Improvements in Machines for Plucking Pelts.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1893-Accepted, 19th Nov., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Plucking Pelts.
I, JOHN WASHBURN SUTTON, of 31, Wyckoff Street, Brooklyn, in the City of
New York, State of New York, U.S.A., Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in machines for plucking
pelts of that class, in which the pelt is intermittently moved forward over the
edge of a fixed stretcher-bar and subjected at both sides of the same to the action
of brushes, after which the projecting water-hairs are cut off by the joint action
of a vertically-reciprocating and a rotary knife on the same. In the machines
heretofore used, rotary brushes, one located above and the other below the
stretcher-bar, are employed, and passed over the pelt stretched over the edge
of the stretcher-bar so as to brush back the soft fur and protect the same against
the cutting action of the knives. In connection with the lower brush was used
a reciprocating guard-comb, to which the required motion was imparted after
the lower brush had accomplished its work.
The object of this invention is to simplify the construction of the pelt-plucking
machine referred to by using in place of the rotary brushes rotary-reciprocating
brushes, & the invention consists of the combination, with a stationary stretcher-
bar and with means for intermittently feeding the pelt over the edge of said
stretcher-bar, of segmental brushes having guard combs at their ends, means
for imparting a rotary-reciprocating motion to said brushes, and a reciprocating
and a rotary cutting-knife by which the water-hairs are cut off at the proper
time. The invention consists further of a certain mechanism by which rotary-
reciprocating motion & mechanism by which the motion towards & away from
the stretcher bar, is imparted to said segmental brushes; and the invention
consists lastly of certain details of construction which will be fully described
hereinafter & finally pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a plan-view of my improved machine for plucking pelts.
Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same drawn on a larger scale
& on line 2-2 Figure 1.
Fig. 3 is likewise a vertical longitudinal section on line 3-3 Figure 1, showing
the mechanism for moving the vertically-reciprocating knife in or out of action.
Figs. 4 & 5 are detail sections drawn on a larger scale & showing the position
of the segmental brushes & cutting-knives respectively immediately before &
after the water-hairs are cut off.
Figs. 6 & 7 are detail sections showing respectively the positions of the brushes
before the next cutting action and preparatory to combing back the soft fur of
the pelt on the stretcher-bar, and
Figs. 8 & 9 are detail vertical longitudinal sections, showing two modifica-
CD
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page_text: .
tions of my improved construction, Fig. 8 showing a rotary brush in place of
the lower rotary-reciprocating brush, & Fig. 9 a, rotary brush in place of the
upper rotary-reciprocating brush.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
on the
Referring to the drawings, A. represents the main frame of the machine & At
the driving cam shaft from which the different motions are imparted to the
different parts of the machine. The driving shaft A is journalled in suitable
bearings at the rear part of the frame A. & provided with a fixed pulley A² & a
loose pulley A, upon either of which the driving belt can be shifted by a suitable
belt-shifting lever A+ that extends to the front or working end of the machine.
A stationary knife edged stretcher-bar B is supported transversely
frame A near the working end of the same. The pelt is spread & fastened onto
an apron P which is passed over the stretcher-bar & attached at its ends.to two
drums Q and R which are mounted transversely on the main-frame A & supported
in suitable bearings of the same.
The apron P passes from the roller Q over a
tension-roller S which is supported by means of helical springs St on stationary
arms of the rear end of the main frame A, & then over on the edge of the
stretcher-bar to the lower drum R. An intermittent motion is imparted to the
drums Q&R by suitable pawl & ratchet-mechanisms so that the apron & pelts
are moved by an intermittent or step-by-step motion over the edge of the stretcher
bar in the manner well known in pelt plucking machines.
Above & below the stretcher-bar B are arranged segmental brushes D D', which
are applied to short shafts D2 that turn in bearings of vertically-movable journal-
boxes 13, guided in slots of the main frame A. The short shafts are provided
at one side of the main frame A each with a small pulley which pulley is
moved by means of two straps that are fastened at one end to said pulley, one
strap going halfway around the pulley & extending to the T-shaped end of the
slide bar D, while the other strap goes halfway around the pulley in the opposite
direction & is attached to the outer end of a bracket arm 15 that is mounted on
the shaped end of the slide-bar D as shown in Fig. 2. These straps are
applied to a pulley on each shaft D2 at the outside of the main-frame of the
machine. The slide-bar D receives reciprocating motion from a cam on the
cam-shaft A5 at the rear end of the machine, which shaft receives rotary motion
from the driving shaft A¹ by suitable gear wheel transmission, as shown in
Fig. 1. The cam acts on two anti-friction rollers on the slide bar 14 so as
to impart a positive reciprocating motion to the same, so as to move the brushes
at the proper time by the pulleys & straps described.
The segmental brushes 1) D₁, which are located respectively above & below
the stretcher-bar B, are formed of quadrants of a circle e which are attached
to the inner ends of the short shafts 12 & flanges e¹ & of strips of wood e² attached
to said flanges. Each strip is provided with tufts of bristles & each brush com-
posed of a number of such strips. To the front edge of each brush supporting
quadrant e is attached a guard-comb g between which & the brush a small space
is formed. The lower brush D is about one quarter longer than the upper
brush. Besides the rotary-reciprocating motion imparted to the brushes D D
by the reciprocating slide-bar & the straps applied to the pulleys at the ends
of the short shafts, a vertically-reciprocating motion is imparted to the brushes
at the proper time so as to be moved towards or away from the stretcher-bar.
This motion is imparted to the brushes by means of two sets of toggle-levers f f':
one at each side of the machine & two additional slide bars F, having T shaped
heads, as shown in Figs. 2, 4 & 5. One link of each toggle lever' f f is pivotted
to the journal-boxes of the brushes, while the other link is pivoted to upright
standards A on the main frame, the common pivots of both toggle-levers ff
being connected by additional pivot-links f2 with the ends of the T-shaped
heads of the slide-bar, as shown clearly in Figs. 4 & 5. On each slide-bar is
arranged between a stationary collar f3 on the same and a bracket f* attached
to the side of the main frame A a strong helical spring F, by which an anti-

page_text: friction roller f at the rear end of the slide-bar F is held in contact with a
cam f on the cam-shaft A5; the cam is so shaped that at the proper time the
slide bar F is quickly moved back, so as to place the toggle-levers f f¹ at an
angle towards each other, and move the segmental brushes D D¹ quickly away
from the stretcher-bar as shown clearly in Fig. 5. When the slide-bar F is
moved by the cam fo in forward direction, the links of the toggle-joint are placed
in line with each other so that the brushes D D are moved towards & into
proximity to the stretcher-bar, as shown in Fig. 4.
In front of the stretcher-bar B are arranged two knives, a vertically-recipro-
cating knife K & a rotating knife K¹. The vertically-reciprocating knife K is
arranged below the edge of the stretcher-bar B. It is attached to elbows K² at
the front ends of cam-levers K³ which carry tappets K at their rear ends as
shown is Figs. 1, 2 & 3. The tappets are acted upon by cams K³ on the cam-
shaft A5. The cam levers K³ are keyed to a transverse shaft K, which is sup-
ported in boxes of slide plates o, that are guided by slots on headed screws n¹
The lower
on the inner sides of the main-frame A, as shown in Figs. 2 & 3.
ends of the slide plates o are connected by pivot links o¹ with the angles of elbow
levers o, the lower ends of which are pivoted to the main frame A, while their
upper ends are connected by links to fixed arms of of a shaft of that turns in
bracket-bearings of the main-frame & is provided at one end with a handle-
lever of. When the handle-lever o", slide-plates o, & the parts connecting the
same are in the position shown in Fig. 3, the tappets K of the cam-levers K³
are out of the path of the cams K and consequently the vertically-reciprocating
knife is not operated by the same, but remains stationary in its lowermost
position. When the slide plates o are raised by placing the handle-lever of in
the proper position, the tappets at the rear ends of the cam-levers K³ are placed
in the path of the cams K so that the knife K is raised at the proper time, it
being permitted to drop when the cams have passed over the tappets, so that
the front-ends of the cam-levers K³ descend & move thereby the knife K clear
of the lower brush D' as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.
The rotary cutting knife K¹ produces in connection with the vertically-recipro-
cating knife K the cutting off of the water hairs, projecting from the pelt at the
proper time, the rotary cutting knife K' is attached to radial arms K, which are
keyed to a transverse shaft Ks that turns in bearings of the main frame A &
which receives rotary motion by an intermediate shaft K" & suitable bevel-gear
transmissions from the cam-shaft A5.
The motion of the segmental brushes over the pelt that is stretched over the
edge of the stretcher-bar, & the motion of the reciprocating & rotary cutting-
knives is illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, 6 & 7, in which four different positions of these
parts are shown. Fig. 4 shows the parts in position immediately before the
water-hairs projecting from the edge of the pelt are cut off. In this position
the segmental brushes D D are moved in backward direction over the soft fur
at the upper & lower sides of the pelt, the guard-combs being in position on the
same so as to retain the fur in position. The vertically-reciprocating knife K
is close to the edge of the stretcher-bar, while the cutting-knife is approaching
thereto for cutting off the water-hairs at the moment when it passes the edge of
the vertical knife. As soon as the water-hairs are cut off & the rotary knife is
below the edge of the stretcher-bar, as shown in Fig. 5 the quick backward
motion of the slide-bar F under the influence of their helical springs, moves the
journal-boxes of the brushes, & thereby the brushes, quickly away from the
stretcher-bar, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to clear the pelt & permit them to be
oscillated in forward direction. While the brushes are in this position, away
from contact with the soft fur, they are moved into the position, shown in Fig. 6,
by the forward motion of the T-shaped end of the outer slide-bar D & the action
of the straps d, on the pulleys d The toggle levers f f are then actuated
again by being placed in line with each other by the forward motion of the slide-

page_text: bars Funder the influence of their cams. As thus the brushes D D₁ move to-
wards each other still in outward position, as shown in Fig 7. The backward
movement of the slide-bar D on the outside of the frame moves the other straps d
& pulleys n in opposite direction & brings thereby the brushes back into their
former inward position, as shown in Fig. 4. As the lower brush is longer than
the upper brush, it acts first on the soft hair on that part of the pelt that has just
been placed in front of the edge of the stretcher-bar, so as to carry it below the
stretcher-bar, while the upper brush reaches the pelt, it brushes back the fur
on the upper side of the stretcher-bar & holds it in position by means of its comb,
while the comb of the lower brush acts in the same way, allowing the water-hairs
to rise through between the teeth of the combs & project in front of the edge of
the stretcher-bar, as shown in Fig. 4. The vertical cutting knife is then moved
up to the edge of the stretcher-bar, while the rotary knife meets it & cuts off
the water hairs. The length of the vertical knife is slightly shorter than the
distance between the quadrants on the short. shafts, on which the brushes are
supported, so that it can move freely up & down between said quadrants.
In place of using a segmental rotary-reciprocating brush at both sides of the
stretcher-bar, either the upper or lower segmental brush may he replaced by a
rotary & forwardly & backwardly-moving brush, D, as shown respectively in
Figs. 8 & 9. These constructions are believed to be within the scope of the
present invention, as they are merely a combination of the rotary-reciprocating
brushes heretofore in use with the segmental brushes of the present construction.
The operation of my improved pelt-plucking machine is as follows:-The
pelts having been stretched & secured to the apron P, the latter is so adjusted
that one end is near the stretcher-bar B, after which the machine is started.
each rotation of the cam-shaft, the pelt is fed for a short distance by the pawl &
ratchet mechanism over the edge of the stretcher-bar, & as one narrow portion
or strip of pelt after the other is moved over the edge of the stretcher-bar, it is
acted upon by the segmental brushes & the cutting knives.
At
During the motion of the pelt, the segmental brushes are moved in backward
direction & passed over the pelt quickly, respectively above & below the stretcher
bar, so as to brush down the soft hairs, which are then retained by the guard
combs that are then located near the edge of the stretcher-bar. The stronger
water-hairs are not retained by the combs & pass through the teeth of the comb
so as to project from that portion of the pelt which is located at the time on the
edge of the stretcher-bar. The cutting knives are then actuated & cut off the
water-hairs. The brushes are then moved quickly away from the pelt while it is
in this position & then moved in forward direction, clearing both sides of the
pelt, are approached towards each other while in their forward position, & are
then returned in backward direction so as to again brush down the soft hair &
prepare the next narrow portion of the pelt that has in the meantime been moved
over the edge of the stretcher-bar for the action of the cutting-knives. The
action of the cutting-knives is the same as in the pelt-plucking machines hereto-
fore used, the vertical knife being raised until its cutting edge is in close
proximity to that portion of the pelt which is at that time in front of the edge
of the stretcher-bar. When the rotary knife arrives in front of the stretcher-bar
the cutting edges take hold of the stiff water-hairs & shear them off close to the
skir of the pelt without cutting off any of the fur which is retained by the guard
combs. The apron is then actuated & the next adjusted strip of pelt placed
over the edge of the stretcher-bar. The vertical knife then recedes from the
stretcher-bar while the rotary knife moves so as to complete its rotary motion.
