WO1994010875A1

WO1994010875A1 - An apparatus for cleaning paint brushes

Info

Publication number: WO1994010875A1
Application number: PCT/SE1993/000932
Authority: WO
Inventors: Clas Wallin
Original assignee: Clas Wallin
Priority date: 1992-11-18
Filing date: 1993-11-05
Publication date: 1994-05-26
Also published as: AU5580094A; SE9203467L; SE500255C2; SE9203467D0

Abstract

An apparatus for cleaning paint brushes and like devices includes a solvent container (1) in which the bristles (8) of a paint brush (7) can be drenched with solvent. Located adjacent the container (1) is a device (2, 6) which enables solvent and paint residues to be pressed from the brush bristles (8). The apparatus also includes means for leading solvent (4) containing paint residues back to the solvent container.

Description

An Apparatus for Cleaning Paint Brushes

The present invention relates to a paint brush cleaning appa¬ ratus which comprises a container for liquid solvent in which the brush can be wet thoroughly with solvent, a device mounted adjacent the container and enabling solvent and paint residues to be pressed from the brush, and means for leading solvent and paint residues pressed from the brush to a collecting vessel.

A used paint brush is normally cleaned by dipping the brush into a can or jar which contains solvent and then drying the brush on a rag or a piece of paper. It is difficult to clean the brush thoroughly in this way. Alternatively, the brush can be allowed to soak in a can of solvent for a longer period of time. This method, however, results in the forma¬ tion of a bottom sludge formed from paint residues, which in time forms a coating of paint on the ends of the brush bristles therewith impairing the effectiveness of the brush or rendering the brush unusable.

In addition to the difficulty that is experienced in cleaning the brush thoroughly, an unnecessary amount of solvent is used, since it is normally necessary to fill the can with sufficient solvent to completely cover the bristles of the brush.

With the intention of enabling paint brushes to be cleaned more effectively and also with the intention of preventing the brush being ruined as a result of a bottom sludge, there is described in DE-Cl-3,725,093 a device in the form of a can which has disposed on its bottom a spiked mat which projects up through a one-way filter. Although brushes can be cleaned more effectively with the aid of the device, there still remains, among other things, the drawback that a large quantity of solvent is consumed. Similar solutions are also described in CH-A5-573 ,733 and CH-A5-640, 398.

US-A-4,494,267 describes artist-painting equipment which includes a brush-cleaning facility. This equipment includes a holder on which mugs and brushes can be kept and is provided with a brush wiping bar. In use, the mugs can be mounted on the outside of the holder and, for instance, contain solvent into which the brushes are dipped prior to being dipped into the container and drawn over the wiper. The container thus contains no clean solvent, and it is necessary to dip the brushes each time into a mug that hangs outside the contai¬ ner. This makes the brush-cleaning procedure messy, time- consuming and ineffective.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a brush-cleaning apparatus which is much more effective than known apparatus and which will eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks, among other things.

The invention is based on the realization that this object can be achieved by constructing the apparatus in two mutually coacting parts, of which one part is used to wet the bristles of a brush with solvent and the other part is used to press solvent and paint residues from the brush, so that the sol¬ vent is returned automatically to the first part of the apparatus.

In accordance with the invention, an apparatus of the kind defined in the first paragraph of this specification is mainly characterized in that the collecting vessel is com¬ prised of said solvent container; in that the solvent con¬ tainer has the form of a shallow tray; in that one edge of the tray borders on a brush wiping surface which slopes down towards the tray and from which solvent and paint residues pressed from the brush run back into the tray; in that the sloping surface is provided with a plurality of upstanding pins or teeth which coact with the bristles of the brush to remove paint residues therefrom; and in that the tray bottom is provided with means which prevent the bristles of the brush coming into contact with the paint-containing bottom residue in the tray.

Since the paint brush is not intended to be placed down in the solvent container, but to be drawn forwards therein, the container may be given the form of a shallow tray and there¬ with reduce the amount of solvent required. The brush can be drawn rapidly and repeatedly through the solvent and up over the cleaning teeth in one continuous movement, thereby achieving highly effective cleaning of the brush.

