IMPROVEMENTS IN SCISSORS AND IN THIMBLES
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
MARSDEN, of Kingsland Road, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Grent Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twelfth day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and fifty, in the fourteenth year of
Her reign, did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Charles Marsden, my exors, adñors, and assigns, Her special
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Charles
Marsden, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Marsden, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein.
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SCISSORS AND IN THIMBLES;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, that I, the said Charles Marsden, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to
be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Marsden, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
Firstly, my improvement in scissors consists in the constructing of the same,
so that they may be applied to cutting by either the right or left hand with
equal facility, and further, that they may cut freely throughout the whole
length of the blades, without requiring the side pressure which is usually
exerted by the thumb and finger, and which is so injurious to the hand where
there is much cutting.
"
Figure 1 is a side view of a pair of scissors constructed according to my
said improvement. A, A, are the blades; B', B, the shanks, upon one of
which, B¹, there is fixed a guide C, which bears upon the surface of the other
shank B. The guide is attached to one shank of the scissors, so that the
pressure which it exerts upon the other shank may cause the two cutting edges
to be kept in constant contact during the entire progress of the cut. By this
arrangement the scissors cut to the very point without any danger of the
article cut falling in between the blades, are being ragged in the edges.
Guides for effecting the same purpose may be applied to scissors or shears of
any size, but will be found particulaly applicable to such as are employed for
cutting cloths and sheet metals. Instead of the guide being fitted to the side
of one shank, and passing over the other, it may be fitted to the centre of one
shank, and pass through a slot provided for the purpose in the other shank.
Secondly, my improvements in thimbles have two objects in view, first, to
obviate the discomfort attending the use of thimbles of the usual forms, from
no provision being made in them for the escape of the perspiration from the
finger of the user; and, second, to guard the fingers from being pierced by the
needle or cut by the thread. To obviate the first of these inconveniences, I
make my thimbles ventilating.
Figure 2 is an external view and Figure 3 a longitudinal section of one
form of a ventilating thimble of this improved construction. A is the outer
case, which is similar to the thimbles in general use. B, B, is an inner and
perforated case, which is soldered to the outer one A at certain intervals, there
being left a very narrow space between the two cases, which is open at top,
around, and immediately underneath the milled edge a, a. The perspiration
is thus free to escape through the perforations in the inner case and the narrow
space between it and the outer case.
Figure 4 is a perspective view, Figure 5 a longitudinal section, and Fi

page_text: gure 6 a plan of another thimble of similar construction, differing only in the
aperture for the escape of the perspiration being open to the end, that is
around the edge.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of a thimble or guard for protecting the
finger from being pricked by the needle or cut by the thread. A, A, is a
thin shield of metal, which is attached to a perforated ring of india rubber
B, B, and slipped upon the finger in such position that the needle and thread
just slides over the metal shield. This thimble or guard may be used to
protect the fingers in knitting as well as in sewing.
And having now described my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that which I claim is as follows:-
First, I claim the constructing of scissors and shears so that they may be
applied to cutting by either the right or left hand with equal facility, and so
also that the cutting edges are kept in constant contact during the whole
progress of the cut, as above described.
Second, I claim the constructing of ventilating thimbles, that is, with an
inner case, between which and the outer case a space is provided for the escape
of perspiration.
And, third, I claim the construction of thimbles for protecting the fingers
from being pricked or cut by the needle or thread in sewing or knitting, as
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Marsden, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.