OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANING, WHITEWASHING, COLOURING, PAINTING, AND COATING CEILINGS, WALLS, AND OTHER SURFACES
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Francis Thys at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd April 1874.
I, JAMES FRANCIS THYS, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford,
Grease Refiner, do hereby declaro the nature of the said Invention for
"NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANING, WHITEWASHING, COLOURING,
PAINTING, AND COATING CEILINGS, WALLS, AND OTHER SURFACES," to be as.
follows:-
:-
My Invention consists of new and improved apparatus for cleaning,
whitewashing, colouring, painting, and coating ceilings, walls, and other.
surfaces, the parts of which are constructed, arranged, and worked in
the manner herein-after oxplained.
By the use of apparatus constructed according to my Invention great
facility and cleanliness in conducting the operations of cleaning, white-
washing, painting, and varnishing ceilings and walls are secured, and the
inconveniences usually attending the said operations are avoided.
My Invention is particularly applicable to the cleaning and coating of
ceilings and I will describe it as used for that
purpose.
:

page_text: The said apparatus consists essentially of a travelling carriage or
base and a vertical rod or pillar having at its top a box or receiver open
on its upper side, the said box or receiver containing a rotatory brush or
scraper. The said box or receiver may either be fixed rigidly to the top
of the pillar or be jointed thereto so that it may always take a vertical
position. The said pillar is composed of lengths or pieces capable of
ready connection and disconnection, and the upper half of the said pillar
is connected to the lower half by a ball and socket joint which permits
the said upper half to be inclined to the lower half at any desired angle.
The pillar has a vertical adjustment by means of a screwed hand wheel
turning in bearings on the travelling carriage or base and engaging with
a quick threaded screw on the lower part of the pillar. By means of
the said vertical adjustment the rotating brush or scraper, and the box
or receiver may be raised to and withdrawn from the ceiling. The
upper edge of the box or receiver is made of vulcanized india-rubber,
which india-rubber when the apparatus is in use is compressed against
the ceiling. By this means a tight fitting of the box or receiver against
the ceiling is effected, and as the scraper or brush and the part of the
ceiling being operated upon are enclosed by the box or receiver the
escape of dust or dirt or the splashing or scattering of the coating or
cleaning materials employed is prevented. The rotating brush or
scraper in the box or receptacle is worked by an elastic band passing
over a pulley outside the said box and also over a pulley on the lower
part of the vertical rod or pillar. This latter pulley is carried by
an adjustable slide and is rotated by the workman in charge of the
apparatus.
In using the apparatus for cleaning a rotating scraper made of wire or
other material is placed in the box or receiver, the dust or dirt removed
by the said scraper accumulating in the box or receiver.
When the apparatus is used for painting, whitewashing, or coating,.
a rotating brush is substituted for the scraper, and the coating material
to be applied to the ceiling is placed in the box or receiver and is
conveyed by the rotating brush to the ceiling. The rotation of the
brush keeps the materials well mixed.
The annaratus is moved on the travelling carriage or have from time !

page_text: The travelling carriage or base of the apparatus may be dispensed with.
In this case the vertical pillar may be supported at the waist of the
workman or otherwise, and the brush or scraper rotated by working the
pulley on the said pillar.
My Invention may be applied to the cleaning, painting, and otherwise
coating of internal and external walls and other surfaces.