Improvements in the Manufacture of Soap, and in the Frames used in the Manufacture of Soap, and in the Method of Cutting or Slabbing Soap.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 9th July, 1897--Accepted, 14th Aug., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Soap, and in the Frames used in
the Manufacture of Soap, and in the Method of Cutting or Slabbing
Soap.
I, HARRY HADFIELD, of Ringstone's Chemical and Soap Manufactory, of Whaley
Bridge, near Stockport, in the County of Chester, Chemical and Soap Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the frames used in the manufacture of soap and in the
method of cutting or "slabbing" soap.
Previous to my invention the soap when made has been placed in a frame to cool
and set. These frames have been formed with removable sides and ends which
are bolted together. When the soap has cooled and set the sides and ends are
unbolted and removed leaving the soap upon the bottom of the frame in a solid
block. It is then marked and cut or slabbed" into pieces of the requisite size
by means of cutting wires.
This construction of frame is subject to disadvantages being frequently leaky
owing to the defective joints between the removable sides and ends. Moreover
the labour of connecting and disconnecting the sides and ends of the frame is
considerable.
The object of my invention is to obviate these disadvantages.
In carrying my invention into effect I form the frame of one complete casting
instead of having the sides and ends removable as before. A false or removable
bottom is provided which is adapted to be raised and lowered by means of chains
passing over or around pullies or chain wheels mounted upon shafts which are
actuated by worm and worm wheel gearing. Any suitable means may however
be adopted for raising and lowering the false bottom of the frame. The walls of
the frame may be grooved or channelled for the reception of the chains and means
may be adopted to prevent the soap coming into contact with the chains. When
the soap has set sufficiently and is cool enough to be "slabbed," I place a frame
containing cutting wires arranged to cut the soap into bars across the width upon
the top of the soap frame.
By operating the gearing the false bottom is raised by means of the chains thus
raising the soap out of the frame through the wires and cutting the same into bars
across the width. When the soap has been raised out of the frame to the depth
of say three or more bars, the raising of the false bottom is stopped, and another
cutting frame provided with the requisite number of cutting wires is drawn across
the length of the frame in any suitable manner thus completing the cutting of
the soap into bars of the requisite thickness.
The raising of the soap is then continued and the operation of cutting repeated
until the whole of the soap contained in the frame has been raised and cut.
The improved frame may be sunk in the floor so that in the operation of
crutching" the sunk frame being on a level with the floor or nearly so, the

page_text: operator is enabled to stand over the frame without the assistance of the usual
platform or stage around the soap frame at present in use.
My invention may be adapted to frames of the existing type at present in use
by providing them with the movable false bottom actuated by means of chains for
raising and lowering the same as described. The raising cutting and "slabbing"
of the soap would be also effected as before mentioned.
1
190
Improvements in the Manufacture of Soap, and in the Frames used in
the Manufacture of Soap, and in the Method of Cutting or Slabbing
Soap.
I, HARRY HADFIELD, of Ringstone's Chemical and Soap Manufactory, of Whaley
Bridge, near Stockport, in the County of Chester, Chemical and Soap Manufacturer,
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 and accompanying drawings:--
My invention relates to the frames used in the manufacture of soap and in the
method of cutting or "slabbing" soap.
Previous to my invention the soap when made has been placed in a frame to conl
and set. These frames have been formed with removable sides and ends which
are bolted together. When the soap has cooled and set the sides and ends are
unbolted and removed leaving the soap upon the bottom of the frame in a solid
block. It is then marked and cut or slabbed" into pieces of the requisite size
by means of cutting wires.
This construction of frame is subject to disadvantages being frequently leaky
owing to the defective joints between the removable sides and ends.
Moreover
the labour of connecting and disconnecting the sides and ends of the frame is
considerable.
The object of my invention is to obviate these disadvantages.
In carrying my invention into effect I form the frame of one complete casting
instead of having the sides and ends removable as before. Instead of a complete
casting, the frame may be built up in sections and bolted permanently together,
the joints being rendered fluid tight by means of asbestos or other suitable packing.
A false or removable bottom is provided which is adapted to be raised and
lowered by means of bands or chains passing over or around pullies or chain
wheels mounted upon shafts which are actuated by worm and worm wheel gearing.
Any suitable means may however be adopted for raising and lowering the false
bottom of the frame. The walls of the frame may be grooved or channelled for
the reception of the chains and means may be adopted to prevent the soap coming
into contact with the chains.
