WO2008022644A1

WO2008022644A1 - Tube shaped sleeve/bag item for fixation of a stretched, water brushed mink pelt, on a pelt board, during the drying out of the leather side of the mink pelt

Info

Publication number: WO2008022644A1
Application number: PCT/DK2007/050111
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jens Hedegaard
Original assignee: Dansk Mink Papir A/S
Priority date: 2006-08-25
Filing date: 2007-08-20
Publication date: 2008-02-28
Also published as: DK176683B1; DK200601110A

Abstract

In connection with the taning and drying of pelts (20), where the pelt is secured in the stretched position on a distension element/pelt board (4) by means of a tubular holding bag (2) with a narrowed-down area (10), there is disclosed a holding bag (2) for use in cases where the fur side of the pelt shall be water- brushed after the taning. The bag is characteristic in that in the end oriented towards the nose end (30), the tubular holding bag (2) comprises at least one slotted/blanked-out part (24) which extends substantially between the end of the narrowing-down (10) which is oriented towards the nose end (30) of the pelt board, and the end (22) of the tubular holding bag (2) oriented towards the nose end (30) of the pelt board. The tubular holding bag can hereby continue to be used together with fully automatic taning, and at the same time the pelt can be water-brushed mechanically without any risk of water collecting between the wall of the bag and the fur side of the pelt, in that the slotted part (25) of the holding bag (2) can be folded back and down so that it extends out over the narrowed-down area (10).

Description

Title: Tube shaped sleeve/bag item for fixation of a stretched, water brushed mink pelt, on a pelt board, during the drying out of the leather side of the mink pelt.

The present invention relates to a tube-shaped holding bag of flexible material for use in the fixing of mink pelts in the stretched position on the outside of a distension element/pelt board during drying, where said mink pelt is exposed to a water-brushing before the drying procedure is initiated.

The drying of the leather side of pelts from furred animals is well-known, where the drying takes place after the pelt has been stretched and secured with staples on a flattish board of wood, a pelt board, the object being to keep the pelt as large as possible. The use of staples results in damages to the pelt in the form of large holes in the lower ends of the pelt, which reduces the value of the pelt. Moreover, there are further disadvantages with the use of the known pelt boards, of which can be mentioned the lack of drying of the pelt in certain areas where the leather side of the pelt lies closely against the surface of the pelt board, long drying times and a troublesome procedure in removing the pelt from the pelt board..

Efforts have earlier been made to solve these problems by a method and a distension element as disclosed in WO 2005/026394 A1 , where the pelt is mounted and stretched on a hollow distension element which comprises a first and a second broad side surface of mutually connected and cooperating convex half- shells with an open structure, the one end of which (the foot end) is cut off at right- angles in relation to the longitudinal axis of the distension element/pelt board, and the breadth of which gradually decreases towards a pointed but rounded-off end part (the nose part), the surface of which, at least in the drying area, but preferably over the whole surface, has an open structure, with the leather side facing towards the distension element, and where the pelt is secured in this position during the drying process by the drawing over of a holding bag in accordance with the principles disclosed in WO 01/62985 A1 , which at least over a part of the lower end (the tail end) of the pelt presses this against the surface of the distension element/pelt board, and where the drying of the leather side of the pelt takes place by an ex- changing of the air inside the cavity of the distension element, and herewith the air which is present under the open structure. The pelt is effectively secured in the stretched position during the drying process by an interaction between the surfaces of the convex half-shells with the open structure and a narrowed-down area of the tube-shaped holding bag which is drawn over the fur side of the pelt, at least over a part of the lower end (the tail end), where the bag in the narrowed-down area presses the leather side of the pelt against the open structure of the distension element, whereby the leather side of the pelt is secured in its stretched position during the drying procedure.

