IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE HANDLES OF SAD IRONS OR SMOOTHING IRONS, STEW PANS, SAUCE PANS, FRYING PANS, AND OTHER ARTICLES OF HOLLOW WARE, AND IN CONNECTING THE SAID HANDLES TO THE SAID ARTICLES RESPECTIVELY
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Hurdman and Samuel
Simkins at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 10th September 1870.
We, GEORGE HURDMAN, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford,
Pattern Maker, and SAMUEL SIMKINS, of Wolverhampton, aforesaid,
Fitter, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE HANDLES OF SAD IRONS OR SMOOTHING IRONS, STEW PANS, SAUCE
PANS, FRYING PANS, AND OTHER ARTICLES OF HOLLOW WARE, AND IN CONNECTING
THE SAID HANDLES TO THE SAID ARTICLES RESPECTIVELY," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists, firstly, of the improvements herein-after
described in constructing the said handles and connecting them to the
bodies of sad irons and the other articles enumerated.
We will describe our Invention as applied to a sad iron or smoothing
iron. In using sad irons or smoothing irons of the ordinary kind great
inconvenience arises from the heating of the handles of the said irons.
Our Invention has for its object to remedy this inconvenience, and
consists in making the handles of sad irons or smoothing irons and the

page_text: slabs or bodies of the said irons in the manner herein-after explained,
whereby the said handles can be readily connected with and disconnected
from the slabs or bodies of the irons. By our Invention the slab or body
can be heated without its handle, and when the iron is ready for use the
handle can be connected with it. The said handle is in this way kept
cool. In constructing a separable handle according to this part of our
Invention we make the grip part of the handle in halves, the halves of
the grip when brought together resembling an ordinary grip. To each
end of each half grip a curved side bar is connected, each pair of the
side bars being joined together near their lower ends. The extreme
ends of the jointed bars are hooked outwards. When the half grips of
the handle are brought together the hooked lower ends of each pair are
separated from one another, and when the half grips are moved from
one another the said hooked lower ends approach one another. In order
to connect the separable handle described to the slab or body of the iron
we make in the upper side of the said slab and at the required distances
apart two cross slots or openings, the lower parts of which are undercut.
The upper parts of these slots are of a size proper to receive the hooked
ends of the side bars when they are brought together by the opening of
the half grips, and the undercut parts of the said slots are of a size
proper to receive the said hooked ends of the side bars when they are
opened out by the closing of the half grips. To connect the handle of
the sad iron to the slab or body the half grips are opened from one
another, and the lower hooked ends of the side bars of the grip are
introduced into the slots in the slab or body of the iron. . By then
closing the half grips the hooked ends of the side bars are opened out,
and engaging with the undercut parts of the slots connect the handle
securely to the slab or body. The two half grips are held together by
the hand during the use of the iron, or the said half grips may be con-
nected together by a spring catch or other fastening. After the sad iron
has cooled and it is wished to reheat it, the said iron is placed upon the
heating stove, and the separable handle removed therefrom by opening the
half grips.
When ready for use the handle is connected with the body
or slab in the manner herein-before described. The separable handle
previously described and the method of connecting it to the body of the
sad iron are also applicable to stew pans, sauce pans, frying pans, and
other articles of hollow ware, such changes in detail only being made
as will fit the said handle to the article to which it is to be applied.

page_text: Our Invention consists further in making the separable handle and
connecting it to the body or slab of the sad iron or smoothing iron in the
following manner:-We make in the top of the body or slab a longi-
tudinal slot or seat of a dovetail figure in cross section, that is, the said
slot or seat is undercut, being broader at bottom than at top. The said
slot or seat also tapers in the direction of its length. On the bottom of
the separable handle is a bar having a dovetail figure proper to fit the
dovetail seat in the body of the iron. By introducing the narrow end of
the dovetail bar of the handle into the wide end of the dovetail slot or
seat in the body or slab and sliding the handle towards the point end of
the iron the said dovetail bar enters the seat or slot and fixes the handle
securely to the slab or body of the iron. By sliding the handle in the
opposite direction the dovetail bar may be withdrawn from the seat in
the body or slab of the iron and the handle removed. By constructing
the handle and slab or body in this way a handle provided with a
wooden grip and a bright metal guard may be used with the sad iron
or smoothing iron.