U.S. patent number 3,595,104 [Application Number 04/877,550] was granted by the patent office on 1971-07-27 for knife construction.
Invention is credited to John N. Cooper.
United States Patent |
3,595,104 |
Cooper |
July 27, 1971 |
KNIFE CONSTRUCTION
Abstract
The knife construction disclosed herein includes a blade, handle
tang and hilt composed of different materials which are fusibly
joined along their common surfaces employing selected brazing
materials and selected brazing and tempering temperatures to
produce a nonporous fusion joint of high strength and prolonged
longevity.
Inventors: |
Cooper; John N. (Burbank,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
25370215 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/877,550 |
Filed: |
November 20, 1969 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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682470 |
Nov 13, 1967 |
3481038 |
Dec 2, 1969 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
76/104.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B26B
3/06 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B26B
3/06 (20060101); B26B 3/00 (20060101); B21k
011/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;30/344,342,295
;76/104 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Stickney; Bernard
Parent Case Text
This is a division of application Ser, No. 682,470, filed Nov. 13,
1967, , entitled "Knife Construction," now U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,038,
issued Dec. 2, 1969.
Claims
I claim:
1. A method of fabricating a knife construction comprising the
steps of:
joining a handle tang with a blade blank by welding adjacent ends
together to form an integral union therebetween;
brazing the forward face of a hilt mounted on the handle tang to
the blade blank and to said integral union using bronze material;
and
brazing the rear face of the hilt to the handle tang using silver
material wherein said integral union and said brazed unions
therewith provide an integral unitary construction.
2. The method as defined in claim 1 including
the step of grinding said integral union to provide opposite
tapered sides leading from the handle tang to the blade blank;
and
grinding the blade blank along selected peripheral edges to form a
cutting edge.
3. The method as defined in claim 2 including
the step of heating the blade blank with an acetylene torch to
approximately 1400.degree. F. so as to temper the blade blank prior
to said grinding thereof to form the cutting edge.
4. The method as defined in claim 3 including
the step of cooling said tempered blade blank after said heating
thereof in a bath of quenching oil followed by additional heating
in an electric oven slowly brought to a temperature of
approximately 450.degree. thermostatically and subsequently being
allowed to cool at ambient temperature.
5. The method as defined in claim 4 including
securing micarta blocks on the handle tang adjacent the rear face
of the hilt followed by shaping said secured blocks to a desired
configuration and then sharpening said formed cutting edge.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to knife constructions and, more
particularly, to a novel construction of this class for joining
several separate and distinct component parts of the knife into a
unitary construction adapted to receive extensive abuse while in
use without suffering adverse effects of metal fatigue, loss of
finish luster or breakage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, it has been the conventional practice to produce a
utility knife such as may be used in fishing, hunting, fighting or
the like by fabricating the blade and handle tang from the same
blank of metal. Next, the hilt or guard is placed about the tang at
it integral merger with the blade and the mating surface of the
construction are soldered or welded to form a bonded joint. A
handle portion is then mounted onto the tang which completes the
construction of the knife after the blade has been shaped and the
exposed metal portions suitably polished.
Although this common practice results in a generally acceptable
knife construction, it has been found that the joint is
unsatisfactory since the weakest part of the knife is at the joint
location where the blade is integrally formed with the tang.
Inasmuch as the tang is substantially smaller in overall
cross-sectional area than the cross-sectional area of the blade,
the joint area has a tendency to rapidly deteriorate under
extensive stress and loading conditions. For example, the handle
surrounding the tang is grasped by the user and the blade is
employed for chopping or cutting operations which places the
maximum load at the leverage point defined at the integral joint of
the tang with the blade. Such loading has a tendency to forcibly
bend at this critical location until the tang breaks away from the
blade.
Furthermore, the welding procedure for fusing the hilt or guard to
the blade and tang is generally of a porous nature which permits
air and moisture to combine with the metal to cause corrosion and
rust. After continuous use of the knife, the deterioration further
fatigues and weakens the joint at this critical location which
results in breakage thereof.
