Improvements in Appliances for Buffing or Polishing.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896
[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.
I, 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 rotary appliances for performing operations such as
polishing or to buffing surfaces of articles presented to the appliance, the acting
part of the appliance being a circular band or cover which surrounds a driving-shaft
or rotary holder and is yieldingly supported, so that the said band or cover
constitutes a yielding periphery which is adapted to conform to various shapes and
e article presented to it.
has for its object to provide an appliance of the character above
hich the band or cover shall be unobstructed at one edge, so that the
ll times flexible and is accessible to various kinds of work that
ed on by a cover both ends or edges of which are positively secured
consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe
anying drawings, forming a part of this Specification,―
esents an end view of an appliance embodying my improvement.
'sents a side view of the same.
presents a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1.
Figure 4 represents a perspective view of one of the sections of the yielding
cushion.
Figure 5 represents a view similar to a portion of Figure 3, showing a boot or
shoe shank presented to the free edge of the flexible cover.
Figure 6 represents a view similar to Figure 5, showing the cushion and cover
shaped or molded to act on the inclined breast of a spring-heel.
Figure 7 represents a view similar to a portion of Figure 6, showing the cushion
and cover in their natural form.
Figure 8 represents a sectional view, showing a different construction.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In carrying out the invention, as shown in Figures 1 to 7, inclusive, I construct
an appliance comprising a rotary holder adapted to be engaged with a driving-shaft,
a circular yielding cushion surrounding said holder, a clamp at one end of said
cushion, and a flexible working cover composed of a strip of material suitable for
polishing or for buffing, said strip being engaged at one edge with the clamp and
being free at its other edge, so that it can yield inwardly toward the holder or shaft
to any desired extent without involving contact with said holder or shaft of the
article or work presented to the said cover, the cushion being unobstructed at the
end opposite the clamp, so that it also can yield inwardly.
The holder comprises a tube or hub a adapted to be placed upon a driving-shaft
and engaged therewith by friction or otherwise, a clamping member consisting of
a head or flange a on one end of the hub a, said flange having an annular lip a at its
margin, and a collar a³ which loosely encircles the hub a and is movable lengthwise
T
537

page_text: thereon, the said collar having at one end a flange or disk a' the periphery of
which forms a clamping member complemental to the head a', and a flange a' at the
opposite end of the collar a³. The cushion as here shown comprises a series of
flexible limp strips or flaps c, which may be composed of any suitable material,
such as pieces of limp cloth or limp leather, the latter being preferred. Said strips
are suitably attached to the holder, in position to radiate therefrom, as shown in
Figure 1, their outer edges collectively forming a circular yielding support for the
cover d hereinafter described. I prefer to make each strip d by bending a single
strip around a rod c¹ and connecting the flaps thus formed together at one side of
the rod by stitches c³, as shown in Figure 4, the ends of the rod projecting
beyond the edges of the strip, for entrance into recesses c³ ³ formed in the
flanges a a. The flange a³ is adjustable, so that it can be moved toward and from
the flange a* to secure and release the rods c¹, the said flange a being here shown
as screwed onto the threaded end of the collar a³.
The cover is composed of a strip or elongated sheet of suitable flexible
material, which for polishing purposes is or may be of Silesia or other suitable
cloth, while for buffing purposes it may be of sand-paper or emery cloth. The said
cover is formed to encircle the cushion above described, and is of such width that
one edge may be inserted between the clamping members and there confined,
the clamping members positively connecting it with the holder and causing it to
rotate therewith. The other edge of the cover d and the corresponding edge or
end of the cushion are unobstructed, so that they can yield inwardly toward the
axis of the device, under the pressure of the work upon the cover, without
permitting injurious contact between the work and any rigid part of the holder, the
parts of the holder at the end opposite the clamp being of such size or diameter
relatively to the diameter of the cushion that the latter projects outwardly
a considerable distance from the holder, as shown in Figures 1, 3, 5, and 6.
The clamping members may be operated to release and grasp the cover by any
suitable means. I have here shown as the adjusting means a nut e engaged with
the threaded outer end of the hub a and bearing against the corresponding end of
the collar a³. When said nut is rotated in one direction, it causes a relative
movement of the hub and collar, which brings the clamping members together, said
members being suitably inclined, as shown in Figures 3, 5, and 6, or otherwise
formed so that upon the movement of the head a¹ toward the flauge a' the clamping
members will grasp the interposed portion of the cover. When the nut is turned
in the opposite direction, the clamping members are allowed to separate from cach
other, a spring being preferably employed to facilitate their separation.
In applying the cover, the operator first separates the clamping members, and
then wraps the strip around the cushion, at the same time inserting one edge of the
strip between the clamping members, the strip being of such length that one of its
ends overlaps the other, as indicated in Figure 2. The clamping members are then
adjusted to grasp the strip, and the appliance is ready for operation.
The periphery of the cushion may have any desired form suited to the particular
work required of it. In Figures 2, 3, and 5, the outer edges of the strip care
inclined to give the periphery of the cushion the form of a cone-frustum, this form
being particularly adapted to buffing the shank portions of boot and shoe soles, the
free edge of the cover being adapted by its form to enter the angle at the breast of
the heel, as shown in Figure 5.
In Figure 6 I show the outer ends of the strip c as somewhat curved, and the
cover d molded so that in cross-section it has a concavo-convex form, its inner edge
being thus adapted to the inclination of the clamping members, while its outer edge
is adapted to the curvature of the tapering portion of the cushion, the cushion and
cover thus formed being intended particularly for buffing the inclined breast of a
spring-heel, as shown in Figure 6. The cover formed as shown in Figure 6 may
be removed when its outer portion is worn, and re-applied with the portion that
was previously between the clamping members placed upon the outer end of the
cushion, thus considerably prolonging the usefulness of the cover.

