IMPROVEMENTS IN PIPE WRENCHES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Warsop, of No. 76, Royal Terrace,
Queen's Walk, Nottingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PIPE WRENCHES."
Sealed the 25th July 1871, and dated the 9th May 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Warsop at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th May 1871.
I, GEORGE WARSOP, of No. 76, Royal Terrace, Queen's Walk, Not-
tingham, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PIPE WRENCHES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object "Improvements in Pipe Wrenches."
The wrench consists of a bar or lever provided with a head of a hook
form, and at the base of the hook a surface is formed to receive a slide.
The stem of the slide either passes through a slot in the bar or lever
formed for it immediately beyond the head, or the stem is divided or
forked, and embraces the bar or lever. In this way the slide is retained
in its place, whilst it is free to slide across the head of the wrench.

page_text: The face of the slide is inclined so that it becomes a wedge, and the face
of the wedge which is towards the hook is serrated. When the hook of
the wrench has been placed over a pipe, and the serrated face of the
wedge has been brought into contact with the pipe, if the wrench be
turned in the direction in which it bites the friction between the pipe
and serrated face of the wedge will move the wedge endwise so as to
cause the pipe to be securely gripped between the hook and the wedge,
but if the wrench be turned in the opposite direction the sliding wedge
moves away from the hook, and the hold of the wrench upon the pipe
or socket is at once released.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Warsop in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WARSOP, of No. 76, Royal Terrace, Queen's Walk, Nottingham, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Warsop, Her special license,
that I, the said George Warsop, my exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Warsop, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time, and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PIPE WRENCHES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Warsop, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly 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

page_text: Inontдs next and immediately after the Cate 01 unc Sand Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Warsop, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in pipe wrenches.
The wrench consists of a bar or lever provided with a head of a hook
form, and at the base of the hook a surface is formed to receive a slide.
The stem of the slide either passes through a slot in the bar or lever
formed for it immediately beyond the head, or the stem is divided or
forked, and embraces the bar or lever. In this way the slide is retained
in its place, whilst it is free to slide across the head of the wrench.
The face of the slide is inclined so that it becomes a wedge, and the face
of the wedge which is towards the hook is serrated. When the hook
of the wrench has been placed over a pipe, and the serrated face of the
wedge has been brought into contact with the pipe, if the wrench be
turned in the direction in which it bites the friction between the pipe
and serrated face of the wedge will move the wedge endwise so as to
cause the pipe to be securely gripped between the hook and the wedge,
but if the wrench be turned in the opposite direction the sliding wedge
moves away from the hook and the hold of the wrench upon the pipe
or socket is at once released.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shown a pipe wrench
constructed as above described.
Figure 1 is a side view, and Figure 2 an edge view of the wrench.
a is the lever stem with a hook bat its end; c is the slide sliding
in a dovetail groove formed at the base of the hook. The slide can be
prevented from sliding out from this groove either by a pin fixed into
the end of the slide, or, as I prefer, by a screw pin d, the end of which
is caused to enter a shallow groove c¹ in one side of the slide c, as shewn
in the Drawing. By withdrawing this pin the slide can be separated
from the wrench. On the face of the slide is the serrated incline c².
When the hook of the wrench has been placed over a pipe or screw
socket, and the serrated incline c³ has also been brought into contact
with it, the pipe or socket is securely gripped between them, as above
explained, so soon as the wrench is turned.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim, con-
structing pipe wrenches of a lever handle with a head of a hook form,
and with a sliding wedge at the base of the hook, substantially as
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Warsop, have hercunto
set my hand and scal, this Sixth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.