US2105612A - Surface abrasive and polishing machine - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 18, 1938. v. R. PALLAS SURFACE ABRASIVE AND POLISHING MACHINE Filed July 18, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 INVENTOR. Enfa/v 5 PM. 1. #6.

ATTORNEY.

V. R. PALLAS Jan. 18, 1938.

SURFACE ABRASIVE AND POLISHING MACHINE Filed July 18,1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. VER/VoAf ffi PHL LII-S ATTORNEY.

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Patented Jan. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SURFACE ABRASIVE AND POLISHLNG MACHINE Vernon R. Pallas, Cortland, N. Y.

Application July 18, 1936, Serial No. 91,329 8 Claims. (01. 51-71) The present invention broadly relates to the art of abrasive polishing and more particularly pertains to an improved two-stage surface finishing machine of the multiple head type that is es- 5 pecially adapted to impart a superior bright luster to oil tempered steel or other drawn wire, metallic rods or the like striplike articles in order to rectify surface imperfections and thereby enhance the quality and marketability of such mill products.

To this end, it is preferred to work with a plurality of either stationary or rotatable grinder head means that may each be equipped with one or more tape rolls, endless belts or the like abrasives serving to compactly store a supply of such grinding agency of either the same or a dissimilar grit. A common work piece may be threaded and tautly strung through a series of such tapes. When brought into operative tangential engagement with the work piece, the active cutting region for each of the respective tapes is preferably but not necessarily confined to a localized zone.

When so confined, a virgin tape portion may then be regularly advanced crosswise toward their respective tangential cutting zones by feed roller -35 means to individually renew the abrasives as fast as they become substantially spent. A processing of this kind gradually loads and thereby keeps the interstices of each such localized cutting zone substantially filled with fine abraded metal particles 3.) which of themselves tend to impart a relatively bright polish to a treated metallic strand by a virtual burnishing efiect without any pronounced scratch marks, even when the cutting is performed in the initial or heavy grinder stage of my Such practice enables me to slowly feed the abrasive for hours at a time while continuously grinding a correspondingly long strand at a high productive rate without having to contend with a reduction in the initial cutting prop- 4.) erties throughout the life of the several tapes, all

of which maintains a uniformly finished wire product.

For instance, when undertaking to grind off the black oxidized surface of an oil tempered steel 43 piano or the like alloy wire and thereupon polishing this initially abraded surface to a high degree of luster, the present process is most advantageous- ,ly carried out in a series of successive steps by the use of multiple tape carrying heads in which the first and last head groups constitute segregated abrasive stages that are made to perform in a distinctive manner.

My improvements chiefly rely upon a relatively rapid rate of longitudinal work piece travel for an .35 active abrasive effect so as to permit of treatingan extensive. surface in a given time without requiring any reciprocative head movement, such stroking being inherently slow because of the accompanyinghigh inertia forces, The provision for multiple heads allows the rate of longitudinal wire travel to be intensified in a direct ratio to the number of heads used and the aggregate width of the respective tapes employed, which in turn correspondingly augments 'the abrasive capacity of my machine. For the most economical rate of advance on part of my distributed tape supply, this maybe held at a substantially fixed gross footage of virgin tape per unit length of processed wire, irrespective of the number of heads resorted to. For reasons that will now be explained, any predominating cutting component of such abrasive agency as measured crosswise of a non-rotating treated wire, also assumes importance for resent purposes since it to a considerable extent determines the character of surface polish.

Certain conventional machines resort to a pair of spaced abrasive wheels that bodily rotate around a retained wire surface while these nonyieldable wheels run at high peripheral speed in a direction crosswise of the wire axis. Such instrumentality is being commonly used to initially cut down the diametral size of a treated wire but .the scraping action thereof is found to score and thereby leave the ground surface replete with rather pronounced scratch marks. T-hese marks generally extend transversely of the wire axis and must subsequently be reduced in depth' by further penetrative grinding before a really brilliant polish can be imparted to the finished product.

