US2284904A - Abrasive wire polisher - Google Patents

Description

June 2, 1942. [LLMER AL 2,284,904

ABRAS IVE WIRE POLISHER Filed Nov. 22, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l low: /L LMII? BY yfl o I? PM:

} INVENTORSZ L. ILLMER ET AL ABRASIVE WIRE POLISHER June 2, 1942.

Filed Nov. 22,-1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n R h m n M E La W754 I ina! MA m U L W Y B .W w W fi '4 w 4 Patented June 2, 1942 ABRAsIvE WIRE POLISHER Louis lllmer and Vernon RQPallas, Cortland, N. Y.

Application November 22, 1940, Serial No. 366,596

7 Claims.

The present invention broadly relates to the art of surface finishing machines, and more especially pertains to an improved non-rotating head type which, by the use of a plurality of abrasive tapes, is adapted to applya lustrous metallic polish to fast moving round or flat wires, rods and other reelable products when dragged longitudinally through our compactmachine in one ormore passes, this unit being particularly designed to efficiently grind or highly polish hardened material such as piano and stainless steel wires or the like, with virtually no fast mov' ing parts except for the treated wire itself.

It is preferred to resort to a series of.laterally spaced bulkheads or stationary frame plates, each having mounted on one or more sides'thereof, mated tape pairs arranged to reversely abrade a cross-sectionally fiat or round Wire. The respective tapes are angularly staggered to bring their operative faces into overlapping abrasive contact with the entire'surface region of a treated work piece when stroked lengthwise to establish an adequate collective processing rate in suchseveral tape cutting zones. Each component tape of finite length is preferably supplied in roll or equivalent form of vernation and slowly advanced into its localized abrasive zone by positively operated feed means.

The inherently limited abrasive capacity of finer tape grits is herein fortified by employing ample collective width on part of theseveral roll tapes through which high tensile stock may be successively drawn and rapidlytreatedat the minimum number of passes. An outstanding aim of our machine is to crowd a large number of cooperating tapes into relatively small floor space without the need of any conventional rotating heads and at a substantial saving in first 7 cost thereover.

The respective abrasive tapes are purposely advanced tangentiallytoward the treated Wire at an exceedingly slow rate, to the end that each component tape may become substantially spent prior to leaving its cutting zone. As a result, even fast cutting coarse tape such as30 mesh grit, may by localized loading cause such deteriorated grit to take on the abrasive behavior of an equivalent finer grit adapted to leave a treated wire with a relatively high degree of polish or virtual burnish finish of which the scratch marks are hardly visible to the naked eye. In our machine, the same principle underlies the use of finer grit tapes; the slower cutting properties thereof effects a lustrous polish that may be keptfree from any pronounced deep scratch marks when microscopically inspected. The coarser grit offers the advantage of more rapidly and cheaply grinding out superficial Wire defects; if desired, a finer grit treatment may be subsequently applied to improve such visually bright wire polish.

A preferred wire velocity lies around two thousand feet per minute, which in turn affords a corresponding large productive capacity for a given collective width of active tapes and results in a proportionately low labor and machine cost. For a definite superficial wire hardness, its tape cutting rate is in part fixed by the applied wire.

velocity and tape backing pressure. Owing to a true lengthwise stroking, the polished wire is kept substantially free from spiral or the like transverse scratch marks since even minute cross scratch marks tend toward a mat finish likely to vitiate-a brilliant polish.

Provision has been made for ample tape storage capacity sufiicienty to supply their respective cutting zones for days of continuous operation. The several tapes may be simultaneously advanced at an adjustable rate from a centralized manipulative control to suit different wire sizes 7 and tape grits. In addition, our machine may be equipped with controllable pneumatic backing jaws that releasably press the tapes toward their respective cutting zones, these jaws being individually retractible and pressure regulated from a centralized point to suit requirements. All component tapes are regularly advanced at a controlled rate to provide for a continuously renewed abrasive zone and gross tape feed that may be accurately held to the minimum needs of different kinds and sizes of wire. In order to ease starting up our motorized work piece with the minimum of abrasive drag, each retractible backing jaw is individually equipped with return means that automatically follow up the release of pneumatic pressure.

The object of our invention is to devise a machine of the indicated character capable of advantageously utilizing numerous abrasive tapes for combined intensive grinding or polishing purposes at a rapid wire production rate and on a low cost output basis. Embodied herein are also other structural refinements that facilitate the end in view.

