US2637865A

US2637865A - Tube cleaning tool

Info

Publication number: US2637865A
Application number: US38507A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald G Posson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1948-07-13
Filing date: 1948-07-13
Publication date: 1953-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 1970-05-12

Description

May 12, 1953 D. s. POSSON 5 3 TUBE CLEANING TOOL Filed July 13. 1948 Iaweeaiofl: Donald 63. P068031 Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED STATES rATENT OFFICE TUBE CLEANING TOOL Donald G. Posson, Needham, Mass.

Application July 13, 1948, Serial No. 38,507

2 Claims. 1

This application is a continuation in part of the now pending application of Donald G. Posson, Serial No. 9,360, filed February 19, 1948, for Tube Cleaning Tool.

This invention releates to means for cleaning, polishing or lapping the interior of tubes. The invention is particularly concerned with providing a ready means for cleaning small bores such as rifle barrels and small tubes of all kinds, whether circular or otherwise in cross section. It will be understood, of course, that the various parts may be enlarged to any degree necessary to clean effectively larger tubes.

The invention lends itself not only to the general cleaning of a tube but also to polishing the interior surface or even enlar ing the internal diameter through the use of suitable abrasives combination with the present construction.

In the prior art construction it has been difficult to provide a cleaning rod having some sort of swab attached thereto which can be drawn back and forth within the tube without having the swab jam when moved in one of the two directions. For example, in cleaning a rifle barrel it is generally necessary to push the cleaning rod having a swab affixed to the leading end all the way through the barrel to the breech before the rod can be withdrawn. This is due to the jamming effect caused by the swab as the motion of the rod is reversed.

The present construction includes a fluted cleaning rod and a swab member having an interior metal support which gives the swab such rigidity as it lies within the flutes of the rod that the unit may be moved back and forth without jamming.

The swab or cleaning element in the present case can be varied in its effective diameter or volume so that interior pressure against the tube may be varied to modify the cleaning effect. The swab is of such material and so constructed that it may readily receive and hold an abrasive by which the interior surface may be polished or lapped.

The invention holds the swab in a helical position so that the entire circumference of the barrel is simultaneously engaged during back and forth motion of the cleaner. Thus the cleaning, polishing or lapp ng occurs uniformly so that no chan e is caused in the interior configuration of the tube except in so far as it may be somewhat enlarged when abrasives are used.

The invention will be more clearly understood as the description proceeds with the aid of the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 illustrates a modified form of the inven- 2. tion in which the hole is remote from the end of the cleaning rod.

2 shows the swab in position in the rod shown in Fig. 1, with the unit entering a tube.

Fig. 3 shows the construction of Fig. 2 after it has been pushed through the tube that it was shown entering in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end view looking from the left of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the swab element before being positioned in the holder, with part of the brush-like fibres removed to show the character of the supporting wire.

The invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 has been found particularly desirable for use in cleanmg gun barrels. Here the cleaning rod 30 has the usual preferred

helical flutes

32 and 34, but the hole for the cleaning swab, instead of being at the leading end, is remote therefrom, as at 36. The leading end of the cleaning rod has a notch 38 extending into the web an appreciable distance, as shown. The purpose of this will be explained shortly. The other end of the cleaning rod is threaded at 4B for engagement with corresponding threads 42 on the end of ramrod 44.

After the cleaning swab 45 has been inserted in hole 35, the extending ends of the swab are folded into the helical flutes in the direction of the end of the cleaning rod.

As the swab it has the usual centrally located wires, similar to wires I6 and I8, throughout its length. it becomes possible to give the two ends 48 and 50 a twist by the fingers which causes these ends to settle into notch 38, thereby firmly locking the swab in position on the end of the cleaning rod. The

twisted ends

48 and 50 which extend beyond the end of the cleaning rod 30 are, of course, of less diameter than that part of the swab which is in position in the helical flutes. Therefore it is apparent that the twisted ends 48 and 5E! may be freely introduced into the nozzle of a gun barrel with firm engagement being made by the swab when the cleaning rod itself has entered. Thereafter the tool may be pushed all the way through the gun barrel to emerge from the breech, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3. Up to this point there has been no possibility of the swab becomin dislodged or jammed, because the twisted ends 48 and 59 are sufficiently strong to insure its maintaining its position in the flutes. After the swab has passed out at the other end of the barrel, as shown in Fig. 3, the assembly may then be drawn back and the swab will reenter the barrel readily, as the hole 36 will then be at the leading end of the swab.

This construction makes it possible to move the swab back and completely through the barrel and then to reverse the movement without possibility of jamming. This constitutes an important advantage, as it halves the normal time of cleaning the gun barrel, since each stroke is fully effective rather than alternate strokes as is now the case.

It will be understood that the cross-sectional configuration of the flutes may be varied somewhat without departing from the invention, and similarly the construction and cross-sectional shape of the swab may likewise be modified to fit properly within the particular flute configuration.

In machine shop operations the present invention has zeen found effective as a lapping tool for polishing and slightly increasing the interior diameter of a tube. By placing suitable-abrasives either on the swab I 4 or within the tube, the back and forth movement of the swab will bring the abrasive into easy and uniform contact with the entire interior circumference to produce the required ellect. The swab will ordinarily consist of either animal or vegetable fibres supported by the interior wires E5 and it. However, in some cases where a scratch brush effect isdesired, the transversely extending fibres could be made of short lengths of wire which would give a more abrasive cleaning action but would otherwise behave in the same manner as the pipe stem cleaner type of swab, which is the preferred form.

While preferred forms of the invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereby but only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tool for cleaning the interior of tubes, comprising a cylindrical rod having oppositely disposed helical flutes extending longitudinally thereof, a hole through the web of said rod connecting said flutes at their trailing end remote from the leading end of said rod, and a cleaning swab comprising a pair of twisted Wires supporting fibrous twisted material positioned in said hole and with its ends extended forwardly in said flutes, and the ends of said swab twisted together beyond the leading end of said rod.

2. A tool for cleaning the interior of tubes, comprising a cylindrical rod having oppositely disposed helical flutes extending longitudinally thereof, a hole through the web of said rod connecting said flutes at their trailing end remote from the leading end of said rod, a notch in said web at the leading end of said rod, a cleaning swab comprising a pair of twisted wires supporting fibrous twisted material positioned in said hole and with its ends extended forwardly in said flutes, the ends of said swab twisted together beyond the leading end of said rod so as to engage in said notch.

DONALD G. POSSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 889,890 Bass June 9, 1908 966,100 Johnson Aug. 2, 1910 2,4203% Jowett May 6, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3%,827 Sweden Jan. 26, 1912 387,50": Germany Dec. 29, 1923 $394,156 Great Britain June 22, 1933