IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR STAKING AND GROUNDING LEATHER
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Pullman, junior, and John Richard
Edmonds, both of Wonersh, in the County of Surrey, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR STAKING AND GROUNDING
LEATHER."
Sealed the 3rd June 1873, and dated the 3rd April 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Pullman and
John Richard Edmonds at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 3rd April 1873.
We, JOHN PULLMAN, junior, and JOHN RICHARD EDMONDS, both of
Wonersh, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR STAKING AND GROUNDING
LEATHER," to be as follows:-
*
Our Invention relates to improved machinery for staking and ground-
ing leather.
t
The machine consists of a suitable frame in which is mounted a rock
shaft carrying arms, to which is fixed the knife or knives for staking;
or the rubber or rubbers for grounding the skins. To this knife crank.

page_text: arms are also fixed and connected to a crank shaft from which an
oscillating motion is imparted to the rock shaft and to the knife or
rubber which it carries. The skin to be staked or grounded is laid
upon a travelling apron, by which it is fed between a pair of rollers in
proxmimity to the rock shaft and parallel therewith, the skin after
having passed through these rollers being held by the operator against
the knife or rubbers. The rollers and travelling apron are operated
intermittently from the main shaft, being thrown out of gear auto-
matically after feeding forward the skin a distance equal to the stroke
of the knife or rubber, and put in gear again by the operator as each
portion of the skin is completed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Pullman and John Richard Edmonds in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd October 1873. :
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
PULLMAN, junior, and JOHN RICHARD EDMONDS, both of Wonersh, in
the County of Surrey, send greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Lettera Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand. eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and, suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Pullman, junior, and
John Richard Edmonds, Her special licence that we, the said John
Pullman, junior, and John Richard Edmonds, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Pullman, junior,
and John Richard Edmonds, our 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 therein expressed, should and law-
fully 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR STAKING AND GROUNDING LEATHER,"
upon. the, condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Pullman,
t

page_text: junior, and John Richard Edmonds, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands
and 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 we, the said John Pullman, junior, and John
Richard Edmonds, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the-letters
and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Our Invention relates to improved machinery for staking and ground-
ing leather.
The machine consists of a suitable frame, in which is mounted a
shaft, on which a long knife is fixed for "kniving," or a rubber for
grounding the skin.
Motion is imparted to the. shaft and to the knife or rubber which it
carries from a main shaft suitably disposed. The skin is laid upon a
travelling apron, by which it is fed between a pair of rollers.in proximity
to the knife shaft and parallel therewith, the skin after having passed
through these rollers being. held by the operator against the knife or
rubber.
Means are provided to stretch the skin and keep it flat when on the
apron, and prevent it falling into folds or wrinkles in passing between
the rollers.
L
Figure 1 is a side elevation (partly in section) of the machine, and
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same.
We have illustrated the machine as adapted for "kniving" skins.
r
A'is the framing of the machine, and B is the knife shaft mounted in
bearings across the front of the machine; C is the main shaft also
mounted in bearings at the back of the machine; D is a crank arm on
shaft C connected by a connecting rod E to a similar crank. F on the

