IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCOURING, GLOSSING, AND OTHERWISE TREATING LEATHER
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the " International
Patent Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
SCOURING, GLOSSING, AND OTHERWISE TREATING LEATHER."-A communi-
cation from abroad by Edward Fitzhenry, of Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th November 1870.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
SCOURING, GLOSSING, AND OTHERWISe Treating LeathER,” a communication, to
be as follows:-
My said improvements relate to machinery for scouring, "setting
out," glossing, and performing general table-work upon leather. In
such machinery a reciprocating carriage, to which the tool carriers are

page_text: attached, is usually supported by two parallel and horizontal ways or
rails, that pass between parallel guides extended from the sides and
upper part of the said carriage.
The said Invention consists in the peculiar devices for adjusting the
tool carriers or rubbers to the proper elevation, also in the mechanism
for raising either or all of the said tool carriers and holding the same up,
so that they may not operate on the leather while the reciprocating
carriage is in motion over the same, also in the novel arrangement of
buffers or dampers in combination with the lifter rods and a rocker
plate, also in the arrangement and combination of gutters and a drip
trough or pan, with the guides of the reciprocating carriage to prevent
the falling of the oil upon the leather being operated upon. The tool
carriers at one end of the carriage are each pivotted upon a rod extending
transversely through the carriage. The lifter rods of the said tool
carriers are extended through long slots in the rocker plate or bar which
is pivotted to the middle of the carriage on a horizontal axis. A con-
necting rod by which a reciprocating rectilinear motion is communicated
from a crank to the carriage is fastened to one end of the said rocker
plate. Each lifter rod is provided with a collar between which and
the plate is an india-rubber buffer for the plate to strike against, in
lifting the tool carrier. This elastic buffer prevents the vibration and
noise which occur when an inclastic pin or shoulder is employed on
the lifter rod. On the upper part of each lifter rod a male screw is
formed to fit into a block hinged to an arm, which at its inner end is
pivotted to the carriage. The pivot pin may be readily removed from the
said arm, and the same may be used as a lever to turn the nut block
around upon the screw to adjust the tool carrier vertically. By forming
the screw threads in the block instead of using separate nuts outside
the block as heretofore, the slackening of the rod from the vibration
of the machine is entirely prevented, and the tool carrier when adjusted
cannot be moved without first releasing the pivot pin as above described.
To the top of the carriage and underneath each set of the arms I apply a
notched slide bar. The said bar is arranged between parallel guides and has
at its front end an arm extended from it at a right angle. A rod projecting
from the said arm through a standard is hinged to one end of a handle;
at the opposite end of the said handle is another connecting rod project-
ing from the notched slide bar of another series of arms applied to the
carriage for supporting another set of tool carriers. By moving the
handle an attendant may move and adjust either or both of the said

page_text: slide bars to hold in a raised position either or all of the tool carriers
for the purpose of keeping the tools out of action upon the leather
while the carriage is in motion over it. The surfaces in contact of
the guides and rails have to be kept well lubricated to prevent friction
and wear; the lubricating fluid is liable to gather on the ends of the
lower guides and drop therefrom upon the leather being operated on
and blacken or otherwise injure it. In order to prevent such falling
of the oil on the leather, or upon the table of the machine, I apply to
each end of each lower guide an inclined gutter or channel, and arrange
directly underneath its lower or outer end a trough or long shallow
drip pan or reservoir which should be fixed either to the carriage or to
the slide bar on which it rests, and should be so arranged that the surplus
or waste oil shall pass through the gutters into the said reservoir.
The tool carrier springs are supported on a rod whose ends rest on two
blocks which are arranged in vertical guiding slots in the side plates
of the carriage. Screws are fitted into each of these blocks, and the
heads of these screws are arranged to bear against the under side of
a shelf projecting from the carriage. Heretofore in this class of
machinery the screws have been passed down through the shelf with
one end bearing against the block, but these screws are not conveniently
accessible when an oil reservoir arranged as above described is used,
when however the screw heads are arranged to abut against the shelf
they are at all times readily accessible.
My improvements also consist in a novel method of supporting and
operating the carriage, and in the construction of the table and means
for supporting the same. Instead of moving the said carriage upon
two horizontal slides I attach it to the extremity of a pendulum. If
this pendulum were attached to a fixed point its lower extremity would
describe the arc of a circle around the point of suspension: It is
however necessary that the motion of the tools should be in a horizontal
plane parallel with the table whereon is placed the leather to be treated.
To obtain this horizontal motion I employ the following devices :-I
connect the pendulum rod to a crank whose axis is supported in
bearings in suitable brackets. The shaft of this crank carries at onc
end a toothed segment which gears into another toothed segment fixed
on a second shaft, which is also supported in bearings in the said
brackets parallel to the crank shaft.
necting rod extends downward; in
From the second segment a con-
the lower extremity of this rod is

