US1985997A - Celluloid article and method of making same - Google Patents

Description

c. R. KEERAN 1,985,997

CELLULOID ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Jan. 1, 1935.

Filed June 29, 1932 a: lzuvziart 6'54 TING Ill Patented Jan. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES ARTICLE AND D IETHOD F M'AKING SAME 'Charles R. Keeran, Evanston, Ill., assignor to- Dupont Viscoloid Company, Wilmington, DeL, a corporation of Delaware Application June 29, 1932, Serial No. 619,868.

3Claims.

to form a substantially integral tubular casing.

A further object is to devise a method that is simple and which permits of economical manufacture. The invention consists in the combination of elements and in the steps of the process of combining .them, as herein shown and described, and as indicated by the claims.

In the drawing:

.Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic plan view of apparatus for carrying out one phase of 20 my invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a method similar to that of Figured, except that the heating means is supplied for the strip material and it is wound on a temporary mandrel.

Figure 3 illustrates a method of binding a-plurality of strips of celluloid helically on a mounting member by means of apparatus similar to that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 illustrates rather diagrammatically 30 apparatus for carrying out a modification of the process in which the celluloid strips are secured longitudinallyto the mounting member.

Figure 5 is a transverse section through the apparatus taken as indicated at line 5 5 on Figure 4.

Figure 6 discloses apparatus for carrying out afurther modification of my process.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic sectional view illustrating the relation of the strips of celluloid to a I .40 mounting member just prior to their entry into the heating chamber of the apparatus shown in Figure 6. l

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a finished tubular member produced by the method employing either the apparatus shown in Fig- .ure 4 orthat shown in Figure 6. i

There are various methods and processes for making tubular casings of celluloid and like mate rial. For example, one inexpensive method is that of extrusion, but by this process any design, configuration or mottling efiect in the material is practically destroyed or is altered in a. manner which cannot be controlled. An original design or mottling of the material may be retained by a process which consists in first moldmg a solid piece, cutting it to a desired size, and a then finishing it interiorly and exteriorly, but this method results in aconsiderable waste of material and consequent increase in cost. I have devised a method for economically making celluloid 5 casings for objects such as pencil barrels, fountaimpens and the like, that will ensure the retention of any coloring, design or mottling that may be originally present in the material. It will be seen from the drawing and the following ill description that my improved method is subject to various modifications, all of which employ the basic principle of utilizing strip material which may be of relatively thin stock. The apparatus is merely shown diagrammatically in the draw- 15 ing to illustrate a variety of methods ,by which the process may be carried out.

V Figure 1 illustrates the method of winding strip celluloid material helically on a mounting memher and shows a reel, 10, of strip material, 11, 20

which is disposed obliquely to the axis of the mounting member, 12, said member being indicated as a tube on which the strip, 11, is wound to form coils, 13, with their marginal edges abutting each other. The angle at which the cellu- 2.5 loid strip is fed onto the mounting member as the latter rotates about its axis, isdetermined by the width of said strip and the diameter of the member, 12. This tubular member, 12, may

be of'any suitable material, such as metal, composition, paper or celluloid, and when covered by this method is preferably cylindrical. It may be understood that any suitable mechanism will be provided for rotating the mounting member, 12, and simultaneously feeding it in thedirection of its axis, as indicated respectivelvby the or- .rows, A and B, in the drawing. The surface of the strip celluloid that is to contact with the mounting member is coatedwith a solvent, such as acetone, applied by a pad or brush, indicated 40 at 14, as it is fed oil the reel, 10, so as to render one surface of the strip adhesive for securement to the mounting member, 12. The rotation and longitudinal feed of said member, 12, controls the feeding and winding of the celluloid strip there-. on. A roller,- 15, may be positioned between the reel, 10, and the mounting member, 12, to engage one edge of the strip, 11, for guiding. the latter onto the mounting member and ensuring-that the coils shall abut eachother. A secondroller, 16, is shown with its axis parallel to that oi the member, 12, and with its surface engaging the strip, 7 11, as it contacts With the mounting member so as to press it firmly against the latter to cause its prompt adhesion thereto. 7

