AN IMPROVED FUR CLIPPING AND UNHAIRING MACHINE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A. M and
W. Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents for an Invention of AN IMPROVED FUR CLIPPING
AND UNHAIRING MACHINE communicated to him from abroad by Theophile
Rasmus and Lewis Henry Rogers both of the City, County and State of New
York United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st March 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents,
AN IMPROVED FUR CLIPPING AND UNHAIRING MACHINE [communicated to him
from abroad by Theophile Rasmus and Lewis Henry Rogers both of the City,
County and State of New York United States of America]
The object of this Invention is to provide a new and improved machine for
removing the stiff bristles or water hairs from seal skins and other skins, and also
for unhairing such skins or cutting off part of the length of the hair of the skins.
The Invention consists in a machine for clipping and unhairing fur provided
with devices for stretching the fur over a plate, devices for delivering a current of
Bir on that part of the fur which is stretched on the edge of the said plate, and with
devices for holding the fine hair and wool down; and other devices for clipping off
the coarse hairs or bristles which are not laid down by the current of air. The air
current passes from the blower to the edge of the plate through a movable nozzle
plate which is moved forward when the cutting devices recede from, and which is
moved back when the cutting devices approach, the edge of the plate for the
purpose of clipping the hairs.
The Invention further consists in devices for moving the nozzle plate; for
opening or closing a gate in the spout of the air forcing apparatus; in devices for
moving the cutting knives toward the upper edge of the plate over which the skin
is stretched, and in devices for pressing combs against the skin after the hairs have
been laid down by the current of air, all of which devices are operated from one and
the same driving shaft and are all operated in regular order.

page_text: The Invention also consists in parts and details and various combinations of the
same, as will be fully described and set forth hereinafter.
A rotary spiral knife having two diametrically opposite cutting edges is secured
in a cylinder journalled in vertically movable bearings. The bearings are each
provided with a downwardly projecting arm which is connected to a rock lever
operated by a cam on the driving shaft. A horse or beam which is tapered toward
its upper edge, is held in a vertical position directly below and parallel to the axis
of the spiral knife, this borse or beam being attached to vertically sliding racks
capable of being raised or lowered more or less by pinions on a hand shaft, and of
being locked in the desired position. The upper narrow edge of the horse has a
longitudinal groove whereby two edge ridges will be formed, but a wire or cat gut
string can be placed within the groove. A roller parallel with and in rear of the
horse is provided with a metal bow or frame which projects from the top of the
roller, and more or less towards the upper edge of the horse, this inclination of
the frame or bow serving to vary the inclination at which the skin is presented,
Buch inclination being capable of adjustment by turning the roller. Behind this roller
another roller is journalled in swinging bearings so that this roller can be separated
from the first roller against which it is pressed by a spring. The fur which is to
be clipped or unhaired is passed between these two rollers over the upper edge of
the horse, and under a guide roller in front of it, and then between two feed rollers
of which one is mounted in sliding bearings movable toward or from the other.
One of these rollers is provided with a ratchet and pawl propelment actuated by a
cam on the driving shaft whereby an intermittent motion, whose extent is capable
of adjustment, is imparted to the feed rollers at each revolution of the driving
shaft in order to feed the skin or fur forward from the rear toward the front part
of the machine. In front and in rear of the horse over which the fur is thus drawn,
are arranged sets of combs whose teeth project upwards towards the upper edge of
said horse. Each set of combs is carried by pairs of bars pivoted to swing back-
ward and forward upon pivots, upon which the bars are also capable of sliding up
and down. The lower ends of these bars have adjustable hooked plates attached
to them, the hooks of the two pairs facing each other and being adapted to be
engaged and drawn downwards by studs on a pair of bent.levers actuated by cams
on the main shaft, one lever being at each side of the machine and acting on the
supporting bars at the one end of both sets of combs. These two sets of bars are
drawn towards one another at their lower ends by a spring, and they are also
drawn upward by other springs.
