US1450933A

US1450933A - Leather-finishing machine

Info

Publication number: US1450933A
Application number: US540199A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wilks Geoffrey Lovell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1922-03-01
Filing date: 1922-03-01
Publication date: 1923-04-10
Anticipated expiration: 1940-04-10

Description

Apr. 10, 1923.

G. L. WILKS LEATHER FINISHING MACHINE Filed Mar. 1, 1922 5 sheets-sheet, l

mswm' Apr. 10, 1923. 11,450,933

G.-L. WILKS I LEATHER FINISHING MACHINE Filed Mar. 1, 19.22

3 sheets-sheet 2 Apr; 10, 1923.

mswss G. L. WILKS LEATHER FINISHING MACHINE Filed Mar. 1, 1922 5 sheets-sheet 5 Patented Apr. 10, 11923.

GEOFFREY LovELL WILKS, or sunsrron, LonDoN, ENGLAND.

LEATHER-FINISHING MACHINE.

Application filed. March 1, 1922. Serial No. 540,199.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEOFFREY LovnLL lVILKs, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 35 Cadogan Road, Surbiton, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Leather-Finishing Machines, of which the following is a specificatioii.

My invention relates to leather finishing machines, such as are usually known as offal or butt strikers, the object being to provide a machine in which the finishing process can be carried out more quickly and efliciently and with less power consumption than is possible with such machines as now made.

According to the invention the machine is formed with a bed for supporting the leather, which bed comprises a narrow surface of greater length than width, or a'series of such surfaces, the said surface or surfaces being convexly curved in the direction of its or their width and length, the curvature being approximately such that the hide to be treated fits naturally upon it, means operating longitudinally of the said surface or surfaces for brushing, striking or otherwise finishing the leather supported thereon, and

means, which maybe the supporting surface or surfaces, for feeding the leather between the latter and the finishing means.

In a suitable arrangement for carrying out the invention, I provide a frame-work on which are mounted a number,'say two, of pairs of rollers forming the bed of the machine for supporting and feeding the leather, each of thesaid rollersbeing of a shape such that its maximum diameter is at the central portion and it tapers to either end, so as to conform to the shape of a hide supported thereon. The two rollers of each pair are arranged in approximately the same vertical plane and have an inclination to one another, that is to say, an inclination upwards from the outer ends to the middle where the meeting ends are connected together by a universal oint which enables the two rollers of each pair to be driven from one en'd.

As has been stated the above shape of the rollers is such that the hide to be treated is supported along the length of the rollers without any folds or creases beingformed in the hide which would prejudicially affect the finishing treatment. v

Above each line ofthe rollers there are arranged two travelling endless belts, which are preferably passed over pulleys so arranged that one belt or band travels from the centre to one end of the rollers and the other from the centre to the other end thereof. Each of the travelling bands carries the usual brushes and/or slate strikers or other means, for effecting the finishing operation.

Any suitable driving mechanism may be provided for the actuation of the rollers and the travelling bands, and, in practice, it: is also advantageous to mount the travelling band mechanism upon a pivoted frame so that the brush and striker device can be lifted away from the rollers when a fresh piece of leather is to be passed on to the said rollers for treatment.

To enable the invention to be fully understood, I will describe one form by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a leather finishing machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan and Figure 3 an end View thereof.

1 The frame" of the machine comprises two standards a, a connected together by a pair of cross. girdersb. 0, c are pairs" of rollers over which the leather to be finished passes, two pairs only being shown, either or both of which pairs" may be employed. d indicates the universal'joint connecting therollers of each pair together'sothatrotary movement imparted to the roller 0 will be imparted'to the roller 0 of each pair. As'indicated in Figure Leach roller has its'maximum diameter nidway of its ends so that it tapers'towards both ends in'a curved form and the two rollers of each pair are arranged in the same vertical plane and are inclined upwardly from the outer ends so that their axes are disposed at an angle to each other and the upper surfaces of the rollers form a continuouscur ve, as indicated clearly in Figure 1.1 The rollers c, c are supported at their ends in bearings e mounted on the cross girder and motionlis imparted to one pair of rollers by a shaft 7 forming an extension of the roller 0 of the said painthesaid shaft being driven by' a driving shaft 7 through the medium of suitable driving mechanism whi' c'h comprises a worm-wheel h on thesa'id shaft 7, a worm meshing with the said worm-wheel and carried on a shaft i. a pulley j loose on'thesaidshaft', a sliding clutch j keyed to the shaft and" engaging clutch teeth on the said pulley, a pulley is driving the pulley j by a belt and carried by a sleeve Z on a shaft m, a bevel-wheel n on the said sleeve, a bevel-wheel 0 meshing with the wheel n and mounted on a shaft 39, and another bevel-wheel Q on the said shaft engaging a bevel-wheel r on the said driving shaft g, the said driving mechanism being mounted in the standard a. The other pair of rollers 0, 0 is driven from the pair just referred to by sprocket wheels 8 and a sprocket chain 8.