The possibility is hereby achieved for an effective drying of the leather side of the pelt, and also that during the drying procedure the pelt can be secured stretched out on the distension element without the use of damaging staples, inasmuch as the pelt is secured in the stretched position by means of a holding bag. The use of the holding bag has also the advantage that the pelt is easier to remove from the distension element after the conclusion of the drying procedure, inasmuch as that there are no staples to be removed before the pelt can be separated from the pelt board, and the drying time is also considerably reduced by the method according to the invention. Moreover, a pelt which is dried with the method according to the invention is dried uniformly without black spots which can result in a loss of fur on the fur side of the pelt.

It shall me mentioned here that the tube-shaped bag element which is used in connection with the securing of the stretched pelt in the above-mentioned publication can be used together with traditional pelt boards of wood as well as with the newer types as described above which comprise mutually cooperating convex half-shells with an open surface structure.

A traditional wooden board can be defined as a flat piece of wood with a first and a second broad side surface and a first and a second narrow side surface, the extent of which is considerably smaller that the extent of the broad side surfaces, and whose one end (the foot end) is cut off at right-angles in relation to the longitudinal axis of the board, and where the breadth of which gradually decreases towards a pointed but rounded-off end part (the nose end), and where the board has a slot which is placed symmetrically around the longitudinal axis of the board and extends between the pointed end and at least over a half part of the length of the board. Moreover, a distinction is made between male boards intended for use in connection with the drying of pelts from male animals, which are normally larger than pelts from female animals, and boards intended for female animals are both shorter and narrower than the boards used in the drying of pelts from male ani- mals. Near the foot end, the boards for male animals comprise a part where the first and the second narrow side surfaces extend parallel, whereas the breadth of the boards which is used for the drying of pelts from females animals decreases along the whole length between the foot end and the rounded-off nose end.

It shall be mentioned here that in the following the terms distension element and pelt board are used at random, whereby they shall be understood to be an item over which a pelt is drawn with the leather side facing towards the item, where the pelt is stretched and secured in this position (taned) during the drying of the leather side of the pelt. The pelt board is most often also provided with an in- ner bag which consists of a fat-absorbing material for the collection of fat (residual fat) remaining on the leather side of the pelt.

As already mentioned, the procedure for the drying of the leather side of a taned pelt take place by exchanging the air in the cavity of the distension ele- ment/pelt board. A method for carrying out this exchange of air is disclosed in WO 2005/026394 A1, where the pelt boards with the taned pelts are placed standing upright in a drying aggregate provided with a blower/suction unit which implements the exchange of air in the cavity of the board. During the drying procedure, the drying aggregate(s) with a plurality of pelt boards are placed in a drying room in which the humidity and the temperature are conditioned, so that there is achieved an effective and uniform drying of the leather sides of the pelts.

The treatment and handling of pelts in a pelt processing plant, between skinning and taning, where the pelts are transported in air-driven transporters and lie in bulk before they are cleaned of sawdust etc., has the result that the fur side of the pelts can appear tousled and "tufty", which is undesirable, since experience has shown that, after drying and removal from the pelt boards, it is not just the size of the pelts but also the appearance of the fur side which is decisive for how high a price can be obtained for the pelt at an auction. In order to obtain the highest pos- sible price for a pelt It is thus of great importance that this appears with a uniform, smooth and attractive fur side after the drying. Efforts to solve this problem have earlier been made by carrying out a manual water-brushing of the pelts, or by drawing a holding bag over the fur side of the pelt, where the shape of said bag is substantially suited to a pelt board with a mounted and stretched pelt, and of an extent which substantially corresponds to the whole extent of the stretched pelt in the longitudinal direction.

To a certain degree, this method has also been able to contribute towards an improvement in the appearance of the fur side of the pelts after the conclusion of the drying procedure and the removal of the pelts from the boards. However, it has shown that the earlier known brushing of the pelts is clearly to be preferred, since this gives the best results. In this connection it has proved to be expedient to use a short holding bag of the kind disclosed instead of the above-mentioned long bag, in that this thus provides the possibility of being able to carry out a manual water-brushing of the pelts before the drying procedure is initiated.

