IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR 'UNHAIRING,' 'FLESHING,' AND 'WORKING' HIDES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Taylor Wheelhouse, of Lightcliffe, near Halifax,
in the County of York, Tanuer, Currier, and Leather Merchant,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR 'UNHAIRING,'
'FLESHING,' AND 'WORKING' HIDES."
Sealed the 21st March 1873, and dated the 23rd September 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Taylor Wheelhouse at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd September 1872.
I, TAYLOR WHEELHOUSE, of Lightcliffe, near Halifax, in the County
of York, Tanner, Currier, and Leather Merchant, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR
'UNHAIRING,' 'FLESHING,' AND 'WORKING' HIDES," to be as follows:-
This apparatus consists of suitable framework carrying a rotary
cylinder or cylindrical frame, on which are a series of projecting scrapers
or knives. There are also a pair of endless travelling chains on belts
carried on rollers, one at each end of the framework. These chains carry
one, two, or more cross bars having hooks or clips, by means of which

page_text: one end of a hide can be attached to the cross bar, and by the travel of
the chains the said hide is drawn over the scrapers of the cylinders
which is caused to rotate in the opposite direction to the motion of the
chains, and thereby "unhairs" or scrapes the hair from the hide in
passing to keep the hide straight and even on the scrapers, and to
produce sufficient tension or pressure thereon the hide is passed between
a pair of clamps or nipping jaws which the attendant can operate upon
by means of a lever, according to requirement, and if desirable a
cylindrical brush may be applied and operated by means of a lever to
press the hide upon or against the scrapers. As soon as one hide is passed
over the scrapers it is detached from the cross bar and another is
attached to the next cross bar and drawn thereby forward over the
scrapers in like manner, and so on, one hide being caused to succeed
another over the scrapers.
This apparatus is equally applicable for fleshing and working hides.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Taylor Wheelhouse in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd March 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, TAYLOR
WHEELHOUSE, of Lightcliffe, near Halifax, in the County of York,
Tanner, Currier, and Leather Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Taylor Wheelhouse, Her special licence
that I, the said Taylor Wheelhouse, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Taylor Wheelhouse, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should in any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term;
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS
OR APPARATUS FOR 'UNHAIRING,' 'FLESHING,' AND 'WORKING' HIDES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Taylor Wheelhouse, my a

page_text: executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Taylor Wheelhouse, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement and accompanying Sheets of Drawings, that is
to say :-
This apparatus consists of suitable framework carrying a rotary
cylinder or cylindrical frame on which are a scries of projecting scrapers
or knives. There are also a pair of endless travelling chains or belts
carried on rollers, one at each end of the framework. These chains carry
one, two, or more cross bars having hooks or clips, by means of which
one end of a hide can be attached to the cross bar, and by the travel of
the chains the said hide is drawn over the scrapers of the cylinder which
is caused to rotate in the opposite direction to the motion of the chains,
and thereby unhairs or scrapes the hair from the hide in passing. To
keep the hide straight and even on the scrapers and to produce sufficient
tension or pressure thercon, the hide is passed between a pair of clamps
or nipping jaws which the attendant can operate upon by means of a
lever, according to requirement, and if desirable a cylindrical brush may
be applied, and operated by means of a lever to press the hide upon or
against the scrapers. As soon as one hide is passed over tho scrapers it
is detached from the cross bar, and another is attached to the next cross
bar and drawn thereby forward over the scrapers in like manner,
and so
on, one bido being caused to succeed another over the scrapers.
This apparatus is equally applicable for fleshing and working hides.
In order that this Invention may be fully understood, I herein give
reference to two accompanying Sheets of Drawings of apparatus con-
structed in accordance therewith, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and
Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.
A is the framework; B, the cylinder or cylindrical frame with the
series of scrapers or knives b (shewn in detail at Fig. 3), and these
scrapers are (by preference) convex on their outer edge, thus forming a

page_text: barrel shape of the cylinder. The scrapers may also be curved on their
sides or form spirals around the cylinder. C are the endless travelling
chains carried on rollers; D and E are the cross bars attached to the
chains; Faro a series of hooks attached by straps to the cross bars;
Gare the clamps or nipping jaws (or may be nipping rollers) mounted a
on the lever arms H. A cylindrical rotary brush I is also mounted in
slots of the stands J, which brush can be operated or raised and lowered
therein by means of the levers K, and a non-rotary brush L is fixed on
arms M, mounted on a shaft to which is a lever N for operating the
same, or placing the brush in suitable position to cleanse the scrapers in
passing; P are a pair of ordinary fast and loose driving pulleys for the
cylindrical scrapers driven by belt Q from any rotary shaft; R and S
are two pairs of ordinary fast and loose driving pulleys for the chains
driven by belts R' and S', the one being crossed and the other open, by
means of which the direction of motion can be readily changed by the :
attendant operating the lovers T and U, fixed on the strap guides V and
W. The gear wheels X are for reducing the speed of the travelling
chains from that of the driving pulleys.
The method of working or operating this apparatus or machine is as
follows: The clamps G are opened, and a hide is placed between them:
hair side downwards, and the hooks F inserted into one edge of the said
hide, when on the machine being set in motion the chains moving in the
direction of the arrow and the cylindrical scrapers rotating in the opposite
direction the hide will be drawn over and in contact with the scrapers,
the brush I pressing it thereon, whereby the hide will be unhaired, or
the hair will be scraped off the hide, the attendant adjusting or
regulating the pressure or bearing on the scrapers by operating on the
clamps and rotating brush. When one hide has been passed forward
over the scrapers the machine is stopped and another hide hooked to a
succeeding series of hooks which on the machine being set in motion
again will draw it forward as before, and another hide hooked, and so on,
with any number of hides in succession. Or if desirable the direction of
motion of the chains may be reversed after a hide has been passed over
the scrapers, and the said hide will be brought back by the rotation and
action of the scrapers thercon. Figs. 4 and 5 are modifications in the
construction and arrangement of a machine or apparatus for the employ-
ment or application of this cylindrical frame with the series of scrapers
herein-before described and shewn, where in Fig. 4 the hide is caused

page_text: to pass under instead of over the scrapers, the hide being drawn forward
by chains and hooks as before, and the pressing brush is applied under
the hide by means of the spiral springs Y. In Fig. 5 the hide is also
passed under the scrapers, but instead of employing chains and hooks to
draw it forward an endless apron or creeper Z is used, and rollers Z'
and Zare applied to nip the hide against the creeper so as to hold it
fast and carry it forward under the operation of the scrapers. Or the
hide may be fixed on a table or stretched on a stationary frame, and the
cylindrical series of scrapers caused to rotate and to travel over the
hides, but I prefer the hides to travel and the cylindrical scrapers rotate
on stationary bearings as shewn. It will now be evident to those con-
versant with the fleshing or working of bides that this machine may
also be applied for that purpose.
Having thus fully described the nature of the said Invention, and
shewn by Drawings in what manner the same is to be performed or
carried into practical operation, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details in the construction of the machine
or apparatus herein described and illustrated, but what I claim as my
Invention is the use or employment of a series of scrapers or knives
arranged on a rotary cylinder or cylindrical frame capable of rotating in
contact with hides in manner and for the purposes substantially as hercin
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Taylor Wheelhouse, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, in the year
11
TAYLOR WHEELHOUSE. (L.S.)
Witness,
W. TASKER,
Tasker & Brierley,
Patent Agents,
Halifax, Bradford, & Blackburn.