IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEATHING OR COATING METAL SURFACES,
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Elmore, of 91, Blackfriars Road, in the County
of Surrey, Electrical Engineer, and John Jepson Atkinson, of the Middle
Temple, in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, Barrister at Law, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEATHING OR COATING METAL SURFACES,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Elmore and John
Jepson Atkinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
29th August 1881.
WILLIAM ELMORE, of 91, Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey,
Electrical Engineer, and JOHN JEPSON ATKINSON, of the Middle Temple, in the
County of Middlesex, Esquire, Barrister at Law. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEATHING
OR COATING METAL SURFACES, AND IN THE MEANS OF OR APPARATUS
THEREFOR."
This Invention has for object certain improvements in the means of and
apparatus for applying sheathing to structural metal surfaces which are required
to be sheathed or coated with metal plates, and part of the means are applicable
for providing a secondary metal surface or covering of metal upon a primary metal
surface by handy and portable electro-depositing appliance.
In carrying the Invention into practice,
There is employed an electric motor, which will be hung for convenience upon
ropes or rods slung or arranged around the work to be prepared for the reception
of the metal coating or sheathing, and in connection with and driven by the motor
is a hand emery wheel tool with the emery wheel shaft carried and free to turn in
handles at the ends of said shaft, which will also carry a grooved pulley for the
driving band, or a flexible shaft and emery wheel will be employed. This emery
wheel is for the purpose of cleaning a spot or portion of the metal of the structure
as required ready for the subsequent treatment.
An electrical tool is next employed, consisting of a conducting rod and electrical
connections therewith, said rod carrying on the end thereof a disc of the metal
intended to be deposited and serving as the anode, which metal disc is covered with
TDminn S31

page_text: a pad of felt or cloth, which will serve to carry and apply to the aforesaid cleaned
spots or portions of the structure a solution of metal, such as, for instance, of zinc
or tin. The cathode wire of the circuit will then be put in connection with the
metal structure and the wetted pencil pad will be applied, whereupon a deposit of
the metal will be effected upon the cleaned spot or portion of surface.
This preparing of the spots or portions on the metal surface will be very rapidly
carried out according to these directions.
The rods which convey the current from the electric machine will be connected
to a resistance switch to regulate the strength of current supplied to the depositing
tool. A required number of these depositing pads may be employed arranged in a
frame serving as a template, and on the frame in connection with the pads a system
of liquid conduits or tubes for supplying the solution to the pads.
The metal sheets serving as coating are prepared with holes cut away corre-
sponding to the aforesaid prepared cleaned spots or portions of the structure, and
the plates are then soldered or attached at those parts.
For this purpose of soldering and as part of this Invention is employed an
electric soldering tool, consisting of electrical connections for forming a circuit, a
handle carrying the jaws, within which are held a carbon point, and a resistance
switch is furnished in the circuit to regulate the volume of the current supplied
or to break the circuit. This upon the current being passed is employed to melt
the metal employed, as the solder which will attach the plates securely and
expeditiously to the surface of the structure to be coated. The holes formed in
the coating may then be filled by the discs originally punched out therefrom, which
will be soldered in place.
The electrical metal solution pencil or tool before described may be used for
usefully or ornamentally applying a deposit of metal upon a metallic surface or
surfaces.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Elmore and John Jepson Atkinson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 28th February 1882.
WILLIAM ELMORE, of 91, Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey,
Electrical Engineer, and JOHN JEPSON ATKINSON, of the Middle Temple, in the
County of Middlesex, Esquire, Barrister at Law. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEATHING
OR COATING METAL SURFACES, AND IN THE MEANS OF OR APPARATUS
THEREFOR."
This Invention has for its object certain improvements in the means of and
apparatus for applying sheathing to structural metal surfaces, which are required
to be sheathed or coated with metal plates, and also an improved apparatus for
depositing a secondary metal surface or covering of metal upon a primary metal
surface by handy and portable electro-depositing appliances.
In carrying the Invention into practico,
We employ an electric motor, which may be hung for convenience upon ropes or
rods slung or arranged around the work to be prepared for the reception of the
inetal coating or sheathing; in connection with and driven by this motor is hand
emery wheel or abrasion tool with the emery wheel shaft carried and free to turn
in handles at the ends of said shaft, and also carrying a grooved pulley for the
driving band or a flexible revolving shaft in connection with the emery wheel may
be employed. The emery wheel is for the purpose of cleaning a spot or portion of
the metal of the structure as required ready for the subsequent treatment (and
such spots may if desired be touched with chemicals or washed for ensuring
cleanness of surface in the ordinary way).
We then employ an electrical depositing tool consisting of a conducting rod and
electrical connections therewith; the rod carries on its end a disc of the metal
intended to be deposited, which forms the anode. This metal disc is covered with
a pad of felt or cloth, which pad when moistened or wetted with a solution of the
metal intended to be deposited, as, for instance, of zinc or tin, is brought in contact
with the said spots or portions of the metal so cleaned or prepared as aforesaid.
The cathode wire of the circuit is then put in connection with the metal structure
and the wetted pad applied, whereupon a deposit of the metal is effected upon
the cleaned spot or portion of surface. In this manner the preparation of the
spots or portions on the metal surface will be carried on with great rapidity.
The rods which convey the current to the electric-depositing tool are connected
to a resistance board and switch to regulate the strength of current supplied to
the depositing tool. A required number of these depositing pads may be employed
arranged in a frame serving as a template, and on the frame in connection with
the pads a system of conduits or tubes may be arranged for supplying the solution
to the pads.
The metal sheets intended to be used as coating and prepared with holes cut
away corresponding to the aforesaid cleaned spots or portions of the structure are
then soldered or attached at those parts.
For the purpose of soldering or fastening the plates, we employ an electric
soldering tool consisting of electrical connections for forming a circuit, a handle
carrying the jaws, within which is held a carbon point; a resistance switch is
furnished in the circuit to regulate the volume of the current supplied or to break
the circuit. This soldering tool, upon the current being passed, is employed to
melt the metal used as the solder which will attach the sheathing plates securely
and expeditiously to the surface of the structure to be coated. The holes formed

