Doctoring apparatus

A doctoring apparatus for doctoring a cylindrical rotating surface, said apparatus comprising:

• a doctor blade for doctoring the cylindrical surface;
• a blade carrier assembly for holding the doctor blade, said blade carrier assembly having an outer plate and a base and the blade carrier assembly having at least one tenon supported from the base plate;
• a doctor back having a supporting surface over which the base plate of the blade carrier assembly is adapted to slide, the supporting surface having at least one mortise, the mortise being sized to loosely receive the tenon to permit the tenon to slide along the mortise as the blade carrier assembly is slid over the supporting surface to couple the blade carrier assembly with the doctor back;
• and,
• an adjustment mechanism carried by the blade carrier for moving the tenon into locking engagement with the mortise to releasably secure the blade carrier assembly to the doctor back, the adjustment mechanism comprising at least one bracket having a bearing secured to the base plate, a pivoting rod secured to the outer plate that is journaled in the bearing of the bracket, and a pair of flexible walled tubes positioned between the spaced apart outer and base plates on either side of the bracket, the tubes being pressurized to further separate the outer and base plates to adjust the relative position of the doctor blade with the cylindrical surface and to pull the bracket away from the supporting surface and cause local deflection of the base plate away from the supporting surface of the doctor back to lock the tenon in engagement with the mortise.