IMPROVEMENTS TV TABER
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harvey Hilliard and Thomas Chapman, Cutlery
Manufacturers, and Patentees of the Furbator," of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
TV TABER
"
Sealed the 15th July. 1859, and dated the 20th January 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. left by the said Harvey Hilliard and
Thomas Chapman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 20th January, 1859.
We, HARVEY HILLIARD and THOMAS CHAPMAN, Cutlery Manufacturers, and
Patentees of the "Furbator," of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TABLE KNIVES AND IN TABLE-KNIFE SHARPENERS," to be as follows, that
is to say:-
This Invention comprehends certain improvements in the mode of fastening
the handles of table knives, such improvements constituting a more effective
and economical system of making what is known to cutlers as "Hilliard and
Chapman's lock'd-fast handle," and certain improvements in table-knife
sharpeners of the "wheel" class, designed to obtain an increased sharpening
"effect.
In making the "lock'd-fast handle," it has hitherto been the practice to
form the tang with lateral projections at its extremity, and to form grooves to
a considerable depth in the handle bore for the introduction of the said lateral
projections. According to the present Invention, however, a lateral holding
projection is or projections are formed upon the tang at a comparatively short

page_text: distance from the blade of the knife, and a considerable portion of the labour
of grooving the handle bore is saved, a comparatively slight grooving or
widening of the mouth of the bore sufficing for the introduction of the holding
projection or projections. The lateral holding projection or projections may
be formed with an acute longitudinal edge or edges, by means of which the
holding recess or recesses may be formed in the handle, or the projection or
projections may be shaped like segments of screws, which may lap themselves
into the sides of the handle bore, and by their screw action draw the tang
well into the bore. As hitherto, cement is employed in addition to fix the
handle.
In making an "acuminator," (by which term we designate a table-knife
sharpener embodying our improvements,) according to one modification the
wheels or steel discs may be arranged as in common sharpeners of the same
class, it being preferred to use two wheels on one side with one projecting
slightly between them on the other; but the mounting is formed in such a
way as to guide the knife obliquely in being drawn across the wheels. For
this purpose oblique grooves may be formed in the mounting for the reception
of the knife blade; or the mounting may have attached to or formed on it a
plate with a guiding slot or slots formed in it in such-positions as to guide the
knife blade which is passed through one of them.
According to another modification, the acuminator is composed of a series
of wheels or discs, which are so arranged that the channel formed between
them for the reception of the knife edge is inclined to the axes of the wheels
In sharpening a knife with the improved sharpeners, the edge is
rubbed against the angular edges only of the steel discs, and thus whilst a
finely serrated cutting edge is given, that edge is formed with a suitable
taper.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Harvey Hilliard and Thomas Chapman in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 19th July 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HARVEY
HILLIARD and THOMAS CHAPMAN, Cutlery Manufacturers, and Patentees of
the "Furbator," of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did,.for Herself,. Her heirs and. successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Harvey Hilliard and Thomas Chapman, Her special licence that we, the
said Harvey Hilliard and Thomas Chapman, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Harvey Hilliard and Thomas Chapman,
our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TABLE KNIVES AND IN TABLE-KNIFE SHARPENERS," upon. the condition (amongst
others), that we; the said Harvey Hilliard and Thomas. Chapman, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in. writing under our, or
their,. or. one of their hands and seals, 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.
1.
NOW KNOW. YE,. that we, the said Harvey Hilliard and Thomas Chapman,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in- what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement in writing, reference being had to. the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters, and figures marked thereon, that. is.
to say:-
Our said Invention comprehends certain improvements in the mode of
fastening the handles of table knives, such improvements constituting a more
effective and economical system of making what is known to cutlers as
"Hilliard and. Chapman's lock'd-fast handle," and certain improvements in
table-knife sharpeners of the "wheel. class," designed to obtain an increased
sharpening effect.
And in particularly describing our said Invention, we shall refer to the
accompanying Sheet of explanatory Drawings, upon which we have delineated
certain modifications of our improvements, premising that the same reference
etters mark the same or like parts in all the Figures in which they occur..
In making the "lock'd-fast handle," it has hitherto been the practice to
form the tang with lateral projections at its extremity, and to form grooves to
considerable depth in the handle bore for the introduction of the said lateral
rojections. According to the present Invention, however, a lateral holding
projection is or projections are formed upon the tang at a. comparatively short

