US1618361A - Frame for stretching shade cloth - Google Patents

Description

6b J. P. WHITMORE FRAME FOR smmcnms SIIA-IADE CLOTH Filed April 14, 1925 INVEjVTOR. fi? W/7/77770/6 ATTORNEY.

' the upper and'lowerrails, on line 2-'2-'in it being understood ;that;t he construction v, shown fforsuch section is substantially the Patented Feb. 22, 1927.

, "KUINIITED STATES JOHN P. WHITMOZRE,,OF SAN MARINO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR'TO COLUMBIA IvIILLS INCORPORATED, OFNTEWYQRK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0 E FOR STRETCI-IING-SHADE CLOTH.

Application filedApril '14, 1925. 'Serial No.1 23,057.

This invention relates to-means for stretching shade cloth or other fabric for the :purpose of holding it inplace-and'in extended condition while it is being painted or sized and-dried and themain object of the inven tion is to provide a frame for this purpose which is lighter and more compact-than the wooden :rail frames heretofore in use. further object of-the invent-ionis-to provide a frame for thestat'ed purpose which can readily be kept clean or sufliciently free from adherentpaint used in the painting of the shade cloth or other fabric. Another object of the invention is to-provide a frame which will interfere to the least possible extent with theproper-andthorough application of the-paint or sizing medium'to the portions of the fabric adjacent-the edges where it is; attached to the frame. V I

The invention comprises a shade cloth stretching frame in which the topand bottom'rails are Wholly ofmetal and are of such shape and constructionto-provide for't-he necessary rigidityin the rails with a minimum of weight and extremecompactness.

The accompanying drawings illustrate'my invention-and referringthereto:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation'ofa frame section with shade o-loth'mountedtherein and 'partlybroken away. 4

=Fig1 2is a vertical transverse section o-f i-g.-3. Fig. :3 isa partial-rear ele'vationof the upper and lower rails.

Figs. land 5-,are vertical transverse sections showing-modified forms of the rails.

The invention comprises a framehaving upper-railsand lowerrails connected by'suitable stretching bars as hereinafter described, :t-he said'ra-ils being i-n-general made in a series of sectionswhich are connected end to end so as to provide forstretehing a relatively-long piece of;sha de-cloth,'-Fig. 1 illus trating-a portion of the frame including a single section-of {t-he- 'upper-;and *lower rails,

' same -tl1rougho11t -the length of the :Erame. '2s11ch:.rmn1e sectioncomprises an upper-rail 1- and-a lower rail "2, said rails being of simi lar -construction"'but in -relatively' inverted position asshown in Fig. 2; Each rail comprises a main rail member formed as r a flanged m'etalra'il for example a channel iron as indicatedat 3 in Figs. 2 and 3, and a fixed clamp member or clampplatezmember i-for-mecl for example of a-stripof sheet metal sons to give the required rigidity, said clamp plate being-permanently and rigidly secured adjacent one edgeto thenrail member 3 by suitable means for example by rivets, infdicated at 5; and having its major portion projecting vertically fronrthe rail member so--as to'provide a relatively :thin member for attach-menuof the cloth. 1Eaeh clamp plate 4 is provided, atits outer orifree -'edge,-that istosay atthe aloWeredge-of the upper clamp-plate and the upperedge of the lower clamp plate, with a flange. or turned overportion 6 formingja groovei7 cooperating with movable clamp :means as :hereinafter described to secure the shade cloth on the clamp member 4. 'Saidmovable clamp meansmay be of any suitable construction,

andis herein shown as comprisingmovable 1 the 1 mil members 3 "for example by 7 means of bolts 17 ,andbeing.pivotally secured .to

fish plates being secured rigidly to one of the other of said rail members by bolts: 1.8.

The: construction is therefore such that the lowerrail maybe raised or lowered at (any 1 of the oints between sections without-straining the rail members. The upper rails of adacent sections may besecured togetherfor example by: a fish plate or tie plate- 19 and bolts 20 passing through said-fish plate and saidra-il sections. The upper fixed clamp plate members 4 of the adjacent .sections may also be .7 secured together forv example by means of straps 21 and rivets '22.

Means are provided for forcing or: spread- "ing the HIDPQI fLDCl'lOXVGT rails apart at the ints of the lower rail after the cloth isisecured: thereto so as to stretch such cloth. .Such v means may comprise, for example i spreading arins le oivotallymounted on the lower-rail members adjacent each joint, for example by means of the pivot bolts 18 aforesaid or if desired by means of one of the bolts 17', and a lever arm 27) pivotally mounted on the upper rail, for emunplc, by means of Ushaped straps 53(3 and bolts 27. Each of said lever arms provided with a pin or stud 28 adapted to engage in any one of a plurality of recesses or notches 29 in the corresponding spreading arm 24, so that downward movement of lever arm 2:, with said stud engaged in a suitable notch will cause spreading: arm 2st to force the upper and lower rails apart at this point. The above described spreading mains are such as are con'unonly used in the art and any other suitable or wellknown means may be used for this purpose.

The frame may be hung or supported in any suitable manner, for example, by means of wire hangers 30 and eye-bolts 31, said hangers depending for example, from means travelling in suitable ways, to perwit the assemblageof a large number of theframcs in parallel order and of separation of adjacent frames for access thereto in inserting, painting or removing the cloth.

The rail members of the upper and lower rails may be of any suitable shape or crosssection, but are preferably flanged in order to provide maximum strength and rigidity; for example as shown in Fig. l, said mem bers may comprise angle irons, or as shown in Fig. 5 they may comprise T-bars, to which the fixed clamp plates 4 are secured in any suitable manner, the remainder of the construction being substantially the same as above described.

