Abstract: An epoxy floor roller tool formed by spirally winding a continuous strip of carding cloth having wires protruding outwardly therefrom around a roller core tube. The carding cloth wires are made of a cadmium plated steel which allows the wires to remain rigid even though quite thin and densely packed, whereby when the roller tool is rolled against a wet epoxy material spread over a floor surface, the wires will break even very small, closely spaced air bubbles in the epoxy, allowing the air to be released so that the voids caused by the air bubbles will flow closed without cratering before the epoxy hardens.

Abstract: Paint sprayer apparatus includes a paint sprayer frame having a sprayer apparatus mounted thereon, and two or more prime movers either of which may be interchangeably mounted on the frame for use in driving the sprayer pump. Each prime mover is provided with a pair of shoulder bolts in diagonally opposite corners of the respective prime mover bases that are adapted to be dropped into one or more pairs of correspondingly spaced slots in the paint sprayer frame. Fastener knobs threaded onto the outer ends of the shoulder bolts may be tightened or loosened and removed by hand to permit removal and replacement of one prime mover with another, and also loosened to permit proper adjustment of the belt tension. A belt tensioning stud may also be provided on the respective prime movers for receipt in an upwardly opening belt tensioning slot in the paint sprayer frame.

Abstract: A merchandising system for paint brushes and the like characterized by open-top shipping cartons each having a removable top cover and a wire frame within the carton having a base member retained against the bottom wall of the carton and a plurality of pegs extending generally perpendicular from the base member in spaced apart relation for supporting a plurality of brushes from each of the pegs. To display the brushes, the top cover is removed from the cartons and the cartons are inserted in a bracket which supports the cartons at an angle relative to an upstanding panel member with the brushes hanging downwardly at such angle from such pegs.

Abstract: Paint roller frame includes a snap-on cover for the outboard end cap. The cover has an end wall which extends the full radial extent of the outboard end cap and an axial skirt portion which has a greater axial length than the radial outermost surface of the outboard end cap. The cover is retained on the outboard end cap by an internal annular rib which has an axially outwardly facing inclined surface that engages a correspondingly axially inwardly inclined surface on the axial inner end of the radial outermost surface of the outboard end cap.

Abstract: Outlet valve assembly for a paint sprayer and the like includes a spring stop engageable by the outlet valve during opening of the outlet valve to dampen the outlet valve movement during opening of the outlet valve. There is a slight initial clearance between the spring stop and outlet valve when the outlet valve is in the closed position. During each cycle of operation of the paint sprayer, the impact of the outlet valve striking the spring stop compresses the spring stop somewhat, whereby the distance between the spring stop and outlet valve when the outlet valve is in the closed position is less than when a rigid stop is used to obtain the desired amount of outlet valve travel during opening of the outlet valve. At the end of the delivery stroke of the pump, the force of the spring stop acting on the outlet valve pushes the outlet valve to the closed position.

Abstract: Adjustable roller frame includes a body member and clamp member having laterally spaced apart grooves in opposing surfaces thereof which cooperate to define a pair of laterally spaced generally parallel guideways for sliding receipt of a pair of roller support arms. The arms are made of metal tubing bent into a generally L-shape including a short leg and long leg. Each long leg is deformed from opposite sides over a portion of its length to form a pair of relatively sharp corners extending the length of the deformed portion while generally maintaining the radius of the tubing between the corners to minimize internal stresses in the tubing. Between the corners and normal tube radius is a radiused transition area.

Abstract: A paint brush merchandising system characterized by a display hanger including a wire body bent intermediate its length at an acute angle to form a rear article storage portion and an angled front article display portion. Attachment means are provided at the rear end of the wire body for removable yet secure mounting to an upright panel such as an aperture panel with the storage portion extending substantially normal to the panel and the display portion at an upwardly inclined angle in the vertical plane of the storage portion. The display hanger also includes a covering of soft resilient material on the display portion over substantially the length thereof which covering is operative to effect a wedging or binding action at the handle hole of one or more paint brushes threaded thereon for holding such brushes upwardly tilted on the display portion for easy removal and viewing.

Abstract: Power paint sprayer includes a power handle assembly and a separately detachable pump and container assembly. The pump housing has a bail pivotally connected to opposite sides thereof for pivotal movement into and out of locking engagement with a detent on the top of the power handle assembly to detachably hold the pump housing up against the bottom of the power handle assembly. The pump housing may be cast in one piece and has a longitudinal bore extending therethrough in which a pump cylinder is permanently affixed using a suitable adhesive/sealant. The pump piston is driven by an oscillating armature whose movements are limited by a stroke limiting screw thus to limit the stroke of the pump piston. The stroke limiting screw threadedly engages a split nut held together by a pair of O-rings that apply a friction load on the stroke limiting screw to prevent creep thereof due to vibrations and the like.

Abstract: Inlet valve assembly for a paint prayer and the like includes an adjustable inlet valve stop movable toward and away from an inlet valve seat to reduce or increase the amount of free movement of the inlet valve for obtaining optimum volumetric efficiency by reducing the back flow through the inlet valve. The adjustable stop includes a rebound spring and a holder therefor which is threadedly mounted, whereby rotation of the holder in opposite directions varies the initial clearance space between the spring and inlet valve when the inlet valve is closed. The holder has a non-circular opening in the center to enable the user to insert a turning wrench or the like therein to turn the holder to the desired adjusted position. Access to the adjustable stop for turning the holder may be obtained by inserting the tool through an outlet valve opening in the sprayer pump upon removal of an outlet valve assembly therefrom. A conical lock spring may be used to frictionally lock the holder in the desired adjusted position.

