IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC POCKET KNIVES
Year: 1885

page_text: I HEZEKIAH HEWITT of N° 100 Charlotte Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Metallic Pen and Penholder Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC
POCKET KNIVES" to be as follows:-
My invention consists principally in manufacturing in the manner herein after
described the metallic handles and the spring action of the jointed blades of
pocket knives.
I make the handle and the spring action of the jointed blade from one piece of
sheet steel or other hard and ductile metal or alloy in the following manner.
I cut out at a press a blank having the length of the handle to be produced and
of a width about double that of the width of the finished handle. The said blank
is taper that part which is to form the joint end of the handle being somewhat
narrower than the opposite end. Each end of the blank has a double semi-circular
scollop the two scollops meeting in or about the line of the middle of the blank.
Between the scollops at the narrow or joint end of the blank is a tongue piece
which is bent inwards upon the middle of the blauk and forms the spring by
which the knife blade is retained in its open and closed positions respectively.
The centres of the semi-circular scollops at the joint end of the blank are pierced
with holes for the passage of the joint pin of the knife blade. The edges of the
semi-circular scollops at the wide or butt end of the blank are turned inwards for
forming the closed butt end of the finished handle and the semi-circular scollops
at the narrow end of the blank are also slightly bent in wards to form lips or
projections for the purpose hereinafter explained.
The sheet steel or sheet metal blank having been thus prepared it is doubled or
folded along the middle in the direction of its length so as to bring the two halves
of the blank nearly parallel to one another. A hollow handle is thereby formed
having a nearly elliptical figure in cross section the said handle being closed at
back and open at its front edge and narrow end the butt or wide end of the handle
being closed by the abutting or bringing together of the turned in or bent parts at
the wide end of the blank. The sides of the handle at the joint end are pinched
or compressed nearer together than the other parts of the handle and between the
sides of the compressed joint end of the bandle the knife blade is introduced and
jointed by means of a rivet or pin passed through the pierced sides of the handle

page_text: and through a hole in the blade the back of the heel end of the blade bearing
against the spring tongue hereinbefore described at the closed back of the handle.
The pinched or compressed sides of the joint end of the handle give steadiness to
the blade but in order still further to increase the steadiness the lips or turned in
parts herein before described at the joint end of the handle may be sprung into
depressions or be engaged between a contraction or neck made in the blade
immediately above the joint pin on which it turns.
1005
I HEZEKIAH HEWITT of N° 100 Charlotte Street, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Metallic Pen and Penholder Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature
of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC POCKET
KNIVES" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists principally in manufacturing in the manner hereinafter
described the metallic handles and the spring action of the jointed blades of
pocket knives.
I make the handle and the spring action of the jointed blade from one piece of
sheet steel or other hard and-ductile metal or alloy in the following manner. I cut
out at a press a blank having the length of the handle to be produced and of
a width about double the width of the finished handle. The said blank is taper
that part which is to form the joint end of the handle being somewhat narrower
than the opposite end. Each end of the blank has a double semi-circular scollop,
the two scollops meeting in or about the line of the middle of the blank. Between
the scollops at the narrow or joint end of the blank is a tongue piece which is bent
inwards upon the middle of the blank and forms the spring by which the knife
blade is retained in its open and closed positions respectively. The centres of the
semi-circular scollops at the joint end of the blank are pierced with holes for
the passage of the joint pin of the knife blade. The edges of the semi-circular
scollops at the wide or butt end of the blank are turned inwards for forming the
closed butt end of the finished handle and the semi circular scollops at the narrow
end of the blank are also slightly bent inwards to form lips or projections for the
purpose hereinafter explained.
The sheet steel or sheet metal blank having been thus prepared, it is doubled or
folded along the middle in the direction of its length so as to bring the two halves