In other constructions, an attempt has been made to avoid the above
problems by constructing the blade and handle tang from two
separate pieces which are joined together by a threadable
connection or other type of fastening means. Obviously, such a
practice is expensive and requires precision tolerances and
additional manufacturing procedures which complicate the
construction. Furthermore, such a practice does not avoid the
adverse effects of porous construction and material deterioration
due to exposure to a corrosive environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the problems and difficulties encountered with
conventional knife constructions are obviated by the novel knife
construction and method of fabrication of the present invention
which provides separate components such as the blade, handle tang
and hilt which are composed of different materials that are joined
together in an integral unitary structure by an eutectic joint
having the physical characteristic of being nonporous. The base of
a metal blank for the blade is formed with a notch adapted to
receive the end of a bolt intended to comprise the handle tang. The
end of the bolt is seated in the notch and welded thereto so that
fusion takes place to form an integral joint between the bolt and
the blade blank. A hilt is formed with a central hole adapted to be
inserted over the bolt and seated adjacent the base of the blade.
The hole is countersunk on both sides of the hilt so as to provide
suitable recesses for receiving eutectic material during a brazing
procedure which integrally forms the hilt with the bolt and metal
blank of the blade. The material disposed in the recesses form
fillets which are of nonporous composition and which are compatible
with the material of the components to provide a eutectic joint
which is resistive to corrosive environments.
Preferably, the material of the blade and handle tang is of
stainless steel while the hilt is composed of bronze material. A
handle composed of phenolic micarta may be secured about the handle
tang and suitably shaped to accommodate the hand grasp of the user.
The blade blank may be suitably ground to provide a cutting edge
and/or a false edge as well as to provide a ricasso adjacent the
hilt in the base portion of the blade. After securement of a butt
cap on the tang and suitably polishing the exposed metal surfaces,
the knife construction is complete and ready for use.
Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention
to provide a novel knife construction and method of fabricating
which results in a unitary structure formed by a common eutectic
joint integrally connecting the blade, handle tang and hilt.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel knife
construction including a nonporous joint integrally forming the
blade, handle tang and hilt so as to be resistive to corrosive
conditions and which exhibits characteristics of high strength.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel
knife construction and method of fabrication by which an integral
joint is produced at the junction of the hilt, handle tang and base
portion of the blade by means of brazing techniques and fillet
materials effective to fuse together at selected temperatures so as
to provide a strong bond therebetween.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a
novel knife construction resulting in a knife of high strength,
impervious to a corrosive environment and which may be highly
polished to produce a lasting luster and which may be subjected to
extensive abuse during the use thereof without encountering
breakage or metal fatigue.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The features of the resent invention which are believed to be novel
are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The
present invention, both as to its organization and manner of
operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof,
may best be understood by reference to the following description,
taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a knife formed from the novel
construction of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view illustrating the component parts of the
knife construction preparatory to being integrally joined;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the handle tang welded to the blade
blank;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the welded joint as taken in the
direction of arrows 4-4 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, illustrating the
brazing of the guard or hilt onto the handle tang and base portion
of the blade at the welded joint;
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the knife
construction shown in FIG. 5 as taken in the direction of arrows
6-6 thereof;
FIG. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken in the direction
of arrows 7-7 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is an exploded sectional view of the handle portion of the
knife construction preparatory to securement of the cap butt and
shaping;
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the handle portion showing a
finished shape; and
FIG. 10 is an end elevational view of the knife construction as
taken in the direction of arrows 10-10 of FIG. 9.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, a knife construction of the present invention
is illustrated in the general direction of arrow 10 and the
construction represents a finished product. The knife construction
includes a blade 11, a hilt or guard 12 and a shaped handle 13
terminating in a butt cap 14. The shape of the handle 13 and butt
cap 14 are compatible so that the handle may be readily grasped by
the user and the user's hand is protected from the blade by the
hilt 12. The blade includes a ground cutting edge 15 terminating in
a point 16 at one end and a ricasso 17 formed in the base portion
of the blade adjacent the hilt on the back side of the blade
terminating in point 16 on one end and terminating midway between
the opposite ends of the blade along a back 20. A fillet 21 extends
between the base portion of the blade and the hilt 12 and is of a
nonporous characteristic. The fillet 21 is continuous about the
knife construction and fusibly joins the hilt 12 with the base of
the blade 11.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the knife construction 10 is initially
fabricated by providing a blank 22 for the blade which is cut from
suitable knife stock such as stainless steel. The material is
carefully and skillfully cut to obtain the proper length, width,
etc. to be compatible with the overall dimensions of the finished
knife. The blank is formed, for example, by grinding to the desired
blade outline configuration by removing stock material therefrom.
