US74697A - William kenyon - Google Patents

Description

@[nitrh glam jz iatrnt @ffirti WILLIAM KENYON, Jl'l., OF STEUBENVILLE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HENRY K. KENYON.

Letters Patent No. 74,697, dated February 18, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN PIPE-TONGS;

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN;

Be it known that I, WILLIAM KENYON, din, of Steuhenville, in the count-y of Jefferson, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pipe-Tongs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, cleanand exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making a part of this specification, in whichv i Figures 1, 2, and 3 are side views of my improved pipe-tongs, and illustrative of their operation in griping pipe of different diameters; and l i Etigure is a perspective view of the same.

like letters of reference indicate like parts in each. I

My invention consists in constructinga pipe-wrench or gas-tongs of a swinging head or jaw, having two operative faces forming about a right angle at their point of union, in combination with a ,cam-head at the extremity of the handle of the wrench, of such eccentric shape, and so pivoted tothe jaw (or the jaw toit) as that the wrench will grasp pipescor cylinders of different diameters, and i that the point of contact of the' cam with the article grasped shall be in or near a right line passing from the pivot of the cam-head to the angle of thefaces of the jaw, and through the centre of the cylinder, no matter what may be the diameter of the cylinder held in the tongs. t

To enable others skilled in the art to construct my improved pipe-tongs, I will proceed to explain my invention more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings. i

The use of a hooked jaw, attached by a pivot to a wrench having'a straight or even slightly curved face,

is a-well-known device in the construction'of pipe-tongs, and I do not wish too be understood as claiming such devices in themselvesconsidered. The peculiar feature of my improvement consists in the angular shape of the loosejaw, which gives a bearing ontwo different points of the circumference of the cylinder to be grasped, and

the peculiar curve given to the cam-head of wrench, in relation to its centre onpivot on which the loose jawis hung, which curve is such that no matter how far the wrench may be open, the point of contact, and pressure of the cam against the face of the pipe or cylinder in its grasp shall not only be opposite to both-the faces of the jaw, but shall lie in or near to the right line passing from the pivot of the jaw through the centre of the cylinder or pipe. By thismeans not only is the pipe or cylinder-held'firmly, but the pressure on the pipe or cylinder bears in'all directions, from the three points of its contact with the wrench towards the centre of the pipe or cylinder. All the force applied to the wrench operates simply to grasp and hold it, whereas in pipe-wrenches of any ordinary construction, this eflect is produced only on a cylindrical body ofia particular diameterto which I the wrench is specially adapted, while on pipes or cylinders'of either larger or smaller diameter, the pressure of the head of the wrench not being properly directed, has a tendency to crush the pipe, or makesit more liable to slip away from the wrench as it presses it either inwards or outwards.

' In the drawing, 6 is the handle of the wrench or tongs, the upper end or head of which is enlarged so as to form a cam, the size of which depends on the range or diameter'of pipe which the tongs aredesigned to grasp, and the shape and eccentricity of its curve is regulated as hereinafter described. A hook his jaw, OZ,

which may be made of two pieces riveted together at c, (as seen 'in fig. 4,)is pivoted to the neckof the eccentric-' head a at c, as near to the curved face of the head a as the strength of the material will admit. The inner faces of the jaw orhook'd are two, of which one, 8, may be curved,tand the other, .9, straight. These facess s.

are inclined towards each other, so as to meet and form an angle at t, the most suitable angle being about ninety degrees. The curve of the eccentric-head adepends on the relative position of the pivot c, by which the jawd is attached to the head, and the angle t of the hook or jaw; this curve-heing'such that the distance from the pivot c to the extremity a," of the head a is nearly equal to the distance from the pivot c tofthe angle 15 of the jaw, (so as to enable the wrench to grasp'the smallest diameter of pipe or cylinder and the distance from the pivot c to the neck a of the wrench-heada is the smallest possible, (so as to enable the wrench to grasp cylinders or pipe o a-diameter nearly equal to the distance from c to' t,') and the length oi radii from the pivot c to'the circumference of' the eccentric-head a is gradually diminished from c x, the largest radius, to c v, the smallest radius. The effect of such a construction and position of the curved head, is, that in whatever position the hook 02 may be placed relatively to the head a, if a right linebc drawn, (as the dotted line in figs. 1 to 3,) from the 'pivot c to the angle tof the hook, such right line (which indicatesthe direction of pressure of the cam-head a on the pipe-or cylinder e held in the grasp of the tongs,) will pass through or near to the centre of such pipe or cylinder. Usually I slot or bifurcate the hook 01 throughout nearly-or quite its whole extent, and allow the head a, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to play in such slot or bifurcation; .or, as shown in the drawing,,I make the hook at of two parts, d d", (fig'..4,) the parts or halves operating'on opposite sides of' the head a, and connected therewith, and with each other, by one or more rivets cand postsa. The working-faces of either hook or head, or of both, ma y, and one of them should, be slightly serrated or roughened, so as'to enable the jaws a and d to hold a secure bite or grasp, when applied to a smooth cylindrical object for the purposes named.

The devices described ,are very simple of operation. The pipete .to begturned, or held against turning, encompassed by or' grasped between the head a and jaw d. A firm gripe is secured by a slight backward force -exerted by the handle 6 on the rivet 0, though but little such force, if any, will generally be required. The

tongs should be placed on the pipe e withthe open sideof thejaw d on the side toward which the handle 6 is to be turned in order to turn the pipe, or toward which the force is to be exerted, if it be desired to hold the pipe against turning.

While not limiting myself to the exact shape of the hookid shown iu the drawing,I find it better, in order 7 to adapt my tongs for use withpipe of different sizes, to make the inner face of the hook d with'one curved face 8, and one straight-face s, the object being, by the use ofsuch a' jaw and eccentric-head a, to get three bearing-surfaces against the face of the pipe, each pressiug'tdwards-the centre of the pipe or cylinder, no matter what may be the diameterpf the pipegrasped by the tongs,'as'shown in figs 1 to 3, andsuch construction of hook I'claim as myinventiom' v I Y If-desirable, the shape of the devices described may .be' varied by making a double or bifurcated head a, and hingiug betweenits divided halves a single hook, cl. The mode of operation would remain the same.

I claim, in addition to the advantages before stated, that my gas-tongs are simpler and cheaper in constructionthan those in ordinary use; also that they are lighter and more durable that they are seif-atlju'sting,.and are adapted without alteration and adjustment to being used with-pipe of varied sizes, so much so that a single pairof tongs so constructed, will enable a plumber-to joint and unjoint, with equal ease and rapidity,- any and all sizes and diameters of gas-pipe in ordinary use. I The tongs described are also useful for catching circular bolt-heads, cylindrical rods or bare,'and other similar objects.

Having described my improvement, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- The combination of the bifurcated movablejaw d, with the-eccentric cam-head a, at the end of the handle of a pipe-wrench, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbel'ore described.

In testimony whereof, I, the said WILLIAM KENYON, J12, have hereunto set my hand WILLIAM KENYON, JR,

Witnesses:

R. C. HOFFMAN, R'oBnxr'MARrm.

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