US2938224A - Paint brush - Google Patents

Description

May 31, 1960 A. J. FOULKES PAINT BRUSH Filed Nov. 4, 1957 INVENTOR. 4/?77/0/1 .1 F001 x055,

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United States Patent PAINT BRUSH Arthur J. Foulkes, 2046 N. 77th Ave., Elmwood Park, Ill.

Filed Nov. 4, 1957, Ser. No. 694,305

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-246) My invention relates to a new and improved paint brush and is primarily concerned with a device for holding a paint brush steady while doing careful, detailed paint jobs such as trim and sash work. To the experienced painter the delicate hand control required for fine detail work is no obstacle, but today more and more painting is being done by unskilled amateur painters and for them the hand control that sash and trim work requires is a real problem.

Accordingly a primary object is the provision of an attachment for a paint brush which will permit even the unskilled painter to do a good, neat job on fine, detailed work.

Another object is the provision of a flared steadying guide which is attached to the brush during the entire painting operation to thereby provide a fulcrum which will permit the bristles of the brush to be moved in a steady, even path during the painting stroke.

Another object is the provision of a steadying and positioning guide which may be attached to the handle of a brush and yet will be positioned far enough from the bristles so as not to interfere with the painting operations.

A further object is the provision of a steady rest guide which will permit insertion of the brush into the paint can without the necessity of changing the position of the guide.

Another object is the provision of a steady rest guide which will permit the insertion of the paint brush into the can and which will also lock the brush into position on the can so that the side of the brush will be away from the side of ,the can and will not become coated with paint.

Yet another object is the provision of a steady rest guide which may be adjusted both longitudinally and radially, but may be securely fastened so as to provide a high degree of stability and rigidity during use.

Other objects of my invention will become apparent from time to time throughout the course of the following specification.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my steady rest guide attached to a paint brush as it would be used in painting window sash; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view, partially broken away, showing a modified form of my steady rest attachment with the paint brush held in position in the paint can.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts in the several views.

Referring now to Figure l, I have illustrated a paint brush with my steady rest guide attached thereto, the entire assembly being shown as held in a painters hand in position for painting the sash around a window. 2 is the handle of the brush, and 3 is the metal strap in which the bristles 4 are bound.

My steady rest attachment in its most simple form is indicated generally at 5, and consists essentially of an elongated body or strip 6 which is flared outwardly in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the wide side of the bristles. With a round brush, the body would better be described as extending outwardly in a radially perpendicular direction from the longitudinal axis of the brush, but in any case there-is a substantial clearance between the body and the brush 7. The end edge 8 of the flared end is rounded and may be finished to any desired degree to present a smooth contour. At 9 I have shown a slot formed in the back end of the strip and an ordinary wood screw 10 may be threaded into the handle 2 with its head projecting over and engaging the edges of the slot 9. Other fasteners such as a spring clip could be used.

15 indicates generally a pane of glass with which the flared end 7 of the steady rest attachment is in contact, and 16, 17 and 18 indicate portions of the sash around the window. 16 may have a surface 20 perpendicular to the pane of glass 15 and a surface 21 parallel to the plane of the glass. 17 may have similar surfaces 22 and 23, and the bottom portion 18 of the sash may have a perpendicular bottom surface 25.

Referring now to Figure 2, a modified form of my steady rest is shown attached to a paint brush with the entire combination resting in a paint can. The elongated metal strip 6a has a notch or step formed at 30 with a flat surface 31 which will rest upon the upper rim of a paint can 32. Another surface 33 which may be nearly perpendicular to surface 31 completes the step. Surface 31 suspends the brush in the position shown, that is, prevents downward movement. Surface 33 prevents the brush from falling to the right as shown in Figure 2 and holds the side of the bristles and the metal strap 3 away from the inside wall of the can.

The use and operation of my device is as follows:

In painting sash or trim the inexperienced painter is often apt to hold the brush in such a manner that the bristles do not form a straight line along the junction of the surface he is painting. The amateur may also vary the position of the bristles during the progress of the stroke so that a wobbly effect results and jagged splotches of paint appear upon the surfaces that must remain free of paint. By use of my steady rest, the bristles may be kept accurately in line and the tendency to vary the position of the bristles during the stroke is nearly entirely eliminated. For example, in painting the surface 2t which is perpendicular to the pane of glass 15 in Figure 1, it is only necessary to place the paint brush which is loaded with paint on the sash 21 and tilt the brush until the rounded edge 8 of the steady rest attachment impinges upon the glass. The point of contact between the edge 8 and the glass is in effect a pivot point which will prevent movement of the bristles in a direction to the left but which will not hinder the positioning and movement of the brush upwardly, downwardly, and to the right. The painter need merely find the angle which is the easiest for him to maintain and then make the strokes keeping a slight pressure on the handle of the brush so that the edge 8 remains in contact with the pane 15. A few minutes of painting will quickly establish the amount of pressure that the operator must exercise to maintain contact, and then he need only concern himself with making regular vertical strokes so that the edge of the bristles containing the paint will come exactly to the junction of the sash 20 and the glass 15. The steady rest will slide easily along the surface of the glass due to the rounded edge 8, and to make an upward covering stroke the operator need merely change his hand position and the steady rest will act just as effectively in the opposite direction.

