IMPROVEMENTS IN THE Manufacture OF STRAINERS AND SIMILAR UTENSILS OR ARTICLES MADE CHIEFLY OF WOVEN WIRE OR WIRE GAUZE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Harris Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE Manufacture OF STRAINERS AND SIMILAR UTENSILS
OR ARTICLES MADE CHIEFLY OF WOVEN WIRE OR WIRE GAUZE." A com-
munication from abroad by Edward P. Woods, Daniel Sherwood, and Cyrus
H. Latham, all of Lowell, Massachusetts, United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Harris Lake at the
J
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th September 1879.
HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
STRAINERS AND SIMILAR UTENSILS OR ARTICLES MADE CHIEFLY OF WOVEN WIRE
OR WIRE GAUZE." A communication from abroad by Edward P. Woods, Daniel
Sherwood, and Cyrus H. Latham, all of Lowell, Massachusetts, United States of
America.
This Invention relates to the manufacture of strainers and similar utensils or
articles, the bodies of which are made of woven-wire or wire gauze which is attached
to a rim.
.
The said Invention consists in applying to the raw edge of the woven wire after.
it is bent into the form of the strainer or other receptacle to be produced, a rim or
band of metal, so that the woven-wire ends shall be embedded in the body or
substance of a cast metallic band, and thus the parts be united more firmly to each
other, and held more firmly in the position which they are intended to have, than
by the ordinary methods of constructing such a receptacle with its attached band
or rim, as well as attaching the same cheaply and almost instantaneously.
.
Heretofore it has been customary to unite the body of a strainer or similar
article to its metallic band or rim by constructing them separately and soldering
the wire body of the strainer to the surface of the metal band, or between two of
its surfaces when it has been previously bent or spun into form, so that the wire-
body can be placed between two such surfaces. By either of these methods, it has
Price 6d1
;

page_text: been found impossible to unite the rim and body of the strainer together with
proper solidity or neatness and smoothness where the parts are joined, by reason of
the fact that the wire-gauze will not receive the solder properly in its meshes, and
cannot be firmly united to the metallic band or rim in the same manner as two
smooth pieces of metal can be united by soldering; neither can the solder, when
applied over the wire meshes, be rendered smooth and finished in appearance
without great expense and trouble. Besides this, such wire strainers and like
receptacles or articles are frequently used in preparing articles of food or drink,
which are of a nature to operate upon the material of which the solder is formed,
and produce poisons which, contaminating the food or drink, are deleterious to the
consumer, and this necessarily results from any combination of metals which can be
used for soldering the bands or rims upon such articles.
By the present improvements all these difficulties are avoided, and a much
stronger, cheaper, and more finished article is produced, containing no metallic
parts which will produce poisonous effects when used.
In the accompanying Drawing,—
Figure 1 is an elevation of a wire strainer and its band constructed according to
this Invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same, and
Figure 3 is a view of the metallic band and one of the wires of the strainer con-
nected with it drawn to an enlarged scale.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the Drawing.
A is the metallic rim of the strainer; B is the wire-gauze body.
I construct this rim by forming a mould made to close on the lower side, which
forms the top edge of the rim, and which is interiorly of the shape of the exterior
of the rim A in reverse, the rim being intended to be formed in the mould with its
top edge downward. This mould is made with an annular opening in its top, of
the size of the upper edge of the receptacle-body B, so that when bent into form,
the annular edge of the woven-wire body B may be inserted into the mould through
its corresponding annular opening, the wire body part B being inverted for that
purpose, otherwise than as herein described. The mould is made in the usual
manner.
I then take such metal as may be desired, and having melted it, I invert the
wire body part B of the strainer, and cause its edge to project through the annular
opening into the mould. I then pour the melted metal into the mould, which,
filling the mould, forms the rim A, and joins it to the wire body part B of the
strainer at a single operation, the metal of the rim flowing through every part of
the wire meshes of the body B, and uniting with the latter, so as to be practically
inseparable from it without the destruction of both parts, on account of the great
amount of heat which is attainable at the instant of the juncture of the metal with
the wire body B. Immediately upon the rim A being formed in this way, it cools
so rapidly, that no injury can be done by its heat to the wire-gauze or its coating
or finish, as would be the case if such heat were held by the metallic ring for any
considerable length of time, it being understood that the wire gauze is coated with
metal before the rim is formed upon it. The amount of heat which can be given to
the metal before the rim A is cast from it, as described, permits of a metal being
used upon which the acids of articles of food prepared by the use of the strainer can
have no effect, such metal requiring a higher degree of heat than ordinary solder,
which is applied by the common soldering process, in order to cause a perfect union
between the band A made of such metal, and the wire-gauze body B.
The advantages of this method of constructing and uniting the solid edge or rim
part to the wire-gauze part of utensils is obvious, as well as the great economy of
the operation. The wire-gauze edge of the body imparts additional strength to the
rim A, and prevents its being readily bent out of shape when formed in this
manner.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my

page_text: foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim,-
The manufacture of strainers and similar utensils or articles, the body of which
is formed of woven wire or wire-gauze, by enclosing the edge of the wire body in a
rim cast thereon, substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Harris Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
HENRY HAKKIS LAKE.
(L.B.)