US1911556A

US1911556A - Kids stretches

Info

Publication number: US1911556A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1933-05-30
Anticipated expiration: 1950-05-30

Description

May 30, 1933.

Hv DE ASTAEBLEFR HIDE STRETCHER Filed March 29,` 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 30, 1933.v H. DE sTAEBLr-:R

HIDE STRETCHER Filed March 29, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .mnmw

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Patented May 3Q, 1933 itl "il eppiicanos sie@ Maren es, i930. serial no. 440,@36.

VMy invention relates to hide stretchers and more particularly to such devices used in the preparation of leather for the manufacture of belting and the like.

It is the practice in the art to trim the hide straight on the two sides and one end, while the other or neck end is left with an irregular edge. If the butt of leather resulting from the stretching operation is to have uniform strength and elasticity throughout its area it is necessary to stretch the different longitudinally extending portions of the width of the hide separately because these portions can be stretched For instance, a portion of the hide extending longitudinally along the backside thereof will be stretched only slightly by a given tension or pull while, on the other hand, a longitudinally extending portion at the bellyside of the hide will be stretched very much by the saine tension or pull and must be so stretched if the resultant leather in that portion will have the same strength and elasticity as the portion on the backside of the hide. The longitudinally extending portions between the back and belly sides likewise must be stretched to different degrees varying in direct relation to their position in respect to the back or belly side.

In the stretching machines and the stretching operations including them as heretofore used the straight edge of the hide at the end thereof opposite the neck or 'irregularend was held in a stretching frame by means of a xed clamp or clamps at one end of the frame. The irregular or neck end was then gripped by one or more independently movable stretching members and tension or pull was applied separately to these members to stretch separately the different longitudinally extending portions of the width of the hide engaged thereby. After one longitudinally extending portion of the hide was stretched suiiiciently the stretching member engaging thatportion was clamped or otherwise maintained in fixed positionto hold that portion as stretched, and then another longitudinally extending portion of the hide was likewise stretched and this operation was repeated until the entire Width of the hide had been stretched to render it uniform in strength and elasticity throughout. With the operation just described obviously the task of judging the tensile strength and amount of stretch in the different fparts of thehide was left'to the'operator. i

The object of invention is to' provide in a hide'stretcher an automatic mechanism wherebyv all longitudinally extending portions of the width of the hide will be subjected to equal stretching pull or tension of a predetermined amount so applied that the portions will be simultaneously stretched, regardless of the relative tensile strength thereof, throughout the different distances required to render the stretched hide uniform in strength and elasticity.

Other features and objects of my new and improved hide stretcher will be brought out in the detailed description of its construction and operation given below.

Referring to the two sheets of drawings in which similar characters indicate similar parts Fig. l is a plan View of a device embodying my invention; Fig. 2 isa sectional View along the lines 2-2 in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the construction of a movable stretching member and automatic stop therefor; and Figs. 4 and 5 show further details of construction Referring to the drawings the hide stretcher shown therein has been reduced for the sake of clarity to its simplest form and consists of a stretching l,frame and a detachable stretching head. The stretching frame l may be of either wood or meta-'l or a combination of both, with side pieces 2 and 3 and

end pieces

4 and 5. The end piece 4 of the frame 1 contains one lor more fixed Vmembers to hold one end of the hide, as described below and in this embodiment they are in the form of ixed clamps 6 which are spaced apart and are held in position by bolts 7 extending through the side piece 4. rlhe clamps 6, as shown in Fig. 4, each comprise a pair of plates 8 which are serrated on their inner faces and are otherwise adapted to grip and hold portion of the hide when the plates are brought together piston 30.

by bolts 9 acting about a fulcrum lug 19 extending inwardly from the inner face of one of the plates.

At the other end of the stretching frame and on the end piece 5 thereof are mounted a plurality of independently movable stretching members which in this embodiment of my invention each consist of a clamp 11 and a stretching rod 16. The clamps 11 are mounted in any convenient way on the inner end of the rods 16 and consist of a pair of plates 12 carried by a bolt 13 extending through a longitudinally arranged slot 14 in the end piece 5, for the purpose more fully outlined below. The plates 12 are serrated on their inner faces Yandare adapted to be brought together to grip a hide by a pair of bolts 15 working about a fulcrum lug 15a. The stretching rods 16 are ratcheted as: at 17 and extend through the automatic stop members 18 each of which, preferably, includes a spring detent 19 positioned to engage the ratchets of a rod 16 and to prevent the rod from being moved towards the center of the stretching frame 1 unless the detent is manually released, all as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The stretching head in this embodiment of my invention comprises a base 2O and spacing blocks 21 to maintain the base in predetermined fixed relation to the stretching frame 1. Upon the base 2O are mounted a plurality of cylinders 22 arranged in longitudinal alignment with the stretching .frame and containing fluid actuated pistons 23 vcarried on the end of piston rods 24 which terminate at their opposite ends as eyes 25 adapted to engage hooks 26 on the ends of the stretching rods 16. Leading into Veach of the cylinders 22 is a fluid feed pipe 27 connected to a main pipe 2S which received Huid under pressure from a master cylinder in which pressure is created bythe master Then the master piston 30 is moved in the master cylinder 29 to force the fluid 31 outwardly therefrom this fluid will flow through the main 28 and through the fluid feed pipes 27 into each of the cylinders 22 in front of the pistons 23 and these pistons will be moved rearwardly in the cylindei's with a. force oi pull equal to the pressure on thefluid in the master cylinder. It may be understood that a uniform pull will be exerted upon all of the stretching members operatively connected to the piston rods andoin turn a uniform pull or tension will be applied to stretch the hide. Also, irrespective of the distances traveled by the different pistons 23 in stretching the hide, the

actuating pressure for all the pistons, and in turn the tension on the hide will remain the Having described the component parts of my device I will now more fully explain its mode of operation, which is as follows:

