Improvements in or relating to Means to be Employed in connection with the Electro-deposition of Metals upon Iron and Steel.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Dec., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 12th Sept., 1900-Accepted, 10th Nov., 1900
Improvements in or relating to Means to be Employed in connection
with the Electro-deposition of Metals upon Iron and Steel.
We, HERRICK MACAULAY PUNNETT, Manufacturer, and HERRICK MACAULAY
PUNNETT, the younger, Engineer, both of 53, Hagley Road, in the City of
Birmingham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has relation to means to be employed in connection with the
electro-deposition of various metals, such as nickel, copper, tin or zinc, upon
articles made of iron and steel, and has for one of its objects, to effect the rigid
holding of the articles to be plated without the employment of suspension wires
or clamps or other mechanical holders and by this means to obtain an
deposit or perfectly uniform coating of deposited metal upon the articles under
treatment.
even
According to our invention we propose to employ permanent or electro-
magnets as the medium for picking up and rigidly suspending the articles to
bo coated, within the electrolyte, and we also propose to effect the simultaneous
detachment of the articles from the carrier electro-magnets by shutting off or
interrupting the flow of the electric current.
In carrying out one form of our invention the steel or iron articles (such as
screws) to be electro-plated with zinc or other metal, the said articles are first
arranged in a separated row along a suitable surface. Then a suitable magnet
is applied to the articles, which are attracted by magnetic action and are rigidly
held suspended by the magnetic force, the rigidity being in a degree propor-
tionate to the intensity of the said force. The articles are then deposited in a
bath of electrolyte, with the underside of the magnet coming preferably just
touching the surface of the said electrolyte and with the articles, which now
constitute the cathodes of the system, suspended equi-distant between the
anodes.
Thus the current from the source of electrical energy first passes to the
anodes and from thence through the solution, to the articles to be plated;
the current then proceeds back through the magnet or with a supplementary
carrier or holding bar intervening between the magnet and the articles
under treatment, which intervening bar forms an extension of the magnet.
The said bar or the extremity of the magnet may be of variable forms so as
to make the smallest axes of contact with the suspended article. By such an
arrangement, the electrolytic action is such as to give to the article being plated,
an even deposit of coating metal.
In the event that an electro magnet is employed as the suspension medium
then the same may be energised by a separate current to that by which the
electrolytic action is obtained, and then after the articles are suspended from
such a magnet, both the magnet and the work are removed from the vat and
placed over a receptacle, when on the energising current of the magnet being

page_text: .
switched off, the whole of the articles are simultaneously released and fall into
the said receptacle.
We wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the particular
methods hereinbefore described of carrying out our invention, as magnets may
be arranged to exercise their cohesive-force when immersed in the solution, nor
do we confine ourselves to any particular method of arranging the anodes or of
the cathodes or suspended work constituting the cathodes, as our invention
primarily resides in the employment of magnets as the holders or means of
picking up, rigidly suspending and simultaneously releasing a number of articles
to be treated in an electrolytic vat, the said magnets at the same time acting
as carriers for the current to the main return leads.
Articles coated by our invention, besides having a uniform deposit of metal,
have the edges and corners preserved as sharp or nearly so as they were before
being deposited, and their contact with one another when in the vat is prevented
by their extremities being similar poles and thus tending to repel one another.
Dated this 11th day of December 1899.
HERRICK MACAULAY PUNNETT.
HERRICK MACAULAY PUNNETT, THE YOUNGER.
1 Hon Canott
Improvements in or relating to Means to be Employed in connection
with the Electro-deposition of Metals upon Iron and Steel.
We, HERRICK MACAULAY PUNNETT, Manufacturer, and HERRICK MACAULAY
PUNNETT, the younger, Engineer, both of 53, Hagley Road, in the City of
Birmingham, 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 has relation to means to be employed in connection with the
electro-deposition of various metals, such as nickel, copper, tin or zinc, upon
articles made of iron and steel, and has for one of its objects, to effect the rigid
holding of the articles to be plated without the employment of suspension wires
or clamps or other mechanical holders, and by this means to obtain an even
deposit or perfectly uniform coating of deposited metal upon the articles under
treatment.
According to our invention, we propose to employ permanent or electro
magnets as the medium for picking up and rigidly suspending the articles to
be coated, within the electrolyte, and, where electro-magnets are employed as
the carriers, we also propose to effect the simultaneous detachment of the articles
therefrom by shutting off the current from the said magnets.
In carrying out one form of our invention as applied to a process of coating
a number of small steel or iron articles (such as nails and screws) simultaneously
with a deposit of zinc or other metal, we first arrange the articles in a separated
row along a suitable surface and then apply to them, a permanent magnet of
suitable form and power, by means of which the articles are picked up and held.
The carrier magnet is next connected with the return current-conductor of the
electrolytic vat, and is suitably suspended so that its underside just touches
the surface of the electrolyte, whilst the articles carried by it are fully immersed
therein, so that they constitute the cathodes of the system and are suitably

