US2205769A - Implement handle - Google Patents

Description

E. J. SVVEETLANDA IMPLEMENT; HANDLE Filed June 28, 1937 Plusfc' abb, mute-rial 25 28 June 25, 1940.

INVENTOR 4vis Patented `iune 25,1940

1 Application .ruse 2e. naar, sean ne. icones e filiairns.

This invention relatesto grips or handles for implements of various kinds and may be used upon any tool, implement or appliance requiring a hand grip. It is applicable for golf clubs, fencg ing foils, tennis rackets, oars, paddles,A iishi'ng rods, etc., and various other types of. sporting implements, and for grips on pistols and so-called pistol grips cn the stocks of guns, as well as for various tools such as hammers, chisels, trowels, etc., and for crutch grips and the like. It may also be. used 4for bicycle or motorcycle grips, lever l handles of various kinds and thelike.-` This application is-a continuation in part of my application for United States Patent Serial No. 728,816 filed June 4,1934 for Golf club and implement handle, now Patent No. 2,121,718.

An object'of my invention is to provide an implement handle or grip (these terms are interchangeably used herein) which can be manufactured on a production basis and oiered through the usual trade channels in the form of a standardized grip for various types of implements.'

` After the purchaser obtains the type of grip suited to his particular needs, it is a simple operation for him to mold the grip to fit his hand perfectly, and after this simple operation is com- `pleted and the grip allowed to set, Vit permanently retains its shape. With my invention it i`s possible not only for the individual user to mold the grip to fit his hand perfectly, but he may, if desired, shape-the lgrip`to a round, oval or rectangular cross-section to suit his particular requirement. I A I I am aware that certain patents of yrecord illustrate means for making implementgrips that are designed to nit the hands of the user; Certain of these inventions of record describe highly technical methods, the carrying out ofwhich would require too much inconvenience or too much technical skill for. the average user, and consequently they have lnever comeinto popular use. Another type to be found in patent recordsrelates to grips which are permanently molded in the factory to approximate the shape ofthe user's` hands; but since these inventions-are produced from factory moldsof standardized forms. it is impossible to design them to exactly lit any particular users hand becausegof the great variation i in the size and form` of hands of different indi-` viduals. The present invention is notto be con i fused with either of these classesof inventions,

as no skill is required in forming the grip, and

each grip whenA formed is as individual as a plaster 'cast of a persons hand. i

invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which with the-foregoing, l be set forth in the following description where the forms of the invention which have been selected for illustration in the drawing accompanying and forming a part oi the present specicad tion are outlined in full. However, T do not confine my invention to the specinc forms set forth in the drawing and speciiication nor to the specific uses of the invention herein set forth, as it is capable of many modifications and uses which i0 are limitedonly by the scope of the appended claims.

The method of carrying out my invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein: c

Figure l represents a side elevation partially in section of a handle for a knife or similar implement made in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is across section on thev lines 2--2 of Fig. 1.` i

Figure ,3 is alongitudinal section of a handle for a hammer r similar implement showing a. metallic end piece whereby the end of the handle is protected against injury during-use or while the handle is being driven into an implement, 35 such as a hammer head. i

Figure 4 is an end view of the grip shown in Figure-3. v

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section showing onemethodv of adapting my. invention for use as a 50 golfl club grip.

Figure 6 is an end view of the golf club grip shown in Figure 5. Y l

Figure 'l shows in longitudinal section e type of grip'that may be used for fishing rods or similar 35 implements. This view shows a ethod of injecting a uid into the interior of th grip for the purpose of plasticizing same.