My penetrative grinding ispreferably completed in an initial stage or primary cutting zone without need of any other preliminary abrasive treatment and consists in substituting a series of laterally yieldable tapes for the cited Wheels. The

combined action of manifold abrasive tapes is herein relied upon to gradually cut down the wire surface in smooth .stepwise fashion, the number of heads collectively required for my first or heavy duty stage depending in part upon the depthof pits that need to be ground out of the treated wire. Such improved light out treatment minimizes the forming of pronounced scratch marks and imparts to the wire an initially satinlike finish possessing a partial luster that is substantially devoid of such marks. Variations in original diametral wire size as drawn are also thereby reduced and the product prepared to receive a final finish in my polishing zone without need of addiround product free from fiats. The preferred procedure is to advance the wire through the primary cutting zone so as to generate one or more helices around-the wire surface whose lead pitch is of considerable length with respect to its diametral size, that is to say the effective or predominating cutting direction of the abrasive zone is purposely inclined markedly with respect to the work pieceaxis. Coarse grit may be used for the heavier initial grinding operations and the resulting surface generally possesses a limited degree of light reflection, although grounddown to a virtually sgooth finish of substantially uniform diametral s e.

I have experimentally determined that when such partially bright finish is as a final step, stroked lengthwise by the same abrasive grit instead of crosswise of the wire, the surface characteristic appears to undergo a decided change in reflective capacity and then readily assumes the desired bright luster, particularly so in the case of a tempered steel wire. A similar characteristic change in treatment may be brought.

about in divers ways. As an instance, the same underlying principle may be embodied by setting up a difference in speed rotation between the first and last head means of my machine. The materially slower rate of rotation given the delivery end of such head means serves to correspondingly extend the cited helical lead pitch and thereby finally stroke the wire in a direction that is kept substantially parallel to its axial travel, such helical inclination being preferably held to an angle of less than ten degrees. The use of a primary cutting zone and a polishing zone each moving helically about the work piece, provides for two predominating cutting directions that are distinctive in that they are respectively given a difierent inclination relative to the axis of the work piece. The more scratch marks that are allowed to occur crosswise of the treated wire, the greater will be the need for a final stroking in a longitudinal direction to attain the sought for high degree of luster.

If desired, the polishing. or last stage may also comprise a plurality of non-rotating tapes that are angularly staggered about the work piece in operative tangential engagement with the entire surface perimeter. Either of such practices enhances and effects a marked improvement in the surface finish, it having been found that the insignificant transverse scratch marks that may occur during my primary grinding operation, may for all practical purposes be wiped out by the cited subsequent polishing operation.

The object of my improvements is to devise processing apparatus of the indicated character that shall be capable of rapidly and economically grinding an elongated work piece surface in smooth stepwise fashion and to highly polish the same in long lengths to a reasonably close finished size by the use of separate primary and secondary abrasive zones which while rotating about a longitudinally moved work piece are respectively made to generate helices each having a different lead pitch; also to overcome certain operative difflculties and limitations heretofore encountered in effectively polishing such products.

Aprincipal item of processing expense, resides in the cost of abrasive and a further object of my invention is to utilize such material to the utmost finishing machine, and Fig. 2 is an elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 shows a horizontal cross-sectional view of the spindle head assembly along line 33, and Fig. 4 a transverse view along 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 represents an elevational end view of the Fig. 3 head assembly, and Fig. 6 is a modification thereof that may be kept symmetrical about the centerline A-B. I

Fig. 7 schematically depicts a plurality of stationary heads'each provided with a slowly advanced tape that are angularly staggered around and collectively brought into tangential engagement with a common work piece.

Referring in detail to the Figs. 1 and 2 assembly, this particular type of machine embodies a main girderlike bed plate l0 having a supplementary framework ll attached to the forward end thereof. Spacedly disposed crosswise of such bed plate, are one or more pairs of axially aligned bearing pedestals such as l2 and I3 of which the contiguous bored end faces may be kept spaced apart for the reception of control and drive means.

Mounted between each such pair of cooperating pedestals is a tubular spindle I having a tensioned wire or the like treated strand 55 continuously threaded therethrough as in Fig. 3. A flanged disclike head l5 may be applied to each spindle end, which respectively constitute a forward and a rearward grinder unit. It will be obvious that any desired multiple of such units may be similarly incorporated. It is the intent to provide for two cooperating groups thereof, each affording a considerable number of grinder heads that may respectively be built up in a single or in separate machines having independent bed plates arranged to successively treat a common work piece. I

A separate adjustable sleeve such as IE or ll may rotatably encircle the respective end regions of each spindle and the outer ends of such complementary sleeves may respectively terminate in a master spur gear such as I8 disposed concentrically about the spindle axis. The respective innermost sleeve ends may be kept spaced apart and interposed therebetween is a spindle drive gear l9. Each spindle may be horizontally mounted within and axially retained by mated ball bearings such as 20 which circumscribe the respective sleeves as in Fig. 3.