And in order that my said invention may be clearly understood I have annexed
hereto two sheets of explanatory drawings to which I will now refer.
ON SHEET 1.

page_text: UN SHEET 2.
Fig. 6 shows a frame carrying cutting wires adapted to effect the "slabbing
of the soap in the frame.
Fig. 7 is another form of frame provided with cutting wires.
Fig. 8 is a plan of Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 shows the method of securing and tightening the cutting wires in the
frame.
Figs. 10 and 11 show a method of raising the false bottom of the soap frame by
hydraulic power.
The frame a may be cast in one piece if desired, but for the sake of economy
and portability I prefer to construct it of separate side and end pieces. These
side and end pieces are securely bolted together by means of bolts b. As the
sections are bolted together permanently the joints may be rendered perfectly
fluid tight by means of asbestos or other suitable packing thus obviating the waste
frequently occuring with the defective joints in the present form of frame con-
structed with removable side and end pieces. Upon one side of the frame I mount
a shaft c revolving in bearings formed in brackets c bolted to the side of the frame.
Upon the shafts are mounted two worms d d gearing with worm wheels d dr
keyed upon shafts e e. The shafts e e are adapted to revolve in gearings formed
in brackets secured to the ends of the frame . Upon the shafts e e I mount
pullies f f f f to which are secured the ends of steel hands 9 9 9 9.
Instead of steel bands, bands composed of woven wire may be employed.
The other ends of the bands g are connected to the sliding false bottom h of
the frame a shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The bands g connecting the drums
or pullies f with the false bottom h pass over anti-friction rollers gl free to revolve
in bearings formed in the ends of the frame. The ends of the side shaft c are
squared for the reception of suitable handles by which the shaft is to be revolved.
If thought desirable the shaft e may he revolved by power. It will be seen
that as the shaft c is revolved motion is transmitted to the shafts e e through the
worm gearing d d d d thereby raising or lowering the false bottom has the
bands y are wound or unwound from the pullies f.
Instead of the metal bands g I may employ chains (see Fig. 5). The chains i
are housed in recesses cut in the ends of the frame.
To prevent access of the soap to the chains and recesses when the soap is being
cast, I employ plates or swords j sliding in ways cut in the ends of the frame as
shown in Fig. 5. When the soap has set the swords may be removed before
raising the soap out of the frame a.
Before the soap is cast in the frame I prefer to whitewash the interior walls
of the frame as well known to soap makers, so that on the cooling of the soap it
will shrink from the walls to some extent and so present no difficulty when being
raised out of the frame.
When the soap has set sufficiently and is cool enough to be "slabbed " I place
upon and secure to the top of the frame a a light metallic or other rectangular
frame k provided with cutting wires (see Fig. 6).
This
The cutting wires are secured to the frame in any convenient manner.
frame is secured to the soap frame by means of removable bolts, or hinged bolts
may be used to more readily effect the securing of the cutting frame k to the soap
frame a. By operating the gearing of the soap frame as described the false bottom
is raised by means of the bands g which are wound upon the pullies f, thus raising
the soap out of the frame through the wires and cutting the same into slabs across
the width.
The soap may be raised out of the frame to any convenient depth. For instance

page_text: the soap may be raised half out of the frame through the cutting wires. A cutting
wire could then be passed along the top of the frame thus cutting the slabs from
the rest of the soap. The slabs are then carried away and the operation of cutting
the slabs into bars is completed by any well known means. The raising of the
soap through the wires of the cutting frame could then be continued until the
whole of the soap had been passed through the cutting wires. The "slabbing i
of the frame of soap could thus be effected at two operations, although this may
be varied as desired.
"
Figs. 7 and 8 indicate another form of cutting frame by means of which the
double cutting operation necessary to cut the soap into bars is effected.
Two side plates or slide carriers are secured to the top of the soap frame a
by means of bolts passing through bolt holes al in the top of the frame (see Fig. 2).
The carriers are formed with slides . The frame is composed of two side
pieces m to which the cutting wires m¹ are secured, connected together by stays m
bolted to the side pieces. Each end of the side pieces m are formed with feet m
adapted to slide upon the slide pieces . The slide carriers are formed centrally
with brackets n which provide bearings for a shaft »'.
Upon the shaft n' are mounted pinions
upon the side pieces m of the frame.
which gear with short racks o o
By operating the hand wheel 2 the frame may be traversed upon the slide
pieces.