page_text: in the sheathing may then be filled by the discs originally punched out therefrom,
which can be soldered in their places.
The electrical depositing tool or tools before described may be used for usefully
or ornamentally applying a deposit of metal upon a metallic surface or surfaces.
In order that our Invention may be more fully understood, we proceed to
describe the same by reference to the Drawings annexed hereto.
Fig. 1 represents the electric motor A of required kind with electrical connections
as requisite; B, the sling or supporting chain, which may terminate, as found
convenient in a hook or roller for hanging it on to the ropes or rods arranged
around the work to be operated upon when the size and character of the work
demands such an addition, otherwise the motor may be hung to some substantial
portion of the structure, or be held by the operator, or an assistant; C is the
revolving shaft, carrying at one end, as shown, a band pulley D for operating the
abrasion tool, here shown as an emery wheel E mounted upon the shaft F, provided
with pulley F' and handles F2 for holding the tool to the work. At the other end
of shaft Cat C¹ is shewn another method of applying the abrasion tool by means
of a flexible motion shaft a connected with the axle H of the abrasion tool E,
which axle H is connected by a loose joint with the handle F for applying the
tool to the spots or portions of the surface to be cleaned.
Fig. 2 represents a sectional view of the electrical depositing tool for the
electrical deposition of the metallic film upon the spots or parts of the structure
so cleaned and prepared as aforesaid. I is the conducting rod passing down the
handle K and connected with the disc L of the metal intended to be deposited,
which forms the anode. This disc is covered with a felt, cloth, or washleather pad
or cover M secured by the cap K¹ of the handle.
The electrical connections are duly shown in the Drawing, and N is the handle
for carrying the cathode rod of the circuit which is carried down the handle N
and connected with the facing plate O (preferably platinized). The resistance
board or coil and switch for regulating the degree of current are applied in the
circuit within easy reach of the hand of the operator, or may, if desired, be placed
on the handle of the tool.
In use this cathode plate O will be pressed against the face of the metal
structure under treatment (represented by the line a, b, Fig. 2), and the pad M will
be dipped into or supplied with a solution of the metal according to the metal of
the disc L, such as, for instance, zinc or tin. Upon applying the wetted anode pad
to the cleaned spots or portions of the surface in proximity to the cathode disc a
deposit of the metal will be electrically effected. The electrical depositing tool can
also be used for depositing a coating of metal in other cases, or for ornamenting
or surfacing the structure, and the surface so obtained may be treated as desired
for matt or burnished effect in the usual way.
In the case of applying a sheathing by soldering as for ships, the solder may be
run on to the prepared spots or portions, and the prepared sheathing plates bo
soldered by the electrical soldering tool acting upon the solder so applied, or
applied as may be convenient. It is clear that an ordinary or suitable copper-bit
may be used for the soldering, but for large surfaces, such as the sides or bottoms
of ships, the electrical soldering tool will be preferable.
Figs. 3, 3, 3b, represents in plan, partial section, and side view respectively a
frame P supporting a certain number of depositing pads M, the frame being
composed of metal tubes and a flexible supply pipe Q and tap Q' for supplying
and regulating the supply of the solution to the pad M. Fig. 3 shows in section
the stems I of the pad hollow, and filled with sponge or fibre for assisting in the
regulated supply of solution; P' are handles for holding the frame; the electrical
anode rod connection is shown at I. The frame itself is used to conduct the
current in this case, and for the cathode connection with the structure a second
frame, not shown in the Drawings, properly insulated from the frame P may be
used.

page_text: The number of pads shown on frame P is nine, but a frame of other number of
pads may be used if desired.
Fig. 4 represents the soldering tool, the points of which are partly broken away
for purpose of illustration. The electrical connections shown are connected with
a source of electricity, and a resistance board or coil and switch is introduced in
the circuit similarly to that for the depositing tool; R is the handle of non-
conducting material hinged together at R, and with a slide screw fastening ring R²;
S are copper jaws fitted into the handles, and recessed at the points inside for
reception and holding of a carbon block T, which will upon the current being
passed be raised to incandescence, and quickly heat and retain heated the copper-
bit formed by the jaws S.
In carrying out our Invention the use of the electrical depositing tool may be
dispensed with, and the abrased or partially cleaned spots or portions may be
prepared for the reception of the solder by hand or other inean, but the use of
the electrical depositing tool will be found of great utility in carrying out the
operation, and effects a considerable improvement in the result.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention and the
manner in which the same may be carried into practical effect, we claim,-
First. The improved method of sheathing metal surfaces by means of electrical
tools, substantially as herein before described.
Second. The electrical depositing tool and connections for effecting the electrical
deposition of metals, substantially as and for the purposes herein before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Elmore and John Jepson Atkinson,
have bereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty seventh day of February,
1882.
In the presence of
WALTER A. BARLOW,
Patent Agent & Engineer,
6, St. Paul's Churchyard,
London, E.C.
JOHN JEPSON ATKINSON. (L.S.)
WILLIAM ELMORE.
(L.S.)