IMPROVEMENTS IN THE KNIVES USED FOR THE CYLINDERS AND BLOCKS OF RAG-CUTTING OR BEATING ENGINES, THE SAME ARRANGEMENT OF KNIVES BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CRUSHING OR BEATING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of John Gedge
and Son, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
KNIVES USED FOR THE CYLINDERS AND BLOCKS OF RAG-CUTTING OR BEATING
ENGINES, THE SAME ARRANGEMENT OF KNIVES BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE
CRUSHING OR BEATING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES."-A communication from
abroad by F. Meyer, Manufacturer, at Kaisersberg, Department of the
Haut Rhin, France.
Sealed the 17th June 1864, and dated the 22nd December 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd December 1863.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of
No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE KNIVES USED FOR THE CYLINDERS AND BLOCKS OF RAG-CUTTING OR BEATING
ENGINES, THE SAME ARRANGEMENT OF KNIVES BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE
CRUSHING OR BEATING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES," (a communication to me from
abroad by F. Meyer, Manufacturer, at Kaisersberg, Department of the Haut
Rhin, France,) to be as follows:-
The operation, which has for object to change the form of the original
material, namely rags, that is to say, to destroy fabrics, separate textile fibres,
clean and then mix them together so that they give one homogeneous whole,
is called rag-cutting or beating, the product being known as paper stuff and

page_text: according to the degree of trituration half stuff and pulp. The machine
which effects this work is called the cylinder engine, and is composed of the
following parts, sec Figure 1 and 2 of the annexed Drawing, forming part of
this Provisional Specification:-A, cylinder furnished with basiled blades or
knives of steel a; B, toothed wheel which gives motion to the cylinder; it is
set on the shaft C which traverses the cylinder and is fixed in the two
bearings D, which in their turn are fixed on two brackets cast with the sides
of the beating trough E. The beating trough E is divided lengthwise by a
partition G, the side which receives the cylinder A is furnished with two
inclined planes g, gf, f. In the mass of wood forming these inclined planes
is a quadrangular groove which receives the block or plate H composed of
steel knives or blades a, basiled and united by bolts. At n is a groove covered
by a hopper which permits sand, buttons, pins, and other foreign matters or
impurities to lodge in the groove. The cylinder A is covered by a casing or
cap. J. This casing carries four wooden frames, two of which K are furnished
with wire gauze which permits the escape of water but retains pulp; the other
two frames are not open, and serve when required to suspend the action of
the first. The water is received in the channels and runs out by the conduits
L. A tap placed near the beating trough serves to feed it with water, two-
tbirds filling it; this feeding is constant. It is between the knives of the block or
plate H and those of the cylinder A that the trituration of the rags is elfected;
the knives of the cylinder A in their movement form paddles which draw in
the space between them certain quantities of water and rags which submitted
to the centrifugal force developed by the rotation of the cylinder A are thrown
against the cap J and between the framings K which permit the water to pass
and retain the pulp. The paper stuff or pulp and the water submitted to the
action of the cylinder being drawn by a rotary motion, the level lowers in
front of the cylinder A and rises behind it. This difference of level forces
the paper stuff to descend the inclined plane 9, 9, and rise along the inclined
plane f, f, and it is at this moment that the mass of water and rags takes a
circular movement around the partition G and so passes again between the
block or plate and the cylinder. It is by this continuous motion of the water
and the rags that the pulp is eventually obtained. The water cbarged with
impurities issues continually by the conduits L and is constantly replaced by
means of the tap above-mentioned. As soon as the mass of rags is sufficiently
washed and triturated it is sent by the conduits M closed by a valve into
troughs where it drains.
Here ends the work of the machine, and 1 will now pass to the description
of the parts which form the subject of this Invention, which consists, firstly, in

