AN IMPROVED TOOL FOR USE IN POINTING THE JOINTS OF BRICKWORK AND MASONRY
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Service, of Ashwell Road in the County of
Middlesex for an Invention of AN IMPROVED TOOL FOR USE IN POINTING
THE JOINTS OF BRICKWORK AND MASONRY
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Service at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th April 1883.
FREDERICK SERVICE of Ashwell Road in the County of Middlesex
"AN
IMPROVED TOOL FOR USE IN POINTING THE JOINTS OF BRICKWORK AND
MASONRY "
My Invention relates to an improved tool for use in pointing the joints of brick-
work and masonry. The description of pointing for which this tool is intended is
that known technically as tuck pointing and the purpose for which the tool is
used is for paring or cutting the edges of the "putty."
Heretofore this has been done by means of a knife which pared or cut one edge
only of the "putty" at a time. It has therefore always been necessary to shift the
straight edge used as a guide for the knife and to readjust it parallel with its
former position. Now the object of my improved tool is to pare both edges of the
putty at once and therefore do the work in one half the time heretofore necessary.
The tool which somewhat resembles a mechanical drawing pen, consists of a pair
of spring blades rivetted or otherwise fixed at one end to a stump or handle and
provided with an adjusting screw and nut whereby their points may be set at any
required distance apart. The free ends of the blades are V shaped and their
extreme points are bent outwards or provided with lateral extensions for a purpose
hereafter mentioned.
The sides of the V ends are ground to a suitable bevel to form cutting edges
which when drawn along the putty simultaneously cut its two edges clean sharp
and parallel whilst the outwardly projecting points clear away the superfluous
putty
The improved tool is used in conjunction with a suitable straight edge to
guide it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Frederick Service in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th October
1883.
FREDERICK SERVICE of Ashwell Road in the County of Middlesex
IMPROVED TOOL FOR USE IN
MASONRY,"
"AN
POINTING THE JOINTS OF BRICKWORK AND
My Invention relates to an improved tool for use in pointing the joints of brick-
work and masonry.
The description of pointing for which this tool is principally intended is that
known technically as "tuck pointing," and the purpose for which the tool is used
is for paring or cutting the edges of the "putty or fine mortar, although it may
also be used for what is termed "flat joint” pointing. Heretofore this has been
done by means of a knife which pared or cut one edge only of the "putty" at a
time. It has therefore always been necessary after paring one edge to shift the
straight edge used as a guide for the knife and to readjust it parallel with its
former position to pare the other edge. Now the object of my improved tool is to
pare both edges of the "putty" at once and therefore do the work in one half the
time heretofore necessary.
The Invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing
figures 1, and 2 of which represent edge and side views of the tool full size, and
figure 3 an end view of the blades. The tool which somewhat resembles a
'mechanical drawing pen, consists of a pair of spring blades a rivetted or otherwise
fixed at one end to a stump b, having a tang which is fixed in a suitable handle
the blades being provided with an adjusting screw and nut c whereby their points
may be set at any required distance apart. The blades are preferably of steel and
the sides of the stump b to which they are rivetted are slightly divergent so that
the blades tend to spring apart and are themselves elastic to permit of the desired
adjustment by means of the screw, or instead of depending on the elasticity of the
blades to separate them, a small spring night be interposed to force them apart in
which case one of them might be hinged to the stump as in a mechanical drawing
pen and the blades might be made of iron with steel points welded on.
لو
The free ends of the blades are V shaped and their extreme, points d are turned
outwards at right angles by bending the blades across at about the middle of the
Vends and the edges a¹ of the Vends are ground to a suitable bevel to form
cutting edges which when drawn along the " putty simultaneously cut its two
edges, clear, sharp and parallel, whilst the outwardly projecting points & clear away
the superfluous "putty." The tool has two pairs of cutting edges a¹³ one pair being
used at a time, but it will be obvious that it may have one pair only in which case
the blades need not be V pointed
other
I have described the tool as provided with an adjusting screw,
but any
suitable form of adjustment might be used or the blades might be rigidly fixed at a
certain distance apart if no adjustment is required.
The improved tool is used in conjunction with a suitable straight edge to guide
it as will be well understood, the straight edge being under cut to clear the out-
wardly turned point of the adjacent blade of the tool. In use the tool is held
perpendicular to the surface of the wall with the outwardly turned ends & flat
against the mortar or brickwork, in which position it is drawn along the joint with
the aid of the straight edge.
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
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is :
1* A tool for use in pointing the joints of brickwork and masonry consisting of

page_text: a pair of connected blades having cutting edges at an angle to their length, and
outwardly turned ends for the purpose specified in combination or not with any
suitable means of adjusting their cutting edges at the required distanco apart,
substantially as described
2 The improved pointing tool consisting of a pair of connected spring blades
having V shaped ends whose points are turned outwards and whose edges are
bevelled or sharpened, in combination with an adjusting screw and nut substantially
as described and shewn in the drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Frederick Service, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Second day of October A.D. 1883.
EDEDK CEDITION