GB2069829A - Brush holder - Google Patents

Abstract

A brush holder for the cleaning and storage of paint and like brushes comprises a container for solvent into which the bristles of the brushes depend, and a rack disposed above the container which supports the brushes so that they depend into the container and the bristles of the brushes are not deformed during cleaning and storage. The rack (3) is made from plastic or paint-coated wire and comprises substantially horizontal cross members (9, 10) to which are transversely fixed arms (11) which define brush locating recesses (22, 23). The brush locating recesses may be disposed in rows at different levels above the container (1), thereby accommodating brushes (4) of differing lengths, and may vary in width. The rack is supported by legs (8) and the legs, the rack and the container may be of integral construction. The outer ends (16) of the arms of the rack are preferably upturned to prevent unintentional disengagement of the brushes from the rack. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Brush holder This invention relates to a brush holder for supporting one or more paint or like brushes in a liquid solvent when the brushes are not in use.

As is well known, unless paint brushes are thoroughly cleaned after use to remove all traces of paint from the bristles, the bristles, or some of them, will adhere together as the paint dries out. The same applies for brushes used to apply any substance which hardens upon drying, for example glues, resins and wood preservatives. It is therefore generally desirable to leave the bristles at least partially immersed in a suitable liquid solvent when the brushes are not in use. The usual practice is to stand the brushes in the solvent in a container such as a jar, painter's kettle or the like. A problem with standing the brushes in the solvent is that the weight of the brushes is on the bristles, which can cause the bristles to bow. The bristles may become permanently bowed which is undesirable because the application of the brushes in use is then usually impaired.

The present invention seeks to avoid the aforesaid problem.

According to the present invention a brush holder suitable for use in the cleaning and storage of paint and like brushes is provided which comprises a frame having supports and a rack carried by the supports on which one or more locating recesses are presented, the or each locating recess being shaped and dimensioned to receive and engage with part of a brush above the bristles thereof and thereby support the brush with the bristles depending below the rack. The bristles may depend into a container over which the brush is supported by the rack.

As the brush is supported above its bristles, the bristles are relieved of the weight of the brush whilst they are immersed in the solvent, and thus they will remain straight.

A container for the solvent may be included as part of the holder, the supports of the frame being mounted on the container and the rack extending over an open top of the container. The container may be of open-topped box or deep tray form. The supports may comprise legs and may be permanently fixed to the container or they may be releasably attached to it. Conveniently in the latter arrangement they resiliently clip into engagement with the container.

Preferably, the rack has a plurality of locating recesses which may be adapted to receive and engage brushes of various sizes. Locating recesses may also be at more than one level so as to accommodate brushes of different lengths. In a preferred embodiment there are two rows of locating recesses disposed at different levels, and with each row having locating recesses of two or more sizes to receive and engage brushes of two or more sizes.

The locating recesses are preferably shaped and dimensioned to receive and engage the brushes at the usual waisted part of their handles just above the ferrule. The rack may have a series of arms, hooks, prongs or other suitable projections extending horizontally, or generally horizontally, and their outer ends defining open entrances into the locating recesses for insertion of brushes into the recesses. It is desirable for the outer ends to be turned upwardly so as to form stops which serve to restrain the brushes from being disengaged unintentionally from the locating recesses.

In a preferred form the frame is made from stiff metal wire, preferably having a protective coating of a plastics material or possibly paint. The wire is bent to form legs joined by horizontal cross members which form part of the rack. The rack is completed by a series of stiff wire arms of similar lengths and configurations which are fixed transversely to the cross members at spaced intervals along their lengths and define the locating recesses between them.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which, Figure lisa side view of a brush holder in accordance with the present invention, and Figures 2 and 3 are respectively plan and end views of the brush holder.

In this embodiment the brush holder comprises a container 1 for a liquid solvent, and a frame 2 detachably mounted on the container incorporating a rack 3 for supporting brushes 4 with their bristles 5 depending into the solvent in the container.

The container 1 is pressed from sheet metal. It is of oblong rectangular shape in plan and is of opentopped box form having downwardly tapering side and end walls and a flat base. Around the top the container has an external flange 6 which is relatively narrow along the sides of the container but is widened at the ends to form handles 7.

The frame 2 is made from stiff mild steel wire coated with nylon. Typically, the wire is .125" (3.175 mm) diameter, and the nylon coating is .012"-.015" (.305 mm-.381 mm) thick. The frame comprises a pair of opposed leg structures 8 joined at their upper ends by a pair of parallel, horizontal, cross members 9, 10 transversely to which a series of arms 11 are spot welded at spaced intervals along their lengths.

The cross members 9, 10 and arms 11 together form the rack 3. Each leg structure 8 is of modified triangular shape, see Figure 3, comprising two upwardly converging side members 12 and a base member 13 joined to the side members by horizontally disposed U-shaped parts 14, on edge, opening into the triangle. Two lengths of wire are used in the construction of the cross members and leg structures.

Each length of wire is bent to form one of the cross members, one side member of each leg structure and the adjoining U-shaped part 14. The two lengths are joined at the base members of the leg structures by tubes 15 which receive and are spot welded to the ends of the lengths of wire. One cross member 9 is disposed at a higher level than the other cross member 10, the difference in height being approximately equal to the diameter of the wire plus the nylon coating.

