Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 7th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 7th Dec., 1888
I, HARRIET AUGUSTA HANOOOK, of 29 "The Parade," Uxbridge Road, Acton,
Middlesex, Gentlewoman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
-
This invention relates to a novel construction or arrangement of apparatus for
cleaning knives.
It consists of two smooth surfaced boards, on to the cleaning faces of which I
paste, glue, or otherwise secure a sheet of emery paper or cloth, or I sprinkle emery
dust upon the prepared faces.
These boards are hinged or jointed to fold and when together and the knife placed
between them a slight pressure by one hand and a pushing in and out motion of the
knife with the other hand effects the cleaning.
Instead of boards other material may be used such as glass, porcelain, or the like
and the pressure may be exerted by rubber bands or their equivalents.
The outer surface of the boards or other body may be ornamented or embellished
to any desired design.
D
1
1908

page_text: 1, HARRIET AUGUSTA HANCOCK, of 29 "The Parade," Uxbridge Road, Acton,
Middlesex, Gentlewoman, 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 :-
This invention relates to a novel construction or arrangement of apparatus for
cleaning knives.
It consists of two smooth surfaced leaves, commonly boards, on to the cleaning
faces of which I paste, glue, or otherwise secure a sheet of emery paper or cloth, or I
sprinkle emery dust upon the prepared faces. These boards are hinged or jointed
to fold and when together and the knife placed between them a slight pressure by one
hand and a pushing in and out motion of the knife with the other hand effects the
cleaning.
Instead of boards other material may be used such as glass, porcelain, or other
non-rigid substance and the pressure may be exerted by rubber bands or their
equivalents.
The outer surface of these boards or other body may be ornamented or embellished
to any desired design.
My invention will be understood from the annexed drawings, in which at Figure 1,
I show an apparatus composed of two boards A, B, and with a knife blade between
then. These boards A, B, may be of any thickness or thinness so as to be rigid, or
flexible of which an example is shown at Figure 2 showing how the appliances A, B,
can be held in one hand while a knife blade is being drawn to and fro between the
folds.
Figure 3 represents a rigid board, and Figure 4 a flexible body or what may be
the top of the board shown at Figure 3, so that a knife placed between them can be
readily cleaned.
If the two board» A, B, Figure 1. which are hinged to fold bookwise are thrown
open, one side of the knife only would be cleaned at the time but by folding them
together with the knife between both sides of the blade are operated on at once.
The cleaning and polishing surface of the boards may be of the same grade or
different grades of emery or equivalent powder, either as sheets of emery cloth
pasted on to the board or by sprinkling emery or equivalent powder on to an
adhesive, previously placed upon the board, which powder can be renewed from time
to time as the polishing surfaces become worn or by mounting an endless band or
strip of emery cloth upon two rollers, as at Figure 5, the cleaning and polishing
surface may be renewed by simply shifting the strip along.
The surface or body on which the emery is applied may be Felt, Kamptulicon,
American cloth as at Figure 6 or any material having a certain amount of rigidity
in it and when knives are stained by vinegar or an acid, it is only necessary to first
wet the knives with water at the part stained and then to introduce the knife blade
while damp in between the folds of the polisher Figure 6, the stains would be
instantly removed.

page_text: In the majority of instances, knives in constant use are only smeared and a bare
rubbing between or upon the emery floured surface will be sufficient to clean them,
the finer the emery flour is the higher the polish will be and by drawing the knives in
and out or along the apparatus lengthwise of the blade, the cutting edge of the
knife is not interfered with as are knives moved to and fro along a board in the
ordinary way or when the blades are acted upon transversely as in the usual knife
cleaning machines, which in practice grind the back broad edge down to a fine
sharp edge, so that a difficulty is experienced in distinguishing which edge is the
proper one for cutting.
If a knife be inserted into the appliance shown at Figure 1, endwise of the
boards A, B, the person cleaning and polishing the knife would by a sensitive touch
intuitively know the amount of pressure required, the same would happen with
regard to the apparatus shown at Figure 2, in which the apparatus is held by one
hand and the blade pinched to the desired degree while being moved to and fro
lengthwise of the blade by the other hand.
Knives cleaned by my improved cleaner are not scratched but are polished to the
highest degree and the blades are equal in surface brilliancy to new knives which
have been burnished by the well known burnisher.
If the emery surface be somewhat coarse and flat the appliance can be used for
sharpening knives.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The apparatus shown on the annexed drawings made in the manner described for
cleaning and polishing knives as set forth.
The 7th day of November 1888.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Harriet Augusta Hancock.