Machinery or Apparatus for Scouring and Washing Skins and Wool and Analogous Materials.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 9th July, 1889-Accepted, 10th Aug., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Machinery or Apparatus for Scouring and Washing Skins and Wool
and Analogous Materials.
I, THOMAS BURNS, of Messrs. White Burns & Company, Bonnington Skin Works,
and 1 Pilrig Street, Edinburgh in the County of Midlothian, North Britain, Skinner,
Tanner and Wool Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to machinery or apparatus for scouring and washing skins
and wool and analogous materials, and has for its objects to facilitate the said
scouring and washing operations, the said operations being done in a much shorter
time and at less expense than is obtainable at present, by the hand process, and
also doos the work in a much more efficient manner having practically no loss of
wool.
In carrying out my said Invention I employ a large wooden or iron Trough or
box, preferably of an oblong shape for holding water which is caused to flow con-
tinually in and out of the said Trough, and having six or any number of pairs of
Squeezers working therein, some under, some in, an some above the water and so
mounted accross the Trough at intervals that the skins in passing through the
machine, are entering the one pair while they are leaving the other pair ; the said
squeezers being preferably a pair of wooden or iron rollers, packed or covered with
yarn, rope, or indinrubber, so as to form a yielding surfaco; the said rollers being
so mounted that any degree of pressure may be applied on the skins, the said
pressure being obtained by mounting the lower roller in fixed or stationary bearings,
while the top roller is carried in sliding or movable bearings, having suitable spiral or
other springs, and the necessary screw arrangement for adjusting the said pressure on
top roller; the said squeezers being all driven from a main driving shaft by means
of spur wheel gearing, endless band, or chain and chain wheels or their mechanical
equivalents, the said driving shaft may be driven by steam, hand or horse power.
For the purpose of carrying or leading the skins through the said squeezers I
may employ an endless band of wire cloth, cloth, or belting, passing over the under
rollers of squeezers, and also over a number of guide rollers preferably mounted at
each end of the said Trough and also underneath the said Trough (the said guide
rollers may be of wood or iron) and for the purpose of tightening or slackening the
endless band, I so mount one of the said guide rollers (preferably an end one) as to
be carried in movable bearings having the necessary screw arrangements for adjust-
ment; and in order to guide the tops of the skins, and so prevent the skins from
getting out of place or winding round any of the top rollers, I may employ a number
of endless ropes (preferably five) passing through the said squeezers, that is under
the said top rollers which I form with suitable grooves in them, so that the said ropes
form as it were a part of the top squeezers, and to allow of the said ropes being
tightened or slackened I mount an extra grooved wooden or iron roller above the said
Trough and squeezers, the said roller being carried in movable bearings with the
necessary screw arrangement for adjusting same, the said ropes being led over this
roller.
As a modification of my said endless band for carrying or leading the skins through
the squeezers, I may employ, in lieu thereof, a number of sets of small wooden or
iron rollers having grooves for ropes and each set so mounted as to fill up the space
between each pair of squeezers, and for allowing the skins to be entered into the first
pair of squeezers, I so mount a set of said rollers at the end of machine, the said set
being driven by spur gearing, endless band, or chain and chain wheels from the main

page_text: driving shaft, so that on the skins being laid on this set, they are caused to enter the
first pair of Squeezers and so on; this modification doing away with the endless hand,
guide and adjusting rollers for summe as hereinboforo described.
Dated this 8th day of February 1889.
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Petitioner's Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Machinery or Apparatus for Scouring and Washing Skins and Wool
and Analogous Materials.
1, THOMAS BURNS of Messrs. White, Burns and Company, Bonnington Skin
Works, and 1 Pilrig Street, Falinburgh in the County of Midlothian, North Britain,
Skinner, Tanner, and Wool Murchant, 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 :-
This Invention which relates to machinery or apparatus for scouring and washing
skins and wool and analogous materials, has for its objects to facilitate the said
scouring and washing operations, the said operations being done in a much more
efficient manner, in less time, and at less expense than is obtainable at present by
the hand process, this process being also effected with practically no loss of wool.
In carrying out my said Invention, I employ a large oblong trongh, through
which cause a continual flow of water to pass, and having a suitable number of
pairs of squeezers so mounted at intervals along its length as to allow of the
material in passing through the machine, to be entering the one pair of squeezers
as it is leaving the other pair, the said squeezers being capable of adjustment so
as to regulate the pressure on the material being washed or scoured, as also the
necessary entering rollers, leading hand, and guiding ropes, the whole being driven
by spur gearing, endless band, chain and chain wheels, or their mechanical equi-
valents, from a main driving shaft which may be driven by steam, hand, or hörse
power.
In order that my said Invention may be more readily understood and easily
carried into effect I will now proceed to describe it with reference to the accom-
panying sheet of Drawings.
Figuros 1, and 2, being elovation and plan of my said apparatus, as used for
washing or scouring sheep skins.
