AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR VARNISHING SHEETS OF TIN, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gedge, of the Hollies, South Lambeth, in
-
the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE
OR APPARATUS FOR VARNISHING SHEETS OF TIN, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."-
A communication from abroad by Jules Trottier, of 64, Faubourg
St. Martin. Paris. France.
Sealed the 13th March 1874, and dated the 16th September 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Gedge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th September 1878.
I, JOHN GEDGE, of the Hollies, South Lambeth, in the County of
Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR VARNISHING SHEETS OF TIN, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES," a communication to me from abroad by Jules Trottier, of
64, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, France, to be as follows:-
The merit of this machine is to increase considerably the production
of the work it is called upon to do by reason of the rapidity of execution

page_text: with which it works. Its motion is continuous, and sheets of any
dimension may be varnished by it.
Its construction and working will be easily understood by the following
description, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing, upon
which A, B, represent two cylinders supported by two uprights by
means of spindles and bearings :-
The upper cylinder is fixed, the lower one only may rise or fall by
means of a screw a acting on its bearing; it may thus approach or retire
from the upper cylinder at will. Both are governed by two toothed
wheels of equal diameter; or, in other words, they are arranged exactly
as is done in flatting mills.
The upper cylinder is intended to receive the varnish, which is sup-
plied to it from a reservoir by contact roller C; other rollers d, d, placed
at the side of the first serve to equalize and distribute the varnish
uniformly over the surface of the cylinder A.
In consequence of the intermittence which must exist in the time
necessary for the passage from one sheet (of tin) to another, there is left
on one part of the cylinder A a space extending from a¹ to b¹, Fig. 3.
This space must necessarily vary according to the dimensions of the
sheets.
On the other part of the cylinder is stretched a leather or blanket e, f,
intended to receive the varnish to be transmitted to the sheets. This
application is considered an essential part of the said Invention, for it
was necessary to possess a substance which by its suppleness, its elas-
ticity, and porousness would ensure the obtaining of a regular layer of 1
varnish on the sheets. This leather is stretched in such wise as to
present a plane or smooth surface. The tension is obtained by means
of a shaft, on which one of the ends of the leather is rolled, a ratchet
keeping it in this position (Fig. 3). The result of this arrangement is
that only that part of the cylinder which is covered with leather receives
the varnish, the remainder being out of contact with the roller dipping
in the reservoir.
The lower cylinder B, which serves to produce the fulling, is of an
equal diameter to the first, but it possesses on a part of its periphery an
extra thickness g, h, Fig. 3, made by a metallic plate or other substance.
This extra thickness or sector is further furnished with a blanket,

page_text: adjusted in similar manner as that described in regard to its corre-
sponding cylinder.
By the use of the sector g, h, the contact of the two cylinders takes
place only during the space occupied by the packing, consequently the
varnishing is executed in the same time. This operation will be exe-
cuted by the machine in the following manner:-The cylinder A being
coated with varnish on its entire surface of contact, the sheet (tin) to be
varnished is placed on the table t, and is introduced between the
cylinders, which are not then in contact. When by the rotation of the
cylinders the packing and the sector come in contact the sheet will be
drawn in, and by the consequent pressure the upper cylinder will com-
pletely discharge its varnish, and the sheet will obtain it. When the
sector has passed the tangental point of the two cylinders the sheet
becomes free, the upper cylinder is recoated during the time necessary
to take up another sheet, and so on.
It will be seen that the principle of this machine rests on the inter-
mittent action of the cylinders, notwithstanding their continuous
rotation, this intermittent action being produced by means of a sector,
which draws in the sheet (tin) to be varnished.
In some cases the reservoir may be arranged in a different way. It
may be provided with a presser, or communicate directly with the
roller d, as at Fig. 5.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 indicate arrangements which may be applied and
further serve to show the general scope of this Invention.
One of the advantages of this machine is that it gives the possibility
of leaving a margin or reserved part at one end of the sheet; also the
faculty of varnishing only on one face, notwithstanding its continuous
working.
The dimensions and general arrangements which may be given to the
machine are in no wise definitive; they may vary as in practice may be
found necessary.
Although this machine is constructed with a view to varnishing
sheets of tin, its use and application are nevertheless claimed for other
num
'