The present specification is descriptive of apparatus analogous in certain respects to teachings set forth in the'Pallas Patents #2,033,392 and 2,033,393 both dated March 10, 1936, and represents thereover a simplified and otherwise improved machine installation.

' purtenances except for the shift thereof.

Reference is had to the accompanying two sheets of drawings which are illustrative of a preferred exemplification of the instant invention, and in which drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a front end view, and Fig. 2 a skeletonized elevational side view of our polishing machine framework.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental cross-sectional view of a fully equipped machine taken along 3- -3 of the Fig. 1 frame assembly, and Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken transversely along 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 details a backing jaw taken along 5-5 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 one mode of tangential embraceon part of mated tape pairs.

Fig. '7 reveals an alternative rotating thimble that guides the wire therethrough.

Fig. 8 schematically depicts a modified wire treating unit in that its frame is mounted upon a pair of aligned trunnions for bodily oscillatory movement.

Referring more specifically to these disclosures, the skeletonized framework or housing of our boxlike abrasive machine may comprise a series of partition members or the like upright components preferably of thin metal plates such as IUA, 1013, IBC, etc., that are laterally spaced and may be demountably erected upon a rectangular channel-iron subbase structure I I to provide for compact: tape receiving compartments therebetween such as IZA, [2B, IZC, etc. For reasons .that will presently appear, six compartments have. been selected to make up a suitable frame unit. The upper corner regions of each such upright plate may be beveled at [3 (see Fig. 4) and have a liftable sectionalized cover or articulated hood mounted thereover. The platenlike medial top cover component [4 may be afiixcd in place and have hinges such as l5 along opposedlongitudinal edges thereof. A side opening wing componentlfi may depend from each of said hinges to afford servicing access to the tape feed. appurtenances. When closed, said cover is intendedto be kept sufficiently tight to confiningly encase any abraded dustlike materials. An exhaust vent i! may serve to draw out and prevent dust accumulation in the respective compartments. A flat base plate l8 may be fixedly superimposed upon the structure II and have the lower plate edges bolted or riveted thereto by the use of opposed angle iron mountings such as l9. The upper beveled plate edge region may be braced by aligned stays such as 20.

Fig. 4 reveals a typical disposition of our duplex tape supply and feed appurtenances associated with certain stationary uprights. The full-lined workingparts lie forwardly of the plate lUByvhile the corresponding parts indicated in dotted outline by prime numerals lie behind said plate and are angularly shifted about a central axis. Each component frame upright except the first and last plate, may be identically equipped with ap- The forward face of plate IUB may have a pair of spool studs or stanchions 22 and 23 fixedly erected thereon which are preferably located in opposed regions on the outer circle A. Mated supply spools or an equivalent tape carrier such as 24 and 25 may respectively be installed upon saidstuds and laterally retained in place by a demountable collar 64 in the Fig. 3 manner. Evenly distributed around the intermediate circle B, are a plurality of tape feed control shafts such as 26A, 26B, 260, etc., which may be bushed larly rearward through all or a portion of the remaining plates.

Mounted at the forward end of the several shafts is a series of meshed drive gears such as 28 (see Fig. 1) respectively having an idler gear 29 interposed therebetween in hexagon or other endless fashion to constitute a gear train preferably adapted to rotate all of the feed shafts in a common direction. One such gear may be continuously rotated by the sprocket 39 of which its chain 3i may be driven by a suitable widerange speed reducer 32. The input shaft of this reducer may in turn be actuated by the output shaft of a motorized variable speed transmission unit 33 provided with a finger tip control 3 3. As indicated in Fig. 3, such unit may be conveniently supported upon the top cover component i4. By manipulating said tip control, the speed of the several feed shafts may be simultaneously altered while running the respective feed rollers 44 and as slow as one revolution per hour.

In the center region of the circle B, each frame upright may be further provided. with a guide thimble 35 and have the treated wire or other elongated work piece 36 threaded therethrough as indicated. A reel such as 31 (see Fig. 2) is through the first plate IGA to extend perpendicudisposed at each end of our frame unit and may be reversely rotated at high speed by the clutch controlled drive motors such as 38, said reels being preferably provided with conventional level winder means to avoid indenting or otherwise marring the highly polished wire when alternately passed from one reel to another. A pair of guide pulleys such as 39 may accurately center the reeled wire into its. adjacent thimble. As intimated, it is the intent to pass the wire longitudinally at relatively high velocity to afford adequate cutting action for our slowly fed tapes, the work piece being progressively moved lengthwise at a rate of travel not less than five hundred times faster than the mean advance rate of any individual tape.