page_text: a different arrangement of the steel blades or knives of the plate or block H,
(see Figure 3, or A of the Drawing); secondly, in a different arrangement
of the steel blades or knives of the cylinder A (see Figure 4 or B), and I
will first describe the knives of the plate or block H.
From time immemorial and to this day the block has been composed of
steel knives or blades of about half an inch thick united together by a belt
and solidly fixed by wooden wedges in a cast-iron box H termed the counter
block. The alterations or improvements which have been made in the shape
of these knives have never borne upon the basil given to them, which basiling
has hitherto been deemed indispensable, and it should also be remarked that
these knives or blades have always touched, and have never been separated
from each other by any foreign material.
Now the improvements, the subject of this Invention, bear upon the two
following points, namely, complete absence of basiling and separation of the
blades from each other by any sort of material. The knives of this Invention
are blades of steel of a little more than an inch in thickness, which thickness
may, however, vary with the nature and necessities of the work; they are with-
out basil and are separated from each other by a plate of suitable material
which may also vary in thickness with the nature and requirements of the
work. The form and arrangement of these knives is shewn Figuro 3 or A of
the annexed Drawing; a' blades of steel without basil, 6 plates of any suitablo
'material. The distance c between the top of the plate and the top of the
knives may vary at pleasure, and here again, according to the nature and
necessity of the work, the plates may be left level with the blades or notched.
The blades or knives and the plates are tied together by a bolt and fixed to
the counter block in the same way as under the old method. The entire
arrangement of knives is placed concentrically to the cylinder.
... Having now described this Invention in so far as it relates to the knives for
'the block, I will now pass to the description of the knives of the cylinder A,
-for which I adopt the same principle as for those of the block H, that is to
say, blades of 'steel not basiled; and separated from each other by plates of any
suitable material: As for the block H, the cylinder is composed of blades of
steel fixed in grooves made following the-radius in a centre or core of wood or
metal and placed at equal distances on the periphery of the cylinder and parallel
-to its axis; these blades are fixed in the grooves by wedges; further, there
are notches at their extremities as well as in the wood or metal. Thus all tho
blades are tied together and fixed to the metal or wooden cylinder. The
blades or knives for the cylinder are about half an inch thick and basiled, whereas.
those of this Invention are (as for the block) not-basiled and are separated

page_text: from each other by plates of variable thickness (the thickness of the knives
may vary at will according, to requirement). Figure 4 or B represents the
arrangement which I adopt for the shape of the knife. I take three blades of
steel a, a, a, (the number may vary,) placing between tho blades the plates
b.b, (as for the block,) the plates may be notched or left level with the blades.
The set being complete the blades are fixed and placed in the same manner
as under the old method, leaving between them the same distance as for the
ordinary knives.
It will be understood that I claim the use of this improved arrangement
of knives to crush any sort of material, that is to say, animal, vegetable, or
mineral substances; also that I reserve the right of making theso improved
knives work in any manner, either vertically or horizontally.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of No. 11, Wellington
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
.Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
'unto me, the said William Edward Gedge, Her special licence that I, the
said William Edward Gedge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Edward Gedge, my exccutors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from timo
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 THE KNIVES USED FOR THE CYLINDERS
AND BLOCKS OF RAG-CUTTING OR BEATING ENGINES, THE SAME ARRANGEMENT OF
KNIVES BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CRUSHING OR BEATING OF OTHER SUB-
STANCES," a communication to him from abroad by F. Meyer, Manufacturer, at
Kaisersberg, Department of the Haut Rhin, France, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Gedge, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their

