A NEW OR IMPROVED PORTABLE WASHING MACHINE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ballantine, of the City and County of Edinburgh,
North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED PORTABLE
WASHING MACHINE"
Sealed the 27th February 1880; and dated the 11th September 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ballantine at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th September 1879.
JOHN BALLANTINE, of the City and County of Edinburgh, North Britain,
Engineer. "A NEW OR IMPROVED PORTABLE WASHING MACHINE."
This said Invention has reference to improvements upon the light class of
portable hand-board washing machine formed with ridges and recesses, or corru-
gated transversely across the board, commonly laid at an angle in the washing tub
or trough, the clothes being rubbed by the hands of the washer over the corrugated
upper surface of the board; and the nature and novelty of the Invention or
improved machine consists as follows:-In forming or fitting another loose rubbing
board on the top of the one like the usual under board, this upper board having
ridges and grooves or corrugated on its under side next the corrugated surface of
the under board so as to have the clothes rubbed and washed between them by the
said double corrugated surfaces, and the reciprocatory motion of the upper board by
a handle or handles for the purpose, grasped and reciprocated by the hands of the
person washing; or it might be by suitable cords or other equivalent and a stirrup
or treddle and the foot of the person washing, and who would place the clothes
between the boards from time to time and turn and spread them. The upper
board would be hinged or otherwise jointed and guided on the under board at the
back edges or ends by guide grooves in or flanged sides on the under board and
guide studs or brackets and anti-friction rollers, so as to slide evenly in position
over the under board and open freely up at the front end for the insertion and
removal of the clothes in the process of washing after they have been rubbed
between the boards as described, and pressing down the back of the upper board
by the act of pushing it forward. A further improvement consists in attaching
Prins B77

page_text: india-rubber springs at the edges or below the under board to the back end of the
upper board and the front end of the under stationary board to bring back the
upper moveable board every time it was pushed forward by the person washing.
And it will be understood that the corrugations might be formed by hard wood on
the surface of the boards, or by sheet metal angled or corrugated before mounting
on the board, or by corrugated roughened sheets of hard or well vulcanized india
rubber or its compounds used for other purposes, as ebonite or vulcanite, or even a
layer of some forms of matting might answer as an equivalent for the corrugated
surfaces. This simple new or improved portable washing machine it will be
observed is susceptible of various modifications, the essential or main feature of the
Invention being the application and use of a reciprocating upper corrugated board
actuated in one direction by a spring or springs over the stationary under board.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by.
the said John Ballantine in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th February
1880.
JOHN BALLANTINE, of the City and County of Edinburgh, North Britain,
Engineer. "A NEW OR IMPROVED PORTABLE WASHING MACHINE."
My said Invention has reference to improvements upon the light class of portable
hand board washing machines formed with ridges and recesses (or corrugated)
transversely across the board, commonly laid at an angle in the washing tub or .
trough, the clothes being heretofore rubbed by the hands of the washer on the
corrugated upper surface of the board; and the Invention or improved machine in
its various modifications consists mainly in forming or fitting another loose corru-
gated rubbing board to slide on the top of the one like the usual under board and
attaching this upper rubbing board to the lower one by a vulcanised india rubber
or metallic spring or springs to bring back the upper moveable board every time it
is pushed forward in washing. And in order that my said Invention, and the
manner in which it is to be performed or put into effect or practice may be properly
understood, a Sheet of explanatory Drawings is hereunto appended for that pur-
pose, in which the same reference letters are used to indicate the same or like parts
wherever they are marked.
Figure 1 of these Drawings is a side elevation, Figure 2 is a vertical section, and
Figure 3 is a plan of one modification of my improved washing machine, which
consists of an under board A, preferably made of hard wood, formed with ridges a
and recesses a¹, or corrugations, and attached to a pair of long side frames or legs A'
for resting in the tub, all so far much in the same manner. as an ordinary portable
washing board is constructed. To this board A a new similarly formed and corru-
gated upper moveable board B, of about the same size and fixed 'to side bars or
frames B, is attached at one end by means of thin metal straps C fitting loosely
round and made capable of sliding one on each of the legs A¹ of the lower board A,
and jointed by pins or studs c¹ to inner projecting lugs or brackets D, D', formed
on or fixed to the back end of the upper board B, B¹. This upper board B has the
ridges b and grooves b¹ or corrugations formed on its under side next the corrugated
surface of the under board A so as to have the clothes rubbed and washed by
raising the upper board to the position shown dotted in Figure 1, and inserting the
clothes between them to be rubbed by the said corrugated surfaces and the recipro-
catory motion of the upper board by a handle or handle rail B formed on it for the
purpose, to be grasped and reciprocated by the hands of the person washing. Or it
might be by suitable cords or other equivalent and a stirrup or treddle and the foot
of the person washing, and who would place the clothes between the boards from
time to time and turn and spread them. The upper board B is guided in its
reciprocatory motion over the lower board A partly by the inner projections D but
essentially by a pair of flat guide boards or brackets D secured to the side frames of
the upper board B, B', and extending down the full depth or thickness of the under
board A to bear against the sides of the latter or the sides of its supporting legs A'
so as to slide evenly in position over the under board A and open freely up on the
centres c, c, at the front end for the insertion and removal of the clothes in the
process of washing after they have been rubbed between the boards as described,
and pressing down the back of the upper board by the act of pushing it forward.
An india rubber spring in the form of a ring or band E, in this machine, for the
purpose of bringing back the upper or moveable board B every time it is pushed
down by the person washing, is attached to the back of the lower stationary
board A by being passed round a large wooden or metal pin or stud e fixed cen-
trally near the outer or front end of this board A, and held stretched out by hooks

