Improvements in connection with the Polishing or Finishing of Electro-plated and other Articles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1899
04sh Mov 1000 Monanted 4th Aug
1900
Improvements in connection with the Polishing or Finishing of
Electro-plated and other Articles.
We, JOHN BOULTBEE BROOKS, Managing Director, and JOHN HOLT, Works
Manager, both of Criterion Works, Great Charles Street, in the City of Birming-
ham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the polishing or finishing of electro-plated and other
articles, and consists in mechanically polishing various articles during the time
that they are being electro-plated in apparatuses of the rotating barrel type, and
also the polishing of various articles in tumbling or shaking barrels.
Heretofore articles requiring to be polished at the same time as they are
being plated have been placed loose within the rotating barrel containing the
electrolyte, and by the tumbling and rubbing of the said articles one over the
other they are polished. This process is only applicable and efficient in the
case of articles of a size and shape capable of being rubbed or shaken together
and polished by their own frictional contact and the like, which are not liable
to become entangled with one another, but by our invention, we are enabled to
treat articles of various shapes and forms and having parts which would be in-
accessible to one another if placed loose within a plating barrel or which would be
likely to become entangled and left unoperated upon and unpolished.
Our invention consists in fixing the articles within the tumbling barrel or
chamber, and employing separate distinct and loose mechanical polishing agents
in the form of metal balls, granular metallic or hard non-metallic substances or
the like, and by means of their free rolling or tumbling action frictionally against
or in contact with the fixed articles under treatment, the said articles are efficiently
prepared, polished or burnished.
In one form of our invention, the articles to be treated may be fixed within a
rotating barrel by framework or other detachable means and when required to be
electro-plated as well as polished the articles so fixed in the drum or barrel shall
he connected to the plating electric circuit and the loose polishing or burnishing
medium may be made to tumble and gravitate through the interstices of the
work, the whole of the parts of which are thereby thoroughly subjected to the
action of the polishing medium. Or, according to another form, the work may
be clamped to shafts which may be made to rotate and force the work bodily
through the polishing medium, with the barrel being either fixed or arranged
to rotate in the opposite direction to that of the shaft.
Noted this 24th day of August 1899.

page_text: Improvements in connection with the Polishing or Finishing of
Electro-plated and other Articles.
We, JOHN BOULTBEE BROOKS, Managing Director, and JOHN HOLT, Works
Manager, both of Criterion Works, Great Charles Street, in the City of Birming-
ham, 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 the polishing or finishing of various articles, and
consists in mechanically polishing, cleaning or preparing the said articles within
tumbling or shaking barrels, also in polishing the said articles during the time
that they are being electro-plated in apparatuses of the rotating-barrel type.
Heretofore articles requiring to be polished or prepared in shaking barrels, or
to be polished at the same time as they are being plated, have been placed loose
within the rotating barrel, and by the tumbling and rubbing of the said articles
one over the other they are polished. These processes are only applicable and
efficient in the case of articles of a size and shape capable of being rubbed or
shaken together and polished by their own frictional contact and which are not
liable to become entangled with one another, but by our invention, we are enabled
to treat articles of various shapes and forms and having parts which would be
inaccessible to one another if placed loose within a plating barrel or which would
be likely to become entangled and left unoperated upon and unpolished.
Our invention consists in fixing the articles within the tumbling barrel or
chamber, and employing separate, distinct and loose mechanical polishing agents,
in the form of metal balls, granular metallic or hard non-metallic substances or
the like, and by means of their free rolling or tumbling action frictionally against
or in contact with the fixed articles under treatment, the said articles are
efficiently prepared, polished, or burnished.
In one form of our invention, the articles to be treated are suitably fixed within
a rotating barrel and the loose nolishing or burnishing medium tumbles or
gravitates through the interstices of the fixed work, the whole of the parts of
which are thereby thoroughly subjected to the polishing action of the loose
polishing material.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents an elevation of an apparatus
for dry-polishing the electro-plated springs of cycle saddles and similar articles
in accordance with our invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the said apparatus.
Figure 3 represents a transverse vertical section of Figure 2 upon the dotted
line. Figure 1.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the said Figures 1
to 3.
The apparatus consists of a rotating barrel or drum, a of a hexagonal or other
angular section, and having ends ¹, made fast to a longitudinal shaft b, rotat-
ing in suitably supported bearings 1 and driven by a belt running onto a
pulley, or otherwise. The sides of the barrel are made up of a series of
detachable or removable sections a², which are connected to the fixed ends in any
desired way, such as by means of screws a³ passed through holes in the said
sections and taking into screwed sockets fitted into the edges of the said ends a¹.
Located within the interior of this rotating barrel are a series of bars or rods c.
upon which the spiral saddle springs, or other articles requiring to be cleaned
or polished are threaded and so made fast relative to the barrel The said bars or