However, with a view to reducing the amount of manual labour, also here there is need for new and more modern methods. The water-brushing of pelts has hitherto been carried out by manually pressing the taned pelt lightly against a rotating horsehair brush, where said brush passes a water bath at full rotation whereby the hairs are provided with water and the pelt mechanically treated with the horsehair brushes. However, this work is relatively labour demanding, and there has thus been developed a method and a machine which, in an effective and quick manner, can carry out the work of water-brushing, i.e. that at one and the same time the fur side of the pelt is provided with water from a jet and, immedi- ately after the passage of the jets, there follows a brushing with a number of rotating brushes which are led down over the pelt from the nose end to the tail end of the pelt. This is carried out immediately after the taning of the pelt has taken place, and where the pelt board with the pelt stands in the upright position, before the pelt board with the taned pelt, still in the upright position, is placed in the drying aggregate.

This thus requires that use is made of a pelt board bag which covers so small an area of the fur side of the pelt, with due regard being paid to the extent of the narrowed-down area of the holding bag, that the necessary retaining power is achieved for securing the pelt stretched on the pelt board. Furthermore, it is necessary for the holding bag to have a certain length in order for it to be possible to carry out a mechanical placing of the holding bag during the taning procedure. Consequently, what is involved here are two conflicting factors, namely the fact that the extent of the bag in the longitudinal direction of the pelt is desired to be as short as possible, out of regard for being able to carry out the water-brushing over the greatest possible area of the fur side of the pelt, while at the same time that the extent of the narrowed-down area, and the bag's length for being able to mount this mechanically out over a pelt stretched on a given pelt board, in the holding area on the pelt board, with the narrowed-down area of the holding bag placed in the immediate vicinity of the pelt's tail end. Moreover, it is of great importance that water/moisture stemming from the water-brushing does not collect be- tween the holding bag and the fur side of the pelt, the reason being that this can give rise to a reduction of the drying out of the pelt, which calls for longer drying time for this part of the pelt to the detriment of the rest of the pelt.

It is thus the object of the invention to provide a short pelt board bag which ensures an effective mechanical handling of the holding bag during the taning of the pelt, and which also ensures that water/liquid does not collect between the fur side of the pelt and the holding bag.

This object is achieved with a holding bag of the kind disclosed, which is characteristic in that the tube-shaped holding bag, in the end oriented towards the nose end of the pelt board, comprises at least one slot/opening which extends substantially between the end of the narrowing-down oriented towards the nose end and the end of the tube-shaped holding bag facing towards the board's nose end.

It is hereby achieved that the slotted part of the holding bag, by a mechanical influence of a projecting element with a non-slip coating foremost on a water- brushing aggregate which is led over the fur side of the pelt, beginning from the pelt's nose end, permits itself to be folded out over the narrowed-down area of the holding bag, whereby water will not collect under that part of the holding bag which is lying over the narrowed-down area, but that drops of water which possibly appear on the fur side of the water-brushed pelt will be led away. Water remaining from the water-brushing will not seep in under the holding bag in the narrowed- down area, the reason being that in this area the bag is pressed with suitable force against the pelt's fur side with the object of fastening the pelt in the stretched position on the pelt board, and thus prevent water from seeping in. With the object of achieving an expedient folding over of the slotted part of the holding bag, the slot/opening can with advantage be oriented parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tube-shaped holding bag. It will herewith be possible to implement a mechanical folding with simple means, such as bluntly projecting ele- ments foremost on an automatic water-brushing aggregate provided with non-slip coatings oriented towards the surfaces of the pelt board, and which from a passive position can be brought into an active position where these are pressed against the slotted part of the holding bag, and which under a continued feeding-down of the water-brushing aggregate will give rise to a folding over of the slotted parts of the holding bag, to a level where the narrowed-down area begins.

With the object of ensuring an optimal handling of the holding bag when this is drawn over the pelt board in the taning of the pelt, the facing sides of the slot/opening can be mutually connected in a narrow area at the end of the holding bag facing the pelt's nose end. During the mechanical operations with the holding bag during the taning procedure, the bag will hereby appear as a tubular item. However, said connection in connection with the folding over and down of the slotted part of the holding bag will be broken up by the influence of the projecting elements foremost on the automatic water-brushing aggregate, whereby the folding over and down of the holding bag is made easier.

