MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING FISH FOR CURE
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Ross junior at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 30th March 1882.*
"IMPROVE.
"
JOHN Ross of Muchalls in the County of Kincardine North Britain
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING FISH FOR CURE
Under this Invention the fish after being opened to the vent, and the guts and
head removed by the workers, is placed upon a travelling cloth to which two or
more spikes are transversely attached. These hold the fish on the cloth by
impaling it through the shoulder and "lugs" The fish is made to lie straight on
the cloth by sets of spikes arranged to suit the shape of the fish and standing up
from the cloth along each side of the fish.
When the cloth is set in motion the fish is first carried under a broad brush, made
of bass. This brush travels with the fish being raised two inches above the level
of it, and the fish is raised up to catch the brush by side levers attached to a bar
running under the spike arrangement at the neck of the fish. These side levers
are bent backwards at an angle to suit the height to which it is desired to raise
the fish and are continued in order to press against catches by which they are
acted on a sufficient length of time to let the neck and pectoral bone of the fish be
cleaned and no more. The fish is then dropped back to its original level and passes
under free of the brush. Were the brush to act on the fish throughout its whole
length it would injure the "lugs" and thereby prevent the fish being hung on spits
in the kiln to smoke.
After being so acted on the fish in travelling onwards meets a guide wheel by
which it is depressed to the level of the outer circumference of another circular
brush. This brush revolves against the fish and by it the bone is scoured free of
the clotted blood attached to it.
The fish then passes on to a scynding brush and cutters consisting of a circular
stock into which two curved gouge shaped cutters are screwed at opposite sides of
it. In the two entervening spaces a few knots of bass are fitted and pitched into
the stock with brush pitch. The whole revolving together against the fish the
cutters cut into the flesh and bone at the ventral end of the opened belly and thus
lay bare the small clot of blood always lodged there which is cleaned out by the
narrow brushes thus leaving the fish ready for the knife.

page_text: -
The knife which is circular is fixed on an overhung spindle driven by a belt and
. pulley and it travels with the fish cutting it open down the side of the bone. In
To
cutting for "Real Finnan" Cure the fish must not be cut right out at the tail.
effect this stoppage a circular box is attached by a central spindle, round which
it revolves, to a fork terminating in a guide rod. Inside this box is a clock spring
attached to the box and the central spindle. Outside are spikes fixed to the rim of
the box all round at certain distances apart.
The guide rod of the fork is furnished with a temper screw arrangement by which
it can be lengthened at pleasure and to the butt end thereof is fixed a spiral spring
by which the whole arrangement is pressed outwards.
This mechanism is so placed that on the fish travelling forward its side comes in
contact with the spikes set on the rim of the box placed horizontally. The motion
of the fish causes the box to revolve & wind up the spring in the box. The spiral
spring at the butt of the guide rod keeps the revolving box pressed
fish till the limit of stretch is reached to which it has been set.
against the
The fish having been selected or sized to suit the setting and each group of sizes
of fish being attached to one travelling cloth this limit of stretch, set by the temper
screw coincides with the tapering of the fish and when that point is reached at
which by the joint effect of the natural taper of the fish and the setting of the
teinper screw, the spiked box no longer catches on the side of the fish the box being
thus set free, smartly recoils and through a catch attached to the side of the box
acts upon a belt fork lever whereby the belt is forced on to a loose pulley on the
knife spindle thereby causing the knife instantly to stop cutting at the desired
point.
.
The knife is started again instantaneously by the thick shoulder of the next
fish pressing sharply back the circular box and rod attachment on the butt spring
and so by another catch reversing the action of the belt fork and slipping the belt
on the fixed pulley again.
All the brush spindles take motion from a centre one which is driven by a belt
and acts on the others by toothed wheels or pulleys and the knife spindle is
- rotated from the brush spindle nearest it by a belt passed around "pulleys as
stated.