US2794264A

US2794264A - Paint roll cleaner

Info

Publication number: US2794264A
Application number: US227868A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward P Scholtka
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-05-23
Filing date: 1951-05-23
Publication date: 1957-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 1974-06-04

Description

June 4, 1957 E. P. scHoL'rKA PAINT ROLL CLEANER Filed May 23, 1951 Bnnentor .Eo wnep P50/ax. TKA

Gttomegs United States Patent f" PAINT RGLL CLEANER Edward P. Scholtka, Milwaukee, Wis. Application May 23, 1951, Serial No. 227,868

' 7 Claims. (Col. 34-V--8) This invention relates Ato a paint rol-l cleaner.

In referring to a paint roll, reference is made to the type of paint applicator which is widely replacing the common paint brush. This paint roll consists of a lambs wool jacket mounted upon a suitable tubular core. This paint applicator is mounted on some form of mandrel with a suitable handle. The lambs wool jacket is saturated with paint and is rolled over the surface to be painted. Obviously, if the lambs wool jacket is not thoroughly cleaned when the paint job is finished, the residuurn of paint in the lambs wool will harden and the paint roll will not again be usable. It has been found that despite thorough washing of the roll in tunpentine and other solvents, a residuum of paint will remain in the lambs wool jacket and it will become stiff. Moreover, a residuum of paint, even though it be not permitted to harden, may remain to affect the color of the next paint to be used.

In accord with this invention, the jacket of fa paint roll may be so thoroughly cleaned that insuicient residuum of paint remains in the jacket to inuence the color of succeeding quantities of paint with which the jacket is used. and to stitfen the lambs wool.

The invention consists of a can having bearings upon which a mandrel may be rotatably mounted, the mandrel having gripping elements upon which the jacket of a paint roller may be removably mounted to be centrifugally spun in the can.

The invention further consists of a novel mandrel having resilient gripping ngers upon which a paint roll jacket may be removably mounted, and in specific bearings in the can on which the mandrel and jacket may be mounted to be centritugally spun.

A particular object of the invention is to provide the centrifugal paint roll cleaner to be powered by a hand operated, self-rewinding pull cord by means of which unusually high speeds of rotation of the paint roll jacket may be achieved.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an axial cross section through an assembled paint roll cleaner embodying the present invention, the mandrel means for rotating the mandrel being shown in readiness for a spinning operation `and a paint roll jacket being shown on the mandrel.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred form of mandrel used to mount the jacket of the roll within the device.

Fig.y 3 is a perspective exterior View. of a completely assembled device embodying the invention.

Fig. 4 is an axial cross sectional view through a device having modiied bearings, the paint roll jacket being omitted from this view and the mandrel being shown in elevation.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Patented June 4, 1957 Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 7;-7 of Fig. l, the can being omitted.

In the present invention a paint roll jacket 10, which is of conventional design and includes a cardboard or composition tubular core 11 having an external covering of lambs woolor the like 12, is mounted within a can 13 and is rotated upon its axis at high speeds to centrifugally remove paint or other liquids from the wool 12. The can 13 is desirably made of metal, although any suitable material such as cardboard or flberboard coated internally with asubstance impervious to paint, such as a synthetic plastic, could `be substituted for the metal.

'Iihe can has a bottom 14 having a peripheral ange 15 crimped about the lower margin of the can 13. The can is further provided with a removable top 16 having a .peripheral ilange 17 in resilient engagement with the top margin 18 of the can. The top margin 18 may be stiflened by an :annular rib 19.

The ,bottom 14 and.V top 16 of the can are respectively provided with bearings upon which a mandrel, indicated generally as 20, may be mounted for rotation within the can. In the embodiment of Fig. l, `the top and bottom bearings are substantially identical and comprise a conical the bearing aperture 26,

having diametrically oppositely provided with feet 25 welded of the can botor funnel shaped guide 23 .disposed support legs 24 or otherwise secured to the inside surface torn or top. The apices of the cones or funnels 23 are respectively apertured at 26 to provide axially laligned bearings in which the respective

axial shafts

27 and 28 of lthe mandrel 2t) are journaled. Shaft 27 of the mandrel rests upon the bottom 14 of the can, whereas the top 16 of the Canis apertured iat 29, in alignment with to permit the shaft 28 of the mandrel to project outwardly from the top of the can. The projecting portion of the shaft 28 constitutes a spindle by means of which the mandrel may be rotated within the can yas hereinafter explained.

