Fur Plucking Machine.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 11th June, 1898
Fur Plucking Machine.
I, ROBERT SELIGMAN, of No. 19, Hall Street, Brooklyn, Kings County, State of
New York, United States of America, Merchant and Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment:-
My invention has for its object to provide a machine that will be free from
any tendency to pluck out the fur from a skin along with the long hair thereof
while the said skin is undergoing treatment for the removal of the latter.
In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a top view of a fur plucking machine
constructed according to my invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same;
Figure 3 is a front elevation of certain parts thereof; Figure 4 is an enlarged
section on the line, x-x, Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of one
of the rollers comprised in the machine.
a, designates a bed plate upon which are erected standards, b, 61, 62, containing
bearings for a main shaft c, having a fast and a loose pulley, c³, ², secured thereon.
Secured to the shaft, c, by means of set screws is a bladed roller, d, consisting
of two collar portions, d', between which extend arms, &, preferably four in
number, to which blades, 3, are secured. These blades are formed with a con-
cave recess along their outer edges in which are placed rods of elastic material, d.
A covering of suitable material, preferably thin and flexible sheet metal such as
tin, d, encloses the rods, d, and blades, d³, and each blade with its cover is rigidly
secured to an arm, d², by means of screws do.
If desired the blades, d³, may be dispensed with, and the properly formed outer
edges of the arms, d², be employed in place thereof, but I prefer the construction
described.
e, is a belt of any suitable elastic material with which the blades, d³, co-operate.
It is supported by a series of rollers arranged in such a manner that the blades, d³,
when rotating will come in contact with said belt, e, and roll therewith with a
gradually increasing pressure contact between them, beginning with a very light
pressure sufficient to engage the hairs and not injure or hold the fur, and increas-
ing as the rolling continues until the pressure is sufficient to grasp the hairs tightly
enough to pluck them out.
Preferably, this belt is of rubber or other elastic material faced both inside and
outside with leather cemented or otherwise secured to said elastic material.
As here shown, there are three rollers, e¹, e³, e³, around which the belt, e, is
moved intermittently by the rotation of the blades, ³.
The roller, e', is arranged above the shaft, c, in a perpendicular line therewith.
The roller, e, is arranged more adjacent to the blades, d³, than the roller, e¹,
so that as the blades rotate they will engage the belt, e, and then compress it
gradually from the time they are in line with the roller, e¹, until they are in
line with the roller, e³.

page_text: The roller, e3, is arranged to support the upper portion of the belt, and is pro-
vided with collars, es, to retain the belt in position.
The rollers, a', and e², are carried by standards, f, of a vertically adjustable
frame, f.
The roller, 3, is carried in arms, f10, pivotally connected to the standards, f,
by screws, f, upon which the arms may be turned to adjust the position of the
roller, e, for tightening the belt, e. After proper adjustment the arms are locked
in position by the screws, fil.
Each of these three rollers comprise an inner tube, &, secured to its supports by
set screws, and an outer tube or sleeve, e5, to rotate on the inner tube between
said supports.
The inner tubes have closed ends to serve as oil reservoirs and are perforated
with oil feed holes, e, and outlet holes, e7. In this manner, the sleeves e, are
kept constantly lubricated, and by reason of their length and protected arrange-
ment, are rendered very durable and effective for high speed.
The standards, f, extend rearwardly and downwardly through supports, a¹,
erected upon the base, a, and are rigidly secured to a cross bar, f.
This cross bar, f, is pivotally connected to a lever, f, fulcrumed at f, and
having its free end connected by a link, f³, to a foot lever, fo, fulcrumed at f.
f8, are coil springs to support the standards in their proper normal position,
which may be adjusted by nuts, f³.
By means of this foot lever, I am enabled to readily and temporarily apply
increased pressure to compensate for any inequality in the nature of the skins
undergoing treatment.
