Improvements in Appliances for Buffing or Polishing.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1895
[Communicated from abroad by GEORGE HENRY PECK FLAGG, of 122 Lincoln
Street, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman.]
Improvements in Appliances for Buffing or Polishing.
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
This invention relates to a rotary cylinder used for huffing or for polishing articles
pressed against its periphery. An appliance of this class comprises a cylindrical
yielding roll or cushion affixed to a rotary hub or shaft, and a flexible cover
detachably secured to said roll. When the appliance is used for buffing or
abrading, the cover is of sand-paper or emery cloth; and when the appliance is used
for polishing, the cover is of some soft material, such as silesia.
Owing to the nature of the service demanded of these covers, they are rapidly
worn out, and have to be frequently renewed. It has been found very convenient
to cut out the covers in the form of flat sheets of suitable size and area to be
wrapped as a scroll around the roll and clamped thereto without cementing or
otherwise securing the edges of the sheet together before the sheet is applied to the
roll. It is desirable, however, to give the sheet or blank such form that when it is
wrapped in the form of a scroll upon the roll its overlapping or outer edge will not
extend in a straight line lengthwise of the roll but will occupy an oblique position,
so that it will not be subjected to abrupt shocks or strains by contact with the work
presented to the abrasive surface.
My invention has for its object, first, to provide an improved form of cover and
improved means for detachably securing it to the roll in such manner that its edges
The invention also
shall overlap and extend helically from end to end of the roll.
has for its object to provide an improved cushion adapted to support a working
cover without liability of the latter to overheat or discolor the work.
To the above-mentioned ends, the invention consists in the improvements which
I will now proceed to describe and claim.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this Specification,-
Figure 1 represents a plan view of a buffing or polishing appliance embodying
my invention.
and
Figure 2 represents an end view of the same, drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figure 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1, on an enlarged scale.
Figure 4 represents a section on line 4-4 of Figure 1, on an enlarged scale.
Figure 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Figure 1, on an enlarged scale,
Figure 6 represents a plan view of the preferred form of cover.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In the drawings-
a represents a cylindrical cushion or pad, which is of a yielding nature and is
mounted upon a rigid hub or shaft adapted to be rotated by any suitable means.
The cushion may be composed of suitable yielding material adapted to afford the
desired yielding support for the cover b, the preferred construction being as herein-
after set forth. The cushion is provided at its ends with suitable means for
clamping the end portions of the cover upon the cushion. Said means comprise

page_text: clamping fingers which are radially adjustable and arranged to bear upon the
periphery of the cushion, said fingers being therefore adapted to sink into the
cushion when moved inwardly. The ends of the cover bare placed between
the fingers and the periphery of the cushion, and the fingers are then adjusted
inwardly and caused to clamp the ends of the cover, by indenting overlapping
portions of the cover and the cushion under those portions, as shown in Figures 2
and 3. The fingers are formed upon radial shanks which are provided with
studs entering cam-shaped slots in collars which are mounted to rotate upon
the hub or shaft of the cushion. When the collars i are rotated in one direction,
the fingers are moved outwardly; and when the collars are rotated in the opposite
direction, the fingers are moved inwardly. I have here shown one finger h at each
end of the cushion; but it is obvious that a plurality of fingers may be employed
at each end of the cushion. and that any other suitable means may be employed for
causing the fingers to indent the overlapping portions of the cover and force these
portions into the cushion.
The cover b, which for buffing or abrading purposes, such as cleaning or buffing
the bottoms of boot and shoe soles, is made of sand-paper or emery cloth, and for
polishing purposes is made of silesia or other like material, is cut in a flat sheet of
the form shown in Figure 6. The tapering end of said sheet is applied to the
left-hand end of the cushion, and the sheet is wrapped about the cushion until a
portion of it overlaps the tapering end, and that end of the sheet is then
secured by one of the clamping fingers h. The remainder of the sheet is then
wound upon the cushion, its overlapping edge forming a helical line about the
cushion, as shown in Figure 1 by the full line, the dotted line showing the edge
which is overlapped; that is, the acute-angled end at the bottom of Figure 6 is
overlapped by the obtuse-angled portion y on the left of Figure 6, and the acute-
angled end at the top of Figure 6 overlaps the obtuse-angled portion y¹ on the
right of Figure 6, the overlapping portions being depressed into the cushion by the
fingers h, as will be clear from Figures 1, 2, and 3.
I have found that the cover thus formed can be very quickly and smoothly
applied to the cushion, and that when the appliance is in operation the pressure of
the work against it tends to tighten the cover upon the cushion rather than to
loosen the same. Hence there is no wrinkling of the cover and no tendency of its
edges to separate.
The preferred construction of the roll a is as follows: o represents a rotary hub,
and p a series of limp sections radiating from said hub. Said sections may be
strips of any suitable material, such as limp leather, cloth, or other thin limp
material, and are preferably attached at their inner ends to the hub, their outer
ends being free.
The sections are limp, or in other words, they have not sufficient inherent
elasticity to hold them in position to exert any perceptible outward pressure on the
cover b, but require to be held in said position wholly by centrifugal force. Said
sections therefore collectively constitute a cushion or pad which when at rest is
insufficient to operatively support the cover and is adapted to be maintained in an
operative position by centrifugal force, said cushion or pad constantly exerting an
outward pressure against the cover when the device is in rapid motion. Owing to
the limp character of the sections p, they permit the cover to yield freely and
conform to the shape of the surface of the article being acted on and to enter the
various depressions that may exist in said surface, the sections exerting a uniform
pressure on all parts of the distorted surface formed on the cover by the pressure
of the work against it; hence a comparatively large area of the surface of the work
may be subjected to the action of the cover at one time without material variation
of the pressure at different points and without liability of burning the said surface
at any point by excessive pressure and friction. In other words, when the sole of a
boot or shoe is pressed against the cover, the centrifugally controlled sections will
yield and permit a considerable portion of the cover to be flattened and move in
contact with the sole, the pressure being practically uniform at all parts of the

