IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BOOTS AND SHOES, WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR CLEANING KNIVES, FORKS, PLATE, & OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Henry Ellis at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th May
1861.
I, GEORGE HENRY ELLIS, of New Malton, in the County of York, Iron-
monger, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BOOTS AND SHOES, WHICH ARE ALSO APPLICABLE
FOR CLEANING KNIVES, FORKS, PLATE, & OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
In constructing my improved apparatus for cleaning boots and shoes, I
employ brushes of a cylindrical form, usually about six inches diameter and two
and a half inches wide on the surface, but any other size may be used. These
brushes are made with a solid body of wood, iron, gutta percha, or any suitable
material and surrounded with bristles of suitable degrees of hardness. The
bristles are made fast in the solid body of the brush or are put into segmental
or annular bodies or surfaces, and these are fitted upon the solid body in a
manner which will allow of their being removed or adjusted without displacing -
the other portion or central body of the brush. I dispose these brushes upon
a long spindle at distances of about six inches apart, by which means I secure.
the necessary freedom for the application of the articles to be cleaned, & also
the means of obtaining a reciprocal frictional action upon the boots or shoes, by
allowing the operator to move them freely in a rapidly alternating crosswise
direction. The brushes are so fitted to the spindle as to be readily removed or
exchanged for others when required. Between any two brushes I dispose a

page_text: The
thin brush of similar form, having very short or stiff bristles for the removal of
the thick dirt which usually adheres to the lower portion of boots and shoes.
The diameter of this brush is much less than that of the others, so as not to
interfere with the working spaces between them, or it may be disposed at
similar distances from all the others and be of like diameter. I mount the brush
spindle in bearing centres, by which means its rotation is attended with little
friction, while it is easily removed from its position when required for dis-
placing or putting on brushes by screwing back the bearing centre.
bearings of the lower or main axle having the fly-wheel I prefer to be made of
wood in order to secure an easy and noiseless action, or they may be centres
similar to the brush spindle. I employ, for the purpose of receiving the
spindle containing the bushes and the driving gear, a frame presenting some-
what the appearance of an ordinary table. This frame is so arranged as to be
available as a table for the usual domestic purposes when the apparatus is not
in use, and to afford facilities for holding the articles which are in course of
being cleaned. The brush spindle is placed immediately under the front of the
table top, and is driven by a band from a fly-wheel on a crank axis below,
to which the operator gives motion by means of two cranks & treadles.
The driving band, instead of passing at the front part direct from the pulley of
the wheel, is deflected backwards over a stud pulley, thus conducting it out of
the way of the operator, and affording him more room and facilities of manipu-
Jation, besides which, the axis of the pulley can be disposed on a slide, or
otherwise rendered movable and weighted so as to be available as a tightening
pulley for it.
I further provide a shelf and back piece underneath the table
top, which conjointly serve to cover the brushes except at the front, in order
to prevent the dirt which is brushed from the boots from being scattered about.
This shelf is not immediately underneath the brushes, but for the most part is
in the rear thereof, in order that perfect freedom of manipulation may be
afforded to the operator, while it receives all the dirt which is brushed from
the boots. In order more completely to cover the brushes and to prevent the
dirt and blacking from rising and being scattered about, I sometimes make
narrow slides which are fitted immediately over or under the brushes, and
capable of being drawn in and out, and this more or less cover or uncover and
regulate the protection afforded to each brush. In some machines I mount
two spindles containing brushes, and drive them in manner before described
from the same crank axle, but disposing thereon two band fly-wheels (one on
either end), and apply two sets of treadles to the same cranks whereby to
drive the two spindles. If it is desired to use only one spindle & set of brushes