page_text: rods are made detachable from the said barrel by their extremities c¹, and engag-
ing with holes a*, in one of the end walls, whilst the opposite extremities care
dropped into radial open-topped recesses a³, formed around the inner edge of the
other fixed end and are there retained by the detachable side sections a bearing
against the cranked or right angled extensions of the said rods, as represented
in Figure 2.
The said polishing medium, which is marked e, is placed loose within the
barrel in a sufficient quantity to effect the desired purpose and may consist of
pieces of hard leather in conjunction with steel balls or other small pieces of
hard metal.
In operation, each of the side sections is detached in turn, and the work-carry-
ing rods lying immediately inwards of them are removed and a series of spiral
springs are threaded upon them end-wise. When the wire has been filled, it is
replaced and secured in position by again fitting on the sides, but before the
barrel is closed by connecting the last sections, the same is charged with the loose
polishing material. Then the barrel is rotated for a suitable period, and by the
friction or rubbing action set up by the rolling or tumbling of the loose materials
around about and within the fixed work or articles under treatment, the whole
of the interstices of the said articles as well as their outer parts, are acted upon
and efficiently polished, after which the sides or section covers are detached and
the bars lifted out for the removal of the finished work.
Instead of employing detachable carrier bars for the work, the interior of the
barrel may be fitted with a relatively stationary frame or cage to which the work
may be clamped by suitable fastenings.
Figure 4 represents a longitudinal section and Figure 5 a cross section of
another form of apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention and
particularly designed for use in connection with the polishing of cycle saddle
framings by the means of loose polishing agents contained within a rotating
barrel or vessel to which the articles to be treated are secured.
The barrel a consists, as before, of ends a¹, made fast to the spindle b, and
detachably connected side sections a². The interior of the vessel is divided off
transversely by means of partitions f, into a number of compartments a", within
cach of which a number of saddle frames (or other articles) to be polished are
placed, each compartment being also charged with a quantity of loose polishing
material, such as small pieces of scrap leather mixed with steel balls. The frames
or articles to be polished are suspended from pairs of hooks f' arranged alter-
natively on the opposite sides of each of the compartments, the partition walls of
which may be kept apart by distance sleeves f, surrounding the spindle b whilst
the said frames are further secured in position by fastening rods g, passed from
end to end through the barrel, through coincident holes f in the several par-
titions and through the several frames in each compartment, the said rods being
secured in position by nuts g' applied to their external or projecting ends g³.
According to another form, the work may be clamped to shafts or carried by
arms or supports made fast to a shaft which may be made to rotate and force the
work bodily through the loose polishing medium, with the barrel being either
fixed or arranged to rotate in the opposite direction to that of the shaft.
One such arrangement is represented in cross section in Figure 6, in which a
is the barrel, which is made fast to suitable brackets or supports a¹, and is pro-
vided with a suitably closed opening through which work is placed in or removed.
is the work under treatment which is secured to rods or bars c, carried by means
of, and detachably connected to, a series of arms 61, secured to a rotating shaft b,
whilst e is the loose polishing medium.
When the articles require to be electro-plated at the same time as the polish-
ing operation is being performed, the rotating barrel or drum is arranged to con-
tain or work within an electrolyte, whilst the fixed articles under treatment are in
suitable connection with the plating circuit.
We wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to any particular

page_text: means of fixing the work within the barrel, as various ways of securing the same
may be devised without departing from the nature of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
First: A process of polishing, burnishing, cleaning, or otherwise preparing
various metallic articles, consisting in fixing the said articles to, and within the
interior of. a rotating barrel or drum, and employing in conjunction therewith,
separate, distinct and loose mechanical polishing agents, which, when the barrel
is rotated. are freely rolled and moved about the whole interior of the said
harrel, and by frictionally engaging with all the surfaces of the fixed work con-
tained therein, efficiently polish, burnish or prepare the same, substantially as
herein described, and also as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Secondly: The modified process of polishing, burnishing, cleaning or other-
wise preparing various metallic articles, in which the fixed articles are forced
through or rotating within loose mechanical polishing medium contained in a
stationary or rotating barrel or vessel, substantially as herein described, and also
as set forth in Figure 6.
Thirdly: The improvements in the process of, and means or apparatus to be
employed for, polishing or preparing various metal articles during the time that
they are also being electro-plated, also the process and means or apparatus to be
employed in polishing burnishing or preparing such articles when not being
plated, substantially as herein described and also as set forth in the accompanying
drawings.
1000