page_text: fixed a bolt or stud which projects into an elongated hole or slot in
the pendulum rod, the elongation of the said slot being in the direction
of the length of the rod. The carriage is attached to one end of a
connecting rod whose other end is fitted on a stud or pin fixed in a fly
wheel which is carried on a shaft arranged nearly in the same horizontal
plane as the carriage. By the movement of the fly wheel a reciprocating
movement is given to the carriage, which movement through the devices
in connection with the pendulum herein-before mentioned is rendered
parallel with the surface of the table instead of being in the arc of
a circle around the point of suspension of the pendulum rod. The
brackets which support the crank shaft are bolted to beams or timbers
attached to the ceiling or roof of the building wherein the machine is
placed, and are secured together by tie-rods. Below the table is a
hollow cast-iron column wherein is inserted a cylindrical pivot which
carries radial arms, preferably formed of wrought iron, and grooved
longitudinally to receive wooden beams which carry adjustable rollers
whereon the table is placed. One of the said arms is shorter than
the other to allow convenient access to the tools; the said arms are
supported at their outer extremity by diagonal rods secured to a hoop
or collar which is fitted to move vertically upon the column, but which
cannot turn upon the same. A lever with a counter-balance weight
is arranged against the bottom of the pivot, and serves to raise the
said pivot and consequently the table, the collar, and the arms to bring
the said table up to the tools. The lever and table are maintained
in any desired position for working by means of a spring hook, which
is inserted in a ring secured in the floor. The table instead of being
constructed of solid boards may be formed of small joists morticed
into the top and bottom boards of the table; between these small joists
are flat pieces arranged to leave a space between each two consecutive
joists. The joints are glued and the whole structure is secured by hollow
metal tie-rods extending from one edge to the other of the table across
the joists. The said tie-rods are furnished at each end with a screw
thread and a nut which is embedded in the woodwork. The object
of this construction of the table is to render the same light and strong,
and to prevent the warping to which a solid table is liable from the
action of the tools and the effect of the water which is applied to the
skins to maintain them properly upon the table. By this means I also
avoid the knots which often exist in wood and which injure the work.

page_text: SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said William
Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th June
1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree 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 MACHINERY FOR SCOURING, GLOSSING, AND OTHERWISE TREATING LEATHER," a
communication to me from abroad by Edward Fitzhenry, of Boston,
Massachusetts, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 William Robert Lake,. do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 forming a part of this Specification :—
My said improvements relate to machinery for scouring, "setting out,"
glossing, and performing general table-work upon leather. In such
machinery a reciprocating carriage to which the tool carriers are

