Improvements in Apparatus to be used in connection with the Electro-deposition of Metals.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 7th Jan., 1899
Improvements in Apparatus to be used in connection with the
Electro-deposition of Metals.
I, FRED GREENFIELD, of No. 62, Byron Road, Small Heath, in the City of
Birmingham, Foreman of Electro-Plating and Polishing Departments,, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to apparatus to be employed for electro-plating purposes,
and principally in connection with the electro-deposition of metal upon articles
such as are capable of being threaded or strung upon, or suspended from, rods, bars
or equivalents.
The improved apparatus primarily consists of a barred or grating-like cage or
cylindrical or similar frame work, capable of being rotated, if necessary, about
axled or journalled ends, and immersed or partly immersed in the solution of an
electrolytic bath. The articles to be plated are threaded upon or suspended from
detachable bars or rods constituting the said cage-like frame, arranged around
and between the disc ends thereof and being in contact with a current collector
plate, mounted upon one of said discs and from which the current is conveyed
away through the axle to the bearing and thence to over-head supported hangers,
outwardly insulated from the electrolyte and in electrical connection with the
return current wire of the circuit.
The plating current passes from the anodes of the vat, through the solution to
the work which constitutes the cathode element. The current then leaves the
work and passes into the carrier rods whereon the said work is strung or mounted,
and from which it is collected by the end discs of the frame, and from the said
dises it passes away from the vat to the source of electricity. A continuous or
intermittent rotatory motion may be imparted to the carrier frame, and during
this movement, the pieces of work are free to turn upon the carrier rods as centres
of motion, but without the exterior surfaces of the different articles coming in
contact either with one another or with the carrier rods themselves, thus ensuring
metallic deposits of uniform thickness, throughout the whole surfaces, including
the edges, which is unattainable in cases where the articles are placed loose within
a rotating barrel.
The ends of the detachable carrier bars may lie in cross grooves on the peri-
pheries of the end discs of the frame, and the edge of the collector plate on the
face of one of the said discs, extends slightly above the bottoms of the said grooves,
so that the said ends of the detachable rods (when placed within the grooves, come
into electrical connection with the collector disc.
The removable or detachable carrier bars are kept in place within the grooves, and
into contact with the collector plate, by the contraction of endless sprung-on
rubber or elastic bands, but I do not confine myself to this arrangement, as the
said bars may be retained by clips carried by the collector plate and being insula-
ted, if necessary, on all parts excepting those in immediate contact with the bars,
or they may be retained or placed by hinged plates, or by other suitable means.

page_text: The journalled ends of the frame are carried in eyed bearing ends of hangers
suspended from the conductor rods directed across the top of the vat, whilst the
extending ends of the said axles are enclosed in caps of vulcanite or other non-
conductor, and the opposite non-conductor discs of the frame are connected to-
gether by one or more insulated shafts or axles. The work is either threaded upon
the bars or suspended therefrom, either directly or by hooks or clips.
The invention is particularly applicable to the electro deposition of copper and
nickel upon nuts, washers, cycle lamp brackets, mud-guard clips, head-clips,
bearing cups pedal parts and other cycle components of which large numbers require
to be plated at the same time, but is also applicable to the deposition of silver,
brass, tin and other metals upon various other articles.
The apparatus may be made in any size, and where the work to be plated is
heavy, or when the same is required to receive heavy deposits, then current collector
discs may be employed at each end of the barrel, and in cases where the holes in the
articles to be plated are of a large size, or more than an inch in diameter, then
they may be threaded upon carrier rods or bars made of wood or other non-con-
ducting material, having strips of metal placed upon or inserted into the said rods
(so as to ensure contact with the work) and leading to metallic end pivots adapted
to fit into the gaps in the ends of the framing and to form contacts with the col-
lector disc or discs.
Toted thin 10th d...
J
1000
FRED GREENFIELD,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus to be used in connection with the
Electro-deposition of Metals.
I, FRED GREENFIELD, of No. 62, Byron Road, Small Heath, in the City of
Birmingham, Foreman of Electro-Plating and Polishing Departments, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
-
This invention relates to apparatus to be employed for electro-plating purposes,
and principally in connection with the electro-deposition of metal upon articles
such as are capable of being threaded or strung upon, or suspended from, rods, bars
or the like.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents partly in section and partly
in elevation, one form of my improved apparatus, particularly designed for use in
connection with the electro-deposition of nickel upon small cycle component parts
and shown arranged in its position of use within an electrolytic vat.
Figure 2 is a cross section of a part of the said apparatus upon the dotted liner,
Figure 1.
Figure 3 is another cross section, taken upon the dotted line ¹.
Figure 4 is an elevation and Figure 5 an edge view of one of the insulated
hangers, by means of a pair of which the apparatus constituting my invention is
suspended within the vat
Figure represents an end elevation of a part of the said apparatus upon an
enlarged scale, and

