IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORKS AND BUNGS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lorenzo Blackstone, of Lawrence Lane, in the City
of London, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF CORKS AND BUNGS." A communication.
Sealed the 5th September 1856, and dated the 5th July 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lorenzo Blackstone at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th July-1856.
I, LORENZO BLACKSTONE, of Lawrence Lane, in the City of London,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORKS AND BUNGS," to be as follows:-
. The object of this Invention is to facilitate the cutting of corks and bungs of
cylindrical and conical forms. To this end a rotating tubular-shaped cutter is
employed, the same being mounted on a hollow axle, through which a plunger
is free to pass. The hollow axle carries a pulley, which is driven by a strap
from any prime mover. The cork to be cut is pressed up to the cutter by a
disc carried by a sliding shaft that is mounted concentric with the cutter. This
shaft is connected by a crank bar with the plunger that enters the cutter at its
rear end. On the slab of cork being pressed up to the rotating cutter by the
disc of the sliding shaft a circular cut will be made therein, and a bung or cork
will be quickly formed. The act of withdrawing the disc from the cutter to

page_text: prepare for a second cut will cause the advance of the plunger, and the formed
cork or bung will by that means be forced out of the cutter. Instead of a
tubular cutter a segment-shaped cutter may be used. When it is designed to
cut conical or taper corks, the tubular cutter is slit into segments, and its cutting
end is bevelled off to produce a perfect knife edge. In operating with this cutter
a cut equal to the diameter of the cutter will first be made in the cork, but as
the cutter advances the lateral pressure of the wood will cause the segment
portions composing the cutter to close upon each other, and thus gradually
reduce the diameter of the cut..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Lorenzo Blackstone in the. Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th January 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LORENZO
BLACKSTONE, of Lawrence Lane, in the City of London, Merchant,, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Lorenzo Blackstone, Her special license, that I, the said Lorenzo Blackstone,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Lorenzo Blackstone, 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 THE
MANUFACTURE OF CORKS AND BUNGS," being a communication from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Lorenzo Blackstone, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Lorenzo Blackstone, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement, reference being bad to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
The object of this Invention is to facilitate. the cutting of corks and bungs of
cylindrical and conical forms. To this end a rotating tubular-shaped cutter is
employed, the same being mounted on a hollow axle, through which. a plunger
is free to pass, for the purpose of pushing out the cork.when cut. The hollow
axle carries a pulley, which is driven by a strap from any prime mover. The
blank or square of cork.to.be cut is pressed up to the cutter by a disc carried
by a sliding shaft that is mounted opposite to the cutter; this shaft is connected
by a crank bar with the plunger that enters the cutter at its rear end. On the
slab of cork being pressed up to the rotating cutter by the disc of the sliding
shaft a circular cut will be made therein, and a bung or cork will be quickly
formed and pass into the interior of the hollow cutting instrument. The act of
withdrawing the disc from the cutter to prepare for a second cut will cause the
advance of the plunger, and the formed cork will by that means be forced out
of the cutter. Instead of a tubular cutter a segmental-shaped cutter may be
used.
When it is designed to cut conical or taper corks the tubular cutter is slit into
segments, and its cutting end is bevilled off to produce a perfect knife edge.
In operating with this cutter, a cut equal to the diameter of the cutter will
first be made in the cork, but as the cutter advances the lateral pressure of the
wood will cause the segmental portions composing the cutter to close upon
each other, and thus gradually reduce the diameter of the cut.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn various Figures of the above
mentioned improved machinery.
Fig. I. is a longitudinal vertical section of the machine; Fig. I is an end
view of the same; and Fig. II. is a longitudinal section of the revolving
cylindrical cutter. A, (Fig 1,) is the cast-iron foundation plate of the machine,
which, for the machine herein described, being one of the smallest size used by
the Inventor, is ten inches long, three inches broad, and one quarter of an inch
thick. a, a, and b, b, are standards connected with and cast on the foundation
plate A. The standards a, a, support the journals of the revolving shaft or
cutter c, and the standards b, b, support the sliding shaft d,.d, whereby the
blank or square of cork is pushed forward to be operated upon; c is a revolving
cylindrical cutter, having journals to support it on the standards a, a. This
cutter is made concave or hollow throughout its whole length, and is provided
with a circular knife edge at t, and in some cases four longitudinal slits are
made from the cutting edge of nearly the length of cork to be cut. The

