US699833A - Leather-stretching device. - Google Patents

Description

No. 699,833. Patented May I3, |902.

J. CALDWELL.

LEATHER STRETCHING DEVICE.

(Application led Jan. 8, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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`TTED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JOHN CALDWELL, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO TIIE IV. S. NOTT COMPANY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION.

LEATHE'R-STRETCHING DEVICE. i

SPECIFICATION forming part bf Letters. Patent NO. 699,833, dated May 13,1902.

riginal application filed January 25,1900, Serial No. 1,424. Divided and this application filed January 8, 1901. Serial Io ing skins or hides, and especially to themeans employed in stretching the divisions of leather commonly known as sides, backs,7 dac., for use in the manufacture of belting. The common practice in the preparation of leather for belting is to sever the hides transversely at the shoulder, trim the sides to straighten the edges, and cut the butts longitudinally into sides and backs or other divisions of desired widths, but leaving the rump ends of For holding such divisions during the operation of stretching the common practice is to clamp the ends to the proper members of a stretching-machine, and in order to prevent the slipping of the leather 2 5 in the clamps under stron g tension it is found necessary to provide the contact-surfaces of the clamps with ribs or other irregularities, with the result of producing corresponding creases or irregularaties in the clamped por- 3o tions of the leather, which'portionsare generally unfit for use in lthe manufacture of belting and are cut oi as Waste. o When the rump or otherirregnlar ends are thus clamped across the body'of the leather back of the irregularities, considerable valuable leather becomes waste.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide simple devices for securing the leather in a way that will avoid the 4o formation of objectionable creases in it, lessen the proportion of Waste material, and effect a more desirable stretching of all parts of the leather. Such devices are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a leather-stretching apparatus embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is aplan view of the front or right-hand portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, and Figs. 3 and/l (No model.)

views of one of the devices for engaging and provided with suitable lateral extensions in ways 4, formed in the side bars 1, abutting the ends of the movements. In use the frame is preferably placed on a table or support 5,

with the ends of the side bars l abutting the ends ofthe frame 6, that supports the operating mechanism. The latter may consist of any of the usual means employed in such maohines-as, for instance, gears for operating a screw that is revolubly connected to a crosshead and rods 7, carried by the latter and provided with hooks 8 for connecting them to eyesihprovided on the sliding head. The operation ofthe screw in either direction and its stoppage when desired should be under the control of an operator by means of a lever, hand-wheel, or other Well-known Vdevice, (not shown,) so that the degree of the stretching of the leather may be regulated at will by the operator.

The heads A and B may consist of boards or woodenbodies 10, held at front and rear between angular clamping- plates 11 and 12. A bolt 14, extending through the frame sides into or through the head A, holds it irmly in place in the frame.

Dogs 15, pivoted to ears on the plates 12 of the sliding head B, engage teeth on bars 16, attached to the frame sides 1, for preventing backward movement of the head when the tension of the draft-rods 7 is relaxed.

For securing the straight end of a side C or other division of a hide to one of the stretcherheads (preferably to the slidable head B) the head selected for the purpose is provided with a row of tines or pins 17 on a bar or plate 1S, that is secured on the top of the head, the row of tines extending across the head from side to side at right angles to the direction of movement of the slidable head. The straight end of the leather islaid on the tines so that 5o are respectively plan and vertical sectional they will penetrato its margin close to the we edge, and it is then pounded with a lnallet or other tool to force the tines through it.

For securing the rump end of the leather to the other stretcher-head I employ a series of longitudinally and laterally adjustable independent holders, each of which is pivotally supported and is adapted to engage only a short portion of the leather margin. These holding devices may con'sistas illustrated, of a plate or body 19, having a row of tines or pointed pins 20 for engaging the leather and having in its rear portion a horizontal slot 21 for receiving the end of a bar or coupling device 22 and having also curved slots 23 or openings in its upper and lower walls to receive and guide a pin or roller 24, that projects from the upper and lower surfaces of the bar 22d. A pivotal connection is thus' formed betweenthe body 19 and the bar 22, whereby either may be turned in horizontal direction to any desired inclination relative to the other. The lateral extension of the slots`23 or openings enables a corresponding lateral adjustment of the points of such pivotal connection to be effected.

