Improvements in or relating to Machines for Milling and Fulling Woollen or other Woven or Felted Fabrics.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 27th May. 1895-Accepted, 6th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Machines for Milling and Fulling
Woollen or other Woven or Felted Fabrics.
We, HANNAH PRESTON, of Blakeridge Works, West End, Batley, in the
County of York, Widow, SAM PRESTON and BEN PRESTON, both of the sail
Blakeridge Works, Batley aforesaid, Millwrights, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of combined milling and fulling machines in
which the stock feet are arranged to work at the rear of the spout such as are
described in the Specifications of Letters Patent granted respectively to the late
Benjamin Preston and his executors Nos. 3310 of 1891 and 5123 of 1892.
According to this invention the adjustable bed or turn named in the said
Specifications may be fixed to a shaft carried in pedestals adjustable or otherwise.
The said bed or turn may be made in any desired number of pieces or portions,
hinged or otherwise jointed or fastened together and arranged to be carried down
into the machine for any required distance. One or more of the said portions or
pieces is or are weighted, and the whole of the jointed or other turn may be raised
from the bottom of the machine by any suitable means, such as for instance, hy
means of a chain and wheel, the shaft on which the latter is mounted being
actuated by a worm and wheel, shaft and hand wheel from any suitable position
on the outside of the machine.
In the inside of the machine, and at suitable distance, say below the lowest
point of the stroke of the stock feet is hinged or otherwise fixed a suitably shaped
false bottom which may be raised or lowered to or from the end of the turn by
means of one or more eccentrics or it or their equivalents mounted say upon a shatt
actuated by a hand wheel through shafting and gearing, placed on the outside of
the machine.
-
In some cases when preferred, we arrange within the machine, say in any
convenient position in front of the mouth of the turn, and below and beyond the
milling rollers, one, two, or more rollers for spreading or opening out the cloth or
other fabric as it leaves the stock feet. Any or the whole of these rollers may be
armed with spiral blades or pins arranged round the periphery or peripheries
of the rollers so as to run in the same or opposite directions. These rollers
may be driven by the drag of the material operated upon, or by gearing or its
equivalent.
may, if
Any desired or convenient number of fluted, indented, or other rollers
desired, be suitably attached by bearings, adjustable or otherwise, to the before-
mentioned turn, and to the spout and its lid and they may either be arranged to work
independently of each other, or to work in pairs either as it were in gear with
each other or separated from each other.
Dated the Twenty-seventh day of August 1894.
HANNAH PRESTON,
SAM
PRESTON,
BEN PRESTON,
By W. Fairburn-Hart,
Agent.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Machines for Milling and Fulling
Woollen or other Woven or Felted Fabrics.
We, HANNAH PRESTON, of Blakeridge Works, West End, Batley, in the
County of York, Widow, SAM PRESTON, and BEN PRESTON, both of the said
Blakeridge Works, 'Batley aforesaid, Millwrights 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 relates to that class of combined milling and fulling machines in
which the stock feet are arranged to work at the rear of the spout such as are
described in the Specifications of Letters Patent granted respectively to the late
Benjamin Preston, and his executors Nos. 3310 of 1891 and 5123 of 1892.
Previous to the date of Benjamin Preston's Patent No. 3310 of 1891, it had
been customary to perform the operations of fulling and milling fabrics in two
different types of machines, namely, in what were known respectively as the
fulling stocks and the milling machine.
Fulling as performed in the stock differs from the same as performed in the
milling machine ;
First. In that the piece is made to shrink by successive poundings or
hammerings due to the dropping of a pair of fallers by gravity on the cloth,
whereas in the milling machine it is effected by a series of compressions (a) in the
direction of the weft yarn, and (6) warp ways or lengthways of the piece.
Second. The difference consists in the way in which the piece is constantly
made to turn over whilst in a ball form in the stocks, whereas in the milling
machine it is "cuttled " up, and held for a period in a trough or box, and then
travels round in a kind of endless band or chain, the two ends being secured together.
Third. A difference in the effects. The stacks are slower but the process may
be said to be less artificial, for as the piece decreases in bulk the amount of blow
or crush is increased without any mechanical adjustment. The constant and
gradual movement of the piece gives a more uniform felting and also one freer
from irregularities, than can be got in the milling machine.