The arms 11 are identical in length and configuration. The lengths of wire of which they are made are bent into a widely splayed, generally M-shape with up-turned ends 16. Each arm iS spot welded to the two cross members 9, 10 such that the bend 17 of the central upwardly opening angle of the M is disposed directly under the higher cross member 9, and the bend 18 of one of the tasso downwardly opening ang les of the M is disposed directly over the lower cross member 10.The result is that the bend 19 of the other downwardly opening angle of the M is spaced above the upper cross member and the adjoining outer, upper, limb 20 of the M is disposed substantially horizontally, and the other outer, lower, limb 21 adjoining the bend 18 is inclined downwardly from the lower cross member 10. The upper limbs 20 define a row of locating recesses 22 between them, and a further row of locating recesses 23 is defined between the lower limbs 21.

Spacing of the arms 11 along the cross members is varied so that the locating recesses 22, 23 defined by their limbs are of various widths. Thus the locating recesses can accommodate brushes of difference sizes. In the drawings the locating recesses are of four different widths. The locating recesses at the ends of the rows are narrowest; the locating recesses immediately next to the end ones, and the three locating recesses at the middle of each row, are of the next width up; the locating recesses immediately next to the middle three of each row are of the next width up again, and the other locating recesses are the widest of all. Preferably the widths are .375" (9.525 from),.5" (12.7 mum), .615" (15,621 mm) and .675" (17.145 mm).The widths are such that the locating recesses are able to receive and engage the brushes at the usual waisted parts 22 of their hand les.

The frame is attached to the container by springing the leg structures 8 outwards to clip their base members 13 under the handles 7 and the U-shaped parts 14 around opposite edges of the handles adjacent the sides of the container. The upper limbs of the U-shaped parts seat on the handles and thereby support the frame on the container.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, brushes which are engaged in the locating recesses when the brush holder is in use are supported with the bristles 5 depending into liquid solvent 24 in the container.

The bottom ends of the bristles are spaced above the base of the container so that there is no weight on them and they will remain straight. Brushes with longer bristles are supported in the upper locating recesses 22 to ensure that the bristles are clear of the base of the container. The bristles are only partly immersed in the solvent but the other parts will be reached by the solvent by capillarity.

The up-turned ends 16 of the arms 11 provide stops which prevent the brushes from being unin tentionallywithdrawn from the locating recesses When the brush holder is not in use, the frame may be detached from the container, and if the frame is then turned over it may be nested in the container. The disassembled components are thus compactly arranged for storage, or packaging, purposes.

Claims (18)

1. A brush holder suitable for use in the cleaning and storage of paint and like brushes comprises a frame having supports and a rack carried by the supports on which one or more locating recesses are presented, the or each locating recess being shaped and dimensioned to receive and engage with part of a brush above the bristles thereof and thereby support the brush with the bristles depending below the rack.

2. A brush holder according to Claim 1 including a container for liquid solvent over which the rack is supported, the rack supporting the brushes such that they depend into the container.

3. A brush holder according to Claim 2 wherein the container is of oblong rectangular shape in plan and of open-topped box or deep tray form.

4. Q brush holder according to Claim 3 wherein the container has around the top an external flange which is relatively narrow along the sides of the container but is widened at the ends of the container to form handles.

5. A brush holder according to any preceding Claim wherein the rack comprises substantially horizontal cross members and a plurality of arms of similar length and configuration to one another which are fixed transversely to the cross members at spaced intervals along their lengths, thereby defining one or more locating recesses between the arms.

6. A brush holder according to any preceding claim wherein the rack is constructed from metal wire.

7. A brush holder according to Claim 6 wherein the metal wire is provided with a protective coating of plastic or paint.

8. A brush holder according to any of the preceding claims wherein the or each locating recess is shaped and dimensioned to receive and engage the part of a paint brush at the waisted part of the handle immediately above the ferrule.

9. A brush holder according to any of Claims 2 to 8 wherein the supports are releasably attached to the container and thereby locate the rack on the container.

10. A brush holder according to Claim 9 wherein the supports resiliently clip into engagement with the container.

11. A brush holder according to Claim 4 and claim 10 wherein the supports are provided at opposite ends of the rack and each comprise a base member and a pair of equally upwardly extending side members joined to the base member by U-shaped parts, the base members and the U-shaped parts of the supports respectively clipping resiliently under the handles of the container and around opposite edges of the handles adjacent to the sides of the container.

12. A brush holder according to any of Claims 9 to 11 wherein the frame is constructed and arranged to be nested in an inverted position in the container when not in use.

13. A brush holder according to any of Claims 2 to 6 wherein the container and frame are of integral construction.

14. A brush holder according to any of the preceding Claims wherein there is provided a plurality of the locating recesses of two or more widths, the locating recess thereby being adapted to receive and engage brushes of a plurality of sizes.

15. A brush holder according to any of the preceding Claims wherein there is provided a plurality of the locating recesses disposed at differing heights in orderto accomodate brushes of differing lengths.

16. A brush holder according to Claim 15 wherein the arms comprise lengths of wire which are bent into widely splayed, generally M-shapes and the locating recesses are defined between the outer limbs of the M-shapes, each arm being attached to two parallel members of the frame extending horizontally at two different levels, the bend of the central upwardly opening angle of the M-shape of the arm being disposed directly under the higher of the two parallel members and the bend of one of the two downwardly opening angles of the M-shape of the arm being disposed directly over the lower of the two parallel members, the arrangement being such that that one of the two outer limbs of the M-shape adjoins the last-mentioned bend is lower than the other outer limb of the M-shape and the locating recesses defined between the outer limbs are thus at two different heights.

17. A brush holder according to any of Claims 3 to 6, or any of Claims 7 to 12 as dependent from any of Claims 3 to 6, wherein the outer ends of the arms are upturned in order to prevent unintentional disengagement of the brushes from the locating recesses.

18. A brush holder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.