IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR REMOVING PAINT FROM WOOD
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Hulme, of Stockport, in the County of
Chester, Painter, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR REMOVING PAINT FROM WOOD."
Sealed the 19th April 1870, and dated the 21st February 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Hulme at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st February 1870.
I, SAMUEL HULME, of Stockport, in the County of Chester, Painter,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES FOR REMOVING PAINT FROM WOOD," to be as follows:
The object of my Invention is to afford greater facilities for the
removal of paint from wood than those afforded by the "burning-off
grate" as at present used, which consists of a box or grate containing
fuel in combustion, such grate having open bars in front, and the front
thereof being placed by the workman.against the paint to be removed.
The action of the fire in the grate softens the paint, and then by
the application of an ordinary knife or of some other scraper also held

page_text: by the hand of the same or some other workman the paint softened by
the heat is scraped off and the original surface of the wood mere or less
restored for the painter or decorator to operate thereon.
By an improvement heretofore made by me in the burning-off grate,
which however I do not include as part of the Invention I am now
seeking to patent, I have prevented the handles by which the workman
holds the burning-off grate from becoming too hot by reason of the
fuel or other heating matter in the grate by making a second back as
_it_were_to_the_grate placed about half an inch or an inch from the real
or first back of the grate but parallel thereto. This allows a free
passage of air between these two backs and prevents the handles which
are fixed on the second back from becoming too hot and allows the
workman to pursue his work without inconvenience or delay.
There are many inconveniences experienced in the old method of
procedure. The knife or scraper cannot well be applied until the grate
the fire of which softens the paint has been removed. The operator
cannot use the machine with one hand and scrape with the other hand
without being in danger of burning the hand with which he is scraping,
or being compelled to put down the grate whilst he so scrapes off the
old paint. Again the heated and softened paint soon becomes hardened
again when the fire is removed and the heating process has again and
again to be applied, which makes the present method of removing such
paint expensive and tedious, and often injurious to the wood operated
upon. And lastly, by using a cold knife or scraper the scraped-off paint
as it touches the cold knife or scraper adheres to it and becomes hardened,
thus rendering it necessary for the operator frequently from time to
time during the process to clean such knife or scraper in order again
to operate with the same, thereby causing much inconvenience and
loss of time.
Now by my Invention I fix one or more blades of steel or other
metal longer or narrower, and of such shape, pattern, and breadth as
may be best suited to the wooden work to be operated upon. These
blades, whether one or more, are fixed by any usual mechanical means
on the front of the grate and above the fire in the grate which heats
the blade. There are two handles placed vertically on the back of the 3
grate about three inches apart, which being held by the workman, one in
each hand, enables him to place the front of the fire or other heating
matter against the paint to be operated upon, and when the fire in the

page_text: grate has softened such paint the operator moving the grate downwards
and upwards thereby and by the said blade or blades scrapes off the
paint so softened, and the heating, softening, and scraping processes
going on at the same time great facility of removal is obtained, and the
machine can be moved up and down, and obliquely, and sideways as
may be required,, softening and scraping, off the desired paint so long
as the operation is requisite.. The blade being heated by the fire in the
grate scrapes off the softened paint more easily, leaving a more even
surface than is done by the old system, and affords. the great advantage
of preventing the scraped off paint adhering to the blade in such large
quantities as it does to a blade or scraper which is not heated.
The blade may be either fixed or removable and made of different.
sizes, shapes, and metals, or other unyielding materials. They may be
attached to the machine and removed at pleasure by the usual mechanical
contrivances..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Hulme in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th July 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
HULME, of Stockport,, in the County of Chester, Painter, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Samuel Hulme, Her special licence
that I, the said Samuel Hulme, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Hulme, 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 thercin
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 MACHINES
FOR REMOVING PAINT FROM WOOD," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Samuel Hulme, my executors or administrators, by an in-
strument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
.

page_text: 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 Samuel Hulme, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):=
The object of my Invention is to afford greater facilities for the
removal of paint from wood than those afforded by the burning-off grate
as at present used, which consists of a box or grate containing fuel in
combustion, such grate having open bars in front, and the front thereof
being placed by the workman against the paint to be removed. The
action of the fire in the grate softens the paint, and then by the appli-
cation of an ordinary knife or of some other scraper also held by the
hand of the same or some other workman the paint softened by the heat
is scraped off and the original surface of the wood more or less restored
for the painter or decorator to operate thereon.
By an improvement heretofore made by me in the burning-off grate,
which however alone and apart from the improved machine herein-after
described I do not include as part of the Invention I am now sceking
to patent, I have prevented the handles by which the workman holds
the burning-off grate from becoming too hot by reason of the fuel or
other heating matter in the grate by making a second back as it were
to the grate placed about half an inch or an inch from the real or first
back of the grate but parallel thereto. This allows a free passage of air
between these two backs and prevents the handles which are fixed on the
second back from becoming too hot, and allows the workman to pursue
his work without inconvenience or delay.
There are many inconveniences experienced in the old method of
procedure. The knife or scraper cannot well be applied until the grate
the fire of which softens the paint has been removed. The operator
cannot use the machine with one hand and scrape with the other hand
without being in danger of burning the hand with which he is scraping,
or being compelled to put down the grate whilst he so scrapes off the
old paint. Morcover the heated and softened paint soon becomes
hardened again when the fire is removed, and the heating process has

