Improvements in the Manufacture of Shouldered Knife Blades.
Year: 1895

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Shouldered Knife Blades.
We, JEAN CLAUDE BOUCHÉ, and JEAN BAPTISTE BOUCHÉ, both of Chamond,
in the Republic of France, Master Smiths, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the manufacture of knife blades having a
shoulder or bolster between the blade proper and the tang of iron, steel, silver,
aluminium, and other metal, by means of rolls provided with notches according to
the different sections of the blades.
The following are the different stages of manufacture and transformation of a
smooth bar, and the tools or implements employed for the purpose of providing for a
successive and economical manufacture of knife blades with shoulders.
The bar which comes in a rough or unwrought state from the roll of a size of
section according to the dimensions, of the blades to be manufactured, is heated
and passed between symmetrical cylinders or rolls provided with notches adapted
to form shoulders or bolsters; these notches do not run the entire width of the
grooves to prevent the shoulders being formed up to what will be the cutting edge
of the blades. Having accomplished this operation, a bar is obtained having
shoulders on it at desired distances apart, the distances being alternately long and
short. This bar is then cut into pieces midway between the more distant shoulders
so that each piece carries at its centre two shoulders comparatively close together.
Such pieces or bars are heated and subjected to the pressure of two matrices or dies
to form of the part between the shoulders two lobes for the formation of tangs
and at the same time to shape the edges, the upper matrix or bed being
symmetrical with and similar to the lower matrix.
The bars or pieces are then reheated in a furnace adapted for that purpose,
whereupon the workman grasps with the aid of pincers one extremity of one of the
pieces, and placing the pincers on a support in front of two cylinders or rolls passes
the other extremity of said piece first edgeways into a groove in the rolls to
slightly bring it to a conical form, and then flatways into sloping groove to form
the blade. The introduction of the pieces or bars into said grooves is effected
from the direction opposite to the revolving rolls, that to say the workman
should await the turning towards each other of parts cut away on one half of the
rollers to place his pincers against the support, and as soon as the narrow parts of
the rolls meet each other, the rolling of the blade begins, and is continued until
the wider parts of the rolls again approach each other when the piece introduced
should be quickly withdrawn. After this operatiou we obtain a shape with one
end rolled out into the form of a blade and the other end prepared for the second
blade. Having heated the latter it is introduced between the rollers in the same
manner as above indicated. The bar has then two finished blades.
In order to make a tang to each single blade the piece is then divided into two
halves which latter form each a blade with unflattened tang. The latter is heated
and passed into the dressing and finishing rollers, also in the opposite direction of
their revolution in the manner described for the blade, by which a blade with a
drawn out tang is obtained. To finish the shoulder or bolster which has hitherto

page_text: been but rough the heated blade is introduced blade downwards into a matrix
composed of two blocks, which may be tightened as desired whereupon a driver
with a passage hole for the tang is dropped from a certain height which will swage
the shoulder or bolster to its desired form. The blade may then be subjected to
polishing, tempering and other usual finishing processes. For the manufacture of
blades of aluminium, silver and the like the operation is the same with the difference
that the material need not be heated.
Dated this 18th day of June 1895.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Shouldered Knife Blades.
We, JEAN CLAUDE BOUCHÉ and JEAN BAPTISTE BOUCHE, both of
St. Chamond, in the Republic of France, Master Smiths, 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 :-
This invention has for its object the manufacture of knife blades having a
shoulder or bolster between the blade proper and the tang of iron, steel, silver,
aluminium and other metal, by means of rolls provided with notches according to
the different sections of the blades.
The invention is represented in the annexed drawings, in which
Figs. 1 and 2 are vertical and horizontal views respectively of an unwrought bar,
their sections varying according to the form and the size of the blades to be
manufactured.
Figs. 3 and 4 show a front view and section on line t-u of the cylinders or
rollers to be employed for the first important operation for forming the shoulder.
Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical and horizontal projections respectively of the bar after
it has been passed through the above mentioned rollers.
Fig. 7 is a section or part of the bar adapted to form two blades.
Fig. 8 a vertical sectional view of the lower matrix or bed for forming the knob
serving to draw or roll the tang or handle. The upper matrix or die fits to the
lower and is symmetrical.
Figs. 9 and 10 are plan and side views of the roughly formed blank after its
passage through the matrices.
Fig. 11 is a front-view of the roller cylinders for flattening the blade, its edges
as well as the flat surface.
Figs. 12 and 13 are cross sections on the lines v- and y-z respectively of the
cylinders.
Fig. 14 a view of the blank after one blade has passed through the flattening
cylinders.
Fig. 15 a view of both blades after passing through the cylinders.
Fig. 16 a blade cut off in the middle of the tang.
Figs. 17 and 18 front and side views in section on line r-s respectively of the
roughing down and finishing rolls for the tang.
Fig. 19 a view of the blade with tang drawn out by means of the mentioned
rolls.
Figs. 20 and 21 a portion of a vertical section of one matrix or die in two pieces,
and of a rammer for finishing the bolster or shoulder.
Fig. 22 a view of the blade with shoulder after passing through the above
mentioned matrix.
The following are the different stages of manufacture and transformation of a