A horizontally sliding straight knife is held transversely in the machine frame,
and is guided in ways and is attached to rods whose other ends are forked and
embrace the main shaft alongside of a cam thereon which acts on a stud and friction
roller standing out in its path from the rod whereby the knife is moved forward until
its cutting edge comes beneath the spiral knife before described. Springs move the
knife back when no longer acted on by the cam. The casing of a fan blower above
has a spout extending across the whole width of the machine and is situated above
and slightly in rear of the horse over which the fur is drawn. The fan is driven
by a cone pulley to enable its speed to be varied, and the spout is provided with
an internal ridge, and with a gate which is held closed by springs except when
opened by one of the bearings of the spiral knife striking a projecting arm on the
shaft of the gate. Beneath the spout is a horizontally sliding nozzle plate worked
forwards and backwards on ways by cams on the main shaft and by springs in the
same way as the reciprocating knife above referred to, and the gate in the fan spout
may be operated by connections from the same cams instead of as above described.
This nozzle plate has a diagonal thoroughfare extending from the rear part of its
upper surface to the front part of its lower surface, and when it is moved forward
the inlet of this thoroughfare corresponds with the spout of the fan above and its
outlet is directly over the edge of the horse so as to direct the blast immediately
down upon the fur drawn over it.
The operation is as follows:-The fur that is to be clipped or unhaired is passed

page_text: between the holding rollers behind the horse, over the upper edge of the latter,
under the guide roller, and between the feed rollers. Every time the main shaft
makes one revolution the feed rollers advance the fur by drawing it over the
horse, the rotary spiral knife and its bearings are raised, the gate of the blower is
opened; the nozzle plate is at same time brought forward; the straight knife is
withdrawn and the two sets of combs are held back from the fur. As the nozzle
plate moves forward the wind issuing therefrom will first strike the fur on the
upper edge of the horse diagonally and will blow down the hair on the front of
the horse, and when its orifice is directly over the edge of the horse, the air is
thrown vertically thereon and forces the soft hair down equally at each side of the
horse, and only the water hairs or bristles which are so stiff that they cannot be
blown over by the current of air, remain standing. By this time the spiral knife
is being lowered, the gate of the blower closed, the nozzle withdrawn, the combs
moved towards the fur at same time that they are drawn downwards, so that'
their teeth will be pressed against the hairs that have been blown down at each
side of the horse and hold them down against the skin and prevent them from
rising when the current of air ceases, for the movement of the combs toward the.
skin takes place at the same time that the movable nozzle plate begins to be
moved back. At the same time that the combs are pressed against the skin, the
transverse knife is moved forwards to such an extent that its front or cutting edge
will be directly beneath the axis of the spiral knife which has now been lowered
to such an extent that the lowest point of the spiral edge of the knife will meet
the cutting edge of the straight knife and thereby cut off the water hairs or
bristles standing up from the skin on the edge of the horse. Then the rotary knife
begins to rise, the feed rollers draw the skin forward, the straight knife is with-
drawn, the combs are moved from the skin, the nozzle plate is moved forward, the
gate is opened, and the current of air blows off the hair that has been clipped from
the fur and also lays down the hair for the next operation and so on, till the fur
is clipped.
In some furs different kinds of hairs must be removed, and the fur must be
passed through the machine one or more times accordingly, a different grade of
hairs being removed at each operation. For instance, some hairs require a very
strong current of air to cause them to lie against the fur, and others are so slender
that the fur must be subjected to a weak current of air only, so that all the hairs,
both stiff and pliable, shall not be folded against the fur at the same time, in
which case none could be cut off. For this reason the speed of the blower may
be varied at will. The bow frame on one of the holding rollers permits of giving
the fur a different inclination before it reaches the upper edge of the horse. It
may be necessary that some kinds of fur which have peculiar bristles should be
passed over the horse at a certain inclination. In most cases it will be desirable
to use the horse with a groove in its edge whereby a larger part of the skin will
be exposed to the action of a vertical current of air and more bristles will project,
or if only a very small part of the fur is to be exposed to the action of the current
of air, the catgut or wire is placed in the said groove. In the first case a double
cut will be made and a considerable length of fur can be fed for each revolution of
the driving shaft, but in the second case the feed must be very slight as only a
very small portion of the fur is exposed to the action of the machine. In place of
combs metal strips may be used. The machine can also be adjusted to be used for
cutting off a certain length of all of the hairs of a piece of fur, thus making all
the hairs of a uniform length. In such cases the horse must be so adjusted that
the distance from the upper surface of the skin on the same to the cutting edge of
the straight knife, is equal to the desired length of the hairs of the fur.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th September 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents.
