Improvements in Machinery for Dressing Skins or Hides.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Apr., 1890-Accepted, 7th June, 1890
:
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Dressing Skins or Hides.
:
I, CHARLES ARMITAGE BROWN, of the Firm of Huxham & Browns, of Exeter in the
County of Devon, 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 relates to an improved mode of mounting the tools used in striking,
scouring, and fleshing skins or hides, and whether in their raw or tanned state.
:
In operating upon the skin, it is usual to have a double set of tool holders, and to
work the tools in opposite directions from the centre to the opposite edges of the
skin.
The support for the skin under treatinent is either a slowly rotating drum or a flat
table, and it is indifferent to me which I employ, but it is essential for good work,
that the tools shall bear evenly throughout their traverse upon the skin or leather
under treatment, and it is mainly with a view of securing this result, that my invention
is designed.
In the accompanying drawing, I have shown in front elevation my improvements
as applied to a leather dressing machine fitted with a drum, which, by slowly rotating,
presents to the action of the reciprocating tools a fresh portion of the leather or skin
after each reciprocation.
:
A A' is a pair of standards connected by a cross beam B, which is planed on its
under surface, and forms with a plate B', connected with the beam by distance pieces,
a race for the reception of a pair of sliding blocks C, C', connected rigidly together.
Pivotted to these blocks are pairs of links D D, which, at their lower ends, are
pivotally connected with the tool holders E E¹.
F is a bell crank lever pivotted at its angle to the tool holder E. The shorter limb
of this hell crank lever is pivotted to the sliding block C, intermediate of the two pins
which carry the links D; the crank lever may take the place of one of the
links D.
The upper end of the shorter limb of the bell crank lever has pivotted to it a rod G,
which, at its opposite end, is pivotted to the middle of the central link D, which
connects the sliding block C with the tool holder E¹.
The longer limb of the bell crank lever F connects with a crank pin h projecting
from a disc H, keyed on to the main driving shaft H', having its bearings in the top
of the standard A.
The throw of this crank pin h causes the bell crank lever F to rock, and thereby to
perform a double duty, inasmuch as it imparts a traverse motion to the sliding
blocks C C¹, and lifts out of action, and lowers into action alternately the tools carried
by the tool holders E E'.
I is a drum mounted on an axle I', which has its bearings in the standards A A',
and keyed to the axle I' is a worm wheel 12, for transmitting a slow rotary motion
to the drum.
Near the foot of the standard A is mounted a shaft K, parallel with the driving
shaft H, and keyed upon this shaft is a worm K' gearing into the worm. wheel I³,
and also a broad belt pulley K².
The driving shaft H' is fitted with two loose pulleys H', and a fixed pulley between
them. An open belt and a crossed belt pass down from these pulleys to the broad
pulley K on the shaft K, and serve, by means of a belt shifter (not shown in the
drawing), to drive the shaft K alternately in opposite directions.
In this way, the leather, when it has been traversed once from end to end under
the action of the tools, is brought again under their action, and so on, to complete the
dressing operation.

page_text: By reference to the drawing, it will be seen that each tool holder carries two tools
or strikers e, with brushes el in advance of them. The tools and brushes are elastically
connected with their holders, so that an adjustable pressure may be imparted to them.
The starting position of the tool holder E' is indicated by the dotted line in the
Figure; it starts, therefore, from about the middle of the hide, and continues in the
direction of the arrow, pressed down upon the work by reason of its connection,
through the rod G, with the bell crank lever F, until its traverse is completed.
During this outward movement of the depressed tool holder E¹, the tool holder E
(now raised) is moving inwards to take up its working position.
On the completion of the throw of the crank pin 4, the movements of the bell crank
lever will be reversed; the tool holder E¹ will be raised, and the tool holder E
depressed.
This holder E will now in its turn be moved from the centre of the hide to the
outer edge in the reverse direction to that taken by the tool holder E¹.
It should be remarked that as each tool holder carries two strikers, it will be
unnecessary to make the throw of the crank greater than about the distance between
the two strikers..
This limitation of the traverse of the tool holders quickens, as is well understood,
the action of the machine.
Means will be provided for the raising and lowering of the drum, or its equivalent,
as is usual in this class of machines.
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
In a hide dressing machine constructed with a pair of tool holders, the means above
described for raising and depressing and traversing the tool holders in opposite
directions over the work, and for maintaining their parallelism with the work, while
their respective sets of tools are in action.
Dated this 92nd day of April 1890