Referring further to Fig. 4, it will be observed that the outer terminal ofeach abrasive tape roll when respectively coiled within the complementary supply spools 24 or 25, may be extended and carried radially inward into opposed operative relation to the treated wire 36, the respective tape layouts being symmetrically disposed about a center-line that intersects the wire axis. A pair of guide rollers 40 and 4| mounted on the inner circle E, direct a short parallel portion of the extended roll tapes 42 and 43 into tangential contact with said wire, such narrow tape being preferably held to 2" to 4 in width and used in a dry condition without need of a filler lubricant.

Another portion of said tapes respectively diverge away from the wire axis so that they may not become blocked with lodged abraded material. A free outer end of each mated tape is positively and independently led onward about the perimeter of an associated feed roller such as M or 45 that are affixed to their respective shafts and continuously rotated in the arrowed direction by the transmission unit 33. A spring retained idler or geared supplementary roller 45 may press said free tape terminal toward its feed roller to obviate undue tape slip, whereupon the path of the spent tape terminal may be freely directed 4 outwardly along the guard vane 41. After sufficient spent tape has accumulated in any compartment, its cover may occasionally be lifted to manually sever such waste.

Referring now to Fig. 5, this shows a pair of opposed tape backing shoes or slender clamping jaws. 50 and attached'to their adjacent upright plate, the latter jaw being pivotally mounted'intermediate its ends to the forked bracket 52. The otherjaw may be supported by a bored guide bracket 53 provided with a hollow retractible plunger 54 to which said other jaw is pivoted. Mounted within said plunger is a metallic bellows or the like sealed diaphragm means 55 which when interiorly charged with pneumatic or equivalent fluid pressure through the flexible lead tube 56, expands lengthwise to exert an equalized clamping thrust between the respective jaws 50and 5|. Balanced auxiliary tension springs such as 51 may be resorted to for releasing the jaw wheneversaid tube is devoid of pressure,which in turn instantly relieves the jaw thrust upon the clamped tapes 42 and 43 to-. gether with its interposed wire 36. A shimmed cap'49 may serveto stop outward plunger travel and the corresponding retracted shoe position facilitates threading a new Wire between the various tape pairs. Such complete jaw release also allows the motorized reels 3! to be more rapidly accelerated up to full speed or reversed without overloading its drive motor when the wire. is freed from jaw drag between successive passes.

As represented in Fig. 4, the tube 56 may connect with a compressed air supply header 58 and be equipped with a combined back pressure and vent cock 59 whereby to manually regulate the pressure within said diaphragm. A plurality of such cocks may be similarly set in unison to adjust the jaw thrust to suit the wire and tape requirements. An externally disposed. gauge 63 registers the pressure prevailing in any one or all such bellows and which is intended to be regulated to meet the most efiicient cutting requirement for processing some particular wire stock. Excessive backing thrust tends to burn the tape and to set up irregularity in its feed; however the present cuttingzones are capable of working with a fairly intensive tape pressure per unit of actual ranged to eject any accumulated abrasive dust should this lodge between the more closely spaced tape portions.

In order to equalize axial shift by lateral drag on part of the treated work piece 36, it is prenormal axis of the fast moving wire 36 against the thimble 3 5.

7 As shown in Fig. 4, six tape feed shafts may be evenly spaced apart through the angle (C+D) and may be collectively shifted through the lead angle C relative to the horizontal centerline X--X. The respective tape spools may be cooperatively disposed as shown. It will be evident that a greater or lesser number of feed shafts may be likewise arranged. .The component upright plates such as 1013, MC, etc., each constitute a demountable unit upon whose corresponding faces the feed appurtenances may be bodily shifted through a 30 angle with respect to each other. In such event the angle C is fixed at about one-half of 30 in order that the respec tive mated tapes for successively shifted plate layouts may be angularly staggered at about 15 contact area. A branch air pipe '60 may be arl andbecome evenly distributedover the entire wire profile to obviate the grinding of flats.

Such disposition may be clarified by reference to the enlarged scale Fig 6. Here the dry mated tapes 42 and 43 may respectively comprise a paper backing strip 6| of which its inner face is coated with the abrasive grit designated 62. The opposed clamping jaws 50 and 5| respectively bear upon the smooth strip faces to reversely press the abrasive tape faces toward the interposed wire 36. The resulting twin cutting zones are angularly defined as F and F and their armate contact is in part dependent upon the wire diameter and the allowable jaw pressure for a given gritQ As indicated, the original thickness of the advanced virgin grit is thereby gradually reduced in such zone into a thinner spent state prior to leaving the treated wire. Because of the described. bodily shift of the tape feed appurtenances, another roll tape such as 42" may be angularly disposed in terms of the aliquot inclination C with respect to the full lined mated tapes 42 and 43.