Referring to the drawing in detail andpartic- 4 v d ularly to Figure ,1, i is the blade of an implementl 40 such as a hunting'knife which is provided with the guard 2. The tang of the knifeextends most of the way through the interior of thc` handle as indicated by .the dotted lines'3. In manufacturingthe knife, thetang of the blade is first provided" with a. handle made'of Wood, Bakelite or othermaterial very much as an ordinary knife handle. is made except that the handle is somewhat1smalier. In Figures 1 and 2 this handle 5 is riieted to the vtang I by means of the rivets 4. 5 The forward part of the handle 6 abuts the guard 2, tofwhich it is secured by any convenient means.` and the groove in the handle receives the winding of cord orwire 8, and this secures the'leather /or other covering materials securely in place at the u front end o f the handle. Inside ofthe handle is a plasticizeable filling material Il, such as plaster of Paris, and within this body of material may be placed as many layers as desired of a reinforcing material as shown at l2. Thisl material may be any textile fabric such as cotton gauze, cheesecloth, or crinoline, or it maybe made of a flexible wire cloth such for instance as ordinary bronze flyscreen. If a textile fabric is used it may be sized-with glue or other sizing, if desired, and I prefer a fabric of open mesh construction that permits the plaster of Paris or other cement-like material used to penetrate thereinforcement. In making the grip shown in Figures 1 and 2 various procedures maybe used within the spirit of my invention. The following is one method of. producing the desired result: The cover 9 may be made of chamois or some other porous type of leather. This is cut to the proper size and stitched in such manner that it is made in the form of a bag with only one end open.' This bag is preferably turned inside out after stitching so that the seam is then on the inside. (The seams in the covering are omitted from the drawing.) If. a. fabricsuch vas crinoline` or cheese-cloth is used for reinforcing this may be cut toshape and then well loaded with dry powdered plaster of Paris or similar material. This is then rolled about a form and placed inside of the chamois bag. In this manner a layer of drypowdered plaster of Paris or similar material lies between the fabric and the wall of the bag and the layers of fabric are also separated by a layer. of the powder. The tang which has already been equipped with the handle 5 is now inserted into the bag and any remaining space in the bag completely filled with plaster of. Paris. The end of the bag is drawn into the groove around the handle 6 by means of the wire or string 6 and trimmed, and the handle is complete except for thte plasticizing operation which will be described la er.

Obviously various different techniques may be employed to carry out the objects just described. Forinstance the leather or chamois bag may be left open at both ends and the .handle inserted and the string or wire B .tightened into place while the casing is still empty. After this is done, the plasticizeable powder and reinforcing fabric may be inserted in any desirable manner, after which the end I3 of the grip may be clsed by sewing or by the use of suitable cement..

While the reinforcing material is desirable from a standpoint of strength and durability, I do not limit my invention to the use of this reinforcing material, nor the particular method in which it is applied, as the plaster or cement alone with its cover of leather will provide a satisfactory grip for certain purposes.

In the'form above described the grip' shown in Figures 1 and 2 is ready forsale and distribution. In this form the handle is approximately the size and shape of an ordinary knife vhandle although ordinarily it would be slightly larger due to the fact that the material come pacts somewhat after plasticizing.

wet leather ls son and nxlble and yields readily to whatever form is desired. Chamois in particular is capable of stretching considerably and it is therefore readily amenable to formation into any desired shape. If it is desired to make the grip flt the hand of an individual user, that person firmly squeezes the-handle after it has been thoroughly wetted and plasticized as explained, and upon so doing, he squeezes the surplus water out of the grip and at the same time leaves the exact impression of his hands upon'the surface ofthe grip.. In this condition the grip is laid aside and the plaster is allowed to set and the surplus moisture to dry out. This leaves the grip firm and rigid and in a form that exactly fits the individuals hand. Obviously, if he prefers the grip to bein round or oval form, he molds the handle accordingly. It should be noted that while the chamois or similar porous leather permits moisture to enter the interior of the grip freely to moisten the plaster, it forms an ideal filter medium and entirely prevents the v escape of any plaster during the operation.

Many variations in the shape of the grip may be made to suit the individuals taste as for instancethe end of the handle may be formed into a knob or it may be drawn out to a rounded point.

If desired, t`o meet special requirements, cotton or other textile fabric such as muslin may be substituted for the chamois but I prefer chamois on account of its extreme softness and flexibility when wet. i

l Referring to Figure 3 which represents a handle for a hammer or similar implement, the numeral 26 designates a wooden handle the outer extremity of which has been reduced in size from the shoulder 2l to the extreme end of the handle in order to provide space for the plastic material. represents holes in the handle to form secure anchorage for the plaster filling. Any method of scoring or roughening the surface maybe used. The handle is rounded oil' at the edge 22 to avoid any sharp edges bearing against the outer covering of` leather or other material 23. A groove 2| is formed in the handle to facilitate tying the -cover 23 in place. 25 represents a fabric for reinforcing the plasticizeable material and in this instance this fabric is shown immediately .adjacentthe leather covering. It may or may not befcemented to the outer cover at the option of the manufacturer. If it is desired to make the grip somewhat soft to the touch, felt may be used as reinforcing at 25, and in this event it is preferable to cement the lining, or reinforcing layer, to the outer cover'. At the end of the grip is a metal guard 26 which is held in place by the screw il'l.