page_text: 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 Edward Gedge, do hereby
declaro 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 Sheet of Drawing hereunto
annexed, and forming part of this Specification, and to the figures and letters
of reference placed thereon.
"
It is well known that to make paper from rags it is necessary to destroy the
fabric, separate its textile fibres, mix them together so that they form one
homogenous whole, and finally obtain from them a pulp more or less fine.
The machine which effects this work is called the cylinder. engine, and is
composed of the parts shewn, Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed Drawing. ."
A, cylinder, furnished with basiled or bevel edged steel blades or knives ;
B, toothed wheel, which gives motion to the cylinder, it is set on the shaft C
which traverses the cylinder, and is fixed in the two bearings D, which in
their turn are fixed on two brackets cast with the sides of the beating trough
E. The beating trough E is divided lengthwise by a partition G, the side
which receives the cylinder A is furnished with two inclined planes g. 9, ff.
In the mass of wood forming these inclined planes is a quadrangular groove
which receives the block or plate H composed of steel knives or blades basiled
and united by bolts. At the point N, a groove covered by a hopper permits
sand, buttons, pins, and other foreign matters or impurities to lodge. The
cylinder A is covered by a casing or cap J. This casing carries four wooden
frames, two of which .K are furnished with wire gauze, which permits the
escape of water but retains pulp; the other two frames K' are not open, and
serve when required to suspend the action of the first. The water is received -
in.the channels K, and runs out by the conduits L. A tap placed near the
beating trough serves to feed it with water, two-thirds filling it; this feeding
is constant: It is between the knives of the block or. plate II and those of
the cylinders A that the trituration of the rags is effected. The knives of the
cylinder A form paddles, in their movement they draw into the space between
them a certain quantity of water and rags, which, submitted to the centrifugal
force developed by the rotation of the cylinder A, are thrown..against the
J and between the framing K, which permit the water to pass. and retain
the pulp.. The paper stuff or pulp and the water submitted to the action of
the cylinder are drawn by a rotary motion; the level lowers in front of the
cap

page_text: cylinder A and rises behind it. This difference of level forces the paper stuff"
to descend the inclined plane 9, 9, and rise along the inclined plane f, f, and it
is at this moment that the mass of water and rags takes a circular movement
around the partition G, and so passos again between the block or plate and
the cylinder. It is by this continuous motion of the water and the rags that
the pulp is eventually obtained. The water charged with impurities issues
continually by the conduits L, and is constantly replaced by means of the tap
.above mentioned. As soon as the mass of rags is sufficiently washed and
triturated, it is sent by the conduits M, closed by a valve, into troughs, where
it drains.
Having given an indication of the working of the machine, I will give a
complete description of the parts forming the subject of this Invention, and
for which claim is made, the improvements bearing principally on two parts
of the machine. Firstly, in a different arrangement of the steel blades or
knives of the plato or block H, Figure 3; secondly, in a different arrange-
ment of the steel blades or knives of the cylinder A, Figure 4.
From time immemorial and to this day the block has been composed of
steel knives or blades of about half an inch thick united together by a bolt,
and solidly fixed by wooden wedges in a cast-iron box H termed the counter
block. The alterations or improvements which have been made in the shape
of these knives have never borne upon the basil or bevel edge given to them,
which basiling has hitherto been indispensable, and it should also be remarked
that these knives or blades have always touched, and have never been sepa-
rated from each other by any foreign material.
Now, the improvements the subject of this Invention bear upon the two
following points, namely, complete absence of basiling, and separation of the
blades from each other by material of some description. These improvements
consist in the suppression of the.basil or bevel edge of the blades, and in sepa-
rating them from each other by suitable material; and these improvements
further permit great reduction in the thickness of the blades. Lastly, the
blades need not necessarily be of steel, but of bronzo and of various alloys,
according to the work to be done. The new blades are indicated at Figure 3
by the letters a, a, a, their thickness varies according to the nature and the
necessities of the work. They may be only two-fifths of an inch thick, and even
less, and are not basiled or bevel edged. As may be seen, they are separated
.by a plate of some material, which plate may also vary in thickness according
to requirement; these plates are indicated by b, b, b, b. The distance between
the top of the plate and the top of the knives may vary with the nature and
necessities of the work, and the plates may be left level with the blades, or be

