Water-Jacket Revolving Box Churn: A Box With No Dasher Turns on Stub Axles Inside Warm or Cold Water

"The nature of my invention consists in the employment of a revolving box, partially surrounded by a warm or cold water jacket, into which the cream is introduced, and butter made expeditiously without the use of the paddles or dashers as in ordinary churns."

Use two food-grade containers with rims: a lining 300 x 200 x 220 mm outside, with its snap-on lid, and a jacket 380 x 280 x 260 mm outside. Stand the lining on the four spacers in the jacket so their rims are level and the gap is 37 mm all round. Drill a 19 mm hole in the jacket's end low down for the brass spigot and a 7 mm hole in the other end for the thermometer probe, and drill the lining's lid for the PVC spigot n.

From 18 mm plywood make box a round the jacket: a back 416 x 316 mm, two sides 380 x 260 mm and two ends 316 x 260 mm. Cut face L 416 x 316 mm from 12 mm plywood with a 310 x 210 mm opening for the lining's rim. Bed L on silicone on both rims and screw it to the box, so the water space is sealed and only the lining opens. Screw two hardwood turn buttons r on L to hold the lid (door h) down. Fit the brass spigot through the box end into the water space and the PVC spigot through the lid, each sealed with silicone, and push the thermometer probe through its hole in silicone.

Screw a hardwood hub 100 x 100 x 30 mm to the middle of each end, bore it 30 mm and cross-bolt a 30 mm steel stub axle in it; the axles do not pass through the box. Drill twelve 10.5 mm holes e in a circle 80 mm out from the axle on one end. Stand two 70 mm posts 500 mm to the axle line on 600 mm feet, 540 mm apart, joined by a low rail, and bolt a flange bearing on each post's outer face. Drill the post on the holes' side for pin p, a 10 mm dowel. Fix a hardwood crank arm 270 mm long on the other axle and glue in a 28 mm dowel handle.

Pin the box still, face L up. Fill the water space through the brass spigot with warm water in cold weather or ice water in warm weather, watching the thermometer, until the probe reads about 15 °C. Open the door and pour in about 8 litres of heavy cream, then snap the lid on and turn the buttons over it. Pull the pin and turn the crank steadily; time it. When the butter has come, pin the box face up, draw off the buttermilk through spigot n, open the door, lift the butter out, wash it in cold water until the water runs clear, work in a pinch of salt and weigh it.

**Jeremiah Mitchell** of Gasport, Niagara County, New York, US 23,186, 8 March 1859, "Churn". He held his churn simple, quick to clean for want of dashers, and tight, spattering no cream, and claimed the revolving box made and worked as described. His lining was tin and his water space ran round three faces and behind the back; ours is a food container with water on all five faces. He gave no sizes: every size and material is ours.