IMPROVEMENTS IN FORKS, STEELS, AND KNIFE SHARPENERS
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Ebenezer Stevens at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th October
1866."
I, EBENEZER STEVENS, of No. 19, Church Street, Islington, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FORKS, STEELS, AND KNIFE SHARPENERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in forks, steels, and knife
sharpeners. For this purpose I employ a combined fork and steel and
convert them into one article, and I also combine steels and knife sharpeners
with other articles of domestic use, such as knife and fork rests, salt cellars,
cruet stands, butlers' trays, and other table and cooking utensils, thus making
these various household articles not only to serve the purpose for which they'
were originally intended, but to serve at the same time the double purpose and
utility of having all these articles combined in one.
In some cases I employ an ordinary long butcher's or table steel attached
at one end to the bosom and prongs of the fork; to these kinds of combined
forks and steels I have no guard on the steel but that at the other end of the
steel between one end of the bandle of the steel and the end of the steel itself.
If I attach-this-form of steel-to-any-other-articles-of-domestic-use-I-dispense'
with-the-prongs-and-handle of the fork-and-attach the steel itself to the utensil
required, either fixed or to go with a screw or otherwise, and fixed to stand
upright, or in other directions.

page_text: In some cases I use ordinary rotary steel wheels for my knife sharpener
attached either to the bosom of the prongs of the fork, or about the centre o
the fork, or on the handle of the fork, and in some cases on the spring guard
of the fork, so made in all cases as to remain a fixture and part of the fork
or by a screw or otherwise to be very readily detached from the fork; I also
have a long slot or opening in the centre of the fork by the spring guard and
place my knife sharpeners between such slot or opening; these are also made
to be very readily detached from the fork.
I do not confine myself to any particular pattern or device, but I employ
various designs according to. the price and quality of the articles. These steel
wheels or rotary knife sharpeners I also attach to various domestic utensils
already named in various designs and make a fixture and as a part and parcel
of the article itself, or I construct the various articles in such a way that my
knife sharpeners may be readily detached from the same. I employ in some
cases the handle of the knife as a case or place in or upon which to construct
a removable knife sharpener, but I greatly prefer to combine the fork and steel
and the combination of the other articles named.
Having thus described my Invention as to the various combinations of forks
and steels and other articles of domestic use, I proceed to describe my
Invention with other forms of steels and knife sharpeners to be also attached
moveable or otherwise. To forks and other articles I also employ an ordinary
carving fork, and make the top of the ordinary spring guard rough like a steel,
and form each side of the spring guard of the fork. I add a wing or slanting
piece of steel so that the top of the guard to the fork and the under parts of
the pieces of steel attached to the guard form a V or wedge shape through
which the knife can be drawn to be sharpened. I employ also another form
of steel or steels to be placed upon the fork or upon the guard of the fork ;
these steels consist of two small conical steels made smooth, fluted, grooved,
or rough placed close together above one inch high, and in shape like a sugar
loaf; these small conical steels are made to revolve, or to remain a fixture, or
to be turned at pleasure, as required. The knife can be drawn straight
through these steels, or a side guard also employed of such a width as to
prevent the knife passing through these steels excepting by a slanting direction
which prevents the knife going quite to the bottom of the steels; this same
form of steel or knife sharpener may be also added a fixture or otherwise to
other articles of domestic use before named.
There is also another form of steel which I employ, and consists of two
sinall barrels or drums also about one inch long and about. half an inch in
diameter, and roughed side ways or the contrary way to ordinary steels, or

page_text: they may be roughed the same way as butchers' steels, or be left smooth,
fluted, or grooved; these two steels are placed close together side ways either
perfectly level with each other or the one steel raised rather over the other to
prevent the knife going through if these drum steels should not be well fitted
very close to each other. This form of steel or knife sharpener may be made
to revolve on an axis or simply placed in a little case or frame without any
axis to keep the steels in a right and fixed position and to be turned by the
thumb and finger at pleasure, and so arranged with a little pin or side screw
through the case or frame to prevent the steels from moving or falling out of
the case or frame. This form of steel or knife sharpener can also be adapted
to forks and other articles already named..