The bar or shank 22 has a series of vertical holes 25, andthe head A is provided with pins or studs 26, arranged ina row on a plate 27, extending across it at right angles to the frame sides l, and the bar is thus enabled to be adjusted both laterally and longitudinally and then secured to the head by engaging one of the studs on the latter in one of the holes in the bar. The coupling-bar, therefore, is

,pivotally as wellras adj ustably connected to both the leather-holder and the stretcher- .all o f the coupling-bars may be adj usted laterallyto positions substantially parallel with the direction of movement of the slidable Y head, (indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 2,) and when so adjusted they may be connected to the stretcher-head by engaging them with the pins 26.

In conducting the operation of engaging and stretching the leather it is desirable to stretch the softer and more yielding portions to a greater extent than the harder and less yielding portions. To effect such result, it is only necessary to connect and operate different holders of the series in proper sequencethat is, the holders for the softest and most yielding portion should be rst connected and that portion given an initial stretching before other holders are put to work and the .other portions of varyin g consistency successively engaged and stretched. As illustrated in-Fig. 2, the holders shown as in engagement With the shorter portions of leather, which are portions nearest the sides of the v hide and softer, more yielding, and capable of being stretched to a greater extent Without injury to the ber than adjoining or other portions, may be irst put in service and the side portion of leather stretched until it is of about the same tenacity or ability to resist stress as the portion that is contiguous to it, and the otherholders may then be put to work in proper sequence to stretch different lon gitudinal sections of the leather to different degrees, each successive holder stretching to a less extent the portion it engagesthan preceding holders stretch ihat which they engage.

It is found in practice that by the use of a series of holders each of which is adapted to engage only a relatively short marginal portion of the irregular end of a body of leather the leather can be stretched to a greater extent and to a more uniform condition 4than by the means commonly employed in leather,- stretching machines, that it is thereby better iitted for use in the manufacture of belting, and that a saving results therefrom in the preservation as part of the body of leather of considerable portions of the irregular ends, which when the usual means for engaging them are employed are rendered unfit for belting and are cnt off and become waste of little value.

This application is a division of my pending application, No. 1,424, iiled January 25, 1900, and the patentable subject-matter herein shown and not claimed herein is reserved to be claimed in said earlier application, and the subject-matter of invention herein disclosed and not claimed relative to the means for varying the point of pivotal connection of the holder to the coupling device conformably to the direction of tension of the leather is reserved to be claimed invmy pending applica; tion, No. 10,128, filed March 26, 1900. l

Having described my invention, what I claim is'- 1. In a leather-stretching machine, the com; bination with a stretcher-head, of a series of independent leather-holders adjustable lat# erally and longitudinally thereof, and a cor; responding series of coupling devices having laterally-adjustable pivotal connection with the holders adapting the latter to swing freely under tension, and ymeans for independently pivoting each of said coupling devices to the stretcher-head, substantially as set forth.

2. In a leather-stretching machine, the comL bination with a stretcher-head, of a series of leather-holders adapted to engage marginal portions of leather at different inclinations to the direction of tension upon it, coupling devices having free pivotal connection with the holders for attaching them to a member of the stretching mechanism, means for lateral `va' riation of the points of such pivotal connection corresponding with the varying inclinations ofthe holders, and means for adj ustably and pivotally connecting such coupling devices to the stretcher-head, substantially as set forth.

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3. In a leather-stretching machine, the combination with a stretcher-head, of a series of 1eatl1erholders adapted to engage marginal portions of leather at dierent inclinations to the direction of tension upon it, coupling devices having free pivotal connection with the holders for attaching them to a member of the stretching mechanism, means for lateral variation of the points of such pivotal connection corresponding With the varying inclinations of the holders, and means for independently and successively pivotally connecting such coupling devices to the stretching mechanism, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination With a leather-holder and a stretcher-head, of a coupling-bar having a .laterally-adjustable pivotal connection with the holder adapted to permit the holder to swing freely under tension,- and means for adj ustably and pivotally connecting such bar to said head, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a stretcher-head,

. of a leather-holder having' means for the laterally-adj ustable pivotal connection of a coupling device adapted to permit free swinging movement of the holdernnder tension, a coupling-bar, and means for adj ustably and pivotally connecting such bar to the leather-holder and to the stretcher-head, substantially as set forth.

6. A leather-holder for a stretching mechanism, consisting of a body provided With means for engaging the leather and having in rear of the leather-engaging means a slot concave in the direction of the latter, a coup ling-bar adapted to engage in said slot and thereby pivotally connect said body to said bar, and means for adj ustably and pivotally connecting the coupling-bar to the stretching mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of January, 1901.

JOHN CALDWELL.

P. H. GUNCKEL, A. L. WHELAN

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