page_text: flattened portion because of the lack of inherent elasticity of the sections; whereas,
if said sections were inherently elastic and self-supporting, the pressure would be
greater at the central part than at the margin of the flattened portion, on account
of the effort of the sections to assume their normal position, hence with constant
danger of burning the work if the latter were pressed into the cover with sufficient
force to cause a large area of contact between the work and cover. My invention
avoids this difficulty and enables the work to be pressed as firmly against the cover
and to flatten as large an area of the latter as the operator may desire, without
liability of burning the work.
or
I am aware that abrasive covers have been supported by elastic arms
projections radiating from a rotary hub or belt; but in every instance, so far as
I am aware, the arms have had sufficient inherent elasticity to make them self-
supporting, so that any pressure exerted by the work against the cover has to
overcome the inherent elasticity of the arms before flattening any considerable
portion of the cover. The resistance due to the inherent elasticity added to that
caused by centrifugal force when the device is rapidly rotated, is very liable to
develop an injurious degree of heat, as already indicated.
To prevent the cover a from slipping upon the cushion, the end portions of the
cushion are made more substantial than the part composed of the limp sections p,
in order that said end portions may properly co-operate with the clamping
fingers h. Said end portions, as here shown, are two collars r r secured to the hub
or shaft o at the ends of the sections p, said collars being preferably made of
yielding material, such as felt, and of a diameter which is preferably slightly less
than the diameter of the cushion formed by the sections p when the cushion is
distended by centrifugal force. The clamping fingers project over and are
arranged to bear upon the peripheries of the yielding collars r, said fingers being
therefore adapted to sink into the collars when moved inwardly.
The limp arms or sections c are preferably formed by folding strips of limp
leather or other suitable material over the rods j, which are secured to the hub or
shaft o and extend lengthwise thereof, said rods b.ing separated from the periphery
of the hub or shaft, so that the strips can pass between the rods and the hub
or shaft, as shown in Figure 5. The plies of the folded strips may be connected by
stitches at the outer edges of the rods J.
Said rods are here shown as secured
to the hub or shaft by means of a collar m affixed to said hub and provided with
slots in its periphery, which slots receive the ends of the rods j and the sleeves n,
which are internally screw-threaded and engaged with corresponding screw-threads
formed on the hub o, said sleeves having flanges which project over the collars m
and cover the slots thereof, thus retaining the ends of the rods ; in said slots, as
shown in Figure 4.
As here shown, the sleeves n are extended outwardly and formed to support the
collars, said sleeves being secured by screws n' to the driving-shaft upon which
the hub o is mounted.
I do not limit myself to the described details of construction, and may variously
modify the same without departing from the spirit of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An appliance of the character specified, comprising a yielding-surfaced rotary roll,
a flexible cover of substantially rhomboidal form wrapped about said roll, one of the
edges of said cover overlapping the other and said edges extending helically from one
end of the roll to the other, clamping fingers projecting over the ends of the over-
lapping portions of the cover and movable toward and from the axis of the roll, so
that they may sink with the corresponding portions of the cover into the yielding
surface of the roll, and means for adjusting and holding said clamping fingers.
2. A buffing or polishing appliance of the character specified, comprising a
rotary hub or shaft, a series of limp sections in position to radiate therefrom when

page_text: acted on by centrifugal force, said sections collectively constituting a normally limp
cushion or pad adapted to be made operative by centrifugal force, and clamping
devices positively connected with the hub or shaft at the ends of said cushion and
adapted to grasp the ends of a flexible cover placed on said cushion, whereby the
cover is secured to and caused to rotate with the hub or shaft.
3. A buffing or polishing appliance comprising a rotary hub or shaft, a
centrifugally maintained cushion thereon, collars secured to the hub or shaft at the
ends of said cushion, and clamping fingers arranged to co-operate with said collars
in grasping the ends of a flexible cover placed on the cushion.
4. A buffing or polishing appliance comprising a rotary hub or shaft, a
centrifugally maintained cushion thereon, collars secured to the hub or shaft at the
ends of said cushion, clamping fingers arranged to co-operate with said collars in
grasping the ends of a flexible cover placed on the cushion, and collars rotatively
connected with said bub or shaft and provided with cams engaged with said
clamping fingers.
5. A buffing or polishing appliance comprising a rotary hub or shaft, slotted
collars affixed thereto, rods extending lengthwise of the hub and having their ends
inserted in the slots of said collars, flanged sleeves removably secured to the hub
and formed to project over said collars to confine the rods therein, and limp strips
or sections folded upon said rods and radiating from the hub.
6. A buffing or polishing appliance of the character specified, comprising a
rotary hub or shaft, a suitable yielding cushion, flanges or collars of yielding
material such as felt secured to the hub at opposite ends of said cushion, clamping
fingers arranged to bear on the peripheries of said yielding collars, and means for
adjusting said fingers, the fingers sinking into the yielding collars when adjusted
inwardly.
Dated this 10th dow of Nazombor 1905
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.