IMPROVEMENTS IN WRENCHES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WRENCHES."-A communication from abroad by
George Carpenter Taft, of Worcester, in the State of Massachusetts,
Tited States of America
Scaled the 16th August 1870, and dated the 28th March 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th March 1870.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WRENCHES," a communication to me from
abroad by George Carpenter Taft, of Worcester, in the State of Massa-
chusetts, United States of America, to be as follows:-
1
This Invention consists, firstly, in transferring the thrust of the ferule.
or other part supporting the screw of the moveable jaw from the wooden
handle to the shank or tang of the wrench bar. To this end a nut is
fitted on a screw cut on the tang at that part of it which when in

page_text: position is situated near the top of the handle, and this nut is screwed
up against the inner side of the flange of the ferule, which thus bears
against the nut instead of against the wooden handle. When the ferule
bears against the wooden handle the latter is frequently crushed and
forced back so as to allow the end of the screw of the moveable jaw to
slip from its bearing below.
The Invention consists, secondly, in providing a means of maintaining
the moveable jaw firmly in any position at which it may be adjusted.
To this end the lower extremity of the screw which operates the move-
able jaw has a prolongation which extends beyond the thumb piece by
which the screw is operated, which prolongation passes through a bearing
in a lug on the ferule, and is fastened therein by a screw and stop nut
at its outer end. When the moveable jaw has been set in the proper
position it may be secured firmly in such position by screwing up the
nut at the end of its screw.
The Invention consists, thirdly, in reducing the size of the bar on
one face below the fixed jaw, by which metal is economised, without
diminishing the strength of the wrench, and the lower part of the
moveable jaw may be made heavier or with more metal.
A larger
amount of metal may also be obtained below the screw, which adds to
the strength of this part of the wrench and renders it less liable to break.
The moveable jaw will cover the break and render the wrench quite as
neat in appearance as if the bar were of uniform size throughout its
length.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th September 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special

page_text: license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my exccutors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WRENCHES," a communication to me from abroad by George
Carpenter Taft, of Worcester, in the State of Massachusetts, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Henry Johnson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 John Henry Johnson, 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
iu and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say :-
The said Invention consists, firstly, in transferring the thrust of the
ferule, or other part supporting the screw of the moveable jaw, from the
wooden handle to the shank or tang of the wrench bar. To this end a
nut is fitted on a screw cut on the tang at that part of it which when
in position is situated near the top of the handle, and this nut is screwed
up against the inner side of the flange of the ferule, which thus bears
against the nut instead of against the wooden handle. When the ferule
bears against the wooden handle the latter is frequently crushed and
forced back so as to allow the ends of the screw of the moveable jaw
to slip from its bearing below.
Secondly. In providing a means of maintaining the moveable jaw
firmly in any position to which it may be adjusted. To this end the .
lower extremity of the screw which operates the moveable jaw has a
prolongation which extends beyond the thumb piece by which the screw
is operated, which prolongation passes through a bearing in a lug on
the ferule, and is fastened therein by a screw and stop nut at its outer

page_text: .
end.
When the moveable jaw has been set in the proper position it
may be secured firmly in such position by screwing up the nut at the
end of its screw.
Thirdly. In reducing the size of the shank or bar on one face below
the fixed jaw, it being made broader in that part on which the moveable
jaw slides, by which metal is economized without diminishing the strength
of the wrench, and the lower part of the moveable jaw may be made
heavier or with more metal; a larger amount of metal may also be
obtained below the screw which adds to the strength of this part of the
wrench and renders it less liable to break. The moveable jaw will cover
the break and render the wrench quite as neat in appearance as if the
bar were of uniform size throughout its length.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a side view of a wrench embodying the
said Invention; Figure 2 a longitudinal section; Figure 3 is a section
on the line 1-2 in Fig. 1 looking upward; Figure 4 is a plan view of the
moveable jaw detached; Figure 5 is a bottom view of the said jaw;
Figure 6 is a section on the line 3-4 of Fig. 4; and Figure 7 is a
section on the line 5-6 of Fig. 1.
A is the stationary hammer jaw, having the shank B, C, H, extended
from it in the manner represented. The upper portion B of the shank
on which the moveable jaw D slides is made wider than the part C on
which the collar D' of the moveable jaw carrier D³ slides, and a shoulder
d is thus formed at the junction of these two portions of the shank.
The hammer jaw A is by preference recessed on either or each of its
opposite sides, as shown at 6 in Figure 1. The head and the shank when
formed by being cast together in a mould so as to be in one piece of
malleable cast iron are liable to break away from cach other during the
process of solidifying from the molten state; and in order to obviate
or prevent this or render it less likely to occur, the head may be recessed
as above mentioned. By reducing the bar or shank at C, metal is saved
without materially affecting the strength of the wrench on the part most
liable to breakage, videlicet, that part marked B. The upper portion of
the screw E which moves the sliding jaw enters the chamber K, a ferulo

page_text: screw being cut in the lower part of the carrier to receive the said screw,
which is provided with a milled head E' supported in a step J on the
ferule F and extended into a recess r made in the shank, as shewn in
Figure 2. The outer end of the ferule F bears against a wooden shoulder
on the handle G as usual, and within the ferule there is placed a nut i,
which is fitted on a screw cut on the shank H, said nut being screwed
up against the under side of the top of the ferule, as shewn in Figure 2.
The nut i serves as a bearing for the ferule, which is thus effectually
prevented when pressed by the screw E from crushing the shoulder of
the wooden handle, the effect of which would be to allow the ferule to
be forced back far enough to permit the screw to slip out from the
step J. This occurs very frequently with the ordinary wrenches, a
difficulty which the nut i fully obviates. In order to lock the moveable
jaw in any desired position the end of the screw E is extended down
through and so as to project below the step J. The projecting portion k
is screw threaded to receive a check nut m, which can be screwed up
against the step so as to prevent the rotation of the screw E, and thus
lock the moveable jaw in position at such distance from the stationary
jaw as desired. The moveable jaw carrier is also provided with two
lips ffwhich extend to or lap over the sides of the part C in order to
cover and hide from view the space within the carrier that would other-
wise appear directly below the shoulder d. These lips serve also to
prevent dirt or extraneous matter from getting into the chamber K, and
thereby injuring the screws and the bearing parts of the carrier and tho
shank.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. Transferring the thrust of the ferule or other part supporting the
screw of the moveable jaw from the wooden handle to the shank or
tang of the wrench bar, substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described.
2nd. The combination of the extended portion of the adjusting
screw and the check nut m with the step J made in one piece with the
ferule for the purpose of maintaining the moveable jaw more firmly
in its adjusted position, substantially as herein-before described.

page_text: 3rd. The peculiar construction of the shank of the hammer jaw, it
being made broader in that part in which the moveable jaw is intended
to slide than in the remainder of the shank, substantially as and for the
purpose herein-before described and illustrated by Figure 2 of the
Drawings annexed.
4th. Providing the moveable jaw with lips or projections which
extend or lap over the sides of the narrower part of the shank of the
hammer jaw and cover the break therein, substantially as and for the
purpose herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, this
One thousand eight hundred and seventy
day of