AN IMPROVED KNIFE-CLEANING MACHINE
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Weedon, of Gloucester Place, Portman
Square, in the County of Middlesex, and Thomas Turner Weedon, of
Plumstead, in the County of Kent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
KNIFE-CLEANING MACHINE."
Sealed the 7th May 1858, and dated the 9th November 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Weedon and Thomas
Turner Weedon at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 9th November 1857. :
We, GEORGE WEEDON, of Gloucester Place, Portman Square, in the County
of Middlesex, and THOMAS TURNER WEEDON, of Plumstead, in the County of
Kent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
KNIPE-CLEANING MACHINE," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in certain new mechanical arrangements and com-
binations of parts constituting improved machinery or apparatus, by which the
operation of knife cleaning may be performed in a more speedy, simple, and
efficient manner than by the various operations heretofore, practised.
The improved apparatus which we employ for effecting the above operation
is arranged and combined as follows:--We employ a square frame of wood or
other suitable material, upon standards about the usual height of a knife-board,
fitted with drawers or shelves for knives, cloths, emery powder, or other use.
Upon this frame we affix a metal plate slightly furrowed upon its upper

page_text: surface for the purpose of receiving the back of the knife at the bottom, the
edge thereof lying flat against the side of the furrow. At the back of the
machine is a narrow vertical framing, fitted with circular moveable receivers,
having a slot cut across each to receive a portion of the handle of the knife.
The knives being placed in position, a "holdfast" is employed for the purpose
of preventing them from moving, which holdfast is composed of a long strip of
timber, having a handle at each end, and provided with covered wedge-shaped
pieces corresponding with the vacancy between the bandles of the knives, and
which, when pressed downwards, will prevent the knives from getting out of
their original position. To provide for the difference in the size of the handles,
the wedge-shaped pieces are loosely fitted into the wooden frame, each having
a spiral spring behind, so than when the knives are lightly fixed, the catches
on the frame will take into recesses provided for them. The operation of
cleaning is performed by the following means: A flat brush of moderate
flexiblibility is dipped into moistened emery powder, it is then rubbed over the
flat of the knife blade until polished. The means we employ for reversing the
blade are as follows:-Near the edge of the circular receivers a pin is inserted,
which, passing through semicircular slots in the back of the holdfast, moves
in an upward direction, the ends of said pins being fixed in a flat piece imme-
diately behind the holdfast, so that by lifting the flat piece, and moving it from
side to side, the pins travel in the semicircular slots, carrying with them the
receivers and also the knives, when the operation of cleaning the reverse
sides is then performed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Weedon and Thomas Turner Weedon in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 8th May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
WEEDON, of Gloucester Place, Portman Square, in the County of Middlesex,
and THOMAS TURNER WEEDON, of Plumstead, in the County of Kent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said George Weedon and Thomas Turner Weedon, Her special licence: that
we, the said George Weedon and Thomas Turner Weedon, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said George Weedon

page_text: and Thomas Turner Weedon, 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 "AN
IMPROVED KNIFE-CLEANING MACHINE," upon the condition (amongst others)
that. we, the said George Weedon and Thomas Turner Weedon, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing, under our or their hands.and
seals, or
under the hand. and seal of one of us or them, 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 I, the said George Weedon, do hereby declare the
nature. of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
Our Invention consists in certain new mechanical arrangements and com-
binations of parts constituting improved machinery or apparatus, by which the
operation of knife cleaning may be performed in a more speedy, simple, and
efficient manner than by the various operations heretofore practised...
.
The improved apparatus which we employ for effecting the above operation
is arranged and combined as follows:-We employ a square frame of wood or
other suitable material, upon standards about the usual height of a knife-board,
fitted with drawers or shelves for knives, cloths, emery powder, or other use.
Upon this frame we affix a flat metal plate, having a sheet of gutta percha or
other suitable substance. for the blades of the knives to rest. upon. At the
back of the machine is a narrow vertical framing fitted with circular moveable
receivers, having a slot cut across each to receive a portion of the handle. of
the knife; the knives being placed in position; a "holdfast" is. employed for
the purpose of preventing them from moving, which "holdfast" is composed
of a square strip of timber, having a handle at each end, and provided with
conical-shaped pieces, each having a spiral spring fixed behind in a cell cut' in
the strip of timber for its reception, the object of this being that as the conical-
shaped pieces are wedged between the handles of the knives, it is impossible
for them 'to move while under the process of cleaning, the ends of the "hold-
fast" being provided with hooks, which take into eyes fixed to the framing of
the apparatus. In order to explain. our said Invention as completely as
possible; we now proceed to describe the best means we are. acquainted with

page_text: for carrying the same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustra-
tive Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and
letters of reference placed thereon respectively as follows.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine; Figure 2 is a side elevation ;
Figure 3, top plan view; Figure 4, longitudinal section of "holdfast," shewing
springs Figure 5, front view of "holdfast;" and Figure 6, front view of
reversing motion. Similar letters of reference are placed upon and denote
corresponding parts, in so far as such parts appear or can be seen at each of
such said Figures respectively.
At Figures 1, 2, 3, and 6-will be seen the receivers A, A, into which the
ends of the knife handles are placed, the blades resting flat upon a sheet of
gutta percha. B (Figure 3); the same, being firmly secured to a metallic plate
or tray C, detached at Figure 1, but shewn in dotted lines, and is laid on the
top of the standards and pushed up to the stops a, a. This tray is provided with
a small well D, for the purpose of holding the moistened emery powder or other
composition suitable for cleaning knives. The receivers A, A, pass through' an
upright piece E, and revolving therein, are prevented from escaping by having
à collar turned upon each end thereof, the handles of the knives having been
placed within the receivers A, A, (in order to keep them in their position while
being cleaned). The "holdfast" F, Figures 4 and 5, is then placed over the
handles of the knives, the conical-shaped pieces G passing between the handles
and the cross pieces H on the bed of the machine, the whole being mounted
on suitable standards; the hooks I, I, (Figures 4 and 5,) are then pushed by
the thumb of both hands under the eyes K, K, and the whole apparatus is
securely fixed ready for the process of cleaning, which is effected in and by the
manner following:-A moderately hard brush, somewhat similar in shape to
a black lead polishing brush, is dipped slightly into the moistened emery in the
well D; it is. then rubbed horizontally with a few smart strokes over the
surface of the knife blades, until they are perfectly clean; a second brush is
then applied with dry powder, when the knives are quite finished; the one
side being done, the loose powder is to be brushed into the gutter in the front of
the tray C, the "holdfast" unhooked, and the knives reversed in the following
manner: At Figure 6 will be seen a flat piece of wood L, having semicircular
pieces cut out to fit the upper half of the receivers A, A; on each receiver,
and on that side on which the slot is, a small wire staple is placed, having a
small hook attached, the other end of which is passed into the piece L imme-
diately between each semicircular recess. It will appear evident, that as the

page_text: whole works in the upright piece E, it is merely necessary to lift the handle
M, and move it from left to right, when all the knives in the machine will be
simultaneously turned on the opposite side ready to be cleaned in the manner
before described. When the "holdfast" is out of use, it is to be hung on
the top of the machine, the handles falling into the standards N, N, placed
for their reception.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of our said
Invention of "An Improved Knife-cleaning Machine, together with the best
means we are acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect, we
would remark, in conclusion, that what we claim as our Invention is the mode
particularly described, set forth, and represented by the illustrative Sheet of
Drawing hereunto annexed, of "An Improved Knife-cleaning Machine," and
the general combination of the parts exhibited and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Weedon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
GEORGE WEEDON. (L.s.)
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE,
Agent for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross.