Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Seal Skins and other Fur to Remove the Stiffer Hairs therefrom.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 27th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 27th July, 1888
1.IDIONAL DIBUITIVATION
Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Seal Skins and other Fur
to Remove the Stiffer Hairs therefrom.
We, MAX KORN, and RUDOLPH BACH, of 84 Redcliffe Square, Earls Court,
London, S.W., Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for treating seal
skins and other fur to remove the stiffer hairs therefrom.
For this purpose the skin is caused to be doubled over a straight edge and
whilst it is so held double combs are made to advance one on the upper side and
the other on the under side of the straight edge. Each of these double combs has
two sets of teeth, a leading set and a following set. The leading sets are inclined
with their points directed forwards and towards each other and these points first
meet the skin.
The points of the following combs are also inclined towards each other but rear-
wards so that in the advance of the combs it is the points of the following combs
that last come to the skin.
Between the two combs which in each case constitute the double comb there is an
inclined surface and the distance between the upper and the under surface is greater
at the leading side than at the following side.
Lastly there is a pair of shear blades which as soon as the two double combs have
advanced over the skin beyond the straight edge, close together immediately behind
the combs.
The action of the apparatus is then as follows:-the skin doubled over the straight
edge has its hair directed towards the combs both on the upper and the under side of
the edge. The leading combs as they advance lay the hair in the reverse direction

page_text: and the inclined surfaces between the combs complete the laying of the hair and also
serve to retain it. When however in the travel of the combs the rear edges of the
retaining surfaces pass over the straight edge the hairs are still retained but only by
the teeth of the following combs; this is sufficient for the softer hair but insufficient
to retain the strong stiff hairs which it is desired to remove; these hairs called in the
trade the "stegy hairs then spring forward between the teeth of the following
combs; they then stand straight out from the straight edge and the shear blades
closing together cut them off. The blades afterwards open-the combs retire-the
skin is drawn a short distance forward round the straight edge and the operation is
repeated and so the work goes on until the entire surface has been operated on.
Dated this 28th day of September 1887.