t, t are thetwo travelling endless bands arranged above and along the two pairs of rollers 0, c and 6 23 indicate two pairs of pulleys over which the respective bands 27, t run and by which alone they are supported. One of the. pair of pulleys t is attached to the sleeve Z while one of the pair of pulleys t is mounted freely on a shaft 6* carried in bearingsin the standard (L1, the said pulley being actuated from the shaft 9 through the medium of bevel wheels t shaft t and bevel wheel F. a, a respectively indicate the usual brushes and slate strikers on the bands 2, t for effecting the finishing operation on the leather passed over the rollers 0, 0 the said bands with their brushes and strikers travelling from about the centre of the machine in opposite directions to the outer ends of one of the rollers of each pair. a indicates spring actuated rollers for pressing against and maintaining the requisite tension on the bands If, t Instead of the usual brushes metal wire brushes may be employed.

'0, 2: indicate the pivoted frames supporting the innerends of the travelling bands t, 25 through the medium of two of the pulleys t and 25 so that the brushesuand strikers a can be liftedaw'ay from the rollers 0, 0 when a piece 'of leather is to be placed on the latter for treatment, the said frames being respectively pivoted on the shafts m and t The frames '2), o are supported in the working position by rollers e thereon which rest on the rollers 0, c and are lifted to raise the brushes and strikers from the leather supported on rollers c, c by treadle levers w, 20 respectively, the said levers being pivoted to the bases of the standards and connected by cords or the like m to the outer ends of the said frames. The said treadles are in pairs, the members of each pair being arranged on opposite sides of the machine to enable an attendant stationed at either side of the machine to manipulate both of the said frames 11, o as required. 1 indicates pivoted catches for engagement withpinsor projections on the treadle levers w, w to hold the latter when depressed to raise the frames '0, o in order that the attendant can place the hide in position on the rollers. These catches are provided with arms whereby they can be actuated by the feet of an attendant to engage them with or disengage them from the pins 7 are tables arranged adjacent to the rollers c, c on opposite sides of the machine to assist to support the hides when being passed over the said rollers. v

In the operation of the machine, the hide to be finished is passed on to either pair of rollers c, c and the said rollers are rotated, thereby feeding the leather forwards, the endless bands being at the same time set in motion so that, as the hide is advanced over the rollers, the strikers and brushes scrub and brush the surface of the hide to pro duce the desired finishing effect.

In order that the direction of rotation of the rollers 0, 0 may be reversed after the hide has passed over the rollers c, 0 in one direction, pulleys j and k corresponding to the pulleys j and 7a, and connected by a crossed belt are employed, that is to say, the pulley j is loose on the shaft 2' and the pulley 10 attached to the sleeve Z, the clutch y' being disengaged from the pulley j and engaged with the pulley The clutch j is controlled by suitable lever mechanism, not shown, Within reach of the attendant at either side of the machine.

lVhile, in the example above described, the bed consists of one or more pairs of rollers, it will be understood that the bed may be partly or wholly fixed if means are provided for effecting the passage of the hide between the bed and the finishing devices.

Claims:

1. A leather finishing machine having a bed to support the leather which bed is of much greater length than width and is convexly curved in the direction of its width and length the shape being approximately such that the hide to be treated fits naturally upon it, means for brushing, striking or otherwise finishing the hide supported thereon and means for feeding the hide between the surface of the bed and the finish ing devices, substantially as described.

2. A leather finishing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein two or more of the supporting surfaces with the means for treat ing the leather thereon are arranged side by side, the adjacent treating means working in opposite directions, substantially as described.

3. A leather finishing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting surface or surfaces is or are in the form of a roller or rollers designed to rotate to feed the leather under the finishing means, substantially as described.

4. A leather finishing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein two or more rollers are employed for each supporting surface, the rollers being inclined with respect to each other and connected by universal joints,

substantially as described.

5; A leather finishing machineas claimed in claim 1, wherein the finishing: means for each supporting surface are carried by an endless band, unsupported intermediate of the carrying pulleys, substantially as de scribed.

6. A leather finishing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the finishing means consist of endless bands carryingthe finishing devices supported on pulleys on pivoted frames,.substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a leather finishing machine, thecombination with a supporting bedcurved convexly, laterally and longitudinally, of a pair of endless bands disposed transversely of the direction of movement of the leather over the bed and provided with leather finishing devices, each of said bands having horizontally disposed portions extending from the outer edge of t-he bed to a point beyond the central portiontliereof, and said bands being located out of alignment with each other and having portions lying side by side adjacent to the central portion of the bed, means for driving said endless bands in such direction that the portions adjacent to said bed will be moved outwardlytoward the lateral edges of the bed, and means for 6 feeding the leather longitudinally of the bed.

