An Improved Apparatus for the Electro-deposition of Metals.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for the Electro-deposition of Metals.
I, JOSEPH HENRY HOPE, Electro Plating Expert, residing at Wellingboro' House,
Moseley Village, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the electro-deposition of metals, such, for example, as
nickel, copper, brass, gold and silver, and consists in an improved apparatus to be
used in connection therewith which has for its objects, firstly, to dispense with the
usual vats, secondly, to obviate the necessity of wiring the articles to receive the
deposit, and, thirdly, to enable a current of low voltage to be used and the articles
to come near at all times to the anode surface.
According to this invention the bath into which the articles to receive the deposit
are placed takes the form of a revolving water-tight hollow container or barrel,.
built up either of wood or of enamelled iron or other suitable material or substance
which will not be liable to receive a deposit. The said barrel or container has- a
removable longitudinal side capable of being strapped down water-tight by a lever,
screw-down nuts, or other contrivances, for the purpose of obtaining access to its
hollow interior, in order to place thereinto and take out the articles to be plated
and the solution, and the said barrel or container is carried by shaft lengths stand-
ing out from the ends of the said container; the said shaft ends, which, do not enter
the barrel, rotating in suitable bearings or plumber blocks, mounted upon standards
or brackets or suspended in any well known manner. The inner walls of this
water-tight container or revolving barrel are set up with a number of longitudinally
disposed conducting strips, (preferably of copper) and the ends of these are con-
nected up at each end of the barrel's interior by metallic rings, (also preferably of
copper) and from one of these rings an electrical connection is taken through the
particular end of the barrel and its termination is attached to a conducting periphery
of a non-conducting disc, which is carried upon the particular shaft end adjacent to
the particular end of the barrel, and which rotates therewith. The said electrical
connection may consist of a simple wood screw flattened at its one end for connection
to the disc, or any other suitable device, but its passage through the hollow and
water-tight container must be sealed.
The anode is in the form of a cylinder or hollow sleeve with thick walls, and it is
disposed within the hollow and water-tight container longitudinally between the
wo ends, and is preferably centrally supported or carried upon a wooden bar
which is detachably fitted to the inside of the container or barrel, in order that the
aid anode can be replaced or withdrawn at any time required. The support for the
node can be made to seat itself upon semi-circular parts standing out from the
ontainers ends, and can be fixed there by straps of non-conducting material. This
node is sheathed with a gauze of non-conducting material, such, for example, as
elluloid, to protect it from contact with the articles which are placed within the
aid container to be plated, but it is not necessary that this sheath should be of any
reat strength, as the container or barrel only rotates very slowly and the work
[Price S17

page_text: contained therein will only have a small movement. A positive electrical con-
nection is taken from the anode to the conducting periphery of a non-conducting
disc which rotates with the barrel and the shaft, and, preferably, this
disc forms part of the disc before described for the cathode connection, the con-
ducting peripheries being so arranged that electrical positive and negative brushes
from a suitable source may conduct the current to and from the apparatus.
It is to be understood that the longitudinally disposed conducting rods upon the
inside of the barrel or container which form part of the cathode connection must be
of a sufficient number to prevent any short circuiting, but their resistance is
calculated less than that of the articles to be plated.
The revolving and water-tight container is driven by any suitable mechanism
applied to one of its shaft ends, and its parts are of such a construction that a
heated solution can be used therein, and this can be kept in a heated state by the
application of a number of "Bunsen burners.
"
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.
A Picture-deposition of metals.
I, JOSEPH HENRY HOPE, Electro Plating Expert, residing at Wellingboro' House,
Moseley Village, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, 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 the electro-deposition of metals and consists in an
improved apparatus to be used in connection therewith; the said apparatus being
one of the barrel type in which the anode and the articles to be plated are contained
within a revolving container into which electrolyte is placed. The objects of the
said invention are, firstly, to enable a current of low voltage to be used, and the
articles to be plated to at all times come near the anode surface and to be quickly
coated, and, secondly, to construct a barrel apparatus of a simple but effective
nature.
According to this invention the electrolyte is contained within a water-tight
barrel and the anode takes the form of a cylinder or circular bar, which is disposed
within the said barrel, longitudinally between its two ends, detachably and so
that it can be withdrawn at any time and a new one fitted, the mounting of the
said anode being such as to make its fitting and removal easy. This anode is
sheathed in a covering of non-conducting material, such as canvas, which will
prevent the articles being plated coming in direct contact with it, and a positive
electrical connection of a particular construction and fitting is taken to this
anode. The cathode connection within the barrel is formed by longitudinal and
transverse conducting strips which are arranged upon the barrel's inner lining, and
which are in communication with each other and connected to an electrical negative
connection outside the barrel. The barrel is mounted upon shaft lengths fixed to
the ends, but the said lengths do not in any way enter into the interior of
the barrel or form part of any of the anode or cathode connections.
A plating apparatus constructed and arranged according to this invention is
shown in the accompanying sheet of drawings in longitudinal section in Fig. 1,
in transverse section in Fig. 2, and detail parts of the same in Figs. 3 and 4,
and will be hereinafter particularly described in connection therewith."

