IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WASHING AND WRINGING MACHINES
Year: 1876

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Hargreaves and Robert Blakey, both of Burnley,
in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF WASHING AND WRINGING MACHINES."
Sealed the 30th May 1876, and dated the 11th January 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Hargreaves and
Robert Blakey at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th
January 1876.
BENJAMIN HARGREAVES and ROBERT BLAKEY, both of Burnley, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WASHING AND WRINGING
MACHINES."
Our Invention consists, firstly, in mounting a bar or disc (provided with vertical
pegs) upon a short shaft or spindle passing through the bottom of a tub or vessel,
and in imparting an alternate circular motion to such pegged bar or disc; and secondly,
in building up the wringing rollers of separate pieces or sections of wood so arranged
that the end of the grain of the wood is outwards throughout the whole length and
circumference of the roller.
Firstly we provide a tub or vessel (by preference of smaller diameter at top than
at the bottom), and we mount the said tub or vessel vertically upon legs or upon a
stand to raise it a convenient distance from the floor. Through the centre of the
bottom of this tub projects the end of a short vertical shaft, having a square
socket or hole in the upper end. We next provide a bar or disc of wood of a less
length or diameter than the inside of the tub and having a convenient number of
smooth wooden pegs projecting from its upper side, and from the centre of its lower
side a short stud terminating in a square peg fitting in the square socket above
mentioned.
The lower end of the vertical shaft has a bevil wheel fixed to it, gearing with
a similar wheel on a short transverse shaft mounted in suitable bearings and
passing through a stuffing box in a water-tight case or box, which encloses the
wheels beneath the tub. At the other end of this transverse shaft is a crank or
lever connected by a link or connecting rod to a crank pin or stud on a face plate
above. Upon turning the face plate round by means of a winch handle or
otherwise an alternate circular motion is given to the pegged bar or disć inside
the tub.

page_text: In forming the wringing rollers (which may be attached to the tub or mounted
on a separate frame) we form a sufficient number of short pieces of wood cut
end wise of the grain, and with two sides flat and two sides bevilled or tapered at
such an angle that they can be built up round a shaft in such a way as to form a
solid roller round a wrought-iron shaft or core, with the end of the grain of each
section outwards. These sections all fitting quite solid together are secured by
means of end plates screwed up tight and the whole turned to a cylindrical surface,
by which means we obtain a wooden roller with the end of the grain outwards at
all points of its length and circumference.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the said Letters Patent filed
by the Benjamin Hargreaves and Robert Blakey in the Great Seal Patent
Office ou the 10th July 1876.
BENJAMIN HARGREAVES and ROBERT BLAKEY, both of Burnley, in the County
of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WASHING AND WRINGING
MACHINES."
Our Invention consists in mounting a bar or disc (provided with vertical pegs)
upon a short shaft or spindle passing through a stuffing box in bottom of a tub or
vessel, and in imparting an alternate circular motion to such pegged bar or disc,
and we would here remark that in the Provisional Specification filed with our
Petition, for our said Letters Patent, we stated that a second part of our Invention
consisted in a peculiar way of building up the wringing rollers used in such
machine. Now since filing our Provisional Specification we have been informed
that a similar method of building rollers in separate pieces or sections has been
previously adopted in forming the rollers of calendering machines; we therefore do
hereby disclaim such part of our Invention.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention we will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed,
or carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be clearly under-
stood we have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in
the following explanation thereof :-
In the annexed Drawing Fig. 1 is a side view; Fig. 2, a front view; and Fig. 3,
a partial plan view of a washing and wringing machine made according to our
Invention.
We provide a tub or vessel a, a (by preference of smaller diameter at top than
at the bottom), and we mount the said tub or vessel vertically upon legs or upon
a stand b, b, to raise it a convenient distance from the floor. Through a stuffing
box in the centre of the bottom of this tub projects the end of a short vertical
shaft c, c, having a square socket or hole in the upper end. We next provide a
bar or disc d, d, of wood of a less length or diameter than the inside of the tub,
and having a convenient number of smooth wooden pegs e, e, projecting from its upper
side, and from the centre of its lower side a short stud terminating in a square peg
fitting in the square socket above mentioned, or the bar or disc d, d, may be fixed
on the upper end of the shaft e, e, by means of a screw and nut, as shown in the
Drawing or in any other convenient manner.
The lower end of the vertical shaft c, c, has a bevil wheel f, f, fixed to it gearing
with a similar wheel g, g, on a short transverse shaft h, h, mounted in suitable
bearings, and passing through an opening in the side of the tub or vessel below
the bottom. At the other end of this transverse shaft is a crank or lever i, i, con-
nected by a link or rod to a shorter crank k, k, connected by spur gearing 1, 1, to
the fly wheel m, m, above. Upon turning the fly wheel round by means of a winch
handle n, n, or otherwise an alternate circular motion is given to the pegged bar or
disc d, d, inside the tub or vessel a, a.

page_text: The form of stuffing box which we prefer to use is shown at Fig. 4, the shaft c, c, is
made slightly conical, and the inside of the gland o, o, is made conical also. A disc or
plate p, p, is fixed by bolts above the gland, and springs g, g, are interposed between
this plate and the top of the gland, the consequence is that these springs have a
tendency to force the conical gland o, o, against tho conical part of the shaft c, c,
and thus the joint is kept water-tight.
To facilitate the moving of the machine from place to place without lifting it,
and at the same time not to interfere with its steadiness when in use, we make the
two wheels or rollers r, r, furthest from the fly wheel in the form of castors,
instead of mounting all four wheels in fixed bearings as hitherto done.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our Invention the improved
construction of washing and wringing machines, as herein-before described and
illustrated by the Drawings annexed, and particularly we claim the combination
with a tub or vessel of a bar or disc provided with pegs projecting from its upper
side, to which bar or disc an alternate circular motion is communicated from a
winch handle, substantially in the manner described.
In witness whereof I, the said Robert Blakey (on behalf of myself and the
said Benjamin Hargreaves), have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-six.
ROBERT BLAKEY. (L.S.)