IMPROVEMENTS IN SWORD SCABBARDS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Major Mole, of the Firm of Robert Mole and
Sons, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SWORD SCABBARDS."
Sealed the 1st July 1879, and dated the 10th January 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Major Mole at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th January 1879.
"
FREDERIC MAJOR MOLE, of the Firm of Robert Molo and Sons, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers. IMPROVEMENTS IN SWORD
SCABBARDS."
In sword scabbards as ordinarily constructed the mouth piece is brazed or
connected to a short internal metallic lining called the "sputcheon," which latter,
when the mouth piece is fixed to the scabbard, constitutes a metallic lining to the
upper part of the wooden lining of the scabbard. In introducing the sword into
the scabbard there is risk of the edge of the sword coming into contact with the
metallic "sputcheon" as the sword passes into the wooden lining of the scabbard.
According to one of my improvements I dispense with the said "sputcheon," and
attach the metallic mouth piece by brazing or otherwise to a nearly elliptical
metallic band of a size and shape proper to fit on the outside of the top of the
scabbard. The said metallic band is fixed on the top of the scabbard by brazing or
otherwise. The wooden lining of the scabbard I extend upwards to the mouth of
the scabbard, so that on introducing the sword into the scabbard it passes directly
from the mouth into the wooden lining of the scabbard. Thus after the point of
the sword has been introduced into the mouth of the scabbard the sword in its
further advance into the scabbard does not come in contact with any metal, but
passes directly into and is supported by the wooden lining of the scabbard.
Besides preserving the sword from contact with metal on being introduced into
its scabbard the mouth of the scabbard is strengthened by this part of my
Invention.
Sword scabbards as ordinarily made are provided with two loose rings on the
back of the scabbard for carrying the said scabbard. One of these loose rings is

page_text: situated near the mouth of the scabbard, and the other at a distance of about one
third the length of the scabbard from the mouth. These loose rings are passed
through eyes carried by bands which are fixed in the required positions on the
scabbard by brazing. These loose rings make an objectionable rattling noise when
the sword is worn, and the bands render the cleaning of the scabbard troublesome.
According to another part of my Invention I substitute for the loose rings
described fixed loops. These loops may have the figure of about three-fourths of a
circular ring, the ends of the loop abutting on a small narrow plate having at its
underside a guide stud. I prefer to make the said loop, plate, and guide stud in
one piece by casting them of malleable or annoaled cast iron.
Holes are drilled in the back of the scabbard to receive the guide studs of the
loops, which studs determine the position of the loops on the back of the scabbard,
and the narrow plates carrying the loops are fixed on the back of the scabbard by
brazing or otherwise. The said studs also make the fastening of the plates to the
scabbard more secure than the fastening of plates without studs would be. I do
not confine myself to any particular shape of the said loops.
By this part of my Invention the noise of the ordinary loose rings got rid of,
and the loops occupy less space at the back of the scabbard than the said loose
rings. The accidents which sometimes happen from the breaking of the loose rings
are avoided by the use of the said fixed loops.
My improvements are specially applicable to sword scabbards for cavalry use, but
are also applicable to sword scabbards generally.
Although I have described my Invention as applied to scabbards having wooden
linings, yet my Invention may be applied to scabbards having leather or other non-
metallic linings.
The first part of my Invention is applicable to metallic scabbards, and the second
part of my Invention is applicable to both metallic and non-metallic scabbards.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederic Major Mole in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st
July 1879.
FREDERIC MAJOR MOLE, of the Firm of Robert Mole and Sons, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturera. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SWORD
SCABBARDS."
In sword scabbards as ordinarily constructed the mouth piece is brazed or
connected to a short internal metallic lining called the "sputcheon," which latter,
when the mouth piece is fixed to the scabbard, constitutes a metallic lining to tho
upper part of the wooden lining of the scabbard. In introducing the sword into
the scabbard there is risk of the edge of the sword coming in contact with the
metallic "sputcheon" as the sword passes into the wooden lining of the scabbard.
According to one of my improvements I dispense with the said "sputcheon," and
attach the metallic mouth piece by brazing or otherwise to a nearly elliptical
metallic band of a size and shape proper to fit on the outside of the top of the
scabbard. The said metallic band is fixed on the top of the scabbard by screwing
or otherwise. The wooden lining of the scabbard I extend upwards to the mouth
of the scabbard, so that on introducing the sword into the scabbard it passes
directly from the mouth into the wooden lining of the scabbard. Thus after the
point of the sword has been introduced into the mouth of the scabbard the sword
in its further advance into the scabbard does not come in contact with any metal,
but passes directly into and is supported by the wooden lining of the scabbard.
Besides preserving the sword from contact with metal on being introduced into
its scabbard the mouth of the scabbard is strengthened by this part of my
Invention.
Sword scabbards as ordinarily made are provided with two loose rings on tho
back of the scabbard for carrying the said scabbard. One of these loose rings is
situated near the mouth of the scabbard, and the other at a distance of about ono
third the length of the scabbard from the mouth. These loose rings are passed
through eyes carried by bands which are fixed in the required positions on the
scabbard by brazing. These loose rings make an objectionable rattling noise when
the sword is worn, and the bands render the cleaning of the scabbard troublesome.
According to another part of my Invention I substitute for the loose rings
described fixed loops. These loops have the figure of about three fourths of a
circular ring, the ends of the loop abutting on a small narrow plate having at its
underside a guide stud. I prefer to make the said loop, plate, and guide stud in
one piece by casting them of malleable or annealed cast iron. Holes are drilled in
the back of the scabbard to receive the guide studs of the loops, which studs
determine the position of the loops on the back of the scabbard, and the narrow
plates carrying the loops are fixed on the back of the scabbard by brazing or
otherwise.
The said studs also make the fastening of the plates to the scabbard more secure
than the fastening of plates without studs would be.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section a sword
scabbard to which my improvements are applied, and Figure 2 is a longitudinal
section of a portion of the same, the section, Figure 2, being taken in a plane at
right angles to that in which the sectional part of Figure 1 is taken; that is, the
sectional part of Figure 1 is taken through the longer diameter of the scabbard,
and the section, Figure 2, through the shorter diameter of the scabbard.
Figure 3 represents an elevation of the mouth end of the scabbard drawn of the
full size.