The effective tape contact angle F may be kept larger than the basic lead angle C to bring about an overlapping tape embrace that will wholly and evenly abrade or polish a cylindrical work piece of the like profile. It may be emphasized that our parallel plates I DA, IIJB, etc., might likewise be set obliquely with respect to the wire axis in order to correspondingly extend the effective tape contact area.

While wires have heretofore been drawn through so-called sanding boxes or through a coil of abrasive saturated rope, such primitive polishing agencies make no provision for controllably feeding a fresh supply of abrasive into the respective cutting zones thereof; accordingly, the abrasiveaction is not uniformly maintained and becomes sluggish by loading or grit wear. In the case of intensivel pregrinding by abrasive Wheels, the wire surface suffers serious crossscratch marks that are difficult to eliminate by subsequent tape treatment.

While rapidly dragging a hard wire through our finishing apparatus at high velocity, such wire may be set into sufficient lateral whip to impinge or ride upon a localized region of its guide bushing. Such occurrence may by ultimately zcutting a rough groove into the thimble 35, mar

a highly polished wire. In Fig. 7, there is shown a replaceable corrective bushing 14 of babbitt, soft stone or the like non-scoring material which may be slowly rotated about its axis by the belt "15' driven from a special pinion 16 that meshes with a gear train component such as 28. Any tendency toward grooving is thereby distributed over a wide area.

The Fig. 8 alternative provides for an oscillatory frame unit 10 that may be trunnion mounted at each end plate as at H and equipped with a crank mechanism schematically indicated by 12. When the crank is slowly rotated by a suitable drive, said frame will bodily oscillate about its trunnions. Such arrangement is expedient should the angular cutting zone F of Fig. 6 be kept smaller than the tape lead angle C, particularly when using an insufficient number of adjoining tape compartments such as IZA, I2B, etc.

When'desired, several of the described units may also be placed in tandem which allows of correspondingly altering the lead angle C for each frame component and the required number :of feed shafts. In;tandem nits designed for a single pass operation, it is preferred to charge the respective frames with different tape grits, in which event each housing unit is preferably equipped with separate tape feed finger controls 34 allowing the different grits to be independently adjusted to suit requirements. An underfeeding of the finally applied tape promotes the desired burnishing efiect. The productive capacity of our machine is essentially fixed by the combined width of all tapes installed therein but the requirement in superficial tape area for a given performance with a certain grit, remains substantially constant and independent of the installed number of tapes.

Drawn wire as it comes from the mill, is frequently left unclean because of using a viscous, greasy lubricant. If not pickled to precleanse the treated wire, such entrained lubricant is likely to adhere to and thereby befoul abrasive tape. By virtue of the described localized cutting zone F, only an insignificant initial tape contacting portion becomes loaded with such lubricant. However, fresh grit will thereupon be fed toward the treated wire to establish and maintain a desired uniform cutting rate. In this respect the present abrasive performance is quite different from that of a high speed cloth backed belt of endless length in which all of its virgin grit may become irretrievably loaded by sticky drawing compound and thus permanently affect its subsequent cutting characteristic. In addition, a belt normally suffers from a gradually declining cutting rate and finally'reaches an ineffective worn state. In the Fig. 6 layout, our tapes when leaving their cutting zone F may be made to respond to the feeble action of a spent abrasive belt, a condition that promotes lustrous polish by a substantial burnishing effect as distinguished fromits original more intensive or virgin abrasive action.

Initially, ashort auxiliary lead wire length may be threaded between successive tape pairs. Such interposed lead may by provisional welding or other suitable securement be conveniently utilized to start an untreated wire through the series of axially aligned guide thimbles 35 or bushings M, the respective wire ends being spirally wound about the take-up and offtake reels 31. In the case of larger high tensile wire sizes, it is expedient to employ reel drums of commensurate diameter in order not to kinkingly flex the wire beyond its elastic limit. The treated wire may be dragged through our machine in one or more passes to grind or polish the same to any desired extent. For relatively expensive stainless steel or piano wire, it is expedient to bring up a bright polish without undue abrasive action. It is also preferred to set the transmission unit 33 to a proper feed and thereby advance any'slackened tape into a taut condition prior to bringing the reels up to speed, but the air controlled jaw thrust may be applied after full wire velocity has been reached.

