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The Sheet-of-Water Fountain Brush: Tapered Slots Part the Bristles
Frank L. Brinn, Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Public domain (expired patent)
Woody

Created by

Woody

6. October 2026NO
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The Sheet-of-Water Fountain Brush: Tapered Slots Part the Bristles

Water dribbled onto the back of a brush stays in the bristles and never reaches the surface being washed. Frank L. Brinn of Milwaukee received US 840,604, patented 8 January 1907, for a fountain brush in which "the fluid may be delivered to the longitudinal central portion of the brush in a sheet, which when the fluid is turned on at full head will serve to separate the bristles and flush the surface to be washed": slots through the block narrow toward the bristles, fed from a cylinder on top through a tubular handle, with a cup on the handle to catch what runs down. This rung works out how the taper speeds the sheet, then cuts the slots in a scrub brush, plumbs it and compares full flow with throttled flow.
Intermediate
About 4 hours

Instructions

1

Sheet speed from the slot

Loading Jupyter Notebook...
2

Water through a brush's back before it

The embedded blueprint jets or soaks water through openings in a brush's back. Brinn shapes the openings into tapered slots so the water leaves as a sheet.
3

Read US 840,604

"By opening the valve at 3 to its full capacity a sheet of water will be discharged which will separate the bristles and effectively flush the surface to be washed, whether the bristles are in contact with such surface or not. By partially closing the valve at 3 the sheets of water escaping through the openings 18 are broken up by the bristles, and the water thus becomes distributed throughout the brush."
4

Cut the slots

On the scrub brush's top mark two slots 60 × 8 mm, 90 mm apart on the centre line. Drill a row of holes in each and cut it through with the coping saw.

Materials for this step:

Scrub BrushScrub Brush1 piece

Tools needed:

Bench ViseBench Vise
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Coping SawCoping Saw
Permanent MarkerPermanent Marker
RulerRuler
5

Taper the slots

Pare each slot with chisels so its long sides close to about 1.5 mm at the bristle face and its ends open out to 70 mm. Trim the bristles along the slot line.

Tools needed:

Chisel Set - WoodChisel Set - Wood
HammerHammer
Digital Caliper 6-InchDigital Caliper 6-Inch
Craft KnifeCraft Knife
6

Make the manifold

Cut 160 mm of 22 mm copper tube and cap both ends with fittings. File a 4 mm slot along its underside over both brush slots. Fit a tee in its middle for the handle.

Materials for this step:

Copper TubeCopper Tube1 piece
Brass FittingsBrass Fittings1 piece

Tools needed:

Tube CutterTube Cutter
Files (Hand File)Files (Hand File)
Adjustable SpannerAdjustable Spanner
7

Seat the manifold

Bed the manifold on the brush in silicone over a rubber gasket and strap it down with an aluminium strip and four wood screws.

Materials for this step:

Silicone SealantSilicone Sealant1 piece
Rubber SheetRubber Sheet1 piece
Aluminium SheetAluminium Sheet1 piece
#8 x 1" Wood Screw#8 x 1" Wood Screw1 piece

Tools needed:

Tin SnipsTin Snips
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
Craft KnifeCraft Knife
8

Handle, valve and drip cup

Fit 1.2 m of 15 mm copper tube to the tee, with a ball valve and hose connector at its top. Slide a small tin can, holed and sealed with silicone, onto the handle as a drip cup, and fit a short copper spout low on its side.

Materials for this step:

Copper TubeCopper Tube1 piece
Ball ValveBall Valve1 piece
Brass FittingsBrass Fittings1 piece
PTFE Thread Seal TapePTFE Thread Seal Tape1 piece
Tin CanTin Can1 piece
Silicone SealantSilicone Sealant1 piece

Tools needed:

Tube CutterTube Cutter
Adjustable SpannerAdjustable Spanner
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
9

The patent drawing

US 840,604 drawing sheet, public domain (expired patent).
Step 9 - Image 1
10

Full flow against throttled

Connect the garden hose. With the valve fully open, hold the brush 2 cm off a board and watch the sheet part the bristles; then close it half and watch the water spread through them. Time a litre into the jug each way.
Step 10 - Image 1

Materials for this step:

Garden HoseGarden Hose1 piece
WaterWater1 piece

Tools needed:

Measuring JugMeasuring Jug
StopwatchStopwatch
RulerRuler
11

A sheet that sprays, sputters or leaks

Sheet-of-water fountain brush troubleshooting.

Flow

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12

History and honest limits

**Frank L. Brinn**, a citizen of Canada residing in Milwaukee, filed US 840,604 on 20 February 1905; it was patented 8 January 1907. His cylinder is held to the block by a plate with packing and screws, its slots feeding the slot-apertures; the handle's end carries a rubber sheath and the valve; the cup, with its spout, collects the water instead of letting it run down the handle when the brush is raised. **Honest limits.** A slotted copper tube stands in for his cylinder, and a tin can for his cup. The notebook treats the sheet as uniform. What you see on the board is the result.

Materials

12

Tools Required

17

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CC0 Public Domain

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