In the milling machine the full pressure or compression is placed upon the
fabric whilst it is between the roller and then gradually decreases as it passes to
the trough or box where pressure is again applied.
In the combined machine described in the aforesaid, as well as this Specification,
the compound effects of milling and fulling are obtained by the piece being
subjected (after it has been passed through and received the compression of the
milling rollers and "cuttling" in the trough or box) to the action of a
pair of
fallers or fulling stocks and a pliable bed. This imparts a "kinder handle to
the cloth, and at the same time assists in obviating any deleterious effects that
might result from the use of the milling machine alone.
The object of the present invention is to construct a combined milling and
fulling machine with an adjustable bottom, a turn or adjustable bed made in two
or more pieces capable of being raised or lowered to or from the said adjustable
bottom, said machine being provided with or without flangeless milling rollers.
In the drawings hereunto annexed :-
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a combined milling and fulling machine
embodying our improvements.
Fig. 2 a transverse section on line Fig. 1.
Fig. 3. an external side elevation of machine.
Fig. 4 is a part sectional elevation of machine with a corrugated turn and
adiustable hottam.

page_text: A is the framework of the machine, which is made of metal in the usual skeleton
form and provided with an inner lining of wood, earthenware, porcelain, or the
like, or two or more of these materials combined, but a lining A¹ of wood is more
generally employed. The framework A and lining A' constitute the casing of the
machine.
At Fig. 1 in order to avoid complicating the drawings, we have omitted to
show the skeleton metal framework A in dotted lines behind the lining A¹, but it
is shown at Fig. 3. The framework A and its lining are provided with.a top or
covering A of the usual construction and material. B B are the fulling stock
feet, stepped as shown, and arranged to work, at the rear of the milling portion of
the machine, in suitable slides and between the width contracting pieces A3, A4,
of the lining A The stock feet B, B1 receive a vertical reciprocating motion
from the shaft C of the machine through cranks C₁ C², connecting rods CC,
and blocks C³ C° fixed as shown to the stock feet.
DD are the milling rollers which may be flangeless (or not) as shown and they
are arranged at a suitable distance from the stock feet B B within the framework
of the machine, and mounted on shafts supported by pedestals or adjustable
bearings arranged to be fixed on or work in the said framework. The rollers are
built up in parts, that is to say, two flanges d d¹ are provided of any suitable size
and thickness. On one or both of the said flanges d d may be cast or fixed a
boss d² and a ring d**. A boss d³ is shown on each flange in the drawings. Around
the boss' and between the said flanges are placed, and bolted thereto any desired
number of wood segments' d³, preferably four, or six, made the endway of the
grain. These segments are of such a thickness as to suit the diameter of the
rollers, and the flanges d d may or may not project beyond the periphery of
the wood laggings or centre portion of the roller. They may also when required
be lined or edged with a ring.d of brass, earthenware or its equivalent to prevent
them or the rollers wearing away at the edges.
Composite milling rollers 'D' D' constructed as herein described and shown may
be held together by bolts d passing through the flanges d d and secured to the
shaft d" by Keys d They may also be used in place of the rollers now employed
cu milling machines of ordinary construction, or the ordinary flanged rollers may
be used in place of those herein described. When the flanges do not project
beyond the periphery of the rollers the sides of the spout or trough E may be
made to extend to or beyond the centre of the rollers up to, or nearly to, the
throat F and the sides and bottom of the spout E may when desired be provided
with an inner lining of wood; brass, earthenware, porcelain or equivalent material
which may extend the whole or any portion of the length of the spout.. The
requisite tension to the rollers D D¹ may be imparted thereto by flat springs D*,
one end of which is connected to stationary rod or fixing D** while to the opposite
end is jointed a rack D*** which engages witli a pinion D"actuated by worin and
wheel D through shaft De and hand wheel D. The rollers D Dare geared.
together with suitable spur or other gearing D³, and motion is imparted to them
through driving pulley Do
E is the spout or trough hereafter termed the spout, and shown (though not
necessarily so) slightly inclined, of the machine through which the material
operated upon is cuttled "after passing between the milling rollers D-D', before
it passes to the fulling stock feet B B¹. The spout E may be made either parallel
or to taper and may be provided with a lid E jointed to the shaft of the upper
milling roller D'as shown, and it is weighted at E to give the requisite drag to
the material passing through the spout. G is the knocking off board connected'
by levers in the ordinary manner with the belt-shipping mechanism..
