The Flour Sifter: A Crank That Breaks the Lumps

"This invention relates to that class of flour and meal sifters which consist of a scoop-shaped tube provided with a handle, with which it is held by the left hand, while the right hand operates a rotary agitator to facilitate the operation of sifting." "A is a cylinder, fitted with a flat sieve at the bottom, and having the top end inclined, scoop-shaped". "The arms of the agitator F are curved in the direction of rotation, so as to evenly distribute the flour over the surface of the sieve B by overcoming the tendency to throw it to the outer circumference". "Teeth or pins I project up from the arms at intervals, to pass between spaces formed by corresponding teeth of the stationary breaker E". A collar "prevents the agitator from rubbing too hard upon the sieve, while the spring g, which is secured at one end in the bracket, has its free end pressing upon the collar, to keep the agitator down with the requisite pressure upon the sieve." The shaft is looped through a lug "so as to form a universal joint, to permit the agitator to adjust itself to any inequalities in the sieve." "To use my sifter, the bracket and its connections are withdrawn, a sufficient quantity of flour or meal scooped, and the parts returned, as seen in the drawings. The vessel is now held in the left hand, while with the right the crank-shaft is revolved."

Scoop a measuring cup straight into a bag of flour, level it with a knife and weigh it. Do it three times and average. Sift about twice that much through a crank sifter onto paper, counting the turns. Spoon the sifted flour lightly into the cup, level it and weigh it, three times. The difference is air the sifter put in, which is why old recipes say "sifted" or not. Squeeze a handful of flour into a few firm lumps and add them to the next sifting. Count the turns until they are gone. Put what stays behind through the graded sieves and weigh each fraction to see how coarse it is.

**Willoughbay F. Kistler** of Cincinnati, Ohio, filed US 205,560 on 14 May 1878; it is dated 2 July 1878. The patent's preferred form has a cast agitator, bearings and breaker; a cheaper form uses tin and wire. **Honest limits.** The patent gives no mesh or sizes. The wire diameters, lump sizes and chances in the notebook are assumptions, so only the comparison is meaningful. Your weighings are the measurement.