When using this form of cutting frame the soap would be raised through the
wires to the thickness of a bar.
The raising of the soap would then be discontinued and the cutting frame
traversed by means of the hand wheel p in the direction of the length of the soap
frame thus completing the cutting of the bars. By this means bars of soap of
the width of the soap frame, say 18 inches, and of suitable thickness could be readily
cut and the operation repeated until the whole of the soap in the frame had been
cut.
For convenience of handling, a cutting frame of this description could be carried
in a sling, and the soap frame be run upon, a suitable line of rails beneath the
frame. One cutting frame would thus serve for several soap frames.
The cutting wires m³ are secured to the sides m of the frame and the requisite
tension of the same obtained in the manner indicated in Fig. 9. The sides m
of the frame are formed with square holes for the reception of a hollow screwed
plug formed with a squared portion to prevent the same from turning within
the hole formed in the sides m of the frame. A collar q' bears against the inner
side of the frame and the screwed plug is secured in position by means of a nut q².
A screwed holt r passes freely through the hollow plug 7 and is prevented from
turning therein by means of a squared portion fitting into a square hole formed
in the screwed plug q.
The bolt is formed with a slot within which the cutting wire m¹ is placed
and a split pin 2 passed through the bolt head above the cutting wire m.
The cutting wire m' is formed with a head or provided with a small nuts as
shown in Fig. 9. The cutting wire m is thus secured to the bolt but may be
detached if required by withdrawing the split pin . By operating the wing nut s'
the bolt is drawn through the hollow plug and the cutting wires m¹ may be
trus tightened to any desired extent. The other ends of the cutting wires may
be similarly adjustably secured, or may be simply attached to hooks or the like.
This method of securing and tightening the cutting wires may be adopted if desired
in the cutting frame shown in Figs. 6. In this case the frame would be formed
with raised edges or a number of snugs to permit of the use of the hollow plugs
and sliding bolts r.
In some instances instead of using chains or bands to raise the false bottom
of the soap frame a I may employ a hydraulic ram acting on the false bottom.
This method is indicated in Figs. 10 and 11. The soap frame a would be pre-
ferably adapted to run upon a line of rails t above the hydraulic ram t. The

page_text: ram might be placed below a turntable by which means one ram would be
suitable for use with a number of soap frames situated in different parts of the
works.
A hole u is provided in the bottom of the soap frame a as shown in the sectional
view Fig. 10 and the ram t' passing through this hole would effect the raising of
the false bottom has required.
If desired however the soap frame a could be stationary and placed permanently
above a hydraulic ram sunk in the floor.
With soap frames constructed in accordance with my invention the usual plat-
form or stage used when "crutching" the soap may be dispensed with. This is
effected by sinking the frame below the level of the floor to about the dotted
line y Fig. 1.
The operator is thus enabled to stand over the frame without the assistance of
a platform or stage.
My invention may be adapted to frames of the existing type at present in use
by providing them with the movable false bottom actuated by means of chains or
the like for raising and lowering the same as described.
The raising, cutting and slabbing" of the soap would then be also effected as
before mentioned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. Providing the frames used in the manufacture of soap with a false bottom
capable of being raised and lowered by means of chains, bands, or by hydraulic
means whereby the "slabbing" and cutting of the soap is facilitated substantially
as described and illustrated.
2. The improved frame for use in the manufacture of soap, cast in one piece
or built up in sections and provided with a false or removable bottom capable
of being raised and lowered by means of bands or chains actuated by suitable
worm gearing or equivalent means, in the manner, for the purpose and substantially
as described and illustrated in sheet of the drawings.
3. In frames of the indicated nature used in the manufacture of soap provided
with means for raising the soap out of the frame when set, the combination with
such a frame of an arrangement of cutting wires so applied that when the soap
is raised out of the frame it encounters such cutting wires and is "slabbed " sub-
stantially as described and illustrated with reference to Fig. 6 of the drawings.
4. In combination with a soap frame of the indicated nature the cutting frame
capable of receiving a longitudinal movement hy means of a rack and pinion or
other equivalent means so that when the soap has been raised through the cutting
wires a sufficient height, the same by the longitudinal movement of the cutting
wires may be cut into bars, substantially as described and illustrated with
reference to Figs. 7, 8 and 9 of the drawings.
Dad 11 0.1
T 1
100%
For the Applicant,
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5 John Dalton Street, Manchester, Chartered Patent Agents.