IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PIERCING AND DRILLING TANGS AND SCALES FOR- TABLE KNIVES AND FORKS, TABLE AND. BUTCHERS' STEELS, AND BUTCHERS" KNIVES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Nixon and Jabez Winterbottom, of Sheffield,
in the County of York, Cutlery Manufacturers, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PIERCING AND DRILLING TANGS AND SCALES FOR-
TABLE KNIVES AND FORKS, TABLE AND. BUTCHERS' STEELS, AND BUTCHERS"
KNIVES."
Sealed the 5th November 1867, and dated the 8th May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Nixon and Jabez
Winterbottom at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 8th May 1867.
We, JOSEPH NIXON and JABEZ WINTERBOTTOM, of Sheffield, in the County
of York, Cutlery Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PIERCING AND DRILLING TANGS AND
SCALES FOR TABLE KNIVES AND FORKS, TABLE AND BUTCHERS' STEELS, AND BUTCHERS'
KNIVES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction and
arrangement of machinery for the purpose of piercing and drilling tangs and
scales for knives and forks of various kinds, including butchers' knives and-
steels.
We propose to employ a block of metal drilled with the number of holes.in
the positions required for the reception of steel punches which are to be inserted
ip the holes, and held or tightened by means of set screws passing through

page_text: female screws in the side of the block. We also propose to employ a corres-
ponding steel bed drilled with holes according to the number and positions
of the punches. The bed is placed on a suitable foundation, and secured in
position by screws or other suitable equivalent, and the punch block is set
over it in suitable bearings, guides, or other convenient appliances, but
between the punch block and the bed we place a steel pull-off plate, which is
held in its position by two metal straps, the pull-off plate being raised up to
the straps by flat metal curvilinear springs, secured by screws or otherwise,
oblong square perforations are cut in the pull-off plate to admit of the
passage of the steel punches through the plate and tang, and into the
holes in the bed. plate or block. The use of the pull-off plate is to
prevent the article pierced following or rising up with the retreating punches.
Guages or guides are arranged at proper positions in regard to the bed
block in order to regulate the position of the article to be pierced. We
also make use of a metal template of the size of the handle required drilled
with holes corresponding to the bed and punches, so that the number and
position of the holes being always the same with each set of apparatus, the
scales are also drilled alike, which allows of any pair of scales being pinned
indiscriminately together to any knife, fork, or other article. The tang of the
knife, fork, or other article being placed between the bed and plate the punch
block is brought quickly down, causing the punches in the punch block. to
pierce the article as required.
The machinery is worked by fly or other power actuated by steam power
or manual labor.
Ilitherto only one hole has been pierced at one stroke of the fly, but by
our method we can pierce any number of holes required, say, two, three, four,
five, or six, in any desired positions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Nixon and Jabez Winterbottom in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the Sth November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
NIXON and JABEZ WINTERBOTTON, of Sheffield, in the County of York,
Cutlery Manufacturers, send greeting.
"WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One 3
thousand cight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign, did,

page_text: for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Joseph
Nixon and Jabez Winterbottom, Her special licence that we, the said Joseph
Nixon and Jabez Winterbottom, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Joseph Nixon and Jabez Winterbottom, our
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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY POR: PIERCING AND
DRILLING TANGS AND SCALES FOR TABLE KNIVES AND FORKS, TABLE AND BUTCHERS'
STEELS, AND BUTCHERS' KNIVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Joseph Nixon and Jabez Winterbottom, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain 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 we, the said Joseph Nixon and Jabez Winterbottom,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:
Our Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction and
arrangement of machinery for the purpose of piercing and drilling tangs and
scales for knives and forks of various kinds, including butchers' knives and
steels...
We employ a block of metal drilled with holes in number and positions
required for the reception of steel punches which are to be inserted in the
holes, and held or tightened by means of set screws passing through female
screws in the side of the block. We also employ a corresponding steel bed
drilled with holes according to the number and positions of the punches..
The bed is placed on a suitable foundation and secured in position by screws
or other suitable equivalent, and the punch block is set over it in suitable
bearings, guides, or other convenient appliances; but between the punch
block and the bed we place a steel pull-off plate, which is held in its position
by two metal straps, the pull-off plate being raised up to the straps by flat
metal curvilinear or spiral springs secured by screws or otherwise. Oblong
square perforations or other shaped perforations are cut in the pull-off plate to
admit of the passage of the steel punches through the plate and tang, and
into the holes in the bed plate or block. The use of the pull-off. plate is to