page_text: smooth bar, and the tools or implements for the purpose of providing for a successive
and economical manufacture of knife blades with shoulders.
The bar, Figs. 1 and 2, which comes in a rough or unwrought state from the roll
of a size of section according to the dimensions of the blades to be manufactured, is
heated and passed between symmetrical cylinders or rolls provided with notches
adapted to form shoulders or bolsters; these notches do not run the entire width
of the grooves, to prevent the shoulders being formed up to what will be the
cutting edge of the blades. Having accomplished this operation a bar shown in
Figs. 5 and 6 is obtained having shoulders on it at desired distances apart, the
distances being alternately long and short. This bar is then cut into pieces midway
between the more distant shoulders so that each piece carries at its centre two
shoulders comparatively close together, as in Fig. 7. Such pieces or bars are
heated and subjected to the pressure of two matrices or dies, Fig. 8, to form of
the part between the shoulders two lobes for the formation of tangs, and at the
same time to shape the edges, the upper matrix or die being symmetrical with and
similar to the lower matrix.
The bars or pieces are then reheated in a furnace adapted for that purpose,
whereupon the workman grasps with the aid of pincers one extremity of one of
the pieces, and placing the pincers on a support a in front of two cylinders or rolls,
passes the other extremity of said piece first edgeways into a groove z-y in the
rolls to slightly bring it to a conical form, and then flatways into sloping grooves -
to form the blade. The introduction of the pieces or bars into said grooves is
effected from the direction opposite to the revolving rolls, that is to say, the
workman should await the turning towards each other of parts e e¹ cut away in one
half of the rollers, to place his pincers against the support a, and as soon as the
narrow parts 11¹ of the rolls meet each other, the rolling of the blade begins and
is continued until the wider parts of the rolls again approach each other when the
piece introduced should be quickly withdrawn. After this operation we obtain a
shape with one end rolled out into the form of a blade and the other end prepared
for the second blade, Fig. 14. Having heated the latter, it is introduced between
the rollers in the same manner as above indicated. The bar then has two finished
blades as in Fig. 15.
.
In order to make a tang of each single blade, the piece shown in Fig. 15 is then
divided into two halves which latter form each a blade with unflattened tang as in
Fig. 16. The latter is heated and passed in the dressing and finishing rollers
(Figs. 17 & 18), also in the opposite direction of their revolution, in the manner
described for the blade, by which a blade with a drawn out tang is obtained,
Fig. 19.
To finish the shoulder or bolster which has hitherto been but rough, the heated
blade is introduced blade downwards into a matrix composed of two blocks m
and m' which may be tightened as desired, whereupon a driver P with a passage
hole for the tang, is dropped from a certain height, which will swage shoulder or
bolster to its desired form, Figs. 20 and 21. The blade may then be subjected to
polishing tempering and other usual finishing processes. For the manufacture of
blades of aluminium, silver and the like, the operation is the same, with the difference
that the material need not be heated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The manufacture of knife-blades with shoulders, of all forms and dimensions,
by passing a heated piece or bar of a certain size, through dressing rollers with
corresponding notches for the formation of the shoulders or mitres; the bars thus
obtained being cut into halves to give two blades and tangs which are introduced
between matrices or beds to bring the tangs and edges into shape.
2. In the process above described the flattening of the blades and the formation
of the tangs by passing the respective pieces or bars between the rollers in the

page_text: opposite direction of their revolution, the finishing being done by a driver and
matrix to give the shoulder the desired shape and size.
Dated this 16th day of March 1896.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents for Applicants.