The hide 32 is placed in the stretching frame and the straight end thereof is gripped in the clamps 6 at the end a of the frame. The irregular or neck end of the hide is then gripped by the clamps 11 cairied by the stretching rods 16. The stretching head.v is then placed in position at the end 5 of the stretching frame 1 and the hooks 26 on cach of the stretching rods 16 are inserted through an eye 25 on one of the piston rods 24 which rods are freely movable when there is no fluid in the cylinder 22. If it is necessary to move the rods 16 inwardlyT to brinfr the clamps 11 on the end thereof in contact with the hide the spring detents 19 may be temporarily released by lifting up on the catch 33.

Then each of the stretching rods 16 has been engaged by a piston rod 211 pressure is applied to the fluid 31 by movement of the master piston 30 through an outside force of power, .not shown here, and the fluid 31 is forced from the cylinder 29 through the main pipe 28 and through the Huid feed pipes 27 into the cylinders 22 in front of the pistons 23 to move the pistons and the piston rods 24 carried thereby away from the stretching frame 1. When the piston rods move in this manner pull or tension is applied through the stretching rods 16 to the various longitudinally extending portions of the hide 32. A pressure gauge 31 may be provided on the master cylinder 29 wherebv the operatoi' mav determine the fliiid pressure being exerted agiinst the pistons 23 and, therefore, may determine the pull being applied to the hide. A port 35 may be provided in each of the cylinders 22 to allow the escape of air therefrom as the piston is moved therein. Wise, a valve 36 may be provided in each of the fluid feed 1iipes 37 so that a flow of fiuid to any of the cylinders 22 may be cut` The movement of the stretch-A ofll if desired. ing members in stretching the hide will be steadied bv the bolts 13 of the clamps 11 movinginthe slots 14e. Y

As mentioned above the pistons 23 will move rearwardly in their cylinders 22 and move the piston rods 2li and stretching rods 16 different distances for a given pressure being applied as shown by the gauge 34:. The movement of apiston will continue until the longitudinallv extending portion of Likevarious portions of the hide will be uniform.

After a sufficient pressure as indicated by the gauge 34 has been applied to the pistons 23 and in turn after a sufficient stretching pull or tension has been applied to the hide the movement of the master cylinder 29 is stopped and the stretching head is removed from the stretching frame and the piston rods 24 are taken out of contact with the stretching rods 16. lVhen the head is removed the hide will be maintained in stretched position by the detents l5) of the stops 18 acting on the ratchets 1'? in the upper surface of the stretching rods 16.

It may be readily understood that in adapting my invention to hide stretchers of various types the details of construction such as the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be varied within wide limits without deviating from the spirit of my invention as included in the claims set forth below.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A hide stretcher comprising in combination a stretching frame having a fixed member for holding one end of said hide and a plurality of independently movable stretching members to engage the other end thereof, and a stretching head having a plurality of stretchii'ig means each comprising a piston in a cylinder, each of said pistons being operatively attached to one of said stretching members, said stretching means including means for feeding a fluid under pressure into said cylinders and thereby being arranged to exert automatically and simultaneously a uniform tension on said stretching members but to allow said stretching members to be moved different distances thereby, and automatic stops cooperating with said stretching members to maintain said hide in stretched position.

2. A hide stretcher comprising` in combination a stretching frame having a fixed member for holding one end of said hide and a plurality of independently movable stretching members to engage the other end thereof and a plurality of stretching means arranged to move said stretching members to stretch said hide, each of said stretching means being operated by a piston movable in a cylinder, and a master cylinder and means for injecting fluid under pressure therefrom into said other cylinders to move said pistons whereby said stretching means will exert automatically and simultaneously a. uniform tension on said stretching members but will allow different portions of said hide engaged by different stretching members to be stretched different distances thereby.

3. A hide stretcher comprising in combination a stretching frame having a fixed member for holding one end of said hide and a plurality of independently movable stretching members to engage the other end thereof and a plurality of stretching means each of which is operatively connected to one of said stretching members, each of said stretching means being operated by a piston movable 1n a cylinder whereby said stretching member is moved to stretch the portion of hide in engagement therewith, a master cylinder and means for injecting fluid at a desired pressure therefrom yinto said other cylinders to move said pistons whereby said stretching means will exert automatically and simultaneously a uniform tension on said stretching members but allow said stretching members to be moved different distances thereby.

4. A hide stretcher comprising in combination a stretching frame having a fixed member for holding one end of said hide and a plurality of independently movable streching members to engage the other end thereof and a plurality of stretching means each of which is operatively connected to one of said stretching members, each of said stretching means being operated by a piston movable in a cylinder whereby said stretching member is moved to stretch the portion or hide in engagement therewitn, a master cylinder and means for injecting fluid at a desired pressure therefrom into said other cylinders to move said pistons whereby said stretching means will exert automatically and sinniltaneously a uniform tension on said stretching members but allow said stretching members to be moved dierent distances thereby, and automatic stops cooperating with said stretching members to maintain said hide in stretched position.

In witness whereof I have signed my name to the foregoing speciiication.

HERBERT DE STAEBLER.