A, (Figures 1, and, 2,) is a large oblong trough or box made of wood, iron, or
other material for holding water which is caused to flow continually in and out
by any suitable means, the said trough may be mounted in any suitable manner to
foundations a. as a fixture, or it may be mounted on wheels so as to be portable
and therefore capable of being moved from one place to another, this trough
carries a number of pairs of squeezers, B, B', and B, entering roller C, discharge
roller D, guide rollers D, E, F, E, and E, endless land F, guide ropes G, driving
shaft, H, and gearing K, the said rollers, driving shaft and gearing being all carried
in suitable bearings either formed on the said trough or attached thereto by any
suitable means. For allowing of the said trough being cleaned out when desired,
I may provide one or more openings in or near its bottom, the said oponings
being capable of closing by any suitable means.
As shown in the drawings preferably employ six pair of squeezers B3, B4, and B³,
(though I may use any other number of pairs of squeezers.) some of them working
under, some in, and some above the water, and mounted across the trough at intervals
along its length-The said squeezers being preferably a pair of wooden or iron
rollers, packed or covered with yarn, rope, or indin-rubber, b, so as to form a yielding
surface, and so mounted that the desired degree of pressure may be applied on the
material passing through them, the said pressure being obtained by mounting the one

page_text: roller in fixed or stationary bearings 6". while the other roller 6, is carried in
sliding or moveable bearings 6, which are also provided with spiral 6, or other
springs and the necessary screw arrangement for adjusting the pressure on the
springs-The said squeezers being driven in any suitable manner from the main
driving shaft, by means of spur wheel gearing, endless band, chain and chain wheels
or their mechanical equivalents, but preferably by keying a spur wheel & (Fig. 2.) on
to the driving shaft H, which carries the bottom roller of the 1st. set of squoezers B,
the said spur wheel transmits its power into an intermediate wheel ¹ thence into an
intermediate, on top roller of squeezers B₁, thence into an intermediate, thence
into a driver k, keyed on the bottom roller of the squeezers B³, thence into a central
intermediate A, from which it repeats the same routine only backwards till it expends
itself at end squeezers B, the top rollers on the pairs of squeezers B, and B' being
driven from the under ones by means of spur wheels L, the said driving shaft H,
being driven by steam, hand, or horse power.
For the purpose of carrying or leading the material to be washed through the said
squeezers, employ an endless band F, of wire cloth, cloth, or belting, which is
caused. to pass over the under rollers of the squeezers B, B¹, and B2, and partly.
round the entering roller C, the discharge roller D, and guide roller E and E,
the said endless band being tightened or slackened by means of mounting the
entering roller C, or the discharge roller D, or both as shown, in sliding or move-
able bearings c, d, which are carried in suitably grooved or recessed brackets, c', d³,
which are either formed on the said trough or attached thereto by suitable means,
and provided with the necessary screw arrangements c², d², the said band being
also adjustable transversely by means of mounting the one end of the guide roller E,
in a moveable bearing e, carried in a suitable bracket e', and provided with the
necessary screw adjusting arrangement e³, the opposite end of the said guide roller
working in an oval journal to allow of its movement.
In order to guide the material in passing through the squeezers and so prevent
it from getting out of place or winding round any of the top rollers, I employ 3, 5,
or any number of endless ropes G, which I cause to pass under the top rollers of
the squeezers, and over the grooved guide rollers E³ and E, the said ropes working
in grooves formed in the said top rollers of the squeezers, the said grooves being such
that the rope fills up the space of groove so that an equal surface is always pressing
on the material, the said ropes being capable of adjustment, that is tightened or
slackened, by means of the guide roller E, being carried in moveable bearings e',
which work in suitable grooved or recessed brackets e³, (formed on or fixed to the
said trough,) and provided with the necessary screw adjusting arrangement eª..
All the rollers herein before mentioned may be made of wood or iron, or both, or
any other suitable material.
The flow of water into the said trough being preferably such that the clean water
on entering the machine falls on top of the small guide roller E', (which is here
mounted to prevent the weight of the falling water from bagging the endless band F,)
and thus comes into contact with the material immediately before it passes out of the
machine, or when the material is nearly cleaned, the water then passes out of the
machine by overflowing in its dirtiest state at the entering end A', where it comes
in contact with the material in its dirty state as it enters the machine, though I may
use any other arrangement of water supply and outlet.
As a modification of my said endless band for carrying or leading the material
through the squeezers, I may employ in lieu thereof a number of sets of small
wooden or iron rollers, each set being so mounted as to occupy the space between
each pair of the squeezers, and I also mount another set of these rollers at the
entering end of the machine for the purpose of leading the material to the first
pair of squeezers, these rollers being all driven by spur gearing, endless band, or
chain and chain wheels, from the main driving shaft; this modification doing away
with the endless band, guide, and adjusting rollers for same, as hereinbefore
described.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The general arrangement and construction of the various parts constituting
my machinery or apparatus for scouring and washing skins, wool, and analogous
materials, all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbofore set forth and shown
in Figures 1, and 2, of the accompanying drawings.
Second. In machinery or apparatus for scouring and washing, the mode or method
whereby the material to be scoured or washed is lod through the said machinery
as also the arrangement of ropes for preventing the material getting out of place
while passing through, all substantially as described and shown in Figures 1, and 2, of
the accompanying drawings.
July 2009.
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.