Fixedly carried at each inner sleeve end is a driven gear 2|. As embodied in the given exemplification, two parallelly disposed idler shafts may extend between each pair of pedestals l2 and 13; one such countershaft designated 22 may be located directly beneath the spindle I am the other shaft 23 may be laterally offset as shown in Fig. 4. The complementary spur gears 24 and 25 may be fixedly mounted upon the offset idler shaft 23 (see Fig. 3) and thereby cause both of the sleeves l6 and I! to be rotated in unison by the sectionalized control shaft 26 through the idler gear 21 carried by the countershaft 22.

For present purposes, it is preferred to rotate the successive spindles in a like direction; to this end, a sectionalized gear shaft 29 may be run lengthwise of the bed plate, said shaft being superimposed over the sectionalized control shaft 26. Said gear shaft may be provided with a clutchlike coupling 30 intermediate its length to afford a detachable rear shaft section 29A. The forward end of the gear shaft 29 is extended to receive the overhanging main drive pulley 3|. Adjacent to this pulley is a pair of similarly sized spur gears 32 and 33 of which one is keyed to the gear shaftand the other secured to the control shaft section 26A to drive the respective forward shaft ends at approximately equal speeds.

Said gear and control shafts may be alignedly mounted by a series of split pillow blocks such as 36A and 35A, or 34B and 353. The drive gearing for each spindle unit may be similarly arranged between each such pair of pillow blocks to include an idler gear 36 as in Fig. 4. In addition, the split gear shaft 29 and the split control shaft 26 are herein each provided with separate reduction gearing respectively designated 31 and 38 by which the respective rear shaft sections may be given a materially different rotative speed relative to the forward section thereof.

Each spindle head l5 preferably carries its own supply of abrasive tape as stored upon duplicate rolls of which the grit may be modified in accordance with present needs. It is to be understood however, that while the illustrative spools carry a supply'of tape thereon in convolute formation, my invention is not confined thereto since the same result may be had when the stored tape is compactly stacked in laid plaited or other multiple courses instead of a spiral configuration; an endless abrasive belt may also be resorted'to, particularly so when its virgin abrasive is slowly fed. to the work piece as fast as such belt becomes loaded or otherwise substantially spent.

In the particular roll type of tape "feed disclosed in Figs. 3 and 5, the web plate or disc of each head may be journaled to receive a pair of driven roller trunnions or pintles d2 which are parallelly disposed with respect to the spindle axis. Each interiorly overhanging'pintle end may be provided with a planet gear such as 43 while each opposite end is slidably embraced by a feed roller M. The outer free end of each such roller may be equipped with a remountable feed gear 65. Cooperating with each such roller is a retractible idler mate 66. A take-up spool 48 which also rotates bodily with the head I5, is located adjacent to each feed roller. Bearing frictionally against the outermost flange of-the spool 48, is a disc gear 49 that meshes with the feed gear 55, said disc being yieldably pressed toward .the spool flange by the spring 56. A pair of similar but gearless supply spools 5| may be symmetrically disposed upon the same disc face. The abrasive tapes 52 and 53 may be separately threaded over suitable guide means SAL-thence directed to the axial center of the disc head in superimposed relation with the abrasive sides facing each other, and whereupon the respective tapes are interposed between their mated feed roller means 45 and 46 to be independently wound upon their respective take-up spools 68 in transferred roll formation. A pair of relatively retractible' backing jaws such as 41 serveto retain the complementary tapes in fixed spaced relationship so as to definitely size the treated, wire diameter. For any fixed spindle speed, the described feed devices provide for a a driven orchange gear 15.

substantially uniform tape advance throughout the entire tape length. The intensity of cutting action of each tape may be individually regulated by its jaw adjustment.

The rotation of my positively actuated feed roller about its own axis is preferably kept extremely slow to establish a corresponding low rate of tape movement transversely of and toward the work piece. A comparatively fast tape movement in relation to the axial travel of the work piece, tends to cut predominating scratch marks that run crosswise of the work piece axis. Such initial defacement is difflcult to wipe out by a subsequent non-penetrative polishing step while bringing the treated product to a state of brilliant luster. The hazard of product wastage is herein materially reduced by an inherently smooth grinding in my primary zone,

In my preferred practice, the linear wire travel is maintained to at least five hundred times faster than the corresponding mean rate at which the several tapes are advanced into their respective cutting zones. Any suitable means may be em- "ployed for imparting -a progressive linear movement to the non-rotating work piece as it passes through my abrasive heads. As an instance, actuated conventional reels such as 56 and 51 may transfer a coil of wire from one reel to the other. A reversing ratchet mechanism such as 58 may be provided to change the direction of wire travel in the event-it is desired to repeatedly run the treated product through my apparatus, in sev-' eral rather than a single pass where any unusually heavy grinding is required.