The brushes are then separated & moved into their outward position, then again
approached towards each other & returned to their forward position so as to brush
again over the pelt above & below the stretcher-bar & present the next set of
stiff water-hairs to- the action of the cutting-knives & so on.

page_text: By the use of rotary reciprocating brushes at both sides of the pelt in connection
with the cutting knives the construction of my pelt-plucking machine is con-
siderably simplified, & rendered more reliable, especially as the carding brush
heretofore supported at the rear of the rotary knife can be entirely dispensed with,
while the independent guard combs & their actuating mechanism are also entirely
dispensed with.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said
invention, & in bat manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination of a stretcher-bar, means for intermittently feeding a pelt
over the stretcher bar, a segmental brush above & near the edge of the stretcher-
bar, means for imparting an intermittent rotary-reciprocating motion to said
brush, means for imparting motion towards or away from the stretcher-bar, &
means for removing the stiff hairs projecting from the pelt in front of the edge
of the stretcher-bar after the brush has operated on the pelt, substantially as set
forth.
2. The combination of a stretcher-bar, means for intermittently feeding a pelt
over the stretcher-bar, a segmental brush located below & near the edge of the
stretcher-bar, means for imparting an intermittent rofary-reciprocating motion
to said brush, means for imparting motion towards or away from, the stretcher-
bar, & means for removing the stiff hairs projecting from the pelt in front of the
edge of the stretcher-bar after the brush has operated on the pelt, substantially
as set forth.
3. The combination of a stretcher-bar, means for intermittently feeding a pelt
over the stretcher-bar, segmental brushes located respectively above & below
near the edge of the stretcher-bar, means for imparting intermittent rotary-
reciprocating motion to said brushes, means for moving said brushes away from
& towards said stretcher-bar, & means for removing the stiff hairs projecting
from the pelt in front of the edge of the stretcher-bar after the brushes have
operated on the pelt, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of a stretcher-bar, means for intermittently feeding a pelt
over the stretcher-bar, segmental brushes located above & below the edge of the
stretcher-bar, a guard-comb at one end of each of said brushes, mechanism for
imparting an intermittent rotary-reciprocating motion to said brushes, mechanism
for imparting a vertically-reciprocating motion to said brushes, so as to move
them towards or away from the stretcher-bar, & means for removing the stiff
hair projecting from the pelt in front of the edge of the stretcher-bar, substan-
tially as set forth.
5. The combination of a stretcher-bar, means for intermittently feeding a pelt
over the stretcher-bar, segmental brushes located respectively above & below
the edge of the stretcher-bar, shafts attached to said brushes, journal-boxes for
said shafts, toggle-levers for raising or lowering said journal-boxes, spring actuated
slide-bars having T shaped ends connected with said toggle-levers & a cam-
shaft having cams for actuating said slide-bars so as to move the brushes towards
or away from the stretcher-bar, substantially as set forth.
6. The combination of a stretcher-bar means for intermittently feeding a pelt
over the same, segmental brushes located respectively above & below the edge of
the stretcher-bar, supporting shafts for said brushes, pulleys on said shafts,
straps extending around said pulleys, slide-bars having T-shaped heads, brackets
on said heads, said straps being attached at opposite ends to said brackets, & a
cam-shaft having cams for actuating said slide-bars, & imparting vertically-
reciprocating motion to the brushes, substantially as set forth.
7. The combination of a stretcher-bar, means for intermittently feeding a pelt
over the bar, segmental brushes located above & below the edge of the stretcher-
bar, said brushes being provided with guard-combs at one end, means for im-
parting intermittently rotary-reciprocating motion to said brushes, means for

page_text: imparting a reciprocating up & down motion to said brushes towards & away
from said stretcher-bar, a vertical reciprocating cutting-knife, & a rotating
cutting-knife, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1898.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
31, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.