Improvements in Apparatus for the Application of Paint and similar Coatings.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July, 1899-Accepted, 26th Aug., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Application of Paint
and similar Coatings.
We, JOHN HENRY DAVIS, of 523, Austin Avenue, Electrician, LORENZO L.
MERRIMAN, of 1723, Roscoe Street, Merchant, ALBERT EDWARD JESSURUN, of
Granada Hotel, Merchant, and WILLIAM RICHARD RUMMLER, of 84, Madison Street,
Attorney at Law, all of the City of Chicago, County of Cook, and State of
Illinois, one of the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
--
Our invention relates to the method and apparatus for painting, described in
our Letters Patent, No. 2,719, dated February 7th, 1899, and has particular
reference to the means for feeding the paint upon the supporting liquid.
The main objects of our present invention are to provide for applying a coating
of mottled or variegated color or design, and to provide improved means for
inducing and regulating the flow of the supporting liquid.
We accomplish these objects by the device illustrated in the accompanying
drawing, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a top plan of an apparatus constructed according to our invention:
Fig. 2 is an elevation of same, partly in section; Fig. 3 is a detail partly sectional
view of one of the pots 18; Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the wheel 22 showing its
connection to the frame 23, and the wheels 21, omitting the two front wheels 21
shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the partition 4 and slide 31
in vertical section; Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the fan 8 and parts
adjoining same in vertical section shown in Fig. 2.
The apparatus shown consists of the tank 1 with the partitions therein; the
fan or pumping apparatus 8; and the paint or pigment feeding or distributing
apparatus comprising the parts 13 to 25 inclusive.
The tank 1 is divided by the false bottom 2, and the partition 4, into compart-
ments b, c, and d, communicating through the ports 26, 29, and 30. The com-
partments c and d together form an auxiliary compartment through which the
supporting liquid is carried so as to induce a current of same in the main com-
partment b.
The fan 8 is located in the port or sleeve 29 and is rigid on the shaft 7 which
is journalled in the frame 23 and in the bearing 9. The frame 23 is rigid on
the tank.
The shaft 7 has a pulley 12 rigidly mounted thereon which through the belt 34,
connecting with suitable power, drives the shaft 7, and operates the fan 8 so
as to pump the paint supporting fluid from the compartment c through the com-
partments & and b.
The surface line of the supporting fluid, is represented by a.
The flow through the ports 30 is regulated by the slide 31, which has ports 32
therein normally registering with the ports 30.
The slide 31 operates in the guides 5 and is raised or lowered by the thumb-
screws 6 which are seated in the members 33 secured to the upper end of the

page_text: slide 31, and rest upon the top of the partition 4. The slide 31 is a flat piece
held against the partition 4 by the guides 5 and perforated uniformly with the
partition 4. By turning the screws 6, the slide may be raised so that the ports
or perforations 32 in same will only partly overlap the perforations 30 in the
partition, and thus permit but little flow of the liquid through same.
A pulley 13 is rigidly mounted on the shaft 7, and through the pulley 15
which is rigid on the shaft 16, revolves the frame 17 which is also rigid on the
shaft 16.
The shaft 16 is journalled in the frame 23.
The frame 17 consists of an upper and lower platform both rigidly mounted on
the shaft 16. Between said platforms, said frame supports a series of pots or
vessels 18 for holding different paints or pigments. Each of these has a face-
plate 37 rigidly secured to the bottom, and is removably held in proper place on
the frame 17 by means of a cock 24 threaded into the face-plate. A tapering
tube 25 is threaded to each cock 24.
The pots have removable covers 36, and have therein the paddles or stirrers 20.
Each stirrer 20 is rigidly secured to a shaft 19 which is slidingly journalled
in a bearing 35 in the upper part of the frame 17. A gear wheel 21 is rigidly
mounted on the upper end of each shaft 19 and meshes with a central gear wheel 22
which is rigidly fastened to the frame 23.
When the frame 17 is revolved, the gear wheel 22, will, through the wheels 21
and shafts 19, revolve the stirrers 20.
To remove the pots 18, the cock 24 is first unscrewed and the shaft 19 is then
raised in its bearing 35 until the stirrer 20 is above the pot. The latter may
then be replaced by another pot containing a different pigment.
The compartment b is divided by transverse partitions 3, 27, and 28, extending
part way across the tank and alternating so as to give the current of liquid a
winding direction. These partitions extend up nearly to the surface of the
supporting liquid.
The purpose of causing the winding current, is to more thoroughly intermingle
the different pigments that are fed upon the supporting fluid from the pots 18.
The end of the tank toward the port 26 is free from these partitions for a
considerable distance; this being the end where the articles to be painted are
dipped or brought in contact with the film of paint formed on the surface of the
supporting fluid.
A steam pipe 10 is preferably provided in the bottom of the tank, controlled by
the valve 11, for heating the fluid to about the desired temperature.
We have obtained the best results by keeping the fluid at a temperature of
about 98° F.
The speed of the current will be controlled both by the speed at which the fan-
pump 8 is driven and by the slide 31.
If too much paint accumulates in the tank toward the dipping end, being the
end of the tank at the left-hand side of the drawings, the pump or fan 8 may be
reversed for a time until this condition is remedied.
In general the operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
The pots 18 are first supplied with paint in liquid form. The power is then
applied through the belt 34, operating the fan 8 through the shaft thus causing
a flow of the liquid upwardly through the port 29 and thence through the ports 32
and 30. A surface current is thus caused in the tank in a direction away from the
partition 4. At the same time the frame 17 is revolved with its shaft 16, through
the pulleys 15 and 13. The rotation of the frame 17 causes an independent
rotation of the stirrers 20 through the gear wheels 21 and 22: The paint flows
through the tubes 25 and through their rotation is scattered in drops upon the
surface of the flowing supporting liquid.
The film of paint formed upon the surface of the supporting liquid is carried
toward the end of the tank opposite the paint feeding device, and the articles to 5
be coated are there brought in contact with said film. The part of the film