Attention will now be directed to certain control devices for selectively changing the rate of tape feed from a centralized control point that may be located in the supplementary frame H (see Figs. 1 and 2). The control shaft sections 26 and 26A are shown split at 64. These abutting shaft ends may be coupled by a differential drive gear unit comprising a pair of oppositely disposed bevel gears 65 and 66 that are respectively keyed to a different shaft end and provided with one or more idler gears therebetween as carried by the yoke member 68.

A main worm 69 is mounted forwardly of the yoke hub to engage a cooperating worm gear carried upon the cross-shaft II and which shaft may be equipped with a supplementary reduction worm l2. Angularly superimposed upon the last named worm, is a lay shaft I3 that runs parallel to the control shaft 26A. Said lay shaft carries a supplementary worm gear 14 and also A mated driven change gear 16 may be mounted around the yoke hub to finally mesh with the gear 15.

The intent of such control gearing is to slightshaft end 26A is fixed by the spur gears 32 and 33 which at the same time rotate the worm 69.

Because of the well known planetary principle involved, the intermediate shaft section 26 may be made town at somewhat faster or slower speed relative to the companion section 26A, that is fixed by the direction of rotation given to the yoke 68.

Referring further to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the grinder head there shown rotates in a counter-clockwise direction while the-planet gear 43 may be made to rotate in a like or reverse dia diametral size identical with the master spur gear l8 upon which it rolls. Hence assuming the differential yoke 68 to be held stationary to 1mpart the same speed to both control shaft sections, the grinder head l5 of Fig. 4 will then advance through an angle marked A. Accordingly, the master gear will advance to exactly the same extent, with the result that no effective rotation will be imparted to the planet gears 43 about their respective roller pintles.

On the other hand, if the master sleeve gear 68 were to be held stationary with respect to the revolvinghead I5, then the planet gear qi3would revolve at a comparatively faster rate and thus bring about a corresponding feed in abrasive tape from the respective supply spools 5|.

By running the control shaft 26 at a speed slightly slower than its coupled shaft section 26A, the tape may be selectively fed crosswise of the work piece 55 at an extremely slow rate 'of ad vance. For different kinds of treated products, it is preferred to maintain adefinite predetermined rate of tape feed that is kept proportionate to the rate of work piece travel.

The forward or rightward group of heads shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are intended to perform the primary grinding operations and as such, their respective tapes 'arepreferably advanced somewhat faster than in the rearward or leftward group of heads through which the polishing operations are completed. Because of the relatively heavy, stepwise grinding which the primaryzone is ordinarily called upon to deliver, it is expedient to providea larger series of grinder heads for such primary zone than are comprised in the polishing zone. It is alsopreferred to run the lesser series of heads in the polishing zone at a comparatively slower rotation than those of,the primary zone by the use-of the reduction gears 31. The reduction spur gears 38 serve to correspondingly slow down, the rear control shaft section 26B. The gears 38 may be replaced by a shiftable gear box providing for an adjustable speed ratio of wider magnitude.

By releasing the clutchlike coupling 30, the rear group of grinder heads comprised in the polishing zone, may be kept at rest without imparting any rotation thereto. When-standing idle, the number of opposed'tape pairs of such polishing heads .are preferably multiplied sufficiently and fixedly staggered so as to embrace the entire perimeter of the work piece in the Fig. 7 manner. It will be apparent from the foregoing description, that the mated tapes such as 52' and 52", 53 and 53", etc. for the respective heads are still advanced regularly but slowly toward the treated work piece while the latter is being dragged longitudinally onward between the reels 56 and 51. By resort to similar control devices (not shown) all heads in both the primary and the polishing zones may be kept stationary by suitable retaining means.

The grinder heads in the primary zone may be supplied with virgin tape of relatively coarse grit while the finishing zone may utilize a finer grit or partially spent tapethat has previously served in the primary stage. In certain instances, a mere cloth or metal tape or the like bufiing or burnishing strip possessing little or no substantial abrasive property may be substituted in the polishing zone, in which event the corresponding rate of advance on part of such rubbing element isto be kept proportionate to requirements.