page_text: The parrel a to contain the electrolyte and the articles to be plated takes the form
of a revolving water-tight container of the ordinary form, and is built up of wood
although
may be formed of enamelled iron or other material which will not be
acted upon during the process. The said barrel is formed with a removable side a²,
5 which is held in position by a screw clamp comprising parts a³, at, the said side
being removable for obtaining access to the barrel's interior. The said barrel has
connected to its ends a, a, shaft lengths a', a8, which are adapted to run in
suitable bearings a and be driven from some source which will rotate it, but
the said shaft lengths have no electrical communication at all with the interior of
the barrel a, and only form the means for rotating the said barrel and supports for
the parts, which will be hereinafter described, which constitute the outside electrical
connections to the barrel.
.
The inner surface of the barrel a is set up with a number of conducting strips c
(preferably of copper) which are disposed longitudinally the full length of the
barrel, the ends of these said strips being connected up at each of the inner
ends of the barrel by metallic rings or copper strips ², c³, so that the whole of the
said strips are in communication with a bolt 4 passing water-tight through the
end a of the barrel, and which forms the means for coupling the parts of the
cathode connections inside the barrel with those parts outside the barrel.
The anode is in the form of a cylindrical bar d and is disposed longitudinally and
centrally within the interior of the barrel a between the said barrel's ends, the said
bar being carried by wood blocks which are wood screwed onto the ends of the
barrel from the inside of the latter. These blocks may if necessary be formed of
two semi-circular parts, the one hinged to the other, so that the hinged part can be
thrown back and the anode easily removed from the barrel.
The anode d is sheathed within a gauze e of non-conducting material, such as
canvas, to protect it from actual contact with the articles to be plated, the said
gauze being preferably formed of an elastic material which will slightly allow for
the anode's wear, but it is not necessary that this sheath should be of any ap-
preciable thickness, as it only forms a protective coating to the anode against the
article's direct contact. The said gauze may however, and preferably does, extend
the full length of the anode bar, and be and is, gripped by the parts d² which
support the said bar and hold it in position.
A conducting strip is connected to the one end of the anode bar and to a bolt d'
which forms the medium for the passage of the current from the outside positive
connection to the anode, the said conducting strip being covered up and protected
from contact with the electrolyte and articles in the barrel by an extension d
formed upon one of the blocks .
The electrical connections to the bolts or parts c, d, are arranged in the form
of two brush contacts g, h, fixed upon a stationary part supporting the barrel or
pon extensions of the bearings a³, which said contacts are connected respectively
ith positive and negative wires, from an electric generator and rub against or
weep over independent conducting peripheries g², h², of a non-conducting disc or
rum which is mounted upon the shaft end a and rotates with the barrel a.
The conducting periphery g² is connected with the bolt d before described by a
crew pin, g', a conducting plate, g³, and a wire g³, all of which rotate as one
ith the barrel and the drum i, the pin being connected to the periphery, g²,
y its one end screwing into a lug formed in one piece with the said periphery,
is clearly shown by Fig. 3. In like manner is electrical connection made
etween the conducting periphery h² and the bolt on the cathode connection side,
e parts h³, h, and h³, intervening.
One of the sides of the barrel a is fitted with an outlet hole m closed by a screw
opper m², its purpose being to run out the electrolyte from the barrel a when
is desired to take out the work or do any fitting to the barrel's interior. The
ttom of such hole is made of a grid construction, so that the work shall not drop
t with the electrolyte.
The anode bar d is a cast one, and its particular formation and arrangement is

page_text: such that it will not crumble in a manner as do ordinary anodes, whilst its fitting
to the barrel admits of it being easily renewed when worn; but it is so fixed when
in position as to rotate always with the barrel.
In the apparatus constructed as described there is within the interior of the
barrel only those parts which are essential to the making of proper connection
with the electrodes, the driving mechanism and the mountings of the said barrel being
entirely shut off from the electric circuit.
A bosh or container may be arranged underneath the barrel, into which the
electrolyte runs when the barrel is emptied, and a small pump may be provided at
the side of the said bosh to pump the electrolyte back again into the barrel, but
these form no part of this invention.
If the plating is required to be done with a hot solution the barrel is made of
enamelled iron and underneath it is fixed a number of "Bunsen" burners, and
if it is desired that the barrel shall rotate in a separate container its walls would
be perforated so that the electrolyte could pass in and out.
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—
First. In an electro-plating aparatus of the "barrel" type, the use of a bar anode
(preferably cylindrical) supported centrally and movably in the barrel's interior
from the ends so as to be in line, or approximately so, with the axis of rotation,
and which is suitably covered or sheathed and connected up to the positive pole of
the electric generator, substantially as described and set forth.
Second. An electro-plating apparatus of the "barrel" type comprising a con-
tainer a having fitted to its ends shaft length, a, a, and to its interior surface con-
ducting strips and bands c, c², which form the cathode connections inside the barrel,
and a sheathed bar anode such as d centrally and removably supported within the
interior of the barrel from its ends, and which is connected up to the positive pole
and source of electricity, substantially as described and set forth.
Third. An electro-plating apparatus of the "barrel" type having in combination
a container a having fitted to its ends shaft lengths a², as, and to its interior conduct-
ing strips and bands e, c, a cylindrical bar anode such as d centrally and removably
supported within the interior of the barrel from the ends, a gauze or sheath e covering
the said bar anode, and positive and negative electrical outside connections built
up of parts g, g, h, h², i, d³, and c², substantially as described.
Fourth. An electro-plating apparatus constructed arranged and fitted in the
manner shown (less the parts a) in the figs. of the drawings.
Eradam not
MTIHON INC AT EAMON IKK
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham,
Also of Liverpool, London, and Manchester,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.