vThe mandrel 20 is desirably fabricated from a block of wood by Vsawing the tapered slots 35 land 36 to define

resilient fingers

33 and 34. A substitute block could be cast from a synthetic plastic to the generally Z shaped block illustrated. In any embodiment, the block preferably comprises a central or `axial portion 32 into the opposed ends of which the aligned sha-

tts

27 and 28 are embedded. Opposite ends of the central portion 32 of the mandrel provide integral connections for the

resilient lingers

33 and 34 which are on opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the mandrel, and extend in oppositel directions. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the respective fingers taper from their integrally connected ends to their free ends as illustrated. By reason of the taper of the lingers and slots the fingers are highly resilient, and the free ends of the lingers may be depressed to accommodate jackets having somewhat dilerently diametered tubular cores, and will tightly grip the cores under their self-bias.

It is to be noted that the mandrel 20 is beveled at 37 and 38 near one end to facilitate insertion of the mandrel into the paint roll jacket. The end of the block opposite the bevels is provided with a stop pin 39 against which the jacket 10 is seated when properly positioned on the mandrel. As best shown in Fig. 7 the opposite edges of the

respective lingers

33 and 34 are rounded whereby to substantially conform to the circular cross section of the tubular core 11. The normal diameter of the mandrel 20 is slightly in excess of the diameter of a conventional paint roll core in order to lit snugly therewithin, and to cause the

lingers

33 and 34 of the mandrel to be depressed slightly to exert resilient pressure against the core of the jacket to preclude slippage once the jacket is positioned on the mandrel.

As before noted, mandrel shaft 28 extends through the topopening 29 in the' can Whereby'to expose a por tion of its length. While a hand powered tool having a chuck may be coupled to the shaft 28 for the purpose of spinning the roller jacket to Icentrifugally extract the paint from the jacket, I have found that a much simpler and more effective manner of spinning the mandrel andV jacket is to slot the end of the shaft 28 at 42 Iand to provide a hand pull cord 43 which has a knot 44 at one end and a handle 45 at its other end. The knot 44 of the cord may be engaged snugly in the slot 42 and the cord 43 wound about the shaft 28 as indicated in Fig. l. The shaft 28 then acts as a windlass or crank to spin the mandrelv and jacket at relatively high speeds when thefree end ofthe cord is pulled. The arrangement is such that there is ,flywheel action and the rcord 43 will automatically rewind upon the shaft 28 after ithas been pulled so that when fully rewound another tug on the handle 45 will spin the jacket in the opposite direction.

Because `of the relatively small. radius of the shaft 28 a large number of turns can be made about the shaft. I have found that through the use of this relatively simple self-rewinding pull cord the jacket can be driven at peak speeds of 3,600 R. P. M., and higher, in the normal course of operation of the device, this being greatly in excess of speeds attained by conventional hand power tools. In practice, the jacket is spun repeatedly, iirst in one direction of rotation, and then in the other, for approximately one minute, which is sufiicient to extract practically all the paint held by the jacket. After this initial spinning, the jacket is desirably dampened with a solvent, such as vestiges of paint and to clean and freshen the lambs wool cover. The jacket may then be removed from the mandrel and either stored or reused. The paint is extracted so completely by this device that the jacket may be immediately reused with paint of an entirely diiferent color, no trace whatever of the original color remaining in the jacket. This amazing result is attributed largely to the high speeds of rotation of which the device is capable, and because of the reversal of direction of spinning.

The paint centrifugally extracted from the roller will be thrown to the sides of the can and will collect at the bottom of the can. It may either be poured from the can to be reused or discarded. As the jacket normally holds several ounces of paint, this may be completely salvaged. What little paint coats the side and bottom of the can does not interfere with its operation and reuse, but is actually beneficial as it serves to seal' the can against leakage.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the can 13 is identical with that shown in Fig. l, except for slightly modiiied mandrel shaft bearings. In this modification', the top bearing comprises a wooden or synthetic plastic block 46 mounted to the undersurface of the can top 16 by the screws or nails 47. Wooden or synthetic plastic block 48 which, in the preferred embodiment of this modification, is extended for the full diameter of the can and has arcuate ends 49 which bear against the inside periphery of the can to accurately locate the block 48 across the bottom of the can. Blocky 48'is provided with a conical guide surface 52 and with a bearing surface 53 in which the shaft 27 of the mandrel 20 is rotatably seated. The top block 46 is likewise provided with a conical guide surface 54 `and with a bearing surface 55 aligned with the top opening 29 in the can.

