IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SHARPENING OR POINTING LEAD AND OTHER A communication from abroad by
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SHARPENING OR POINTING LEAD AND OTHER
A communication from abroad by Franz Friedrich Kullrich, of
PENCILS."
Berlin, Prussia.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th November 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SHARPENING OR
POINTING LEAD AND OTHER PENCILS." [A communication from abroad by Franz
Friedrich Kullrich, of Berlin, Prussia.]
This Invention is designed to provide apparatus for sharpening or pointing
pencils.
One form of apparatus constructed according to this Invention consists
substantially of two plates of sheet metal or other suitable material connected by a
hinge or by other means, allowing them to move toward and from each other,
which plates are provided with roughened surfaces on their inner side, and into
each of these plates a curved piece of sheet metal is inserted.
•
The inner side of said plates or parts I cover with sand paper, emery paper, fish
skin, or other suitable rough material, which may be attached to the curved plates
or pieces by some adhesive material, but is preferably inserted within small flanges
bent on the outer plates, which also hold the curved inner plates.
A part of the interior near the hinge is covered with cloth or similar soft
material for the purpose of removing the dust, which, when the apparatus is used,
adheres to the sharpened point.
By the construction above set forth a narrow slot is formed between the two
plates, which slot may either be of equal width throughout its length, or may be
wider at one end than at the other end, so that thicker or thinner pencils may be
conveniently sharpened by means of this device, as may be required.
According to a modification of this Invention, instead of connecting the two
parts of such apparatus by a hinge, I provide a spring for this purpose, which
spring holds the two plates apart when the apparatus is not in use.

page_text: In using the said apparatus or sharpener, the two plates or parts connected by
such spring are pressed together, the arrangement of the rough surfaces being the
same as that above specified.
Instead of forming the two rough surfaces in the manner above described, they
may consist of fine sheet metal rasps or of metal with fine "file cuts," and may
wholly or partly cover the inner surface of the apparatus, and I may line a part
of the interior with cloth or other soft material, as hereinbefore stated.
It is not absolutely necessary to give a curved form to the rasping surfaces;
they may in some cases be straight, and arranged in such a manner that they meet
at an angle.
I effect the combination of the apparatus above described with a device for
pointing or cutting the wood surrounding the lead as follows, that is to say:-
Upon one of the plates or parts of the apparatus constructed in the manner
herein before described, a hollow cone is fixed, in which is placed a helicoidal knife
or cutter. If a pencil be inserted into the said hollow cone or conical shell and
rotated in a proper direction, the knife or cutter will take off thin shavings or slices
of the wood, and this rotation may be continued till the wood is sufficiently pointed
or cut.
According to another manner of constructing this last described form of my
apparatus, the two plates are united by a hinge, and other plates are attached
thereto, and are so formed at their ends that when the apparatus is shut a cone-
shaped hollow space will be formed.
To one of the plates a knife or cutter is fixed in such manner that its edge
projects into the aforesaid hollow space, and an aperture is provided for the
removal of the shavings or cuttings of wood. The other arrangements in this
modified form of my Invention are the same as those above explained.
For frequent use, for instance, for draughtsmen in offices or for similar purposes,
I construct an apparatus of this class as follows, that is to say :-
In a box of suitable shape and material two rollers are mounted, which are
placed so near to each other that only a narrow slot remains between the two;
these rollers may be of wood, and covered with some rough material, such as fish-
skin, sand paper, emery paper, or the like, or these rollers may be made of some
rough material, such as unglazed porcelain, artificial stone, sandstone, or the like,
and so placed in the aforesaid box that a narrow slot of equal width throughout is
formed between them, or they may be arranged in such manner that the said slot
is wider at one end than at the other. The box in this instance will serve for
gathering the dust which is produced by the use of this device. In some instances
I may arrange more than two rollers in the said box.
The manipulation of the above described apparatus is as follows, that is to
say-
After the wood has been removed by an ordinary penknife or by the device
for this purpose forming part of the apparatus constructed according to the
said Invention, as above set forth, the lead or other point is inserted between
the rasping surfaces, and by a light rotation of the whole pencil the point is
sharpened.

page_text: invention is designed to provide apparatus for sharpening
or
pointing lead
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th May 1881..
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SHARPENING OR
POINTING LEAD AND OTHER PENCILS." A communication from abroad by Franz
Friedrich Kullrich, of Berlin, Prussia.
This invention is designed to provide apparatus for sharpening or pointing lead
and other pencils.
The said Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a side view of one form of my improved apparatus, and
Figure 2 is a section of the same on the like A, B, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side view of a somewhat modified construction of the said apparatus,
and
Figure 4 is a section of the same on the line C, D, Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a side view of a further modification of the said apparatus, and
Figure 6 is a section of the same on the line E, F, Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a side view of an apparatus fitted with a sheet metal rasp, and
Figure 8 is a section of the same on the line G, H, Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a side view of an apparatus provided with a cutting device, and
Figure 10 is a section of the same one the line I, K, Figure 9.
Figure 11 is a longitudinal section of an apparatus with a cutting device in its
interior, and
Figure 12 represents the said apparatus when opened.
Figure 13 is a transverse section of an apparatus provided with rollers.
The remaining Figures are hereinafter described.
One form of apparatus constructed according to this Invention consists
substantially of two plates of sheet metal or other suitable material connected by a
hinge or other means, to allow them to move toward and from each other, and
provided with roughened surfaces on their inner side.
In Figures 1 and 2, a and b are two plates of sheet metal united by a hinge at c.
Into these plates curved pieces f,f), of sheet metal are inserted (see Figure 2).
The inner side of the curved plates f, f¹, is covered with sand or emery paper, fish-
skin, or other suitable material, which may be attached to the said plates by
adhesive material, or by being inserted in small flanges formed by bending around
the ends of the plates a and b. In Figures 1 and 2, this last described method of
attaching the covering is shewn, and d indicates the rough surface, whilst the part
marked g is covered with cloth or similar soft material, for the purpose of removing
the dust, which, when the apparatus is used, adheres to the sharpened point. The
narrow slot formed between the two sheet-metal plates is shewn in Figures 1 and 2
as of equal width throughout.
The construction of the apparatus, shewn in Figures 3 and 4, is substantially the
same as that above described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, the parts being
marked with the same letters of reference as those in these Figures. This apparatus
however differs from that above described in that the slot between the two parts is
not of equal width throughout, but is wider at one end than at the other, so that
thicker or thinner pencils may be sharpened as may be required.
In Figures 5 and 6, an apparatus is shewn which, instead of being provided with
a hinge as at c, has a spring for connecting the two plates a, b, which spring keeps
the two plates apart when the apparatus is not in use. In using this apparatus
the two plates are closed or pressed together, the arrangement of the rough surfaces
carried thereby being the same as that hereinabove described.