page_text: prevent the article pierced following or rising up with the retreating punches.
Guages or guides are arranged at proper positions in regard to the bed block,
in order to regulate the position of the article to be pierced: We also make
use of a metal template of the size of the handle required, drilled with holes
corresponding to the bed and punches, so that the number and position of the
holes being always the same with each set of apparatus, the scales are also
drilled alike which allows of any pair of scales being pinned indiscriminately
together to any knife, fork, or other article of their kind. The tang of the
knife, fork, or other article being placed between the bed and plate the
punch block is brought quickly down, causing the punches in the punch block
to pierce the article as required.
The machinery is worked with hand, or eccentric, fly, or other apparatus
actuated by steam or other power.
In order that our said Invention may be completely understood we annex
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents a plan of
the machine with the pull-off plate removed; Fig. 2 being. a plan view of the
pull-off plate removed with straps and curvilinear spring (or a spiral spring
may be applied); Fig. 3 being an elevation of the bed, punch block, or
holder, and punches; and Fig. 4, a plan of the template; Fig. 5 being a plan
of a punch, the various parts being made of iron, steel, or other metal, the
punch holder being worked by fly or other machinery.
:
A is a block of metal drilled with the number of holes required. in their
proper positions, into which holes the steel; punches c, c, are inserted, the said
punches being fixed by means of set screws D, D; B is a steel bed drilled with
holes F, F, corresponding in number and situation to the punches c, c; G is a
steel pull-off plate arranged between the punch block A and the bed B, being
held in its place by means of two metal straps I, I; this pull-off plate is raised
from steel bed B by springs J, which may be either curvilinear or spiral;
placed under the straps 1, I, and the plate. G; H, H, H, shew holes or spaces
cut in the plate G to admit the punches. in their passage through the plate.
The use of the pull-off plate G is to prevent the article pierced from following
the retreating punches; K, K', are guages arranged about the bed B to
regulate the position of the article to be pierced. These guages are mounted
on V. grooved bearings or slides; the end guage is shewn at K, the side guage
at K', K, and they consist of loose bits raised in the V slides by springs
underneath them.; the said bits are prevented from springing out by the pull
off plate pressing them down; the choil guage K' is fixed on the right band
side of the machine. E, Fig. 4, shews the template of the size of the bandle
required drilled with holes corresponding to the bed B..

page_text: The operation of the machinery will be obvious to any one conversant with
the art of piercing and drilling tangs and scales. The tang of the knife, fork,
or other article being placed between the bed B and plate G, the punch
block A is brought quickly down by the fly or other equivalent means, causing
the punches c to pierce the said article as required, and all of the kind being
pierced alike we drill the scales by the corresponding template, by which
means the scales are also drilled alike, which enables us to pin together
indiscriminately any pair of scales to any knife, fork, or other article of their
kind.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we would remark in conclusion that we
do not limit ourselves to the precise details or configuration of parts we have
expressed and shewn, as the same may obviously be varied or modified in
many ways without departing in any way from the principles on which the
Invention is based; but what we claim and desire to be secured to us by the
herein in part recited Letters Patent are, the general arrangement and
combinations of parts constituting machinery, whereby the tangs and scales
of table knives and forks, and of butchers' knives and steels are pierced
and drilled, substantially as herein specified and shewn by the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, we, the said Joseph Nixon and Jabez Winterbottom,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-first day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
25
Witness,
JOHN BOWER BROWN,
246, Brook Hill, Sheffield,
Bankers' Cashier.
JOSEPH NIXON.
(L.8.)
JABEZ WINTERBOTTOM. (L.B.)