Year: 1894

page_text: I, WILLIAM COOK, of Springfield Works, Crabbs Cross, near Redditch, in the
County of Worcester, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
In place of manufacturing the bodkin in the usual and well-known manner, in the
course of which many processes are required, I take a piece of inetal wire, say,
eight inches in length, of about one-eighth of an inch in diameter, and, by
preference, half round in section. This piece of wire, by means of any ordinary
wire-bending machine, I bend in the middle, keeping the flat sides inwards and
opposite to each other while the extremities of the piece of wire are brought
together and united by rivetting, or other ordinary mode of joining two ends of
metal. And by this means 1 form a double-pointed bodkin, one point being formed
where the piece of wire is first bent in the middle and the other where the extremities
are joined together by rivetting, or other well-known process.
It is, however, only at these two points that what I may call the "sides" of the
bodkin are brought close together, for about half-way between the respective
points, these "sides" are in the bending process left apart about one-eighth of an
inch from one another, and from this open part which forms the threading eye, the
two "sides" converge gradually towards the respective points of the bodkin, which
is then completed, unless for purposes of sale I choose to improve its appearance
by a process known in the trade as "polishing," or by gilding, plating, or other
means of ornamentation.
And I apply a bodkin made in accordance with my invention thus:-Through
the one-eighth of an inch opening above mentioned, I pass the tape, ribbon, cord,
or other material to be used, and then pulling this down to either point, it is there
held fast by the compression of the sides, while the opposite point of the bodkin is
used for insertion.
And a bodkin made in accordance with my invention is an improved one,
inasmuch as it is more cheaply manufactured than the ordinary ones, more easily
threaded for use, with the additional advantage that, being double-pointed, either
nd can be selected, either for holding the tape, ribbon, or cord, or for insertion in
the curtain, article of dress, or any household fabric.
And by making the bodkin, as above described, of a larger size, I may apply it
for the purpose of securing the mouths of bags, the lids of hampers, and for similar
purposes.
Dated this 5th day of December 1894.
WILLIAM COOK.

page_text: An Improved Bodkin.
I, WILLIAM COOK, of Springfield Works, Crabbs Cross, near Redditch, in the
County of Worcester, Machinist, 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:-
In place of manufacturing the bodkin in the usual and well-known manner, in the
course of which many processes are required, I take a piece of metal wire, say, for
a large size of ordinary bodkin, eight inches in length, of about one-eighth of an
inch in diameter, and by preference, half round in section. This piece of wire, by
means of any ordinary wire-bending machine, I bend in the middle, keeping the
flat sides inwards and opposite to each other, while the extremities of the piece of
wire are brought together, and united by rivetting, or other ordinary mode of
joining two ends of metal. And by this means I form a double pointed bodkin, one
point being formed where the piece of wire is first bent in the middle, and the other
where the extremities are joined together by rivetting, or other well known
process.
It is, however, only at these two points that what I may call the sides" of the
bodkin are brought close together, for about half way between the respective points
these "sides" are in the bending process left apart about one-eighth of an inch
from one another, and from this central more open part which forms an elongated
threading eye, the two "sides" converge gradually towards the respective points of
the bodkin, which is then completed, unless for purposes of sale I choose to improve
its appearance by a process known in the trade as "polishing," or by gilding,
plating, or other means of ornamentation.
And in the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1. represents a bodkin made in
accordance with my invention. In this, A denotes the point formed by the
bending together of the wire, and B the opposite point formed by rivetting the
two extremities of the wire together, the place of the rivet being denoted by D,
while C. represents the elongated threading eye.
And though I have in the foregoing description spoken only of rivetting the two
extremities of the bent wire together, I may add a rivet at the end A of the bodkin,
for the purpose of strengthening it at this point: or should the length of wire break
in the bending 1 may unite the two wires together at each end of the bodkin by
rivetting or by other known means of uniting two pieces of wire.
Or I may avoid the necessity of rivetting or otherwise joining the two opposite
extremities of the bodkin by making the bodkin out of sheet or plate material. In
this case I form or cut out of the sheet or plate material what I may call the
"external" double pointed shape of the bodkin by the action of a press or by other
ordinary and well known means, and then make the "internal" elongated eye by
cutting the plate or sheet material through lengthwise by means of a circular saw
or a cutter.
And apply a bodkin made in accordance with my invention thus. Through
the one-eighth of an inch opening in the centre above described, I pass the tape,
ribbon, cord, or other material to be used, and then pulling this down to either
point it is there held fast by the compression of the sides, while the opposite point
of the bodkin is used for insertion.
And a bodkin made in accordance with my invention is an improved one,
inasmuch as it is more cheaply made than the ordinary ones, more easily threaded
for use, with the additional advantage that being double pointed either end can be
selected either for holding the tape, cotton, or cord, or for insertion in the curtain,
article of dress, or any household fabric.

page_text: And by making the bodkin, as above described, of a larger size I may apply it
for the purpose of securing the mouths of bags, the lids of hampers, and for similar
purposes.
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:
A bodkin formed as above-described, having an elongated threading eye, and
sides converging from the centre of this to the two opposite ends of the bodkin,
thus forming a point at each end of it; the compression of these sides holding
firmly at either extremity of the bodkin, the tape or other material to be used, the
whole made substantially in the manner above set forth.
Dated this 5th of September 1895.
WILLIAM COOK.