It is preferred that the aforesaid means placed on the tray bottom are comprised of a plurality of strips that stand up from the bottom surface. The pins or teeth are preferably comprised of a plurality of rows of triangular teeth disposed obliquely over the sloping surface. In order to return solvent that has been pressed from the brush effectively back to the tray, the sloping surface merges integrally with the tray and the mutually opposing sides thereof are provided with defining walls which merge with the side walls of the tray.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof and also with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inventive apparatus; and

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of said apparatus in use. The illustrated apparatus is comprised of a tray 1 and a sloping surface 2 which is located adjacent the tray and has side walls 3 which merge with the side walls of the tray. The tray 1 is intended to be filled with solvent 4 in an amount to cover strips 5 which project up from the tray bottom. The inclined surface 2 includes a number of rows of comb-like elements which project up from said surface and which in the illustrated embodiment have the form of triangular teeth 6. In the illustrated embodiment the rows of teeth extend obliquely over the sloping surface 2 and define a small angle en with a horizontal line.

When using the apparatus, a paint brush 7 is first drawn over the strips 5 in the tray 1, so that the bristles 8 of the brush 7 will be drenched with solvent 4, whereafter the brush is drawn over the teeth 6, which effectively comb clean the bristles 8. The brush can be cleaned thoroughly from paint residues simply by drawing the brush repeatedly over the strips 5 and then up over the teeth 6, at which solvent and paint residues are pressed from the brush. Thereafter the brush can be stored dry.

The solvent and paint residues pressed from the brush by the teeth 6 run back into the tray 1 and no solvent is therefore lost. This draining of the solvent back into the tray is facilitated by the fact that the rows of teeth extend obli¬ quely over the sloping surface 2 and terminate short of the side walls thereof. As a result of the strips 5, paint- containing sludge on the tray bottom will not re-contaminate the bristles 8 and the bristles will become progressively cleaner each time the brush is drawn through the apparatus. Because the brush can be drawn in the same direction with a smooth and uniform movement over both the strips 5 and the teeth 6, the brush can be cleaned very quickly and simply. Because the bristles 8 are drawn generally horizontally through the solvent above the strips 5, the tray can be made relatively shallow and therewith substantially reduce the amount of solvent required in comparison with the quantities that are needed when applying other brush-cleaning methods. As a result of the active coaction between the triangular teeth 6 and the bristles 8, the bristles are also cleaned much more effectively than is possible when using other known apparatus.

It will be understood that the described apparatus can be modified in several respects while retaining the described function. For instance, the teeth 6 can be replaced with other types of brush wiping devices or may optionally be replaced with a rugged or irregular doctor surface. The apparatus may also be provided with a filter through which the solvent is caused to pass prior to returning to the tray.

It will also be understood that the described tray may also be modified within the scope of the present invention. For instance, the strips placed on the tray bottom may be re¬ placed with elements of other configurations or may be replaced with a net or corresponding device. Alternatively, the tray may be given a perforated or a net-like bottom and the paint residues collected in an underlying chamber. The strips may also have a toothed upper part with the intention of further improving the brush-cleaning effect of the appara¬ tus.

Claims

1. A paint-cleaning apparatus comprising a liquid solvent container (1) in which the bristles (8) of a paint brush (7) can be wetted thoroughly with solvent, a device (2, 6) located adjacent the container (1) which enables solvent and paint residues to be pressed from the bristles (8) of said brush, and means for leading solvent (4) and paint residues pressed from the bristles to a collecting vessel, character- ized in that the collecting vessel is comprised of said sol¬ vent container (1) ; in that the container has the form of a shallow tray (1) ; in that one edge of the tray borders on a brush wiping surface (2) which slopes down towards the tray (1) and from which solvent and paint residues pressed from the bristles run back down in the tray; in that the sloping surface (2) includes a plurality of upstanding pins or teeth (6) which coact with the bristles (8) to remove paint resi¬ dues therefrom; and in that the bottom of the tray (1) is provided with means (5) which prevent the bristles (8) coming into contact with paint-containing sludge on the bottom of the tray.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the means provided on the tray bottom have the form of a plurali- ty of upstanding strips (5) .

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pins or teeth have the form of a plurality of rows of triangular teeth (6) disposed over the sloping surface.

4. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1-3, character¬ ized in that the sloping surface (2) merges integrally with the tray (1) and is provided with defining walls (3) along mutually opposing sides thereof, said defining walls merging with the side walls of the tray (1) .