Novel or Improved Apparatus for Use in Shrinking Cloth and other Woven Fabrics, and in Removing the Temporary Gloss from Certain Cloths and other Woven Fabrics.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 8th Nov.. 1895-Accepted, 14th Dec., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Novel or Improved Apparatus for Use in Shrinking Cloth and other
Woven Fabrics, and in Removing the Temporary Gloss from
Certain Cloths and other Woven Fabrics.
I. PRICE LEWIS, of 129 Horseley Fields, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, Clothier, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object novel or improved apparatus for use in shrinking
cloth and other woven fabrics, and in removing the temporary gloss from certain
cloths and other woven fabrics (that is to say, from such cloths and other woven
fabrics which have a gloss which is removed by the application of a tailor's or
other smoothing iron, and in which it is desirable therefore to remove the entire
gloss previously to making up the materials) which enables the shrinking or gloss-
removing to be effected without pulling the material out of shape; and the
immediate purpose of the invention is to devise apparatus which will be simple and
compact, and thus capable of being readily used on the premises of any ordinary
retail tailoring establishment.
Apparatus, constructed according to this invention, for the purpose set forth,
comprises a steaming box or chamber, which may conveniently be of wood, rails
running across from end to end or side to side of such chamber near the top thereof,
and steam generating apparatus from which steam is supplied to such chamber
through an opening in the bottom thereof.
The cloth or other woven fabric to be treated is hung in folds upon the rails,
and as the rails may be placed near together, and the loops or folds of cloth or
other material between the rails may hang down to near the bottom of the box,
a considerable length of the cloth or other material may be hung within the box.
As the whole width of the cloth or other material rests on each rail upon which it
is hung, there is no tendency for it to become pulled out of shape. The cloth or
other material may be steamed for from one to three hours. It may then remain
hanging in the box until dry, and, to facilitate the drying, heat from a stove used
in generating the steam may be admitted direct into the box. Or the material
may be removed from the box and hung up to dry.
The steaming box is covered with a lid, which has a downward rim; and the
bottom of such box is formed, with channels or otherwise, so that the moisture
condensing therein will drain through the opening through which the steam enters ;
and it is preferred that the steam generator shall be in such position that the
condensed moisture will flow back into it.
The steam is, preferably, brought into the box through an opening in the middle
of the bottom thereof; and in order to ensure that the material hanging in the
box shall become properly saturated throughout, a bridge-piece, which may
conveniently be in the form of a board, is carried across the box from side to side
a short distance above the bottom of the box. The entering steam can thus pass
out from under each side of the bridge-piece, in a direction tending to carry it
towards the ends of the box. Holes are perforated through the bridge-piece,
through which a portion of the steam passes into the middle of the box. The
perforated bridge-piece, fixed in the position indicated, thus causes the steam to
distribute itself properly throughout the box.

page_text: The steam generator consists, conveniently, of two main portions, namely of a
steam pot which is open at its top, and of a gas, oil, or other stove. The steam
pot is, preferably, oval in shape as seen on plan, and may be formed of tin plate,
with a copper bottom which is set up some distance above the lower edge of the
oval wall, thus leaving a hollow space below the bottom for retaining heat. A
flange, which is rectangular as seen on plan, projects around the top of the pot,
and the two sides of the flange slide into guides at the bottom of the box which
retain the pot in position immediately below the opening through such bottom into
the box. The stove is conveniently formed open-topped with a door at one end;
and such door is opened to allow of the bottom of the pot being passed into the
stove as the upper end is slid along the guides. When the pot has thus been
placed in position, the door is closed to enclose the bottom of the pot within the
stove. The stove may be fitted with a removable top which may be placed thereon
when the stove is not required for use with the pot; and the stove may then be
used for general purposes, such as for heating tailors' and other smoothing irons,
warming a room, or even cooking.
In order that the rails, on which the cloth or other woven fabric is hung within
the steaming box, may be readily removed for cleaning, the rails are fixed within
the box by inserting them at one end within holes formed into the side of a bar
fixed at one end of the box, and dropping their other ends into notches formed in
the top of a bar which is fixed to the other end of the box, and then covering
such latter ends with a bar which is notched to fit down over them and fastening
the same to the lower bar.