page_text: the band of the other is simply thrown off, the single one remaining free for
use; thus the machine is arranged to render double duty by the addition of
another spindle band wheel and set of treadles only. The same band wheel
with two grooves may be made to answer the purpose, but I prefer to use two,
as the band is kept to the left of each operator sitting or standing face to face.
The treadles are hinged at the heel, and the connecting rods attached to the
cranks are at the toe, as by this means a much easier movement is obtained
than by any other.
The manner of fixing and moving the brushes before described does not
apply to the blacking brush, as that is disposed on a separate axis, and
suspended from a bar or joint immediately under the table top in the same line
or plane as the other brushes, or it is placed between two arms or rests having
elongated holes for the ends of the axis to move in, thus allowing the brush to
move slightly to and fro. Just behind this brush I dispose a vessel suitable
for containing liquid blacking, in which is a roller or revolving pad covered on
the surface with felt or other absorbent body. At the outside of this vessel and
upon the same axis as the blacking roller, I dispose a small pulley with a band
running over another small pulley fixed upon the crank axis below, by which
means the notion of the machine causes the blacking roller to rotate very
slowly, and the operator bringing his boot or shoe in contact with the blacking
brush, throws it slightly backward against the blacking roller, which instantly
communicates motion thereto. The blacking. brush is stationary while the
others are in rapid motion, until the article to be blacked is pressed against it,
when it immediately begins to rotate, and receiving a supply of blacking from
the roller behind (which is partially immersed therein), applies it to the boot
or shoe without any adjustment or trouble to the operator. The cord which
communicates motion to the blacking roller is crossed in its course to the pulley
on the crank axis, in order that the motion of the blacking brush may be in
the same direction as the other brushes. The blacking brush is so disposed as
to be readily removed when required for pouring the blacking into the trough
behind. Instead of mounting, driving, and applying blacking to the brush as
just described, the brush may be disposed on the same spindle as the.dirt &
polishing brushes, and partake of the same motion, or it may be disposed
loosely on the same or a separate spindle, and be driven slowly and separately
by means of a pulley attached to it, and a cord running over a small pulley ou
the crank axis below. On this plan I should dispose a blacking trough and
roller similar to the one just described immediately behind the brush, and
provide a small lever, rod, or other suitable means of bringing the blacking

page_text: roller into contact with the brush. This could be done occasionally as might
be required, or the roller might be fixed during the whole of the operation in
a position of sight contact with the brush so as to maintain a constant supply
of blacking without any adjustment or attention. By another arrangement
the blacking may be disposed in a reservoir above the brush and allowed to drip
upon it, the aperture through which it dips being furnished with a slide or tap
to regulate the supply. I sometimes employ a receiver or dish placed behind
and under the blacking brush to receive any superfluous blacking which may
be cast from the brush. I usually employ a fly-wheel of about twenty-four
inches diameter, and a pulley on the spind e, which con ains the dirt and
polishing brushes of about four inches, but for driving the blacking brush the
speed is not increased from the main axle.
I sometimes propose to construct an apparatus for cleaning boots and shoes
by mounting circular brushes or cleaning surfaces on the crank axis, and so
dispensing with use of driving bands. For this arrangement the brushes
should be about twenty inches diameter and about three inches wide on the
surface. In this case I invariably use surfaces made in an annular form or in
segments as before described, and fitted in a readily movable manner upon
the central portion or body of the brush which is fixed upon the crank axis.
Instead of the brush being cylindrical I sometimes make it of a V or angular
form, the one side of the V, for instance, being adapted for the dirt brush, and
the other side of the V as the polishing brush, the blacking being applied by
hand.
For cleaning knives, forks, plate, & other articles, the arrangement of the
apparatus is precisely similar to what has been before described, but in lieu of
the shoe brushes I propose to use wheels having leather, india-rubber, or other
suitable surfaces, which are fitted upon the same spindle or spindles or crank
axis, as will be readily understood. The surfaces of these wheels may be
made permanently fast to the central bodies thereof, or they may be composed
of annular or segmental portions, and fitted upon the central bodies in a readily
movable manner, as herein-before described. For these purposes I further
employ a vessel or reservoir for containing knife or plate powder disposed
behind or under the cleaning buffers or wheels, having similar or other suitable
means of bringing the powder in contact therewith, or the reservoir may be
constructed so as nearly to surround the buffers or wheels, which would thus
be in continual contact with the plate or knife powder without any secondary
means of application.
By another arrangement I mount a single wheel upon a crank axle, having

page_text: its surface constructed in manner aforesaid, and disposed in a covered frame or
casing which completely covers it except in one place, where facility is required
for applying the article to be cleaned. The knife or plate powder is intro-
duced at the top, and by the motion of the wheel distributed along its surface,
motion is communicated to the wheel by one or two cranks and treadles.
I sometimes attach a seat or seats to the apparatus, which are supported on
two legs having two arms or rods jointed to the lower portions of the frame sides
so that it will fold under the shelf or table top when not in use.