page_text: It is obvious that the cushion and cover may be of any other suitable form, such
as cylindrical.
I do not limit myself to the employment of a cushion interposed between the
shaft or axis of rotation and the flexible cover as above described. In Figure 8,
I show the cover d surrounding an open air space, one edge of the cover being
confined between the clamping members a² a while the other edge is free to yield
into said air space. The acting portion of the cover may be supported by the
inherent resilience of its substance, or it may be supported or re-enforced by a
flexible inner tube d, which constitutes an equivalent of the cushion above
described. Said inner tube is held by the clamping members, and projects
therefrom outwardly in contact with the cover. The inner tube may be composed
of any suitable flexible material having sufficient inherent elasticity to enable it to
exert an outward yielding pressure on the tube, such as leather or rubber.
The limp flexible sections c collectively constitute a cushion which when at rest
is limp and flabby, but when rapidly rotated becomes distended and operative as an
elastic cushion, by the action of centrifugal force on said sections, the sections
being thus forced outwardly to distend the cushion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An appliance of the character specified, comprising a rotary holder having
clamping members, and a working tube of flexible material engaged at one end
with said clamping members and projecting therefrom, its other end being free to
yield toward the axis of the holder.
2. An appliance of the character specified, comprising a rotary holder, a yielding
cushion surrounding the same, and clamping members engaged with the holder at
one end of the cushion and adapted to grasp one end of a working tube or cover
applied to said cushion, the other end of the cushion projecting unobstructedly
outward from the holder, whereby the cover is yieldingly supported at a sufficient
distance from the holder to prevent contact of the work with the holder.
3. An appliance of the character specified, comprising a rotary holder, a yielding
cushion surrounding the same, clamping members engaged with the holder at one
end of the cushion, and a working cover composed of a strip engaged at one edge
with the clamping members and held thereby about the cushion, with one end over-
lapping the other, the other end of the cushion being practically unobstructed, so
that it yieldingly supports the free edge of the cover and permits the latter to yield
toward the holder without contact of the work therewith."
4. An appliance of the character specified, comprising a rotary holder, a cushion
composed of a series of limp sections in position to radiate from the holder when
acted on by centrifugal force, clamping devices positively connected with the
holder at one end of said cushion and adapted to grasp one end of a flexible cover
placed on said cushion, the other end of the cover and the corresponding end of the
cushion being unobstructed, so that they can yield freely and conform to the work
pressed against said cover without permitting contact of the work with the
holder.
5. An appliance of the character specified, comprising a rotary holder, a yielding
cushion surrounding the same and presenting a laterally curved or rounded
periphery, clamping members engaged with the holder at one end of the cushion
and having jaws which are bevelled or inclined, the other end of said cushion being
practically unobstructed, and a cover which is molded to conform to the lateral
curvature of the cushion and the inclination of the clamping jaws.
6. An appliance of the character specified, comprising a hub or tube adapted to
be engaged with a driving-shaft and provided at one end with a clamp member, a
sleeve loose upon said hub and provided with a complemental clamp member, a
cushion surrounding said sleeve at one side of the clamp, and means for relatively
adjusting the hub and sleeve to open and close the clamp.

page_text: 7. An appliance of the character specified, comprising a hub or tube adapted to
be engaged with a driving-shaft and provided at one end with a clamp member, a
sleeve loose upon said hub and provided at one end with a flange forming a
complemental clamp member and at the other end with an adjustable flange, said
flanges having recesses in their proximate sides, a series of limp arms or flaps having
rods at their inner edges engaged with said recesses, and means for adjusting the
hub and collar relatively to each other.
Dated shin 10th to C Nambe 1005
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.