AN IMPROVED FUR CLIPPING AND UNHAIRING MACHINE a communication to me
from abroad by Theophile Rasmus and Lewis Henry Rogers, both of the City,
County and State of New York, United. States of America
The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved machine for
removing the stiff bristles or water hairs from seal skins and other skins, and
also for unhairing such skins, or cutting off part of the length of the hair of the
skins.
The invention consists in a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, provided
with devices for stretching the fur over a beam or horse, devices for delivering a
current of air on that part of the fur which is stretched on the edge of the said
horse, and with devices for holding the fine hair and wool down; and other devices
for clipping off the coarse hairs or bristles which are not laid down by the current
of air. The air current passes from the blower to the edge of the horse, through a
movable nozzle plate which is moved forward when the cutting devices recede
from, and which is moved back when the cutting devices approach, the edge of the
horse for the purpose of clipping the hairs. The invention further consists in
devices for moving the nozzle plate; for opening or closing a gate in the spout of
the air-forcing apparatus; in devices for moving the cutting knives toward the
upper edge of the horse over which the skin is stretched and in devices for pressing
combs against the skin after the hairs have been laid down by the current of air,
all of which devices are operated from one and the same driving shaft, and are all
operated in regular order.
The Invention also consists in parts and details, and various combinations of
the same, as will be fully described and set forth hereinafter.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood I have illustrated
it in the accompanying drawings and will proceed to describe it with reference
thereto.
Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved fur clipping and unhairing machine
parts being broken out and others shown in section.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal elevation of the same.
Figure 3, is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same showing the position of
the parts at the moment of clipping the hairs.
Figure 4, is a longitudinal elevation of the cam end of the bar for moving the
nozzle of the blower. Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the machine
showing the parts separated before cutting off the hairs. Figure 6 is a longitudinal
elevation of the feed and stretching roller. Figure 7 is a cross sectional elevation
of the horse over which the fur is passed. Figure 8 is a cross sectional elevation
of a modification of the same. Figure 9 is a longitudinal elevation of the
machine showing the mechanism for operating the feeding device and raising the
rotary cutter. Figure 10 is a longitudinal elevation of the fur clipping and
unhairing machine showing a modified construction of the device for opening
the gate of the blower, parts of the machine being shown in section. Figure 11 is
a plan view of the rod for operating the gate of the blower. Similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. A spiral knife A having
two diametrically opposite cutting edges is secured in a cylinder A¹ journaled in

page_text: vertically movable bearings B which are contained and guided in a recess in the
frame C of the machine. The bearings B are each provided with a downwardly
projecting arm B³ which has a pivot working in a longitudinal end slot in a
lever B which is pivoted to the side of the frame C and is adapted to rock
vertically. The opposite ends of these levers B¹ rest against cams B² (figures 1
and 9) mounted on the ends of the driving shaft D of the machine, whereby when
the said shaft D rotates the levers B' are oscillated thereby raising the bearings B
and knife cylinder A¹ which descend by their own weight when the Shaft completes
its revolution
A horse or beam formed of a plate E which is tapered toward its upper edge is
held in a vertical position directly. below and parallel to the axis of the spiral
knife A, and is attached to vertically sliding racks E¹ which engage with
pinions E mounted on a shaft which is provided at one end with a handle E³. By
turning the said handle the racks E¹ and the horse E can be raised or lowered more
or less as may be desired or necessary. By means of screws E* projecting from the