Dated this 9th day of February 1895.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Novel or Improved Apparatus for Use in Shrinking Cloth and other
Woven Fabrics, and in Removing the Temporary Gloss from
Certain Cloths and other Woven Fabrics.
I, PRICE LEWIS, of 129 Horseley Fields, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, Clothier, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object novel or improved apparatus for use in
shrinking cloth and other woven fabrics, and in removing the temporary gloss from
certain cloths and other woven fabrics (that is to say, from such cloths and other
woven fabrics which have a gloss which is removed by the application of a tailors'
or other smoothing iron, and from which it is desireable therefore to remove the
entire gloss previously to making up the materials), which enables the shrinking
or gloss-removing to be effected without pulling the material out of shape; and the
immediate purpose of the invention is to devise apparatus which will be simple and
compact, and thus capable of being readily used on the premises of any ordinary
retail tailoring establishment.
Apparatus, constructed according to this invention, for the purpose set forth,
comprises a steaming box or chamber, rails running across from end to end or
side to side of such chamber near the top thereof, and steam generating apparatus
from which steam is supplied to such chamber through an opening formed,
preferably, in the bottom thereof.
The cloth or other woven fabric to be treated is hung in folds upon the rails,
and as the rails may be placed near together, and the loops or folds of cloth or

page_text: other material between the rails may hang down to near the bottom of the box, a
considerable length of the cloth or other material may be hung within the box.
As the whole width of the cloth or other material (or of the folded width thereof,
in cases in which the lengths of cloth are folded double lengthways) rests on each
rail upon which it is hung, there is no tendency for such cloth or other material to
become pulled out of shape. The cloth or other material may he steamed for from
two to six hours, according to its character. It may then remain hanging in the
box until dry; and, to facilitate the drying, heat from a stove used in generating
the steam may be admitted direct into the box. Or the material may be removed
from the box and hung up to dry.
The steaming box is covered with a lid, which has a downward rim; and the
bottom of such box is preferably inclined downwards from all sides towards an
opening aforesaid through which the steam enters, and which is preferably in the
middle of the bottom, so that the moisture, condensing in the box will drain
through the opening; and it is preferred that the steam generator shall be in such
position that the condensed moisture will flow back into it.
In order to ensure (when the steam is brought in through an opening in the
bottom of the box) that the material hanging in the box shall become properly
saturated throughout, a bridge-piece is carried across the box from side to side,
and over the opening, a short distance above the bottom of the box. The entering
steam can thus pass out from under each side of the bridge-piece, in a direction
tending to carry it towards the ends of the box. Holes are perforated through
the bridge-piece, through which a portion of the steam passes into the middle of
the box: The perforated bridge-piece, fixed in the position indicated, thus
causes the steam to distribute itself properly throughout the box.
The steam
The steam generator consists, conveniently, of two main portions, namely of a
steam pot which is open at its top, and of a gas, oil, or other stove.
pot is placed for use immediately under the bottom of the box with its open top
coincident or central with the opening through the bottom of the box, so that the
steam generated in the pot will flow out therefrom and through such opening
into the box. The stove may be of any ordinary construction which adapts it
for being placed beneath the pot in position to supply heat to the bottom of
the pot.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, I have illustrated the
same in the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the centre of a complete apparatus
constructed according to this invention; and Figure 2 a transverse section through
the middle thereof. In each view, however, the stove is shewn in outside
elevation.
Figure 3 is a detached plan of the top of the steam pot; and
Figure 4 a detached plan of the bridge-piece.
