The One-Sheet Curry Comb: Cut, Slit and Fold, With No Rivet and No Waste

"On two of the sides, opposite to each other, by the aid of suitable tools and machinery teeth of a proper size are cut, extending nearly across the outer edges of these sides, but leaving a small margin, not so cut into teeth, see b, b, b, b. At the termination of these teeth, slits are made of a length equal to the height, to which it is intended to erect the teeth, above the flat body of the comb, and these slits are parallel with the sides that are not cut into teeth, see bc, bc, bc, bc." "To form the interior sets, represented in the drawing as faces, but which may be made more or less numerous as required, rows of indentations c, c, c, c are cut at proper distances, extending to within a small distance of the sides of the comb, and parallel with the external rows of teeth. At the extremities of these rows of indentations, slits are cut, parallel with the sides of the comb, and so deep as to allow the metal comprised between them to be bent up, as the end teeth were, to a proper height to make said teeth effective."

**Blank.** Mark out the blank from the notebook on 0.8 mm mild steel sheet, with the finished body, the two tooth sides, the two fold-over sides and the inner rows drawn on it. **Teeth and slits.** File teeth along the two tooth sides, leaving a small margin at each end, and cut the slits at the end of each row as long as the teeth's height. Cut the inner rows of teeth along their lines and slit their ends the same way. **Fold.** In the vise, bend the tooth sides up at right angles. Bend the other two sides up to meet them, then on round over the first bent sides, and rivet each corner. Bend the inner rows up. **Back.** Rivet a strip of flat bar across the back as the strap, run it out as a tang, and set it in a hardwood handle with epoxy. **Test.** Weigh the offcuts from the blank. Groom a horse, a dog or a rough rug with the comb.

**Andrew Hotchkiss** of Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut, received US 6,178, dated 13 March 1849. He took a piece of iron of square or rectangular shape, cut its teeth by tools and machinery, stiffened the whole with a back strap of square, lozenge, oval or other form riveted on, whose ends formed knockers, and fixed it to a handle. His claims cover making a comb's body and teeth from one sheet by cutting and bending, and the comb's whole form and combination. **Honest limits.** Hand-filed teeth and vise bends stand in for his tools and machinery. The notebook's blank is a simple layout that ignores bend allowance; its sizes are examples. Your offcuts and grooming are the result.