Year: 1898

page_text: I, JOSEPH BALL, of 5, Stanley Street, New Clee, Great Grimsby, in the County
of Lincoln, Fish Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
-
This invention relates to shackles for joining ropes wires and chains also for
connecting wires or hemp warps to chains or for any other purpose entailing
the connection of wires to chains or ropes to chains and the object of this inven-
tion is to dispense with the nut and bolt usually used for this purpose.
As is well known the usual nut and bolt is very unsatisfactory as the bolt is
apt to become rusted in the eyes and the nut becomes rusted to the bolt when
the shackle has been exposed to the weather or been in the water for any length
of time necessitating the cutting of the nut or bolt by means of a hammer and
chisel when it is desired to remove the shackle.
Now according to this invention I form an eye at the end of the rope warp
or wire by splicing or otherwise and in this eye is secured a suitable thimble
having a hole therein to receive a pin which passes through the said thimble and
the eyes of the shackle being flush with the outside of the latter.
The said pin has a feather key or projection thereon which engages with a
keyway in the thimble so as to compel the pin to turn therewith.
A keyway is also formed to allow of the pin being inserted in the shackle and
thimble when the two keyways coincide which they do when the thimble is
turned through an angle of 160° or thereabouts from its normal position.
To prevent the pin from becoming rusted to the thimble the latter may be
made of brass or gunmetal and the pin of steel or iron.
The constant oscillation of the pin in the eyes of the shackle prevents the pin
from becoming set fast in the shackle by rust.
To release the thimble it is only necessary to turn it till the keyway therein
coincides with the keyway in the shackle and drive out the pin with a few blows
of a hammer and a drift.
As the ends of the pin when in use are flush with the outside of the eyes of
the shackle the shackle goes easily round drums and bollards without catching.
The pin cannot be removed from the shackle until the keyways coincide which
only occurs when the thimble has been turned through an angle of 160° or more
from its normal position thereby avoiding all risk of accidental diplacement.
The chain is attached to the shackle.
111n1 day of Tule 1808
T. E. HALFORD,
11, Furnival Street, London, E.C., Agent for Applicant.

page_text: I, JOSEPH BALL, of 5, Stanley Street, New Clee, Great Grimsby, in the County
of Lincoln, Fish Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to shackles for joining ropes, wires and chains also for
connecting wire or hemp warps to chains or for any other purpose entailing
the connection of wires to chains or ropes to chains & the object of this invention
is to dispense with the nut & bolt usually used for this purpose. As is well
known the usual nut & bolt is very unsatisfactory as the bolt is apt to become
rusted in the eyes and the nut becomes rusted to the bolt when the shackle has
been exposed to the weather or been in the water for any length of time necessi-
tating the cutting of the nut or bolt by means of a hammer and chisel when it
is desired to remove the shackle.
3 t
Now according to this invention I form an eye at the end of the rope warp
or wire by splicing or otherwise and in this eye is secured a suitable thimble
having a hole therein to receive a pin which passes through the said thimble and
the eyes of the shackle being flush with the outside of the latter.
The said pin has a feather key or projection thereon which engages with a
keyway in the thimble so as to compel the pin to turn therewith.
A keyway is also formed in one side of the shackle to allow of the pin being
inserted in the shackle and thimble when the two keyways coincide which they
do when the thimble is turned through an angle of 160° or thereabouts from
its normal position.
To prevent the pin from becoming rusted to the thimble the latter may be
made of brass or gun-metal and the pin of steel or iron.
The constant oscillation of the pin in the eyes of the shackle prevents the pin
from becoming set fast in the shackle by rust.
-
To release the thimble it is only necessary to turn it till the keyway therein
coincides with the keyway in the shackle and drive out the pin with a few blows
of a hammer and a drift.
As the ends of the pin when in use are flush with the outside of the eyes of
the shackle the shackle goes easily round drums and bollards without catching.
The pin cannot be removed from the shackle until the keyways coincide which
only occurs when the thimble has been turned through an angle of 160° or
thereabouts from its normal position thereby avoiding all risk of accidental dis-
placement.
The chain is attached to the shackle and the warp to the thimble.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I will proceed
to explain the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings in
which Fig. 1 represents front view of a shackle constructed according to this
invention.
Fig. 2, is side view of same.
Fig. 3, is view of the other side of shackle shewing keyway.
Fig. 4, is side view of thimble.<
Fig. 5, is front view of same......
Fig. 6, is side view of pin.
Fig. 7, is section shewing thimble in position for inserting the pin in the
thimble or removing the same therefrom.

page_text: The same letters denote the same parts in all the figs.:
a is a shackle of iron steel or other suitable metal size & shape preferably of
the shape shown in the figs.
b is a hole drilled or otherwise formed in the jaws of the shackle to form
the eyes.
e is a keyway formed in one eye or jaw of the shackle.
d is a thimble having a hole e and keyway f through the same of correspond-
ing dimensions as the hole and keyway in the shackle.
9 is a pin having a feather key or projection h thereon the pin being long
enough to pass through the shackle from side to side the ends of the pin being
flush with the outside of the shackle when in position.
The key or projection is as long as the thimble is wide so as to enable the
pin to oscillate freely in the shackle. The thimble d is preferably made of brass
or gun-metal to prevent it from becoming rusted to the pin the eyes of the
shackle may also be bushed with brass or gun-metal if desired to prevent the
pin from becoming rusted to the shackle.
When the warp has been attached to the thimble by splicing the latter into
an eye at the end of the warp the shackle is inserted in the last link of the
chain and the thimble placed between the jaws of the shackle and turned into
the position shewn by Fig. 7 when the keyways in the shackle and thimble
coincide, the pin is then inserted in the shackle and passed through the thimble
until it is flush with the outside of the shackle the thimble is then turned into
its normal position as shewn by Fig. 1 when the pin is secure and cannot become
detached until the thimble is again turned into the position shewn by Fig. 7.
In practice I have found that if the thimble has to be turned through any
angle between 135° and 160° from the normal in order to remove the same from
the shackle it will never become accidentally detached when in use.
Shackles constructed as herein before specified are especially useful for joining
up the various lengths of wire warps used for deep sea fishing as in case of a
length of warp getting broken or damaged the damaged wire can be removed and
replaced by a spare length in a few minutes without any cutting or splicing being
necessary and the damaged length can be repaired ashore.
It is understood that any number of thimbles may be made to fit any shackle
and pin.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A shackle having a keyway formed in one eye or jaw thereof a thimble
fitting between the jaws of the shackle and having a keyway therein and a pin
having a feather key or projection thereon engaging with the keyway in the
shackle and adapted to be inserted in or removed from the shackle and thimble
when the keyways in the shackle and thimble coincide all substantially as
specified and for the purpose stated.
2. Shackles and thimbles constructed as shewn by the accompanying drawing.
Doted this 21st day of April 1899