Abstract: Lock mechanism includes a first sleeve on the inner end of the outer telescoping member having a forward extension with a non-circular central passage therethrough for close sliding receipt of a non-circular external surface on the inner tubular member to prevent relative rotation between the telescoping members. The forward extension has an external circumferential groove, and a radial opening extending through the bottom of the groove for receipt of a ball that successively engages a plurality of longitudinally spaced sockets in one of the non-circular sides of the inner telescoping member during relative longitudinal movement therebetween.

Abstract: Flat pad applicator includes a base member having a pair of laterally spaced apart tapered pins between which the hub portion of a handle is snapped into position for rotatably mounting the handle on the base member. The hub portion has a plurality of circumferentially spaced indexing notches in the outer periphery thereof which may be selectively engaged by an indexing locking rib carried by a cantilevered tongue on the base member for releasably locking the handle in any one of several angularly adjusted positions. The pad assembly itself includes a backing plate made out of a magnetic material to permit a magnet to be used for easy attachment and removal of the pad assembly from the base member for cleaning and/or replacement.

Abstract: A general purpose paint brush comprises an elongate handle, a generally tubular, longitudinally extending ferrule secured to said handle, and a tuft of longitudinally extending bristles having a working end and a root end anchored in said ferrule. The tuft has substantially parallel side faces extending transversely the width of the tuft and defining therebetween a lesser thickness of the tuft, and the working end of the tuft has a planar working surface sharply angled in relation to a plane normal to the lengths of the bristles from one side face of the tuft to the other side face across the full thickness of the tuft to provide greater exposure of bristles at the working surface which enables the brush to hold and apply more paint. Also, the working surface forms with the longer side face of the tuft a sharp knife edge at such side face of the brush which renders the brush particularly suitable for use as a trim brush while the full thickness inclined working surface provides a large paint transfer surface.

Abstract: A plug and filter assembly for a paint sprayer is characterized by a hand turnable knob that is rotatably coupled to a sealing plug to reduce the torque needed to install or remove the assembly from a paint head by axially advancing the plug into or out of an O-ring seal without having to turn the plug in the O-ring. The rotatable coupling is effected by a fastener having a head and a cylindrical shank portion which is received in an oversized central axial bore in the knob. The cylindrical shank portion has a diameter greater than that of a threaded end portion of the fastener secured in the plug and thus defines a shoulder which engages an axial end face of the plug positively to fix the axial spacing between the fastener head and plug to a distance greater than the axial length of a portion of the knob axially trapped between the fastener head and plug for free nonbinding rotation of the knob.

Abstract: A portable paint spraying device for generating a paint spray by centrifugally impelling liquid paint from the edge of a vertically oriented spinning disc. The disc is driven by an electric motor which also drives a conveyor screw used to lift the paint upwardly from a reservoir or container through a vertically oriented pump tube and into a spray chamber in the sprayer housing. The pump tube has a horizontal portion at the upper end thereof terminating in a delivery orifice through which the liquid paint is discharged into a centrally located recess or well in the front face of the disc. The disc has a relatively large flat annular region surrounding the central well which is in turn surrounded by an outer peripheral angled flange or lip having a feathered edge.

Abstract: A paint brush including a ferrule having a serrated skirt portion providing ribs and grooves which orient the bristle filaments and eliminate any gaps between the bristles and the ferrule. The serrated skirt portion may also slope inwardly and interact with a spacer member to help hold the bristles in the desired oriented condition.

Abstract: A portable pump spraying device includes a container for the liquid to be sprayed, a housing positioned above the container having a spraying chamber, a pumping unit to elevate the liquid to the spraying chamber, and a rotating disc in the spraying chamber to attenuate and impel the liquid by centrifugal force through an egress port in the housing. Interceptor baffles within the spraying chamber finely trim the liquid spray as it leaves the egress port and direct the excess liquid back to a reservoir for recirculation. The pumping unit includes a rod that is reciprocated by an eccentric on the rotating shaft on which the disc is mounted. The rod acts as a piston which on its suction stroke withdraws liquid from the container and on its compression stroke discharges the withdrawn liquid and forces it through a nozzle onto the disc in the spraying chamber.

Abstract: Roller cover support consists of blow molded sleeve having plural protruding ribs to frictionally retain the roller cover in place. The ends of the sleeve are molded to receive and mount end caps thereon which include suitable bearings for the roller frame shaft and provide some support against collapse or flattening out of the sleeve during use under pressure. The O.D. of the end caps and adjacent ends of the sleeve are slightly smaller than the I.D. of the roller cover for normal concentricity and guidance of the roller cover onto the sleeve, and the ends of the ribs are tapered to wedge the roller cover on. When the roller frame shaft extends all the way through the roller support, perforations may be placed along the length of the sleeve to provide for drainage of any water or other liquid that may seep into the interior of the sleeve through the end cap bearings during clean up.