page_text: Figure 4 represents in elevation, and Figures 5 and 6 in section, taken at right
angles to one another, the combined mouth-piece and band of the scabbard detached,
drawn of the full size; and Figure 7 represents in elevation and plan one of my
improved fixed loops of the scabbard drawn of the full size.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
a is the metallic scabbard, and b is the wooden lining of the same, the said lining
extending to the mouth of the said scabbard, as seen in Figures 1 and 2; c is the
metallic mouth piece of the scabbard, to which is attached the nearly elliptical steel
or metallic band d. I prefer to attach the said mouth piece o to the band d by
brazing, but I do not limit myself thereto. The said metallic band d has a size and
shape proper to fit closely on the outside of the top of the scabbard a, as seen in
the Drawing. In Figures 1 and 3 of the Drawing the combined mouth piece and
band c, d, is represented connected to the scabbard by screw pins e, e, taking into
screwed holes in the band d and top of the scabbard; but the band d may be
brazed or otherwise fixed to the mouth end of the metallic scabbard.
The mouth
piece c is furnished with two lip pieces f, f, on opposite sides of its inner edges,
which lip pieces, when the combined mouth piece and band c, d, is fixed in its place,
clip or embrace the top of the wooden lining b (see Figures 1 and 2), and hold the
said lining firmly in its place in the scabbard.
It will be seen by an examination of Figures 1 and 2 that the wooden lining b
extends to the metallic mouth piece c, so that on introducing the sword into the
scabbard it passes directly into the wooden lining b of the scabbard without coming
into contact with metal. It will also bo seen that the mouth of the scabbard is
strengthened by means of the external band a to which the mouth piece c is
affixed.
9, 9, represent the two fixed loops, constructed according to my Invention, applied
to the back of the scabbard for carrying the said scabbard by means of the usual
straps. Each of the said loops is carried by a small narrow plate h having at its
back a guide stud i. The fixed loops g have, by preference, the figure of about
three fourths of a nearly circular ring, as represented in the Drawing, but I do not
limit myself to that figure of the loops. The loop g, plate h, and guide stud i are
made preferably in one piece by casting them of malleable or annealed cast iron.
The loops g, g, are fixed to the back of the scabbard by brazing the plates h, h,
carrying the said loops to the back of the scabbard, holes being drilled in the said
back to receive the guide studs i, i, by means of which guide studs the position of
the fixed loops is determined.
For additional security the plates h, h, of the fixed loops 3, g, may be rivetted to
the back of the scabbard, as well as brazed. In Figure 1 the plate h of the fixed
loop near the mouth of the scabbard is represented fixed to the back of the scabbard
by the rivets at k, k.
By this part of my Invention the noise of the ordinary loose rings is got rid of,
and the loops occupy less space at the back of the scabbard than tho said loose
rings. The accidents which sometimes happen from the breaking of the loose rings
are avoided by the use of the said fixed loops.
My improvements are specially applicable to sword scabbards for cavalry use, but
are also applicable to sword scabbards generally.
Although I have described and represented my Invention as applied to scabbards
having wooden linings, yet my Invention may be applied to scabbards having
leather or other non-metallic linings.
The first part of my Invention is applicable to metallic scabbards, and the second
part of my Invention is applicable to both metallic and non-metallic scabbards.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention
of improvements in sword scabbards,―
First. The construction and combination of parts, hereinbefore described, and

page_text: illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, for preventing any portion of the sword,
after passing the mouth piece of the scabbard, from coming in contact with any
metal; that is to say, dispensing with the ordinary internal metallic lining called
the "sputcheon," and connecting the metallic mouth piece of the scabbard to a
metallic band, which is fitted upon and attached to the outside of the top of the
scabbard, the wooden or non-metallic lining of the scabbard being extended upwards
to the mouth of the scabbard, substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly. Employing fixed loops for carrying the scabbard in place of the loose
rings and the bands fixed to the scabbard ordinarily used, the said fixed loops being
constructed and connected to the back of the scabbard, substantially as herein before
described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederic Major Mole, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.