Improvements in Electro-depositing Anodes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 30th Apr., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electro-depositing Anodes.
I, HARRY LEOPOLD HAAS, a Citizen of the United States of America, and, by
occupation, Treasurer of Zucker & Levett & Loeb Company, at 526, West Twenty-
fifth Street, in the Borough of Manhattan, in the City, County and State of New
York, United States of America, 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:
One object of my invention is to provide an anode for electro-depositing pur-
poses, with one or more hooked hangers integrally secured to and formed of the
same piece of metal, whereby a very efficient anode, of high electric conductivity,
is economically made; and a second object of my invention is to provide the
bearing surface of the hooked hanger with two or more flat faces, whereby the con-
ducting surface between the hanger and rod is increased.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates an electro-depositing
apparatus, part being broken away to show the preferred form of my new anode;
and Fig. 2 shows a side view of the anode of Fig. 1.
A indicates the body or plate of the anode; B, B, indicate hooked hangers
formed with the body or plate. The body of the anode is provided with lengthwise
corrugations, C. Corrugating the body results in exposing, to the action of the
electric current and the electrolyte, a greater surface than would be presented by
an anode having a plane, flat surface. The advantages resulting therefrom being
that an electric current of low voltage may be employed and the solution of the
anode and the deposit at the cathode are readily equalized whereby the metallic
strength of the solution is maintained substantially uniform as more fully
described and shown in the Letters Patent of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, No. 7358 of 1896, granted to me.
D represents the box containing the electrolyte, or solution, E, in which the
anode is immersed. F is the rod from which the article to be plated is suspended,
and G is the rod which supports the anode.
Prior to my invention, the anode has generally been suspended from the bar,
such as G, by S-shaped links having open ends, one end of each hook being
passed into openings bored in the plate, at about the places indicated by dotted
circles, H, H, and the other ends of the links fitted over the bar. The said manner
of suspending an anode is illustrated in the Patent, No. 7358 of 1896 hereinbefore
referred to.
There are several objections to the employment of links for suspending an
anode. There is considerable leakage and waste of current at and near the con-
tacting surfaces of the link and ears of the plate, and, in case moisture accumulates
at or near the contacting points, an electro-depositing action is sometimes set up,
and, in addition to the waste of current, the metal of the link is disintegrated and
deposited on the plate near to the ears. It is also necessary to use a drill to clean
the inner walls of the openings in the plate, before the hooks are applied to the
plate, in order that a good contact will be maintained.

page_text: I am aware, of course, that it has been proposed to rigidly secure supporting
hooks, by screwing, riveting, brazing, etc., to the plate of the anode. This plan,
like that just referred to, requires the cleaning of the contact surfaces of the plate
and hook, and is also expensive, and unless the work is very carefully and
thoroughly done, there will be leakage of current at the contact-surfaces and also
electro-deposition, and the conductivity will never be so good as when the hook and
plate are cast in one piece.
My improved form of anode, however, has a plate or body, as A, and one or more
suspending hangers, B, both the plate and the hangers being formed or cast
together of the same piece of metal, whereby leakage of current at any point from
the upper end of the hanger to the electrolyte is prevented, and there is no liability
of electro-deposition of the metal of the hanger upon the plate.
A second novel feature of my new anode consists in providing the inner bearing
surface of the hanger with two or more flat faces, b, b, in contradistinction to the
single curved bearing surface, as in the case of the link and other hangers. It has
been found, in practice, that, with the curved bearing surface of the hooks, a suffi-
cient contacting surface between the bar and the hanger is not afforded, and there
is a leakage of the current at and near the contacting points. In the case of my
invention, the flat faces, b, b, bear down upon the bar from both sides, and the
contacting area of hangers and rod is greater than when the curved surface hanger
is used.
It is also to be noted that the integral hangers of my new anode are, as shown,
quite broad.
The use of broad hangers is very advantageous in practice, due to
the fact that they afford a vastly increased contacting surface as compared with
the wire hooks or hangers heretofore used.
I desire that it shall be understood, of course, that I do not confine my invention
to the corrugated form of anode shown in the drawings, but that my invention
may be embodied in other forms of anodes which will suggest themselves to
persons skilled in electro-plating.
Having 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 anode for electro-depositing purposes, comprising a cast-metal plate or
body and a hooked hanger cast integral with the plate or body, substantially as
and for the purpose described.
2. An anode for electro-depositing purposes, comprising a plate or body and a
hooked hanger connected therewith, the bearing surface of the hanger having two
or more flat faces, substantially as and for the purpose described.
I
Dated this 22nd day of January 1898.
HARRY LEOPOLD HAAS,
In the presence of:
ALBERT KORTUM,
HENRY BUCKMEN,
Marks & Clerk,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.