IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOONS, FORKS, AND LADLES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO HANDLES GENERALLY COMPOSED OF SHEET OR HOOP IRON OR OTHER SHEET METAL, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Bennett, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Iron Merchant and Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOONS, FORKS, AND LADLES,
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO HANDLES GENERALLY
COMPOSED OF SHEET OR HOOP IRON OR OTHER SHEET METAL, AND IN THE
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 5th March 1869, and dated the 10th September 1868..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Bennett
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,, on
the 10th September 1868.
I, THOMAS BENNETT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Iron Merchant and Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
my said Invention for." IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOONS;
FORKS, AND LADLES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO HANDLES
GENERALLY COMPOSED OF SHEET OR HOOP IRON OR OTHER SHEET METAL, AND IN
THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar mode or method of and machinery
for manufacturing spoons, forks, and ladles, applicable also to the making

page_text: of handles from sheet or hoop iron or other sheet metal, whereby such
articles may be produced at a cheaper rate and more expeditiously than
lieretofore.
According to this Invention it is proposed to employ suitably shaped
rolls having respectively formed on them projections and recesses for
rolling a longitudinal hollow bead along the centre of the narrow part
of the blank from which a spoon, fork, or other like article is to be
subsequently manufactured for the purpose of strengthening the same.
The said rolls have a portion of their peripheries removed in order to
leave a space between them for the insertion of the metal blank to be
corrugated, such blank being passed between the rolls and brought up
to an adjustable stop or guage. As the rolls revolve or partially revolve,
as the case may be, their projections and recesses meet together and
produce a hollow bead along the narrow part of the blank. I sometimes
propose to prepare hoop or sheet iron or other sheet metal intended
to be subsequently manufactured into spoons, forks, and other like
articles by rolling longitudinal hollow beads therein at suitable intervals
before it is cut into blanks by passing the metal through a pair of rolls
provided with corresponding projections and recesses of the required
dimensions. These strips or sheets of metal are subsequently cut into
blanks of the desired form, leaving the hollow bead or corrugation in
the centre of the narrow part intended to form the handle of the spoon
or other like article in order to increase the strength thereof. The
projections and recesses on the rolls above referred to may be made in
separate pieces of steel or chilled iron fitted into the rolls themselves
so as to be removable when injured or when required to be replaced
by others of different forms or dimensions. The metal may be rolled
either in a hot or cold státe as found most desirable in practice.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Bennett in the Great Seal Patent Office 30
on the 9th March 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BENNETT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Iron Merchant
and Manufacturer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Bennett, Her special license
that I, the said Thomas Bennett, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I,. the said Thomas Bennett, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOONS, FORKS, AND LADLES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
ALSO APPLICABLE TO HANDLES GENERALLY COMPOSED OF SHEET OR HOOP IRON OR
OTHER SHEET METAL, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Bennett,
my executors and 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 Thomas Bennett, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
5 be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say :-
My said Invention relates to a peculiar mode or method of and
machinery for manufacturing spoons, forks, and ladles, applicable also
to the making of handles from sheet or hoop iron or other sheet metal,
whereby such articles may be produced at a cheaper rate and more
expeditiously than heretofore.
According to this Invention it is proposed to employ suitably shaped
5 rolls having respectively formed on them projections and recesses for
rolling a longitudinal hollow bead along the centre of the narrow part
of the blank from which a spoon, fork, or other like article is to be
subsequently manufactured for the purpose of strengthening the same,