page_text: Figure 7 represents a cross section of Figure 6 upon the dotted line ³, but also
showing one of the hanger brackets in connection with the apparatus.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
The improved apparatus as represented in the drawings, primarily consists of a
barred or grating-like cage or cylindrical or similar frame-work a, capable of being
rotated, if necessary, about its journalled ends a', and immersed or partly im-
mersed in the solution 6', of an electrolytic bath or vat b. The articles to be
plated are threaded upon or suspended from detachable bars or rods a³, forming the
longitudinal members of the cage-like frame and disposed around and between the
end and middle discs a³, a, of wood or other non-conducting material. These
rods are arranged in two series, each disposed between an outer or end disc a³,
and an inner or middle disc a, of the cage and the outer ends a³, of the rods of
each series are arranged to be in metallic contact with a current collector plate aº,
mounted upon the outer side of each of the outer wooden discs and from which the
current is conveyed away through the axle a (which is in the form of a metal
tube or rod directed from end end of the cage) to the bearings or journals a¹,
and thence to over-head supported metallic hangers or suspension brackets d, into
the lower and socket-like or eyed ends d', of which the journals a¹, of the frame
take, whilst the upper and preferably hooked ends d³, take over and are drawn by
means of a screw d³, around the current conductor rod e, arranged across the top
of the vet and from which the return current circuit wires f, connected by means
of screws e¹, proceeds to the dynamo or source of electrical energy. The body
part of the hangers are insulated from the electrolyte by being enclosed in a
wrapping of non-conducting material d, or by being coated with varnish or the
like. The journal ends a', of the axle a, are also insulated by means of slipped-on
wooden or like rings g, and detachable end caps g', which latter also serve as
means for retaining the eyed ends of the hangers upon the journals. The body of
the axle is also insulated from the electrolyte by being covered with a coating of
varnish or other resist, as also are the outer sides of the conductor plates.
The ends of the detachable carrier bars lie in cross sinkings or grooves a, in
the peripheries of the end and middle chises of the frame, and the edge a³, of the
collector plates on the outer faces of the end discs, extend slightly above the
bottoms of the said grooves, as best seen in Figures 6 and 7, so that the said ends
of the detachable rods (when placed within the grooves, come into perfect electrical
connection with the collector disc.
The removable or detachable carrier bars are kept in place within the grooves,
and into contact with the collector plate, by the contracting action of endless
sprung-on rubber or elastic bands h, but I do not confine myself to this arrange-
ment, as the said bars may be retained by clips carried by the
collector plate and being insulated, if necessary, on all parts excepting
those in immediate contact with the bars, or they may be retained or placed by
hinged plates, or by other suitable means.
The articles to be plated are either strung upon or suspended from the longitu-
dinal bar members of the frame. In the drawings a series of small component
parts, such as pedal plates ¹, hub bodies, pedal centres, locking rings 4,
nuts i, 6, and the like are shown so threaded upon the rods and in many cases, in
order to prevent contact of the articles under treatment, they are separated by
intervening blocks j, of wood or other material also strung upon the rods.
A rotary motion is imparted to the cage like frame and the work carried thereby
by means of a band k, passing round a middle part a³, of the cage between the two
inner discs and driven by means of a pulley m, on a countershaft m', arranged
above the vat.
The plating current passes from the anodes n, suspended within the vat, through
the solution to the work, which constitutes the cathode element. The current then
leaves the work and passes into the carrier rods whereon the said work is strung

page_text: or mounted, and from which it is collected by the end discs of the frame, and
from the said discs it passes to the axle ends a¹, and out of the vat to the return
current conductor by way of the insulated hanger brackets. During the time that
rotatory motion (which may be either continuous or intermittent) is being im-
parted to the carrier frame, the pieces of work are free to turn upon the carrier
rods as centres of motion, but without the exterior surfaces of the different articles
coming in contact either with one another or with the carrier rods themselves,
thus ensuring metallic deposits of uniform thickness, throughout the whole sur-
faces, including the edges, which is unattainable in cases where the articles are
placed loose within a rotating barrel.
Instead of the work being threaded upon the detachable bars, it may be sus-
pended therefrom by wiring or be attached by means of clips or hooks.
The invention is particularly applicable to the electro-deposition of copper and
nickel upon nuts, washers, cycle lamp brackets, mud-guard clips, head-clips, bear-
ing cups, pedal parts and other cycle components of which large numbers require to
be plated at the same time, but is also applicable to the deposition of silver, brass,
tin and other metals upon various other articles.
The apparatus may be made in any size, and instead of employing a current
conductor plate at each end of the cage as in the arrangement described, such a
plate may be provided at only one end thereof.
Further, in cases where the holes in the articles to be plated are of a large size,
or more than an inch in diameter, then they may be threaded upon carrier rods or
bars made of wood or other non-conducting material, having strips of metal placed
upon or inserted into the said rods (so as to ensure contact with the work) and
leading to metallic end pivots adapted to fit into the gaps in the ends of the
framing and to form contacts with the collector disc or discs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
First: A work carrier to be employed in connection with the electro-
deposition of metals of a rotatory or stationary frame or cage, suspended within
the electrolyte, and provided with a series of detachable rods, bars or wires, upon
or from which the articles to be plated are threaded or suspended, with the ends of
the said rods being in electrical connection with one or more metallic plates or
equivalent conductors carried by the said frame and from which the current passes
away to the return circuit wire, substantially as described and set forth.
Secondly Apparatus for the electro-deposition of metals consisting of a rotatory
frame or work carrier suspended in an electrolytic solution and having a series of
detachable rods, bars or wires upon or from which the articles to be plated are
threaded or suspended, with the ends of the said rods being in electrical contact
with one or more metallic conductor plates from which the current passes to the
end axes or journals of the frame and thence through insulated hanger brackets. to
the return circuit wire, substantially as described and set forth.
Dated thin 12th
7000
FRED GREENFIELD.
By Henry Skerrett,
24, Temple Row, Birmingham,
Agent for Applicant.