page_text: attached is usually supported by two parallel and horizontal ways or
rails on which are fitted parallel guides extended from the sides and
upper part of the said carriage.
The said Invention consists in the peculiar devices for adjusting the
tool carriers or rubbers to the proper elevation. Also in the mechanism
for raising either or all of the said tool carriers and holding the same up
so that they may not operate on the leather while the reciprocating
carriage is in motion over the same. Also in the novel arrangement of
.buffers or dampers in combination with the lifter rods and a rocker
plate. Also in the arrangement and combination of gutters and a drip
trough or pan with the guides of the reciprocating carriage to prevent
the falling of the oil upon the leather being operated on.
This part of my Invention is illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of
the accompanying Drawings, of which Figure 1 is a plan of a scouring
machine with my improvements applied thereto; Figure 2 is a side 1
elevation; Figure 3, a vertical longitudinal section; and Figure 4, an
end elevation of the same. Figure 5 is a vertical section on the line x, x,
Figure 1. In these Figures the same letters indicate corresponding
parts.
a is the aforesaid reciprocating carriage which is usually supported
by two parallel horizontal ways or rails a*, whercon are fitted parallel
guides a³, a², extending from the sides of the carriage. The tool carriers 6
at one end of the carriage a are each pivoted upon a rod c extending
transversely through the carriage. The lifter rods d of the said tool
carriers are extended through long slots in the rocker plate or bar e, a
which is pivoted to the middle of the carriage a on a horizontal axis f. A
connecting rod by which a reciprocating rectilinear motion is communi-
cated from a crank to the carriage a is fastened to one end of the said
rocker plate. Each lifter rod is provided with a collar d' between which
and the plate e is an india-rubber buffer & for the plate to strike against
in lifting the tool carrier. This elastic buffer prevents the vibration and
noise which occur when an inelastic pin or shoulder is employed on the
lifter rod. On the upper part of each lifter rod a male screw is formed
to fit into a block i hinged to an arm j which at its inner end is pivoted
to the carriage a. The pivot pink may be readily removed from the 47
said arm, and the latter may be used as a lever to turn the nut block i
around upon the screw to adjust the tool carrier vertically. By forming
the screw threads in the block instead of using separate nuts outside

page_text: the block, as heretofore, the slackening of the rod from the vibration of
the machine is entirely prevented, and the tool carrier when adjusted
cannot be moved without first releasing the pivot pin, as above described.
To the top of the carriage and underneath each set of the arms I apply
a notched slide bar 1, the said bar is arranged between parallel guides m,
and has at its front end an arm n extended from it at a right angle. A
rod o projecting from the said arm through a standard is hinged to one
end of a handle q. At the opposite end of the said handle is another
connecting rod projecting from the notched slide bar of another series
of arms n applied to the carriage for supporting another set of tool
carriers. By moving the said handle an attendant may move and adjust
either or both of the said slide bars to hold in a raised position either or
all of the tool carriers for the purpose of keeping the tools out of action
upon the leather while the carriage is in motion over it. The surfaces
in contact of the guides a¹, a², and rails a* have to be kept well lubricated
to prevent friction and wear; the lubricating fluid is liable to gather
on the ends of the lower guides a² and drop therefrom upon the leather
being operated on and blacken or otherwise injure it. In order to
prevent such falling of the oil on the leather, or upon the table of the
machine, I apply to each end of each lower guide a² an inclined gutter or
channel as, and arrange directly underneath its lower or outer end a
trough or long shallow drip pan or reservoir a*, which would be fixed
either to the carriage a or to the slide bar a* on which it rests, and should
be so arranged that the surplus or waste oil shall pass through the
gutters into the said reservoir. The tool carrier springs are supported
on a rod whose ends rest on two blocks 6³, which are arranged in
vertical guiding slots in the side plates of the carriage a. Screws 6* arc
fitted into cach of these blocks, and the heads of these screws may be
arranged to bear against the under side of a shelf 6 projecting from
the carriage. Heretofore in this class of machinery the screws have
been passed down through the shelf with one end bearing against the
block b, but these screws are not conveniently accessible when an oil
reservoir a arranged as above described is used. When, however, the
screw heads are arranged to abut against the shelf they are at all times
conveniently accessible.

