Improvements in or relating to Apparatus Generally known as "Air-brushes" for Distributing Pigment by Means of an Air Blast to Produce Pictures, Landscapes, and other Works of Art
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Apparatus Generally known as
"Air-brushes" for Distributing Pigment by Means of an Air
Blast to Produce Pictures, Landscapes, and other Works of Art
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON FCS, MIME, of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Laverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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
-
The invention relates to that class of instruments known as "air-brushes" for the
distribution of pigment by means of an au blast, to produce pictures, landscapes, and
other works of art
The invention may be said to consist in the peculiar construction, combination, and
arrangement of devices hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims
In the drawings, which illustrate the manner of carrying out the invention,
Figure 1 represents a broken longitudinal section of the instrument
Figure 2 is a detail view of a hinged frame used in making up the invention
Figure 3 is a broken front view showing the lower end of the instrument, and
Figure 4 is a plan view looking into the case containing the actuating mechanism
of the instrument, the cover thereof being removed on line x x Figure 1
The main object of the invention, is to decrease the size and weight of instruments
commonly known as air-brushes, and that they may be used with greater efficiency than
they could heretofore
This object is attained by lessening the number of operative parts of the instrument,
and making use of such only as can be placed in small compass
Heretofore the cases of air brushes, were of such unwieldy size and shape 1s (in
use) to necessitate their being grasped by the operator as he would hold the handle of
a hammer, so that short vertical lines had to be made with movement of the entire
arm, which was very inconvenient and difficult to accomplish

page_text: By the improved construction and configuration, the cise of the instrument
is much reduced in size, and admits of being held in the manner an ordinary pencil
1s held
This manner of holding the case, is of great value and importance to the irtist
and draughtsm in, and to ill persons who "hive nued to use an instrument of this
character
To illustrate this, the instrument shown in the drawings, is little larger than full
size, but of course it is evident, th it instruments of any desired size my be constructed
in accord with the invention
The letter A, indicates the main portion of the case of instrument, which is
proferably cylindrical or hexagonal in form, and it may be of any suitable material,
such is sheet met il
The pigment-recept icle P, is located at one end of sud case, while the other d
is closed by cap 101 through which lit the u-tube G enters, the supply hose
being attached to the projecting end of sud ur tube
The pigment-receptaclo P, is in the form of smill dish and it may be constructed
is part of the case, or it may be provided with rectangular arm 11, and attached
to the case by means of screws 12, is may be desired
Airanged to vibrate in the sud pigment recopticle, is the needle C, the outer end
of which is adapted to be reciprocited bene ith the nozzle 122
The outer end of said needle rests in a suitable slot or depression 25, in the upper
edge of said pigment-recept icle, and its lower end is bent downwardly and passed
though a slot b in the outer end of walking beum D
A needle guide F has one und hinged to cis and the other end rests upon sud
needle to hold it securely in position during operation
For the purpose of disengaging the pigment from the needle C, an
air blast
is made use of which is ringed as follows A blast-nozzle 122 is located on
the lower end of ur tube so is to discharge the blist directly upon the point of
said needle, an it right angles thereto, the action of such blast being to dislodge
the pigment from sud needle, and distribute it in the form of fine spray upon
the work
For the purpose of controlling said ur blast in its relation to said needle, devices
are made use of as follows The air-tube G within ise A is divided at about the
centre of its length, and the upper section H, is connected with lower section I by
means of short rubber tubo J
The control of the air blast and needle movement is accomplished through the
medium of a vertical_finger piece L, which projects. through slot 5 in the case, a
sufficient distance, to be engaged by the first finger of the operator's hand
The inner end of the finger piece is pivoted to lower end of a horizontal bar M
(which controls the ur valve) while its body is connected to a hinged frame E,
by means of a suitably bent or curved connecting rod the upper end of said
connecting rod engaging a hole or bearing 9, in the outer end of frame E,
as shown
The bar M is pivoted at 4 to the case, while its upper end is provided with a flat
plate f, which normally rests in close contact with the hose J, and a suitable flat
spring h urges sand plite, down upon sud hose
The upper end of hose J is drawn over the lower end of section H, and over a