A is the steaming box supported upon legs A' or other supports, and having its
sides a formed conveniently of wood lined with zinc, and the bottom 6 formed of
zinc supported at each end for a short distance by cross-pieces c of wood. B is the
lid having a downward rim d. e are rails running lengthways of the box; and
consist conveniently of cylindrical pieces of wood. In order that they may be
readily removable for cleaning, they are fixed within the box by inserting them at
one end within boles formed into or through the side of a bar or bearer fixed at
one end of the box, and dropping their outer ends into notches formed in the top
of a bar or bearer, which is fixed to the other end of the box, and then covering
such latter ends with a bar 72, which is notched to fit down over them, and fastening
the same to the lower bar or to the end of the box. C is an opening formed
through the bottom of the box, and is preferably oval in shape with its longer
axis transverse to the box. E is the steam pot, which is preferably made of any
oval shape inside as seen in plan, Figure 3, and of a size inside somewhat larger
than the opening C. A rectangular flange g surrounds the top of the pot.
frame which may conveniently be of cast irou, is fixed in position underneath the
A.

page_text: bottom of the box, and the pot is put in position by sliding the longer sides of the
flange g along rebates formed in the upper surface of the frame until it comes
against an end stop i which stops it in position central with the opening C.
The bottom of the pot is set up some distance above the lower edge of the oval
wall, thus leaving a hollow space / below the bottom for retaining heat. This
bottom may conveniently be of copper, while the remainder of the pot may be of
tin-plate. The stove D is placed immediately below the space under the
bottom of the pot, and steam which is thereby generated froin water put into
the pot passes up through the opening C into the box. The stove illustrated is a
two-burner oil stove of ordinary type, but any convenient kind of stove, whether
burning oil, gas, or other fuel, may be used for the purpose.
Fis the perforated bridge-piece, which is placed across the middle of the box A
to distribute the steam properly to all parts of the box. It is conveniently made
of wood, and the holes or perforations n through it are made about three-quarters
of an inch in diameter.
When the steaming process is completed, the steam pot is removed and the
box uncovered to allow a current of air to pass through the box; and this air may
be heated, if desired, by burning the stove beneath the opening C.
As before explained, the bottom of the box slants down from all sides to the
opening C to allow the condensed water to run out through such opening into
the pot.
It is preferred to bend down the edge m of the sheet metal around
the hole C, both to stiffen such edge and to facilitate the draining of the water
into the pot.
The position of the cloth or other woven fabric, as it hangs from the rails e, is
indicated by broken lines Figure 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for use in shrinking cloth or other woven fabrics, or in removing
the temporary gloss from cloths or other woven fabrics, which comprises a steam
box or chamber having rails therein upon which the cloth or other woven fabric is
hung in folds, and a steam generator which supplies steam to such box or
chamber, substantially as described and shewn by the drawings herewith.
2. Apparatus for use in shrinking cloth or other woven fabrics, or in removing
the temporary gloss from cloths or other woven fabrics, which comprises a steam
box or chamber having rails therein upon which the cloth or other woven fabric
is hung in folds, an opening through the bottom of such box for the passage of
steam thereinto, and a steam pot which may be placed immediately beneath such
opening and be readily removed therefrom, substantially as described and shewn by
the drawings herewith.
3. Apparatus for use in shrinking cloth or other woven fabrics, or in removing
the temporary gloss from cloths or other woven fabrics, which comprises a steam
box or chamber, having rails therein upon which the cloth or other woven fabric
is hung in folds, an opening through the bottom of such box for the passage of
steam thereinto, and a bridge-piece in the bottom of the box, which passes across
the opening, substantially as described and shewn by the drawings herewith.
4. In apparatus for use in shrinking cloth or other woven fabrics, or in removing
the temporary gloss from cloths or other woven fabrics the open-topped steam
pot E, with bottom k, raised above the lower edge of the pot in combination with
the flange g around the top of the pot and the rebated frame h underneath the
box A, substantially as described and shewn by the drawings herewith, for the
purpose set forth.
5. In apparatus for use in shrinking cloth or other woven fabrics, or in removing
the temporary gloss from cloths or other woven fabrics, the means of removably
fixing the rails e within the box A, substantially as described and shewn by the
drawings herewith.

page_text: 6. Apparatus for use in shrinking cloth or other woven fabrics, or in removing
the temporary gloss from cloths or other woven fabrics, constructed and operating
substantially as described and shewn by the drawings herewith.
Dated this 6th day of November 1895.
STEPHEN
WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.