AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SWORDS, MATCHETS, AND KNIVES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Reeves, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SWORDS, MATCHETS, AND KNIVES."
Sealed the 30th March 1858, and dated the 15th October 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Reeves at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th October 1857.
I, CHARLES REEVES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVE-
MENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SWORDS, MATCHETS, AND KNIVES,”
to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the manufacture of that part of a sword, matchet,
or knife called the "tang," that is, the prolongation of the blade to which the
handle is affixed. The said tangs taper or diminish in thickness from their
junction with the blade to their ends, the said tapering being produced in the
ordinary manufacture by forging.
My Invention consists in effecting the tapering of the tangs by the use of a
pair of rolls constructed as follows:-The general figure of the said rolls is
cylindrical, a portion being cut away from the cylindrical surface of one or
both, so that when those parts of the rolls from which portions are cut are pre-
sented to each other there is a space between the said rolls into which the tang

page_text: of the sword, matchet, or knife may be introduced. From the cut-away
portions of the rolls the radius of the said rolls increases, the excentric curve of
these portions passing into the cylindrical surface of the rolls. The workman
standing on that side of the rolls at which any thing put between the said rolls
'is delivered, introduces the heated end of the sword, matchet, or knife between
the rolls. The tang is introduced when the rolls are at that stage of their
rotation at which the cut-away portions are presented to each other. The
rotation of the rolls causes them to seize the tang and to return it to the
workman, the said tang having been tapered by the operation of the rolls.
Instead of a continuous rotatory motion the rolls may have a reciprocating
rotatory motion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Reeves in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
REEVES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Reeves, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Reeves,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charles Reeves, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT OR
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SWORDS, MATCHETS, AND KNIVES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Reeves, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing, under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Reeves, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention relates to the manufacture of that part of a sword, matchet,
or knife called the tang, that is, the prolongation of the blade to which the
handle is affixed. The said tangs taper or diminish in thickness from their
junction with the blade to their ends, the said tapering being produced in the
ordinary manufacture by the process of forging.
My Invention consists in effecting the tapering of the tangs of swords,
matchets, and knives by the use of a pair of rolls, constructed and worked
as herein-after particularly described, and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, and Figure 2 in transverse vertical
section, a pair of rolls of the form which I employ in tapering tangs of swords,
matchets, and knives according to my Invention. The general figure of the
rolls, marked respectively a and b, is that of a cylinder, a portion or portions
being cut away from the cylindrical surface of one or both of the said rolls, as
represented at c, so that when those parts c of the rolls from which portions
are cut away are presented to each other, there is a space between the said
rolls into which the tang of the sword, matchet, or knife d may be introduced.
From the parts c of the roll a the radius of the said roll increases for about
one-quarter of the circumference of the roll, the excentric curve of those por-
tions marked e passing into the cylindrical surface of the roll. The lower roll
may have portions of its surface excentric, as last described with reference to
the roll a, but I prefer to confine the excentricity to one roll.
b
Rotation being given to the rolls in the direction indicated by the arrows in
Figure 2, the workman places himself on the side f of the rolls, that is to say,
on that side of the said rolls at which any thing put between them is delivered
by the said rolls. The workman introduces the heated tang end of the sword,
matchet, or knife between the rolls a, b, the said tang being introduced when
the rolls a, b, are in the position represented in the Drawing, that is to say, at
that stage of their rotation at which the cut-away portions c of the two rolls
are presented to each other.
The sword, matchet, or knife is pushed between the rolls a, b, until it comes
into contact with the guide g; the said guide is capable of adjustment on the
table h, so that its distance from the rolls may be greater or less, to suit the
different lengths of tangs to be tapered. The rotation of the rolls a, b, causes
them to seize the tang of the sword, matchet, or knife d, and return the said

page_text: sword, matchet, or knife to the workman, the tang having been tapered by the
operation of the rolls a, b.
Figure 3. represents in plan. at i, and side elevation at k, the tang of a
sword tapered by being passed through the rolls a, b, by my method, the said
Figure 3.being of full size.
When I taper the tangs of knives having a bolster, as representnd' at lin
Figure 4 (which said Figure 4. represents in plan and side elevation a portion
of a knife in full size), I make depressions in the rolls a, b, of the form indi-
cated in dotted lines at m in Figure 2, the said depressions m receiving the
bolster 1, Figure 4, without changing the figure of the said bolster..
Instead of communicating to the rolls, Figures 1 and 2, a continuous rota-
tory motion, a réciprocating rotatory motion may be employed, but I prefer
the rotatory motion as being more convenient.
Having: now. described.. the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and represented in the Drawing,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention;
but I claim as my Invention the improvement or improvements in the manu-
facture of swords, matchets, and knives herein-before described, and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, tapering the tangs of swords,
matches, and knives by the use of rolls, the surfaces of which are excentric
to their.axes, or the surface of one of which is excentric to its axis, the said
rolls having cut-away portions, as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Reeves, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
H. P. GOODWIN,
Highgate Place, Birmingham.
CHARLES REEVES. (L.S.)