page_text: of the blank nearly parallel to one another. A hollow handle is thereby formed
having a nearly elliptical figure in cross section, the said handle being closed at
back and open at its front edge and narrow end, the butt or wide end of the
handle being closed by the abutting or bringing together of the turned in or bent
parts at the wide end of the blank. The sides of the handle at the joint end are
pinched or compressed nearer together than the other parts of the handle and
between the sides of the compressed joint end of the handle the knife blade is
introduced and jointed by means of a rivet or pin passed through the pierced sides
of the handle and through a hole in the blade, the back of the heel end of the
blade bearing against the spring tongue herein before described at the closed back
of the handle. The pinched or compressed sides of the joint end of the handle
give steadiness to the blade but in order still further to increase the steadiness,
the lips or turned in parts herein before described at the joint end of the handle
may be corrugated and sprung into depressions or be engaged between a con-
traction or neck or corrugations made in the blade.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
In making the handle and spring action for the knife blade I cut preferably
from sheet steel a blank of the kind represented in Figure 1. The said blank
has a taper form the narrow end forming the joint end of the handle and spring.
action for the knife blade. The said blank is of a width about double the width of
the finished handle and each end has a double semi circular scollop the two scollops
meeting in the line of the middle of the blank as represented in the drawing.
The blank Figure 1 is fashioned by stamping into the form represented in front
elevation and side elevation in Figure 2 and cross sections in Figures 3 and 4, the
section Figure 3 being taken on the line b, b Figure 2, and the section Figure 4 on
the line a, a Figure 2. By the stamping operation described each longitudinal half
of the blank is slightly troughed (see Figure 3) and the edges of the semi circular
scollops c, c at the wide or butt end of the blank are turned inwards for forming
the closed butt end of the finished handle and the semi circular scollops d, d at the
narrow end of the blank are pinched or bent slightly out of the plane of the other
parts of the blank, the said pinched or bent parts d, d being corrugated as best
seen in the section Figure 4. The fashioned and prepared blank Figures 2, 3 and 4
is next doubled or folded along its middle so as to give the halves of the blank the
inclination to one another represented in front elevation in Figure 5 and cross
section in Figure 6, taken on the line e, e Figure 5 and the two portions of the
partly doubled blank are afterwards brought parallel to one another as represented
in front elevation and side elevation in Figure 7 and end elevation in Figure 8.
By the doubling operations described a hollow handle is formed having a nearly
elliptical figure in cross section the said handle being closed at back and open at
its front edge f (see Figure 7) the butt or wide end of the handle being closed by
the abutting or bringing together of the turned in or bent parts c, c at the wide
end of the blank. By the bringing of the two halves of the prepared blank
parallel to one another the pinched and corrugated joint ends d, d of the handle are
nearly brought together as represented in the edge view of Figure 7 and the end
elevation Figure 8. After the handle has been formed as illustrated in Figures 7
and 8, the joint ends d, d are pierced with a hole g through which hole the rivet
or pin for jointing the blade to the handle is passed. During the piercing of the
hole g the corrugated joint ends d, d of the handle are supported by a tool so as to
preserve them at the required distance apart.
In making the blade of the knife I cut from sheet steel a blank of the form
represented in Figure 9 and pierce a hole in the heel end i and by a stamping
operation I form a longitudinal corrugation k (see Figure 10) near the back edge
of the blade for stiffening the blade and also corrugate the heel end i of the blade,
the corrugations in the said heel end corresponding in figuro with those made at
the pinched joint ends d, d of the handle. The corrugation k also serves to
open the knife blade by means of the thumb nail. Figure 10 represents the blade

page_text: after it has been corrugated in the manner described. The blade is finished by
grinding one of its faces near the lower edge so as to give a cutting edge to the
blade as represented in the section Figure 11. Figure 12 represents a section
taken through the corrugated heel end i of the blade.
In jointing the blade to the handle the corrugated heel part i of the blade is
inserted between the corrugated joint ends d, d of the handle and a joint pin is
passed through the holes in the joint ends of the handle and through that in the
blade and rivetted. The knife is now complete. Figure 13 represents in front
elevation and side elevation an open pocket knife made as described. The pinched
corrugated joint ends d; d of the handle constitute a spring action for holding the
knife blade in its open and closed positions respectively. When the knife blade is
closed the corrugations in its heel end i engage with or snap into those in the joint
ends d, d of the handle the same action taking place when the knife blade is
opened.
Or instead of making the pinched corrugated joint ends d, d of the bandle form
the spring action for the knife blade, a tongue piece made from the middle of the
blank Figure 1 at the joint end and bent inwards so as to form a spring to bear
against the back of the heel of the blade may be used; but I prefer the arrange-
ments of parts hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying
Drawing.
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 I claim
as my invention of "Improvements in the manufacture of metallic pocket knives
"
First Making the handles of the said knives from one piece of sheet steel or
other hard and ductile metal or alloy by the process or combination of processes
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
Secondly-The methods hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing for forming the spring action of the jointed blade of the pocket
knife.
Thirdly Making corrugations or depressions of the kinds described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing in the sheet metal blade of the pocket
knife for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated this Seventeenth day of September 1885.