As is' well known, the customary manner of i securing the head of a hammer upon the handle uniformly spaced or at random may be used,

if desired. l

Y 'I'his grip is plasticized in the manner described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 if the covering 2 3 is of porous material.- If it is desired to make Eli shaft it may be a layer of felt t2 which I prefer to attach to the shaft by means of shellac or other cement. The object of this layer is to act as a shock absorber and prevent the jar that occurs whena ball is struck from being communicated through the grip to the hands of the user. The piasticizeable material naturally adheres to the felt layer and prevents the grip from moving on the' shaft. it represents a body l of plasticizeable material such as plaster of Paris.

lli is a layer of reinforcing fabric which may be such material as cheese-cloth, crinoline or the like and dilo, is the leather outer covering which is secured to the shaft by the Winding d5 and to the cap it by the winding di. The cap tt'imay be of libre, Bakelite or other suitable material and this is provided with a threaded opening dt which is normally closed by the screw tid. At intervals along the steel shaft are apertures di to permit a fluid which. enters through the threaded opening it to reach the plasticizeable material. The layer of felt d2 acts as a lter septum between the interior of the grip which is lled with plasticizea'ble material it and the hole through the shaft of the club. Thus the water or other fluid necessary to plasticize the material il?! may pass into the annular space that is filled with plasticlzeable material but the latter cannot escape throughthe felt,l due to its filtering action. l

This gold club grip may be constructed invarious ways, a convenient method being as foi--` lows: The grip portion of the shaft iscoated with shellac and spirally wound with the layer oi felt d2- and ,the shellac allowed to dry. The reinforcing fabric dt and the leather covering ida are formed together on a conical mandrel.

'.ilhis may be done by first placing the layer of fabric on the mandrel and sewing or cementing the edges together; then the leather cover which has previously been cut to sizel ls formed to shape on the conical mandrel on top of the fabric. The leather cover may be made with a 'longitudinally stitched seam or the edges of the leather may be skived and cemented together upon the conical mandrel ontop of the fabric reinforcement. The fabric reinforcement and leather are removed from the mandrel together and slipped over the lsmall end of the shaft before the head has. been attached. The leather is then tied to the shaft as shown at it leaving .the upper end of the conical leather cover open. f The plasticizeable powder such as plaster of Paris is not packed into the cover tornll the removed and a source of water under pressure ls This is done by the ultimate user of ytheV connected with the threaded aperture 4t. Water is forced into the space t2 through perforations di and through the layer of felt l2 to moisten the body of plasticizeable material (plaster of Paris) d3. A few pin holes 53 may be placed in the leather cover'dila to permit the escape of air, if necessary. After the necessary amount of Water has entered, the entire grip is kneaded and worlred in the hands `preferably while the aperture till is still connected with the source of water supply. In this manner the plaster is uniformly plasticized and at the same time the.

leather is naturally softened by the effect ofthe water. The handle is nowdisconnected from the *3 .source of water supply and the owner of the club impresses his grip into the handle which squeezes out the surplus water through felt tid,

holes di and till after which it is allowed to dry and the screw d@ is replaced. The finished club l now bears the impression of the owners hands and enables him to hold it securely, and always to grip it in the same manner.

An alternate method of making golf club grips which gives highly satisfactory results is by -using chamois or other porous leather for the cover ddd in which event the perforations di, the threaded aperture tit and the screw it may be omitted. Under this procedure the grip ls plasticized by penetration of the water through 4the y porous cover and the procedure issimilar to that described in connection with Figure l. In Figure 5 the sectional view illustrates the golf club gripas it is constructed prior to impressing the form of the users hand. It should be understood that While the body of material it is in plastic or semi-fluid condition it is quite mobile and the operator can cause it to flow in any manner desired within the confines of the cover fida.

vlThis cover possesses a certain degreeof elasticity and it is therefore possible for the opererator to form bulges or depressions to satisfy his taste. For instance if he puts a, considerable pressure with his hands on the upper end-of the grip, the plastic material tends to now toward the other end and to enlarge that portion and the reverse operation may be performed with equal convenience, but in anyevent the plastic or semieuid material is always confined ,by the permanent cover dta which forms the wearing surface of the completed handle and which is at all times during the plasticizing operation held firmly inv place by the windings dii and et?. Even though the coverA @da is sumcient-ly porous (such as chamois) to allow the escape of moisture while the grip is being formed, it positively confines the plastic material to the interior of the grip; thus it not only prevents the loss of material but it 'maires the operation a neat and cleanly one.

