Improvements in Burnishing Devices for Photographs.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 28th July, 1897-Accepted, 4th Sept., 1897
Improvements in Burnishing Devices for Photographs.
A communication by The Firm of GEORG MEYER & Co. of Zurich in the Republic of
Switzerland.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in the County of Warwick
and 322 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an improved roller device for burnishing
photographs and the like, that is, a so called steam burnishing machine, which
has the advantage over the burnishing machines hitherto employed that the rollers
which are to be heated are heated uninterruptedly and quite evenly throughout the
operation. The respective roller is formed of inetal, and is hollow in order to enable
it to be heated internally, the heating taking place by means of steam, and the
vessel for producing the steam being directly arranged in connection with the roller
at the side of the same in such a way that the hot steam passes from this vessel
directly into the roller.
In the accompanying drawings, one of the forms of construction of this improved
roller arrangement is shown;
Figure 1 being an elevation;
Figure 2, a vertical longitudinal section; and
Figure 3, a detail.
The roller arrangement has in the present case two rollers a and b, which are
revolubly mounted in a suitable frame G, and of which the one roller (a) consists of
a suitable material, such, for instance, as caoutchouc, and is preferably solid, while
the other consists of metal and is hollow.
The trunnions 6º, formed in one piece with the roller b, are also hollow so that they
may serve as steam pipes or passages. A vessel d is connected with one of these
trunnions (in the present case the left hand one) by means of a screwed piece d²,
which is screwed, on the one hand, in the trunnion bo, and, on the other hand, in a
sheath or socket do mounted in the mouth of the vessel d, a washer disc being
preferably inserted between the outer edges of the roller trunnions and of the socket
in the mouth of the vessel d. The vessel d serves for producing the steam employed
for heating the roller, for which object it is partially filled with water and heated by
means of some suitable heating substance, for instance, a spirit burner e. An opening
is provided in the end of the vessel d opposite to the mouth, which opening is kept
closed by means of a screw d¹ provided with a washer ring and serves as a filling
orifice for the water, the level of which at the highest must only reach up to
the inner opening of the socket (it is of course preferable to maintain the water
level not quite so high, but rather somewhat lower). The steam produced in the
vessel passes thus through the hollow roller trunnions direct into the roller b which is
to be heated. In this manner the latter is evenly heated everywhere, and the heating
may take place uninterruptedly whilst the roller device is in continuous work, whilst

page_text: in the roller devices previously employed the heating of the rollers had to take place
before use and could not be continued during their use, so that no continuous use
was possible, and, above all things, the heating devices in question guaranteed in no
way an entirely equal heating, as is necessary for the working manipulations and the
burnishing for producing a good even gloss or polish on the photographs, and as is
the case with the present invention as hereinafter shown.
In order to prevent any overheating of the roller owing to an unnoticed scarcity
of water in the vessel d whilst the flame or lamp is burning, or, in other words,
to render an explosion impossible, a safety valve v (Figure 3) is provided in the right
hand end of the roller trunnion 60 on its mouth, which safety valve, standing
under the pressure of a spring f, is mounted in a socket or bush b screwed in the
trunnion 6º. Over the valve disc which has its seat on the outside of the bush or
socket, a metal cap is placed, which has a downwardly directed pipe for
carrying off any escaping steam. The cap is held on the bush or socket b', or
rather on the grooved projecting edge or collar of the same, by means of a clamp
spring strained over the cap and engaging with its ends in the neck or grooved
flange or collar. It is evident that explosions and damage are entirely excluded by
means of this mode of construction.
It may also be mentioned that in the form of construction shown, the rollers
receive their rotation by means of a crank c engaging on the spindle a carrying the
roller a, the rotation being conveyed to the roller b by means of a pair of cog
An arrangement is also adopted by means of which the distance
between the rollers or their circumference may be regulated or varied according to
requirements by means of a screw s'acting on a spring curved piece 82 supporting
the trunnion supports 62 and supported by the bar s of the frame. Such details,
which may be arranged according to requirements, may be modified or omitted.
They have, however, nothing to do with the essential part of the invention, but are
merely dependent on taste and requirement.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.
Improvements in Burnishing Devices for Photographs.