9, is a plate bent substantially as shown and is rigidly secured to the stan-
dards, 61, 62. Its upper straight edge is in close proximity to the blades, d³, and
serves chiefly to protect the hands of the operator and aid somewhat in prevent-
ing the fur portion of the skin from being drawn in between the belt and blades.
h, is a vertically adjustable arm connected to a support, ', forming part of
a carriage, h³. This carriage comprises two rods, h³, h³, working in bearings, h4,
and having at their front ends a vertically adjustable cross bar, 5, secured thereto.
By this arrangement, the skins may be inserted sideways around the free end of
the arm, h, thus affording means for handling them with facility and expedition.
Arms, h6, are secured to the rods, h³, and have their lower ends mounted to slide
on stationary rods, h', secured to the legs of the machine.
18, h, are stops to limit the to-and-fro motion of the carriage, h³.
i, is a spring secured to the bed plate of the machine and serving to move back
the carriage, ³, against the stops, h8.
j, is a roller having a central enlargement, and is journaled in a fixed bearing
in one end, and in a removable bearing in its other end.
An ordinary pneumatic exhaust pipe, k, may be arranged in the rear of the
blades, d³, and belt, e, to carry off the plucked out hairs.
In operation, both ends of the skin are grasped by the hands of the operator
and inserted between the supporting roller, j, and the bladed roller.
The carriage, h², is then pushed towards the machine by the body of the operator
pressing against the cross bar, h5. The operator then draws the skin upwardly
and downwardly over the roller, j, during which time the long projecting hair
portions of the skin will be lifted up by the upward motion of the rotary blades,
and be seized between the belt, e, and the rotary blades with sufficient pressure
to pluck them out, whilst the fur portion of the skin will be unaffected, as before
described.
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. The combination of a bladed roller, a belt of elastic material which is moved
intermittently by the rotation of the blades of said roller and rollers supportino

page_text: the said belt and arranged to cause the said blades to bear against the belt with
a gradually increasing pressure during the time they roll in contact together,
substantially as described.
2. The combination of a bladed roller, a belt of elastic material which is moved
intermittently by the rotation of the blades of said roller and rollers supporting
the said belt, one of said rollers being arranged above the shaft of the blade roller
in a perpendicular line therewith, and another of said rollers being arranged in
closer proximity to the blades than the latter, whereby as the blades rotate they
will engage the belt and compress it gradually from the time they are in line
with the first mentioned roller until they are in line with the last mentioned roller,
substantially as described.
3. The combination of an elastic belt and rollers supporting the same, said
rollers comprising an inner perforated tubular oil receptacle secured by set screws
in supports and an outer sleeve fitted to rotate on the said inner tube between the
sides of the supports, one of said rollers being adjustable towards or from the
other rollers and provided with collars to tighten and retain the belt in position,
substantially as described.
4. In combination, a bed plate, standards erected thereon; a bladed roller
mounted in said standards; an elastic belt supported by rollers and co-operating
with said blade roller; vertically adjustable standards for carrying the belt sup-
porting rollers secured in bearings formed in the bed plate and united by a cross
bar; springs controlled by stop-nuts to press the standards upwardly; a foot
lever adapted to move the same downwardly, and a supporting roller for the skin
mounted in an arm secured to one of the sides of a carriage and open to admit
skins sideways around its free end, substantially as described.
5. In combination, a carriage comprising two slide rods united by an adjust-
able push cross bar and working in fixed bearings; arms secured to said slide
rods and adapted to slide on stationary rods provided with adjustable stops; a
spring to move the carriage in one direction, and a skin supporting roller mounted
in an arm secured to one of the said slide rods, substantially as described.
6. A belt of rubber or other elastic material faced both outside and inside with
leather cemented or otherwise secured to said elastic material, substantially as
described.
-
7. A bladed roller consisting of two collar portions between which extend arms
to which blades are secured, said blades being formed with a concave recess along
their outer edges in which are placed rods of elastic material enclosed by a flexible
substantially as described.
cover,
ated this 6th day of January 1898.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
Chartered Patent Agents, 62, Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Agents for the Applicant.