Improvements in Apparatus for Coating Metal Articles by Electro Deposition.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Coating Metal Articles by Electro
Deposition.
We, JOHN THORNTON and THOMAS RICHARD CANNING, trading as W. Canning & Co.,
of 136 and 137, Great Hampton Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for the electro-deposition of inetals upon metal
articles and to that class of such apparatus wherein a rotary drum, barrel or the like is
made use of for receiving the articles to be plated and causing them to be moved one
against the other and to be thereby burnished during the electrolytic process.
Hitherto in such apparatus it has been usual to make use of the axle carrying the
drum as the conductor for conveying the current from the cathode (formed by the
articles to be plated within the drum) back to the source of electricity; owing, how-
ever, to the fact that the electrolytic liquid frequently came more or less into contact
with the said axle the current frequently passed wholly or partially from the anode
to the said axle without passing through the cathode; and furthermore diffi-
culties have been experienced in providing for readily removing the drums from the
electrolytic baths. The object of this invention is to overcome these difficulties and
to this end it comprises the improvements hereinafter described.
According to the said invention the drum, which is preferably made of wood, per-
forated, has at the ends trunnions or journals of wood or other non-conducting material
and is mounted in hearings on the tank or in a special frame in such a manner that
the axis of the drum is at a short distance above the level of the liquid in the said
tank. Through one of the said journals is formed an axial hole into which is fitted a
metal conducting bar the inner end of which has in electrical connection with it metal
plates and strips extending around the inner surface of the drum or box in such a
manner that whatever may be the position of the said drum the articles lying at the
bottom of the same will be in electrical connection with the axial conducting bar.
The outer end of the said axial conducting bar projects beyond the journal and has
bearing upon it the free end of a pivoted contact piece the pivot pin of which carries a
binding screw or clamp for one of the electric cables or conductors. This pivoted contact
piece is mounted upon the tank or the framing carrying the drum and has arranged
adjacent to it a pivoted weight which normally presses against the free end of the
pivoted contact piece for holding it in tight contact with the axial conducting bar.
With this construction it will be understood that the axial conducting bar being
out of contact with the liquid the electric current cannot reach the same without
passing through the conducting strips and plates within the drum.
It will be also understood that by throwing back the pivoted contact pieces the drum
can be readily lifted out of its bearings for emptying it and if desired a fresh drum
may be put in its place.

page_text: In some cases axial conducting bars and pivoted contact pieces can be arranged in
connection with both ends of the drum.
Dated the 8th day of October 1898.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Apparatus for Coating Metal Articles by Electro
Deposition.
We, JOHN THORNTON and THOMAS RICHARD CANNING, trading as W. Canning
& Co., of 136 & 137, Great Hampton Street, Birmingham, in the County of War-
wick, Manufacturers, do hereby declare 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 :—
.
This invention relates to apparatus for the electro-deposition of metals upon metal
articles and to that class of such apparatus wherein a rotary drum, barrel or the like
is made use of for receiving the articles to be plated and causing them to be moved
one against the other and to be thereby burnished during the electrolytic
process.
Hitherto in such apparatus it has been usual to make use of the axle carrying the
drum as the conductor for conveying the current from the cathode formed by the
articles to be plated within the drum back to the source of electricity; owing, how-
ever, to the fact that the electrolytic liquid frequently came more or less into con-
tact with the said axle the current frequently passed wholly or partially from the
anode to the said axle without passing through the cathode; and furthermore diffi-
culties have been experienced in providing for readily removing the drums from the
electrolytic baths. The object of this invention is to overcome these difficulties and
to this end it comprises the improvements hereinafter described.
According to the said invention the drum, which is preferably made of wood, per-
forated, has at the ends trunnions or journals of wood or other non conducting
material and is mounted in bearings on the tank or in a special frame in such a
manner that the axis of the drum is at a short distance above the level of the liquid
in the said tank. Through one of the said journals is formed an axial hole into
which is fitted a metal conducting bar the inner end of which has in electrical con-
nection with it metal plates, strips or rods extending around or along the inner sur-
face of the drum or box in such a manner that whatever may be the position of the
said drum the articles lying at the bottom of the same will be in electrical connection
with the axial conducting bar. The outer end of the said axial conducting bar
projects beyond the journal and has bearing upon it a free end of a pivoted contact
piece.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of apparatus provided with our improvements:
Figure 2 is an end view of the same; and
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.
a is a barrel for receiving the articles to be plated, the said barrel, as shewn, being
of hexagonal shape in transverse section and being preferably made of wood in which
are formed a series of holes or perforations b, b. At its ends the barrel is provided
with trunnions or journals c, c¹ also of wood or other non conducting material, the
said journals, as shewn, being screwed into the ends of the barrel a. One side of the

page_text: said barrel (or more than one side if desired) is made removable for permitting of
the introduction and removal of the articles under treatment, the said side in the
drawing being represented as being fixed in position by screws d, d.
c¹ can
e, el are brackets or pedestals provided with bearings in which the journals c,
rotate, blocks f, f sliding in suitable guides being arranged to press upon the journals
in order to hold them down in the bearings. These brackets or pedestals are mounted
in a tank in such a manner that when the tank is filled to the required level the
liquid will be below the axis of the said barrel. h is a conducting bar which as shewn
passes through an axial hole in the journal c' and which has in electrical connection
with it a metal plate i from which conducting strips j, j extend around the inner
surface of the drum or barrel to a plate i¹, the said plates i, i¹ and strips j being so
arranged that whatever may be the position of the barrel the articles lying at the
bottom of the same will be in electrical connection with the axial conducting bar h.
k is the portion of the said axial conducting bar which projects beyond the journal c¹,
and is the pivoted contact piece mounted upon the pivoted pin m and at its free end
adapted to bear upon the projecting part of the conducting bar h. The said contact
piece is connected with the cable through the binding screw n¹ and the conducting
strip n², a spring o is arranged in connection with the said contact piece for normally
holding the latter in electrical contact with the said projecting end k.
With this construction it will be understood that the axial conducting 'bar
being above and out of contact with the liquid in the tank the current entering
the bath cannot reach the conducting bar without passing through the conducting
strips and plates within the barrel.
It will also be understood that by throwing back the pivoted contact piece / the
barrel can be lifted out of its bearings for emptying and again charging, or for
replacing it by a fresh barrel.
Although in the drawing we have only represented an axial conducting bar has
being arranged in conjunction with the conducting bar it will be obvious that a
similar conducting bar can be arranged within the journal c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. In apparatus for coating metal articles by electro deposition a drum, barrel or the
like mounted in suitable bearings in an electrolytic tank, in such a manner that the said
drum, barrel or the like will be immersed in the electrolyte for less than half its
diameter, a conducting bar projecting through the journal or journals of the said
drum so as to be out of contact with the liquid in the tank and being in connection
with metallic plates, strips or rods within the tank and with a brush or contact piece,
substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
2. In apparatus for coating metal articles by electro deposition, the combination
with a drum mounted in insulated bearings of means for conveying the current
through the said bearings and above the level of the liquid in the tank, substantially
as described.
3. Apparatus for coating metal articles by electro deposition constructed and
arranged substantially in the manner herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.