Improvements in Apparatus for Extracting Bungs from Casks.
Year: 1889

page_text: Dat: of Application, 13th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 14th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Extracting Bungs from Casks.
Communicated to me from abroad by OSCAR WINKLER, of Namslau, in the Empire of
Germany, Engineer.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co. Patent Agents and Engineers,
of 35 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for the purpose of
extracting bungs from casks, so that it is simple in construction and manipulation and
accurate and certain in its operation.
It is wellknown that the method ordinarily used for the extraction of bungs from
casks of different kinds is noisy, troublesome, and attended with great waste of time.
The improved machine overcomes all these objections, the cask from which the bung
to be extracted being rolled upon a moveable support with the bung below a suit-
ably shaped spike which can be moved up and down by a handle. Another handle is
also arranged so that the spike when forced down into the bung can be turned partly
round loosening the latter so that it adheres to the spike when the latter is raised and
is then removed from it and falls off. In this way the bungs can be removed from as
many as fifteen hundred casks in ten hours, a speed quite unattainable under the old
system.
The entire apparatus is carried by an upright post or standard fixed to the wall, and
it consists essentially of an adjustable platform or support for the cask, and of a three
cornered wedge or spike carried at the lower end of a spindle above, which can be
moved up and down by a handle or lever. The supporting platform is carried by an
iron frame of suitable shape and sufficient strength, on the under side of which is
fixed the upper end of a toothed rack the back edge of which is provided with ratchet
shaped teeth. The rack works in a guide upon a frame which is also provided with
bearings for the axle of a toothed wheel, gearing with the rack, and is firmly bolted or
otherwise fixed to the supporting plank or post. A pall is provided engaging with
the ratchet shaped teeth at the back of the rack and held in gear by a spring, whilst
it can be removed when desired from the teeth by means of a handle.
By this means the platform can be quickly and easily raised or lowered to any
desired height. This can be effected by a crank upon the axle of the toothed wheel
and worked by hand or foot. The whole mechanism is covered by a plate which
prevents chips from falling into it.
Above this lower part of the apparatus for the support of the cask is arranged the
corresponding upper part by means of which the extraction of the bung is effected.
For this purpose a vertical spindle or bar is arranged so that it can work up or down
in guides directly above the bung, the guides being connected together and firmly
bolted to the supporting plank so as to form a rigid frame.
The lever or handle passes through a slot in the moveable bar to which it is
pivotted and its inner shorter end is also connected by means of a short link to
a pivot carried by the frame.
At the lower end of the moveable bar or spindle is fitted a smaller spindle
carrying at its lower end a three cornered spike or wedge, the smaller spindle
being connected to the upper one by means of a hollow screwed nut, and it is
flattened upon two of its sides so that the forked end of a short lever or handle
can be fitted and fixed upon it for the purpose of turning the wedge or spike
round more or less as desired.

