IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PAINTING VENETIAN BLINDS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Donald Munro and Thomas Wright, both of Glasgow,
in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Venetian Blind Manufacturer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PAINTING VENETIAN
BLINDS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Sealed the 18th July 1865, and dated the 20th January 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Donald Munro and Thomas
Wright, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th January 1865.
We, DONALD MUNRO and THOMAS WRIGHT, both of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Venetian Blind Manufacturers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PAINTING
VENETIAN BLINDS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention of improvements in apparatus for painting venetian blinds
and similar articles has for its objects to simplify the construction and improvė
the action of such apparatus. The improved apparatus is constructed with a

page_text: revolving first-motion shaft to be driven by hand or otherwise, and from this
shaft motion is communicated, by preference by cords, to four revolving
brushes arranged in pairs on vertical spindles. One pair of revolving brushes
apply the paint to the venetian blind lathe, and the other pair of brushes
smooth down the paint and remove what is superfluous, the lathe being passed
through horizontally on edge between them, and being fed by hand or other-
wise, by preference in the opposite direction to the surface motion of the
brushes. An important part of the arrangement is the mechanism for feeding
the brushes with the paint, and this consists of a transverse horizontal spindle
fitted with two discs revolving with their upper parts against the outsides of
the revolving brushes whilst their lower parts are immersed in troughs
supplied with the paint. Adjustable stationary scrapers are provided for the
brushes to revolve against to remove superfluous paint, and similar scrapers
are applied to the other pair of brushes to remove from them the paint they
take off the lathes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Donald Munro and Thomas Wright, in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 19th July 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DONALD
MUNRO and THOMAS WRIGHT, both of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Venetian Blind Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Donald Munro and Thomas Wright, Her special licence that we,
the said Donald Munro and Thomas Wright, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Donald Munro and Thomas Wright,
our 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 APPARATUS
FOR PAINTING VENETIAN BLINDS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES," upon the condition

page_text: (amongst others) that we, the said Donald Munro and Thomas Wright, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said Donald Munro and Thomas Wright,
do. hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is.to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement in writing, reference. being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :-
.
Our said Invention of improvements in apparatus for painting venetian
blinds and similar articles has for its objects to simplify the construction and
improve the action of such apparatus. And in order that our said Invention
and the manner of performing the same may be properly understood we have
hereunto appended a Sheet of explanatory Drawings to be herein-after
referred to and representing a modification of the apparatus as fitted with our
improvements.
Figure 1 is a plan of the apparatus, and Figure 2 is a side elevation, whilst
Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section. The apparatus may be constructed
with either a wooden or cast-iron framing, being in the Drawing represented:
with a wooden one, 1, and it is also shown mounted on a carriage, 2, set on
wheels, 3, for being conveniently moved about in the workshop, but this is not
essential. A first-motion shaft, 4, is mounted horizontally in bearings attached.
to the framing and is fitted with a fly wheel, 5, and with a handle, 6, to be
driven by hand, but it might if preferred be driven by power. On the shaft 4,
is fixed a double pulley, 7, and a cord, 8, from one part of this pulley.
passes over guide pulleys, 9, to drive a pulley, 10, on a vertical spindle, 11.
There are four revolving brushes, 12, 13, 14, 15, one of them being on the
spindle,. 11, of the directly driven pulley, 10, whilst the others are on similar
vertical spindles which have fast on them pulleys, 16, 17, 18, driven by a cord
19, from the pulley 10. The spindles are mounted in top and footstep
bearings in bars 20, fixed to the framing, and the brushes are arranged in
pairs, one pair, 12, 13, being for applying the paint to the venetian blind
lathe, 21, whilst the other pair 14, 15, smooth down the paint and remove
what is superfluous. The lathe, 21, is passed horizontally through on its edge
by hand, by preference in the opposite direction to the surface motion of the

page_text: brushes as indicated in the Drawing by the arrows. An important part of our
improved arrangement is the mechanism for feeding the revolving brushes,
12, 13, 14, 15, with paint, and this consists of a transverse horizontal spindle,
22, working in bearings on the framing and fitted with two discs, 23, 24,
which revolve with their upper parts against the outsides of the revolving
brushes, whilst their lower parts are immersed in troughs, 25, 26, supplied
with the paint. In Figure 2, one, 26, of the troughs is supposed to be.
removed to show better the parts it would hide. A pulley, 27, is fixed
on the end of the disc spindle, 22, and it is driven by a cord, 28, from
the double pulley, 7, on the first motion shaft, 4. With this feeding
mechanism the running of the paint down the sides of the brushes, 12, 13, by
gravitation is compensated for by the greater supply given to their upper
parts, which are fed by the larger areas of the outer parts of the discs, 23, 24,
and in consequence of this the paint is applied to the lathe in a uniform
manner and equally on both sides. Adjustable stationary scrapers, 29, are
provided for the several brushes to revolve against, being fixed to the bars 20,
and two of these scrapers remove the superfluous paint from the applying
brushes 12, 13, and thereby regulate the supply to the lathe whilst the other
two scrapers remove from the finishing brushes 14, 15, the paint they take off
the lathe. The paint thus removed by the scrapers 29, runs down them upon
a board 30, which forms part of the framing and separates the brushes from
their driving pulleys below; and the board 30, being made with grooves or
channels for the purpose the paint runs off it back into the feeding troughs
23, 24. The brushes are enclosed by side plates 31, and by end boards 32,
in which last there are slits for the lathe 21, to pass through. There is also
an internal partition 33, between the two pairs of brushes, close to which
partition there is a guide 34, for the lathe, whilst to prevent the paint from
being projected irregularly on the lathe before it enters between the brushes
12, 13, curved sheet metal shields 35 are fitted in front of these brushes.
Finally, movable covers are by preference used to cover in the troughs and
the tops of the brushes to keep out dust, but these are not shown in the
Drawing.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner. in
which the same is or may be performed, we have to state that we do not
restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or delineated, but
that what we believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
arranging and combining together of the parts of apparatus for painting

page_text: venetian blinds and similar articles substantially in the improved manner
herein described and delineated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Wright, on behalf of the said
Donald Munro and myself, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Eighteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five.
THOMAS WRIGHT. (L.S.)