IMPROVEMENTS IN KNIFE-CLEANING MACHINES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Adam Dixon, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNIFE-CLEANING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 25th January 1861, and dated the 31st July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adam Dixon, at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 31st July
. 1860.
I, ADAM DIXON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
KNIFE-CLEANING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements upon "Genhart's Patent
No. 2087, A.D. 1857; first, making the interior brush in several parts or
segments, the advantages which construction are that, in the first place, it
allows of the introduction of springs below or behind said segments, and thus
rendering the brush self-expanding, counteracts the wearing down of the
bristles for which there has been no provision in the machines as hitherto
made. In the second place this mode of construction admits of the bristles
being wiredrawn instead of being fastened into the stock of the brush with
pitch, as at present, and also facilitates the use either in large or small quan-
tities of leather to improve the cleaning and polishing qualities of the brush.
Secondly, a new knife plate with a novel arrangement of the openings, or
slits through which the blades of the knives pass into the machine for cleaning;
this new form of plate removes all metal in the slits immediately in front of

page_text: the cutting edges of the knives, rubbing against which metal as at present
arranged has blunted and otherwise injured said edges. By the new arrange-
nient the blades are placed in the machine ready for cleaning in pairs with their
cutting edges together; the brush is thus allowed to act across their surfaces
in one continued sweep; instead of a series of jumps or steps. from back to
edge of blades, or vice versa, as under the present mode of placing the knives
inliscriminately in the machine.
Thirdly, the application in these machines of a disc stationary brush fitting
into a concave or interior brush also stationary, both fastened immediately
inside or behind the knife plate and between which brushes the blades enter in
their passage in and out of the machine; the bristles of these brushes prevent
waste and dirt of powder by bindering its egress through the blade slits.
Fourthly, perforating the bottom of the cylinder to allow egress to the
powder. so as to prevent its choking or clogging up the machine and placing a
drawer below said perforations so as to catch the powder.
And fifthly, making the legs of the side standard castings of the machines
of wrought iron so as to obviate the frequent breakages of the present cast-
iron legs and the wrought-iron legs being easily removable facilitato and
economise the packing of the machines for carriage or transmission.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Adam Dixon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th
January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, ADAM
DIXON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the.
sai Adam Dixon, Her special licence that I, the said Adam Dixon, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Adam.
Dixon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,'
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
KNIFE-CLEANING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,

page_text: the said Adam Dixon, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Adam Dixon, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings herewith annexed,
that is to say:-
As the mechanical principle and mode of working this machine remain the
same, as already described in the Specification of "Genhart's Patent, No. 2087
(A.D. 1857)," I need not further describe them in this, but confine this my
description to the especial improvements thereto of which my present Inven
tion consist.
First, I form the brush which works inside the cylinder or tubic of the
machine in two or more parts or segments, the advantages of which con-
struction are two-fold; first, it allows of the introduction of springs below or
behind the said parts or segments, and thus rendering the brush self-expanding,
counteracts the wearing down of the bristles or leather of which the brush
may be composed, while, secondly, it facilitates the freer use of leather to
improve the cleaning and polishing qualities of the brush, and admitting of the
bristles being wiredrawn.
Secondly, a new knife plate having the openings large enough to allow of
the bolsters of the knives to pass right through into the machine, and which
openings are arranged in pairs, having blocks of wood between them, with
guide slits in which the cutting edges of the knives rest in their passage into
and out of the machine, which arrangement not only saves the edges of the
knives from being blunted by rubbing against any metal in the knife plate.
but also, owing to the knives having edge to edge and back to back when in
the machine, cause less jolting to the brush when working.
.
Thirdly, the application in these machines of linings of bristles, forming
concave and. convex brushes fitting into. each other, fastened to or imme-
diately inside the knife plate; the blades of the knives in passing into or out
of the machine open for themselves a passage between the bristles of these
brushes, and thus these linings prevent waste and dirt of powder by hindering
its egress through the blade openings or slits.
Fourthly, to prevent the machine getting choked or clogged up with