In lieu of fine abrasive tapes, a fabric bufiing strip may be substituted to further enhance the wire polish. However, a more rapid method step consists in finally redrawing a completely machine treated wire through dies so as to but compactness of the present housing arrangement is such as to provide for abundant collective tape width that may be kept approximately equal to the available overall length L of each frame unit.

' A treated wire may thus be drawn through an aggregate of some four to eight feet of combined tape width for each and every housing unit. When such machine is charged with moderately coarse grit, a single pass may suifice to complete the wire processing. Where an extremely fine superficial polish is desired in one pass, several of the described housing units may be operated in tandem and loaded with successively graded tape grits. Such goal materially simplifies the motorized reeling equipment by eliminating the need for reel reversal mechanism.

Different tape grits may also be installed in the respective end compartments of a single housing unit so as to first intensively grind and thereupon finish a treated wire. The cited tandem units are preferred to such single housing unit, but both are likely to prove cheaper to operate than resort to repeatedly and successively passing wire through a pair of independent grinder and polishing units that are each equipped with separate large diameter reels of the reversing type.

The pneumatic pressure supply from the header 58 may be allowed to simultaneously enter the several bellows 55 after the respective reels have been speeded up by the drive motor 38 and the short interposed lead wire has traversed its frame unit. The present machine is capable of treating several hundred pounds of wire per pass with relatively cheap paper backed tape. Such rapid productive rate correspondingly reduces the labor and capital charges per pound of treated wire. Upon completing the processing, the air supply may be shut off to automatically retract the tape backing shoes 50 and thereby free the tape of lateral thrust. It will be obvious that electromagnetic actuating devices for the respective air cocks 59 may be made responsive to the switch control of the reel motor.

As regards the changing over of the roll tape from one to another grit, each spent spool may readily be withdrawn from its stanchion and replaced by a full spool of different grit. The respective outer free terminals of the renewed tapes are then run over their corresponding feed rollers and into cutting engagement with a threaded wire.

The herein disclosed low cost instrumentalities permit of rapidly processing wire or the like products at the utmost rate commensurate with the inherently restricted cutting property of abrasive tapes. The term plates appearing in certain claims is used in a generic sense to embrace any housing bulkhead element irrespective of the material thereof, such as rolled metal sheets,

castings of any shape, built-up wooden slats or the equivalent jaw sustaining means.

In order not to inadvertently mar a highly polished wire none of the clamping jaws 50 and 5| should be allowed to come into direct contact with the treated wire. Such contact may occur should either of the interposed tapes 42 and 43 tear apart, run out of roll stock, or the like. To meet such contingencies, an emergency telltale indicator may be operatively associated with the corresponding clamping jaws. As schematically illustrated in Fig. 5, a responsive electrical device of this kind may comprise a relay 65 whose open circuit 66 may be connected in series with the respective jaws and the treated Wire 36,

assuming the cleared wire td be kept insulated from direct electrical contact with other sur- The foregoing disclosure will it is believed,

make evident to .those skilled in this art, the outstanding commercial l advantages which I our fast machine improvements afford over the prior art. It is further emphasized that certain aspects of such tape housing assemblies are likely to find application to purposes other than superficial grinding of wire work pieces and that we reserve the right to correspondingly modify certain disclosed structural aspects of our illustrative embodiment, all without departing fromthe spirit and scope of our invention heretofore described and more particularly characterized in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a surface finishing apparatus, a compartmental housing comprising a row of laterally spaced partition plates fixedly erected upon a unitarysub-base and respectively provided with a similar polygonal edge contour including a horizontal top component, said plates each having an opening adapted to slidably thread a common work piece therethrough, a sectionalized hood inclosing a housing compartment and serving as a closable access agency thereto, an articulated medial section of said hood being disposed to spanningly rest upon two or more of such top edge components to constitute a platen, plural control shafts extending inwardly through certain adjacent partition plates and which shafts are coupled together by a gear train, a motorized variable speed transmission unit mounted upon said platen and operatively connected to drive the gear train, an abrasive tape disposed within each housing compartment and respectively brought into engagement with said work piece, driven feed roller means for certain of said shafts and arranged to collectively'ad- Vance the several tapes toward the work piece, and means for dragging said Work piece lengthwise through said row of plates.

