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The Bearing-Block Can Opener: Lean on the Wall, Not on the Contents
Pressing on a full can's top to cut it forces the contents up through the cut.
Guy C. Humphries of Washington, D.C., received US 84,122, dated 17 November 1868, for a can and box opener in which a knife-and-handle lever turns on a fulcrum pin through a hinged bearing block whose two faces rest on the can's outside wall; the knife cuts as it rises, and "the pressure at all times being against the outside wall of the can, avoiding the pressing out of the contents."
This rung shows where the cutting force goes, then builds the lever and bearing block and opens a full can.
Intermediate
About 3 hours
Instructions
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1
Where the force goes
Where the force goes
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2
A fulcrum on the top before it
A fulcrum on the top before it
The embedded blueprint rests its shoulders on the can's top as the fulcrum. Humphries moves the fulcrum to a block on the outside wall.
3
3
Read US 84,122
Read US 84,122
"When a can or box is to be opened, the point of the knife is driven (vertically) through the top, near to one side, as shown in figs. 1 and 2, until the bearing-block C rests on the outside wall of the vessel. The handle is then depressed, causing the knife to cut as it rises, as shown by dotted and broken lines. The handle is now elevated, and slid along on the top of the vessel, preparatory to a renewal of the cutting-operation, keeping the knife-edge against its kerf."
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4
Make the knife and handle
Make the knife and handle
Cut 170 mm of 25 × 3 mm flat bar. Shape the last 30 mm into a pointed knife with a cutting edge on its upper side, and twist it to stand on edge. Drill a 5 mm hole 20 mm behind the point.
Materials for this step:
Mild Steel Flat Bar1 pieceTools needed:
Hacksaw
Bench Vise
Files (Hand File)
Whetstone
Cordless Drill
Drill Bit Set
Clear Safety Glasses5
5
Make the bearing block
Make the bearing block
Cut a hardwood block 18 × 30 × 22 mm. Saw a slot down it for the knife, file a concave face with sharp corners on its underside, and drill it across for the pin.
Materials for this step:
Hardwood Block1 pieceTools needed:
Coping SawFiles (Hand File)Cordless DrillDrill Bit SetBench Vise6
6
Hinge them
Hinge them
Pass an M5 screw through the block and knife with a washer each side and a nut, loose enough for the block to swing.
Materials for this step:
Machine Screws1 piece
Flat Washer1 piece
Hex Nut1 pieceTools needed:
Adjustable Spanner7
7
The patent drawing
The patent drawing
US 84,122 drawing sheet, public domain (expired patent).
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8
Open a full can
Open a full can
Stand a sealed, full can of food on the kitchen scale. Drive the knife in near the edge until the block rests on the wall, cut, slide and cut again round the top; watch for liquid at the cut and read the peak load.
Materials for this step:
Tin Can1 pieceTools needed:
Digital Kitchen Scale
Stopwatch
Leather Work Gloves9
9
A block that slips, a knife that sticks
A block that slips, a knife that sticks
Bearing-block can opener troubleshooting.
Flow
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10
History and honest limits
History and honest limits
**Guy C. Humphries** of Washington, D.C., received US 84,122, dated 17 November 1868. The fulcrum pin passes loosely through the block and is riveted so the block cannot come off; the fulcrum is midway between the block's two outside edges, preventing slip. The blade may be single or double, edged on one or both sides, for right or left hand. He did not claim a rotary block with a continuous face, nor a stationary block.
**Honest limits.** A hardwood block stands in for his metal one, and a screw for his riveted pin. Your loads are the result.
Materials
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Tools Required
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