IMPROVEMENT IN THE MAKING OF PAINT BRUSH HANDLES AND IN FASTENING THE BRISTLES TO THE SAME."
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Carl Eduard Flemming at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th February 1878.
CARL EDUARD FLEMMING, sole owner of the Firm Ed. Flemming & Co.,
Schönheide, Saxony. "IMPROVEMENT IN THE MAKING OF PAINT BRUSH HANDLES
AND IN FASTENING THE BRISTLES TO THE SAME."
The pecuilarity of my Invention is that the wooden paint brush handles (in
German "Holzkluppen "), of German varnish brushes or sash tools are made in a
different way than hitherto, and can accordingly be used, not alone for sash tools,
but for other painting brushes of a similar kind.
It was customary to make the wooden handles of German sash tools rather thick
at the socket where the bristles are put in and let them become thinner towards
the point from a to b, Fig. 1. This shape of the handle had however the disadvantage
that the workman's hand in using the brush became soon tired, as it is rather
difficult to hold a thick handle between the fingers, and in consequence the painter
could neither perform as much nor as good work as he otherwise might have
done.
The
In order to remedy the above-mentioned inconvenience I reduced the diameter of
the handle to about one-third of its original size by making a round incision of
about one-third of diameter of handle in depth, perpendicular to the axis of the cone
or handle, a little behind the string at a, Figure I., and cutting away the wood
above the incision in due proportion. I obtained by this a brush with a thinner
handle, Figure II., which improvement facilitates considerably the using of the
same, the weight becoming lighter and the holding and handling of it easier.
wooden handle I invented is turned from a single solid piece of wood, Fig. V.,
forming at the same time the socket for the reception of the bristles a, Fig. V., and
the handle b, Fig. V., which may be tapering towards a point, or remain of equal
thickness, or a horizontal section of the same may be round, oval, or of any other
shape. Figure VI. is a vertical section of the handle. Fig. V.; and Fig. VII. is a
horizontal section of the socket a, Fig. V.
The bristles having been gathered into convenient knots are cemented at the
lower end and form bundles, which can easily be inserted into the socket for their

page_text: reception. A piece of wire is wound round the outer part of the socket and makes
a perfect fastening; the wood forming the lower part of the socket being split
(c, d, Fig. V.) allows the wire to envelop it thigter than at the upper end (d, e,
Fig. V.), and so produces a conical shape. A piece of string is afterwards wrapt
round the wire, but this is no of no importance and only serves for protection of
the wire against the atmosphere, or as an ornament.
The advantages of my Invention over paint brushes with thin handles used in
Great Britain consist principally in doing away with expensive materials in
fastening the bristles to the handle, as wire, iron, brass, or copper rings, wooden
discs, etc,. Fig. III. & Fig. IV.
In Fig. IV., which is a vertical section of an English painting brush in Fig. III.,
a, a, is the metal ring; b, b, is a wooden disc.
The making becomes less complicated and requires less time, and consequently the
production by using my Invention becomes cheaper.
Besides the bristles being put in in a bundle cemented at one end the hairs are
not likely to fall out, as the cement is secured from the atmosphere and other
influences, which might loosen the bristles, while in English painting brushes the
cemented part of the bundle is not always protected from accidents.
And further, in English painting brushes, in order to secure the handle it is
necessary to push it through the bristles (c, c, Fig. IV.), and in consequence the
number of bristles must be reduced to leave room for the handle (d Fig. IV.) which
shows a space where bristles might have been put in; by using my Invention
however the full bundle of bristles can be inserted, which no doubt improves the
value of the brush.