An emory wheel may be employed for removing the material. The
desired blade outline shape may take the form of an edge 23
representing the knife edge 15, and edge 24 which will ultimately
be the false edge 18, a cutout 25 for the ricasso and a notch 26
formed in the base of the blade blank 22. The notch 26 is made in
the base end of the blade for subsequent fitting therewith of a
handle tang which takes the form of a bolt 27. The handle tang is
formed from a threaded machine bolt and serves as an anchor for the
later addition of the handle itself. A threaded end 28 of the bolt
which is on the opposite end to the end seated in the notch 26
serves to receive the butt cap of the handle which will be
described later.
Another component part of the knife construction resides in the
hilt or guard 12 which is preferably composed of bronze material
and includes a central aperture 30 located midway between its
opposite ends. The opposite sides of the hilt 12 are countersunk
about the aperture 30 so as to form recesses 31 and 32.
Referring now to FIG. 3, the handle bolt forming tang 27 is shown
secured to the base portion of the blade blank 22 by means of
acetylene welding at a joint 33. An emory wheel is employed to form
an angular cut on opposite sides of the joint in the base of the
blade as represented by numerals 34 and 35 in preparation to
receive the hilt 12 after it has been shaped. Also, the opposite
sides of the joint 33 are ground by an emory wheel to remove excess
metal therefrom so that the joint is tapered on its opposite sides
as shown by numerals 36 and 37 in FIG. 4.
Referring now to FIG. 5, the hilt 12 is formed with a slight curve
or arcuate shape so that when the bolt 27 is inserted through the
aperture 30, the front face of the hilt 12 will substantially
coincide with the base of the blade 22. However, exact surface
mating is avoided so that a pair of gaps 38 and 40 are provided
into which a eutectic material is disposed so as to form a fusible
bond between the blade and the hilt.
In actual practice, the blade, handle tang and the hilt are secured
by first inserting the hilt aperture over the handle tang and
advancing the hilt against the base of the blade. The hilt is fused
to the handle tang and the sides of the blade from the bottom, or
blade side, using a bronze rod and an acetylene torch. Extreme
caution must be taken to attain a nonporous weld to prevent pits in
the finished exposed surface of the hilt. The blade is then held in
a vise so that the handle tang is straight up. The hilt is then
finally and completely made a part of the already joined blade and
handle bolt.
As shown in FIG. 6, the bronze rod weld is indicated by numerals 41
and 42 which join the front side of the hilt with the blade and
constitutes the fillet 21. The bronze rod material forming the weld
occupies the recess 31 formed in the hilt and partially occupies
the aperture 30 surrounding the joint 33. Using a silver brazing
rod with a tensile strength of approximately 60,000 p.s.i. the hilt
12 is silver brazed from the rear or handle side so as to occupy
the recess 32 forming a continuous fillet 43 and 44 on opposite
sides of the construction. The recesses on both sides of the
aperture 30 allow complete fusing of blade and tang with the hilt
to form an integral joint.
After suitable cooling the unit is cleaned on a sanding wheel which
removes excess bronze from the blade side and bolt side of the hilt
as well as from the hilt itself. Next, the blade is operated upon
by the emory wheel where approximately 80 percent of the hollow
grinding process is accomplished to form the blade edge 15 and
false edge 18. However, no more than 80 percent of the hollow grind
can be done at this point so that blade warpage during the
subsequent tempering process is prevented.