The grip illustrated in Figurev 'lmay be used for various purposesl AIt comprises a shaft di which has a shanlrtZ` turned to a ieduceddiamy eter. and' surrounding this shaft are a plurality of layers of reinforcing' fabric t3 between the layers'of which is the body of plaster ofPiaris or. othersimilar material 6d. The cover of leather or other material tb is tied in the'grooves td `as shown at lili.' In thiscase iti-is assumed that `the cover t6 is made of a non-porous type of leather or it may be made of rubber `or any nexible sheet material. ln this modification the plaster within the grip is wetted by means of a hypodermic needle B8 which penetrates the cover and any suitable form of gun" or syringe as dit tol

indicated at i8 may be used for injecting the 75 uuid.l 'rms modification is designed for grips' where it is not practical to use a porous material While I have repeatedly referred to plaster- 'of Paris as the plasticizeable lling material within the grip and while this material furnishes highly satisfactory results, I do not limit myself to this material. Other forms of cement that plasticize when brought in contact with a liquid and afterwards set or harden may be used. Included among these are various types of socalled artificial stone used in dental laboratories,

cements with a magnesium base, Portland cement, etc., and these and similar materials may be used alone or in conjunction with other materials that tend to affect the hardness of the finished product, the length of` time required to set, etc. However, plaster of Paris gives entirely satisfactory results and I may use in conjunction with it any chemical or other,A material known in the arts that has to do with the duration `of setting, the hardness or gravity ot the finished product, etc. 4

An example of another type of lling material that may be used in the grip is a mixture of ground wood with cellulose nitrate or acetate, Pyroxilin, Vinylite or any of the various plastics that are used in the arts and which when in powdered or granular form become plastic when brought in contact with a solvent such as acetone. Such a mixture as ground wodcr kieselguhr'when mixed with a pulverized plastic such vas cellulose acetate or Vinylite may be v used to f advantage where extreme lightness of the grip is desired. If such a composition as this is used in the golf club grip as illustrated -ln Fig. 5, then 43 would represent 'the mixture of ground wood with the plastic, and when desired to mold the grip into lorm the screw l! would be removed and acetone or other softening agent would be injected through the holes 48 and 5I into the interior'of the grip which would be kneaded until uniformly plasticized, after which the impression'of the hands would be made and the solvent allowed to evaporate. If such a compound were used in the grip illustrated in Figure 'l this material would be represented by the numeral 64 and the acetone or other softening materialjwould be injected through the'needle 68. The reinforcing mate- .rial 63, if desired, could be omitted when this procedure is used.

My invention is not based upon the precise nature of the plasticizeable material used as a ller. Any suitable cement or plastic known in the arts which is softened or plasticized by contact with a suitable fluid Aand whichv afterwards hardens or "sets due to the action oi' the fluid upon the plasticizeablematerial, comes within the scope of my invention when used in substantially the manner set forth inthe foregoing speci- `iication and inthe following claims, although I prefer a water-hardened cement, such as plaster of Paris,A due to the greater simplicity and ease of manipulation.

Throughout the following claims the term lplasticizeable is intended to mean capable of being plasticized.

Where the term fluid-hardening cement" is used in the following claims it is intended to mean a cement material that is caused to solidify and harden when subjected to the action of a fluid. Typical examples of materials coming within the scope of this dennition are plaster of Paris and Portland cement which are acted upon by water; `or cellulose acetate in comminuted form which is caused to agglomerate and harden` by the action of acetone.

1 An implement handle comprising a corev member; la body of fluid-hardening cement surrounding said core member; an envelope of flexible material surrounding said core member and cement; means for securing said envelope to said implement handle to retain said cement within said envelope; an aperture leading from the exterior of said implement handle to said body of cement. y Y

2. An implement handle comprising a core member; a body of Huid-hardening cement surrounding said core member; an envelope of, iexible material surrounding said core member and cement; reinforcing material interposed between said core member and said envelope; means for securing said envelope to said implement handle to retain said cement and reinforcing material within said envelope; aperture means forming communication between the exterior o! said handle and said body of cement and reinforcing material for admitting` a fluid into said body of cement. .3. An implement handle comprising a hollow coremember; a body of fluid-hardening cement surrounding said core member; an envelope of flexible material surrounding said core member and cement; means for securing said :envelope to said implement handle to retain said cement within said envelope; alayer of porous material surrounding said hollow core member 'and separating same 'from said body of cement; apertures forming communication between the interior of said core member and said layer of porous material; an aperture leading from the exterior of said ,handle by way of the interior oi' said core member whereby a uid may be caused to enter said core member and pass through its surrounding layer of porous material to cause' said cement to harden.

4. An implement grip comprising a rigid handle handle; a body of dry comminuted iluid-hardy ening cement surrounding said core member and.

enclosed within said envelope; means for admitting a uid to the linterior of said envelope to nlasticize and then harden said cement.

' ERNEST J. SWEETLAND.

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