from the bar, will readily, in the usual manner
of rolling, produce both forms of skelp or bar above described. Skelps or bars of
the forms specified having been obtained are submitted to suitable dies, which
strike out and separate the blanks which are fit for being finished in any usual or
known manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Thomson King in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
September 1876.
JOHN THOMSON KING, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TABLE CUTLERY." A communication
from abroad by Jolm l'edder and George Abel, of Beaver Falls, in the County
of Beaver, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This Invention relates to blanks to be used in the manufacture of knives, forks,
and like articles.
Heretofore in the production of blanks for the purposes named two methods have
been adopted, the first being to forge the blanks separately, which involves loss of
time, great labour, and much expense; the second consisting in rolling a bar having
two transverse inclines extending the length of the bar, the one narrow for the
tang, the other wide enough for the length of tine or blade to be made, and such a
bar was then cut transversely into blanks of the required width. The objections
to these methods are the labor and expense involved in the first method, and in the
latter method the great difficulty experienced in rolling the bar and the necessity
of cutting across the fibre of the material.
The object of the present improvements is to avoid the labor and consequent
expense of forging the blanks, as well as the necessity of working across the grain
of previously rolled blanks, and the Invention consists,―
First. In forming a bar or skelp for the production of fork blanks a face of said
bar is made up of a series of long and short longitudinal inclines which slope in
reverse directions, a long incline corresponding in the tines of a finished fork and
a short incline corresponding to the tang composing a set, and the length and width
(the latter desired) of a bar being multiples of a set.
Second. In a skelp or bar for the production of a series of knife or similar
blanks, said bar has on one or both faces a series of longitudinal inclines, a short
incline corresponding to the length of a tang, and a long incline corresponding to
the blade, and transverse bevels from a central line to give the taper from the back
to the edge of the blade.
Grooved or embossed rolls, the circumferences of which are by preference
multiples of the blanks to be made from the bar, will readily in the usual manner
of rolling produce both forms of skelp or bar above described. Skelps or bars of
the forms specified having been obtained are submitted to suitable dies, which
strike out and separato the blanks which are fit for being finished in any usual or
known manner.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a skelp or bar for the manufacture of fork blanks,
and has longitudinal inclines only. A represents a skelp or bar, one face of which
may be flat, as shown, but the opposite face is composed of a series of inclines a, b,
of unequal lengths, the shorter inclines a corresponding in length to the tang of the
fork to be produced, and the longer inclines to the tines. A long and short incline
meeting at the point c compose a blank, the point c corresponding to the junction
of tang and tine.

page_text: Fig. 2 is a perspective view, and Fig. 3 an end view of a skelp or bar for the
manufacture of knife or similar blanks. This skelp or har has both transverse and
longitudinal inclines or bevels. A' indicates a bar having upon one or both faces
(preferably both faces) longitudinal inclines a', b', of unequal length, and sloping in
different directions from the line c¹, which indicates the junction of tang and blade
in the finished knife, and is of course the thickest portion of the bar. This bar is
likewise bevelled transversely (on one or both faces, accordingly as the longitudinal
inclines are made on one or both faces) from the middle line d to the edges, so as to
leave a greater amount of metal at that part of the blank which will ultimately
form the back of the knife.
The knife skelp should be of a width slightly greater than twice the width of
the blank to be cut therefrom. The fork skelp is preferably double width, but may
be the width of a single blank or any multiple of a blank if desired. The length
of the bars may be fifteen feet, more or less, or multiples of the length of the
articles to be produced.
Having obtained bars of the forms specified they are submitted to suitable dies,
which strike out a knife or fork blank, according to the circumstances for each
space l, m, n, o, and the blank may then be finished up in the usual and well
known manner.
The advantages of the present Invention are that a knife or fork blank is
produced in which the grain or fibre of the metal runs in the same direction as the
tang and tine or blade of the finished article, and therefore having all the advan-
tages of the forged article, and at the same time the labor, expense, and loss of
time attendant upon the manufacture of forged blanks is avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention in such manner that others will be enabled to carry the said Invention
into practice, I claim,-
First. The bar or series of fork blanks herein described, the same consisting of a
line of blanks joined end to end, each blank having a long longitudinal incline for
the tine portion and a short longitudinal incline for the tang, substantially as
specified.
Second. The bar or continuous double series of blanks herein described, the same
consisting of two lines of blanks joined together longitudinally, cach blank having
a long longitudinal incline for the blade portion, a short longitudinal incline for the
tang, and a transverse bevel to thin it towards the edge, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Thomson King, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
J. T. KING. (L.S.)