IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR SHARPENING KNIVES AND OTHER EDGED ARTICLES, WHICH IMPROVE- MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO GRINDING AND POLISHING VARIOUS SURFACES
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Richard Canham at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th March
1867.
I, RICHARD CANHAM, of Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
:declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR SHARPENING KNIVES AND OTHER EDGED ARTICLES, WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO GRINDING AND POLISHING VARIOUS SURFACES," to be
as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in means or apparatus for
sharpening knives and other edged articles, which improvements are also
applicable to grinding and polishing various surfaces," and consists, firstly,
in the employment of cylinders or rods of steel, or other suitable material fixed
on end at any desired angle to each other, and mounted in suitable holders
with or without capability of adjustment to different angles according to the
particular angle desired to be given to the edge of the instrument to be
sharpened. The bases of such cylinders or rods are fixed alternately on
each side of a centre line, so that the sides thereof shall cross such centre
line. The knife or other article being drawn in the direction of such

page_text: centre line the edge thereof will be acted upon on each side by the cylinders
or rods.
The Invention also consists in the employment of suitable guides to main-
tain the knife or other article in the desired position whilst sharpening
the edge thereof.
Instead of employing cylinders or rods, as above described, spheres or por-
tions of spheres may be used arranged in a similar manner to the cylinders or
rods. I also employ corrugated surfaces, or a number of strips, the edges of
such corrugations or strips being of a curved or other suitable form, and
arranged in a similar manner to that before referred to.
Another arrangement consists in mounting such cylinders, rods, spheres,
portions of spheres, or corrugated surfaces or strips of steel or other
suitable material upon the edge of a wheel either with or without capability
of adjustment, such wheel being mounted on a suitable axis, and guides
being employed to guide the article to be sharpened; wheels as above
described may be arranged to act upon one or both sides of the edge as
desired.
The Invention also consists in fixing the cylinders, spheres, portions of
spheres, strips, corrugated surfaces (or other sharpening means acting in a
similar manner) to the holder by means of flanges held between two plates,
the upper plate being provided with a screw or screws to secure it to the
holder.
Another mode of mounting them consists in forming necks or recesses in
such parts, the plate to which they are to be affixed being provided with suit-
able recesses, and claws or projections, which are turned into, around, or over
such necks, flanges, or recesses. In cases where the edge of an article is
sharpened upon both sides I prefer to employ a similar number of parts to act
on each side of such edge. Or spheres or portions of spheres may be arranged
in tubular or other suitable holders with openings, through which the article
to be sharpened is passed, and drawn to and fro between the points of contact
of the spheres or portions of spheres. The cylinders, spheres, portions of
spheres, corrugated surfaces or strips may be formed of steel or iron, suitably
roughened and hardened on its surface, or stone or compounds of vegetable
gums or other suitable materials with any suitable grit may be employed, in
which case the articles may be cast or moulded to the desired form, and
either with or without a suitable base or holder. When employing these
improvements for grinding or polishing various surfaces I apply guides
as before described to rotary grinding or polishing surfaces, through which

page_text: guides I pass the article to be ground or polished, such guides being fixed
or capable of adjustment to the particular angle to which the article is
desired to be ground or polished. I also sometimes mount such guides in
sliding holders, which may be operated in a similar manner to the slide
rest of a lathe.