page_text: such hollow bead being made to terminate in the bowl of the spoon or
to extend into the bend of the forks, as the case may be, whereby
additional strength is obtained. One of the said rolls has a portion
of its periphery removed in order to leave a space between the two
rolls for the insertion of the metal blank to be corrugated, such blank
being passed between the rolls and brought up to an adjustable stop.
or guage. As the rolls revolve or partially revolve, as the case may
be, these projections and recesses meet together and produce a hollow
bead along the narrow part of the blank. I sometimes propose to prepare
hoop or sheet iron or other sheet metal intended to be subsequently
manufactured into spoons, forks, and other like articles by rolling
longitudinal hollow beads therein at suitable intervals before it is cut
into blanks by passing the metal through a pair of rolls provided with
corresponding projections and recesses of the required dimensions.
These strips or sheets of metal are subsequently cut into blanks of the
desired form, leaving the hollow bead or corrugation in the centre of
the narrow part intended to form the handle of the spoon or other like
article in order to increase the strength thereof. The projections and
recesses on the rolls above referred to may be made in separate pieces
of steel or chilled iron fitted into the rolls themselves so as to be
removable when injured or when required to be replaced by others
of different forms or dimensions. The metal may be rolled either in a
hot or cold state as found most desirable in practice.
And in order that my 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 my Drawings represents a front elevation of a pair of
rolls for rolling a hollow bead or corrugation along the centre of the
handle of a spoon, fork, or other like article; Figure 2 is a vertical
section corresponding to Figure 1, the view being taken along the
line 3, 4, at right angles to that Figure; Figure 3 is a plain spoon
blank before it has had the hollow bead rolled thereon; Figure 4 is
a view of the same after the longitudinal bollow bead has been rolled
thereon; and Figure 5 is a side elevation of a finished spoon manu-
factured according to my said Invention; Figure C is a transverse
'section taken through the handle at 1, 2, (Figure 5) and shews clearly
the form of the hollow bead.

page_text: On referring to Figure 5 it will be seen that the hollow bead a
extends some little distance into the bowl 6 of the spoon, as shewn
by the dotted lines, whereby considerably more strength is obtained
that when the hollow bead terminates before reaching the bowl.
In Figures 1 and 2, A, A, represent the two standards of the pair of
rolls or rolling mill provided with the usual adjustable bearings and con-
taining two rolls B and C, which may be either solid with their journals
or fitted thereon by a nut and screw thread, as shewn in Figure 1, or
by any other suitable contrivance which will admit of the rolls being
easily removed from the said journals and replaced by others when
requisite. A portion of the periphery of one of these rolls, say from
c to d in the roll B, is cut away, as shewn clearly in my Drawings, in
order to allow of the free introduction of the blank D between the rolls
when the rolls are in a suitable position for commencing their work as
shewn in Figure 2. Upon the upper roll B there is formed a tapered
projection e, e, extending more or less round the surface of the roll
according to the desired length of hollow bead to be rolled in the blank;
the transverse contour of this projection e should correspond to the
transverse contour of the concave portion of the bead throughout its
entire length. On the roll C a corresponding groove f, f, is sunk, the
transverse contour of such groove corresponding with that of the convex
or external portion of the bead to be produced. The blank is inserted
between the rolls from the side marked E in Figure 2, its front end
being brought against an adjustable guide or stop F, which regulates
the position at which the projection and hollow on the respective rolls
commence to operate upon the blank. F is a trough or guide with
raised sides for the purpose of guiding the blank during the process of
rolling and ensuring the hollow bead being rolled along the centre line
of the blank. On imparting a rotatory motion to the rolls in the
direction of the arrows by means of the driving shaft G and spur
gearing H, the hollow longitidunal bead on the blank will be rolled, and
the finished blank, Figure 4, delivered back or returned to the hand
of the operator at E. In lieu of rolling a continuous hollow bead along
the narrow part of the blank or in a strip or sheet of metal intended to
be subsequently cut up into blanks, I may sometimes roll a disconnected
series or row of circular or other shaped indents along such blanks or
in such strip or sheet of metal before it is cut up into blanks, for the
purpose herein-before described, the form of the rolls being of course
modified to suit the indentations to be produced.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I am aware
that the handles of spoons have been strengthened by having a
longitudinal hollow bead produced therein by the aid of dies and a
stamping process, and that therefore I do not claim such method of
making the said hollow beads; but 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,-
First. The making of longitudinal hollow beads or corrugations, or
a series or row of indentations in the handles of spoons, forks, and such
like articles by means of rolls and a rolling process, substantially as and
for the purpose herein-before described.
Second. The rolling of longitudinal hollow beads or corrugations, or
one or more series or rows of indentations in strips or sheets of sheet
metal before the same is cut up into blanks for spoons, forks, and
similar articles, as and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bennett, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Eighth day of
March, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
THOMAS BENNETT (L.)