page_text: again and again to be applied, which makes the present method of
removing such paint expensive and tedious, and often injurious to
the wood operated upon. And lastly, by using a cold knife or scraper
the scraped off paint as it touches the cold knife or scraper adheres to it
and becomes hardened, thus rendering it necessary for the operator
frequently from time to time during the process to clean such knife or
scraper in order again to operate with the same, thereby causing much
inconvenience and loss.
Now by my Invention I fix one or more knives, scrapers, or blades of
steel or other metal of such length, width, shape, pattern, and breadth,
as may be best suited to the wooden work to be operated upon. These
blades whether one or more are fixed by usual mechanical means on the
front of or on one bar of the grate and higher up than the fire in the grate
which heats the blade. There are two handles placed vertically on the
back of the grate about three inches apart, which being held by the
workman one in each hand enables him to place the front of the fire or
other heating matter against the paint to be operated upon and when
the fire in the grate has softened such paint, the operator moving the
grate downwards and upwards by means of the said knives or scrapers
scrapes off the paint so softened, and the heating, softening, and scraping
processes going on at the same time great facility of removal is obtained,
and the machine can be moved up and down, and obliquely, and sideways
as may be required, softening and scraping off the desired paint so long
as the operation is requisite. The blade or scraper being heated by the
fire in the grate scrapes off the softened paint more easily, leaving a more
even surface than is done by the old system, and the heating of the blade
or scraper has also the great advantage of preventing the scraped off
paint adhering to the blade in such large quantities as it does to a blade
or scraper which is not heated.
The blade may be either fixed or removable and made of different sizes,
shapes, and metals, or other unyielding materials. They may be attached
to the machine and removed at pleasure by the usual mechanical
contrivances.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed
to more fully describe the manner of performing the same by the aid of
2
soak of the Thionvas of which

page_text: ΠΟΠΟ VIEW (WICHout the rates or scrapers out
shewing the fastenings or holders for receiving the same); Fig. 2 is a
side view (with the blade or scraper) ;, and Fig. 3 is a view in perspective
of my improved apparatus.
The apparatus consists of a grate or box of metal to contain the fire of
charcoal or other suitable inflammable substance.. The grate or box is
formed-of-two-side-plates A, A, which are united-at-the-back-by a plate B
forming the back of the grate in front of the bars D, D, D, and at the
bottom by a plate or row of bars C, C.. At the top of the plates A, A, a
groove E is cut in each plate, which groove is continued along the upper
portion of handles H, H, as represented in Figs. 2 and 3. In these grooves
the lid F slides; this lid has holes through it and it forms a cover for the
upper part of the grate, and through the opening closed by this cover the
fuel and fire is introduced to the grate or box. Other bars G, G, G, are
introduced between the bars D in front so as to keep the fire and fuel in
the grate. To the grate or box are attached at the back thereof two
metal handles H, H, covered when the operator grasps them with the
wooden guards I, I, to protect his hand from the heat. As a further
protection from the heat two shades of tin or other suitable material
K, K, with a space of an inch or thereabouts between them are intro-
duced between the wooden guards I, I, and the back of the grate B.
In place of one or more of the bars G there is bolted to each of the side
plates A a piece of metal L in which is a slot M. and a binding screw N..
Into each slot M is placed a knife blade or scraper O and fixed or made!
fast by the binding screw N. It is evident that more than one knife
or scraper may be used in each apparatus, and the breadth and shape.
of the knives or scrapers and also the size of the apparatus may be varied
to suit the requirements of the work to be operated upon..
Fig. 4 represents some of the forms of knives or scrapers which may 3
be used, No. 1 shewing a bevelled scraper suitable for plain work;
Nos. 2, 3, and 4 representing shape of scrapers which may be used in
some forms of moulded work.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the means
whereby the same may be performed or carried into effect,. I wish it to a
be understood that I do not claim any of the parts of the apparatus.
herein before described by itself and apart from the combination thereof

page_text: with the other parts forming my improved apparatus; but what I do
claim as the Invention secured to me by the hercin in part recited
Letters Patent is, the apparatus herein described consisting of a grate or
fire-box having blades, knives, or scrapers attached thereto whereby the
processes of heating, softening, and scraping off of paint may be per-
formed by one operation as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Hulme, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Signed, scaled, and delivered by
the said Samuel Hulme in the
presence of
WALTER HYDE,
Solicitor,
Stockport,
SAMUEL HULME. (L.S.)