page_text: Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 of the accompanying Drawings, in
which Figure 6 is a side elevation of a machine constructed according
to this part of my said Invention; Figure 7 is an end view of the same
without the fly wheel and connecting rod; Figure 8 is a horizontal
section on the line 1, 2, Figure 6; Figure 9 is a plan (drawn to a
reduced scale) shewing the arrangement of the supporting arms of the
table; Figures 10 and 11 are an edge elevation and section illustrating a
modification in the construction of the table of the said machine; Figures
12 and 13 show in detail one of the handles of the said table. In these
Figures like letters indicate the same parts.
According to this part of my Invention instead of moving the carriage a
upon two horizontal slides I attach it to the extremity of a pendulum »;
if this pendulum were attached to a fixed point its lower extremity which
is jointed to the tool carriage would describe the arc of a circle around
the point of suspension. It is however necessary that the motion of the
tools should be in a horizontal plane parallel with the table whereon is
placed the leather to be treated. To obtain this horizontal motion I
employ the following devices:-I connect the pendulum rod to a
crank
whose axis is supported in bearings in suitable brackets. The
shaft of this crank carries at one end a toothed segment which gears
into another toothed segment fixed on a second shaft 77, which is also
supported in bearings in the brackets ³ parallel to the crank shaft 1.
From the second segment a connecting rod s extends downward, in the
lower extremity of this rod is fixed a bolt or stud s¹ which projects into
an elongated hole or slot 78 in the pendulum rod 1, the clongation of the
said slot being in the direction of the length of the rod, as clearly shown
in Figure 6. The carriage a is provided with a rocker plate, tool carriers
and springs as usual, and as hercin-before described is attached to one
end of the connecting rod g whose other end is fitted on a stud or pin h
fixed in the fly wheel whose shaft is arranged nearly in the same a
horizontal plane as the carriage a. By the revolution of the fly wheel a
reciprocating motion is given to the carriage which motion through the
aforesaid devices in connection with the pendulum is rendered parallel
with the surface of the table instead of being in the arc of a circle around
the point of suspension of the pendulum rod r. The brackets t which
support the crank shaft are bolted to beams or timbers attached to the
ceiling or roof of the building wherein the machine is placed, and are
secured together by tie rods. Below the table A is a hollow cast-iron

page_text: column" wherein is inserted a cylindrical pivot u', which carries radial
arms u², preferably formed of wrought iron and grooved longitudinally to
receive wooden beams us, which carry adjustable rollers or castors u*
whereon the table A is placed. One of the said arms is shorter than the
others to allow convenient access to the tools. The said arms are supported
at their outer extremity by diagonal rods a secured to a hoop or collar uº,
which is fitted to move vertically upon the column u, but which is so
constructed that it cannot turn upon the same, as will be seen by referring
to Figure 8. A lever with a counterbalance weight o' is arranged at
the bottom or foot of the column u with its short arm v² under the foot
of the pivot. This lever serves to raise the said pivot and consequently
the table, the collar, and the arms to bring the said table up to the tools.
The lever and table are maintained in any desired position for working
by means of a spring hook w, which is inserted in a ring w¹ secured in
the floor, as shewn in Figure 6. The table A instead of being constructed
of solid boards may be formed of small joists y, as shewn in Figure 11,
which are morticed into the top and bottom boards y¹, y³, of the table;.
between these small joists are flat pieces y³ arranged to leave a space
between each two consecutive joists. The series of joists and flat pieces
are glued together and provided with boundary pieces y*, and the whole
structure is secured by hollow metal tie rods y³ extending from one edgo
to the other of the table across the joists. The said tie rods are furnished
at their ends with screw threads and nuts which are embedded in the
woodwork. The object of this construction of the table is to render the
same light and strong and to prevent the warping to which a solid table
is liable from the action of the tools and the effect of the water which is
applied to the skins to maintain them properly upon the table. By this
means I also avoid the knots which often exist in wood and which injure
the work.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I claim, the combination of the screw
nut or block i and the arm j pivoted together and connected with the
carriage substantially as described with the tool lifter rod and its screw
as set forth:
I also claim the combination of the handle q, of the rod o, and the

page_text: I also claim the combination and arrangement of the spouts or gutters a³
and the oil receiver a' with the lower carriage guides a².
I also claim the combination of the buffers or dampers & with the
tool carrier lifter rods d and the rocker plate e.
•
I also claim when the spouts and drip pan are employed with the
lower guides of the carriage as described, the arrangement of the heads
of the screws 6' beneath and against the shelf 68, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
I also claim the combination of the crank, the two toothed sectors 75, 7,
and the bar 8, with the pendulum bar applied to or to be used with the
tool carriage as described.
I also claim the combination of the balance lever with the post u,
the spindle u¹, and the table supporter.
I also claim the table as made of the series of rebated joists or timbers
and their intermediate and edge boards and holding rods or bolts arranged
as specified.
In witness, whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand. eight hundred and seventy-
one.
Witness,
E. C. JACKSON.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)