IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE CLEANSING OF CASKS OR OTHER VESSELS."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Hill, of Weymouth, in the County of Dorset,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE
CLEANSING OF CASKS OR OTHER VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Hill at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th March 1880.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
HENRY HILL, of Weymouth, in the County of Dorset.
MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE CLEANSING OF CASKS OR OTHER VESSELS."
My Invention has reference to machines employed in the cleansing of casks or
other vessels.
My improved machine consists of a revolving table upon which the cask or vessel
to be cleansed is mounted, of automatic devices which I call "dogs" for holding the
cask or vessel in place during the rotation, and of accessory or subsidiary parts as
hereinafter described.
In carrying out my Invention I construct a table of any suitable material, but
preferably of cast iron, strengthened on the under side by ribs. I mount this table
on a vertical shaft which passes through the centre of a cross girder provided with
a brass lining having set screws. A projecting rim of this lining serves as a bearing
surface to the under surface of a double flange bolted to the lower part of the table.
The table is formed with two or more radial slots extending from near its centre to
near its circumference; these slots are intended to allow the "dogs" to be placed in
any convenient position to suit the operator, and they project below the plate on.
each side to prevent the bolt heads turning when tightened above.
The dogs consists of an upright casting, the lower end of which passes through
the slot, the part resting on the plate being provided with a bolt and nut, by means
of which it is fixed firmly in position. In the upper part or head a female screw is
cut, through which travels a screw threaded bar. This bar is provided with a blunt
ended claw, which may be made to act either vertically or laterally, by means of
which the cask or other article is firmly fixed in position. When it is required to
move the threaded bar backward or forward, is acted upon by means of a
wheel on its outer end; this wheel is retained in position by a clasp thereon,
embracing a collar or projection on the back of the head of the dog, or the wheel
may be retained in its position by other suitable means. In the boss of the wheel

page_text: a screw is cut corresponding with that in the head of the dog. This arrangement
allows the threaded bar to be worked backward or forward while the wheel remains
in an unvarying position.
The table may be made to rotate by any suitable means. A convenient method
is to mount a toothed wheel on the vertical shaft, into which wheel works a pinion
on a horizontal shaft driven by an endless belt or otherwise. When several
machines are employed the motion may be transmitted from one to another in any
ordinary manner. Another way of imparting rotation to the table is to form teeth
on its under or upper surface or round its periphery, and drive it direct by a
pinion.
I provide a cast iron step or steps for the operator to stand upon. The step is of
such a form as will allow the dogs to pass freely under it, and also serve as leg
guards, and its foot may be fastened into a stone bed by means of lewis bolts or be
otherwise secured.
The cask to be operated having been placed on the table, head uppermost and
secured by the dogs, the table is caused to rotate, and while a jet of water or other
liquid is caused to play against the inside, the operator scrubs vertically until the
cask is cleansed.
It is preferred to place the driving gear below the surface of the ground so as to
bring the table on a level with the ground, and thereby facilitate the placing and
removing of the casks.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Hill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th September
1880.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
HENRY HILL, of Weymouth, in the County of Dorset.
MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE CLEANSING OF CASKS OR OTHER VESSELS."
My Invention has reference to machines employed in the cleansing of casks or
other vessels.
My improved machine consists of a revolving table upon which the cask or vessel
to be cleansed is mounted, of adjustable devices which I call "dogs" for holding the
cask or vessel in place during the rotation, and of accessory or subsidiary parts as
bereinafter described.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is a vertical section of a machine constructed
according to my Invention; a is a table of any suitable material, but preferably of
cast iron, strengthened on the under side by ribs b, b; this table is mounted on a
vertical shaft c, whose lower end rests in a step d; the shaft c is also provided with
a collar e which rests upon a bush f in a tripod rest g, whose feet are bolted to the
bed of the machine. Figure 2 represents in plan the tripod rest detached. The
table a is formed with two (or there may be more) radial slots h, h, as seen in
Figure 3, which is a plan of the table; these slots extend from near the centre to
near the circumference of the table, and are intended to allow dogs i, i, to be adjusted
in the required position, according to the size of the cask to be operated upon. The
dogs i, i, when suitably adjusted are fixed by means of bolts and nuts, the bolts
passing through the feet of the dogs and through the slots h, h, in the table, and in
order to prevent the bolts turning round in the slots they are made square for a
portion of their length; the slots project below the table, as seen in the sectional
view of part of the table shown in Figure 4, to give more hold to the bolts.
The table a may be made to rotate by any suitable means. A convenient method
which is shown in the Drawings, is to mount a toothed wheel k on the vertical
shaft C, into which wheel works a pinion on a horizontal shaft m driven by a
belt n or otherwise. Another convenient way of imparting rotation to the table a,
is to form teeth on its under or upper surface round its periphery, and drive it
direct by a pinion. o is a step for the operator to stand upon, so that he may have
full command of the work in progress. This step is of such a form as will allow the
dogs i, i, to pass freely under it, it can be removed when not required, as for instance
during the cleansing of small casks. p is a brush fixed on a long handle
which
q
should be backed with half round or other form of iron, it passes through a ball
held in a cup or socket 8 in a horizontal arm t which is attached to a fork or tongs u;
the arm t is provided with a guide rod v which passes through a fixed guide w so
as to obtain vertical action. The upper end of the tongs u is provided with the
usual clip with brasses, and is fitted on the end of the crank x. This crank is fixed
to a secondary shaft y working through plummer blocks 2, 2, on the bracket 2¹.
The shaft y carries a pulley as shown, which may be driven off the main shaft or
otherwise. The effect of the motion thus produced is to cause the brush
p which
may be fixed at any height by means of pins passing through holes in the handle
above and below the ball to work vertically. I arrange the brush to work over a
surface, of say, 12 inches in depth at a time, beginning at the bottom (or the brush
may be the whole length of the cask). In order to cleanse the second portion of
12 inches the handle of the brush is pushed through the ball as far as the next pin
holes, and so on.
The brush while working vertically is held against the inside of the cask by
means of a holder, shown in Figure 5, which consists of a handle with a forked head
carrying a roller.

page_text: Water supply is provided by means of a piping A having an intervening piece of
india rubber hose B, to allow of the discharge being adjusted on the standard C to
suit casks of various sizes.
The machine is worked as follows:-
First. Place on the centre of the table a a cask of any size unheaded, then set up
one of the dogs i so as to touch the surface of the cask, fix the dog by means of the
nut, then set up and fix the other dog to within a few inches of the other side of
the cask, and drop in a wedge, as shown at E, which firmly fixes it. Turn on the
water tap and slip the driving bands on to the tight pulleys on the shafts, and
place the holder (Figure 5) against the brush handle. Thus the rotation and
brushing are effected at the same time, whilst the stream of water is constantly
washing the freshly scrubbed surface, by which means the cask is quickly and
perfectly cleansed. The bottom head of the cask is cleansed by means of an ordinary
long handle scrubbing brush worked in an opposite direction to the motion of the
cask. To remove the cask, withdraw the wedge. The cask should then be rinsed
with fresh water and dried. Very dirty casks should be subjected to a repetition
of the process.
If preferred the brush may be a rotary brush. The table a may be made to work
either horizontally as described or at any desired inclination.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-The combination of parts sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the annexed Drawings, and
forming an improved machine for cleansing casks or other vessels; and I claim as
characteristic features in such combination the rotating table on which the cask or
vessel is mounted, the dogs, which are adjustable on the table and fix the cask or
vessel in the required position, and the apparatus for brushing, all substantially as
described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Hill, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fifteenth day of September, One thousand eight hundred and
eighty.
HENRY HILL. (L.S.)