front of the machine and extending back to the racks E¹ the said racks can be
locked in the desired. position. The upper narrow edge of the horse E has a
longitudinal groove a, as shown in Figure 7 whereby two edge ridges will be
formed, but a wire or cat-gut string b can be placed within the groove a, as shown
in Figure 8. A roller F parallel with and in rear of the horse E is mounted in the
frame Cand is provided at one end with a handle F1 by means of which it can be
turned. A metal bow or frame F' projects from the top of the roller F, the said
bow projecting more or less towards the upper edge of the horse E, as shown in
Figure 3, which inclination of the frame or bow F' toward the upper edge of the
horse E can be adjusted by means of the handle F on the said roller. Adjoining
the roller F a roller G is journaled in swinging bearings in the frame C one of
which bearings is provided with a handle G', whereby the roller G can be separated
from the roller F. A spring acting on the upper part of the handle G₁ presses
the roller G against the roller F. The fur H which is to be clipped or unhaired is
passed between the rollers F and G over the upper edge of the horse E and under
a roller H, and then between two feed rollers I and J on the front of the frame C
of which the roller I is mounted in sliding bearings I which can be moved toward
or from the roller J by means of hand wheels 1. A ratchet wheel J¹ is fast on one
end of the feed roller J and with the teeth of the said ratchet wheel J¹ a pawl K
engages which is mounted on the end of a rod K¹ which is adapted to slide back-
ward and forward in the direction of the length of the machine, and which is
drawn rearwards by a spring K' attached to the rod K¹ and to the frame C. At
its rear end, the rod K¹ is provided with a buffer K³ for a cam L on the Shaft D
to strike against. The said buffer K³ is attached to a screw to enable the distance
it projects from the rod K' to be adjusted. An adjustable sleeve M is secured on
the rod K and strikes against a bearing M in which the rod K' slides and thus
prevents the rod K¹ from being drawn too far back by the spring K. Every time
the shaft D rotates it pushes the rod K' forward and causes the pawl K to rotate
the wheel J¹ whereby the feed rollers will also be rotated, and the skin or fur H
will be fed forward. Two combs N on the rear side of the horse E are attached at.
their ends to the upper ends of bars N¹ in such a manner that the teeth of the
said combs project upward toward the upper edge of the horse E and toward the
front of the machine. The bars N' are pivoted to rock forward and backward in
the vertical plane by means of pivots d passing through longitudinal slots f in the
said bars. To the lower end of each bar N₁ a hook plate N° is held by means of
screws e passing through longitudinal slots g in the said hook plate, whereby the
latter can be adjusted higher or lower. The hook plate is provided at its lower
end with a hook h which projects toward the front of the machine. A series of
combs O, three in the case shown are attached at the ends to the upper ends of
bars O' which are also pivoted to swing backward and forward in the vertical
plane by means of screws d¹ passing through vertical Slots f' and to the lower

page_text: end of each bar O¹ a hook plate O' is attached, which is provided at its lower end
with a hook h¹ projecting toward the hook h and the said hook plate O' can be
adjusted higher or lower on the lower end of the bar O¹ by means of screws e¹
passing through longitudinal slots g¹ in the hook plates. At each side of the
machine a curved lever P is pivoted, the rear end of which is above a cam P¹
mounted on the shaft D, and is drawn downward upon the said cam by a
Spring P At or near the middle, the lever P is curved downward, and
the front end passes below the horse E. Two studs and project from
one side of the front end of each curved lever P the said studs resting
against the adjoining edges of the bars N¹ 0¹ or their corresponding hook
plates N2 O as shown. There is a pair of bars N' and O' and a corresponding
lever Pat each side of the machine. The bars O' and N¹ are drawn toward each
other at their lower ends by à spring Q attached to both bars. Each bar O¹ is
drawn upward by a spring o attached to the said. bar, and to the frame C, and
each bar N¹ is drawn upward by a spring n attached to the said bar and to the
frame of the machine. A horizontally sliding knife R is held transversely in
