IMPROVE- MENTS IN CHURNS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Slater, of No. 130, St. John's Road, Hox ton
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CHURNS."
Sealed the 26th March 1867, and dated the 27th September. 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Slater at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the 27th September
1866.
I, GEORGE SLATER, of No. 130, St. John's Road, Hoxton, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CHURNS," to be as follows:-
The nature of my improvements consists chiefly in the employment in a churn
of screw propellers or agitators. The vessel for holding the milk or cream may
be constructed of any suitable material and size, and in any convenient form.
When the shaft or body of the screw is placed in a horizontal position the lower
half of the said vessel is by preference made of a tubular form, while the upper
part is rectangular in order to give the required capacity and allow the ready

page_text: removal of the screw. The cover, which is constructed in any suitable form,
contains an aperture at each end, and at least one midway between the ends for
the admission and escape of a current of air; each of the said apertures may
be provided with a valve, if found necessary, to prevent the escape of the milk
or cream. The shaft of the screw is rotated in any convenient manner, having
suitable bearings at both ends of the churn, the object desired being to enable
the screw to be readily and easily removed from the churn and replaced in
position when required. When two screws are employed, both being upon
the same shaft, one is made left and the other right handed; these screws
may be joined, but I prefer to leave a space between, in which space is
placed a beater fixed in the side of the churn and extending nearly to the
said shaft. Instead of both a right and left handed screw upon the same
shaft either a right or left handed one may be employed with or without a
central space dividing it into two parts, but the result of the employment
of a left handed with a right handed screw has proved most satisfactory,
and is therefore preferred. The shaft of the screw may be placed vertically
instead of horizontally, if found desirable, in which case a tubular shaped
vessel would be found most advantageous. The thread of the screw is
provided with ribs or brackets extending radially from the shaft, which
increase the agitation of the milk or cream, and also serve as a support
to the said thread, and the shaft may be provided with ribs or projections
for the same purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Slater in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
SLATER, of No. 130, Saint John's Road, Hoxton, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Slater, Her special licence that I, the said George Slater, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Slater, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should. at any time agree

page_text: with, and no others, from time to time 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CHURNS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Slater, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 George Slater, do hereby declare the.
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
forming a part of this Specification:-
The nature of my improvements consists chiefly in the employment in a
churn of an agitator constructed in the form of a screw propellor whose blades
may be arranged to throw the contents of the churn towards either end of the
same, and thus cause a more violent agitation and more rapid production of
the butter than when beaters are employed which act only in the direction of

page_text: with a valve if found necessary to prevent the escape of the milk or cream
during the process of churning. The cover A' is kept properly in place upon
the vessel A by means of the rim or ledge b, which fits into the corresponding
recess formed round the said vessel, and also serves to prevent the escape of
the milk or cream, which escape might otherwise be caused by the action of
the screw C. The central portion of the cover A¹ is provided with a glass
plate D, through which the contents of the churn can be seen during the
process of churning without removing the said cover. One end of the shaft B
has a conical steel centre c, into which the correspondingly formed point of the
set screw d fits. The other end of the said shaft is connected to the stud e in
such a manner as to turn with the said stud when the same is rotated, but
can be readily removed therefrom when released by the screw d, by which
the said shaft is retained properly in its position; by this means the screw
propellor C is readily and conveniently taken out of the churn. and replaced
therein when required. The stud e is rotated by the pinion E secured
upon the said stud, which has two bearings, one in the end of the vessel A
and the other in the bracket G attached to the same. The pinion E is
driven by the wheel F, which turns on the stud H secured to the plate I;
the handle H₁ is also attached to the said stud. When two screws are
employed, both being on the same shaft, one of the said screws C is made
with a right-hand blade or thread, and the other C is made with a left-
hand blade; these screws C, C¹, may be joined, but I prefer to leave
a space C³ between them, in which space is placed a breaker J which is
fixed in the side of the vessel or churn A and extends nearly to the said
shaft. Instead of a right and left hand screw upon the same shaft, either
a right or left hand screw may be employed, with or without a central
space dividing it into two parts; but the result of the employment of a
right-hand with a left-hand screw has proved most satisfactory, and is
therefore preferred. The shaft B of the screw C may be placed vertically,
as shewn in Figure 5, instead of horizontally, if found desirable, in which
case the vessel A is advantageously constructed of a cylindrical form. The
thread or blade of the screws C, C', may be provided with ribs or brackets g
extending radially from the shaft, which ribs increase the agitation of
the milk or cream, and also serve to support the said thread.
shaft B may be provided with similar ribs or projections for the same
purpose.
The
Having thus fully described the said improvements, and shewn how the
same may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim

page_text: the employment in a churn of screw propellors or agitators, constructed,
arranged, and operating for the purpose and substantially in the manner set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Slater, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
WILLIAM ROB. LAKE,
8, Southampton Buildings, W.C.
GEORGE SLATER. (L.S.)