Next, the knife construction is placed in a firebrick enclosure and
the blade is heated with an acetylene torch to approximately
1400.degree.F. Again, extreme care is required because of the
difference in melting temperatures of the metals composing the
construction. Through experience using color charts of heat treated
metal in various stages, it can be readily determined by visual
means when the blade has reached the desired temperature. Once
more, stress must be placed on the careful use of the torch at this
time to prevent warpage and/or melting through overheating or
improper tempering through underheating. As soon as the blade has
been brought to the proper temperature, the construction is
immediately immersed in a container of suitable quenching oil. The
construction is maintained in the oil bath until completely cooled.
At this time, the blade is extremely hard and brittle and to
complete the tempering process, the construction is now placed in
an electric oven and is slowly brought to a temperature of
approximately 450.degree. F. thermostatically. The construction is
then removed from the oven and allowed to cool at room temperature.
At this time, a completely tempered construction is provided.
Referring now to FIG. 8, the handle 13 and butt cap 14 are
initially made in rough form. The handle is composed of
oblong-shaped phenolic micarta blocks 45--49 inclusive, of varying
thicknesses depending upon the desired ultimate design. Each block
is then drilled to provide a hole adapted to receive the handle
tang. Each hole is provided with a countersink on the opposite
openings of the hole from each side of the block to facilitate
assembly of the blocks. The butt cap is fashioned from cast brass
and is drilled on one side with a threaded hole 50 adapted to
threadably mate with the end 28 of the handle tang.
Each micarta block is placed separately on the handle tang and
secured. The block 45 is secured to the hilt and subsequent blocks,
if used, are secured one on top of the other. Bonding of the blocks
is achieved through the use of a suitable industrial epoxy cement.
The double countersinks permit the use of additional cement over a
larger area of coverage so as to guarantee complete bonding of the
blocks together. As shown in FIG. 8, the bonding cement is
illustrated in adjacent coaxial countersinks as represented by the
numeral 51 between adjacent surfaces of blocks 48 and 49.
Preparatory to attaching the butt cap 14 to the threaded end 28 of
the handle tang 27, the threads of the handle tang are liberally
coated with epoxy cement. The covered threads are then inserted
into the threaded recess 50. The butt cap 14 is then screwed on the
threaded end 28 of the handle tang and suitably tightened. The
tightening action compresses the micarta blocks further to ensure
their bonding together. The cement is then dried for approximately
24 hours so that the micarta blocks will not separate and they
become an integral piece constituting the handle.
Next, an emory wheel is applied to the handle and butt cap where
the micarta blocks and butt cap are ground to a desired shape.
After the rough shape has been achieved, a sanding wheel is applied
where the handle and butt cap are sanded and resanded using various
grits of suitable resin bonded cloth. When this process is
completed, a perfectly shaped smooth handle and butt cap is
produced, such as is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.
The final step in the construction of the knife of the present
invention provides for the final hollow grinding of the blade blank
22 which again requires the use of a grinding means such as an
emory wheel, for example. Since the blade will heat fairly rapidly
under grinding, thus losing its temper, extreme care must be
exercised to avoid prolonged grinding. The finished grinding is a
slow process as the blade must be constantly cooled. The blade is
hollow ground into 98 percent of its final form during this final
grinding procedure and from the emory wheel, the blade is taken to
the sanding wheel where it is smoothed and all scratches are
removed. Various degrees of grit cloth may be used with the last
being of a grade of 320 grit. Preferably, this grit cloth is graded
immediately under the grade of polish per se. Next, final
beautification of the knife is achieved with a soft cloth polishing
wheel.
All that remains now is the final 2 percent of the hollow grinding
process which is represented by the sharpening of the blade. The
edge 15 and 18 are formed in a careful operation since, when it is
complete, razor sharp edges are provided which are fully capable of
shaving a heavy beard or skinning several animals without
resharpening For storage purposes, a thin film of oil may be placed
on all exposed polished surfaces of the knife construction.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the novel knife
construction of the present invention and method provides a joint
at the point of the blade base with the hilt and handle tang which
is integral, having a nonporous characteristic and which bonds
materials of different composition together. Such a joint is
resistive to corrosive action and is capable of withstanding heavy
stress under abnormal loading conditions during use.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been
shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art
that changes and modifications may be made without departing from
this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in
the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications
as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
* * * * *