AN IMPROVED FINISHING MACHINE FOR LEATHER
Year: 1884

page_text: I, GEORGE ALBERT HARDY, of 3 Dunkirk Villas Montpeiller Road Old Lenton
in the County of Nottingham Leather Dresser do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for AN IMPROVED FINISHING MACHINE FOR LEATHER to be as follows:-
Each machine consists of the following parts namely two end standards connected
by tie rods the standards form bearings for five revolving shafts the lower or driving
shaft carries driving pulleys at one end, the opposite end has a toothed wheel
secured on it, the upper edge of which gears into a toothed pinion wheel on the end
of a shaft which carries five or more bosses having radiating arms to which
reversely helically coiled sharp edged knives are secured, at the back of this
shaft are two india rubber covered rollers which being geared together revolve
simultaneously being driven by a toothed wheel secured on the right end of the
lower roller gearing into a spur wheel carried by the driving shaft, behind the
covered rollers there is a facing roller covered with emery powder this roller is
revolved by a pinion wheel on its left end gearing into an intermediate pinion
wheel driven by the toothed wheel first named.
At the left end of the knife shaft is secured a clutch boss in which a similar
clutch takes which is thrown into or out of gear with the knife roller by a rocking
lever actuated by the attendant or instead of the clutch arrangement I may employ
equivalent apparatus.
By means of a machine constructed as above described I am enabled at one
operation to thoroughly ground a skin by passing it through the machine leaving it
cleaner, brighter, and more level and at a considerable greater increase of speed
than can possibly be done by hand labour.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, shows a plan of one of my improved finishing machines.
Figure 2, a view at the left end..
Figures 1B, and 3 to 9 show portions of the machine severally referred to
hereafter.,
The corresponding parts in each Figure are indicated by the same letters where
necessary..
Each machine consists of the following parts, two end standards A, connected by
tie rods, or by an horizontal connecting bar A', which supports a vertical connecting
bar A shown at Figure 1B one half the size of Figure 1. The standards form
bearings or have bearings sécured to them for five revolving shafts, the lower or
driving shaft carries driving pulleys at the right end, the left end has a toothed
wheel B secured on it, the upper edge of which gears into a toothed wheel B¹
which runs loose on the end of a shaft which carries five or more bosses. B², the
number increasing with the width of the machine. These bosses have radiating
inclined arms, the arms of the bosses to the right being reversely inclined to those
at the left, to these bosses reversely helically coiled sharp edged knives B³ are
secured! A left side_view_of_one_of_the bosses for the left end of the machine is
shown at Figure 3, or instead of such bosses, I employ bosses having their radiating
arms at a more acute angle, as shown in side view at Figure 4 and an edge view 'at
Figure 5, which shows portion of a knife in position being held securely to the arm
by a screw, bolt and nut.
:
L
+
J
The left side of the toothed wheel B¹ is provided with a clutch boss, in which
a similar clutch boss B (which slides upon a key secured to the knife shaft)
engages, when thrown into gear by a rocking lever B5, actuated by the attendant,
which enables him to stop the revolution of the knives at will without stopping
the machine:
'
At the back of the knife shaft are two india-rubber covered rollers-C, each
provided at its left end with a toothed wheel, which gearing into each other cause
them to revolve simultaneously, being driven by a toothed wheel, C, (secured on
the right end of the lower roller) gearing into an intermediate toothed wheel C³,
which revolves on an axle in a bracket C³, secured to the right end standard.
The wheels C1, C2, and the bracket are shown separately in side view at Figure 6,
and an end view of the bracket at Figure 7. The intermediate wheel C² gears
into and is driven by, a toothed wheel C secured on the driving shaft, between the
standard and driving pulley. The lower roller C revolves in fixed bearings in the
standards, and the upper roller revolves at each end in a bearing C³, which slides
vertically in the slotted upper part of the standard, which is provided with a cap D

page_text: which projects at the back and forms a bracket, the upper end of which is hinged
to the back end of a lever D¹, which is clipped by the upper end of a vertical rod
passed through a hole in the cap, and attached at its lower end to the bearing C³,
the front end of the lever D¹ is hinged to the upper end of a link having its lower
end secured to a lever D, the back end of which rocks on a stud in the lower part
of the standard, the levers D' are connected by a foot board or plate D³, by which
the attendant is enabled to press the upper rubber covered roller C towards the
lower one so as to ensure the skin or hide operated upon being slowly passed
between them, upon the attendant removing his foot from the board a helically
coiled spring E on each vertical rod expands and presses up the levers D¹ thereby
raising the top roller C, three or four inches above the lower roller to enable the
attendant to place the neck end, or other portion, of a skin or hide between them,
previous to causing the knives to-revolve. To protect the hands of the attendant
from the action of the revolving knives, the machine is provided with a guard
board F, in front of the knives, and above a receiving board F, the guard board is
carried by a bar, the ends of which slide vertically in grooves secured inside the
standard, the ends of the bar are connected by links F to the levers D¹, before
named, the board F¹ is held by metal strips secured to the standards, the guard
board rises at the same time as the foot board and upper roller C, thus affording
room to enable the attendant to place a skin or hide over the knives while they
are at rest. A sectional view of the guard board and receiving board bar, is shown
at Figure 8 in section. Behind the rollers C there is a facing roller G, shown in
end view at Figure 9, covered with emery powder, this roller is revolved by
a toothed wheel G¹ secured on the left end of its axle, gearing into the toothed
wheel B¹ on the knife shaft. The several shafts revolve in the direction indicated
by the arrows at Figure 1.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-
While the upper roller C, and the guard board are in the. raised position, the
attendant at the front of the machine spreads a skin or hide on the receiving board,
passes portion of it under the guard board and over the stationery knives, onto
the lower roller C, he then depresses the board or plate D³, with his foot causing
the upper roller C to descend and grip the skin or hide between it, and the lower
roller; the revolution of these rollers gradually draws the skin or hide over the
revolving knives towards an attendant at the back of the machine, who holds the
skin or hide, close to the revolving emery covered roller, until the whole skin is
passed through the machine, the knife shaft is then thrown out of gear, or the
machine is stopped, the upper roller C and the guard board are again raised, and
a fresh skin is placed in position, and the operation is repeated.
By a machine constructed and operating as above described, I am enabled at one
operation to ground, soften, and cut down chamois, buck, doe, kid, calf, bazils,
roans and white hides and skins.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The construction and employment of an improved finishing machine for leather,
substantially as described and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.