page_text: to Remove the Stiffer Hairs thereirom.
We, MAX KORN, and RUDOLPH BACH, of 84 Redcliffe Square, Earls Court,
London, S. W., Engineers, 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 has for its object improvements in apparatus for treating Seal skins
and other fur to remove the stiffer hairs therefrom.
For this purpose the skin is caused to be doubled over a straight edge and whilst it
is so held double combs are made to advance one on the upper side and the other on
the under side of the straight edge. Each of these double combs has two sets of
teeth, a leading set and a following set. The leading sets are inclined with their
points directed forwards and towards each other and these points first meet the
skin.
The points of the following combs are also inclined towards each other but rear-
wards so that in the advance of the combs it is the points of the following combs that
last come to the skin.
Between the two combs which in each case constitute the double comb there is a
retaining surface.
Lastly there is a pair of shear blades which as soon as the two double combs have
advanced over the skin beyond the straight edge, close together immediately behind
the combs.
The action of the apparatus is then as follows: the skin doubled over the straight
edge has its hair directed towards the combs both on the upper and the under side of
the edge. The leading combs as they advance lay the hair in the reverse direction
and the surfaces between the combs serve to retain it. When however in the travel
of the combs the rear edges of the retaining surfaces pass over the straight edge the
hairs are still retained but only by the teeth of the following combs; this is sufficient
for the softer hair but insufficient to retain the strong stiff bairs which it is desired
to remove, these hairs called in the trade the "stagy" hairs then spring forward
between the teeth of the following combs, they then stand straight out from the
straight edge and the shear blades closing together cut them off. The blades after-
wards open-the combs retire, the skin is drawn a short distance forward round the
straight edge and the operation is repeated and so the work goes on until the entire
surface has been operated on.
Sometimes in each of the instruments which we have termed "double combs" we
substitute a brush for the leading comb-the bristles of this brush act similarly to
the comb, but being flexible they do not require the accurate adjustment which is
requisite when combs are employed.
In order that our said invention may be more fully understood and readily carried
into effect we will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with our
invention for treating Seal skin and other fur.
Figure 2 is a plan of the machine.
Figure 3 is a transverse Section.
Figure 4 shews in section (full size) one of the double combs by which the hair is
parted and then freed so far as to admit of the Stagy hairs springing forward through
the teeth of the following combs
Figure 5 is a modification in which brushes are substituted for the leading combs.
A. A. is the frame of the machine, it carries in suitable bearings a cam shaft B.
which is turned by means of a hand wheel or in other convenient manner.
C is a carriage which is able to slide to and fro on the frame, it is connected with
levers D: D: and these levers carry rollers which are received into the cam grooves in
the sides of a cam E which is fixed upon the cam shaft B. The carriage C carries
upon it the doublé combs or equivalent parting and retaining instruments.
FF are a pair of knife blades moveable up and down in guide grooves upon the
frame, the lower knife blade is lifted by means of levers G G. These levers carry
rollers which are operated upon by the cams G¹, G1, on the cam shaft. B.
The upper
- knife blade is controlled by rods H. H. which connect it with levers I. I. and on these
levers are rollers which are controlled by cams K. K. upon the cam shaft.
L is a straight edge fixed to the frame and over this straight edge the skin to be
treated, and also a fabric upon which the skin is carried or doubled. The fabric with
the skin fixed upon it is held between the 3 rollers M. M. M. and on the end of the
centre roller there is a ratchet M'. The ratchet is rotated tooth by tooth by the pawl
lever and pawl N. The carriage in its to and fro movement strikes upon the pawl
lever and so imparts to the skin the requisite forward movement.
The construction of the double combs or instruments for parting the fur and then
liberating the stagy hairs is best shewn by the figures 4 and 5. In figure 4, O are the
leading or parting combs. P. P. are retaining surfaces covered with soft felt or other
such like material and Q. Q. are the following combs. In figure 5 brushes R. R. are
substituted for the leading or parting combs. This latter construction is preferred but
whichever form of parting instruments be employed the action is similar as the
carriage carries the instruments towards the straight edge over which the fur is
doubled the whole of the pile or fur is turned back away from the edge by the leading
combs or brushes and when the combs or brushes have passed the fur is still retained
by the felt covered retaining surfaces.-P. P. until by the further movement of the
carriage these surfaces have passed the straight edge around which the fur is doubled
the hair or pile of that portion of the fur which is doubled over the edge then becomes
to some extent free and this enables the stiffer hairs to spring out to their natural
positions and they will then project through the teeth of the following combs Q. Q.
The carriage having now reached the end of its stroke the shear blades are caused by
their cams to close together close up to the points of the following combs and the
surface of the skin and in so doing they cut off the projecting hairs.
The following combs should have about 20 to 30 teeth to the inch and the spaces
between the teeth should be fully as wide as the thickness of the teeth. If leading
combs be used they should be finer than the following combs.
The cutting blades, as seen in Figure 1, are so set that they first meet and commence
to cut on the right side of the machine, and as they meet the cut proceeds progressively
from right to left. As in other mechanical shears, the blades are so set that the
elasticity of the metal keeps them in close contact at the point where the cutting edges
meet and they remain so in contact as this point passes from right to left in the
progress of the cut.
i
The double combs or like instruments may be rigidly fixed to the carriage but wo
prefer to mount the upper one on arms jointed to the carriage; we then provide upon
the frame pawls or stops which bear upon the arms carrying the double combs, and
:

page_text: when the carriage is travelling from left to right they hold these arms down so as to
keep the upper instrument in close contact with the work, but when the carriage
commences to return these stops yield and release the arms, and the upper instrument
then only bears by its own weight upon the surface of the skin. This enables the
return movement to take place more freely and with less disturbance of the fur than
would be the case if the upper instrument were rigidly fixed upon the carriage.
We would remark that we are aware that machines have before been constructed
for clipping seal skins and we are acquainted with the patents relating to this subject
No. 3226 in the year 1880 and No. 3266 in the year 1883. The machines here
described differ from ours in many particulars and especially in that the whole of the
pile or fur is in the first place pressed back from the edge over which the skin is
doubled and that then the pile or fur is partially released and the stiffer hair is allowed
to spring forward between the teeth of combs which retain so much as requires to be
protected from the knives.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for treating seal skins and other fur to remove the stiffer hairs;
the combination of parts consisting of a straight edge over which the fur is doubled-
the parting instruments which lay back the whole of the pile or fur behind the straight
edge and then partially release it so far as to allow the stiffer hairs to spring out
between the teeth of following combs and the shears which then operate in front of
the straight edge and cut off the projecting hairs as herein described.
2. Our improved apparatus for treating fur substantially as described and illustrated
by the annexed drawings.
DL: 001
T
1000