It. will be understood that the frame need not be disposed in a vertical plane but may be ar'anged in any other suitable position, for example in a horizontal plane. The frame comprises in any case, however, two substantially parallel rails, preferably extending horizontally but not necessarily so,

and each comprising a relatively strong rail member preferably flanged and a relatively thinmetal clamping member rigidly secured thereto and projecting therefrom toward the other rail and having a groove adjacent its free edge, and a movable clamping memher hinged thereon and adapted to cooperate therewith to secure the cloth in position between the rails.

In the operation of the stretching; frame above described a strip or sheetof window shade cloth or other fabric to be stretched, indicated at 33, is inserted at its upper and lower edges between the moving, and fixed members 8 and d of the respective clamping means, the movable clamping members 8 be ing moved to the position indicated in dotted lines at S in Fig. 2 to permit insertion of the edges of the fabric within groove 7 after which said movable clamp members are pushed or snapped into the position indi cated in full lines in said Fig. 2, so as to engage the edges of the fabric as at- 2-32 and hold the same tightly in place. It will be understood that during the insertion of the cloth within the clamping means in this manner the lower rail 2 may be supported at a suitable height in any suitable manner, for example by causing the pin 28 on lever arm 25 to engage in a suitable notch 29 in arm 24 and allowing said arms to rest in a vertical position as shown in dotted lines at in Fig. 1. After the fabric thus clamped throughout the entire length of the stretching frame the spreading arms are released from engagen' ent and swung to horizontal position, suitable supporting clips indicated at 3? being provided at the back of the respective rails for this purpose, and the sizing medium, for example a suitable glue and water size, is applied to one or both sides of the fabric by means of a brush or in any other suitable manner. As soon as the sizing is applied to an entire strip of cloth, the operator begins the stretching operation at one end of the frame. This is done by swinging; the arms 21 and 25 to a position to permit. the pin 28 to engage in a higher notch .29 than that with which it originally engaged, as indicated at in Fig. 1, and lever arm 25 is then moved downward so as to push the lower frame 2 downward and stretch the fabric, The arms 2i and are therefore con'nnonly known as stretcher bars. This operation may be repeated if necessary until the proper amount of stretching is obtained. The rails are then held in this position so as to n'laintain the fabric in stretched condition by bringing the arms 2% and 25 to vertical position with the pin 28 engaged in a suitable notch 29.

and the same stretching operation is then repeated at the next joint between the lower rail sections. The entire strip of fabric is thus stretched and kept in stretched condition by engagement of the stretcher bars 1 until the sizing medium has dried, which may require for exan'lple from 8 to 12 hours or longer.

lVhen the entire strip of fabric has been sized, stretched, and driedin this manner, the stretcher bars may again be released and allowed to rest on supports 37, as the sized cloth will then retain its stretched condition, assisted only by the weight of the lower rail. The paint to be used may be applied to both sides thereof in the usual manner, for example by means of an ordinarybrush and it will boobserved, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 that the fixed clamping members 4: being of relatively thin sheet metal and having their.

major portions projecting from the rail members permit easy access of a brush or other device for applying such paint as well as for applying the sizing medium to the portions of the cloth adjacent the edges at which it is attached to said clamping means.

V This is to be distinguished from the type of stretching frames heretofore employed which comprised wooden upper and lower rails which were necessarily of considerable thickness at the edges at which the fabric was secured thereto. \Vith such wooden rails it has always heretofore been extremely.

difficult to properly and thoroughly apply the paint or sizing medium to the portions of the cloth adjacent the point at which it was attached to the wooden rail since the thickness of such rails at this point pre vented ready access of the brush to the cloth. This constitutes an important advantage of my invention. A further advantage results from the fact that the paint or sizing medium and particularly a sizing medium comprising glue or the like, such as is ordinarily used,adheres much less to the metal clamping members and rail members 3 and 4 than it does to the wooden rails formerly used. In fact when using stretching frames having wooden rails it has generally been found necessary to perform a tedious and timeconsuming cleaning or scraping operation to remove the adhered glue or sizing medium from such wooden rails after every two or three stretching or sizing operations, while by the use of stretching frames having metal rail members I am enabled to use the samerepeatedly without undue accumulation of glue thereon as the glue upon drying does not adhere strongly to the metal surface of the frame members but scales or falls off readily without requiring manual cleaning or scrubbing.

After application of the paint as above 'for stretching the cloth.

sized and painted cloth is then removed from the frames. To permit such removal of the cloth the movable clamping members are again opened or moved to the position indicated at 8, such opening operation being easily performed for example by inserting a pointed tool or rod under the edges of the clamps 8 or the straps 10 and prying the same outward past the dead center position. Or, if desired, the main strip of cloth may be removed by cutting along the edges next to the clamps, and the remaining edge portions of the cloth then removed from the clamps.

I claim; 7

In astretching frame for shade-cloth a flanged metal rail member, a fixed clamp member consisting of a sheet metal strip secured adjacent one edge to said rail member and having its major portion projecting therefrom, and having its other edge bent to form a groove, and a movable clamp member hinged to said rail member and adapted to engage in said groove to secure the shadecloth therein, the sheet metal strip afiording access to both sides of the cloth fastened thereto in painting such cloth and the metal rail member providing the strength required In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 6th day of April, 1925.

JOHN P. WHITMORE.

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