If desired, my machine may be simplified by eliminating the spindle sleeves l6 and I! and substituting independent reduction worm gears or a suitable ratchet mechanism adapted to individually feed the several tape roller means without resort to centralized control for changing the rate of tapeadvance.

A further alternative is shown in Fig. 6 in that an endless belt 86 is utilized inlieu of a roll of tape. The feed mechanism for advancing such belt may be substantially identical with the Fig. 5 disclosure and in which the feed roller ti l corresponds in purpose to a positively driven belt pulley. In order to avoid cutting pronounced scratch marks crosswise of the work piece axis, it is' preferred not to run such abrasive belt at high speeds. The use of an open belt of short span requires frequent renewals in comparison to the more compact roll form of abrasive tape, which latter serves to maintain the cutting properties thereof over a protracted operating period without any shut down for tape replacement. In addition, the cost of making endless belts and putting them in place tends to materially augment the abrasive cost per foot of polished product.

To recapitulate, it is important for present purposes that the initial grinding step be so conducted as to minimize the penetrative cutting of any pronounced scratch marks in said primary zone all of which is most expeditiously carried out in stepwise grinding by the use of multiple tapes. It is however within the scope of my invention-to initially prepare the work piece by any equivalent grinding means so that no further 'penet'rative grinding will be needed to bring such virtually, smooth surface to a higher degree of 3 luster bymeans of a separate polishing zone.

The lastnamed zone may comprise aplurality of slowly rotating or stationary abrasive carrying heads adapted to finally stroke the work piece axially. in a wiping direction having an insignificant cutting inclination with respect to said axis, preferablyless than ten degrees. Similar results may be had by superficially treating a wire or the like by atwo stage process in which all grinder heads are held stationary and in which the abrasive capacity of the primary zone is materially intensified with respect to that of the finishing zone. .The respective staggered tapes comprised in each successive zone are then regularly advanced crosswise of and toward the work piece. However, unless an abnormally large number of staggered tapes are resorted to in' the Fig. '7 manner, (or a double or triple series thereof are disposed in tandem) to comprise the initial or primary'stage, .the combined tape cutting capacity may prove insufficient to remove the required metal quota and to keep the treated article free from fiats at the herein contemplated fast linear travel of the work piece.

In an all stationary head assembly of this kind, the rate of tape advance into the primary zone may be kept different from that of the polishing zone so as to crowd the tape cutting action in the primary zone, but in both instances it is preferred to limit such tape feed and cause the work piece to travel longitudinally onward faster than the mean rate of .tape advance. Such relatively slow tape feed prevents the final cutting of any pronounced scratch marks in the polishing zone that extend crosswise rather than lengthwise of a treated wire.

I have found that the attainment ofa high class piano wire luster to present a difficult problem unless the processing steps are performed in proper sequence to include a preparatory step that adequately smooths up the wire for a subsequent non-penetrative polishing operation. For instance, certain tests were conducted with my machine upon black coated piano wire in which the helical lead pitchin both the primary and secondary zones were kept identical and relav tively short in length. While the wire was there-- by ground to a smooth truly round diametral size and possessed a moderately bright finish, 'no high grade luster was impartedsuch as could readily be attained when the heads comprised in the polishing stage were rotated at a relatively much slower speed or were held stationary.

By simultaneously treating a wire as it is being fed continuously onward from the first through the second stage of my improved grinding apparatus, a relatively high rate-of production may I templated, a change in the cross feed rate of the abrasive toward the work piece is not in itself sufficient to bring about a change in inclination of the resultant grinding action; instead the two controlling components thereof that fix such slope are herein centered in the rate of head rotation in relation to the longitudinal travel of the work the term head means is intended to be broadly directed to any housing means either rotary or stationary adapted to incorporate suitable abrasives together with associated feed mechanism, it being understood that I reserve the right to modify any other of my illustrative embodiments, all without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, heretofore'described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In 'a surface finishing apparatus, the combination of a primary zone and a finishing zone that are adapted to cooperatively treat a common elongated work piece, said primary zone comprising a series of stationary head means each including a supply of abrasive tape that are collectively brought into operative tangential engagement about the work piece in angularly staggered relationship to embrace substantially the whole of the work piece profile, actuating means for advancing the respective tapes toward said work piece at a rate suificient to bring about a penetrative', grinding in stepwise stages and thereby impart a substantially smooth superficial finish to the work piece, and which polishing'zone comprises a number of similarly disposed stationary head means .in series of which the actuated. abrasive tapes are collectively advanced to bring brought into operative tangential engagement about the work piece in angularly staggered relationship to embrace substantially the whole of the work piece profile, actuating means for advancing the respective tapes toward said work piece at a rate sufficient to bring about a penetrative grinding in stepwise stages and thereby impart a substantially smooth superficial finish to the work piece, and which polishing zone comprises a number of similarly disposed stationary head means in series including actuated feed means for advancing therespective tapes thereof independently of the tapes in the primary zone to refine the aforesaid smooth superficial finish and brighten the luster thereof, and means'for longitudinally moving the work piece surface through the respective zones for'successive treatment therein at a rate of travel not less than five hundred times faster than the mean rate of advance of the respective tapes comprised in such polishing zone.

