IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRIKING,
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Wilson, Engineer, of Exeter, in the County of
Devon, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRIKING,
2
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Wilson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th December 1880.
EDWARD WILSON, Engineer, of Exeter, in the County of Devon. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR STRIKING, SCOURING, AND FLESHING LEATHER, HIDES, AND
SKINS."
My Invention relates to machines for striking, scouring, and fleshing hides or
skins in various conditions from their raw to their tanned state.
To carry my Invention into practice I support at each end upon standards one
or preferably two girders, and at about 9 inches, more or less, below these girders
is placed either a cylindrical drum fixed to a revolving shaft or a flat table of any
desirable shape resting upon rollers or wheels and capable of being turned either
between two centres or under the top centre only, which is made movable. I prefer
this top centre to be made in the form of a disc with a rubber pad underneath it,
and with or without sharp points nearly projecting through the pad. This pad or
centre may be raised to allow the hide or skin to pass under it, and is forced down
again to hold the hide or skin in position while being operated upon.
Between the girders are two grooves, one in each girder, running the whole
length of the same, and at one end of the girders is a crank shaft resting in
bearings, one on each girder. The cranked part is between the two girders, and is
turned by means of a pulley at one end of the shaft.
Supported in the grooves between the two girders are two long narrow flat strips
or plates of cast iron or other suitable material, one placed flat upon the other.
On the under side of the top plate and projecting through slots in the bottom one
are several lugs, and to each lug an arm is hung at one end with the blades,
strikers, or tools, fixed at the other end. This end is connected with the bottom
plate by a distance or connecting piece forming a toggle lever with knuckle joint
at each end. This toggle lever is made in two parts; the top part is attached to
the bottom plate, and has a hole bored through its centre fitted with a pin or stud,
which is screwed into the bottom part. At the end of the pin is a stop, which

page_text: allows a play of, say, of an inch between the two parts. Outside this lever is a
spiral spring, which forces the two parts asunder as far as the stop or pin will allow
them to go. The power of the spring is regulated by a nut and screw cut on the
outside of the upper part; thus the toggle lever is perfectly rigid under tensional
strain, but may be compressed to the extent of the play between the two parts,
and at the same time, owing to the spring, give out an elastic pressure.
A reciprocating motion is given to the top plate by a connecting rod attached to
the crank; at this end of the top plate is fixed a bell-crank with one end attached
a little distance up the connecting rod and the other end to the bottom plate also
by connecting rods. As the first named connecting rod oscillates up and down
when the machine is at work it gives a motion to the bell-crank, whereby this
motion is imparted to the bottom plate at right angles, or in other words, it is
changed from a vertical to a horizontal motion, and which bell-crank, being attached
to the bottom plate, causes the plate (relatively one to the other) to advance and
recede before the top plate has reached either end of its stroke; therefore, as the
toggle levers which connect the end of each arm with the bottom plate are caused
to advance and recede, they alternately press the tools down with an independent
and elastic pressure upon the work during the stroke and raise them up clear of
the work for the return stroke.
I sometimes prefer to have two sets of strikers, blades, or tools, upon the same
plate, pointing in either direction from the centre of the plates, so that the machine
then becomes double acting and strikes out from the centre alternately as the plates
travel in each direction.
When a cylindrical drum is used it may be necessary to press a wheel down upon
the work to prevent it from slipping. The cylinder is driven by a ratchet wheel
and pawl, the former being fixed to the shaft and the latter connected with the
crank shaft. A blank plate is placed between the pawl and the ratchet wheel. It
can be moved up or down by a handle fixed to the machine over the work, either
wholly or partially preventing the stroke of the pawl as it gears into the ratchet
wheel, so that the roller may be driven at the required speed.
I do not, however, limit the application of my Invention to this machine only,
as some of the details may be applied to various other machines to be used for the
same purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edward Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th June
1881.
EDWARD WILSON, Engineer, of Exeter, in the County of Devon. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR STRIKING, SCOURING, AND FLESHING LEATHER, HIDES, AND
SKINS."
My Invention relates to machines for striking, scouring, and fleshing hides or
skins in various conditions from their raw to their tanned state.
To carry my Invention into practice, I support at each end upon standards one
or preferably two girders, and at about 9 inches more or less below these girders is
placed either a cylindrical drum fixed to a revolving shaft or a flat table of any
desirable shape, resting upon rollers or wheels, and capable of being turned either
between two centres or under the top centre only, which is made movable. I prefer
this top centre to be made in the form of a disc with a rubber pad underneath it,
and with or without sharp points nearly projecting through the pad. This pad or
centre may be raised to allow the hide or skin to pass under it, and is forced down
again to hold the hide or skin in position while being operated upon.
