IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF KNOBS, HANDLES, AND SPINDLES FOR THE SAME, FOR DOORS AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
WILKES, of Wednesfield Heath, near Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, Brass Founder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
.Britain and Ireland, bearing. date at Westminster, the Eighth day of May,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, in the twelfth year of Her reign,
did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Wilkes, my exors, admors; and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Samuel Wilkes, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Wilkes, my exors,
admors, 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 THE
MANUFACTURE OF KNOBS, HANDLES, AND SPINDLES FOR THE SAME, FOR DOORS AND
OTHER PURPOSES, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKS;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said Samuel Wilkes, should 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 said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Wilkes, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists,―
First, of improvements in the manufacture of knobs for door locks and
other purposes.
Secondly, my Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture of
spindles for door and other locks. And,
Thirdly, my Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture of locks.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me; and
in explaining the improvements in the manufacture of door and other knobs,
it will be desirable in the first place shortly to state the manner in which cast
door knobs have been most generally made, in order that the peculiar character
of this part of my Invention may be more readily ascertained. In casting
door and such like knobs as heretofore practised, two half moulds were
employed for making a sand core, the two halves of the core being made by
ramming sand in the two half moulds separately, and then the two parts of
the core have been made to adhere by adhesive matters; and it has been often
found that they part in drying, and also that in using the metal gets between
the parts of the core; and in addition to these objections to the old mode there
is another more serious objection. The core has been made with a projection
on the crown or top to support it at that end, the consequence of which is,
that the knob cast therewith has had a hole through the crown, which has
been filled and soldered. And I would state that some attempts have been
made to cast such knobs without holes in the crown by making two cores
together so that they might balance each other in the mould, and thus it was
proposed to render the use of projections on the crown or top of the cores
unnecessary; but such means failed by reason of not having any means of
allowing the passage away of the air, and the knobs so cast were rendered
liable to air blows or bubbles. Now the first part of my Invention has for its
object to obviate these objections and to manufacture cast knobs without holes
in the crowns or tops.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a sand core such as was formerly employed. Figure 2
shows one half of the core box or mould, in which part of a core is formed.
Figure 8 shows the other half of the core box. Figure 4 shows the section of
a mould, with a core in its place therein; and Figure 5 shows the section of a
cast knob according to the old method, having a hole through the crown, and
which has heretofore required to be plugged and soldered. a is the projection
of the core on the crown to serve as a support for that end; and it is this pro-
jection of the core which forms the hole in the crown of the knob cast thereon.
In some cases the core, in place of being wholly of sand, had a wire within the
centre to give strength thereto. In making cores for knobs according to my
Invention I cause the same to be produced in one piece, the mould or core
box being put together before commencing to ram in the sand; and I cause
the central portion of the core to be hollow, so that the air may pass off
freely.
'
Figure 6 shows a plan of a core box or mould, which I prefer to be in two
parts, b and c, as is shown in the Drawing. Figure 7 shows an under side
view of the mould or core box. Figure 8 shows the two halves of the core
box or mould separated, Figure 9 shows a core complete. Figure 10
shows a knob cast according to my Invention. Figure 11 shows the section
of a mould with a core therein ready for casting; and Figure 12 shows two
views of the guard for the end of the core, and which aids in correctly
placing the core in the mould.
The manner of making a core is as follows:-The two parts of the core
box or mould being together, having a central tube d with holes at the top, as
shewn in section at Figure 13, sand is first rammed in at the opening e at the
top of the mould or core box; then the mould or box is turned on end, the
guard f being in its place. The sand is rammed into the lower part of the
mould till the same, together with the guard, is full; the core will then be
complete, as shewn at Figure 9, the object of the lower part of the core being
to balance the core, which forms the interior of the knob; the core being then
dried as heretofore will be ready for use. The two parts of a sand mould
being then made, as will readily be understood by reference to Figure 11, the
lower part of the core will fill that part of the mould, and will, aided by the
guard, correctly retain the upper part of the core in its place; and it should
be stated that from the circumstance of there being no projection from the
crown of the core, and the upper part of the mould being made similar to the
front heretofore employed for receiving the projection from the crown of the

page_text: core when the knob is cast in the mould, Figure 11, there will be not only a
solid crown produced, but a projecting neb g will be produced on the mould,
which will be found materially to aid in the finishing of such knobs in a lathe,
for having chucked a knob by the square part or stem h, a back hollow centre
of the lathe is to receive the neb g, so that that neb will form an axis for it to
turn on and for it to be supported by.
It will from the above description be seen that this part of my Invention
consists of several improvements. First, in forming the core (which forms
the knob) in one piece. Second, the forming of the core with a lower part,
by which the whole core is retained correctly in its place in the mould. Third
the use of what I have called the guard, which not only aids, in getting the
core correctly in its place in the mould, but also in retaining it correctly
therein, Fourth, in making the upper part of the mould or core box open so
as to allow of the sand being rammed into the mould or core box through
such opening. Fifth, the use of a hollow stem and centre for carrying off the
air and forming of the square of the knob to receive the spindle; and sixth,
the making of a neb g, as explained.
I would state that although I prefer that the cores should only be made for
producing one knob each, yet my improvements may be carried out by
employing double core boxes and double moulds. This will be understood by
reference to the further Figures. of the Drawings. Figure: 14 shows a plan of
such a core box, the two ends thereof being alike. Figure 15. shows the two
parts of the core box separately. Figure 16 shews the section of a double
sand mould, having a double core therein. The core box, when put together,
consists of three compartments; two for producing cores for two knobs, and the
third or central compartment is for receiving the sand for forming that portion
of the core, which being put into its place in the mould, retains all the parts
correctly in their places therein, as will be understood by reference to Figure 15.
This core box has four ramming places, one for each end and two for the
centre portion, and the central tube constituting part of the core is hollow,
with means provided for the air to get away, as is shewn at Figure. 17.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which relates to
that part of a knob and. lock which is called the spindle, and this part
of my Invention consists of making indents or. recesses for. receiving the
screw on three or more sides or surfaces in place of doing so on only
two sides, as heretofore, by which latter mode only comparatively small
degree of adjustment as to length can be obtained. I cause three or four
sides or surfaces to have indents or recesses so as to obtain a greater degree
of nicety of adjustment as to length than has heretofore been obtained.

page_text: Figure 18 shows a side view, section, and end view of such a spindle, but if
a spindle be made with more than four surfaces or sides, then by having
recesses in each a still more nice adjustment may be obtained. And in order
to make those parts of the spindles round in such parts as require to be so, I
apply hollow castings or collars i, i, as shown.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention, which has for its object
the use of a shield so arranged that by double locking a lock on the inside the
shield will be caused to cover the keyhole and prevent a key being introduced
from the front. Figure 19 shows so much of the interior of a lock as will
enable me to describe this part of my Invention, the bolt being only half shot
or single locked. j is a shield affixed to the bolt, or it might be to another
part of the lock, so as to move with the bolt and to come opposite to the key-
hole so as completely to cover it, and thus prevent the introduction of a key or
other instrument from the exterior.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the details herein-described so long as the peculiar character
of any part of my Invention be retained. But what I claim is,-
First, the improvements herein described of manufacturing cast knobs for
doors and other purposes.
Secondly, I claim the improvements herein described of manufacturing the
spindles of knobs and locks; and,
Thirdly, the improvements herein-described in locks.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Wilkes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.