-T... B Improvements in Apparatus for Cleaning and Polishing Boots, Plate, and other Articles.
Year: 1894

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
-T...
B
Improvements in Apparatus for Cleaning and Polishing Boots,
Plate, and other Articles.
I, CHARLES BELL WALKER, of Penny Bridge House, near Ulverston, in the
County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
:
The production of a machine for cleaning, boots and shoes, plate and other
articles that are capable of being cleaned on polished by the process of brushing
and the machine herein described and illustrated may be driven by steam, gas,
water, electrical or other motive power, or day hand or treadle..
Upon a suitable frame of izoo, metal, or wooth-worky is placed in bearings (6) a
horizontal shaft or spindle (a) having at one end a flywheel (a) to give momentum
and steadiness to its revolutions and next thereto and. within the bearings, a
pulley (p) to receive the belt, band, or strap, conveying the rotary, force.
1-2:
On this shaft or spindle circular brushes (d) are fixed and it is in the structure
and method of attaching these brushes to the shaft, that the novelty and peculiarity
of my invention chiefly consist..
..
The body or core of each, brush which may be of metal, wood, ebonite or other
suitable substance, is made in two parts, on the exterior of which, the bristles
inserted in wood-veneer, leather or vulcanite are fastened.
By a simple dovetailing arrangement and a lateral sliding motion, these parts
are brought together, thereby tightening themselves. upon the shaft and forming a
circular brush,. divisible, interchangeable and reversible, so that, if the brush
should become worn in one direction, the parts can be reversed; worn out brushes
can be removed and new ones substituted without other disturbance of the
machine.
For the application of blacking (or varied for different work) a box, or cistern
is attached to the machine which is automatically fed with liquid blacking.
In this cistern by the friction of the blacking brush, a covered cylinder is caused
to rotate, which taking up the blacking, transfers it evenly to the blacking-brush;
the covered cylinder bearings being provided with springs, to raise it correspondingly
with the wear of the bristles..
The blacking-brush is placed upon a separate spindle propelled at a lower speed
than the spindle which carries the cleansing, drying and polishing brushes and can
be thrown out of gear when not in use.
A modification of my invention affords an efficient machine for the brushing and
polishing of silk and felt hats.
Dated this Fifteenth day of December 1894.

page_text: vulcanite or other suitable matérial divided into two parts and an outer rimor
ringe of wood, leather or other material also divided into halves attached to the
central body or boss F. The inner or adjoining surfaces of both parts which
form the hody or boss F of the brush are cut or moulded with a dovetailfand
dovetail groove f¹ running longitudinally each surface forming a
the other and the dovetail corresponding with the groove so that terpart of
when placed
together the dovetail fon one part of the boss fits into and engages with the dovetail
groove on the other part and thus securely holds the two parts of the boss together.
The inner surfaces of the body or boss are also provided, with semi-circular
grooves fll at the centre which when the two parts are brought together form the
bore to receive the shaft. In the face of each part of the body or boss Fat each
side of the groove is cut a slot 61 611 the slot 64 being deeper than the slot 61
which engages with the key or stud b on the shaft: The dovetails and grooves are
preferably formed whilst the material is in long lengths which is afterwards cut
into lengths to form the brushes of any desired size the two parts are then brought
together upon a shaft and turned to the proper size thereon. The dovetails f and
dovetail grooves f¹ may be of either of the shapes shown in the drawings
Figs. 4 to 12.
The rim or ring e is made of two semi-circular pieces and in these the bristles e¹
are inserted in any ordinary way. These are afterwards fastened upon the body
or boss F by screws or other means the points of intersection of the different parts
being made to correspond.
To attach the brushes to the shaft one part of the brush E is first placed upon
the shaft with the shaft resting in the semi-circular groove fll and the key. b
resting in the slot 6. The other part of the brush is then placed in a similar
position on the opposite side of the shaft and by a lateral movement is, slid alpug
the shaft over the other part, the dovetails. engaging with the dovetail grooves
thus forming a complete circular brush. Next by giving the complete brush a
slight turn on the shaft in reverse of the direction of rotation the stud or key b
comes immediately between the two halves thus effectually locking the brush on
the shaft. By the reverse action the brush may be removed from the shaft.
Brushes constructed in this manner are divisible, reversible and interchangeable
and can be put on and taken off without disturbing the machine.
The brush on the secondary shaft D by which the blacking is applied to the
boots is driven at a slow speed by frictional gearing. A small wheel G covered
with leather or rubber is fixed on the primary shaft B and a large friction wheel H
is fixed on the secondary shaft D and with these two wheels gear other two
wheels 9 and h one larger than the other mounted on the intermediate axle or
carrier stud J. The larger of the two wheels g gears with the small wheel on the
main shaft B and the smaller with the large wheel on the secondary shaft D.thus
the secondary shaft D is driven from the main shaft B at a greatly reduced speed.
The axle J is carried in a movable frame or bracket K by which the wheels can
be raised into or thrown out of gear. The frame or bracket K is pivoted on a fixed
stud Land provided with an upright handle k. The wheels are held up in gear
by the spring and when not required in gear the handle k is drawn forwards until
the lever M engages with the pin m by which it is held. The friction wheels can
at any time be put into gear again by releasing the lever M.
The blacking is contained in a trough N and is applied to the brush by means of
a roller or cylinder O which rotates in the trough. The trough N is of oblong
shape and is bolted to the frame A of the machine.
Two pedestals m' one on each side form supports for the bearings of the blacking
roller which revolves in the trough N and conveys to the blacking brush a
regular supply of blacking. The roller O is caused to revolve by the impact of
the bristles upon it but with more certainty by a band or belt from the secondary
shaft to a pulley o on the spindle of the roller. Spiral springs P are coiled round
the pedestals the purpose of the springs being to raise the blacking roller O and
afford compensation for the wear of the bristles. Set screws p on the top of the

page_text: bearing covers furnish the means of adjusting the roller and brush with great
precision.
A vertical cylinder N' is the reservoir from which the trough N is fed on
pneumatic principles and can be removed at will..
Having now particularly described' and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. A machine for cleaning or polishing boots or other articles constructed with a
main or primary shaft driven at a high speed a secondary shaft in the same
horizontal line connected with and driven by the main shaft at a reduced speed by
frictional gear wheels cylindrical brushes placed on both shafts and means for
throwing the said shafts into and out of gear substantially as described.
2. In a machine for cleaning boots or other articles the combination with the
main shaft driven at a high speed and secondary shaft driven at a low speed with
cylindrical brushes thereon of the trough N for holding the blacking (or other
material) the reservoir N¹ from which the trough is fed the roller by which the
material is applied to the brush the movable journals supported on springs. P and
the adjusting screws p substantially as described.
3. A cylindrical brush constructed in halves or parts with a dovetail and dove-
tail groove in each face which when the two parts are brought together engage one
with the other and secure the parts substantially as described.
4. A cylindrical brush constructed in two parts substantially as described and
shown.
5. A machine for cleaning or polishing boots or other articles having the several
parts constructed and arranged together in combination substantially as described.
Dated this 9th day of September 1895.
-
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.