AN IMPROVED KNIFE-CLEANING MACHINE
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
<
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
AN IMPROVED KNIFE-CLEANING MACHINE." A. communication from abroad
by Louis Guex, of Springfield, Illinois, United States of America, now residing
at Paris, France.
Sealed the 21st August 1877, and dated the 22nd February 1877
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd February 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED KNIFE-CLEANING MACHINE."
A communication from abroad by Louis Guex, of Springfield, Illinois, United States
of America, now residing at Paris, France.
This Invention relates to an improved machine for cleaning knives, and consists
in the novel construction and combinations of devices herein-after specified.
The said machine is constructed with a circular case or box formed or fixed on a
strong base plate. This case or box encloses a pair of revolving, cleaning, and
polishing wheels, and at its top it has a reservoir for the reception of emery powder
or other knife cleansing and polishing material. At the lower orifice of this
reservoir is arranged a small wheel with a conical surface for the purpose of dividing
the powder and distributing the same over the surface of the said cleaning wheels.
These wheels are constructed with metal discs provided with buff leather or similar
material placed on caoutchouc discs, whose interior is made hollow and presents
the form of an annular crown, which constitutes the interior body or portion of the
said wheels, and imparts to their cleaning and polishing surfaces the desired
elasticity.
The two hollow caoutchouc discs are fitted and held by friction, or glued, or
otherwise secured upon the bosses of the metal discs, which are firmly secured on
shafts by means of longitudinal keys or pins, or are fitted to turn upon the said
shafts. These shafts are slightly inclined from a horizontal position, so that the
surfaces of the two discs are not in contact throughout their entire area, but touch
each other at their lower portions only. The said shafts are supported in suitable

page_text: bearings at the sides of the case of the machines. The said bosses are toothed on
their periphery to form pinions which gear with wheels mounted upon the central
or main shaft of the machine, which shaft is provided with a crank or handle,
whereby rotary motion is transmitted to the pinions, and consequently to the afore-
said discs.
The said machine is provided with small rolls, which guide and support the knife
blades as they are presented to the cleaning mechanism; near these rolls are
apertures, through which the blades are inserted. These rolls are formed of
compressed horn, vulcanite, rubber, wood, or other suitable material, and if desired
the upper rolls may be covered with leather, emery cloth, or similar substance, to
clean and polish the back of the knife blades. Below the said discs I provide the
machine with a drawer, which receives the powder that has been used for cleaning
the knives. In some instances I provide the edge or periphery of the discs with a
brush, which cleans the back of the knife guards; and I sometimes provide the
main shaft outside of the said case with a sharpener.
In some instances I find it advantageous to construct what I term twin machines,
that is to say, I arrange two of the above described machines side by side, and
supply one of them with coarse powder for scouring and cleansing, and the other
with fine powder for polishing the knife blades.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
August 1877.
A
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE; of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED KNIFE-CLEANING MACHINE."
communication from abroad by Louis Guex, of Springfield, Illinois, United States
of America, now residing at Paris, France.
This Invention relates to an improved machine for cleaning knives, and consists
in the novel construction and combinations of the parts of the said machine as
herein-after specified and as shewn in the accompanying Drawings, in which,―
Figure 1 is a plan or top view of a machine constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the said machine; Figure 3 is an end
elevation, partly in section, of the same; Figure 4 is a vertical section on the
line x, x, Figure 1.
Figures 5 and 6 are horizontal sections on the lines y, y, and z, 2, Figure 2.
Figure 7 is an elevation, partly in section, of a double or twin machine.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
The said machine is constructed with a case or box a of wood, metal, or other
suitable material, formed or fixed on a strong base plate a¹ of like material, and
adapted to rest upon a table or bench. The said box is preferably provided with
a clamp a cast or otherwise formed or fixed on it, but if desired this clamp may be
dispensed with and the machine secured by screws or otherwise. The case or box a
encloses a pair of revolving cleaning and polishing wheels c, herein-after described,
and at its top it has a hopper or reservoir d for the reception of emery powder or
other knife cleansing and polishing material. This hopper or reservoir is preferably
provided with a close fitting cover or cap d', as shewn. At the lower orifice of
this reservoir d is arranged a small wheel e with a conical or convex surface, which
may be roughened for the purpose of dividing the cleaning and polishing powder
and distributing the same over the surface of the cleaning and polishing wheels c.
I may provide the said machine with a piece of leather fitted within the case a
immediately under the hopper, the same having a hole or opening for the passage
of the powder to the wheels, and having the ends turned down outside the case or
box to keep the powder from flying out of the box.