page_text: Figures 7 and 8 shew the two parts of the apparatus connected by means of a
hinge, as in Figures 1 and 2. In this apparatus, however, the two rough surfaces
are formed by fine sheet metal rasps i, which wholly or partly cover the inner
surface of the plates f, f¹; k is a lining of cloth or other suitable material.
The combination of an apparatus of the class above described, with a device for
pointing or cutting the wood surrounding the lead in lead pencils is shewn in
Figures 9 and 10. For this purpose I fix upon the part a of the apparatus
constructed similar to that shewn in Figure 1 a hollow cone x, in the hollow part
of which a knife or cutter s is placed helicoidally. If a lead pencil is inserted into
the said conical shell x, and rotated in a proper direction, the knife will take off
thin shavings, and this rotation may be continued until the wood is sufficiently cut
or pointed.
An arrangement similar to that last described is shewn in Figures 11 and 12. In
these Figures the two plates a and b are united by a hinge as hereinbefore
described, and the plates w, w¹, are attached thereto by causing the rims of the
former to overlap those of the latter. The said plates w, w¹, are so formed that
when the apparatus is shut a cone-shaped hollow space will be formed. To the
plate b the knife 8 is fixed in such manner that its edge projects into the aforesaid
hollow space, and in proximity to the said knife there is an aperture to permit the
escape of the shavings. The other arrangements of this apparatus are similar to
those described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
For frequent use, for instance, for draughtsmen, in offices, and for similar
purposes an apparatus, such as shewn in Figure 13, will be found advantageous. In
this apparatus the box or case m, formed of any suitable material, has mounted in
it two rollers r, r, which are placed so near to each other that only a narrow slot
remains between them. These rollers may be of wood, and covered with some
rough material, such as fish-skin, sand paper, emery paper, or the like. Or the
rollers r, r, may be made of some rough material, such as unglazed porcelain,
artificial stone, sandstone, and the like, and the said rollers instead of being so
mounted that a narrow slot of equal width throughout is formed between them
may be so arranged that there is a broader space at one end than at the other. The
box in this instance will serve for catching the dust which is produced.
Figures 14 and 15 represent in top view and section an apparatus similar to that
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 provided with a flat knife for cutting, pointing, or
sharpening pencils. For this purpose, on the upper surface of the said apparatus
there is an indentation or cavity a, and over the same there is placed the knife m,
which is secured by means of the bands 6 and 6².
Figures 16 and 17 represent in section and end view an apparatus similar to
that shewn in Figure 13. In this apparatus however the walls or sides of the same
are made of sheet-metal, and so formed that the rollers will have a bearing and be
free to revolve therein, thus obviating the necessity of providing such rollers with
journals or pins, as in the apparatus shewn in Figure 13. Moreover, a knife is fitted
at the side of the apparatus, as shewn in Figure 17, in the same manner as that
described with reference to Figures 14 and 15, with the exception that the recess
or indentation behind the said knife is provided with a hole through which the
cuttings or shavings produced in sharpening a pencil pass, thus preventing the
falling or scattering of such shavings upon the table, floor, or the like, when the
apparatus is in use. In this form of my improved apparatus, as well as in that
shewn in Figure 13, the position and number of the rollers may be varied as may
be desired.
In my improved apparatus it is not absolutely necessary to make the rasping
surfaces of a curved shape, as they may be so formed that two straight surfaces
meet at an angle. Moreover, the rough or rasping surfaces may be finely cut in a
similar manner to that in which files are cut.
The manipulation of my improved apparatus is as follows, that is to say:-
After the wood has been removed by an ordinary pen-knife or by one of
the devices illustrated in Figures 9 to 12, or in Figures 14 to 17, the graphite or.

page_text: lead point is inserted between the rasping surfaces or between the rough rollers, and
by the rotation of the whole pencil the point is sharpened.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,-
First. An apparatus for sharpening or pointing lead and other pencils, consisting
of two flat plates of any suitable material connected by a hinge or a spring, and
provided on their inner side with plates either partially or entirely covered with
rough material, such as emery, sand-paper, fish-skin, or the like, and of such shape
that the slot formed between the said plates is narrowest at the centre, that is to
say, the inner surface of the said plates is either arched or rounded, as above set
fortli.
Second. The combination with the subject matter of the preceding claim of a
pointing or cutting device, consisting substantially of a cone-shaped hollow, into
which a knife projects, as above set forth.
Third. The employment of rough rollers mounted, either parallel or at an acute
angle to each other, in a box for the purpose of pointing or sharpening in the slot
formed between the said rollers the points of lead and other pencils, as above set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
WM. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)