Method of Constructing Cutting and Moulding Cylinders for Mosaic Floor Cloth Manufacture, and Apparatus for that Purpose.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 20th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Method of Constructing Cutting and Moulding Cylinders for
Mosaic Floor Cloth Manufacture, and Apparatus for that
Purpose.
I, FREDERICK WALTON, of No. 114, Holborn, in the City of London,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I have in the Specifications of previous Patents described means of manu-
facturing mosaic floor cloth by cutting out, from several differently coloured sheets
of floor cloth material, tesseræ or pieces forming portions of a design, then placing
these pieces side by side on a backing of suitable fabric and by application of heat
and pressure causing them to adhere to the backing and to each other so as to form
a sheet of mosaic floor cloth, having the coloured portions of the design not
superficial merely but extending through the whole thickness of the sheet. In the
first instance I employed, for cutting out the tesseræ, flat blocks fitted with
projecting knives which were pressed on the sheet of material cutting it into
tessera filling the spaces between the tesseræ. From these spaces the tesseræ were
extruded by spring plungers, those forming part of the design being applied to
the backing, and the others being again converted into sheet to be again
operated on.
Having now devised apparatus arranged in such a manner as to produce mosaic
floor cloth in a continuous manner I have now to effect the cutting out of the
tesseræ by means of cutting cylinders each of which has knives arranged on its
periphery so that, as it continuously revolves, it cuts a sheet of the floor cloth
material which is passed between it and a roller of wood or other somewhat
yielding material. As the mosaic consists of tesseræ of several different colours,
generally four, it is necessary to have so many cutting cylinders, each arranged to
operate on a sheet of one of the colours; and, as the tessera of each colour have to
fit exactly into the spaces between the tesseræ of the other colours, it is necessary
to have the arrangement and position of the knives exactly the same on all the
cutting cylinders employed.
My present invention relates to means of constructing a number of the cutting
cylinders and fixing the knives thereon all precisely alike, which I effect in the
following manner. I bore and turn a cylindrical shell of brass or like metal to an
external diameter equal to that of the cutting cylinder and to a thickness equal to
the desired depth of the spaces between its knives that is to say the height to
which the knives are to project. From this cylindrical shell I cut pieces of
metallic tesseræ of the same shape as the intended tesseræ of the floor cloth and I
lay these pieces in proper position on the internal surface of a segment of a
cylindrical shell the internal diameter of which is equal to the external diameter of
the cutting cylinder, and the length of which is equal to the length of the cutting
cylinder. The metallic tessera are of such size that when they are all laid in
position in the cylindrical segment and fixed by screws or otherwise, there are
narrow grooves between them. Into these grooves I fit the steel blades which are
to form the knives these blades having their front edges previously sharpened and
so much of their width as projects beyond the metallic tesseræ tinned. Having
thus placed the knives and applied to the metallic tesseræ any coating that will
prevent adhesion of molten metal to them, 1 place over the whole a cover in the
form of a cylindrical segment, and into the hollow space between this segment and

page_text: the metallic tessere I pour molten white metal, such as type metal.
When this
has set I remove the cover and unfix and remove the metallic tesseræ, and thus I
have a segmental block of white metal having the knife blades partly bedded and
soldered in it with their cutting edges projecting from it. Having prepared the
required number of these segmental blocks I fix them on suitable metal cores thus
forming a number of cutting cylinders all having their knives corresponding in form
and position.
Instead of cutting the tesseræ from a sheet by means of a cutting cylinder as
above described, they may be formed by compressing powdered material in the
spaces between partitions of a moulding cylinder, which partitions are arranged in
the same way as the knives of a cutting cylinder.
Dated this 23rd day of January 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
A Method of Constructing Cutting and Moulding Cylinders for
Mosaic Floor Cloth Manufacture, and Apparatus for that
Purpose.