page_text: The wheels c, as shewn in Figures 3 and 6, are constructed with metal parts c'
provided with discs or washers c² of buff leather, or similar material, placed on
india-rubber or caoutchouc cushions c³, which are made hollow or otherwise con-
veniently constructed to constitute the interior body or portion of the said wheel c,
and impart to their cleaning and polishing surfaces c³ the desired elasticity.
The two caoutchouc cushions c³ are fitted and held by friction, or by glueing, or
otherwise securing them upon the bosses c of the metal parts c', which are firmly
secured on rotating shafts by means of suitable keys or pins; or they are fitted to
turn upon shafts or journals f secured in the sides of the case a. The construction
of these cleaning and polishing wheels may be modified if desired. These shafts are
slightly inclined from a horizontal position, as shewn in Figure 3, so that the sur-
faces of the two discs c² are not in contact throughout their entire area.
In the examples shewn it will be observed that the said shafts and discs are so
inclined that the discs are open or separated most widely at their lowest point.
And it is preferable to so set the said discs that they are open or separate from each
other at the back, so that the said discs rub the knives only at one part of their
surfaces, and consequently all the marks on the knife will be made in one direction ;
but I do not limit myself to this particular arrangement of the said shafts and
discs, as it is obvious that they may be inclined in any direction. I prefer to have
the shafts or journals f screwed into the sides of the box, so that the cleaning and
polishing dises can be set nearer to or further from each other to adjust them to
blades of different thickness, and to regulate their pressure and friction on the same,
as desired. The said bosses have formed or fixed on them toothed pinions g, which
gear with wheels h mounted upon the central or main shaft i of the machine, which
shaft is provided with a crank or handle j, whereby rotary motion is transmitted
to the pinions g, and consequently to the aforesaid cleaning and polishing wheel.
In some instances I may arrange the said cleaning and polishing wheels to be both
driven by one wheel on the main or central shaft.
The said machine is provided with small rolls k, l, which guide and support the
knife blades as they are presented to the cleaning and polishing wheels. In the
case a and between the rolls k, l, are apertures m, through which the knife blades
are inserted. These rolls are formed of compressed horn, india-rubber, vulcanite,
wood, or other suitable material, and if desired either the lower or the upper rolls
may be covered with leather, emery cloth, or similar substance, to clean and polish
the back of the knife blades. When the cleaning and polishing rollers are inclined,
as shewn in Figures 3 and 7, and a knife is inserted with its back resting on the
rolls k, the discs will sharpen as well as clean and polish the knife blades.
Below the said discs I provide the machine with a drawer o, which receives the
powder that has been used for cleaning the knives.
In some instances I find it advantageous to construct what I term twin machines,
that is to say, I arrange two of the above described machines, as shewn in Figure 7,
side by side, with one central shaft i extending through them, which shaft is pro-
vided with a handle j; and I supply one of them with coarse powder for scouring
and cleansing, and the other with fine powder, or use the buff leather alone for
polishing and giving a finished appearance to the knife blades.
I sometimes provide the said machine with a small emery wheel, or other
suitable sharpening wheel n fixed on the end of the main shaft i outside the box
or case a, as shewn in Figure 3, or between the two machines, as shewn in
Figure 7.
In using my improved machine the emery or other cleaning or polishing powder
is placed in the hopper or reservoir d. The knife blades are inserted between the
two wheels c through one of the aforesaid apertures in the case a, the blades being
supported by the rolls k, k, while the machine is operated by the handle j. The
said wheels in rotating operate by friction the wheel e, which distributes the powder
successively over the surface of the discs c. The knife blade being cleaned is sub-
jected to pressure and friction by the buff leather or other surface of the said discs,
which are supplied with the powder as above specified. By means of the elastic

page_text: support of the polishing surfaces the friction can be increased by pressing the blade
to bring it near the edges or portions of the discs which, are in contact. The
cleaning and polishing of the blade will be effected in a few revolutions of the
machine.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim,-
First. In a knife-cleaning machine the device consisting of the two cleaning and
polishing wheels arranged together and so inclined as to touch or be in contact with
each other only on one edge or portion of their polishing surface for the purpose
specified.
Second. The cleaning and polishing wheel, consisting of the metal part c¹, with
boss the cleaning or polishing disc c², and the elastic cushion c³, formed and
fitted together as above set forth and for the purposes specified.
Third. In a knife-cleaning machine the combination of parts comprising the
aforesaid wheels mounted on inclined shafts or journals, the hopper or reservoir,
and the distributing roller, as above set forth and for the purposes specified.
Fourth. The combination of parts comprising the aforesaid cleaning and polishing
wheels arranged together and mounted on inclined shafts or journals, the central
shaft provided with a crank or handle and connected by gear wheels with the said
cleaning and polishing wheels, the hopper, the distributing wheel, and the rolls, all
mounted within a suitable case or frame, and with or without the leather piece and
exterior sharpening wheel, as above specified, and operating as described for the
purposes set forth.
.
Fifth. The twin or double machine constructed as shewn in Figure 7 of the
Drawings, and as above set forth, for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
TYYL
A
W. ROB². LAKE. (L.S.)
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