Between the girders are two grooves, one in each girder, running the whole
length of the same, and at one end of the girders is a crank shaft resting in
bearings, one on each girder. The cranked part is between the two girders and is
turned by means of a pulley at one end of the shaft.
Supported in the grooves between the two girders are two long narrow flat
strips or plates of cast iron or other suitable material, one placed flat upon the
other. On the under side of the top plate and projecting through slots in the
bottom one are several lugs, and to each lug an arm is hung at one end with
the blades, strikers, or tools fixed at the other end. This end is connected with
the bottom plate by a distance or connecting piece, forming a toggle lever
with knuckle joint at each end. This toggle lever is made in two parts; the top
part is attached to the bottom plate, and has a hole bored through its centre fitted
with a pin or stud which is screwed into the bottom part. At the end of the pin
is a stop which allows a play of, say, of an inch between the two parts. Outside
this lever is a spiral spring which forces the two parts asunder as far as the stop or
pin will allow them to go. The power of the spring is regulated by a nut and
screw cut on the outside of the upper part; thus the toggle lever is perfectly rigid
under tensional strain, but may be compressed to the extent of the play between
the two parts, and at the same time, owing to the spring, give out an elastic
pressure.
A reciprocating motion is given to the top plate by a connecting rod attached to
the crank; at this end of the top plate is fixed a bell-crank with one end attached
a little distance up the connecting rod, and the other end to the bottom plate also
by connecting rods. As the first named connecting rod oscillates up and down
when the machine is at work it gives a motion to the bell-crank, whereby this
motion is imparted to the bottom plate at right angles, or in other words it is
changed from a vertical to a horizontal motion, and which bell-crank being attached
to the bottom plate, causes the plate (relatively one to the other) to advance and
recede before the top plate has reached either end of its stroke; therefore, as the
toggle levers which connect the end of each arm with the bottom plate are caused
to advance and recede, they alternately press the tools down with an independent
and elastic pressure upon the work during the stroke and raise them up clear of
work for the return stroke.
I sometimes prefer to have two sets of strikers, blades, or tools upon the same
plate, pointing in either direction from or about the centre of the plates, so that the

page_text: machine then becomes double acting and strikes out from the centre alternately
as the plates travel in each direction.
When a cylindrical drum is used it may be necessary to press a wheel down
upon the work to prevent it from slipping. The cylinder is driven by a ratchet
wheel and pawl, the former being fixed to the shaft, and the latter connected with
the crank shaft. A blank plate is placed between the pawl and the ratchet wheel.
It can be moved up or down by a handle fixed to the machine over the work,
either wholly or partially preventing the stroke of the pawl as it gears into the
ratchet wheel, so that the roller may be driven at the required speed.
I do not however limit the application of my Invention to this machine only, as
some of the details may be applied to various other machines to be used for the
same purposes.
But in order that my Invention may be more clearly understood I will proceed
to describe the same by the aid of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the machine provided with two sets of strikers, blades,
or tools, pointing in opposite directions; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of same
showing the machine as arranged when only used for striking; Fig. 3 is also a
transverse section of machine, shown as arranged with movable flat table, as pre-
ferably used for scouring and setting out, fleshing, etc.; Fig. 4 is a diagram showing
the theory of the motion; Fig. 5 is a detail of the self-contained spring pressure
toggle lever by which the pressure is put on knives, plates, or tools when doing the
work.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 I place two cast iron girders b, b, side by side on top
of two stand brackets a, a, and also connect these two stand brackets at the bottom
by a girder f, and this gives the main skeleton frame of the whole machine. The
two top girders b, b, have a groove planed out right through their length for
receiving the slipper plates S, S', shown in Figs. 2 and 4. At a certain distance
underneath the top girders I cause a wooden drum d to revolve by worm gearing,
which is driven off the main shaft m of the machine. This drum d, or, as shown
in Fig. 3, the combination of the drum d and flat table t, is capable of being lifted
up a certain distance when at work, and of being let down and held rigidly up to
a certain distance to put the goods under by means of a treadle y actuating a
rocking shaft y, on to the ends of which rocking shaft are keyed two compound
toggle levers for lifting the said drum up.
