IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING KNIVES FADER
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Greenfield, of Bromley in the County of Kent
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING KNIVES
FADER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Greenfield at the
•
· Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th November 1883.
EDWARD GREENFIELD of Bromley in the County of Kent,
APPARATUS FOR CLEANING KNIVES AND FORKS,"
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
My Invention relates to an improved construction of apparatus for cleaning
or polishing knives and forks whereby this operation may be performed more
expeditiously and at a smaller expenditure of time and labor than by knife cleaners
now in general use.
My Invention consists essentially in the combination with a horizontal or
inclined polishing surface of one or more cylinders mounted in front of or over the
polishing surface, and over or under which the knife or fork is passed, the said
cylinders serving both as guides or carriers to direct the knife properly onto the
polishing surface, and as supports to relieve the knife of a portion of the pressure
and friction incidental to the method of cleaning by moving the knife longitudinally
of its blade. The cylinders also act automatically as polishers.
In carrying out my Invention, the polishing surface is made of a substance such
as leather, cork, kamptulicon, or other material or composition capable of readily
imparting a polish to metal with the aid of composition or paste, and it is
supported on a suitable bed or board having a plane surface, and may be so
constructed or supported that the polishing surface will have an upwardly inclined
direction from front to back in order to thereby lessen the labor of polishing by
reason of the more convenient position of the polishing surface. In front of the
polishing surface and at a suitable distance from its front or lower edge I mount a
cylinder in yielding or adjustable bearings, in such position that the cylinder will
be parallel to the front edge of the polishing board, and the top side of the cylinder
will coincide with or rise in a direct line to the plane or angle of the polishing
urface so as to guide the knife accurately thereon. Above I mount a second or

page_text: third cylinder in spring bearings so that the cylinders may be pressed down with
sufficient force to automatically act as cleaners on coming into contact with the
knife. These cylinders are composed wholly or in part of suitable polishing
material and when in action rotate automatically, or in the operation of cleaning
forks they may be actuated by a spindle and handle. One or more of the
cylinders may be corrugated or flanged, either wholly or in part, such corrugations
being either uniform or graduated according to the gauges of various descriptions
of forks. Moreover the cylinders may be held in position and governed in working
by an automatic spring which allows the cylinders to rise and fall, and one of said
cylinders may be thrown out of gear when not otherwise in use, the cylinder being
so formed as to rotate freely around a fixed axis or spindle, or on its own axis.
The lower cylinder may be provided with a screw regulator by which its position
may be adjusted to the set or angle of the plane of the board.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edward Greenfield in the Patent Office on the 10th May 1884.
EDWARD GREENFIELD of Bromley, in the County of Kent IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CLEANING KNIVES AND FORKS
"
EE
My Invention relates to an improved construction of apparatus for cleaning or
polishing knives and forks whereby this operation may be performed more
expeditiously and at a smaller expenditure of time and labor than by knife cleaners
now in general use.
My Invention consists essentially in the combination with a horizontal or inclined
polishing surface of one or more rollers or cylinders mounted in front of or over
the polishing surface, and over or under which the knife or fork is passed, the said
cylinders serving both as guides or carriers to direct the knife properly on to the
polishing surface, and as supports to relieve the knife of a portion of the pressure
and friction incidental to the method of cleaning by moving the knife longitudinally
of its blade. The cylinders also act automatically as polishers.
In order that my Invention may be more readily understood I have illustrated
it in the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification, and will
proceed to describe it with reference thereto. Figure 1 is an end and front view
of the knife cleaner in its simplest form. Figures 2, 3, 4 show an end view, front
view and cross section of the apparatus provided with one cylinder below.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 show the same provided with one cylinder above and figures 8, 9,
10 show the same provided with two cylinders one below and the other
above the polishing surface. The same letters of reference indicate similar parts
in all these figures.
a is the polishing surface made of a substance such as leather, cork, kamptulicon,
or other material or composition capable of readily imparting a polish to metal
with the aid of composition or paste, and it is supported on a suitable angular bed
or board b having a plane surface, and so constructed or supported that the
polishing surface a will have an upwardly inclined direction from front to back or
vice versa in order to thereby lessen the labor of polishing by reason of the more
convenient position of the said polishing surface. The polishing surface arranged
in this inclined position constitutes the apparatus in its initial form as represented
in figure 1. The following various arrangements or modifications of the initial
apparatus may be employed as preferred.