3. In a surface finishing apparatus adapted to treat metallic wire, said apparatus comprising a series of rotatably mounted tubular head ,means having wiremovably suspended therethrough with each component head provided with abrasive tape means respectively distributed in angularly staggered relationship about the wire axis to embracingly surround the major profile portion of said wire, actuated feed means advancing said tape means into operative engagement with the wire surface, drive means rotating the head means at successionally different speed rates, and means movingthe embraced wire longitudinally while the head means are being operated at a comparatively fast rotative rate in relation to the corresponding wire travel rate to generate a helically continuous initial grinding'about said surface in a direction inclined with respect to the wire axis at an angle materially greater than ten degrees, and means for controlling the operation of the head means to cause the abrasive tape means thereof to superficially polish the initially ground wire in a direction inclined to the wire axis at less than eleven degrees.

4. A surface finishing machine comprising complementary grinder head means adapted to cooperatively treat an elongated work piece of annular profile while the work piece is being moved longitudinally, one such head means inincluding penetrative abrasive means that are rotatably mounted and driven to maintain operative tangential engagement with the work piece surface and thereby constitute a primary zone which upon being rotated around said surface generates a helical grinding action of which the predominating cutting direction is inclined with respect to theaxis of said work piece, and the other of which head meansare non-rotatably mounted and provided with abrasive tape means also maintained in operative tangential engagement with the aforesaid surface to constitute a finishing zone, actuated feed means advancing said tape means crosswise of and toward the last tain of such head means and whichcertain heads are rotatably mounted and driven to maintain' successive treatment, and actuated feed means advancing the respective tape means of the polishing zone crosswise to the work piece at a rate slower than said longitudinal movement imparted to the work piece.

6. A surface finishing apparatus comprising a plurality of head means adapted to treat a metallic wire, abrasive means carried by certain of such head means and which certain heads are rotatably mounted and driven to maintain the abrasive means in operative tangential engagement with said wire and thereby establish a [primary cutting zone wherein the wire surface is penetratively treated without producing flats, the remaining of which head means are each provided with abrasive tape means brought into operative engagement with the aforesaid wire surface to constitute a polishing zone, means for moving the wire longitudinally through said primary and polishing zones for successive treatment therein, means for controlling the operation of the remaining head means to cause the respective abrasive tape means thereof to polish the wire surface in a direction inclined with respect to the wire axis at an angle materially less than ten degreees, and actuated feed means advancing the respective tape means of the polishing zone across the wire axis at a rate slower than the longitudinal movement imparted to the wire while being treated in said polishing zone.

7. In a surface finishing apparatus adapted to treat an elongated work piece, stationary mounting means comprising a plurality of. abrasive tapes and which tapes are collectively brought into operative tangential engagement about the Work piece in angularly staggered relation to constitute a cutting zone that, embraces substantially the whole of the work piece profile, actuating means advancing the respective tapes to- Ward such cutting zone, and means moving the work piece surface longitudinally through said zone.

8. In a unitary surface finishing machine, a pair of rotatably mounted tubular head means adapted to have a reelable work piece entered therethrough, abrasive means carried by each such head means and which abrasive means operatively engage said work piece, drive means imparting a different rotative speed to the respective heads, means feeding the several abrasive means to the work piece, complementary reels respectively having said pair of head means interposed therebetween and being alternately arranged as supply and take-up reels with opposite work piece ends wound thereon, means for reversibly actuating the respective reels about the axis thereof to selectively drag, the work piece through the aforesaid heads in opposite directions.

VERNON R. PALLAS.

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