Adjacent the roller, 16, there is mounted a pad or brush, indicated at 17, for applying acetone to the abutting marginal edges of the coils, 13, as they are formed; the acetone, being a solvent for celluloid, softens these marginal portions of the coils, causing the material to flow into any shorter lengths, if desired, to' meet the particular requirements of use. A light finishing coatinay be taken off the surfacepf the tubular casing in a lathe, or similar machine, if desired, so that the final product will appear as though turned from solid stock, the welded or fused connection between the abutting coils being substantially invisible, unless the pattern or configuration of thematerial itself renders it noticeable.

It may be understood that the celluloid strip material employed in this process is'cut from sheets of rolled celluloid and may be formed with certain multi-colored patterns or mottled effects, which serve a decorative purpose, and which are thus retained unimpaired in forming the strip material intoa tubular casing by any improved method. And this celluloid strip material may be made quite thin, as there is practically no portion of it to be cut awayas waste except in the final-finishing cut; and this is particularly true where a mounting member, 12, is

employed as the structural support for the dec-.

orative celluloid casing.

It will also be evident that if desired the celluloid tubing may be formed of helical wound strip material without including a tubule. mounting member as apart of the finished /product. For this purpose a temporary mandrel, 12, is substituted for the mounting member, 12, as indicated in Figure 2, and instead ofapplying acetone to the side of the strip which is to form the in terior of the tube, t e brush, 14, is omitted from the apparatus and a heating element, such as an electric heating coil, 14 is disposed adjacent the strip material as /-it comes oiT the reel, '10.

This heat treatment reduces the resilience. of the material temporarily, so that as it is coiled'helically on the mandrel, 12', and then moves thereon, it takes a permanent "set with the coils in closely abutting relation. If desired, the acetone,

may be applied to the abutting edges of'the coils on the mandrel, 12 as indicated by the position of the brush diagrammatically shown. at 11 m Figure 2; but, if preferred, the coil may beper mitted to cool completely, and maybe removed from the mandrel, 12*, before the cementing,

treatment. If handled in relatively short lengths, these lengths may be dipped in the acetone to soften all exposed surfaces, and then permitted to dry, whereupon it will be, found that the abutting coils have become fused together. narily, where no mounting member is to befie'rt in the tubing, the thickness of the strip material will. be slightly greater than that which is merely wrapped onto a mounting member, as in"the process of Figure 1, b ut the general principle of the process is thesame.

Figure 3 illust a methodof inter-helieaily winding two or strips of celluloid material on a mounting member, 20. The strips, as shown, are of contrasting. colors, the strip, 21 being indicated as white, and the sin-19,22. as red, and

they are handled by the apparatus as a single strip, being fed parallel to each other onto the mounting member in substantially the same manner as the single strip, 11, is fed onto the mounting member, 12, as shown in Figure 1. It will be evident that three, or even more, strips of contrasting-colors may be similarly applied. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a modified method of carrying out the process in which the strips of celluloid are secured longitudinally instead of helicallyp They are shown applied to a mounting: member, .25, to form a polyhedral or multifaced casing, which is illustrated as octagonal. The mounting member, 25, is originally in the form-of a cylindrical tube, preferably of celluloid orother material susceptible of deformation. It

direction. This solvent softens the outer surface of the mounting member, rendering it gummy;

adhesive, and in condition to be deformed by the application of pressure. Axially spaced along the mounting member, forwardly of the coating apparatus, 26, are two batteries of four reels each, of

celluloid strip material, 27. As shown in the drawing, the reels of one-battery are positioned g 90 degrees apart, and the reels of the other battery are also spaced '90 degrees apart, but ofiset 45 degrees with respect to the reels of the first battery, so that strip celluloid may be thus fed onto the mounting member, 25, in eight equiangularly spaced planes, as shown in Figure 4, so as to form an octagonal casing. The celluloid strips may be of any, colors or combinations of color, and, as herein shown, and merely by way of illustration, the strip celluloid ofthe battery of reels positioned further forward in-the direction of movement of'the tube, 25, is lined to indicate blue.- Any suitable design or surface pattern may be formed in e strip material, and will be retained unimp in the finished Product. 1 g

