AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING CASKS OR FIRKINS
Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN DUNDON of Jockey Hall Kilpeacon in the County of Limerick Butter
Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING CASKS OR FIRKINS to be as follows:-
It consists of a circular steel band about three fect six inches in length with tho
ends overlapping, said band being about two inches deep and about one eighth of
an inch thick.
The inside one of the two overlapping ends is furnished with a row of teeth on
the upper side and to the outer one of said ends a tooth wheel is fixed as appears
in the drawings. This wheel is attached to an axle which works in a strong
cylinder about two inches long and which cylinder is firmly secured to the outer
one of the overlapping ends by a strong iron plate rivited to it, and said plate is
made to bend round under said outer end and form a catch which supports the
inside end, of the circular steel band. The circular steel band is to be inserted into
the firkin to be expanded. The handle of the lever which works the wheel (as
seen in drawing), is then turned and causes the toothed wheel to revolve and work
in the teeth which are on the upper side of the inner end of the said circular steel
band This will cause the circular steel band to expand so as to enclose a larger
space and by so expanding to separate the firkin staves.
The butter can then be turned out and replaced in the firkin and the staves
again will close in, on the lever being turned the opposite way from that which it
was turned to separate them. There are two small projections rivited to the steel
circular band, which will prevent its dropping down too far into the firkin it is
being used to expand.
The screw shewn in the drawing No 1. marked A is a thumb screw which can
be screwed down on the axle which works the toothed wheel so as to keep the
band expanded to any degree required.

page_text: An Improved Apparatus for Expanding Casks or Firkins.
I JOHN DUNDON of Jockey Hall, Kilpeacon, in the county of Limerick, Ireland,
Butter Merchant, 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:—
My invention relates to the construction of an improved apparatus to be used
for expanding casks or firkins such as those in which butter is usually contained
for the purpose of allowing the contents thereof to be withdrawn and replaced.
The improved apparatus is constructed of a circular steel band having its ends
overlapping each other.
The inner one of the two overlapping ends is furnished with a row of teeth on
its upper edge and a toothed wheel is attached to the outer one of the said ends.-
This wheel is fixed to an axle which works in a strong cylinder or bearing firmly
secured to the outer overlapping end by a strong plate rivetted thereto and the
said plate is bent round under the said outer end so as to form a catch or hook
which supports the inner end of the circular steel band.
A-crank handle is fixed to the axle of the toothed wheel for the purpose of
operating the same and a set screw is provided for-fixing the band in position.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is a plan;
figure 2, an elevation and figure 3, a section partly in elevation of an apparatus
for expanding casks or firkins constructed according to my invention. Similar
letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
a, is the circular steel band and b, and c, represent the ends thereof which
overlap each other as clearly shewn in figure 1; d, d, are the teeth forming a kind
of rack on the upper edge of the inner end b, of the band a, and e, is the toothed
wheel on the upper edge of the outer end c, of the band, the said toothed wheel
gearing into the teeth d, of the rack as hereinafter described so as to move the
ends and c, of the band a, over each other and thereby expand or contract the
band, is the axle, on the inner end of which the said toothed wheel e, is fixed
and g, is the cylinder or bearing in which the axle f works, the cylinder or
bearing g, being secured to the upper edge of the end c, of the band a, by means
of the plate h, rivetted thereto by the rivets i, i; j, is the catch or hook formed by
bending the bottom edge of the plate h, round under the lower edges of the ends c
and b, whereby a support or guide is formed for the inuer end b, of the band a;
k, is the crank handle for operating the toothed wheel e; the outer end of the
axle f, being squared as shewn at 1, figure 3, to receive it; the said end is also
provided with a screw thread m, to allow of fixing the same by means of a nut n;
o, is the set screw which can be screwed into a hole in the cylinder or bearing 9,
so as to bind the axle f, and fix the toothed wheel e, and band, a, in any position
to which they may be moved; p, p, are two projections fixed to the band a, which
projections in combination with the cylinder or bearing g, by bearing on the edge
of the mouth of the firkin, serve to prevent the band a, from entering too far
therein.

page_text: To make use of an apparatus of this construction, for the purpose of expanding
a cask or firkin, the hoops are first knocked off from one end of the cask or firkin
and the band a, is placed within the free ends of the staves; (should the circum-
ference of the band be too large to allow of this being done it must be contracted
by rotating the crank handle, in a right hand direction until the band a, is of a
proper size); the handle k, is then turned in the left hand direction and the tootlied
wheel e, on the end c, of the band a, will be rotated and by working in the teeth d,
on the upper edge of the other end b, of the band will cause the latter to expand
and press asunder the staves of the firkin, and thereby increase the size of the
mouth or opening thereof. As soon as the top of the firkin has been expanded to
a larger size than the middle, the band is fixed in position by screwing down the
set screw o, and the contents can then be easily turned out and the firkin and its
contents be separately weighed.
The contents can then, if required, be replaced in the firkin; the set screw o, is
then unscrewed and the handle k, turned in a reverse direction and the band a,
will be contracted and the staves will again close inwards; the apparatus is then
removed. The pressure of the hoops at the lower end of the firkin will generally
be sufficient to cause the upper ends of the staves to resume their closed position so
as to allow of the hoops being replaced over them. Should the staves however not
close in sufficiently to allow of this, it will be only necessary to place the apparatus
over the outside of the ends of the staves and contract the band a, and so bring
the staves close together.
In the drawing I have shown the apparatus with the right hand end of the band
on the outside and the left hand end free but it will be obvious that it can be con-
structed with the left hand end outside and the right hand end free in which case
the toothed wheel and bearing will still be on the outside end which will then bo
the left hand end. The crank handle must then be turned to the right hand in
order to expand and to the left hand to contract the metal band.
When replacing butter within a firkin the use of my improved apparatus
effectually prevents the waste which has hitherto generally occurred by reason of
the staves of the firkin scraping the sides of the butter and thereby removing a
portion of the same.
It also prevents the injury to the firkin which now usually occurs by reason of
the staves being wrenched asunder by the hand and thereby frequently broken or
started as by my apparatus (whereby an equal and gradual pressure is applied to
every stave) they are forced asunder in a regular manner without risk of injury.
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
1. An apparatus for expanding casks or firkins consisting of a circular metal
band having its ends overlapped and arranged to be moved over each other by
means such as are herein described so as to expand and contract the said band
substantially as set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
2. The improved apparatus for expanding casks and firkins hereinbefore described
and represented in the accompanying drawing.