IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN HARDENING FILES."
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Buxton, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN HARDENING
FILES."
d the 11th December 1877, and dated the 16th June 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Buxton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th June 1877.
JAMES BUXTON, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster.
TO BE USED IN HARDENING FILES."
IMPROVED APPARATUS
In hardening files in the usual manner it frequently happens that the files
become cast or bent in the process, and the files then require to be "strained" by
hand; and if this process fails to straighten then they are termed "wasters," and a
great loss is thereby occasioned.
"
The object of this Invention is to prevent the loss of time and labor occasioned by
the hand process of "straining," and to prevent or lessen the number of "wasters,"
and thus to economize time, labor, and material.
Inside the water tank used for hardening the files I fix a cast-iron plate, and
opposite to this I mount a moveable cast-iron plate, the two being connected
together by parallel links.
Both the fixed plate and the movable plate are provided on their inner faces with
jaws of copper furnished with teeth or projections, which are so formed as to hold
a file firmly between them, but at the same time to let the water circulate freely
over both faces of the file.
..Connected to the movable plate are two levers which are heavily weighted, the
weights being so arranged as to have a tendency to force tho jaws together. The
weights are connected to one of a lever, to the other end of which a treadle or
stirrup is attached.
When the heated file has been plunged in the tank, and so partially hardened,
the workman places his foot on the treadle, and thus opens the jaws. He then places
the file between the jaws, and by removing his foot allows the weights to fall and

page_text: force the jaws together, thus " straining "the file and keeping it flat until the
hardening is completed.
By having two or more sets of jaws in each tank the workman will not have
to wait, but can work the different jaws in succession; so that while he is removing
a file from one set of jaws, and replacing it with another file, the file in the other
pair of jaws has become completely hardened.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Buxton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th December
1877.
JAMES BUXTON, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster.
TO BE USED IN HARDENING FILES."
IMPROVED APPARATUS
In hardening files in the usual manner it frequently happens that the files
become cast or bent in the process, and the files then require to be "strained" by
hand; and if this process fails to straighten them, they are termned "wasters," and a
great loss is thereby occasioned.
The object of this Invention is to prevent the loss of time and labor occasioned by
the hand process of "straining," and to prevent or lessen the number of "wasters,"
and thus to economize time, labor, and material.
Inside the water tank used for hardening the files I fix a cast-iron plate, and
opposite to this I mount a movable cast-iron plate, the two being connected
together by parallel links.
Both the fixed plate and the movable plate are provided on their inner faces with
jaws of copper furnished with teeth or projections, which are so formed as to hold a
file firmly between them, but at the same time to let the water circulate freely over
both faces of the file.
Connected to the movable plate are two levers which are heavily weighted, the
weights being so arranged as to have a tendency to force the jaws together. The
weights are connected to one end of a lever, to the other end of which a treadle or
stirrup is attached.
When the heated file has been plunged in the tank, and so partially hardened,
the workman places his foot on the treadle, and thus opens the jaws. He then
places the files between the jaws, and by removing his foot allows the weight to fall
and force the jaws together, thus "straining" the file and keeping it flat until the
bardening is completed.
By having two or more sets of jaws in each tank, the workman will not have to
wait, but can work the different jaws in succession; so that while he is removing a
file from one set of jaws, and replacing it with another file, the file in the other pair
of jaws has become completely hardened.
In the annexed Drawing Fig. 1 is a section of water tank with my improved
apparatus shown as applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus.
In the Drawing the apparatus is shewn as only single; but, as before stated, two
or more sets of jaws may be placed in each tank.
a, a, is the tank; b, b, the fixed jaw or plate; and c, c, the inovable jaw attached
thereto by paralel links d, d, and both provided with toothed copper surfaces e, e,

page_text: to hold the files; ff, are the weighted levers for forcing the jaws together; and
9. 9 is the treadle connected to the weighted levers f, f, by a lever h, h, and links
i, i, for separating the jaws, so as to release the file.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention the application to
water tanks, employed for hardening files, of jaws closed by weighted levers,
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before more particularly set
forth and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Buxton, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
JAMES BUXTON. (L.S.)