Improvements in Machines for Cleaning and Polishing Knife and other Blades.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Feb.. 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Dec., 1890-Accepted, 10th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Machines for Cleaning and Polishing Knife and
other Blades.
I, GEORGE EDWARDS, of 46 Parchmore Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The construction and arrangement of rubbers, two of which are placed in a vertical
position with spring or springs and one horizontal, which polish the sides and back
edge of a blade simultaneously when it is passed be.ween then with a reciprocal
motion; and another grooved cushion or rubber for cleaning the hilts; a hopper for
the supply, and a tray for preventing waste, of polishing material; a body or
container for the various parts and purposes, and its adaptations for fastening the
apparatus to the side of a table, post, or other suitable object, as well as on the top
thereof.
Although I herein describe my improved machine as constructed principally of
wood for cleaning and polishing knives, it is obvious and to be understood that it may
be made of metal or other suitable material, and used for many other purposes, such
as cleaning and polishing swords bayonets and the like.
The body or container consists of a block of wool in which are recessed spaces for
the hopper, cushions, tray, passage for the kuife, for securing the springs, and fastening
the machine to the side or top of a table or other suitable object.
The two cushions or rubbers for cleaning the sides of a knife are generally made of
wood and felt, faced with leather, indiarubber, or other suitable material, and some-
times of wood, cork or the like, diagonally furrowed to facilitate the passage of the
polishing powder, and one or both of these rubbers are excentrically shaped so as to
cause the spring to exert more pressure on one edge than on the other. A horizontal
rubber, is fastened below the side rubbers, preferably of leather though a part of the
wood block body may serve for the purpose. The cushion or rubber for cleaning the
hilt of the knife may be made of any suitable material such as wood, cork, leather,
separately or combined, with groove and ridges, or the groove and ridges may be
formed in the body block; and in some cases this hilt cleaner is made to serve as a
cover for the hopper.
The spring or springs are preferably of flat steel, adjusted with screw or wedge so
as to exert a greater pressure on one edge to insure the sides of the knife near the thin
edge being cleaned or polished without undue wear at the thick edge. This
improved arrangement of pressure is also designed to sharpen or keep sharp the
knife.
The hopper or reservoir for containing the polishing material is a recess in the
top of the wood body and is so arranged in conjunction with the vertical rubbers
(one of which has a side movement) that the feed is constant and even on both sides
of the knife during the process of cleaning, which is not the case with machines of this
class whose rubbers are horizontal.
The catch tray to prevent waste of polishing material is of metal, paper, or other
suitable material, and slides in a groove formed in the lower part of the body block,
and is sometimes made telescopic for compactness, and to serve as a screwdriver.
This my improved machine designed in a compact form, is intended generally to be
fastened upon the side of a table, post, wall, or other suitable place, to be always ready
for use without occupying space available for other purposes, but it may also be
fastened and used on the top of a table, shelf, or other suitable object.
Dated this First day of February 1890.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Cleaning and Polishing Knife and
other Blades.
I GEORGE EDWARDS, of 46 Parchmore Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention relates to machines for cleaning and polishing knife blades and other
blades, and consists in forming and disposing, rubbers or pads with spring or springs
in such manner that the two sides and back edge of a blade may be cleaned or polished
simultaneously by rubbing the blade between and against the said rubbers with a
reciprocating motion, a rubber or pad for cleaning the shoulder of a blade, a body or
container provided with recesses spaces and apertures for the rubbers the polishing
material, the receptacles for catching surplus polishing material and for fastening the
machine to the side or top of a table or other suitable support.
In the following description "blade" should generally be understood to signify the
blade of a knife, sword, bayonet, or other instrument or implement; and
rubber"
to signify the pad or substance against which the blade is rubbed for the purpose of
being cleaned or polished.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents in front elevation, Fig. 2 in side
elevation, and Fig. 3 in plan, a machine made in accordance with this invention, the
body or container of which is designed to be made of cast iron or other suitable metal
or material, Figs. 4 and 5 being sections on the lines A A and B B in Fig. 1 respec-
tively, and Fig. 6 is a section on the line C C in Fig. 2, which machine is adapted for
cleaning a blade with its sharp edge upward, and Fig. 64 shews a section on the
line C in Fig. 2 of a machine as adapted for cleaning a blade with its sharp edge
downward.
