Certain Improvements in Apparatus for the Electro-deposition of Metals
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
"Certain Improvements in Apparatus for the Electro-deposition
of Metals."
I, ALFRED ERNEST Cook, of 27, Lionel Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Electro Nickel and Silver Plater, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of the hereindescribed improvements in apparatus for
the electro-deposition of metals. By my apparatus I am enabled to electro-plate
pens, safety pins, pins and many other small articles without having to thread
them together or attach them to wires as is usually done. Moreover when the said
small articles are plated by my apparatus they will be bright and polished when
they leave the plating solution instead of having to be polished afterwards as is
usual.
In carrying out my Invention I dispense with the electrolytic tank or bath as
usually employed and instead thereof I provide a watertight barrel or drum or
"barrel" preferably made of wood or
cylinder or other vessel hereafter called a
other suitable substance which is a non-conductor of electricity and of somewhat
the shape of a shaking barrel the sides and ends being jacketted or hollow so that
the barrel really consists of a small barrel or lining inside a larger barrel both
being by preference of the same shape leaving spaces between the walls of the
smaller barrel or lining and the walls of the larger barrel. The inner barrel or
lining is perforated. The barrels contain the solution which can flow freely
through the perforations in the inner barrel or lining so as to fill or partly fill
the same.
The said outer barrel is mounted upon a shaft or upon end axles carried
by suitable bearings so that the barrel can revolve. The anodes are fixed in the
jacket so as to be in contact with the solution therein. The cathodes pass through
wooden blocks or distance pieces in the jacket from the outside of the walls of the
larger barrel and project for some distance into the smaller barrel and thus form
contacts for the articles in the inner barrel which are to be plated The positive
wires are connected to the anodes and lead to the axle at one end of the barrel which
axle is by preference made hollow so that these positive wires can enter the axle
and they are there connected to the revolving portion of the positive wire which is
in electrical contact with the positive wire leading from the generator. The
negative wires from the cathodes pass along the outside of the barrel and enter
the hollow axle at the other end of the barrel where they are connected to a revol-
ving portion of the negative wire which is in electrical contact with the negative
wire leading to the generator.
To electro-plate small articles by my apparatus the barrel is filled with the
solution and the articles to be plated are placed in the small barrel or lining. This
is done through a suitable watertight door in the barrel. The door having been
closed the barrel is caused to revolve so that the articles inside will thereby
come in contact with the projecting ends of the cathode wires and thus complete
the circuit, and as they roll against each other during the plating process, when
sufficient metal has been deposited upon them and they are removed from the

page_text: barrel, it will be found that they are bright and in many cases do not require and
subsequent polishing.
Instead of what I have called the "barrel" being arranged to revolve as above
described, the said barrel or vessel may be made to rock to and fro so as to bring
the articles in contact with the cathode wires and roll them against each other.
In this case the barrel or vessel may be open at the top as it will have more the
form of a tank.
Dated this 20th day of January 1807
Certain Improvements in Apparatus for the Electro-deposition
of Metals."
I, ALFRED ERNEST COOK, of 27, Lionel Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Electro Nickel and Silver Plater, 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 consists of the herein described improvements in apparatus for
the electro-deposition of metals. By my apparatus am enabled to electro-plate
pens, safety pins, pins and many other small articles without having to thread
them together or attach them to wires as is usually done. Moreover when the
said small articles are plated by my apparatus they will be bright and polished
when they leave the plating solution instead of having to be polished afterwards
as is usual.
In carrying out my Invention I dispense with the electrolytic tank or bath as
usually employed and instead thereof I provide a watertight barrel or drum or
cylinder hereafter called a <
barrel" preferably made of wood or other suitable
substance which is a non-conductor of electricity and of somewhat the shape of a
shaking barrel the sides and ends being jacketted or hollow so that the barrel really
consists of a small barrel or lining inside a larger barrel both being by preference
of the same shape leaving spaces between the walls of the smaller barrel or lining
and the walls of the larger barrel. The inner barrel or lining is perforated. The
barrels contain the solution which can flow freely through the perforations in
the inner barrel or lining so as to fill or partly fill the same.
is mounted upon a shaft or upon end axles carried by suitable bearings so that
The said outer barrel
the barrel can revolve. The anodes are fixed in the jacket so as to be in contact
with the solution therein. The cathodes pass from the outside through the walls
of the larger barrel and project for some distance into the smaller barrel
and thus form contacts for the articles in the inner barrel which are to be plated.
The positive wires are connected to the anodes and lead to the axle at one end of
the barrel and are in electrical contact with the positive wire leading from the
generator. The negative wires from the cathodes pass along the outside of the
barrel to the axle at the other end of the barrel where they are in electrical con-
tact with the negative wire leading to the generator.
To electro-plate small articles by my apparatus the barrel is filled with the solu- 4
tion and the articles to be plated are placed in the small barrel or lining. This
is done through a suitable watertight door in the barrel. The door having been
closed the barrel is caused to revolve so that the articles inside will thereby come
in contact with the projecting cathode wires and thus complete the circuit and as
they roll against each other during the plating process, when sufficient metal has 5