Since it must be expected to be necessary also to carry out a certain drying of the fur side of the pelt in the area of the holding bag's narrowed-down area, the tube-shaped holding bag can with advantage be made of a material which can be permeated by air, steam and moisture.

With the object of providing a holding bag which is relatively cheap, at the same time that its holding characteristics or ability to press the pelt against the pelt board in the holding area is great, the tube-shaped holding bag can with advan- tage be made of a foil or flexible plastic material.

With the object of providing the possibility for diffusion of water vapour and moisture through the holding bag, namely in the cases where this is made of foil or flexible plastic material, the tube-shaped holding bag can be provided with perfora- tions. It is also preferred that the narrowed-down area of the tube-shaped holding bag consists of at least one weld which is oriented substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the holding bag.

Moreover, said welding(s) can with advantage be provided at the ends with a smaller transverse weld which is oriented substantially transversely to the longitudinal axis of the holding bag. The advantage herewith is that the welding(s) are hereby strengthened so that these are not ripped up, e.g. during the mechanical handling and mounting of the bag over the stretched pelt on the pelt board during the taning procedure, and under the mechanical influence of the water-brushing aggregate's blunt elements during the folding over and down of the slotted part of the holding bag. However, it shall be mentioned that the smaller transverse welds do not necessarily stand in direct connection with the weld(s) oriented parallel with the longitudinal axis of the bag. The smaller transverse welds can thus also be placed in the immediate vicinity of the ends of the parallel welds.

In the following, the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, where

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a short tubular holding bag, comprising a slotted part according to the invention for use in the water-brushing of taned pelts.

Fig. 2 is a detail section of the slotted part of the tubular holding bag shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a section of a pelt board with the holding bag shown in fig. 1 mounted on the board, where it secures a pelt stretched on the board.

Fig. 4 shows the same as in fig. 3, but where over a narrowed-down area the slotted part of the holding bag is folded over and down some way in over the narrowed-down area.

Fig. 5 shows a pelt board. Fig. 6 shows the pelt board in fig. 5 with a pelt board inner bag for absorbing residual fat on the leather side of the pelt.

Fig. 7 shows the pelt board in fig. 6, now provided with a mink pelt.

Fig. 8 shows the pelt board with pelt shown in fig. 7, where a holding bag corresponding to that shown in fig. 1 is drawn over the pointed end of the board. Fig. 9 shows the pelt board shown in fig.8, where the pelt is taned (stretched and retained in the stretched position) and secured by a holding bag corresponding to that shown in fig. 1. Fig. 10 shows the pelt board shown in fig. 9, where the slotted part of the holding bag is folded back and down over the narrowed-down area of the holding bag, and

Fig. 11 is a principle sketch of an automatic water-brushing machine for wa- ter-brushing of taned pelts which are secured with holding bags according to the invention.

In fig. 1 there is shown a first embodiment of a short tube-shaped holding bag 2 intended for use in connection with the securing of a pelt in the stretched posi- tion on a pelt board 4 (cf. e.g. fig 2), where after having been taned the pelt is subjected to a water-brushing. In the embodiment shown, the holding bag 2 is shown with sides 6, 8 extending parallel, but in a second embodiment (not shown), the holding bag 2 can be configured so that its cross-section extends in a conical manner.

As will also appear from fig. 1 , the holding bag 2 has a narrowed-down area 10 which is defined by two parallel-extending welds 12, 14, which moreover also extend parallel with the centre axis 16 of the holding bag. In the shown embodiment of the holding bag 2, the welds 12, 14 are terminated with smaller welds 18 at the ends, said smaller welds 18 being oriented substantially transversely in relation to the parallel welds 12, 14, with the object of counteracting the ripping-up of the welds 12, 14 in connection with the placing of the holding bag 2 over the pelt 20 on the pelt board 4.