2. In a surface finishing apparatus, a compartmental housing comprising spaced stationary partition members respectively provided with a substantially central aperture adapted to have a common elongated work piece entered therethrough, an abrasive tape of finite length located within each housing compartment, corresponding end regions of said tapes being extended into cutting zone engagement with the work piece, separate adjustable clamping jaw means for each such tape serving to embracingly thrust their cooperating tapes toward the work piece, control means for simultaneously adjusting the clamping effort exerted by the aforesaid jaw means, said control means including individually applied release means for each of the jaw means, driven feed roller means arranged to collectively advance said tapes into their respective cutting zones, and motorized drive means dragging the work piece longitudinally at a relatively high velocity through such adjusted clamping jaw means, said release means prior to jaw adjustment serving to automatically free the work piece grip: and thereby'ease the' drive means while initiating the work piece. velocity.

it 3; In a surface finishing apparatus, a compartmental housingcomprising a series of laterally spaced stationary partition members respectively provided with registering openings adapted to have a common work piece dragged therethrough, a pair of abrasive tapes of finite length cooperatively carried by one side face of a certain partition'member with corresponding tape end regions extended into crosswise engagement with the work piece to'constitute superimposed rec'- tilinear cutting zones disposed lengthwise of the work piece axis, driven feed roller means serving to advance said tapes toward their respective cutting zones, a clamping jaw assembly overhangingly affixed to said one side face to com.-

prise a pair of elongated backing shoes which are both tiltably arranged in maintained alignment to parallelly grip said zones throughout the respective lengths thereof, said assembly including a stationary guide bracket serving to mount a retractible plunger having a shoe pivot at one end region thereof and which plunger is equipped with manipulative fluid actuated diaphragm means for remotely controlling the thrust of one such shoe toward its mate whereby to selectively regulate the pressure intensity prevailing in the respective cutting zones, and a motorized variable speed transmission unit operatively connected to drive the several feed rollers in unison.

4. In a surface finisihng apparatus, a compartmental housing comprising a series of laterally spaced stationary partition members respectively provided with registering openings adapted to have a common work piece dragged therethrough, a pair of abrasive tapes of finite length cooperatively carried by one side face of a certain partition member with corresponding tape end regions extended into crosswise engagement with the work piece to constitute superimposed rectilinear cutting zones disposed in substantial parallelism lengthwise of the work piece axis, mated guide roll means for each such tape respectively located in a straddling relation to the wire axis and serving to direct their associated tapes toward and away from the cutting zone thereof, opposed clamping jaw members respectively interposed between each pair of mated guide roll means and overhangingly aifixed to said one side face to comprise a pair of elongated backing shoes which are both tiltably arranged in maintained alignment to grip said zones throughout the respective lengths thereof, said assembly including a stationary bracket mounting a retractible plunger having a shoe pivot at one end region thereof and which plunger is equipped with manipulative remote control means for thrusting one of said shoes toward its mate, and automatic release means interposed between said bracket and said one shoe serving to retract said plunger when the remote control means are rendered inactive and thereby alleviate the intrinsic tape grip on the work piece.

5. In a surface finishing apparatus, a compartmental housing comprising a row of spacedly interconnected partition plates each provided with an aperture adapted to have a common reelable work piece entered therethrough, and of which housing the end plates are respectively provided with a trunnion, a pair of bearing supports serving to pivotally mount the housing trunnions, an abrasive tape located between opposed plate faces of each housingv compartment, said tapes being brought into operative engagement with the work piece with their respective cutting zones angularly distributed about the work piece axis, driven feed roller means arranged to collectively advance the several tapes into their respective cutting zones, means serving to drag the work piece longitudinally through the aforesaid distributed cutting zones, and means for bodily rocking said housing about the trunnions thereof.

6. A surface finishing apparatus provided with tape carrier means of which its tape is brought into abrasive engagement with a treated wire, driven feed means arranged to advance said tape into the abrasive zone thereof, backing jaw means serving to clamp the engaged tape portion toward said wire and which tape is normally kept interposed between the jaw means and said wire, and

emergency tell-tale means for indicating a prevailing direct contact of said jaw means with the treated wire surface when the tape is no longer interposed therebetween.

7. A surface polishing apparatus provided with tape carrier means of which its tape is brought into abrasive engagement with a treated work piece, driven feed means aranged to advance said tape into the cutting zone thereof, backing jaw means serving to press the engaged tape portion toward said work piece and which tape is normally kept interposed between the jaw means and the work piece, and emergency tell-tale indicating means for automatically relieving the pressure exerted by the jaw means.

LOUIS ILLMER. VERNON R. PALLAS.

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