A MACHINERY FOR CLEANING THE INSIDE OF CHIMNEYS
Year: 1789

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ELIN, of Pimlico, in the Parish of Saint George, Hanover Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of May now last past, did give and
grant to me, the said John Elin, His special licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, th said John Elin, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of years
therein expressed, make, use, exercise, and vend, throughout that part of
Great Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A MACHINERY FOR CLEANING THE INSIDE
OF CHIMNEYS;" in which said recited Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said John Elin, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, in writing under my hand and seal, and to cause the same to
be inrolled in His Majestie's High Court of Chancery within one calendar
month next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, as
in and by the said Letters Patent, and the Statute in that behalf made,
relation being thereunto respectively had, may more at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, and in pursuance
of the said Statute, I, the said John Elin, do hereby declare that the following
is a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, that is to say:-
The Machinery for Cleaning the Inside of Chimneys consists of three parts,
viz, the elastic brush, the chain or line by which to draw the brush up and

page_text: down the chimney, and the pulley at the top of the chimney, upon which the
chain or line is suspended. The elastic brush for square funnels is represented
by the Drawing Figure A. It consists, first, of four frames capable of extention
and contraction, upon the principle of a compound rhombus. Those frames are
formed of thin pieces of wood, brass, or any kind of metal, of about four inches
long and half an inch wide, more or less; about six of those pieces are fastened
end to end by pins or rivets, round which they move, opening and shutting
like legs of sectors or common joint rules. Another set of the like number
of those pieces, joined together in the same manner, are applied flat upon the
first set and rivetted to them by pins in the center of every piece, observing
that the joints or angles of one set come between the joints or angles of the
other set. The pieces of the extremities of those frames are shorter than the
rest. These frames, when fully extended, will form a length of about eighteen
inches, and will contract into about three inches. In order to keep the
frames extended, there is one or more springs of this form ☑, applied upon
one of the surfaces of each frame. These springs are made either of
hammered brass, of steel, or of any other elastic metal. They are secured
at the binding part to one or other of the joints of the frame, and the two
arms of the spring or springs are confined between two pins, which project
from the frame, and are fixed either upon the same pair of legs on which
the spring is applied, or upon that pair upon the back of it, according to
-the distance requisite for them to be at from the bend of the spring; this
must depend upon the degree of extension and contraction required in the
frame. By pressing the two extremities of the frame together towards the
center, the arms of the spring are likewise pressed together by the two pins,
which slide along the arms towards their extremities as the frame draws
wider by the contraction of its length; by this means, the power of the
spring is rendered nearly equal when the frame is extended as when it is
contracted. Tho four frames from the four sides of the square, having that
surface turned inwards on which the spring or springs are fixed. The frames
are fastened at their extremities by pins or rivets to four double upright
hinges, which connect the four sides of the square and form the four corners.
Upon the outward surface of each frame are applied brushes of the same
length and width as the pieces or legs of which the frames are composed,
those brushes representing likewise legs of sectures or common joint rules, so
that, extended or contracted, there is preserved a continued brush nearly from
corner to corner; the four corner pieces or hinges, having a flat surface
outwards of about an inch or more wide, have four distinct brushes fixed upon
them, the hairs or bristles of which from the exact square with the hairs or
bristles of the other brushes. The square elastic brush being thus formed

page_text: and placed horizontally, there are four levers or slips of wood, brass, or any
kind of metal, of about a quarter of an inch wide and one eighth of an inch
thick, more or less, and of about eight inches long, so as to reach from the
corner of the elastic brush to its center when it is expanded. One end of each
lever is fastened to each corner piece by a joint or hinge, and the other ends
of the leavers, which nearly meet in the center, are fixed to an hemispherical
piece of wood or metal likewise by a joint or hinge. Upon the top of that
center piece is a ring or hook by which the whole brush is suspended; at each
corner within the square is fixed a pulley, round each of which a small chain.
or line passes, and reaches horizontally to the other corner towards which the
pulley points, and there each chain or line is fastened; the other end of
those four chains or lines are brought to meet horizontally in the center of:
the square underneath, being either all four fastened together, or only
two, forming only two chains or lines which cross each other, having a
pulley or roller suspended upon them at their intersection. The ring which
serves as a handle to that pulley hangs downwards. When the elastic brush is.
suspended by the ring at top, and the under pulley is pulled downwards, the
whole square may be contracted to its utmost by the drawing of the chains or.
lines round the corner pulleys. As it is necessary to keep the elastic brush
contracted until it is drawn up to the top of the chimney, it is performed
by means of an horizontal ring suspended by its center to a spiral spring of.
brass or iron wire fixed perpendicularly to the center of the under part of the
hemispherichal piece of wood or metal, which ring, when the brush is
sufficiently contracted, is drawn a little way down, and catches four hooks
which point to the center, and are fixed at equal heights to the four levers.:
By this means the levers, being confined, they prevent the springs from acting.
and keep the brush contracted. In that state the brush is drawn up the
chimney to the top, and being then contracted a little more by pulling the
under chain or line, the horizontal ring becomes loose, and is drawn up by the
spiral spring; the springs are then at liberty, and the brush expands to the
size of the funnel in which it is. The greatest degree of contraction necessary
in the brush, in order that it should be freely drawn up the smallest chimney
in general use, may be about seven or eight inches square, and its greatest
expansion should be about eighteen inches square, or something more than the
largest funnels in general use; for uncommonly large or small funnels the
expansion or contraction of the brush must be made suitably. The chain or
line by which the elastic brush is to be drawn up and down the inside of the
chimney must be of the length of double the height of the top or mouth of the.
chimney from the fireplace below, both ends of the chain or line meeting at.