the machine frame, and is guided in slides R' and at each end it is jointed to a
rod R. Each rod R' is provided at the opposite end with a fork R³, embracing
the shaft D and alongside of a cam r fixed upon shaft D in position to strike
against a roller r¹ on a stud projecting from the side of the fork R³, whereby when
the shaft D rotates, the cams r press the knife R forwards. Springs S attached to
the frame of the machine, and to the knife R, draw the latter backwards. A
casing T containing a fan blower T₁ the shaft of which passes longitudinally
through the casing T, is mounted on the frame C, and the said casing is provided
at its front end with a spout T* which extends the entire width of the machine,
and is above and slightly in rear of the upper edge of the horse E. The fan
blower T¹ is driven by a belt running on a cone pulley Ts whereby the speed of the
fan blower may be increased or decreased by shifting the belt on the pulley. A
gate U is mounted on a shaft passing longitudinally through the upper part of the
spout T which gate extends the entire length of the said spout. By turning
the gate so that the outer edges of the same rest against the sides of the spout; the
spout will be closed, and the compressed air cannot issue therefrom. Arms U' are
attached to each end of the shaft of the gate U, and their ends are drawn upward
by springs whereby the gate U is held closed. One arm U₁ is provided with a
forward projection u of such length that it can be struck by an army of the
vertically movable bearing B at the same side of the machine. A plate V resting
flat on the top of the machine frame is provided throughout its entire length with
a diagonal channel V' which extends from the rear part of its upper surface to the
front part of its lower surface, and the said plate V is attached at each end to a
rod Y. The rods Y are each provided at the opposite end with a fork Y' embracing
the shaft D alongside of a cam Y* fixed on said shaft and adapted to press against
a roller y mounted on a stud projecting from the side of the fork, whereby when
the shaft D rotates the plate V will be pushed forwards. Springs Y³ attached
to the frame of the machine and to the rods Y draw the plate V backwards. When
the plate V has been pushed forwards to its full extent, the opening of the spout T
will be exactly above the rear opening of the diagonal channel V₁ in the plate V.
The driving shaft D is driven by a belt passed over a pulley ✗, and the rotating
knife A is operated by a belt X¹ passing over a pulley X³ on the end of the knife
cylinder A' and over a pulley X' mounted on the shaft D. The fan blower is
operated by a separate pulley. The fan blower may be made of the usual
construction, or if desired it may be provided with a longitudinal ridge t which
projects a short distance within the casing along the upper end of the bottom side
of the spout, as shown in Figures 3, 5, and 10. The projection t causes a stronger
current of air to be forced out of the Spout. I have shown a projection u on one
of the arms U¹ for operating the gate U of the blower, but in place of the same I
may use a rod which is operated directly from the fork Y¹. An arm w¹ projects

page_text: downward from the shaft of the gate U and its lower end is pivoted to a rod vt
the opposite end of which is screw-threaded and passed through the return end u¹
of a rod t¹, which is pivoted to the fork Y' as shown in Figure 10.
Locking nuts w³ on the threaded end of the rod at opposite sides of the bent
end u¹ of the rod t serve to hold the rod v in the desired position in relation to
the rod t and permit of adjusting the length of the two rods in such a manner
that the gate U will be opened more or less by the said rod. In place of making
the rod adjustable as described above, a single length of rod may extend from the
lower end of the arm w to the fork Y¹. Whenever the movable nozzle plate V is
moved forward, the rods t¹ v will open the gate U and permit air to pass out of
the spout T of the blower T.
The operation is as follows:-The fur that is to be clipped or unhaired is passed
between the rollers F and G behind the horse E over the upper edge of the latter,
under the roller H' and then between the feed rollers I and J which are pressed
toward each other by means of the hand wheels I'. Every time the shaft D makes
one revolution, the cam L pushes the rod K' forwards and the pawl K rotates the
ratchet wheel J as indicated by the arrow, and the fur H will be moved forwards.
