An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Facilitating the Shaving or Reducing the Surface of Skins or other Substances or Materials of the like kind.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 25th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Facilitating the Shaving
or Reducing the Surface of Skins or other Substances or Materials
of the like kind.
I, EDWARD ENGLAND PULLMAN, Leather Manufacturer, of Westbrook Mills,
Godalming, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
For the purpose of reducing the surface of skins of different kinds, it is usual
to use rapidly revolving cylinders or drums, the periphery of which is provided
with projecting blades, helical or of other suitable shape. Such a process is
ordinarily conducted by means of what is well known as a "Rood" shaving
machine, or of other more or less analogous machines having rapidly revolving
drums of the kind described, provided with projecting blades of the kind described
above, and used in the "Vaughn or other such shaving machines.
In these machines, the skin to be shaved is passed round a cylinder by which
it is made to move in close proximity, which can be exactly regulated as required,
to the cutting edges of the projecting revolving blades.
These blades, however, when revolving at the very high speed necessary, cause
a current of air sufficiently strong to have a tendency to draw the skin round
the knife blades to such an extent that it is liable to become entangled and
injured, and the object of my invention is to neutralize the current of air pro-
duced, in such a manner that it ceases to be injurious.
It has been attempted to overcome the difficulty described, by arranging a
brush revolving under the edges of the knife blades, but in the opposite direction
to the latter, so as to brush the skin away from the blades, but this arrangement
has not proved sufficiently successful in practice.
By my present invention, I arrange below the knife cylinder, and more or less
beneath the cutting edges where they are operating upon the skin, a tube of
iron or other suitable material, of sufficient diameter, preferably about four
inches, parallel with the axis of the knife cylinder. Along one side of the tube
I make a longitudinal opening or slit extending from end to end and parallel
with its axis. The ends of the tube are closed, but through one of them, or in
other convenient part of the tube, I make an opening connected by a flexible
or other pipe with a fan, or pump, by which air can be continuously forced into
the tube at such a pressure (which need only be slight), that when it escapes
through the slit, which is adjusted in such a position that the issuing air meets
the current of air produced by the revolving knife blades, the latter current is
entirely neutralized, and the objectionable action upon the skin is prevented.
The width of the slit through which the air issues may be varied, but it is
preferably about an eighth of an inch.
My invention is applicable to other substances, as well as skins, from which
the surface has to be shaved or reduced, or fibres removed, or the like, by means
of rapidly revolving cylinders or drums having cutting blades upon their peri-

page_text: phery, and where it is necessary or desirable to neutralize the current of air
produced by the revolving blades.
The size and proportions of the several parts, and the details of arrangement,
may be varied more or less to suit different circumstances.
Doted this 94th low of Vanaut
1000
EDWARDS AND Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents,
Agents for the Applicant, 65 and 66, Chancery Lane, London.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Facilitating the Shaving
or Reducing the Surface of Skins or other Substances or Materials
of the like kind.
I, EDWARD ENGLAND PULLMAN, Leather Manufacturer, of Westbrook Mills,
Godalming, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say:-
"
For the purpose of reducing the surface of skins of different kinds, it is usual
to use rapidly revolving cylinders or drums, the periphery of which is provided
with projecting blades, helical or of other suitable shape. Such a process is
ordinarily conducted by means of such a machine as that well known as a Rood
shaving machine, or of other more or less analogous machines, having rapidly
revolving drums provided with projecting blades of the kind described above,
which are used in the "Vaughn" or other such shaving machines.
In these machines, the skin to be shaved is passed round a cylinder by which
it is made to move in close proximity, which can be exactly regulated as required,
to the cutting edges of the projecting revolving blades.
These blades, however, when revolving at the very high speed necessary in
order to ensure effective work, cause a current of air sufficiently strong to have
a tendency to draw the skin round the knife blades to such an extent that it is
liable to become entangled and injured, and the object of my present invention is
to neutralize the current of air produced, in such a manner that it ceases to be
injurious.
It has been attempted to overcome the difficulty described, by arranging a
brush revolving under the edges of the knife blades, but in the opposite direction
to the latter, so as to brush the skin away from the blades, but this arrangement
has not proved sufficiently successful in practice.
By my present invention, I arrange and fix below the knife cylinder, and more
or less directly beneath the cutting edges where they are operating upon the skin,
a tube of iron or other suitable material, of sufficient diameter, preferably about
four inches, parallel with the axis of the knife cylinder. Along one side of
the tube I make a longitudinal opening or slit extending from end to end and
parallel with its axis. The ends of the tube are closed, but through one of them,
or in other convenient part of the tube, I make an opening connected by a
flexible or other pipe with a fan, or pump, by which air can be continuously
forced into the tube at such a pressure (which need only be slight), that when
it escapes through the slit,-which is adjusted in such a position that the issuing
air meets the current of air produced by the revolving knife blades,-the latter
current is entirely neutralized, and the objectionable action upon the skin is
prevented.

page_text: The width of the slit through which the air issues may be varied, but it is
preferably about an eighth of an inch.
Instead of a single slit, one or more slits or perforations may be used.
My invention is applicable to other substances, as well as skins, from which
the surface has to be shaved or reduced, or fibres removed, or the like, by means
of rapidly revolving cylinders or drums having cutting blades upon their peri-
phery, and where it is necessary or desirable to neutralize the current of air
produced by the revolving blades.
The size and proportions of the several parts, and the details of arrangement,
may be varied more or less to suit different circumstances, and the particular
kind of machine to which the novel apparatus is to be applied.
The apparatus is simple, cheap, and very effective for the purpose required.
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
1
In machines in which rapidly revolving blades are used for the purpose of
shaving or reducing the surface of skins or other substances or materials, the
use, for the purpose of neutralizing the injurious effect of the current of air pro-
duced by such revolving blades, of a current of air forced through a tube provided
with a slit or perforation or perforations through which the air under sufficient
pressure is forced in such a direction as to meet and neutralize the current of air
produced by the revolving blades, substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of September 1899
EDWARDS AND Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents,
65 and 66, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.