US272320A - Brick-tongs - Google Patents

Description

i UNITED STATES PATENT l OFFICE. l

DAVID RALSTON, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

BRICK-Tones.

SPECIFICATION forming part of `Letters Patent No. 272,320, dated February 13, 183.

Application tiled December 6, 1882. (No model.)

To all uhmntt may concern Be it known that I, DAVID RALSTON, of Troy, count) of Rensselaer, State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvetnentin Tongs for Lif'tin g B'ricks,of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to a device by which the fitter kinds of bricks, while in unburned condition and still moistfrom the mold, can be lifted and moved from one place to another. Heretot'ore this has been done by meansot'whatarecallet "pellet-boards,which are short pieces ot' board having cleats on the outer face to serve as handles. The workman takes a pollet-board in each hand, and, pressingl them against the longer edges of a brick, holds the latter between them, and can 'thus lit't and move it. Considerable trouble, however,is experienced in this operatiomfor there is liabilityot pressing the brick unequally, and this results in distorting it and putting it out of shape, which is fatal to pressed brick and other tiner qualities ot' brick. Besides, the workman has ,no certainty of getting a firm hold on the brick, and must use both hands to perform the operation. l ln a few instances it has been essayed to use boards hinged together vsomewhat after the fashion ot' tongs; but the devices suggested for the purpose have been cumbersome, unwieldy, and expensive, and havenotbeenadaptedtorindustrial'use. With a view toremoving these and other objections, I have devised brick-tongs by means ot' which the workman can handle bricks with Acelerity without danger of crushing or distorting them,

and which, at the same time, are very simple and inexpensive, and can be manipulated and used with entire ease. This device can best be explained and'understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe tongs. Fig. 2 is an end view of the tongs, showing a brick clamped between the boards, hereinafter described.

which is abouttour and one-halt' inches. When the boardsare in this position, (indicated in Fig. 2,) the ends otl the legsB above the pivot a slightly diverge, as indicated in the same gure. The upper end of each leg terminates in a hook, d, which forms a tinger-piece, and thus, when the tongs are applied to a brick and the legs are takenin the hand, by putting one iinger under each hook d, the brick can then be lifted with great facility, for the boards press evenly against the longer edges of the brick, and the tendency of the instrument, when suspended by the books d, is to cause the upper ends ot' the legs to close together, and thus to tighten the hold of the tongs on the brick.

The device, as a whole, is simple and cheap, can be readily made,and has proven entirely effective in practice. t l

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I The hereinbefore-described brick-ton gs, consistingof the boards Aand the pivoted legs B, provided with hooks or linger-pieces d, these parts being constructed and arranged together as herein shown and set forth. v

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day ot' November, 1882.

DAVID RA LsToN.

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