small aperture e which is formed in the upper side of sud section, as shown more
clearly in Figure 1
When the plate fis raised by the action of the bar M, the air (under pressure)
within air tube will press the hose. J upwirdly, and the aperture e will be uncovered,
then by allowing passage of unto the nozzle 122
Likewise, when said plate is depressed by the action of spring h, the supply of air
will be cut off D, is walking bem pivoted at d to hinged frame E, so that its
slotted end carrying the needle may be thrust further out of, or drawn nearer to the
case, as may be required
This walking beam is provided with inother slot a in its rear end, which is engaged
5

page_text: by crank c upon the vertical shaft of the wind wheel 22, so that as said wind wheel is
revolved, sud walking beam will be oscillated upon its pivot and the needle will be
reciprocated in the pigment receptacle
The frame E is hinged at one end to the case by means of suitable hinges 10
24 represents another blast nozzle for delivering a blast of air onto the buckets
of air-wheel 22
The air wheel is mounted in a stationary bracket 28, which is fixed to the case
in any desired way
The length of slot a in the lower end of walking beam D, permits the said beam to
be pushed further outwardly, or drawn back by the action of the finger piece I to
make fine or be ivy lines, as may be required
Moving the said walking beam and frame E outwardly (as indicated by dotted lines
in Figure 4) causes the needle to have a shorter stroke, while moving it inwardly gives
it a longer stroke, and vice versa
A set screw 21, 19 threaded through the case, and is adapted to engage frame E and
limit the outer movement thereof
The operation of this construction is as follows
As the operator desires a blast of air, he depresses finger piece L, which raises
plate (as before described) and when he desires to adjust the stroke of needle
for fine or heavy lines, he vibrates or moves said finger piece back and forth, in
slot 5
It will be thus observed that the distribution of pigment, and control of air blast is
accomplished by movement of a single finger piece
For the purpose of giving access to the working parts of the instrument, the case A
is provided with any suitable hinged or removable cover, such as 100
This cover
is provided with projecting lugs 9 at one end, which engages
the underside of the shell of the case, while its opposite end is provided with a
sliding bolt p, having handle t which projects through slot 20 in sud cover, and
which may be thrown back when said cover is to be removed from the case of
the instrument
It will be observed, that the case or shell consists of a substantially cylindrical
body A, to one end of which is affixed the enlarged angular portion B which contains
the wind wheel, the walking beam, and other connections
The said angular portion having one of its flat sides attached to the end of
body A, at which point, the two portions may be separated whenever required, to
give access to said wind-wheel etcetera 18 a screw for controlling the tension
of spring h
It is evident that in carrying out the invention, numerous slight changes, such
as would suggest themselves to a skilled mechanic, or a person of ordinary
intelligence, can be resorted to without departing from its scope and spirit, hence
my correspondent does not confine himself to the precise construction herein shown,
but considers himself entitled to all such variations as come within the scope of
the invention
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
1 The air-brush case, herein shown and described, consisting of an approximately
cylindrical body, and an enlarged portion attached to one end of said body, substantially
as herein set forth
2 An air brush case, consisting of an approximately cylindrical body, an
angular enlargement secured to one end of said body, and a finger piece projecting
from the case at a point that is intermediate of its ends, as herein set forth and
explained
3 An air brush arranged with a wind wheel, a walking beam carrying a needle
at its one end, and having its opposite end connected to said wind wheel, and a
hinged or pivoted frame to which said beam is pivoted, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 4 An air brush, arranged with a wind wheel, a walking beam having one end
connected to a needle, and the other end connected to said wind wheel, a hinged
frame which carries said beam, and a set screw for limiting the outward movement
of frame and beam, substantially as set forth
5 An air brush arranged with a wind wheel, a walking beam having one end
connected to a needle, and the other end connected to said wind wheel, a hinged
frame which supports said beam, and to which the latter is pivoted, and a suitable
finger piece which is connected to said frame, substantially as set forth
6 An air brush constructed with a wind wheel, which is mounted in bearings,
which are rigidly attached to the case of the instrument, as herein set forth
7 An air brush, wherein the walking beam is adjusted independently of the
location or position of the wind wheel, substantially as herein set forth and
exhibited
1
BAT 1
1000
WM P. THOMPSON & Co,
Agents for the Applicant