Year: 1886

page_text: I GILES ATHERTON of the Virginia Mills, Stockport, in the County of Chester,
Hat Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to the apparatus known under the general designation of
Fulling Stocks, and used in the hat manufacture, in the fulling of woolen cloth, in
the treatment of skins or leather and for other purposes. As ordinarily constructed
the framing of a stock has consisted of several parts secured together and the arms
carrying the bumpers or hammers have passed through guiding slots or have
worked in curved slides or guides. In my improved apparatus a single casting
constitutes the basis of the machine and carries the driving gear and the bumpers
and is so shaped as that when side pieces are bolted on or attached a trough of the
usual form to contain the goods is obtained. These side pieces may be of metal or
be open metal frames lined with wood. When it is desirable to replace the wood
lining of the trough or any part of the same the said side pieces can be removed
without disturbing other parts of the machine. The fulcra of the bumper levers
are carried by an arm projecting from the main casting or by two such arms. In
the simplest construction each lever is cast with a long bearing boss which is
mounted upon a stud fixed in or to the said arm or the lever end may be forked
and have two bearings. Also a fixed shaft may take the place of the said stud.
By obtaining a long bearing upon the fulcrum the aforesaid guides or slides are
dispensed with. In some cases the casting at the back of the trough is made
hollow. Steam to heat the goods can be admitted into this hollow back in which
case the side of the steam chamber next to the trough may be of copper or heat
conducting substance and may or may not be perforated. The bumpers are
actuated by ordinary or suitable means or in the following manner. To the outer
end of each lever is hinged a board or plate which passes between a roller and a
cam upon the driving shaft. At each revolution of this shaft the said plate is
nipped between the cam and the roller whereby the bumper is raised or thrown up.
As the cam continues to revolve it releases the said plate and permits the bumper
to fall

page_text: I GILES ATHERTON of the Virginia Mills, Stockport, in the County of Chester,
Hat Manufacturer, 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 and accompanying drawings:-
My Invention relates to the apparatus known under the general designation of
Fulling Stocks, and used in the hat manufacture, in the fulling of woollen cloth,
in the treatment of skins or leather and for other purposes. As ordinarily con-
structed the framing of a stock has consisted of several parts secured together and
the arms carrying the bumpers or hammers have passed through guiding alots or
have worked in curved slides or guides. In my improved apparatus a single casting
constitutes the basis of the machine and carries the driving gear and the bumpers
and is so shaped as that when side pieces are bolted on or attached a trough of the
usual form to contain the goods is obtained. The bumpers are actuated by ordinary
or suitable means or in the following manner. To the outer end of each lever is
hinged a board or plate which passes between a roller and a cam upon the driving
shaft. At each revolution of this shaft the said plate is nipped between the cam
and the roller whereby the bumper is raised or thrown up.
My invention will be best described with reference to the accompanying drawings
wherein Fig. 1. represents a side elevation and Fig. 2. a plan of a pair of stocks
constructed in accordance with my invention the said Figs. being made to a scale
of about one and a half inches to the foot. In the said Figs. a is a casting which
is formed with a standard or arm a¹ which carries the pivots or fulcra of the
bumpers and with projecting brackets a³ in which are formed the bearings for the
actuating shaft b.
The casting is so formed as that when two side plates or
sides c. c. are bolted or secured in position a trough is obtained of a form suitable
to receive the goods and suitable to the action of the bumpers. In Fig. 1. one of
the sides c. is supposed to have been removed to show the interior of the trough.
This trough is lined at the sides and at the curved parts with wood excepting
when for some uses such lining may not. be considered to be necessary. The part
of the casting forming the back of the trough is preferably made hollow in order.
to obtain a suitable degree of rigidity without an excessive weight of metal. For
some purposes I make arrangements for admitting steam into this hollow back in
order to heat the goods or to assist in heating the charge in the trough. In such
cases a portion of the lining or surface of the trough may be of copper or of heat
conducting substance such portion constituting one side of the chamber into which
steam is admitted. A portion of such steam may be permitted to pass through
perforations into the charge. It will be seen that when it is desirable to replace

page_text: any portion of the wood lining of the trough the sides c. can be removed and the
whole or any part of the lining be repaired or renewed without disturbing other
parts of the machine. In the standard a¹ is fixed a long stud d. on which are
mounted two strong metal bumper levers which in the example are supposed to be
made of cast iron. Each lever is cast with a long boss which is bored to suit the
stud d. By providing a long bearing for the pivot of each bumper lever I am
enabled to dispense with the ordinary guides for the outer ends of the levers. The
said levers are shaped to be attached to the bumpers a. e. which are bolted to the
said arms.
To the outer end of each lever is hinged a part f. which in the example
consists of a wood board to which is secured a metal hinge piece f¹. Each board f.
hangs freely from the end of the lever to which it is hinged and extends downward
between a cam g. which is fixed upon the shaft b. and a back pulley h. which is
mounted upon a shaft & there being two of these pullies one to each board. The
shaft is carried by blocks which are fitted in slots in bearers k. k. which in the
example also serve as caps to the bearings for the shaft b. Behind each of the said
blocks is an india rubber spring 1. which is adjustable by means of a screw. Each
of the cams g. is formed with a clearing space for about half its circumference
more or less the remainder being turned so as to be concentric with the axis. As
the cam revolves the board is alternately nipped between the part which has the
largest radius and the back pulley h. the springs imparting a yielding pressure of
the back pulley. The said pressure can be regulated by means of the screws which
compress the springs more or less as required the pressure being so adjusted as that
the frictional contact of the revolving cam with the board shall be sufficient to
push up the board and thereby to lift the bumper. The swells on the two cams
are arranged to be on opposite sides of the axis of revolution so that the cams act
alternately. It will thus be seen that as the shaft b. revolves the bumpers are
alternately thrown up by the rolling frictional contact of the swells upon the cams
with the boards the clearing space on each cam-that is the part where the radius
is reduced releasing the board and permitting the bumper to fall. One side or
each side of each of the boards f. is preferably covered with leather. To the front
of each bumper is secured a metal ratchet rack m. and on a rocking shaft n. are
fixed two pawls which can be caused to engage with the racks upon the two
bumpers by turning the said shaft in its bearings the bumpers being thereby
sustained so that the goods can be removed. In place of the boards f. and the
cams and pullies for nipping and throwing up the same I in some cases employ a
crank shaft which is connected by means of links with the bumper levers this being
an ordinary arrangement. The means for carrying the pullies h. may be varied and
if preferred the said pullies may be provided with shafts or journals revolving in
bearings. In place of the one standard a¹ more than one may be provided as for
example there might be two standards to carry a shaft upon which the bumper
levers would be mounted or the fulcrum ends of the said levers might be provided
with journals mounted to rock in bearings. Metal springs or other suitably elastic
substance might be substituted for the aforesaid india-rubber springs, or springs
for the purpose might be dispensed with if not considered to be necessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1) The combination of parts constituting the complete apparatus substantially
as and for the purpose set forth, and indicated hereinbefore and in and by the
accompanying drawings.
(2) In apparatus of the indicated nature the body of the machine consisting of
a casting carrying the pivots for the bumper levers and the bearings for the
actuating shaft and forming with the addition of two sides a trough of a suitable
form substantially as set forth and indicated.

page_text: (3) The method of carrying the bumpers by means of levers formed with long
bearings and mounted to rock upon pivots or fulcra carried by the main body of
the machine substantially as set forth and indicated.
(4) The method of actuating the bumpers by means of revolving cams which in
concert with pullies alternately nip and release boards or droppers hinged to the
bumpers or bumper levers substantially as set forth and indicated.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agenta.