I, FREDERICK WALTON, of No. 114 Holborn, in the City of London,
Manufacturer, 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:-
I have in the Specifications of previous Patents described means of manu-
facturing mosaic floor-cloth by cutting out, from several differently coloured sheets
of floor cloth material, tessera or pieces forming portions of a design, then placing
these pieces side by side on a backing of suitable fabric and by application of heat
and pressure causing them to adhere to the backing and to each other so as to form
a sheet of mosaic floor cloth, having the coloured portions of the design, not
superficial merely, but extending through the whole thickness of the sheet. In
the first instance, I employed, for cutting out of the tesseræ, flat blocks fitted with
projecting knives which were pressed on the sheet of material cutting it into tessera
filling the spaces between the knives. From these spaces the tessera were
extruded by spring plungers, those forming part of the design being applied to
the backing, and the others being again converted into shect to be again
operated on.
Having now devised apparatus arranged in such a manner as to produce mosaic
floor cloth in a continuous manner, I have now to effect the cutting out of the
tesseræ by means of cutting cylinders each of which has knives arranged on its
periphery so that, as it continuously revolves, it cuts a sheet of the floor cloth
material which is passed between it and a roller of wood or other somewhat yielding
material.
As the mosaic consists of tesseræ of several different colours, generally four, it is
necessary to have so many cutting cylinders, each arranged to operate on a sheet of
one of the colours; and, as the tesseræ of each colour have to fit exactly into
the spaces between the tesseræ of the other colours, it is necessary to have the
arrangement and position of the knives exactly the same on all the cutting
cylinders employed.
My present invention relates to means of constructing a number of the cutting
cylinders and fitting the knives thereon all precisely alike, which I effect as I shall
describe, referring to the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Fig. 1 is a developed plan of part of the surface of a cutting cylinder for a
mosaic pattern. Fig. 2 is a section on X X. I bore and turn a cylindrical shell
of brass or like metal to an external diameter equal to that of the cutting cylinder
and to a thickness equal to the desired depth of the spaces between its knives, that
is to say, the height to which the knives are to project.
From this cylindrical shell I cut pieces A of metallic tesseræ of the same shape
as the intended tesseræ of the floor cloth and I lay these pieces in proper position
on the internal surface of a segment B of a cylindrical shell B, the internal diameter
of which is equal to the external diameter of the cutting cylinder, and the length of
which is equal to the length of the cutting cylinder.
The metallic tesseræ A are of such size that when they are all laid in position in
the cylindrical segment B and fixed by screws and steady pins such as a a¹ or
otherwise, there are narrow grooves between them. Into these grooves I fit the
steel blades C which are to form the knives, these blades having their front edges
previously sharpened and so much of their width as projects beyond the metallic
tesseræ A tinned. Having thus placed the knives C and applied to the metallic
tesseræ A any coating that will prevent adhesion of molten metal to them, I place
over the whole a cover D in the form of a cylindrical segment, closing also the
sides and ends F so as to form a mould with suitable apertures for admission of
metal and escape of air, and into the hollow space between this segment D and the
metallic tessera A I pour molten white metal such as type metal. When this has
set, I remove the cover D and sides and ends F, and, having unfixed the metallic
tesseræ A, I remove them along with the blades and cast metal from the mould, and
pick the segments A out from between the knives C. I have thus a segmental
block of white metal having the knife blades C partly bedded and soldered in it
with their cutting edges projecting from it. Having prepared the required number
of these segmental blocks I fix them on suitable cylindrical cores, thus forming a
number of cutting cylinders all having their knives corresponding in form and
position.
Cylinders constructed as above described are obviously applicable as moulding
cylinders when the tesseræ, instead of being cut from sheets, are formed by com-
pressing powdered material in the spaces between the blades, which in this case
need not be sharpened at their edges.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described method of constructing cutting er moulding cylinders
for mosaic floor cloth manufacture by fixing metallic tessera of the sizes and shapes
required for a pattern along with blades between them in a segniental mould,
casting suitable metal in the mould, so that tinned portions of the blades are
imbedded and fixed in the metal, removing the metallic tesseræ, and fixing the
segmental castings and blades on cores.
2. For operating as set forth in the preceding claim, apparatus cousisting of the
metallic tessera and the segmental mould, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of October 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.