page_text: .
knife shaft. The crank F is made equal to twice the radius of crank D,
so that a rocking motion will be imparted to shaft B. A connecting
rod and crank may be provided at both sides of the machine, if required;
and an eccentric may be substituted for crank D, if preferred. G is the
knife blade extending across the front of the machine and bolted to the
shaft B, as shown. The knife has a straght edge and is not set exactly
radial to the shaft, but at a slight angle, as shown, so that it will only
act on the skin in its forward movement... The width of the machine
and the length of the knife may be such that more than one skin may
be worked simultaneously by different workmen. Motion being imparted
from main shaft C, the knife is oscillated with great rapidity, its motion
being indicated by the red lines in Figure 2. H, H¹, are a pair of rollers
mounted behind the knife, by which the skin is fed thereto. The lower
or feed roller H is supported in fixed bearings on frame A, and the
upper or pressing roller H', which is of metal, is fitted in bearings sliding
vertically in uprights I fixed on the frame A. K, K, are weighted
levers disposed at either side of the machine, each being fulcrumed on
the upright I and pressing by a rod L upon the axes of roller H¹, in
order to cause the latter to grip the skin and prevent it. being drawn
through faster than it is fed by the roller. Thesé levers may be other-
wise arranged beneath the framing A, for instance, as will be readily
understood. M is the endless apron passing over roller H and over
another roller N at the back of the machine. The roller N is carried
in a bearing made adjustable by screws N₁, in order to tighten the
endless cloth M when required. To stretch the skin flat and prevent
it running into folds or wrinkles in passing between the rollers we
provide a presser bar O directly in rear of the rollers H. This bar
extends across the whole width of the apron and is hung by rods O¹
jointed to the extremities of arms P fixed on a transverse shaft Q
mounted at the upper part of standards R at either side of the machine.
The presser bar O is raised and lowered as required by means of a hand
lever S fixed to shaft Q, and worked by the attendant, who lays the
skins upon the apron. The bar O presses upon the apron, as shown,
and thereby assists in retaining the skin and prevents it being drawn too
fast through the rollers. It is held in this position by placing the hand
lever S above a notch T on an upright fixed on the framing A. X, cross
bar supporting apron M against the pressure of bar O. The presser
bar is also shown by red lines in the raised position, in which it is held
by placing lever S beneath a second notch T". Slow rotary motion is

page_text: imparted to the feed roller H from main shaft C by band or spur
gearing, by which the speed is greatly reduced, in order that the skin
may be fed forward gradually to the knife or rubber, as required.
Change wheels are provided for varying the rate of feed according to
the nature of the work to be performed. The skin after passing between
the rollers is held by the workman in contact with the knife or rubber
by passing it over an adjustable guage bar U placed across the front of
the machine. This bar is made movable horizontally away from the
knife to allow the operator to more readily pass his hand beneath the
knife or rubber to take hold of the skin directly it begins to be fed
between the rollers H. For this purpose the bar is supported at each end
by a block. V capable of sliding horizontally in a frame or box W placed
beneath the bearings of the shaft B, and provided with an adjustable
stop W by which the distance of the guage bar from the knife or
rubber is regulated. In order to regulate the action of the knife or
rubber upon the skin' the bar U is also made adjustable vertically. For
this purpose it is supported on screws Y passing through lugs Z pro-
jecting from the sliding blocks V, as shown in the front elevation, or other
suitable means of adjusting the position of the bar may be employed.
The workman holds the skin over the bar U so as to stretch it more or
less tightly in order that it may be properly acted on by the knife or
rubber, the workman shifting his hold of the skin along from side to
side so that all parts may be acted on as required.
For completing the process of grounding the rock shaft B is replaced
by a rotating shaft carrying a cylindrical rubber covered with emery,
ground glass, pumice, or equivalent material, and driven by spur or
band gearing from the main shaft as will be readily understood.
It may be mentioned that the machine shown in the Drawings might
also be used for the analogous processes of rizing, fleshing, and scudding
hides and skins by replacing the knife by another suited to the purpose
and speeding the machine as required, but we make no claim to these
particular applications of the machine.
Having described the nature of our Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim as
the Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,―
1st. The employment of a long vibrating knife fixed on a rocking
shaft as hercin shown and described in combination with a pair of

page_text: rollers or their equivalent and a guage bar or its equivalent, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose specified.
2nd. The combination with the rollers H, H', of the endless apron M
and the presser bar O, all arranged and operated substantially as
shown and described for feeding and holding the skin whilst the same
is being operated on by a vibrating knife or a rubber in the processes of
staking and grounding skins as set forth.
3rd. The general combination of parts constituting the improved
machine arranged and operating substantially as herein described and
represented in the Drawings for the purpose specified.
.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Pullman, junior, and John
Richard Edmonds, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
First day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-three.
Q-Carros I namunu
JNO. PULLMAN, JUN³. (L.S.)
J. R. EDMONDS.
(L.S.)