IMPROVEMENTS IN KNIFE-CLEANING MACHINES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Weedon, of King Street, Soho, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNIFE-CLEANING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 14th January 1868, and dated the 17th July 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Weedon at the
Office. of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th July 1867.
I, GEORGE WEEDON, of King Street, Soho, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNIFE-
CLEANING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to reciprocating machines, and consists of novel and
improved mechanical arrangements or appliances for performing the following
operations and offices. First, for holding the knives whilst they are being
cleaned; secondly, for reversing or turning them over from one side to the
other; and, thirdly, in a novel form of construction of brush.
Under the first head the improvement consists in adapting a hinged lever
to the bottom of the machine, and affixing to such said lever a bar or rail
carrying another rail fitted at its under edge with a long piece of elastic
material. The back of the said lever is also provided with a pawl hinged
thereto, which takes into a ratchet fixed to the back of the machine.
Under the second head the improvement consists in adapting a projecting
piece into the front edge of a toothed rack at or near each end thereof, this

page_text: rack takes into the teeth of six or more pinions, the axes of the said pinions
working in suitable holes or bearings formed in a piece of metal fixed to the
bottom of the machine, and the axes of each of the said pinions is formed
hollow and of a rectangular shape to receive the end of the handle of the
knife.
Under the third and fast head the improvement consists in forming the
brush with bristles fixed in each side of the back of the brush instead of using
two separate brushes of the ordinary kind.
The operations of the foregoing arrangements are as follows:-To insert the
knives into the machine the pawl of the holding lever above mentioned must
be disengaged and the lever pushed back, the handles are then inserted by
their ends into the recesses in the axes of the several pinions, this done, the
lever is pulled forward; the effect of which is to press the elastic edge of the
holding rail before mentioned forcibly upon the other ends of the handles near
the shoulders of the blades of the knives, the pawl of the lever by its ratchet
holding the handles securely in that position, whilst the blades are at the same
time held flat on a raised part of the bottom of the machine. The operator then
takes the improved brush, and dipping one side thereof in wet emery powder,
and by means of handles at each end of the brush passes the brush briskly
a few times across the blades of the several knives, he then applies the other
side of the brush in a like manner to polish the blades. The pawl is then
disengaged and the lever raised and the rack pushed endwise, by which the
knives will be reversed or turned over. The lever is then again brought down
and the knives fixed in position, and so held until the other sides of the several
blades are cleaned as before mentioned. The lever is then raised, the clean
knives removed, and others placed therein to be cleaned as before, and so on
in succession.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Weedon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE.
WEEDON, of King Street, Soho, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said.

page_text: George Weedon, Her special licence that I, the said George Weedon, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Weedon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNIFE-CLEANING
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Weedon, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Weedon, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to reciprocating machines, and consists of novel and
improved mechanical arrangements or appliances for performing the following
operations and offices. First, for holding the knives whilst they are being
cleaned; secondly, for reversing or turning them over from one side to the
other; and, thirdly, in a novel form of construction of brush.
Under the first head the improvement consists in adapting a binged lever to
the bottom of the machine, and affixing to such said lever a bar or rail carrying
another rail fitted at its under edge with a long piece of elastic material. The
back of the said lever is also provided with a pawl hinged thereto, which takes.
into a ratchet fixed to the back of the machine.
Under the second head the improvement consists in adapting a projecting
piece into the front edge of a toothed rack at or near each end thereof; this
rack takes into the teeth of six or more pinions, the axes of the said pinions
working in suitable holes or bearings formed in a piece of metal fixed to the
bottom of the machine, and the axes of each of the said pinions is formed
hollow and of a rectangular shape to receive the end of the handle of the
knife.
Under the third and last head the improvement consists in forming the
brush with bristles fixed in each side of the back of the brush instead of using
two separate brushes of the ordinary kind.
The operations of the foregoing arrangements are as follows:-To insert the

