AN IMPROVED WASHING RUBBER
Year: 1884

page_text: We, JAMES RALPH and JAMES ADAMS JORDAN, both of the Bee Hive Works, Earl
Street, Bilston, in the county of Stafford, holloware manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of our invention for AN IMPROVED WASHING RUBBER, to be as
follows:-
Hitherto washing rubbers have been made to consist of a wooden frame (usually
only nailed together) carrying a roughened or corrugated zinc rubbing sheet. A
wooden box is usually formed at one end for the scrubbing brush. The frames of
these rubbers quickly come to pieces in wear, and the nails are liable to become
loose and tear the clothes which are being washed, and occasionally also the flesh
of the operator.
Now the object of this invention is to do away entirely with any wooden
framing and thus avoid the inconvenience described.
This object is effected by stamping out the washing rubber and frame in one
piece in zinc (or other suitable metal), and for this purpose the whole is formed as
a hollow block or tray, open on the under side, and having the corrugated part for
rubbing formed in its upper surface and a recess sunk therein also for the scrubbing
brush. This corrugation and recess being in one piece of metal with the frame add
considerably to the strength and durability of the article. The rim forming the
under side or lower part of the frame is wired to increase its strength and give a
smooth edge.
Noted this twenty fourth day of Jennery 1884.

page_text: We, JAMES RALPH, and JAMES. ADAMS JORDAN, both of the Bee Hive Works, Earl
Street, Bilston, in the County of Stafford, holloware manufacturers do hereby
declare the nature of our invention for AN IMPROVED WASHING RUBBER and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement reference being had to the
accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon (that, is to
say) :-
A
Hitherto washing rubbers have been made to consist. of a wooden frame (usually
only nailed together) carrying a roughened or corrugated zinc rubbing sheet.
wooden box is usually formed at one end for the scrubbing brush. The frames of
these rubbers quickly come to pieces in wear, and the nails are liable to become
loose and tear the clothes or articles which are being washed, and occasionally also
the flesh of the operator.
Now the object of this invention is to do away entirely with any wooden
framing, and thus avoid the inconvenience described.
This object is effected by stamping out the washing rubber and frame in one
piece in zinc (or other suitable metal), and for this purpose the whole is formed as
a hollow block, open on the under side, and having the corrugated or otherwise
roughened part for rubbing formed in its upper surface, and a recess sunk therein
also, if desired, for the scrubbing brush. This corrugation, being in one piece of
metal with the frame, adds considerably to the strength and durability of the
article. The rim forming the underside or lower part of the frame is wired to
increase its strength, and give a smooth edge for holding by.
A washing rubber, constructed according to this invention, may, of course, be
formed of any desired shape, and with any form and arrangement of corrugations
as preferred; but a rubber constructed in a manner which we find very efficient is
illustrated by figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, of which figure 1 is a
plan looking on the top of the rubber, and figure 2 a transverse section taken on.
line of figure 1. The same letters of reference occurring upon both views
indicate, corresponding parts. The whole of the rubber shewn by figure 1
is stamped out of one piece of zinc (or other suitable metal) so as to form a
hollow block, as shewn by the section figure 2, the lower edge of which block is
preferably wired. According to this particular arrangement, two bands of
transverse corrugations lettered A. A, respectively, run longitudinally one along
each side of the surface of the rubber, and a similar baud of corrugations lettered B,
but of a lesser pitch, runs along the middle of the surface of the rubber. To avoid
unnecessary drawing, one end only of such bands is shewn, but the outline of the
remaining space occupied by these corrugations is indicated by the broken lines
lettered a a a. The coarser corrugations lettered A A are for rubbing the larger
description of articles being washed, and the finer corrugations lettered B are for
rubbing the finer class of articles. The proportionate widths of these different
bands may, of course, be made to suit the requirements of the user, and all the
corrugations may, if desired, be of the same pitch, and they may be of the same
level whether of the same pitch or not. It will be seen by figure 2 that each
transverse corrugation is corrugated also in the direction of its own length, but this
is not an essential feature; and in lieu of corrugations, any suitable roughened
surface of the metal may be employed. According to the plan, figure 1, the
corrugations are shewn to be somewhat sharp; this however is simply for
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}

page_text: convenience of illustration, and it is preferred to form all the edges of the
corrugations somewhat rounded or blunted to save unnecessary wear upon the
articles being washed.
Referring to figure 2, C C C is a band of metal forming a strengthening rib
under the centre of the top, but is not however an essential feature of the invention.
This rib is shewn by dotted lines figure 1. It is soldered to the underside of the
top of the rubber and passes down each end, at the bottom of which it is spun or
wheeled inside the metal which is spun or wheeled round the wire at the lower
edge of the rubber.
Having thus stated the nature of our said invention, and particularly described
and ascertained the manner of performing the same, we declare that what we claim
as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-
The improved washing rubber formed by shaping it out in one piece in zinc (or
other suitable metal) as a hollow block, open on the under side, and having the
corrugated or otherwise roughened part for rubbing formed in its upper surface,
and with or without a recess sunk therein for the scrubbing brush, and with or
without a strengthening rib put in afterwards to stiffen the upper surface,"
substantially as and for the purpose herein described and shewn by the drawings.
Dated this twenty-fourth day of October 1884.