An Appliance for Cleaning Table Forks and Spoons.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Appliance for Cleaning Table Forks and Spoons.
HARRY DADE, 7, Cobbold Road, Leytonstone, Essex, Commercial Traveller, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
A piece of rubber, leather, or some such suitable material, made in such a
manner so as to give the cleaner three edges to operate with, two being devoted to
the necessary incisions for the tines of forks to be inserted, and the other edge
so hollowed out as to admit the oval part or back of spoon to be cleaned-the ap-
pliance being diamond-shaped with the exception of a piece of rubber, &c., being
placed on the top suitably-shaped to enable the hollow part of the spoon being
cleaned or polished. The whole to have a suitable handle inserted in centre of
the appliance to enable the rubber, &c. being worked backwards and forwards
with ease upon the articles to be cleaned, and also to enable the rubber, &c.. to
be easily inserted into any box or vessel containing the necessary substance to
be used in cleaning, &c.
An Appliance for Cleaning Table Forks and Spoons.
HARRY DADE, Commercial Traveller, 7, Cobbold Road, Leytonstone, Essex, 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 fol-
lowing statement:-
I cut or punch out with dies or any suitable method from leather, felt, kamp-
tulicon, or any kind of material best suited for the cleaning and polishing of
forks and spoons or I mould from rubber. The material so used is cut out or
moulded somewhat in a diamond shape, with the exception that in the centre of
the two upper edges so cut is a raised convex shaped piece to clean or polish the
inside of the bowls of spoons and provided on each side of this piece are suitable
surfaces to enable the operator to clean or polish those parts in the handles of
these articles so frequently difficult to get at and rout out. The two upper edges
of this somewhat diamond-shaped appliance are provided with corrugations or
grooves for cleaning or polishing the prongs of forks-thus the two sides may
be made to deal with different sizes of forks, or made both alike-one side being
for the dry polish, and the other for the moist.
In the centre of the two lower edges of this somewhat diamond-shaped appliance

page_text: is a concave to provide for the cleaning or polishing of the backs of spoons, whilst
at each side of the concave are useful surfaces suitable to clean the handles of
both forks and spoons.
The leather, felt or material so cut out as before-stated can be firmly glued
together or fixed by any substance or liquid best suited for the purpose and any
desired thickness of the appliance attained. Or the material may be mixed such
as leather and felt in its construction.
After this is done a hole is cut or mortised in or near the centre of the material
employed and a suitable handle inserted-supported on each side of the material
by metal plates and then firmly screwed into the handle.
In using the appliance the prongs of forks or the bowls of spoons are placed
in the cavities provided, the leather or material used being dipped or dusted with
the powder with which the cleaning or polishing is to be done the article is
then moved briskly backwards and forwards, whilst the other hand firmly grasps
the handle provided, or it can be employed upon the articles to be cleaned as a
rubber or polisher, by holding the article in one hand and the appliance in the
other.
I will now proceed to further describe my invention in connection with the
accompanying sheet of drawings, in which the same letters of reference indicate
like parts in the various figures.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my invention.
Fig. 2 shows a section on line - Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan from the back, of the polisher or cleaner.
The cleaner or polisher a is composed of several layers of leather, felt, or other
suitable substance or material united by any suitable adhesive or other con-
venient means; or it may consist of a single block of rubber or like material.
This cleaner or polisher a is provided with a convex surface band a concave
surface c for cleaning and polishing the concave and convex sides respectively
of the bowls of spoons. The angles & are very convenient for cleaning and polish-
ing the sides of the handles of spoons and forks, and the ribbed or corrugated
surfaces e are provided for treating the prongs of forks; if required, one of these
surfaces e may be used for dry and one for moist polish. The flat surfaces f are
convenient for cleaning and polishing the flat surfaces of the handles of the
spoons and forks.
The cleaner and polisher a has a hole formed therein. This hole being rect-
angular in cross section for part of its length at the back or handle side of the
cleaner and polisher a. Plates P and p are placed on the front and back respect-
ively of the cleaner and polisher a; the plate p¹ having a rectangular hole through
the centre thereof, corresponding to the rectangular end of the hole h, and the
plate having a circular hole through its centre.
P
The rectangular reduced end of a handle is thrust through the plate pl
into the rectangular end of the hole h, and the cleaner and polisher a is then
secured to the said handle by means of the screws which passes through the plate p
and cleaner and polisher a, into the handle l.
It is obvious that the cleaner and polisher may be secured to its handle in
any other convenient manner without departing from the spirit of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
An appliance for cleaning and polishing table forks and spoons, having con-
cave, convex, ribbed, angular, and flat surfaces, substantially as and for the
purposes herein described.
Dated this 24th day of February 1898.