page_text: arranged relative to the anodes. The plating current generated by a dynamo or
other source of electrical energy or pressure passes in the usual way from the
positive conductor to the anodes, thence through the solution to the suspended
articles and proceeds to the return conductor by way of the magnet.
Any number of carrier magnets may be suspended above the vat, preferably
from the usual return conductor crossing the same, and in some cases, where
magnets of sufficient power are used, we may employ steel carrier bars inter-
vening between the poles of the magnets (which are of the horse-shoe type) and
the articles under treatment, which bars constitute an extension of the magnet
and are preferably of such a form as to make the smallest area of contact with
the suspended articles.
Instead of employing permanent magnets as the work-carriers and return
conductors for the current, we may use electro-magnets, with or without inter-
vening bars between them and the articles to be suspended, according to the size
or nature of the said articles. The magnets are energised by a separate current
from that by which the electrolytic action is obtained, but they are so arranged
and suspended as to come within the circuit of the said electrolytic or plating
current, which leaves the solution by way of the work and the electro-magnets
in a similar manner as before described in connection with permanent magnets.
The articles carried by the magnets are suspended so as to be completely
immersed within the clectrolyte and after they have been plated, the magnets
and work are removed from the vat and placed over a suitable receptacle, when,
on switching off the energising current of the said magnets, the whole of the
plated articles are simultaneously released and fall into the said receptacle.
When a number of electro-magnets are employed in the same vat, they are
preferably all energised by the same current, and they may be arranged and
wired up either in series or in parallel, according as to whether the current
available is of high voltage or high ampherage.
The magnets may be of any type or form most suitable to the particular
purpose, but in every case, they are arranged within the electrolytic circuit so
as to constitute return conductors for the plating current.
By thus suspending the articles to be plated by means of permanent or electro
magnets arranged within the electrolytic circuit, the electrolytic action is such
as to impart to the said articles, an even deposit of coating metal.
We wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the particular
methods hereinbefore described of carrying out our invention, as magnets may
be arranged to exercise their cohesive force when immersed in the solution,
nor do we confine ourselves to any particular method of arranging the anodes,
or the cathodes, or suspended work constituting the cathodes, as our invention
primarily resides in the employment of magnets arranged in the electrolytic
circuit as holders or the means of picking up, rigidly suspending and simul-
taneously releasing a number of articles to be treated in an electrolytic vat,
the said magnets at the same time acting as conductors for the current to the
main return leads.
.
Articles coated by our invention, besides having a uniform deposit of metal,
have the edores and corners preserved as sharp or nearly so as they were before
being deposited, and their contact with one another when in the vat is prevented
by their extremities being similar poles and thus tending to repel one another.
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 In the electro-deposition of metals upon articles made of iron or
steel suspending the said articles within an electrolytic solution through the
medium of a permanent magnet or magnets, so arranged within the electrical
circuit as to constitute a return-current conductor, substantially as and for the
purposes herein described.

page_text: Secondly: In the electro-deposition of metals upon articles made of iron or
steel suspending the said articles within an electrolytic solution through the
medium of an electro-magnet, or a system of electro-magnets, so arranged
within the circuit of the depositing current as to constitute a return conductor
or conductors, but with the said magnets being energised by a separate current,
substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
Dated the 11th day of September 1900.
HERRICK MACAULAY PUNNETT.
HERRICK MACAULAY PUNNETT, THE YOUNGER.
By Henry Skerrett,
24, Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.