page_text: diameter of the cutter corresponds with the diameter at its largest end of the:
cork intended to be cut. A longitudinal section of this cutter, with some of its
appendages; is shown at c, Fig. II. The inside diameter of the cutter for the
machine under considération is seven-sixteenths of an inch, and the cylindrical
portion of the cutter is made as thin as possible consistent with tenacity and
strength; a slight taper is given to the outside to ensure a cutting edge.
The concavity within is uniform in size for about one inch and three quarters
from the cutting edge, and near to one of its journals, and it is uniform in size
on the outside from the journals, so far as is necessary to meet the taper from
the cutting edge. Between the journals on the standards a, a, is a pulley P,
about two inches in diameter, and fastened to the cutter shaft by means of a
set screw. The space occupied by the journals and pulley p is made a little.
smaller both externally and internally, as it is not necessary to maintain its.
full or greatest size except so far as is required for cutting and receiving the
cork. d, d, is a sliding shaft, about six inches long and three-eighths of an inch
in diameter, fitted so as to slide freely in the standards b, b, and is connected.
firmly to the arm F of the slide frame F, h, E, by the set screws; e is a disc
on the end of the sliding shaft, having a face on the side next the cutter, at
right angles to the axis; H serves as a handle on the sliding shaft, by which
it may be moved towards or from the revolving cutter c; m is a rod or wire
made fast in the arm E, and runs loosely into the interior of the revolving.
cutter, so that when the sliding shaft d, d, is moved it causes the frame F, h, E,
and also the rod m, to be moved also. The arm F is connected with the
sliding shaft m in such position that the hub r shall strike the standard
bat p' without allowing the disc e to come in contact with the knife edge of
the cutter, and the hub r will also strike the other standard 6 without allowing
the extremity of the rod m to pass beyond the cutting edge of the disc e when
pulled forward to expel from the cutter a cork that has just been formed.
Fig. III. is a block of cork-wood, so cut as to present two opposite parallel
sides, the distance of which shall be equal to the length of the cork to be cut..
This is held by the operator opposite to the cutter in such a manner that one of
the parallel faces of the block shall rest against the face of the disc e, when by
pushing the sliding shaft d forward towards the face of the revolving cutter, a.
a cylindrical piece of the cork is separated from the block and received into
the cavity of the cutter, and by drawing the sliding shaft d back again, the rod
m is moved with it, and throws the cork out perfectly cut, and it drops into
any receptacle placed below to receive it.
Fig. IV. represents a sectional view of a block of cork with one of the

page_text: parallel faces towards the observer, and after having undergone the operation:
of the cutter, a cork having been cut from each of the circular cavities therein.
represented.
V, Fig. II., represents a cork within the cavity of the cutter, and partially:
pressed forward by the rod m in process of being thrown out. n, Fig..I., is a.
rod or wire fastened to the extremity of the arm E, and having a piece of cloth
or some yarn pendant from the end, the lower edges of which touch the cylindrical,
cutter, which it is designed to keep moistened with oil, with which the cloth or
yarn is saturated. When it is designed to cut conical or tapering corks, the
cutter is slit or slotted, as shewn at Fig. I. Its operation is as follows:-The
concavity being entirely cylindrical, the outside is slightly bevilled off to produce
a perfect knife edge, which has a tendency while cutting to push the lips. of,
the cutter inward towards the centre, and as these are made very thin, and
have a spring temper, they are susceptible of contraction, and as they are
forced into the block they will cut it gradually of smaller diameter as the
cutter progresses from the first to the last end; the limits of this contraction_
are when the lips are brought together, which may be varied by the width of
the slits between the lips. For cutting plain or cylindrical corks, a plain
cutter with a simple circular knife edge is used, which in every other respect
is similar to the one above described. A convenient and suitable speed for
the revolving cutters is from three hundred to six hundred revolutions per
minute. The cutters are sharpened by simply holding a whetstone in contact
with the edge while running. The operation of the machine is such as to cut
the cork perfectly true and smooth when the blocks are properly prepared, and
whether conical or cylindrical to cut them with rapidity, and to dispose the
material with the greatest economy.
The revolving cutter may if preferred consist of a piece of sheet steel, bent
in a cylindrical form, and attached to the revolving shaft, as shewn at Fig. VI.,
which is a sectional view, being held by the thimble or collar W and screw X;
or for cutting tapering corks, the cutter may be formed of segments of a
cylinder, held in like manner, and so placed as to present a series of cutters
following in the same circular track, as in the slotted cutter, Fig. I.; or instead
of having a whole cylinder, the cutter may consist of one or more segmental
pieces of steel.
Fig. V. represents a view of a section of a block or slab after the corks
have been cut therefrom. Numbers 1 and 2 are plane or cylindrical, and
numbers 3 and 4 are conical cavities; when the.corks are required to be.
much tapering a greater number of slots or divisions should be made in the

page_text: cutter, or the distance between the segments should be increased, in order that:
the segments may be susceptible of greater contraction.
What I claim as new under the above in part recited Letters Patent, is the
application, as herein described, of the revolving cylindrical or segmental
cutters. for the purpose of cutting corks from a block or slab, whether the.
cutter is slit to cut:conical or unslit to cut cylindrical corks, or whether the
cutter consists of one or more pieces.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lorenzo Blackstone, have hereunto set
"my hand and "seal, the Twenty-seventh day of August, in the
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
year of
Witness,
FRED. WALKDEN,
66, Chancery Lane.
LORENZO BLACKSTONE. (L.S.)