page_text: notched at will. The blades or knives and the plates are united by bolts and
fixed to the counter block, as in the old method. The entire arrangement of
knives is placed concentrically to the cylinder. Various materials may be
used to separate the blades, and their application will be regulated by their
nature, which may be mineral, vegetable, or animal, and be employed in a
solid or a liquid state according to circumstances. Thus the consolidation of
the blades is effected either by bolts, rings, or otherwise. The material which
the Inventor prefers is an alloy of lead, zinc, copper, and brass, which is
reduced by heat to a liquid state, and then poured all round between the
blades, which if of steel are previously tinned or galvanized. It is evident
that by operating thus the blades and the material which separates them are
formed into a solid block, consequently the blades cannot vibrate, and the
working will have acquired an unhoped for regularity.
I wish it to be understood that I expressly claim the exclusive use, for the
purposes of this Invention, of the alloy above mentioned, even when formed of
two or three only of said metals, and also the use of (one only of) the said
metals, according to circumstances and requirement. It will be understood
that the knives may act either vertically or horizontally. To sum up, the
new blades permit new combinations, as well for their consolidation as for
their working, and of these I claim the exclusive use. The principal advan-
tages of this new method are the following:-
Firstly, the counter block once armed with knives is no longer taken to
pieces, and lasts until these latter are worn out, therefore the working is more
regular, and a saving is effected in the expence of the apparatus. To give an
idea of this economy it should be remembered that under the old method the
knives must be dismounted every month to re-basil or bevel edge them, which
is a long, difficult, and costly operation.
Secondly, the revivification or re-cutting of the knives produces an edge
which weakens the rag, causes greater waste, and gives a dry pulp; whereas
the knives of this Invention draw out the pulp, render it fat, and permit the
manufacture of an excellent paper.
Thirdly, under the old method the pulp should be made in two or three
hours, and very often was not made in nine or ten; whereas by this system
the pulp is, on the contrary, always made in the same time.
The above is a description of these improvements in the blades or knives of
the counter block. For tho cylinder blades or knives I use the same pro-
cesses, that is to say, I uso steel blades not basiled (without bevel edge) and
separated from each other by plates of any material I find most suitable.
As for the counter block H, the cylinder A is composed of steel blades fixed

page_text: in grooves, made following the radius in a centre or core of wood or metal, and
placed at equal distances on the periphery of the cylinder, and parallel to its
axis. These blades are fixed. in the grooves by 'wedges, further at their ends
are left notches, as well as in the wood or metal, so as to leave an annular
space, which is filled by a strong boop. Thus all the blades are tied together
and fixed to the wooden or metal cylinder, see Figure 4. In the old method
the knives of the cylinder are about half an inch thick, and one basiled or
bevel edged; whereas those of this Invention are, as for the block, usually of
less diameter, are not basiled or bevel edged, and are separated from cach
other by plates of variable thickness.
Figure 4 shows the arrangement of a knife according to this Invention.
a', a', a', three steel blades (the number may vary with the nature of the
work); b, b, plates placed between the blades, as in the case of the counter
block; the plates may be notched or grooved, or left level with the blades.
The set being complete the blades are fixed and placed in the same manner
es under the old method, the same distance being left between them as
between the ordinary knives. In the cylinders, as in the counter blocks, I
use various materials to separate the knives, notably the alloy, to which I
give the preference, and which has been indicated. I also tin or galvanize
the blades. It is needless to demonstrate that over and above all the advan-
tages of cylinders thus composed, which are no other than those of the counter
blocks already set forth, they may like them be dismounted and replaced by
an ordinary workman. In the cylinders, as in the counter blocks, I re-
serve the right to cause the knives to act either vertically or horizontally,
and I would repeat that I use not only steel blades, but also blades of
bronze and metals and alloys to suit particular cases and requirements. As
the method above described may be used to crush all animal, vegetable, and
mineral substances, I wish it to be understood that I claim the exclusive
right to every application of which it is susceptible.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
W. E. GEDGE. (L.S.)