page_text: '
powder, I perforate the bottom of the cylinder with a series of small holes,
and place a drawer below said perforation's, so as to catch the powder falling
through.
And, fifthly, I make the legs to the end standard castings of wrought iron,
so as to obviate the frequent breakages accruing to said legs when formed of
cast iron, as well as to facilitate and economise the packing of the machinės
for carriage or exportation, as the wrought iron legs are easily removed from
and refixed to the machines..
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention; I now proceed to
describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into
practical effect, and have attached to these Presents a Sheet of Drawings
illustrative of the construction of my said improvements, and have marked 'the
same with numeral figures or letters of reference, similar letters being
employed to denote corresponding parts in so far as such parts appear or can
be seen at each of such said Figures respectively.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation, Figures 2 and 3 'are end views, while
Figures 4 and 5 are longitudinal and transverse sections respectively all of a
machine arranged for cleaning 'twelve knives at a time: Figures 6 and 7 are
detached views of the iron ends upon which that description of expanding brush
is built, as shewn in the sections 4 and 5; and Figure 8 is also a detached
view of the concave brush forming one of the inside bristle 'linings, as well as
guard to prevent the knife being pushed too far into the machine 'for
cleaning; Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12, represent views of two different kinds of
expanding brushes which may also be used in these machines.
Referring to the first improvement, A is the centre spindle, upon which are
keyed or cast on the iron ends B, B, arranged in this case 'to carry six angle
brushes C, C, made fast to these ends; also six moveable brushes D, D'; 'to the
under sides of said moveable brushes are attached malleable iron shoes d, d,
which work up and down the recesses b,. b, on iron ends, see Figures 6 and 7.
These moveable brushes D are rendered self-expanding by means of the spiral
springs E, E, working loosely 'in sockets cast in iron ends, and 'retained in
their proper positions against shoes by guide studs 'cast on under 'side of 'said
shoes at their ends, as shewn. The brushes C, C, required chiefly as supports
to press the knives outwards against the main cylinder of the cleaner, are
made entirely of 'bristles, while the expanding brushes D, D, which do the
actual cleaning and polishing, may be made wholly either of bristles or buff
leather, or, as is found 'best'in practice, a 'combination of both.

page_text: Figure.9 shews an expanding brush formed of radial springs. the outward
ends of which are tipped either with buff leather, or bristles, or a combination
of both: A, the centre spindle; B, the wood or iron. stock from which the
springs E radiate, and to which they are fastened, while D is the buff-leather
or bristles, as the case, may be. The springs E may be made the whole
length of the block or stock B, or narrower, so as to be stepped and break
bond across.
Figures 10, 11, and 12 exhibit an expanding brush made in halves, more
especially suitable for small cylindered machines where the ends would be
confined for room for recesses and sockets, as already explained. In these
views. A is the centre spindle with ends B, B, cast on; C, the brush stock-cut
into two; d, d, iron shoes, against which the spiral springs operate, said
springs passing right through the spindle in sockets cast for their reception.
To describe the second improvement, F is the circular knife.plate dropping
into and bolted to the left hand standard casting of machine; ff. ornamental
bridges between each pair of knife openings G, G, large enough to admit the
bolster of the knife; while 9,.9, are blocks of wood, having guide slits in which
the cutting edges of the knives. travel in their passage into and out of the
machine.
The third improvement is illustrated in Figures 4 and 8. H, H, are the
bristle linings, the outer linings forming a concave brush held in the ring I, I,
retained in its place by the same bolts passing through it, which fasten the
knife plate to left hand standard casting, while this ring I, I, also forms a
guard to prevent the knives being pushed too far into the machine, the knives
in their passage.into the machine resting on the flat sides i, i; i, see Figure 8,
between which flat sides and the inner diameter of cylinder there is just space
enough for the thickness of the knife blades, and no more. The inside
linings forming a convex brush, are held to the back of the knife plate F by
means of the washer plate hand centre bolt K.
:
To elucidate the fourth improvement, L is a drawer working through an
opening in the right hand standard casting, and held up to the bottom of the
cylinder by the strap 1, 1; into this drawer the powder finds its way through
the perforations M, M, in the bottom of the cylinder.
And, lastly, N, N, are legs to the end standard castings, which may be
made of any section of wrought iron, though angle iron is preferred; fitting
into sockets in standard castings, behind the curtain facia plates O, O, to which
they are held by the small screws or bolts n, n, as well as to the body of the
castings by 0, 0.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of

page_text: carrying the same into effect, I would have it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and represented,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my said
Invention; but I claim, as my Invention, the improvements in that knife-
'cleaner known as "Genhart's Patent, No. 2087 (A.D. 1857)" as herein-before
described and represented in Figures 1, 2; 3, 4, 5; 6; 7; 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12
of the accompanying Drawings, that is to say,—
First, a self-acting expanding brush.
Secondly, a new arrangement of knife plate with wooden blocks attached
thereto, to prevent the edges of the knives being blunted.
Thirdly, the interior linings of bristles to hinder egress of powder.
Fourthly, the perforations in, and the placing of a drawer under the bottom
of the cylinder.
! ...
And, fifthly, I claim the making of the legs of wrought iron, and in
distinct pieces apart from, and yet attachable to, the end standards of the
machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Adam Dixon, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this. Twenty-eighth day of January, in the 'year of our Lord'
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
JOHN MUIR,
170, Camden Street,
Birmingham,
Commercial Clerk.
ADAM DIXON.. (L.S.)