page_text: distance from the blade of the knife, and a considerable portion of the labour of
grooving the handle bore is saved, a comparatively slight grooving or widening.
of the mouth of the bore sufficing for the introduction of the holding pro-
jection or projections. The lateral holding projection or projections may be
formed with an acute longitudinal edge or edges; by means of which the
holding recess or recesses may be formed in the handle; or the projection or
projections may be shaped like segments of screws, which may tap themselves
into the sides of the handle bore, and by their screw action draw the tang
well into the bore. As hitherto, cement is employed in addition to fix the.
handle.
One modification of our improved "lock'd-fast handle" is shown in Figures
1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings; Figure 1 being a side elevation;
partially in longitudinal section; and Figure 2, an end view of the handle A ;
Figure 3 is an elevation of the blade tang B, as detached and turned a quarter
round. This handle A is formed with a socket to nearly fit the tang B of the
knife blade C; two grooves D are cut or formed in the sides of the socket a
short distance from the mouth inwards, to admit of the entrance into the
socket of two series of angular projections. E formed on the tang B. When
the tang is pushed home into its socket, it is turned partly round, which
causes the projections E to enter undercut recesses, so as to prevent the with-
drawal of the blade, such undercut recesses being formed either by the pro-
jections E theinselves, or by a separate instrument prior to the introduction of
the tang.
According to another modification, a single barb, as at F, in Figure 4, may
be formed on the tang B, in which case the socket in the handle A will
require to be grooved down only one side. When there are projections on
opposite sides of the tang, it is fixed by being turned about a quarter round,
but when the tang has a projection or projections on only one side it may be
turned half round to fix it. In all cases the holding projections or barbs are
formed near the blade instead of at the extremity of the tang, as hitherto
practised.
In making an "acuminator," by which term we designate a table-knife
sharpener embodying our improvements, according to one modification, the
wheels or steel discs may be arranged, as in common sharpeners of the same
class, it being preferred to use two wheels on one side with one projecting
slightly between them on the other; but the mounting is formed in such a
way as to guide the knife obliquely or diagonally in being drawn across the
wheels. For this purpose oblique grooves may be formed in the mounting
for the reception of the knife blade, or the mounting may have attached to-or

page_text: formed on it a plate with a guiding slot or slots formed in it, in such positions
as to guide the knife blade which is passed through one of them.
Figure 5 is a side elevation, and Figure 6 is a plan of one modification of
our acuminators. In this case a pair of steel wheels G are carried upon
spindles in a forked mounting H fixed in a handle I. The wheels G are set
with their adjacent edges slightly passing each other, and the knife is
sharpened by being drawn across at the angle thereby formed.
Our improvement consists in applying a couple of guides J, shaped so that
the knife must be drawn across obliquely or diagonally. We find in practice
that a grinding effect is produced by thus drawing the knife diagonally across,
and that after such action it is of advantage to draw the knife directly or
rectangularly across in the ordinary way. We therefore provide one side of
the mounting E with guides K, arranged directly across the angles of the
wheels G; and in using the acuminator, it is first held with the diagonal
guides J upwards, and after the knife is drawn across it, it is turned haif round
to bring up the direct guides K, the sharpening of the knife being completed
by drawing it through these.
Figure 7 is a front elevation, and Figure 8 is a plan, partly in section, of
our standard acuminator embodying another modification of our improve-
ments. In this case three wheels G are used, two on one side, and one on the
other side entering a short distance between the two. The frame or mounting
consists of a back standard L with a sole M, and a shorter front plate N.
The wheels G are mounted on spindles, which project through the front
plate N, and are formed with milled heads O, for turning the wheels by, as is
occasionally to be done to bring fresh portions of the wheel edges to act on the
knives. To guide the knife, the front plate N is formed with a central notch
or slot P, and the standard or back plate L is formed with three slots, a
central one Q for the direct action, and two side ones R for the diagonal or
oblique action. Diagonally-shaped guides S are also formed across between
the front plate N and back plate L. In sharpening a knife it is first to be
inserted in one of the side slots R, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 8, so
as to be drawn across the wheels G diagonally; then in the other lateral
slot R, and finally in the central slot Q. We prefer to mark on the parts
concise and unmistakeable directions for using the instrument, as shown.
According to another arrangement, the acuminator is composed of a series
of wheels or discs, which are so arranged that the angular channel formed
between them for the reception of the knife edge is inclined to the axes of the
wheels or discs. In sharpening a knife with the improved sharpeners, the
ergo is rubbed against the angular edges only of the steel discs, and thus,

page_text: whilst a finely serrated cutting edge is given, that edge is formed with a suitable
taper. Figure 9 is a side elevation, and Figure 10 is a plan of one modification
of this arrangement. The wheels G, eight in number in this example, are
mounted on two parallel spindles T in a box U, but they are of graduated.
sizes, those on one spindle increasing in size from back to front, and those on
the other spindle increasing from front to back. The result of this arrange-
ment is, that the angular channel formed by their slightly passing each other
is diagonally or obliquely disposed. In the example shown in Figures 9
and 10 the box T is formed with oblique guides J, but these may in some
cases be dispensed with.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner in.
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, we have to state-
that we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details herein-before described
or delineated, and that we do not claim to have invented every separate
detail herein-before described and delineated; but that what we believe to be
novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the improved modes of forming our lock'd-fast handle, herein-before
described.
• Second, the arranging or constructing of "wheel" or "disc" knife
sharpeners, so that the knife may be guided obliquely or diagonally, sub-
stantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harvey Hilliard, on behalf of myself
and of the said Thomas Chapman, have hereunto set my hand and seal,
this Eighteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT, Patent Agent,
28, St. Enoch Square, Glasgow.
HARVEY HILLIARD. (L.S.)