Referring to figures 2, 3, 4 it will be seen that in front of the polishing surface a
and at a suitable distance from its front or lower edge there is mounted a cylinder
or roller c in such position that the cylinder will be parallel to the front edge of
the polishing board a and the top side of the cylinder will coincide with or rise in
a direct line to the plane or angle of the polishing surface so as to guide the
knife accurately thereon.
This cylinder c is journalled in bearing blocks adjustable in vertical guides in
end standards d and secured in position therein by set screws e. The board b
extends beneath the cylinder c in the form of a trough to catch the polishing
material that may full off the surface a and to protect the underside of the
cylinder c.
In figures 5, 6, 7, there is one cylinder arranged above and in contact with the
polishing surface a at or near the lower part thereof. It is journalled in bearings g
attached each to a vertical rod h sliding through a guide and having a spring upon
it which presses the bearing downwards the whole being enclosed in a recess in the
standard d. m is a hinged trough to catch the polishing material falling from the
surface a.

page_text: Referring now to figures 8, 9 and 10 it will be seen that the parts a, b, and o are
substantially the same as before and that in addition to cylinder c below there is a
second cylinder f mounted directly above the first. This cylinder may be provided
with spring bearings which allow said cylinder to yield and cause it to be pressed
down with sufficient force so that the cylinders will automatically act as cleaners on
coming into contact with the knife or the cylinder may be supported in plain
bearings without springs.
This upper cylinder may either be placed directly over the lower one a or it
may be located over the surface a in the position occupied by the cylinder in
figures 5, 6, 7, as preforrod, and to enable it to be shifted as preferred it is
journalled in bearings g each attached to a vertical rod h that slides through a
guide hole in a cross rod i a spring upon the rod h pressing the bearing downwards.
These parts are enclosed in recesses in the end standards d across which the cross
rods are fitted to slide to carry the bearings g forward or backward as desired,
A lug on each bearing g projects through a guide slot in the standard & there
being two vertical slots corresponding to the two positions of the roller joined by
a horizontal slot, these lugs & serving to facilitate the passage of the cylinder.
bearings from one vertical guide slot to the other, or instead of this arrangement
I may employ two upper rollers each provided with-means for enabling them to be
independently raised away from the polishing surface or brought into contact
therewith.
B is a box constructed at the back or top end of the board to hold the cleaning
composition or the knives & In all the above described arrangements the
cylinders are composed wholly or in part of suitable polishing material and when
in action rotate automatically or in the operation of cleaning forks they may bo
actuated by a spindle and handle. One or more of the cylinders may be corrugated
or flanged, either wholly or in part, such corrugations being either uniform or
graduated according to the gauges of various descriptions of forks.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is:
1 An angular knife cleaning board consisting essentially of a polishing surface
inclined upwardly from front to back as herein shown and described.
2nd The respective arrangements of apparatus for cleaning knives and forks each
consisting of a polishing surface either horizontal or inclined in combination with
a cylinder or cylinders mounted with regard to said surface substantially as
herein described and illustrated in the several figures of the drawings.
3rd The combination with a polishing surface of one or more rollers or cylinders
mounted in bearings so as to be rotated by the movement of the knife or fork upon
or between the rollers in the act of cleaning or polishing substantially as specified..
In witness whereof I the said Edward Greenfield, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this ninth day of May A.D. 1884.
EDWARD GREENFIELD