IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR WHETTING SCYTHES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alfred Julius Boult at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st November 1881. A communi-
cation from abroad by Messieurs Telesphore Jacquot and Joseph Thirion,
both of Nancy, in the Republic of France.
ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of the Firm of W. P. Thompson & Boult, Agents
for Foreign Patent Solicitors, 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
and 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer and Patent
Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR WHETTING SCYTHES." A com-
munication from abroad by Messieurs Telesphore Jacquot and Joseph Thirion,
both of Nancy, in the Republic of France.
This Invention relates to an improved machine or apparatus for hammering
scythes, which machine or apparatus is designed to effect the whetting of scythes
more rapidly and better than could be done by the means and methods heretofore.
employed for the same purpose.
"
25
The principal part of such a machine is a piece preferably of cast iron serving
as a hammer and hollowed out or recessed in such a manner as to receive a
"hammer face" of steel which is bolted to the same and is guided in an appro-
priate path by two pins or keys. The whole is so arranged that by moving the
pins or keys, the one forward and the other rearward, the relative position of the
hammer properly so called and its face can bo varied, which allows the
scythe to be hammered to any thickness the operator may desire, and to facilitato
this the hole through which the bolt connecting the hammer and its "face"
passes is made slightly oval. This arrangement which forms an important
feature of the invention will allow the scythe to be adapted to the crop to be
cut, which may consist of more or less of hard stalks, or the thickness of these
latter may differ, and the scythe may thereby likewise be adapted to the soil which
may be more or less stony.
The herein before mentioned haminer has at its upper end another recess which
affords room for a small friction roller mounted on the frame of the machine
and serving to diminish friction when the hammer is raised by a ratchet wheel
acting upon it.
By the side of the hammer two small supports of iron are provided, and to
these coiled springs are attached by one end, the other end thereof being attached

page_text: to the framing; said springs project the hammer with such power as is required,
completing the operation at a single passage of the scythe through the machine.
The "face" of the hammer which is of tempered steel is similar in shape to
the "faco" of an ordinary hammer; it is not made perfectly straight but is a
little oval or rounded at that part which which is near the edge of the scythe, thus
allowing the latter to be made as fine as may be desired. The depth of the
sharpened edge is regulated by means of a small roller.
In the lower part of the frame which encloses the hammer and its gearing a
steel anvil is provided and fixed by means of a screw nut. Upon this anvil the
scythe is placed during the operation.
.
One very important part of the machine is a ratchet whoel serving to raise the
hammer and to allow it to descend four times during the revolution of the crank
and then to advance by one tooth a pinion, which is so arranged as to carry the
scythe gradually forward as it is struck by the hammer, this forward motion
being effected by the shaft which carries the pinion; to this end the shaft passing
through the frame and the anvil is provided with a cord coiled round it and
attached to the point of the scythe in a suitable manner; it will be readily under-
stood that each time the aforesaid pinion advances one tooth the cord will be
coiled on the shaft and thus cause the scythe to advance.
A small roller serving as a stop is provided on the anvil, and regulates the
width of that part of the scythe upon which the hammer strikes.
The frame, which generally assumes the shape of a tripod, has cast iron legs and
wooden cross pieces, and can be folded into a small space for convenience in
transport.
A crank imparts motion to the whole of the mechanism. The pins or keys may
form part of the hammer.
A machine constructed as hereinabove set forth offers the following advantages :—
The whetting of scythes as heretofore practised causes a great deal of fatigue
and loss of time and imperfect whetting by inexperienced work people, disfigures
the scythe, and renders its working defective, whilst all these inconveniences are
obviated by the use of the above described machine, as even an unskilled person
can in a very short time whet a scythe in a perfect manner, and this facilitates
mowing.
Heretofore a good eyesight and a practised hand were required for satisfactorily
whetting a scytho, whilst even a child or an aged person can perform this operation
by means of the said machine.