page_text: A forked arm or plate is fixed to the. lower side of the frame its forked end
embracing the lower spindle so that when the latter is raised the wedge or spike
passes up between its sides which remove the adhering bung from the spike.
A special advantage from the use of this apparatus is that by its use the casks
are less injured, whilst if a hammer and other tools are used as is ordinarily the
case, they are often seriously damaged. The bung hole is, for the same reason,
preserved from injury.
In regard to cost great economy is effected, the injury to the casks from the
operation being practically nothing. Finally, as no chips from the bung can
enter the cask, the work is more regularly and certainly effected.
Dated this 13th day of February 1889.
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Apparatus for Extracting Bungs from Casks.
A communication to me from abroad by OSCAR WINKLER, of Namsiau, in the Empire
of Germany, Engineer.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS. of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and Engineers,
of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, 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, and
accompanying drawing (that is to say):
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for the purpose of extracting
bungs from casks by means of a three-sided spike, pressed into the bung and
then turned round in order to remove the bung with the spike. It is well known
that the method ordinarily used for the extraction of bungs from casks of different
kinds is noisy, troublesome and attended with great waste of time.
The improved machine overcomes all these objections, the cask from which the
bung is to be extracted being rolled upon a moveable support with the bung below
a suitably shaped spike, which can be moved up and down by a handle. Another
handle is also arranged so that the spike when forced down into the bung can be
turned partly round loosening the latter, so that it adheres to the spike, when the
latter is raised and is then removed from it and falls off. In this way the bungs
can be removed from as many as fifteen hundred casks in ten hours, a speed
quite unattainable under the old system.
In the accompanying drawing which is in illustration of the invention:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the entire machine.
Figure 2 a sectional view of the stem with the spike.
Figure 3a perspective view of the spike.
Figure 4 represents the lever H¹.
Figure 5 represents the device for stripping off the bungs.
Figure 6 shews the side and 'top view of the support, and
Figure 7 the side view of the crank.
The entire apparatus is carried by an upright post or standard P fixed to the wall,
and it consists essentially of an adjustable platform or support A for the cask, and a
three cornered wedge or spike D, carried at the lower end of the stem or spindle S,
which can be moved up and down by a handle or lever H. The supporting platform A
is carried by an iron frame of suitable shape and sufficient strength on the under. side
of which is fixed the upper end of a toothed rack R, the back edge of which is pro-
vided with ratchet shaped teeth. The rack R works in a guide upon a frame, which
is also provided with bearings for the axle of a toothed wheel gearing with the rack R,
and is firmly bolted or otherwise fixed to the supporting plank or post P.

page_text: A pallis provided engaging with the ratchet shaped teeth at the back of the
rack R and held in gear by a spring f, whilst it can be removed when desired from
the teeth by means of a handle, fixed to the pall.
By this means the platform A can be quickly and easily raised or lowered to
any desired height. This can be effected by a crank K upon the axle of the toothed
wheel and worked by hand or foot.
The whole mechanism is covered by a plate B which prevents chips from falling
into it.
Above the lower part of the apparatus for the support of the cask is arranged
the corresponding upper part, by means of which the extraction of the bung is
effected.
For this purpose a vertical spindle or stem S is arranged so that it can work up or
down in guides directly above the bung, these guides F, F1, being connected together
by the stay T and firmly bolted to the supporting plank P, so as to form a rigid
frame.
The lever or handle H passes through a slot in the moveable stem or spindle S, to
which it is pivotted and its inner shorter end is also connected by means of a short
link L to the stay T of the frame.
At the lower end of the moveable spindle S is fitted a smaller spindle carrying at
its lower end a three cornered spike or wedge D, the smaller spindle being connected
to the upper one S by means of a hollow screwed nut N, and it is flattened upon two
of its sides so that the forked end of a short lever H' or handle can be fitted and
fixed upon it for the purpose of turning the wedge or spike D round, more or less, as
desired.
A forked arm or plate V is fixed to the lower side of the frame, its forked end
embracing the lower spindle, so that when the latter is raised the wedge or
spike D passes up between its sides, which remove the adhering bung from the
spike D.
A special advantage from the use of this apparatus is that by its use the casks
are less injured, whilst if a hammer and other tools are used, as is ordinarily
the case, they are often seriously damaged. The bung-hole is for the same reason
preserved from injury.
In regard to cost great economy is effected, the injury to the casks from the
operation being practically nothing.
Finally, as no chips from the bung can enter the cask, the work is more
regularly and certainly effected.
Having now particularly desibed and ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
An apparatus for extracting bungs from casks, consisting of a support A for
the casks, adjustable by hand or foot, in combination with the spindle S, guided
in the frame F, F1, and carrying the spike D, which can be turned by the lever H',
for the purpose of pressing the spike D by means of the lever H into the bung,
and loosening the bung by turning the spike, the bung being removed from the
spike by means of the forked plate V when the spindle S is raised, all substan-
tially as set forth and shewn.
Dated this 13th day of Narambar 1889