By loosening and tightening the screw 10, it is possible for the operator to adjust the steady rest both longitudinally and radially with respect to the handle of the brush. That is, the steady rest may be moved about the screw to a position which will yield the most effective and comfortable angle for manipulating the brush. In painting under surfaces such as 25, it may be necessary to extend the steady rest almost to its full length so that it may impinge upon the vertical surface 26, whereas if it is desired to paint surface 22 and the painter must stand to a position to the left as shown in Figure 1, it may be desirable to shorten the steady rest to maintain the proper angle of tilt between the handle and the glass.

For painting surfaces that are elevated or remote from the normal range that the operator may comfortably reach, it may be necessary to swing the strip 6 radially downwardly which in effect makes the paint brush a steady extension of the painters arm.

Referring to Figure 2, an appreciable distance is shown between the end of the steady rest and the end of the bristles. This permits the brush to be dipped into the paint far enough to thoroughly load the brush and yet not far enough to immerse the end of the'steady rest.

The strip 6a bent on such a radius that when the locking step 30 is formed in the strip, the metal strap 3 will be maintained an appreciable distance from the edge of the paint can 32 so that the paint which adheres to the inside wall of the paint can as the level of the paint drops, will not come in contact with the strap and eventually find its Way onto the fingers of the painter. Should any paint splatter onto the strap 3 there is suflicient clearance between the strip and the strap so that a wiping cloth may be readily inserted.

It will be understood that various departures may be made from the preferred embodiments above described without departing from the essential spirit of my invention. For example, I have shown the strip 6 as of a uniform width throughout its longitudinal length. It would be possible for example to curve the edges inwardly near the center of the strip and thus cut down the Weight correspondingly. I consider it essential however that the steady rest be strong enough to prevent any springing action or play between the body of the strip and the axis of the paint brush when it is subjected to the normal forces aind pressures encountered in painting, and for ease in fabrication and purposes of rigidity I prefer the form shown. The material of the strip is not essential and may be either a strong plastic or metal, the choice depending upon cost factors.

While the choice of material and the width may be varied without departing essentially from the spirit of my invention, I consider the provision of the wide, rounded end as very important for with the relatively large radius as shown, there is no possibility of scratching the surface against which it rests, and the angle of the brush may be varied over a wide radius without producing any binding effect.

It is also important that the flare in the strip be sufficient to maintain the metal strap 3 of the brush away from the edge of the paint can when the brush is inserted in the can, whether or not a locking step 30 is employed.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a steady rest attachment for a paint brush which is readily adjustable for easy access into hard to get at positions and yet sufliciently rigid to withstand all of the normal stresses exerted by the painters hand. My steady rest may be longitudinally or radially adjusted to permit a wide range of working angles. The attachment is flared sufiiciently to maintain the bristles of the brush out of contact with the attachment and it will not hinder the insertion of the bristles into the paint can. The wide end of my steady rest provides a high degree of stability and rigidity. It may be easily fabricated for only a single punching or casting process is required and the entire attachment consists of only two parts which may be fastened to practically any brush on the market today. It may be made of any suitable material with sufiicient rigidity, and thus will permit the choice of a material dictated solely by cost factors.

I have shown and 'desc'iibe'd two embodiments of my invention, but it will be understood that these descriptions are of an illustrative nature only for I do not Wish to be limited except by the scope of the following appended claims.

I claim:

'1. A steady rest attachment for a paint brush having an elongated handle and elongated bristles extending from one end of said handle, said attachment being for the purpose of steadying the brush in use and suspending it in a paint can out of contact with the can, said attachment including an elongated body having an upper portion adapted to lie substantially flush along the handle of the brush, an integral intermediate step, said step having a depth sufiicient to maintain that portion of the brush above the lower end of the bristles out of engagement with the inside of the paint can when the step rests on the top edge of the can, and a lower portion extending downwardly from the step and terminating in a curvilinearly contoured tip edge, said lower portion being flared outwardly in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the Wide side of the bristles.

2. In combination, a brush having an elongated handle, elongated bristles extending from one end of said handle, a positioning and guiding device attached to said handle, said device including an elongated substantially rigid body, one end of the body lying in abutting relationship along the handle of the brush, and the other end extending outwardly from the brush, said outwardly extending portion of the elongated body being formed substantially in the shape of a crescent, said other end having a smoothly contoured terminal portion adapted for sliding contact with a surface, a step in the elongated body adapted for engagement with the edge of a paint can to thereby suspend the brush in the can, said step' including an upper wall disposed substantially perpendicular to the brush and a lower downwardly extending wall, said downwardly extending wall terminating in the outwardly extending portion of the elongated body, said perpendicular wall having a length sufiicient to maintain that portion of the brush above the lower end of the bristles out of contact with the inside wall of the paint can when the step rests on the top edge of the can, and

means for connecting the positioning and guiding means to the brush.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 832,966 Graf Oct. 9, 1906 1,927,962 Tamplin Sept. 26, 1933 2,242,016 McKinney May 13, 1941 2,537,468 Lanius Jan. 9, 1951 2,610,344 Gaffer Sept. 16, 1952 2,730,263 Nielson Jan. 10, 1956 2,807,041 Watro Sept. 24, 1957 2,820,237 Maslaney Jan. 21. 1958

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