IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FANCY METAL TASSELS FOR ATTACHING TO THE ENDS OF LADIES GUARDS ALBERTS, CHAINS AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN WOOD of Spencer Street Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Stamper and Piercer and Fancy Chain Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature
of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FANCY
METAL TASSELS FOR ATTACHING TO THE ENDS OF LADIES GUARDS ALBERTS,
CHAINS AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES" to be as follows that is to say:--
Hitherto the body or ornamental part of the Tassels have been made by turning
them from a solid piece of German Silver wire or other suitable metal and the
inside hollowed out slightly with a hole bored through to the top. To fix the
series of short lengths of fancy chain they use a small circular plate with a
sufficient number of holes in to take the chain. The chain is then threaded
through the said holes, the plate having a hole in centre, an ordinary domestic pin
is passed right through and out at the top, and then the outside portion turned
into the shank, the head of the pin serving as a rivet at the bottom, thereby
holding the metal plate with the chain attached in position in the hollow part of
the body. It is now ready for attaching to any article it may be required There
is another mode of forming the bodies and that is by stamping them in two halves
from solid metal and then soldering them together. The above mode of manu-
facturing these tassels is very expensive as they necessitate a large amount of
labour upon them and being solid it prohibits the manufacturers from making
them in valuable metals such as best German silver and Gold.
Now by my
Invention this is all obviated as they can be made at a great reduction in the cost
of manufacture but in carrying out my Invention I proceed as follows:-
I take a thin piece.of suitable metal and so shape it by suitable dies and press
tools that it forms the body of the tassel with the hole already made at the top
and complete for the other parts to be attached to. I next take a piece of suitable
wire and form it into a shank with two loose ends. These are passed through the
hole at the top of the body and opened inside same thereby securely fixing the said
shank. I then take a small piece of metal and form it by suitable tools into the
shape required for fixing the chain, that is, I make a series of slots all round, which
being open at the edge I can pass the short lengths of chain into the slots in such

page_text: a position that they require no fixing. Having fixed the required lengths of chain
to the Baid plate it is ready for fixing in the collar or ferrule. I then take a third
blank and by operating upon it form it into a circular collar or ferrule without
a joint, the bottom part being narrower than the top. I then take the slotted
plate with the chains attached and place them inside the said collar or ferrule
together with the body of the tassel the collar bearing on flanges formed on the
base of the body and this being firmley secured by suitable press tools and dies
completes the tassel.
Thus it will be seen that by my Invention I can produce a tassel with the
smallest amount of metal that can possibly be used, and without using any solder,
the parts being made in an entire piece without any joints, thus enabling me to
use, and make them in any valuable metal, shape or design they may be required.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1881

page_text: I, JOHN WOOD, of Spencer Street, Birmingham, in the county of Warwick,
Stamper and Piercer and Fancy Chain Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature
of the said invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FANCY METAL
TASSELS FOR ATTACHING TO THE ENDS OF LADIES' GUARDS, ALBERTS, CHAINS AND
OTHER LIKE ARTICLES" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Hitherto the bodies or ornamental parts of the tassels have been made by
turning them from a solid piece of german silver wire or other suitable metal and
the inside hollowed out slightly with a hole bored through to the top. To fix the
series of short lengths of fancy chain a small circular plate is used with a sufficient
number of holes in it to take the chain. The chain is then threaded through the
said holes, the plate having a hole in the centre, an ordinary domestic pin is passed
right through and out at the top and then the outside portion turned into the
shank; the head of the pin serves as a rivet at the bottom, thereby holding the
metal plate with the chain attached in position in the hollow part of the body.
It is then ready to be attached to any required article. There is another mode of
forming the bodies, namely by stamping them in halves from solid metal and then
soldering the halves together-This mode of manufacturing the tassels is very
expensive as a large amount of labour is necessitated and the tassels being solid,
manufacturers are prevented from making them in valuable metals such as best
german silver and gold. Now by my Invention these defects are obviated as the
tassels can be made at a great reduction in the cost of manufacture-In order to
enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by reference
to the accompanying drawing which represents views of tassels constructed
according to my invention in the various stages of their manufacture. Similar
letters in all the figures represent similar parts-In carrying out my invention
I proceed as follows:
I take a thin piece of suitable metal and so shape it by suitable dies and press
tools that it forms the body of the tassel with the hole already made at the top
and complete for the other parts to be attached thereto Figure 1 represents a plan
and figure 2 a cross section of the blank or piece of metal cut to the required
shape, a, being the hole in the same. Figure 3 is an elevation of the body of the
tassel formed from the said blank-I next take a piece of suitable wire and form
it into a shank with two loose ends as shewn in elevation at figure 4. These ends
are passed through the hole a, at the top of the body and opened inside the same
(as shewn in the sectional view at figure 5 in which b, is the shank and c, the body
of the tassel) thereby securely fixing the said shank. I then take a small piece of
metal and form it as shewn in plan at figure 6 by suitable tools into the shape
required for fixing the chain, that is, I make a series of slots d, all round which
being open at the edge I can pass the short lengths of chain into the slots d, as

page_text: shewn in elevation at figure 7, in such a position that they require no fixing.
Having fixed the required lengths of chain e, to the said plate f, it is ready for
fixing in the collar or ferrule hereinafter described. I then take a third blank and
by operating upon it form it into a circular collar or ferrule without a joint, the
bottom part being narrower than the top; figures 8 and 9 represent a plan and
cross section respectively of the collar or ferrule so formed. I then take the
'slotted plate f, with the chains e, attached and place them inside the said collar or
ferrule g, together with the body c, of the tassel as shewn in figure 10, which
represents a cross section of the complete tassel, figure 11 being an elevation of the
same; the top of the collar or ferrule is turned over and bears on flanges h,
formed on the base of the body c, and this being firmly secured by suitable press
tools and dies completes the tassel.
Thus it will be seen that by my invention I can produce a tassel with the
smallest amount of metal that can possibly be used and without using any solder,
the parts being made in an entire piece without any joints, thus enabling me to
use and make in any valuable metal, shape or design required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The manufacture of fancy métal tassels as herein described from metal blanks
and wire in the manner and for the purpose substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated the 6th day of February 1885.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.