When it is necessary to use the said flat table t then I may require to put a
centre pin into top of the beforementioned drum d, Fig. 3, and in order to hold the
hide or skin firmly down I press a plate c down upon it. The bottom of this plate
is fitted with a rubber pad, and with or without sharp points, nearly projecting
through the same.
Between the girders b, b, and at one end of the same is working the cranked part
of a crank axle m, which is set in motion by means of a pulley e.
In describing Fig. 4, the main feature of this Invention, I impart the two
required different motions to the two slipper plates s and s', which are actuating the
tools used for doing the work in the following manner :-The top plate s is worked
direct from the crank-axle m by means of the connecting rod k and the stand
bracket q. This top plate has a slot 811 cut out to allow q" to recede and advance
inside it, as it is caused to do by means of the bell crank lever o and the connecting
rod q. The bottom plate s¹ is also slotted out where required in order to afford
free play to the fulcrums 7 projecting through them; the motion derived from the
manner of thus actuating the bottom plate is thus made serviceable for raising and
lowering, and for keeping the knives or tools down upon the work during the
required portion of the stroke. The curve thus described by the tools when in
motion is an elliptic curve, the underside of which runs parallel with the major
axis, and therefore also parallel with the beam. For finer adjustment of the
bottom plate s¹ and the tools worked by it, I prefer to have it made in two
halves, that is to say, right and left from q". From the Diagram, Fig. 4, it will be
seen that during the time the tools to the right of q¹¹ are down, the ones on

page_text: With
the left will be up, and vice versa, so that the work is being done alternately right
and left from the centre towards ends of the machine. When the tools are down
upon the work, the path of one will slightly lap the path of its neighbour, so that
the effect of the united action of all the tools together will appear on the leather as
having been performed by one tool. The advantage of this is obvious, viz. :-By
means of a short stroke of the machine I can make the tools cover a very large
area, which is required in the treatment of butts and various other requirements.
Although these plates could be worked, vice versa, it is not so well to do so.
regard to the knives or tools employed in this machine, these are fixed in arms or
toolholders which are suspended from and connected with the beforementioned
top plate 8 by means of fulcrums l, in Figs. 1 and 4. In order to impart an elastic
and even pressure to the said knives or tools I construct a toggle lever, as shown
in detail in Fig. 5. This toggle lever consists of the following parts:-The top
joint p screwed in and outside the bottom joint p¹ bored out hollow, the stud u
screwed into top joint, and also fitting into the hollow part of the bottom joint p¹
capable of moving freely up and down as far as a stop will permit it to do so.
A coil spring v and a nut n complete the armature of this toggle joint, which as
will be seen by these means has always stored up within itself, as it were, a readily
available, elastic, self-retained and adjustable pressure always ready to act as soon
as the machine is put in motion. I also provide a means of preventing the
knives from working on the drum when coming off the leather, and this is effected
by a snug being cast on the fulcrums 7, and the respective part of arm ? coming
into contact with this snug when the arm is on the lowest point, and thereby
prevents it from striking the beam.
To make the machine complete for certain classes of work, I attach a small
circular brush to each of the swinging arms r, which consequently similarly to the
knives will alternately be on and off the work at each revolution of the crank
axle m of the machine. When striking leather in order to prevent goods from
slipping I attach a wheel h or roller to the front girder b, which presses the leather
down upon the drum when the latter is raised to its working position.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, many other modifications being
obviously possible without any departure from the principle of construction and
use, what I claim is,-
First. A number of knives or tools at intervals one behind the other depressed
for the stroke and raised for the return stroke, part of these to operate upon the
work in one direction, and part in opposite direction, right and left towards the
ends of the machine, for the purpose specified and substantially as described.
Second. The arm carrying the tools with the reciprocating bar and self-retaining
spring pressure toggle lever.
Third. The self-retained adjustable spring pressure toggle lever.
Fourth. The combination of the drum with the flat table, for the purpose
specified.
Fifth. Holding the table and skin tightly together between two centres.
Sixth. A roller fixed in front of machine to prevent hide from slipping.
Seventh. A machine for the purpose specified, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Wilson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord 1881.
spring pressure toggle lever.
Third. The self-retained adjustable spring pressure toggle lever.
Fourth. The combination of the drum with the flat table, for the purpose
specified.
Fifth. Holding the table and skin tightly together between two centres.
Sixth. A roller fixed in front of machine to prevent hide from slipping.
Seventh. A machine for the purpose specified, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Wilson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord 1881.
EDW WILSON.
(L.S.)