In either embodiment of the invention one bearing is mounted at the bottom of thecan and the other bearing is mounted in the removable top. Accordingly, the' can is disassembled merely by removing the top 16 with its bearing, whereupon the mandrel and paint roll jacket may be inserted or removed from the can as` a unit.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is seen that avery simple ycentrifugal paint roll cleaner has been provided which may be manufactured at low cost and which does turpentine, and respun to remove the .lastl The bottom bearing` comprises a,

not require any electrical or other power driving source. The mandrel is spun at high speeds which insures complete extraction of the paint. The novel mandrel or core block -is provided with novel spring fingers to receive all standard diameter paint rolls and is provided with a coupling to which the hand operated pull cord 43 may be lconveniently attached.

l claim:

l. In a device of the character described, the sub-combination which comprises a can having a bottom member and a removable top member, said members being provided with means for the support of a mandrel carrying a paint roll jacket within the can, said mandrel having oppositely extending shafts, said means comprising a central guide cone with an opening at the apex of the cone which constitutes a bearing, and support legs for mounting the cone with its apex spaced from said member.

2. In a device of the character described, the sub-combination which comprises a can having a bottom member and a removable top member, said members being provided with means for the support of a mandrel :carrying a paint roll jacket within the can, said mandrel having 'oppositely extending shafts, said means comprising blocks havingcentral openings constituting bearings, and conical guide surfaces in said blocks giving access to said openings, at least one of said blocks being provided with extensions laterally of the can axis and extending for the full diameter of the can and frictionally engaged against the sides of the can.

3. The method of cleaning a paint laden paint rod jacket and salvaging said paint comprising the steps of rotatably mounting a paint laden jacket on an axis of rotation in air within a container after use lof said roll jacket for purposes of painting and before treating said jacket with any paint solvent, spinning the jacket at high speed on said axis within said can to centrifugally extract substantially all of the paint therefrom, collecting the paint thus deposited in the can, dampening said jacket with a paint solvent and again spinning said jacket to centrifugally extract said solvent.

4. The method of claim 3 in which said jacket is alternately spun in opposite directions of rotation within said can prior to dampening.

5. A device for rapid rotation of a paint laden paint roll jacket in air for the centrifugal extraction of substantially all of the paint therefrom and collection of said paint, said device comprising the combination with a can, a mandrel having a shaft, said mandrel having means upon which said paint roll jacket may be mounted, and bearingmeans carried by the can on which the mandrel is removably housed in said can with its shaft extending therebeyond, of a pull cord wound on said shaft, said shaft having a diameter materially smaller than the diameter of the paint roll jacket and constituting a windlass about which the pull cord may rewind for successive pulls on the cord to impart high speed rotation to the jacket first in one direction of rotation and then in the opposite direction of rotation and centrifugally extract substantially all of the paint therefrom for collection in said can.

6. A device of claim 5 in which said can has a bottom, a removable top and bearings in said bottom and top, said top being provided with a shaft opening aligned with its bearing for extension of said mandrel shaft through said opening.

7. A method of cleaning a paint laden paint roll jacket and salvaging said paint comprising the steps of mounting a paint laden paint roll jacket on an axis of rotation iny air within a container after use of said roll jacket for purposes of painting and before treating said jacket with any paint solvent and manually spinning the jacket at high speed alternately in opposite directions of rotation on said axis to centrifugally throw substantially all of the paint from said jacket to the sides of the can from whence it Hows to the bottom of the can and collects for salvage.

(References on following page) 5 References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Chapin Feb. 20, 1872 Weston Nov. 30, 1886 5 Shirer Mar. 11, 1913 Hosch Ian. 15, 1918 Moore Iune 15, 1920 6 Lindgren et a1 Sept. 21, 1926 Stanley Apr. 20, 1937 Brewer Sept. 23, 1941 Ashpes Mar. 14, 1944 Rieber Ian. 18, 1949 Engel Feb. 20, 1951 Calhoun Nov. 4, 1952