page_text: been deposited upon them and they are removed from the barrel, it will be found
that they are bright and in many cases do not require any subsequent polishing.
On the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an electro plating
apparatus constructed according to this Invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation
of the same; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional elevation of the same; Fig. 4 is an end
elevation of the said apparatus and Fig. 5 shews the cathodes of the same
separately; Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of my Invention and
Fig. 7 is a cross sectional elevation of the same.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
Figures of the drawings.
I will first describe the arrangement of my Invention shewn by Figs. 1 to 5.
The wooden or other like water-tight barrel, drum or cylinder consists of the
two round ends A¹ A2 in the faces of which the ends of the sides A are recessed.
B is the smaller inner perforated barrel or lining and C. is the space betwen the
perforated walls B of the smaller barrel or lining and the walls of the larger
barrel A A¹ A². The perforations b¹ in the barrel or lining B are by preference
countersunk at both sides as shewn so that the electrolyte will flow more freely
therethrough and so as to prevent the small articles which are being plated and
which are contained in the barrel B or lining from catching in the holes b'. D' D³
are the end axles fixed respectively to the barrel ends A¹A and carried by the
bearings EE suitably supported as on the standards F1 F2 so that the barrel A
can be revolved as by a band driving on to the pulley G fixed on the shaft D².
The anodes are marked H and they are fixed in the outer jacket or barrel A and
outside the inner barrel or lining B as shewn so as to be in contact with the solu-
tion the ends of the anode plates H fitting in recesses in the barrel ends A¹ A².
The positive wires i are connected to the anodes H by the clamping screws j
which pass through the metal bosses k fixed outside the barrel A A¹ Aª
the ends of the screws i coming into contact with the anodes
and thus bringing the wires i in electrical connection with the
anodes through the screws j. The wires pass through holes in the
outside of the barrel ends A2 and are soldered or otherwise fixed to a collar L
which is fixed on the shaft D2 and insulated therefrom and this collar L is in
electrical contact with the positive wire I leading to the electric generator. The
connection of the wire I to the revolving collar J can be effected by any convenient
means as by the wire I being fixed on to one end of the metal arm M which rests
in a groove in the collar I so as to be in electrical contact therewith, and at one
end m is jointed to a bracket part of the standard F not shewn on my drawings.
The cathode wires or bars contained in the barrel or lining B are marked N.
They run longitudinally along the inside of the inner barrel or lining B and
project within the same to form contacts for the articles therein which are to be
plated. These cathode wires or rods N are connected at one end to the ring 0
which is fixed to the end A¹ of the barrel and which is in electrical contact with
the negative wire R by means of the bolt P which passes through the end A¹ of the
barrel and through the small plate o' which is fixed on the ring O. The bolt I'
is connected by the wire p¹ to the insulated collar p² on the shaft D and this
collar is in electrical contact with the negative wire R through the lever p³ which
rests in the groove in the collar p². Q is the opening in the outer barrel A leading
to the interior of the inner barrel B and closed by the wooden or other block or
door fitting therein and made with a flange 2 which is jointed against the
outside walls A of the barrel by the indiarubber or like jointing ring q³ and is
secured by the cros bar taking into eyes 95.
SS are tie bolts passing through the ends A¹ A³ outside the barrel and serving
to keen the ends A¹ A2 and sides A. together. The sides A are strengthened by the
clamping plates T which surround the barrel.
When in use the barrel A is filled with the solution and the articles to be plated
are placed in the smaller barrel or lining B through the opening Q which is then
closed by the water-tight door gl as stated above. As the barrel A revolves the
metal articles inside the inner barrel B come in contact with the projecting cathode

page_text: bars N and thus complete the circuit, and the cathode metal is deposited on them
and they are polished by rolling against each other. After the articles have been,
revolved for a certain length of time they are moved through the opening g¹.
In the arrangement of my Invention shewn by Figs. 6 and 7 the inner barrel
or lining which contains the articles to be plated is made somewhat shorter than
the inside of the outer barrel A A¹ A³ leaving a space C at each end where the
anode plates H¹ H are fixed to the wooden ends A1 A3 of the jacket. In this case
the ends B¹ B2 of the inner barrel or lining are perforated at 61 for the electrolyte
to flow through. The arrangement of the cathodes and their connections to the
negative wire R are the same as in the arrangement illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 34
and 5 but the bolt P passes through one side A of the barrel instead of through
the end. The two anode plates H¹H2 are electrically connected together through
the screws in the barrel ends A¹ A³ which are also in electrical connection
with the tie bolt S. The screw is by the wire i in electrical connection with the
collar L which receives electricity from the positive wire I as above described.
Having now 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. In an apparatus for the electro deposition of metals on small articles, the
employment of a watertight drum or barrel adapted to revolve and containing the
electrolyte, a smaller perforated barrel or lining fixed in said outer barrel and
containing the articles to be plated and leaving a space or spaces for the electrolyte
between the walls of the inner barrel or lining and the outer barrel, metal anodes
contained in said space or spaces outside the inner barrel and connected with the
positive wires fixed to and projecting from the inner sides of the walls of the inner
barrel or lining and connected to the negative terminal of the source of electricity
and an opening through the outer barrel into the inner barrel or lining closed by
a suitable door, all arranged and operating substantially as herein before described
with reference to the accompanyng drawings.
2. Apparatus for the electro-deposition of metals on small articles constructed
arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
3. Apparatus for the electro-deposition of metals on small articles constructed
arranged and operating substantially as herein before described and illustrated by
Figs. 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of October 1897,
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.