page_text: bottom, in order that by fastening one end of the chain or line to the upper
ring of the brush, and the other end to the ring of the under pulley of the
brush, it may be drawn up and down. The chain or line remains constantly in
the chimney, having the two ends hooked on each side of the inner part of
the mantelpiece or fireplace, to prevent inconveniences by their hanging down
loose. The pulley at the top of the chimney, upon which the chain or line is
suspended, must be fixed over the mouth of the chimney, either upon a narrow
piece of iron or brass fixed across, or in any other manner one pleases,
observing, that it should not be so elevated above the mouth as to allow of the
brush being drawn out of the chimney, but only high enough to reach the
edge or mouth of the chimney. The pulley should point across the chimney
from the front to the back, in order that one half of the chain or line should
hang closer to the front side of the funnell, that it may not interfere with the
brush when it is going up or down. The elastic brush for circular flues or
cylindrical funnels is represented by the Drawing, Figure B; it consists of a
spring made either of whalebone, of flattened brass, of steel, or any other
elastic metal or substance; its thickness must be suitable to the degree of
elasticity required, and of the width of one inch more or less; the length need
be no more than sufficient to bend into a circular form, nearly equal to the
size of the largest circular funnell or flue in general use. The spring is
fastened by one end to an upright cylindrical piece of wood or metal, of the
diameter of about one inch, more or less, and of a length nearly equal to the
width of the spring. In the center of the bottom of that cylindrical piece of
wood or metal is affixed spindle or axis of brass, iron, or any other metal, of
the diameter of about a quarter of an inch more or less, and about four inches
long. On that axis is a moveable cylinder of wood or metal, of the same
diameter as the other fixed cylinder, and ot quite so long as the axis; to the
foot of the axis is fixed an horizontal piece of wood or metal, of about half an
inch wide and a quarter of an inch thick, more or less; the length of it may
be about an inch and a half, and extend one way beyond the circumference
of the moveable cylinder, having an upright pulley fixed to it at that end, and
which rises a little above the foot of the moveable cylinder. Another pulley
is 'fixed to the horizontal piece near the foot of the axis, and under the
moveable cylinder. The other end of the spring is fastened to the moveable
cylinder about an inch or more below the end, which is fixed to the upper
immoveable cylinder. On the outside of the circular spring is applied an
elastic brush, on which the hairs or bristles are worked upon leather, of the
same length and breadth as the spring, and capable of bending with it into a
spiral form. It is joined to the spring by swivells fixed at certain distances to

page_text: the leather, and through which swivells the spring slides. The method of
contracting this circular brush is by means of a small chain or line wound
round the lower part of the moveable cylinder, and passing over the pulley
fixed at the end of the horizontal piece of wood or metal fixed to the foot of
the axis, and then brought over the pulley that is fixed under the moveable
cylinder. This chain or line hangs downwards, so that when the elastic brush
is suspended by a ring at the top of the fixed cylinder, and the under chain or
line is pulled downward, it forces the moveable cylinder round, and draws the
spring and brush into a spiral form. In order to keep the spring in that
contracted state, there is a hole through the horizontal piece of wood or metal,
which hole corresponds with several holes in the bottom of the moveable
cylinder. When the spring is contracted sufficiently, a pin is pushed up through
the hole in the horizontal piece, and into one of the holes in the bottom of the
moveable cylinder, which keeps it from turning back or giving way to the
power of the spring; when the chain or line is then pulled, so as to incline the
spring to contract a little more, the pin becomes loose and drops out, leaving
the spring at full liberty to expand. The chain or line by which to draw the
circular brush up and down the chimney or funnell, and also the pulley at the
top of the chimney or funnel upon which the chain or line must be suspended,
are to be applied and used in the same manner as before explained.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 25th
day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred
and eighty-nine.
Inrolled the Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.