All the above described parts may be of ordinary construction or as described.
in the before mentioned Specification.
His the turn or adjustable bed, which is mounted within the framework of the
machine and within the contracting pieces A; A of the framework A.
The turn H may be arranged at any suitable distance below the rear end of the

page_text: spout of the machine, but by preference as close as possible, for it to work freely
to the underside of the spout.
The turn or adjustable bed H may be mounted upon a bar H¹ carried in
adjustable bearings H** on the framework of the machine whereby the distance
between the "turn "
and stock feet BB' may be increased or diminished as required.
The bearings H** are carried on the ledges a of framework A. and secured
thereto by bolts a' arranged to slide in slot holes a². The position of each
bearing H** may be adjusted by a screw a³ as shown at Fig. 3.
The turn or adjustable bed H is made in two or more pieces of any suitable
shape and length so as to extend to any required distance from under the spout to
the bottom lining of the machine. Such pieces being hinged together at h* (and
if there be more than two pieces in a similar manner at other places) substantially
as shown in the drawings.
In the drawings the turn or adjustable bed is shown made in three pieces H H² H³
(the piece H2 being fixed at an angle to the piece H or it may be hinged thereto)
while the piece H³ is hinged to the piece H2 so that its front end / may be raised
or lowered by the chain H' whenever the latter is wound or unwound on the
pulley H mounted on shaft He, which is rotated by worm and worm wheel H
through shaft H armed with a hand wheel H. In order to keep the lower
piece H to its work it is weighted at H10 as shown. The angle of the upper part
of the turn or adjustable bed may also if desired be regulated by means of a bar I
jointed to the piece H2 and provided with any desired number of holes by which
it may be pinned to the crosspiece I fixed to the lining A¹ of the machine, but we
distinctly wish it to be understood that the use of bar I, crosspiece I' and the
retaining pin I may be dispensed with when it is required to give or obtain a series
of compressions to the fabrics by the end of piece H³. If desired the parts of the
turn may be corrugated as at Fig. 4 and they may also if desired be shaped to
correspond with the contour of the framework A and adjustable bottom J.
J is a curved false bottom hereafter termed the adjustable bottom which is
jointed at to the end A* of the machine, which is employed for directing the
fabric operated upon.
The adjustable bottom works between the contracting
pieces A³ A. The adjustable bottom J is capable of being raised or lowered by
hand by any convenient means, such as an eccentric J' actuated by hand wheel ja
and gearing J³ whenever the exit orifice H* is required to be contracted or
enlarged.
KK are the ordinary rollers for guiding the fabric.
L is a fly wheel mounted on the end of the crank shaft.
M M are pulleys around which the belt N2 passes for transmitting motion to
the crank shaft C and stock feet from the milling roller shaft.
By constructing the machine with a turn and adjustable bottom as herein
described, there is less danger of the fabric being damaged while at the same time
the combined résults of felting attained in the fulling stock and milling machine,
are performed in less time and with better results, as the fabric after being
subjected to the series of compressions and "cuttlings" in the milling machine,
and to the action of the fallers or stock feet, as it travels between the turn and
adjustable bottom, is subjected, in addition to those named, to a series of
compressions as it issues from the exit orifice H* as well as if desired at the end.
of the piece H2 of the turn.
In some cases when preferred though not necessarily so we arrange within the
machine, say in any convenient position in front of the mouth of the turn or
adjustable bed H and below and beyond the milling rollers D D', one, two, or
more rollers N N¹ for spreading or opening out the cloth or other fabric as it leaves
the stock feet. Aby or the whole of these rollers may be armed with spiral blades
or pins n arranged round the perphery or peripheries of the rollers so as to run in
the same or opposite directions. These rollers may be driven by the drag of the
material operated upon, or by gearing or its equivalent.
....

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood
that we claim only ;—
In a combined milling and fulling machine the combination of the hingel
adjustable turn H, H2 and H' with the adjustable bed J substantially as and for
the purposes described and illustrated.
Dated this Twenty-fourth day of May 1895
W. FAIRBURN-HART,
Agent for Applicants.