8. In a leather finishing machine, the combination with a bed curved convexly, longitudinally and transversely, of a pair of pivoted frames supported adjacent to the lateral portions of the bed and extending inwardly past the central portion thereof, supporting pulleys carried by said frames at their inner and outer ends, endless bands engaging said pulleys and provided with leather finishing devices, said bands being located in different transverse planes and having their inner portions extending side by side adjacent to the central portion of the bed, and means for driving said bands in a direction to cause the portions thereof adjacent to the bed to be moved outwardly toward the lateral edges of the bed.

9. In a leather finishing machine, the combination with a bed curved convexly, longitudinally and transversely, of a pair of pivoted frames supported adjacent to the lateral portions of the bed and extending inwardly past the central portion thereof, supporting pulleys carried by said frames at their inner and outer ends, endless bands engaging said pulleys and provided with leather finishing devices, said bands being located in different transverse planes and having their inner portions extending side by side adjacent to the central portion of the bed, means for driving said bands in'a direction to cause the portions thereof adjacent to the bed to be moved ,outwardly toward the lateral edges of the bed, and supports for the inner ends of said pivoted frames,

provided with rollershavingtheir axes disposed transversely to the direction of travel of the leather,

10. Ina leather finishing n'iachinc, the combination with a bed curved convexly, longitudinally and transversely, of a pair of pivoted frames supported adjacent to the lateral portions of the bed and extending inwardly past the central portion thereof. supporting pulleys carried by said frames at their inner and outer ends, endless bands engaging said pulleys and provided with leather, finishing devices, said bands being located in different transverse planes and having their inner portions extending side by side adj acent to the central portion of the bed, means for driving said bands in a direction to cause the portions thereof adjacent to the bed to be moved outwardly toward the lateral edges. of the bed, and means for simultaneously elevating said pivoted frames.

11, In a leather finishing machine, the combination with a bed, curved convexly. longitudinally and transversely, of a pairof pivoted frames supported adjacent to the lateral portions of the bed and extending inwardly past the central portion thereof, supportingpulleys carried by said frames at their: inner and outer ends, endless bands engaging said pulleys and provided with leather finishing devices, said bands being located in different transverse planes and having their inner portions extending side by side adjacent to the central portion of the bed, means for driving said bands in a direction. to cause the portions thereof adjacent to the bed to be moved outwardly toward the lateral edges of the bed, and means for simultaneously elevating said pivoted frames, and tripping locking devices for temporarily supporting the ivoted frames in elevated position.

12. In a leather finishing machine, the combination with a supporting bed, of a pair of feeding rollers arranged in the same vertical plane, extending transversely across the bed, said rollers having their greatest diameter centrally between their ends and decreasing in diameter toward their ends, and having their axes inclined downwardly with respect to each other from the central portion of the bed toward the outer edges thereof, endless bands provided with leather finishing devices, disposed above said rollers and transversely with respect to the bed,

means for driving said rollers, and means for driving said bands.

13. In a leather finishing machine, the combination with a supporting bed, of a pair of feeding rollers arranged in the same vertical plane, extending transversely across the bed, said rollers having their greatest diameter cent-rally between their ends and decreasing in diameter toward their ends,

and having their axes inclined downwardly with respect to each other from the central portion of the bed toward the Outer edges thereof, a pair of transversely disposed endless bands supported above said rollers and provided with leather finishing devices, said bands being out of alignment with each other and each extending from an outer edge of the bed to a point beyond the central portion thereof, said bands having portions lying side by side adjacent to the central portion of the bed, means for driving said rollers to feed the leather longitudinally of the bed, and means for driving said bands so as to cause the pOrtions thereof adjacent to the rollers to move toward a lateral edge of the bed.

14. In a leather finishing machine, the combination with a bed, of a pair of feed rollers disposed transversely thereof and lo cated in the same vertical plane, said rollers having their greatest diameter centrally between their ends and decreasing in diameter toward their ends, said rollers having their inner ends connected by a universal joint, driving means connected to one of said rollcrs adjacent to its outer end, a pair of swinging frames located above said rollers and pivoted respectively at opposite sides of the bed, each of said frames. extending inward beyond the center of the bed, endless bands carried by said frames and provided with leather finishing devices, said bands being located out of alignment with each other and having portions arranged side by side adjacent to the central portion of the bed, and driving means for said bands.

15. In a leather finishing machine, the combination with a bed, of a pair of feed rollers disposed transversely thereof, and located in the same vertical plane, said rollers having their greatest diameter centrally between their ends and decreasing in diameter toward their ends, said rollers having their inner ends connected by a universal joint, driving means connected to one of said rollers adjacent to its outer end, a pair of swinging frames located above said rollers and pivoted respectively at opposite sides of the bed, each of said frames extending inward beyond the center of the bed, endless bands carried by said frames and provided with leather finishing devices, said bands being located out of alignment with each other and having portions arranged side by side adjacent to the central portion of the bed, driving means for said bands, and supporting devices for the inner ends of said swinging frames provided with rollers at their lower ends for engaging the leather supported upon said feed rollers.

GEOFFREY LOVELL WILKES.