As will also appear from fig. 1 , in an area 25 of the holding bag 2, the holding bag 2 comprises an opening/slotted part 24 which extends from a point close to the narrowed-down area 10 to the first end 22 of the holding bag 2. As seen in fig. 2, which is a section of the holding bag 2, the opening/slotted part 24 can have a smaller unbroken portion 26, so that the holding bag 2 appears as a tubular item during the mechanical handling of the bag from when it is taken from a supply of tubular items until it is finally placed over a taned pelt 26, which makes the mechanical operation with the holding bag easier, inasmuch as loose corners etc. thus do not arise during the handling.

In fig. 3 the holding bag 2 is shown in the retaining position over a taned pelt

20, with the first end 22, and herewith the blanked-out/slotted part 24, oriented towards the pointed end (not shown). If a water-brushing of the pelt 20 is carried out with the pelt board in the upright position, surplus water 28 from the brushing process will collect between the fur side and the holding bag in the area immediately above the narrowed-down part 10, indicated by the arrow A. Water which will be almost impossible to remove unless the drying time for the pelt is considerably increased, with detrimental effects on the quality of that part of the pelt which lies outside the are of the holding bag.

In fig.4 is seen the section of the board shown in fig. 3, with the taned pelt 20 secured in the stretched position by the holding bag 2, but where the slotted part 25 of the holding bag 2 is now folded back and down over the narrowed-down area 10 of the holding bag. As will be seen, the unbroken area 26 (fig. 2) is broken up in order to ease the folding down of the holding bag, which is carried out simultaneously and mechanically together with the water-brushing of the taned pelt 20. , The water-brushing procedure is described later.

In fig.5 there is seen a pelt board 4 of the disclosed modern kind consisting of two mutually connected convex half-parts 59 with open surface structures, with a pointed end 30 and a foot end 31 from which is seen a projecting part 33 which, among other things, is used to hold the pelt board in the upright position. Here, the pelt board 4 is shown oriented horizontally for reasons of space.

In fig. 6 the pelt board shown in fig.5 is seen provided with a tubular pelt board inner bag 35 consisting of a fat absorbing material for the absorption of residual fat on the leather side of the pelt.

Fig. 7 shows the pelt board 4 shown in fig.6 provided with a mink pelt 20 with fur side outermost.

Fig.8 shows the pelt board 4 shown in fig.7, now also provided with a short tubular holding bag 2 according to the invention drawn over the nose end 30 of the board 4 and the pelt 20.

Fig. 9 shows the pelt board 4 shown in fig. 8, now with the pelt stretched and held in the stretched position by means of the tubular holding bag 2 according to the invention, which is now displaced down over the fur side of the pelt so that the narrowed-down area 10 of the bag is placed so that its outer limit 11 oriented to- wards the foot end 31 of the board extends parallel with the pelt's lower end at its tail root 21.

In fig.10 the pelt board 4 shown in fig.9 is seen after water-brushing of the ta- ned pelt 20, where the area 25 of the holding bag 2 with the blanked-out/slotted part 24 is folded back and down over the narrowed-down area 10 of the holding bag 2 according to the invention. The result of the folding back and down of the area 25 of the holding bag 2 is that water from the water-brushing process can not collect between the holding bag and the fur side of the pelt, which means that the pelt can be dried in the normal manner.

The water-brushing of the pelt is carried out as sketched in fig. 11 , where the pelt board 4 with the taned pelt secured by the short pelt board bag according to the invention is held in the upright position in a manner which is not disclosed in more detail. A water-brushing aggregate 40 comprising similar, laterally reversed processing stations 42, which with not-shown control and guide elements are fed from the nose end 30 of the taned pelt and down along the side surfaces 44, 46 of the pelt. Each of the processing stations 42 comprises one or more blunt, protruding elements 48 oriented towards the side surfaces 44, 46, the free ends of said blunt, protruding elements 48 comprising a coating 50 with strong non-skid material, e.g. of rubber, intended for the folding back and down of the slotted part of the holding bag 2 by the feeding down of the processing stations 42 to the narrowed- down area 10 of the holding bag 2. Immediately behind the elements 48 there is a nozzle arrangement 52 comprising nozzles 54 connected to a supply of water 56 via a pump 58, so that the water supplied to the nozzles is set under a pressure which is sufficient for the water to be atomised, and thus so that a uniform and effective distribution of water is achieved over the surface of the pelt.