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GEDGE, of the Hollies, South Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Gedge, Her
special licence that I, the said John Gedge, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Gedge,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at 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
"AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR VARNISHING SHEETS OF TIN, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES," a communication to me from abroad by Jules Trottier,
of 64, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, France, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Gedge, my 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 John Gedge, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be a
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the

page_text: Its construction and working will be easily understood by the following
description, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing, upon
which Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a front elevation partly.
in section of a machine embodying this Invention, Figure 3 showing.
detached part drawn to an enlarged scale; and Figures 4, 5, and 6,
modifications of details.
A, B, represents two cylinders supported by two uprights by means
of spindles and bearings.
The upper cylinder is fixed, the lower one only may rise or fall by
means of a screw a acting on its bearing; it may thus approach or retire
from the upper cylinder at will. Both are governed by two toothed
wheels of equal diameter. In short, they are arranged exactly as is done
in flatting mills.
The upper cylinder is intended to receive the varnish, which is
supplied to it from a reservoir by contact roller C; other rollers d, d,
placed at the side of the first serve to equalize and distribute the varnish
uniformly over the surface of the cylinder A.
In consequence of the intermittence required to give the time
necessary for the passage from one sheet to another, there is left on
one part of the cylinder A a space extending from a¹ to b¹, (Fig. 3).
This space must necessarily vary according to the dimensions of the
sheets.
On the other part of the cylinder is stretched a leather or blanket e, f,
intended to receive the varnish and to transmit it to the sheets. I would..
here observe that this mode of application is deemed an essential part of
this said Invention, it being necessary to provide a substance which by
its suppleness, its elasticity, and porousness would ensure the obtaining
of a regular layer of varnish on the sheets. This leather is stretched in
such wise as to present a plane or smooth surface in every part. The
tension is obtained by means of a shaft, on which one of the ends of the
leather is rolled, a ratchet keeping it in this position (Fig. 3). The
result of this arrangement is that only that part of the cylinder which is
covered with leather receives the varnish, the remainder being out of
contact with the roller dipping in the reservoir.
The lower cylinder B, which serves to produce the fulling, is of an
equal diameter to the first, but it possesses on a part of its periphery an

page_text: extra thickness g, h, obtained by means of a metallic plate or other
substance. This extra thickness or sector is further furnished with a
blanket, adjusted in similar manner as that described in regard to its
corresponding cylinder.
In consequence of the thickness presented by the sector g, h, the
contact of the two cylinders takes place only during the space occupied
by the packing, consequently the varnishing is executed in the same
time. This operation will be executed by the machine in the following
manner The cylinder A being coated with varnish on its entire
surface of contact, the sheet to be varnished is placed on the table t, its
edge being introduced between the two cylinders, which are not then in
contact. When by the rotation of the cylinders the packing or sectors
come into contact the sheet will be drawn in, and by the consequent
pressure the upper cylinder will completely discharge its varnish, and
the sheet will obtain it. When the sector has passed the tangental
point of the two cylinders the sheet becomes free, the upper cylinder
is recoated during the time necessary to take up another sheet, and
so on.
It will be seen that the principle of this machine rests on the
intermittent action of the cylinders, notwithstanding their continuous
rotation, this intermittent action being produced by means of a sector,
which draws in the sheet (tin) to be varnished.
In some cases the reservoir may be arranged in a different way. It
may be provided with a presser, or communicate directly with the
roller d, as at Fig. 5.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 indicate arrangements which might be applied and
further serve to shew the general scope of this Invention.
One of the advantages of this machine is that it gives the possibility
of leaving a margin or reserved part at one end of the sheet; also that
of varnishing only on one face of the sheet, notwithstanding the con-
tinuous working of the machine.
The dimensions and general arrangements which may be given to the
machine are in no wise definitive; they may vary as in practice may be
found necessary,
Although this machine is constructed with a view to varnishing sheets

page_text: of tin, its use is nevertheless claimed for whatever other applications to
which it may be found suitable.
To sum up: Claim is made to the use of the arrangements given to
a machine for varnishing sheets of tin, substantially as herein-before
described, such being based upon the continuous motion of the two
cylinders, their intermittent action, and the application of the elastic
substance for receiving and spreading the varnish with regularity.
In witness whereof I, the said John Gedge, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.