page_text: removed as a coating by the articles treated is replaced by that at the rear, the
same being steadily advanced through the flow of the supporting liquid.
It is plain that the effect of scattering paints of different colors by uniform
motion upon the surface of a supporting liquid having a winding or swirling
current, will be the formation of a film or coating which will be mottled
variegated throughout, but of the same general character.
or
The general character and design of the coatings will be controlled by the
speed of the current, the speed at which the pots rotate or travel with the
frame 17, and by the size of the drops of paint leaving the pots. The latter are
controlled both by the operation of the cocks 24, and the size of the tubes 25.
The latter can be replaced by others of different sizes.
It will be plain that a different form of pump may be substituted for the
fan-pump 8, and that the form of tank and form of paint feeding device may be
altered in numerous ways without departing from the spirit of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. An apparatus for applying paint and similar coatings, comprising a tank
for containing the supporting liquid; a traveling feeder at one end of the tank
adapted to contain and distribute the paint upon the supporting liquid; and
means adapted to induce a current in said liquid toward the other end of the
tank.
2. An apparatus for applying paint and similar coatings, comprising a tank for
containing the supporting liquid; a traveling feeder at one end of the tank
carrying a plurality of receptacles adapted to contain different paints, and distri-
bute same upon the supporting liquid; and means adapted to induce a
current in said liquid toward the other end of the tank.
3. An apparatus for applying paint and similar coatings, comprising a tank
for containing the supporting liquid; a revolving feeder at one end of the tank
adapted to contain and distribute the paint upon the supporting liquid; and
means adapted to induce a current in said liquid toward the other end of said
tank.
4. An apparatus for applying paints and similar coatings, comprising a tank
for containing the supporting liquid; and of suitable form for guiding the
supporting liquid in a winding current; a traveling feeder at one end of the
tank adapted to contain and distribute the paint upon the supporting liquid; and
means adapted to induce a current in said liquid toward the other end of the tank.
5. An apparatus for applying paint and similar coatings, comprising a tank
for containing the supporting liquid; and of a suitable form for guiding the sup-
porting liquid in a winding current; a traveling feeder at one end of the tank
carrying a plurality of receptacles adapted to contain different paints, and dis-
tribute same upon the supporting liquid; and means adapted to induce a current
in said liquid toward the other end of the tank.
6. An apparatus for applying paint and similar coatings, comprising a tank
for containing the supporting liquid; and of a suitable form for guiding the sup-
porting liquid in a winding current: a revolving feeder at one end of the tank
adapted to contain and distribute the paint upon the supporting liquid; and means
adapted to induce a current in said liquid toward the other end of the tank.
7. An apparatus for applying paint and similar coatings comprising a tank for
containing the supporting liquid; and of a suitable form for guiding the sup-
porting liquid in a winding current: a revolving feeder at one end of the tank
carrying a plurality of receptacles adapted to contain different paints, and dis-
tribute same upon the supporting liquid, and means adapted to induce a current
in said liquid toward the other end of the tank.
8. An apparatus for applying paint and similar coatings, comprising a tank
for containing the supporting liquid, having a main compartment; an auxiliary

page_text: compartment communicating with opposite ends of the main compartment; means
at one end of the main compartment adapted to feed the paint upon the sup-
porting liquid; and a pump adapted to induce a flow of the supporting liquid
through said auxiliary compartment, so as to produce a surface current in the
main compartment, in a direction away from said place of feeding.
9. An apparatus for applying paint and similar coatings comprising a tank for
containing the supporting liquid, having a main compartment; an auxiliary
compartment communicating with opposite ends of the main compartment; means
at one end of the main compartment adapted to feed the paint upon the supporting
liquid; and a fan-pump adapted to induce a flow of the supporting liquid through
said auxiliary compartment so as to produce a surface current in the main com-
partment, in a direction away from said place of feeding, and whereby said current
may be reversed.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.