Fig. 7 illustrates a front elevation, Fig. 8 a side elevation, and Fig. 9 a plan of a
machine the body or container of which is designed to be made of wood, pulp, or other
suitable material. Fig. 10 shews a section on the line D D in Fig. 7, and Fig. 11
shews a section on the line E E in Fig. 8. Figs. 12 and 13 are side clevation and
plan respectively representing my improved machine designed to be made long enough
to contain the whole of the blade to be cleaned or polished.
Fig. 14 is a diagram to illustrate some of my improved appliances for, and manner
of, attaching these improved machines to the side of a table or other like support.
Important parts of this invention and its application may be understood by reference
to the Figs. 6 and 6A. The spring d presses against the rubber a' or its pivot a² in
an eccentric position causing the rubbers a a¹ to conform to the shape of the knife i;
the screw serves to adjust the tension of the spring d; the sides of the blade i are
cleaned or polished by passing it between the rubbers a a¹ and its back edge by
rubbing it against the rubber b; the sharp edge is protected by soft metal, wood, cork
or the like as shewn at e; the polishing material is supplied from the hopper k and
its surplus or overflow is caught in the trays g; which conditions are accomplished by
this invention more effectually than with machines known hitherto.
The body or container (shewn in all the figures) is formed or shaped so as to
provide, a hopper k for the supply of polishing material, a receptacle for the trays g,
a recess or space for the rubbers a a¹ and b, a support for the rubber c, the apertures
for the screws n and clamp o. This body or container being thus formed in so
compact a form and so small a space rendering the machine capable of occupying
convenient positions like those shewn at x (Fig. 14) is an improvement upon
existing machines.
This improved machine, made in accordance with this invention, may be used with
dry damp or wet cleaning and polishing powder or material, and for use with wet
material it is sometimes preferably placed in an inclined position as shewn at
(Fig. 14) so that the wet material may not flow out at the rubbers.

page_text: In most of the drawings here referred to the rubbers are shown disposed for
cleaning and polishing a blade with its sharp edge upwards though they may be
disposed for use with the sharp edge downwards as shewn in Fig. 6ª.
The rubbers a al b and c may be made of wood, cork, or any suitable substance
or composition without being faced or covered, or they may be made of metal or
any of the above mentioned material and faced with leather, indiarubber, felt, and
the like, which may be fastened with cement, nails as shewn at a Fig. 10, or
laces, or hooks as shown at a Fig. 5.
One of the rubbers a a' is preferably formed shorter than the space it occupies,
as shewn in Figs. 5 & 10, so that it may move backward and forward with friction
against the knife, and in some cases the faces of the rubbers a a¹ are furrowed
diagonally, for the purpose of aiding the descent and distribution of the polishing
material.
In the Figure 11 the rubbers a a' are shown to be held in their recesses by
the wire p and the spring d; in Figs. 1, 5, 6 & 6^ the rubber a¹ is shown to be
held in place by means of the pivot a and the rubber a to be secured by the button r
(Fig. 1) and a fixed stop (not shewn) at the other end of the rubber.
The rubber c in some cases is formed so as serve as a cover for the hopper k and
is hinged to the machine or the support to which the machine is attached so that it
may be moved into a convenient position for use as shewn in the Figs. 3 & 13, where
the hinge or joint pins are shewn at I and the space through which it may be moved
is shewn by the dotted lines s.
The spring d may be flat as herein generally shewn or it may be spiral in form as
shewn in Fig. 6A and in some cases a spring may be applied to each of the
rubbers a &a; and more than one spring d or pivot a² may be used with one
rubber.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The herein described machine for cleaning and polishing knife and other
blades, two of the rubbers of which are disposed in a vertical position and are
pressed towards each other by spring or springs acting upon one or both the said
rubbers.
2nd. A machine for the purposes and constructed substantially as herein set forth;
the same comprising two vertical rubbers a a³ with the spring d and the horizontal
rubbers
c.
3rd. A machine for the 'purposes and constructed substantially as herein set forth;
the same comprising a hopper k for containing a supply of cleaning and polishing
material, and trays g for catching surplus cleaning and polishing material.
4th. A machine for the purposes and constructed substantially as herein set forth;
the same comprising a body or container f having formed therein recesses and
apertures for containing the rubbers and trays and for fastening the machine to the
side of a table, wall, post, or other suitable support.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1890.
GEORGE EDWARDS.