A brush or pad, 28, is positioned for contact with the under surface of each strip as it feeds off the reel, so that these surfaces are coatedwlth acetone to insure adhesion of the strips to the mounting member, 25. Associetedwith each set oi! reels I provide pressure rollers, 29, which not only operate to press the strip material against the mounting member, 25, but also exert suflicient pressure to slightly deform the outer surface of the cylinder, 25, flattening it to give the mounting member octagonal cross-section, andto permit the several strips of celluloid to be fitted snugly thereon. when thus fitted, the

edges'of the strips abut each other, as shown in Figure 7, and the softenedsurfaces of the strips adjacent these edges are forced together, fusing the strips, intman integral enclosing casing for the part 2%; .The,assembledstructure is. then drawn through a final forming die, 30, to rectify any-inaccuracies in its shape. Preferably, for

this type of assembly, the lateral edges of the strips may be slightly beveled, so that they shall flt better in their assembled abutting relation and form a closed sharp corner, as seen in Fig-. ure '1.' This integral tubular member may be made up in any convenient length and then cut into shorter lengths for final, use, if desired.

ordinarily, it will require no further finishing of the exterior or interior surface. Figure 6 illustrates a slight modification of the of polygonally related faces. As shown, two batteries of four reels each are provided for supplying the celluloidstrips, 36, and these batteries are arranged substantially as in Figure 4, to'

produce an eight-sided surface. A brush or pad, 37, may be arranged to coat the inner surface of each strip with acetone, or similar solvent, as the material approaches the tubular mounting member, 35, and pressure rollers, 38, are positioned to ensure initial adhesion of the strips. Beyond the rollers, 38, the mounting member with the stripping applied is fed through a heating chamber, 39, which softens the material, rendering the cylindrical member, 35, suificiently ductile so that as it emerges from the heating chamber a set of pressure rollers, 40, arranged in diametrically disposed pairs, will serve to force the strips more firmly onto the mounting member, and at the same time deform the celluloid of the'latter to produce a shape similar to that shown in'Figure 7. This step is completed by passing the material through the final forming die, 41, corresponding to the die, 30, of Figure 3.

It will be evident that in some instances where the mounting member is of tubular stock, as.

surface. The provision of such a mandrel and a means for supporting it are matters well understood by those skilled in' the art, and need 'not'be shown or described in detail.

Iclaim: 1. The method of making a tubular article which consists in winding strip celluloidheli'cally upon a relatively rigid unitary tubular mounting member, with. the marginal edges of the strip substantially in abutting contact, uniting said strip with the mounting member, and uniting said edges to form an integral casing for the mounting member; thus to provide a laminated tube with its outer lamination helically wound about an inner'lamination in unitary-tube form.

2. The method of making a tube from strip celluloid or similar semi-rigid material which method comprises feeding the material with the edges thereof opposed, on to a longitudinally extending support associated with a surrounding forming die for contact with the material, and advancing the support and said material through said forming. die, thereby to crowd said edges together face-to-face.

3. The method of making a multi-colored tubular article which consists in helical-1y winding two or more strips, arranged edge to edge as fed and of contrasting colored celluloid or like material, onto a relatively rigid unitary tubular mounting member, uniting said strips withthe mounting member, and uniting said edges, thus to form an integral casing for the mounting member, thus to provide a laminated article with its outer lamination helically wound about an inner lamination in unitary tubular form.

CHARLES R. KEERAN.

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