AN IMPROVED ADJUSTABLE PIPE TONGS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Smith, of the Firm of Earl, Smith, and
Company, Manufacturers, of Hallamshire Works, Pond Street, Sheffield,
in the County of York, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED ADJUSTABLE
PIPE TONGS." -A communication.
Sealed the 7th January 1859, and dated the 8th July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th July 1858.
I, RICHARD SMITH, of the Firm of Earl, Smith, and Company, Manu-
facturers, of Hallamshire Works, Pond Street, Sheffield, in the County of
York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
ADJUSTABLE PIPE TONGS," (a communication from a foreigner residing abroad,)
to be as follows:―
This Invention consists in so constructing the adjustable tongs that the
strain consequent upon the use of the tongs shall not separate the jaws by
slipping or moving the pivot fixed to the one jaw in the slot of the other jaw.
Those parts of the hooked and of the straight jaws by which the pipe is
grasped are made in the usual well known manner. The pivot which holds the
tongs together is secured in the straight jaw piece, so that they can turn on

page_text: each other, and is provided with a collar, which is partly recessed into the
inner side of this jaw piece. The inner side of the hooked jaw piece rests
against this collar, and that part of the pivot passing through the slot is
flattened to fit the slot, and to prevent its turning round therein. Now,
instead of having the two outer surfaces of the tongs parallel with each other
at that place where the pivot holds them together, and securing them with the
common nut and washer, the outer surface of the hooked jaw piece is furnished
with an inclined plane, likewise slotted, which may either form a part of or be
fixed to the jaw piece. This inclined plane inclines towards the hooked end of
the jaw, and the washer fitting upon it is tapered to correspond with the
inclined plane, so that the outer surface of the washer is at right angles with
the axis of the pivot. A projection on the under side of the washer fits into
the groove, and prevents the washer from turning. That part of the pivot
projecting beyond the washer is screwed in the usual manner to receive the
nut by which the tongs are held together. It will be obvious, that any strain
which tends to move the pivot in the slot, so as to increase the distance.
between the jaw hook and the pivot, would have to move the inclined plane of
the washer up the inclined plane of the jaw piece, which cannot be done
without breaking the pivot or stripping off the nut by direct tensile strain.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
SMITH, of the Firm of Earl, Smith, and Company, Manufacturers, of
Hallamshire Works, Pond Street, Sheffield, in the County of York, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Smith, Her special licence that I, the said Richard Smith,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Richard Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN
IMPROVED ADJUSTABLE PIPE TONGS," (a communication from a foreigner
residing abroad,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Richard Smith, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed.
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Smith, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):-
This Invention consists in so constructing the adjustable tongs that the
strain consequent upon the use of the tongs shall not separate the jaws by
slipping or moving the pivot fixed to the one jaw in the slot of the other jaw.
Those parts of the hooked and of the straight jaws by which the pipe is
grasped are made in the usual well known manner. The pivot which holds
the tongs together is secured in the straight jaw piece, so that they can turn
on each other, and is provided with a collar, which is partly recessed into the
inner side of this jaw piece. The inner side of the hooked jaw piece rests
against this collar, and that part of the pivot passing through the slot is
flattened to fit the slot, and to prevent its turning round therein. Now,
instead of having the two outer surfaces of the tongs parallel with each other
at that place where the pivot holds them together, and securing them with the
common nut and washer, the outer surface of the hooked jaw piece is
furnished with an inclined plane, likewise slotted, which may either form a
part of or be fixed to the jaw piece. This inclined plane inclines towards the
hooked end, and the washer fitting upon it is tapered to correspond with the
inclined plane, so that the outer surface of the washer is at right angles with
the axis of the pivot. A projection on the under side of the washer fits into
the groove, and prevents the washer from turning. That part of the pivot
projecting beyond the washer is screwed in the usual manner to receive the
nut by which the tongs are held together. It will be obvious, that any strain
which tends to move the pivot in the slot, so as to increase the distance
between the jaw hook and the pivot would have to move the inclined plane of
the washer up the inclined plane of the jaw piece, which cannot be done
without breaking the pivot, or stripping off the nut by direct tensile strain.
In order that the said Invention may be more clearly understood and

page_text: Figures marked thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a side view of the pipe tongs; Fig. 2 is a ground plan of
the tongs; and Fig. 3 is a detached view of the hooked jaw piece, showing
the slot and pivot passing through it. Those parts of the hooked jaw piece A
and straight jaw piece B, by which the pipe is grasped, are constructed in the
usual manner, but that portion of the jaw piece A through which the pivot a
passes, is formed with an inclined plane or wedge A¹ (see Fig. 1) on its
surface, and slotted to allow for the adjustment of the tongs to pipes of various
diameters. The pivot a which forms the fulcrum for and connects both jaws
is provided with a collar b, which is partly let into a corresponding recess in the
jaw piece B, and is secured in B in such a manner that the pivot a and jaw B
can turn upon each other. The sides of the pivot a, where passing through
the slot, are parallel, to prevent its turning therein. The jaw B is supported
on the collar b (see Fig. 1), and secured between the collar 6 and washer c by
the nut d. The washer c, which is also wedge-shaped, and the inclined plane A'
in conjunction, act as fox wedges. The washer c is provided with pro-
jections or lugs fitting into the slot, to guide it therein and prevent its turning
with the nut d, when the latter is tightened or slackened for adjusting or
regulating the gripe of the tongs.
It will be obvious, from the inspection of the Drawings, that any strain
which tends to increase the distance between the jaw hook A and the pivot a,
or between the surface x, x, of A and the steeled edge of B must cause the
washer c to bite on the inclined plane A¹.
Tongs constructed in accordance with this Invention may be set to any
required distance between x, x, and z, within the range of the instrument.
For the inclined planes above described may be substituted teeth or inden-
tations on the upper surface of A and the lower surface of the washer c, the
inclined planes being dispensed with. When screwed together by the nut d,
the washer c and hooked jaw A would be interlocked, but the distance of x, x,
from must be determined by the distance between the teeth, as the distance
cannot be varied less than one tooth. In this construction the strain would be
exerted directly on the teeth, which, in course of time, would become blunted,
and render the instrument unsteady in use.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and the manner
in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood

page_text: that what I claim and desire to have secured to me by the above in part
recited Letters Patent is, the combination of an inclined plane or planes, or
the equivalent thereof with the slotted jaw, for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this
day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
RICHARD SMITH. (L.S.)
Witness,
T. F. CASHIN.