AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR WRINGING CLOTHES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry William Putnam, of the City of New York,
United States, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE
FOR WRINGING CLOTHES."
Sealed the 6th November 1863, and dated the 29th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry William Putnam
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th August 1863.
I, HENRY WILLIAM PUTNAM, or the City of New York, United States,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED MACHINE FOR WRINGING CLOTHES," to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in certain improvements in that class
of wringing machines which is more especially designed for attaching to a
washing vessel, and which is supplied with india-rubber rollers for expressing
fluids and dirt from fabrics. Each side of the frame of this machine is formed
of three parts, the post in which are the bearings of the rollers, and two
prongs or arms, one passing down the outside, the other the inside of the
washing vessel, by means of which the machine is supported and held in
position for use. Upon the outer prongs or arms are fixed segmental ratchets,
these arms are connected by a rod, on either end of which and near the inside
of the said arms cams are fixed. The cams are operated by means of pawls,
which being forced down bring the former to bear against the sides of the
TDi Q71

page_text: washing vessel, and secure the wringer firmly in its position. The part of
thepostsimmediatelyabove the rollers is constructed hollow,and each contains
a coiled or spiral spring, the bottom of which rests on the box forming the
bearing of the upper shaft, and the top presses against a cross bar which
passes through a slot or mortice formed near the top of the post on either side
of the machine. On the inside of these posts, near the bottom, are elongated
slots or openings, in which are placed the boxes of the shafts; the boxes of
the upper shaft are moveable, and are constructed of a cylindrical form to
permit their passage into the apertures containing the coiled springs. From
the bottom of the posts flanges or lips extend inward, covering the rollers in
front and rear for a short distance for the purpose of preventing the fabrics
from coming in contact with the ends of said rollers. By this arrangement
the clothes or fabrics may be readily passed through the machine in either
direction, which is particularly desirable when a wringing machine is employed
for washing purposes.
The rollers used in my machine consist of iron shafts, upon a portion of
which is cast a covering formed of a metallic composition, or simple metals, as
tin, lead, and others, which are not easily affected by the sulphur in vulcanized
india-rubber, the mould being so constructed that flanges are formed to cover
the ends of the rollers. This metallic coating is covered with dissolved india-
rubber, and overall is adjusted the india-rubber tubing, which is thus made to
adhere permanently to the shafts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry William Putnam in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
WILLIAM PUTNAM, of the City of New York, United States, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry William Putnam, Her special licence that I, the said
Henry William Putnam, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Henry William Putnam, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time

page_text: and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINE FOR WRINGING CLOTHES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry William Putnam, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry William Putnam, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
making a part of this Specification :-
The nature of my Invention consists in certain improvements in that class
of wringing machines which is more especially designed for attaching to a
washing vessel, and which is supplied with india-rubber, or other similar
rollers for expressing fluids and dirt from fabrics.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the clothes wringer; Figure 2 is a
sectional view in the direction of the line x, x, in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a
view of one of the side pieces; Figure 4 is a cross section of Figure 3 in the
direction of the line a¹, al; Figure 5 is a section of one of the side pieces;
Figures 6 and 7 are enlarged sectional views of the rollers and shafts. Like
letters refer to corresponding parts in all the Figures.
The two side pieces comprising the sections A, B, C, are duplicates of each
other, only in their construction they are reversed, being joined in pairs, or
right and left. Both are provided with a segmental ratchet D, pawl E, and
cam F, by means of which the machine is secured to the tub. These side
picces are made of cast iron, and are galvanized or coated with zinc or other
metal that will preserve the iron from corroding. The upper section A consists
of a barrel, in which is placed a coiled spring for pressing the rollers together.
The lower end of the spring rests upon the box of the roller shaft, and the
upper end presses against the under side of the cross bar G, which is secured
to the upper ends of the barrels A by means of a slot or mortise, seen at H,
Figures 2 and 3. This cross bar has a lip G³, or hook on each end, which

