Dusting apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR DUSTING PARTICLES OF REFRACTORY MATERIALS OVER A WET CERAMIC MOLD LAYER COMPRISING A FRAME, A PAIR OF SPACED-APART PARALLEL ROLLERS MOUNTED ON THE FRAME, A DRUM DISPOSED ON SAID ROLLERS WITH ITS AXIS OF ROTATION IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE AND HAVING TWO CIRCULAR AND PARALLEL ENDS, SAID DRUM HAVING A LENGTH AT LEAST AS LONG AS ITS DIAMETER AND A LARGE OPENING IN ONE END FOR EASY INSERTION OF CERAMIC MOLDS FOR DUSTING THEREOF AND A SMALL OPENING IN THE OTHER END, A SUCTION FAN AT THE OPENING OPPOSITE FROM THE LARGE OPENING, MEANS TO ROTATE SAID DRUM, A PLURALITY OF BUCKETS ATTACHED TO AND SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY AROUND THE INNER CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE DRUM, EACH OF SAID BUCKETS BEING INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER AND BEING PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, EACH OF SAID BUCKETS ENDING SHORT OF EACH OF SAID TWO CIRCULAR AND PARALLEL ENDS WHICH ARE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE DRUM, SAID BUCKETS OPENING IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE RADII OF THE DRUM SO THAT SAID BUCKETS PICK UP REFRACTORY PARTICLES WHEN THE BUCKETS ARE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DRUM CLOSE TO THE ROLLERS AND EMPTY OUT BY GRAVITY WHEN THE DRUM REVOLVES AND THE BUCKETS ARE AT THE TOP OF THE DRUM TO PROVIDE A UNIFORM, DENSE CLOUD OF FALLING REFRACTORY PARTICLES THROUGHOUT THE INTERIOR OF SAID DRUM, SAID BUCKETS BEING SPACED FROM THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID DRUM SO THAT THE REFRACTORY PARTICLES HAVE ENOUGH FALL TO PENETRATE THE SURFACE OF THE WET CERAMIC MOLD AND ACHIEVE A MECHANICAL BOND THEREWITH.