The cams B' press down the rear ends of the levers B¹ thereby raising the front
ends of the said levers and the bearings B and the rotary spiral knife A which is
journalled in the said bearings. As the bearings move upward the projection von
one of the bearings strikes the projection u on one arın Ü' and thereby opens the
gate U of the blower and permits the air to issue from the opening of the spout T*,
as shown in Figure 5. At the same time the cams Y' have pushed the rods Y
forwards so that the rear upper opening of the transverse channel V' in the
plate V will be directly below the opening of the spout T and the air issuing
from the spout will be conducted through the channel V1, the front lower opening
of which is then directly above the upper edge of the plate E. During this time
the knife R has been held withdrawn by the springs $ and the rear end of the
lever P has been lowered by the spring P' whereby the combs N and O on the
upper ends of the bars N and O' will be held back from the horse E. As the nozzle
plate V moves forward, the wind issuing from its lower opening will first strike
the fur on the upper edge of the horse E diagonally and will blow down the bair
on the front of the horse E and when the movable nozzle plate V is in the position
shown in Figure 5, the air is thrown vertically upon the upper edge of the horse E
and forces the soft hair down equally at each side of the horse and only the water
hairs or bristles which are so stiff that they cannot be blown over by the current
of air, remain standing. By this time the shaft D is turned so that the bearings B
carrying the knife A are lowered and thereupon the gate U is closed by its spring
and shuts off the current of air. At the same time the movable nozzle plate V is
drawn backwards and the cam P¹ raises the rear end of the lever P, thereby
lowering the front end of the said lever so that the studs press against the
edges of the bars N¹ O¹ or the hook plates N* O* and thus separate the lower ends
of the said plates N' O' whereby the combs NO at the upper ends of the said bars
will be moved toward each other and toward the sides of the horse E. At the same
time the studs draw the plates N' O' downward, which movement is permitted
by the slots ff and thereby the ends of the teeth of the combs will be pressed
against the hairs that have been blown down at each side of the horse E and will
hold them down against the skin and prevent them from rising when the current
of air ceases for the movement of the combs toward the skin takes place at the
same time that the lower opening of the movable nozzle plate V is being removed
from above the upper edge of the horse E. At the same time that the combs are
pressed against the skin the transverse knife R is moved forwards to such an extent
that its front or cutting edge will be directly above the longitudinal centre line of
the upper edge of the horse E and the bearings B have been lowered to such an
extent that the lowest point of the spiral edge of the knife A will meet the cutting
edge of the knife R and thereby cut off the water hairs or bristles standing up
from the skin on the upper edge of the horse E. Then the bearings B begin to

page_text: rise, the feed rollers draw the skin forward, the knife R is withdrawn, and the rear
ends of the levers P rise, thereby releasing the lower ends of the bars N¹ O¹ and
permitting the springs Q to draw them together whereby the combs N and O will
be moved back from the skin, the movable nozzle plate V will be moved forward,
the gate U will be opened and the current of air issuing from the bottom opening
of the plate V will blow off the hair that has been clipped from the fur, and also
lay down the hair for the next operation and so on till the fur is clipped.
In some furs different kinds of hairs must be removed and the fur must be passed.
through the machine one or more times accordingly, a different grade of hairs being
removed at each operation. For instance, some hairs require a very strong current
of air to cause them to lie against the fur, and others are so slender that the fur
must be subjected to a weak current of air only so that all the hairs, both stiff and
pliable, shall not be folded against the fur, in which case none could be cut off.
For this reason I have provided the cone pulley on the shaft of the fan blower to
permit of increasing or decreasing the speed of the blower at will. The roller F
has been provided with a bow frame F to permit of giving the fur a different
inclination before it reaches the upper edge of the horse E. It may be necessary
that some kinds of fur which have peculiar bristles should be passed over the upper
edge of the horse E at a certain inclination. In most cases it will be desirable to
use the horse E with a groove in its upper edge whereby a larger part of the skin
will be exposed to the action of a vertical current of air and more bristles will
project, or if only a very small part of the fur is to be exposed to the action of the
current of air, the catgut or wire b is placed in the groove a. In the first case a
double cut will be made and a considerable length of fur can be fed for each
revolution of the driving shaft, but in the second case the feed must be very slight
as only a very small portion of the fur is exposed to the action of the machine. In
place of combs N and O metal strips may be used. The machine can also be
adjusted to be used for cutting off a certain length of all of the hairs of a piece of
fur, thus making all the hairs of a uniform length. In such cases the horse E
must be so adjusted that the distance from the upper surface of the skin on the
same to the cutting edge of the knife R is equal to the desired length of the hairs
of the fur.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same I declare that I hereby disclaim anything claimed by the Lettera Patent
granted to L. A. Groth dated August 6th 1880 No. 3226, but that what I do
claim as the Invention to be protected by the berein before in part recited Letters
Patent is:
1. A machine for clipping and unhairing fur, made substantially as herein shown
and described, with devices for stretching the fur over a horse or beam, devices for
delivering a current of air on the stretched fur, and with a rotary and a recipro-
cating knife for cutting the bristles of the fur as set forth.
2. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with a horse or
beam over the edge of which the skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus, a
reciprocating knife, and a vertically adjustable rotary knife, substantially as herein
shown and described and for the purpose set forth
3. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur the combination with a horse or
beam over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus, a
reciprocating knife, a vertically adjustable rotary knife, and of combs or strips on
each side of the plate over which the skin is passed substantially as herein shown
and described and for the purpose set forth.
4. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with a horse or
beam over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus
provided with a movable nozzle, and of knives for cutting off the hairs of the fur,
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
5. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with a horse or
beam over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus
provided with a movable nozzle, of a reciprocating and a rotary knife, and of devices

page_text: for withdrawing the nozzle and pushing forward the reciprocating knife at the
same time that the rotary knife is lowered, substantially as herein shown and
described and for the purpose set forth.
(6.) In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with a horse
or beam over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus,
a reciprocating knife, a vertically adjustable rotary knife, movable combs on each
side of the horse over which the skin is passed and of devices for withdrawing the
nozzle of the air forcing apparatus, moving forward the reciprocating knife, and
pressing the combs against the fur at the same time that the vertically adjustable
rotary knife is lowered, substantially as herein shown and described and for the
purpose set forth.
7. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur the combination with a horse or
beam over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus
provided with a inovable nozzle and with a gate, a rotary and a reciprocating
knife of combs at each side of the horse over which the skin is passed and devices
for closing the gate in the air forcing apparatus, withdrawing the nozzle, pushing
forward the reciprocating knife and pressing the combs against the fur at the same
time that the rotary knife is lowered, substantially as herein shown and described
and for the purpose set forth.
8. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with the horse E
over the edge of which the skin can be passed of the blower T provided with a
gate U having a projection u on the end of its shaft and of the rotary knife A
having vertically movable bearings B, substantially as herein shown and described
and for the purpose set forth.
9. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur the combination with the horse E
over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of the blower T provided with a gate U
having arms U¹ at the ends, the springs acting on the said arms, the projection u
on one of the arms, and of the rotary knife A journaled in vertically movable
bearings B, substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
set forth.
10. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur the combination with the
horse E over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of the rotary knife A, the
knife R, the blower T and the movable nozzle plate V provided with a diagonal
channel V throughout its entire length, substantially as herein shown and described
and for the purpose set forth.
11. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with the horse E
over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of the rotary knife A, the knife R,
the blower T, the movable nozzle plate V provided with a diagonal channel V₁
throughout its entire length, the rods Y, the forks Y₁, the cams Y³, on the driving
shaft D, the rollers y on the forks Y¹ and the springs Y³, substantially as herein
shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
12. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur the combination with the horse E
over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of the rotary knife A an air forcing
apparatus, the reciprocating kuife R, the rods R', the forks R³, the cams r on the
shaft D, the rollers on the forks R³ and the springs S, substantially as herein
shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
13. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur the combination with the horse E
over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus, of knives
for clipping the bristles of the fur, and of combs N and O attached to the upper
ends of bars adapted to swing toward and from the horse E, in the vertical plane,
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
14. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with the
horse E over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus,
of knives for clipping the bristles off the fur, of the combs N and O, attached to
the upper ends of bars adapted to swing toward and from the horse E in the vertical
plane, and of a lever acting on the lower ends of the bars carrying the combs and

page_text: ácted upon by a cam on the driving shaft, substantially as herein shown and
described and for the purpose set forth.
15. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with the horse E
over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus knives for
clipping the bristles off the fur, the combs N and O attached to the upper ends of
bars adapted to swing toward and from the horse E, in the vertical plane, the
hook plates N O' attached to the lower ends of the bars N' O¹ the levers P and
the studs,, on the lower front end of the said levers P, substantially as herein
shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
16. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur the combination with the horse E
over the edge of which a skin can be passed of an air forcing apparatus knives for
clipping the bristles off the fur, the combs N and O attached to the upper ends of
bars adapted to swing toward and from the horse E in the vertical plane, the hook
plates NO attached to the lower ends of the bars N' O¹, the levers P, the studs ll
on the lower front ends of the said levers P and the springs Q substantially as
herein shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
17. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur the combination with the horse E
over the edge of which, a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus knives
for clipping the bristles off the fur, the combs N and O attached to the upper ends
of bars adapted to swing toward and from the plate E, in the vertical plane, the
hook plates N' O' attached to the lower ends of the bars N' O¹, the levers P, the
studs on the lower front ends of the said levers P, the springs Q, and the
springs n and o substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose
set forth.
18. In a machine for clipping and unhairing for the combination with the
horse E over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus,
of knives for clipping the bristles off the fur, of the combs N and O attached to
the upper ends of bars N' O' adapted to swing toward and from the horse E in
the vertical plane, which bars N¹ 0¹ are provided with longitudinal Slots f and fl
through which screws or pins d, d, pass, the hook plates N* O* provided with
slots g, g' through which screws e pass, the levers P and the studs 1, 1, projecting
from the lower ends of the same, substantially as herein shown and described and
for the purpose set forth.
19. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with the
horse E over the edge of which a skin can be passed of an air forcing apparatus
of knives for clipping the bristles off the fur, of combs adapted to swing against
the fur and the rollers F and G, the latter provided with a bow frame F' substan-
tially as herein shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
20. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with the
horse E over the edge of which a skin can be passed of an air forcing apparatus
of knives for clipping the bristles off the fur, of combs adapted to swing against
the fur, the racks E' to which the plate E is attached the pinions E' for adjusting
the racks E' and devices for locking the racks Elin position, substantially as herein
shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
21. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with the
horse E over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus
of knives for clipping the bristles off the fur, of combs adapted to swing against
the fur, of the feed rollers I and J, the ratchet wheel J¹, the pawl K, the rod K',
the spring K and the cam L, substantially as herein shown and described, and for
the
purpose set forth.
22. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur the combination with the
horse E over the edge of which a skin can be passed of an air forcing apparatus of
knives for clipping the bristles off the fur, combs adapted to swing against the fur,
the feed rollers I and J, the ratchet wheel J¹, the pawl K the rod K', the spring K',
the cam L the adjustable sleeve M and the adjustable buffer K³, substantially as
herein shown and described and for the purpose set forth
23. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the combination with the
1

page_text: horse over the edge of which a skin can be passed of an air forcing apparatus,
devices for clipping the hairs, a gate in the air forcing apparatus and devices for
operating the said gate from the main driving shaft, substantially as herein shown
and described and for the purpose set forth.
24. In a machine for clipping and unbairing fur, the combination with the horse
over the edge of which a skin can be passed of an air forcing apparatus, devices
for clipping the hairs, a movable nozzle plate, a gate in the air forcing apparatus
and devices for operating the said gate and moving the nozzle plate forward and
backward, substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose set
forth.
25. In a machine for clipping and unhairing furs, the combination with the
horse over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus,
devices for clipping the hairs, the gate U, the arm w' the rods v', t', connected with
devices operated by the main driving shaft, substantially as herein shown and
described and for the purpose set forth.
26. In a machine for clipping and unhairing furs, the combination with the
horse over the edge of which a skin can be passed, of an air forcing apparatus,
devices for clipping the hairs, the gate U, the arm w³, the rod v', with a bend u¹
the nuts won the threaded end of the rod and of devices connected with the
rod t¹, and operated by the same driving shaft.
27. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the horse E, provided in its
upper edge with a longitudinal groove a substantially as herein shown and
described and for the purpose set forth.
28. In a machine for clipping and unhairing fur, the horse E provided in its
upper edge with a groove a combined with the wire b placed within the said
groove substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set
forth.
In witness whereof, I the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty ninth day of September A.D. 1883.