page_text: curves upward on the outside of the barrels to retain the side pieces in place
with the cross bar. At the lower end of the barrels A is an elongated slot or
opening upon the inside, as seen at H', when the side pieces are together,
said openings face each other in line for the purpose of allowing the journals
of the shafts and the boxes I of the upper roller to move up and down. The
said boxes are of a cylindrical form, as indicated in Figure 5; the external
diameters of which are such that they will slide up and down in the barrels.
The position of the boxes is indicated at I, Figure 5, when the rollers are in
contact. The said boxes are pressed down together with the rollers above by
means of the spring J, which is interposed in the barrels between the top of
the box I and the under side of the cross bar, as seen in Figure 5. Extending
from the side pieces are flanges or lips K, K, Figures 1 and 4, which cover
the ends of the rollers both in front and rear for about half an inch, to prevent
the clothes from getting foul around the said ends. By this means the clothes
can be run through from either way without working out from between the
rollers. In this way by placing another tub close by the side of the one to
which the machine is fastened, it can be made to perform the office of a
washing machine, by passing the clothes frequently back and forth between
the rollers. The piece B projects forward and downward, as seen in Figure 2,
fitting the inside of the tub, extending down some five or six inches. From
the top of the piece B the piece C projects outward and downward, leaving a
space between B and C of sufficient width to admit the thickness of the tub.
The parts B and C bifurcate, one arm being inside and the other outside of
the tub. To the outside arm is secured the segmental ratchet D. It may be
riveted on or cast with it, the latter being preferred. The pawl E and cam F
(constituting one piece) is attached by means of the rod L, or otherwise. The
method shown in the Drawings is the most economical and substantial.
The rollers Mare made of vulcanized india-rubber, or other elastic material
suitable for this use, and are mounted upon metal shafts, as herein-after
described. To the shaft of the lower roller is connected a crank N, by which
the rollers are operated. When the machine is placed upon the tub with the
pawl E up, the cam F will rest lightly against the outside of the tub. Now
by pressing the pawl down the cam presses with increasing force against the
tub, securing the machine firmly thereto. The tooth upon the pawl handles
fits into one or more of the ratchet teeth and holds it fast. A lever may bo
used for the same purpose without notches upon its upper surface, into which
the pawl may fit; but this is considered the equivalent to the method before
herein described. In the construction of the flanges or lips K, K', they may
be made straight, as shown, or they may be curved inward between the rollers

page_text: and carried around them both above and below, in such a manner that the
lips K and K' may nearly or quite meet at their respective ends. The
section A or barrel of the side pieces may be removed, and the springs so
arranged as to operate on the rollers from below substantially as above, or
the springs in the barrels may be connected with either of the sections B, C,
and attached by suitable means to one end of a lever, the opposite end being
pivoted to the side piece, so that the lever will be pressed down upon the
bearings of the rollers, the bearings forming fulcri for the levers, but the plan
herein-before described is preferred.
The manner of constructing the rollers (Figures 6 and 7) is as follows:-
The iron shafts O first have their journals turned, and that part to be covered
with the rubber rolls or tubing is encased in a metallic mould, which fits
accurately around the journals P, to prevent the escape of the molten metal,
leaving a space on all sides of the shaft. Then a liquid alloy of tin and zinc,
or lead and antimony, or any other alloy, or a simple metal, as tin, lead, or
zinc that will melt at from 300° to 600° Fahrenheit is poured into the mould,
and in this manner the iron shaft is completely encased, as indicated at R,
Figure 7. The mold is so formed as to allow the ends of the alloy R to
expand into flanges S, S¹, forming the collar against which the ends of the
rubber roll rests, as at U. The rubber tubing or roll is drawn over the
flange S by means of a cone, indicated by the dotted ines b, temporarily
introduced upon the shaft. The elastic roll retracting as soon as it passes
over the flange, the metallic covering R, by being coated with dissolved india-
rubber, causes the rubber roll to adhere permanently in place upon the shaft.
The vulcanized rubber contains sulphur, which corrodes the iron shaft when
the two are in contact in the presence of moisture, which soon loosens the
rubber from the shaft; but with the described improvement this corroding
will not take place, for the rubber is not in contact with the iron shaft, but
with a metal that is not readily acted upon by the sulphur, and the adhesion
of the rubber to the shaft is permanent, and also the necessity of placing a
collar on the shaft after the rubber is drawn upon the shaft is avoided.
Having thus fully described my said improvements, and shown how they
may be conveniently and advantageously carried into effect, I wish it under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the exact details herein set forth; but
what I claim as my Invention is,-
First, the side pieces, consisting of the described parts A, B, C, constructed
in pairs, substantially as described.
Second, the ratchets D, cams F, when used on a clothes wringer, in the
manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

page_text: Third, the lips or flanges K, K', in combination with the rollers, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth, the cross bar G and rod L, in combination with the side pieces,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
Fifth, I claim casting around the body of the iron shaft a simple metal, or
an alloy of metal, with collars, substantially as set forth, this metal covering
being interposed between the iron shaft and the rubber covering for the
purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry William Putnam, have hereunto
set my hand and' seal, this First day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
H. W. PUTNAM. (L.S.)