Improvements in Platting Needles, applicable also to Needles of a similar kind.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Platting Needles, applicable also to Needles of a
similar kind.
1, HERBERT JAMES COOK, of "Proved" Works, Crabbs Cross, near Redditch,
in the County of Worcester, Steel Spring Maker, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
:-
I make the platting needle of the usual material, namely flat steel wire, and by
the ordinary and well known processes of manufacture, until I come to the press
process. At this stage instead of cutting out by the press tool the ordinary clear
slot in the upper part of the needle, I cut it so that the press tool shall leave the
strip of metal usually cut clear out of the slot, uncut at its lower end, and
consequently attached there to the body of the needle, and thus it forms a tongue,
which at this point of the manufacture plays easily backwards or forwards in
the slot.
"
I next bend or bow the "cheeks on each side of the slot by the usual press
process, and this curving operation shortens the length of the slot somewhat, while
that of the tongue, which is left straight, remains unshortened. I then spring the
tongue through the slot, when owing to its length not having been shortened, the
tip of it, in springing back, catches against the part above the slot, called the head,
and also the "jaw," of the needle, and is thus prevented from repassing through
the slot. The tip of the tongue thus forms what in effect the corresponding jaw
of the needle, and by its pressure against the head, or jaw, opposite, holds firmly
the material to be platted. To increase this hold, if desirable, I may widen out,
by a hammering process, this tip of the tongue, or if I prefer it, enlarge its size by
soldering on this tip a small piece of metal corresponding in size and shape with
that of the head or jaw opposite.
And by making the platting needle in accordance with my invention as above
described I obtain these improvements, namely, that I avoid the necessity of
attaching a part, called the "bit," to the body of the needle by rivetting or
soldering; and that a needle made in accordance with my invention not being
increased in thickness by additional metal attachments in any part, passes the more
easily through the fabric which is being platted.
Dated this 4th day of April 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Platting Needles, applicable also to Needles of a
similar kind.
I, HERBERT JAMES COOK, of "Proved" Works, Crabbs Cross, near Redditch,
in the County of Worcester, Steel Spring Maker, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
I make the platting needle of the usual material, namely, flat steel wire,
otherwise known in the trade as "strip" steel, and this may be of any suitable
strength and width according to the. use to which the platting needle is to be
applied. In making a platting needle in accordance with my invention I use the
ordinary and well-known processes of manufacture until I come to the press
ED
017

page_text: process, when instead of cutting out by the press tool the ordinary clear slot in the
upper part of the needle, I, by setting the press tool somewhat aslant downwards
in front, leave the strip of metal usually cut clear out of the slot, uncut at its lower
end, and consequently attached there to the body of the needle, and thus it forms
a tongue which at this stage of the manufacture plays easily backwards or forwards
in the slot, see perspective drawing Fig. 1. where A represents this tongue
remaining attached to the body of the needle at the lower end of the slot b while
the letters C. C. denote the "cheeks."
I next bend or bow these cheeks by the usual press process, and this curving
operation shortens the length of the slot somewhat, while that of the tongue, when
it is left straight, remains unshortened. I then spring the tongue through the slot,
when owing to its length not having been shortened, the tip of it in springing back,
catches against the part above the slot called the "head," and also the "jaw," of
the needle and is thus prevented from repassing through the slot. The tip of the
tongue thus forms what is in effect, the corresponding, or back jaw of the needle,
and by its pressure against the head or front jaw, holds firmly the material placed
between to be platted. To increase this hold, I may, if desirable, widen out by a
hammering process the tip of the tongue; or if required, its size may be enlarged
by soldering on this tip a small piece of metal corresponding in shape and size with
the head or front jaw, which in this case, I leave somewhat longer, so that it may
be shaped to suit any particular variety of platting work.
I do not, however, uniformly leave the tongue straight from the pressing, but,
by preference, bend it slightly so as to give it a curve in an opposite direction to
the curve of the cheeks, and thus the length of the tongue not being materially
shortened, its tip still retains its hold against the front jaw of the needle, and this
hold may be further increased by the hammering process, or by the soldering on of
the small piece of metal on the tip of the tongue as mentioned in the preceding
paragraph. And the appearance of the platting needle after the curving of the
cheeks and the proportionately slighter bending of the tongue, will be seen by
referring to Fig. 2. wherein the curved cheeks are denoted by the letters C. C. and
the curved tongue by A. while by referring to Fig. 3. the tongue A will be seen
as sprung through the slot b. and with its hammered tip D, pressing against the
front jaw or head E. And here be it noted that the three drawings given herewith
are of the actual size of the upper part of a platting needle commonly in use, but
shown as made, in respective stages, in accordance with my invention, and that the
same letters of reference where used denote the same parts in all.
After being thus made as before described, the platting needle is subjected to
the finishing operations commonly in practice, being set, cleaned, polished and
papered for sale in the usual manner.
And by making the platting needle in accordance with my invention, as above
described, I obtain these improvements, first, that I save material by avoiding the
necessity of attaching to the body of the needle the part called the "bit," which in
the former make was a piece of flat steel wire, about two inches long, for forming
the tongue and back jaw, and had to be attached to the body of the needle by
soldering and rivetting, operations which I, in this case avoid, and further, that a
platting needle made in accordance with my invention, not being increased
anywhere in thickness by the addition of pieces of metal passes more easily through
the fabric to be platted.
And this last mentioned improvement will be well understood from the following
description of the kind of work to which the platting needle is applicable. In the
first place it is applicable to a kind of work taught to young children in kinder-
garten schools and similar institutions, which consists of interlacing strips of paper
by meaus of a platting needle. For this kind of work sheets of coloured paper
about one foot square are provided, each sheet being cut vertically, from within
half-an-inch of the top of the sheet to within the same distance of the bottom, into
a number of narrow strips, each one, say one quarter of an inch in width. The
learner is then provided with a platting needle, and inserting a narrow strip of

page_text: paper of a different colour but of the same width as the vertical ones, in the jaws.
of the platting needle, the child interlaces this strip with the others, by passing the
platting needle under one of the vertical strips and over the next throughout the
width of the sheet, and drawing the strip of paper through after it. And this
operation is repeated until the sheet becomes a little platted paper mat, and as
this material (paper) is a tender one, the smoother passage of the needle, gained by
my invention, is an improvement, as indeed this smoother passage of the needle is
in all interlaced work, whether tapes, natural productions like grasses, or other
materials, are used, since it can carry for platting or interlacing purposes, any
material which its jaws can hold by their compression.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven--
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
First. The method of making the platting needle, as described, out of one piece.
of wire by leaving the tongue uncut at the lower end of the slot and consequently
attached to the body of the needle; and
Secondly. The method of making the back jaw of the platting needle of any
suitable required shape by the addition of a small piece of metal soldered or other-
wise affixed to the tip of the tongue, and thus not increasing in any degree the bulk.
of the body of the platting needle.
Dated this 3rd day of January 1894.