Above the nozzle arrangement 52 there is a brush arrangement 60 compris- ing rotating rollers provided with curved horsehair brushes 62 which work on the fur side of the taned pelt 20, which is moistened with water by the nozzle arrangement 52.

The processing stations 42 are fed down parallel with the side surfaces 44, 46 of the pelt board in the direction of the arrow B, until the brush arrangement has processed the pelt on the side surfaces, to the beginning of the narrowed-down area 10 of the holding bag 2, after which the processing stations 42 are displaced

Claims

a small distance away from the board's side surfaces 44, 46 and fed back to the starting level immediately over the next supplied pelt board with a taned pelt.With the short, slotted holding bag 2 according to the invention, there is thus achieved the possibility for carrying out a mechanically executed, non-destructive taning and drying of mink pelts, while at the same time there can be carried out a mechanically executed water-brushing of the fur side of the taned pelts, without any risk of water stemming from the water-brushing collecting between the fur side of the pelt and the holding bag. CLAIMS

1. Tube-shaped holding bag (2) of flexible material intended for use for the fixing of mink pelts (20) in the stretched position on the outside of a hollow distension element/pelt board (4) during drying, where before the drying procedure is initiated the mink pelt if subjected to a water-brushing, said distension element comprising a first and a second broad side surface (44, 46) of mutually connected, cooperating convex half-shells with an open structure, the first foot end (31) of which is cut off at right-angles in relation to the longitudinal axis of the distension element/pelt board, and the breadth of which nearest to the opposite end gradually decreases towards a pointed but rounded-off end part (30) (the nose end), and where the pelt (20) is secured in the stretched position during the drying process by an interaction between the surfaces of the convex half-shells with the open structure and a narrowed-down area (10) of the tubular holding bag (2), which is drawn over the fur side of the pelt, at least over a part of the pelt's lower end (the tail end), where the bag in the narrowed-down area presses the leather side of the pelt against the open structure of the distension element, and where the drying of the leather side of the pelt is carried out by exchanging the air inside the cavity of the distension element, and herewith the air which is present under the open structure, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the tubular holding bag (2), in the end oriented towards the nose end (30) of the pelt board, comprises at least one blanked- out/slotted part (24) which extends substantially between the end of the narrowed- down area (10) oriented towards the nose end (30) of the pelt board, and the end (22) of the tubular holding bag (2) facing towards the pelt board's nose end (30).

2. Tubular holding bag (2) according to claim ^ c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the blanked-out/slotted part (24) is oriented parallel with the longitudinal axis (16) of the tubular holding bag.

3. Tubular holding bag (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the facing sides of the blanked-out/slotted part are mutually connected in a narrow area (26) at the end (22) of the holding bag (2) oriented towards the nose end (30) of the pelt board.

4. Tubular holding bag (2) according to any of the claims 1-3, character- is e d in that it is made of a material which can be permeated by air, vapour and moisture.

5. Tubular holding bag (2) according to any of the claims 1-3, character i s e d in that it is made of a foil of flexible material.

6. Tubular holding bag (2) according to any of the claims 1-5, c h a r a c t- erised in that the tubular holding bag is provided with perforations.

7. Tubular holding bag (2) according to any of the claims 1-6, c h a r a c t - e r i s e d in that the narrowing-down (10) consists of at least one but preferably two parallel-extending welds (12, 14) which are oriented parallel with the longitudi- nal axis (16) of the holding bag.

8. Tubular holding bag (2) according to any of the claims 1 -7, character i s e d in that the narrowing-down weld(s) are provided with a smaller transverse weld (18) which is oriented in a substantially transverse manner in relation to the longitudinal axis (16) of the holding bag.