A communication by The Firm of GEORG MEYER & Co. of Zurich in the Republic of
Switzerland.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in the County of Warwick
and 322 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 :-
This invention has for its object an improved roller device for burnishing
photographs and the like, that is, a so called steam burnishing machine, which has
the advantage over the burnishing machines hitherto employed that the rollers which
are to be heated are heated uninterruptedly and quite evenly throughout the
operation. The respective roller is formed of metal and is hollow in order to
enable it to be heated internally, the heating taking place by means of steam,
and the vessel for producing the steam being directly arranged in connection with

page_text: construction of this improved roller arrangement is shown;
Figure 1 being an elevation;
Figure 2, a vertical longitudinal section; and
Figure 3, a detail.
The roller arrangement has in the present case two rollers a and b, which are
revolubly mounted in a suitable frame G, and of which the one roller (a) consists of
a suitable inaterial, such, for instane, as caoutchoue, and is preferably solid, while
the other consists of metal and is hollow.
The trunnions 60, formed in one piece with the roller b, are also hollow so that
they may serve as steam pipes or passages. A vessel d is connected with one of
these trunnions (in the present case the left hand one) by means of a screwed
piece d², which is screwed, on the one hand, in the trunnion 60, and, on the other
hand, in a sheath or socket d° nounted in the mouth of the vessel d, a washer disc
being preferably inserted between the outer edges of the roller trunnions and of
the socket in the mouth of the vessel d. The vessel d serves for producing the
steam employed for heating the roller, for which object it is partially filled with
water and heated by means of some suitable heating substance, for instance, a spirit
burner e. An opening is provided in the end of the vessel d opposite to the mouth,
which opening is kept closed by means of a screw d¹ provided with a washer ring and
serves as a filling orifice for the water, the level of which at the highest must only
reach up to the inner opening of the socket (it is of course preferable to
maintain the water level not quite so high, but rather somewhat lower). The steam
produced in the vessel passes thus through the hollow roller trunnions direct into
the roller b which is to be heated. In this manner the latter is evenly heated
everywhere, and the heating may take place uninterruptedly whilst the roller device
is in continuous work, whilst in the roller devices previously employed the heating
of the rollers had to take place before use and could not be continued during their
use so that no continuous use was possible, and, above all things, the heating devices
in question guaranteed in no way an entirely equal heating, as is necessary for the
working manipulations and the burnishing for producing a good even gloss or polish
on the photographs, and as is the case with the present invention as hereinafter
shown.
In order to prevent any overheating of the roller owing to an unnoticed scarcity of
water in the vessel d whilst the flame or lamp is burning, or, in other words, to
render an explosion impossible, a safety valve v (Figure 3) is provided in the
right hand end of the roller trunnion 60 on its mouth, which safety valve,
standing under the pressure of a spring f, is mounted in a socket or bush b₁
screwed in the trunnion 6º. Over the valve disc which has its seat on the
outside of the bush or socket, a metal cap k is placed, which has a downwardly
directed piper for carrying off any escaping steam. The cap is held on the
bush or socket b¹, or rather on the grooved projecting edge or collar of the same,
by means of a clamp spring f strained over the cap and engaging with its ends in
the neck or grooved flange or collar. It is evident that explosions and damage are
entirely excluded by means of this mode of construction.
It may also be mentioned that in the form of construction shown, the rollers
receive their rotation by means of a crank c engaging on the spindle a carrying the
roller a, the rotation being conveyed to the roller b by means of a pair of
cog-wheels z 2. An arrangement is also adopted by means of which the distance
between the rollers or their circumference may be regulated or varied according to
requirements by means of a screw s' acting on a spring curved piece s² supporting
the trunnion supports 62 and supported by the bar 8 of the frame. Such details,
which may be arranged according to requirements, may be modified or omitted.
They have, however, nothing to do with the essential part of the invention, but are
merely dependent on taste and requirement,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what inanner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The improvement in burnishing devices for photographs, which consists in
forming one of the rollers hollow with a hollow journal to receive steam, and
providing a boiler directly on the said hollow journal to be carried thereby and to
turn therewith, said boiler being adapted to be heated by a spirit lamp or other
suitable means, substantially as herein before described.
2. In a device for burnishing photographs, a hollow roller having a hollow journal
at each end, a boiler connected directly with the one hollow journal to turn therewith,
and an automatic safety valve arranged in the other journal, substantially as and for
the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
3. In a device for burnishing photographs, the combination, with the steam heated
hollow roller, of a safety valve arranged in an axial bushing in a hollow journal at one
end of said roller, a cap over said bushing having an escape pipe, and means for
holding the cap to the bushing substantially as described.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.