page_text: knives into the machine the pawl of the holding lever above mentioned must
be disengaged and the lever pushed back, the handles are then inserted by
their ends into the recesses in the axes of the several pinions; this done, the
lever is pulled forward, the effect of which is to press the elastic edge of the
holding rail before mentioned forcibly upon the other ends of the handles near
the shoulders of the blades of the knives; the pawl of the lever by its ratchet
holding the handles securely in that position, whilst the blades are at the same
time held flat on a raised part of the bottom of the machine. The operator then
takes the improved brush, and dipping one side thereof in wet emery powder,
and by means of handles at each end of the brush passes the brush briskly a
few times across the blades of the several knives, he then applies the other
side of the brush in a like manner to polish the blades; the pawl is then
disengaged, and the lever raised, and the rack pushed endwise, by which the
knives will be reversed or turned over. The lever is then again brought down,
and the knives fixed in position, and so held until the other sides of the several
blades are cleaned as before mentioned. The lever is then raised, the clean
knives removed, and others placed therein to be cleaned as before, and so on
in succession.
now
And in order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of
Drawings accompanying these Presents, and to the numeral figures and letters
of reference marked thereon respectively, as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a top plan view of my improvements in knife-cleaning
machines; Figure 2 a transverse and vertical section through the line A, B,
at Figure 1; Figures 3, 4, and 5, detached views of some of the parts herein-
At each of the foregoing figures
after particularly described and referred to.
I employ similar letters of reference to denote corresponding parts in so far
as such parts appear or can be seen at each of such said Figures respectively.
A marks the stand of the machine made in the form of a tray, the bottom
thereof being fitted with a sliding piece B, to which is affixed the mechanism
shewn at Figures 3, 4, 5, employed to receive the ends of the several knives
required to be cleaned, and for turning them over as presently described; C is
a raised piece of wood, the surface whereof is covered with sheet metal; D, D,
forked shaped pieces fixed to the tray A; these pieces receive the ends of the
forked lever E, which are connected to the pieces D by nuts and bolts at a,
which are the fulcra of the lever E; the bar 6 of the lever E has a long piece

page_text: of wood 1 fixed thereto, and to this piece of wood a piece of vulcanized india-
rubber 2 or other suitable elastic material is fixed and employed to hold the.
knives firmly whilst they are being cleaned; the hinged pawl G and ratchet c
keeping the lever E and bar 6 in forced contact with the knives, thereby
holding them steady when the ends of the handles have been inserted into the
recesses d formed in the several pinions H to receive the said handles.
The construction and arrangement of these pinions and the mechanism for
actuating them will be better understood by refering to Figures 3 and 4, where H
marks a series of toothed pinions, the bosses e whereof fit loosely in holes formed
in the casting I and plate K, screwed thereto at f,f, and to the piece of wood x.
at Figure 5. L is a toothed rack taking into the teeth of the several pinions H,
the top of this rack is formed with a long flange g, which covers the pinions H,
and rests on the top edges of the pieces I and K, on which it is capable of
being slidden backwards and forwards from right to left, and vice versa, for
turning over the knives when one side thereof has been cleaned. The casting
or flange 9 is formed with a projecting rib h at the under side of the said
flange, and there is a stop piece i formed on the casting I, so that when the
ends of the rib h come against one or other end of the said stop piece the
pinions H by the action of the teeth of the rack L thereon shall turn the said
pinions one-half of an entire revolution, thereby turning over or reversing the
position of the several knives as desired. In cleaning large or dinner knives the
piece of wood B to which the casting I is fixed must be pushed outwards until
the bolsters of the knives come against the edge of the piece C, and the piece B
must be similarly adjusted when it is required to clean small or dessert knives.
I propose to clean the blades of the knives by means of a double-sided brush
formed of bristles, and with a handle at each end thereof; one side of this
brush I dip in wet emery powder and rub briskly across the blades of the
knives, and the other side of the said brush I dip into dry emery powder, if
necessary, and rub briskly across the blades of the knives to polish them; this
done I lift the pawl G out of the ratchet by means of the string k, and raise
the lever E, then push or pull the rack g, L, so as to turn the blades of the
knives over ready to have the other sides thereof cleaned, and pulling the
lever E down as before proceed to brush and clean and polish the blades as
before. The lever E is then raised, the knives removed; and a fresh lot placed
in the machine to be cleaned as above stated, and so on in succession.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my said
Invention for "Improvements in Knife-cleaning Machines," together with the
best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect,
I would remark in conclusion that I hereby declare my Invention to consist

page_text: in, and I claim the general combination and arrangement of the mechanism
above described with reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and
the mode of operating therewith as constituting "Improvements in Knife-
cleaning Machines."
In witness whereof, I, the said George Weedon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
GEORGE WEEDON. (L.S.)