GB2221640A

GB2221640A - Knife handles

Info

Publication number: GB2221640A
Application number: GB8918072A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Albert Bryan Upton
Original assignee: Richardson Sheffield Ltd
Current assignee: Richardson Sheffield Ltd
Priority date: 1988-08-09
Filing date: 1989-08-08
Publication date: 1990-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 2009-08-08
Also published as: GB8918072D0; GB8818848D0; GB2221640B

Abstract

A knife construction comprises a cast e.g. alloy handle frame 2 with an integral bolster 3, with at least one through- passage 5 in the frame for plastics material 4 moulded on the frame to form the handle, and a slot 9 extending through the bolster and into the frame to a point beyond the through-passage, or a first said through-passage, and a knife blade 8 with a tang 10, said tang being located in the slot in the bolster, and with the tang secured by the plastics material in the or the first through-passage. Said plastics extends through one or more keying holes 11, 12 in the tang. The plastics may be moulded onto the frame to form the handle and the blade screwed by pushing the heated tang into the moulded mass. Alternatively the frame and tang may be assembled and the plastics then moulded thereto. <IMAGE>

Description

KNIFE HANDLES This invention relates to knife handles and to a method of securing knife blades to knife handles.

In the manufacture of knives, it is most important to ensure that knife blade is securely attached to a handle and so that the handle does not become detached during use, and important that the knife is of pleasing appearance.

Traditionally, both of these requirements have been met by forging a bolster on a tang extending from the back end of the knife blade, with the bolster and tang either formed integrally with the knife blade, or separately formed and secured to the back end of the blade by brazing. By either technique, a most positive attachment exists between the blade and tang, and the bolster provides a smooth and aesthetically pleasing transition from the blade to a handle secured to the tang. However, such forged bolster and tang constructions add noticeably to the cost of knife production. Equally, known means of securing the tang to a handle, such as by rivetting scales to either side of the tang, or forming a solid handle with a blind hole or slot to receive the tang and there securing it by an appropriate adhesive also add noticeably to production costs.

The object of the invention is to provide a knife involving noticeably lower cost factors than hitherto, without sacrificing the security of attachment of the knife blade to the handle or the aesthetic appearance of the knife.

According to the present invention, a knife comprises a cast handle frame with an integral bolster, with at least one through-passage in the frame for plastics material moulded on the frame to form the handle, and a slot extending through the bolster and into the frame to a point beyond the through-passage, or a first said through-passage, and a knife blade with a tang, said tang being located in the slot in the bolster, and with the tang secured by the plastics material in the or the first through-passage.

According to one method of produdtion of a knife in accordance with the invention, plastics material is first moulded on the frame to form. the handle, and subsequently a blade with a heated tang is inserted into the slot in the bolster, the heated tang penetrating through the plastics lying in the or the first through-passage in the frame, and which on cooling adheres to the tang.

Alternatively, a blade with an integral tang may be inserted in the slot in the bolster, with the tang provided with a through-hole to register with the or the first throughpassage in the frame, whereafter, plastics material is moulded on the frame, with plastics material penetrating the or the first through-passage in the frame, and the registering hole in the tang, to provide for the positive location of the blade on the handle.

With the blade and tang being a close sliding fit in the slot in the bolster, and with the moulded plastics material butting up to the bolster, the knife of the invention retains the appearance of a traditional forged bolster construction, and the securing of the tang by the plastics material- using either of the techniques mentioned above, is such as to retain the blade on the handle during all conditions of normal usage.

To further enhance the appearance of the knife of the invention, the handle frame may be provided with a peripheral rib the extremity of which is left exposed during the moulding of the plastics material, and when the handle takes on the appearance of the form of prior art construction where scales are secured to either side of a tang with a forged bolster, and when blind rivets can be moulded into the sides of the handle, to further enhance its appearance.

The frame and integral bolster can be cast from any suitable metal, but a lightweight, high strength, aluminium alloy, is preferred.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a knife handle in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged section on the line III-III of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side elevation of the frame of the handle of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 4; and Figure 6 is a side elevation of the knife blade and tang of Figure 1.

In the drawings, a knife handle 1 has a cast frame 2 of, for example, aluminium alloy, with an integral bolster 3 on to which plastics material is moulded to form scales 4.

As is shown more particularly by Figure 4, the cast frame 2 is provided with through-passages 5 through its body through which plastics material passes during moulding, and whereby the scales 4 are secured to each other and to the cast frame. As is also shown particularly by Figures 4 and 5, the cast frame 2 has a peripheral rib 6 that is left exposed during the moulding of the plastics material to provide an effective simulation of prior art constructions where scales are separately formed and applied, and to further enhance the appearance of the handle, blind rivets 7 can be moulded into its sides during the moulding stage.

To provide for the effective securing of a knife blade 8 to the handle l, the cast frame 2 has a slot 9 extending through the integral bolster and beyond the point of the first through-passage 5, and a tang l on the blade 8 has a hole 11 positioned such that with the tang l fully inserted in the slot 9 and the blade 8 abutting the bolster 3, the end of the tang l extends beyond the first through-passage 5, and the hole 11 in the tang l is in register with the first throughpassage 5 in the frame. Thus as the plastics material is moulded on to the cast frame, plastics material passes through the through-passage 5 and the hole 11 to secure the blade 8 to the handle 1. For added security additional holes 12 and 13 in the frame and tang respectively can be provided.

Claims

1. A knife comprising a cast handle frame with an integral bolster, with at least one through-passage in the frame for plastics material moulded on the frame to form the handle, and a slot extending through the bolster and into the frame to a point beyond the through-passage, or a first said through-passage, and a knife blade with a tang, said tang being located in the slot in the bolster, and with the tang secured by the plastics material in the or the first throughpassage.

2. A knife as in Claim l, wherein the tang on the knife blade has a through-hole to register with the or the first through-passage in the frame.

3. A method of producing a knife as in Claim 1, wherein plastics material is first moulded on the frame to form the handle, and subsequently a heated tang of the blade is inserted into the slot in the bolster, the heated tang penetrating through the plastics material lying in the or the first through-passage in the frame, and on cooling the plastics material adheres to the tang.

4. A method of producing a knife as in Claim 2, wherein a tang integral with a blade is first inserted in the slot in the bolster and such that with the blade abutting the bolster, a through-hole in the tang is in register with the or the first through-passage in the frame, with plastics material penetrating the or the first through-passage in the frame and the registering through-hole in the tang.

5. A cast frame for use in the method of Claim 3 or Claim 4, comprising a body part, at least one through-passage in the body part and an integral bolster at one end of the body part, the bolster having a slot extending from its end face and into the body part to a point beyond the or the first through-passage in the body part.

6. A cast frame as in Claim 5, wherein the body part has a peripheral rib the outer edge of which is to be left exposed during the moulding of plastics material on the body part.

7. A knife substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A method of producing a knife substantially as hereinbefore described.

9. A cast frame for use in the method of Claims 3 and 4, and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.