page_text: or eyes formed on a pair of rods or wires F extending from near the centre of the
board A backwards to the sides, and being connected to the inner ends of the studs
or pins c on the guide C to which the upper board B is jointed, the spring E and
wires F being covered in for protection by a thin backing or board A" extending
across and fixed to the sides of the board A¹.
Figure 4 on the Drawings is a sectional elevation and Figure 5 is a plan of a
slightly different modification of the improved portable washing machine, in which
the upper corrugated board B reciprocates over the lower board A and is guided in
its motion by longitudinal grooves H cut in the outer edge of the legs or frame A¹
of the lower board, into which small rollers h on pins or studs h¹ fitted to the side
guide boards or brackets D of the upper reciprocating board B run freely and also
form the hinge or joint between the boards. A transverse bar or rod attached to
the guide brackets D at the back end of the upper board B passes across below the
framing of the board to form a stay for them, and has a pair of wires or rods F
running longitudinally towards the front end, where they are hooked at f into the
eyes of a pair of door springs E attached to the lower stationary board A close to
the front end, these springs E and rods F being covered in by a back board A", as
in the former example.
Figure 6 is a side elevation, Figure 7 is a vertical section, and Figure 8 is a plan
of a modification of the improved machine, in which flange pieces A³ are attached
to the frame or legs A¹ of the under board, and have longitudinal grooves H cut in
the inner edge or side of them for the guide rollers h in the back end of the upper
board to run in. At the middle part of the upper board an overhanging bracket D'
is fixed, to which a longitudinal bar or a strip of leather F is attached, passing
below the under board A towards the front, close to a second strip F' attached to
the lower board A, returning to the back, and round both of which a wire spring E¹
is coiled and is held by the turned up or hooked ends of these strips F, F¹, at f¹, so
as to be compressed when the upper reciprocating board B is pushed forward and
spring back when it is relieved.
Figure 9 is a side elevation of another modification in which the top recipro-
cating board B, B¹, is guided in longitudinal grooves H in the outer sides or edges
of the lower board frame A, A¹, nearly the whole length of it, in which the guide
rollers or pins h of the upper board B, B', also form the hinge joint between the
boards, and to these pins or studs h¹ a wire or rod F on each side of the board is
attached, connected at their front ends to door springs E fitted to the lower board
in the longitudinal grooves H for protection. In this example the upper recipro-
cating board B is slightly arched or curved upwards at the centre so as to admit of
large articles being more readily grasped between the rubbing surfaces of the
boards A, B, when washing them.
Figure 10 is a vertical section and Figure 11 is a plan of a modification in which
the frame or legs A¹ of the lower stationary board A have narrow slots H¹ cut in
them, through which a thin cross bar I¹ passes and is jointed outside the legs A¹ to
the side brackets D of the upper reciprocating board B, B¹. To the centre of the
cross bar I¹ a cord F2 is attached, passing round a pair of guide pulleys J, J¹, to the
front end of the machine and fixed to the end of a long blade spring El held in a
socket E2 at the back end of the lower board B.
Figure 12 is a side elevation and Figure 13 is a plan of a simple modification of
the machine, the top board B, B¹, of which is attached to the lower board A, A¹, by
means of an ordinary rubber door spring E on each side of their frames, the eyes e
of which are hooked to pins in each frame. The upper board B is reciprocated
freely by the bar B² near the centre and is guided by the side brackets D at the
lower ends, but in this case these guides may be dispensed with, and the upper
board B is also arched to take in larger articles, as in the modification shown in
Figure 9. For the purpose of keeping the machine steady in the tub a transverse
bar or stop A is fitted on the back of the lower board A, A', to bear against the
upper edge of the tub, and this bar may be shifted to suit different sizes of tubs, or

page_text: a light metal plate A³ may be attached to each side frame A', running longitudinally
and formed with ratchet teeth on the lower or outer side, as shown in Figure 4, to
catch on the upper edge of the tub.
Although the upper reciprocating board or rubber B, B¹, in all the modifications
of this improved portable washing machine has been described and shown as
actuated in one direction by a spring or springs it will be obvious that these springs
may be dispensed with and the upper board reciprocated in both directions by
hand, though not with the same facility and advantage as when a spring or springs
are employed; and it will be understood that the reciprocating board may be
actuated by springs in the reverse direction to that shown on the Drawings when
desired.
The corrugations a, a, b, b², on the reciprocating boards might be formed of hard
wood in the surface of the boards, or by sheet metal angled or corrugated before
mounting on the board, or by corrugated roughened sheets of hard or well vulcanized
india-rubber or its compounds used for other purposes, as ebonite or vulcanite, or
even a layer of some forms of matting might answer as an equivalent for the corru-
gated surfaces. The corrugated surfaces may be attached to the frame in various
ways; they may be screwed to wooden bars or held in a wooden frame by grooves,
or the frame may be of some light metal, or the bottom frame of wood and the
upper of metal.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in which
the same is or may be performed, I desire it to be understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but what I consider to
be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The general construction of the several arrangements of portable hand
washing machines, having an ordinary corrugated under stationary board and an
upper reciprocating board or rubber B, B¹, actuated in one direction by the operator
and in the other by a spring or springs E, substantially as herein described and
distinguished in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any
mere modification thereof.
Second. The construction of ordinary portable hand washing boards or machines
with an upper reciprocating corrugated rubbing board B, B', either with or without
actuating spring E, substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in
the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
Third. The construction and application or use of an india rubber or other spring
or springs E for the actuating of an upper corrugated board or other rubber B, B,
in portable board washers or washing machines, substantially as herein described in
reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any inere modification
thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ballantine, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
JOHN BALLANTINE. (L.S.)