IMPROVED MACHINERY TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER HANGINGS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walmsley Preston, of Over Darwen, in the County
of Lancaster, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY
MA DE ORD TO MARR DARED HA
Sealed the 30th December 1856, and dated the 4th October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walmsley Preston at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th October 1856.
I, WALMSLEY PRESTON, of Over Darwen, in the County of Lancaster,
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
MACHINERY TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER HANGINGS," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention of improved machinery to be used in the
manufacture of paper hangings is to damp or moisten the paper previously
to passing the same through any glazing or polishing machine, such, for
instance, as that for which Doctor Graham obtained Letters Patent, bearing
date October 18th 1855. It has been found by experience that upon some
particular description of paper the polishing operation is performed in a much
more satisfactory manner when the paper has been slightly damped. This
damping operation I propose to effect by causing the paper that has been
prepared with its colored surface or ground to pass through a steam chamber

page_text: or box into which steam is admitted from a boiler. When the paper has
been sufficiently damped, it is taken out of the steam box and submitted to
the polishing or brushing machine, where a glazed or polished surface is
given to the paper by means of rapid rotary brushes.
Another method of damping the paper is by passing the paper over an
endless cloth or felt, which is kept continually damp, and which by coming
in contact with the back of the paper will moisten it sufficiently for the
purpose; or this object may be effected by passing the paper between a pair
of rollers, one of which is covered with woollen cloth or felt, which must be
kept damp by any convenient means.
Sometimes, and especially for the better class of papers, I prefer to use
two or more of the above plans in combination; for instance, I pass the
paper first through a box or chamber into which steam is admitted; the
paper by this means becomes damped and heated to a certain extent, and upon
issuing from the steam chamber I cause it to pass over a travelling endless
cloth or belt, made of woollen cloth or felt, which being wetted with cold water
will have the effect of condensing the steam on the surface of the paper, and
damping the surface just to the requisite extent. The paper then passes
into the glazing or polishing machine, where a glaze or polish is given to it
by means of rotating brushes, as above mentioned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Walmsley Preston in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WALMSLEY
PRESTON, of Over Darwen, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Walmsley Preston, Her. especial licence that I, the said Walmsley
Preston, my executors; administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Walmsley Preston, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might's
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVED MACHINERY TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER HANGINGS,"
upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the said Walmsley Preston, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly, describe
5 and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
'
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Walmsley Preston, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to damp or moisten the paper previously
to the same being passed through any glazing or polishing machinery, such,
for instance, as that for which Letters Patent were granted to Doctor Graham,
and bearing date October Eighteenth, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
five. The methods by which this may be accomplished may be modified to
some extent.
In order, however, to explain how my Invention may be successfully carried
out, I have appended to this my Specification a Drawing, which I will now
proceed to describe.
The paper having been prepared after the usual manner, with a colored
or other ground or surface, is wound upon a roller a, which is mounted
in bearings on a frame b; from this roller the paper is conducted over
rollers c, d, e, f, g, h, as denoted by the red line, passing in its course through
a chamber i, to which a small quantity of steam is admitted from any
convenient source, from thence it is conducted over an endless sheet of
cloth (denoted by the blue line) to any polishing or glazing apparatus.
The sheet of cloth k passes around rollers l, m, n, the last mentioned
of which receives rotatory motion by means of any suitable connexion
with the motive power, by which arrangement, therefore, the cloth is
caused to travel continuously. Beneath the roller. is another roller o,
situate within a trough containing water, so as to keep the cloth sufficiently
damp for imparting moisture to the paper. In the Drawing I suppose the
cylinder p to be that upon which the paper is polished, according to the
method of Doctor Graham aforesaid, and to this it is conducted by the roller
7. The paper then being drawn forward from the roller a receives a partial
damping within the steam box i, and subsequently a further similar treatment
by travelling in contact with the cloth k, after which it is prepared to receive

page_text: the glazing or polishing by brushes applied to the cylinder p, or by other
In order that the paper may be properly unwound from the roller ȧ,
a friction braker is applied thereto, which may be regulated at pleasure.
Instead of the foregoing arrangement several modifications may be employed,
for instance, the steam box or the travelling cloth may be used alone, or the
paper may be passed between a pair of rollers, one of them being covered
with felt or other such substance kept damp by any convenient means; and
other arrangements may be employed, which will suggest themselves to all
competent persons.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that I claim, as secured to me under the above in part recited
Letters Patent, the application to paper hanging machinery of suitable
apparatus for damping or moistening the paper previously to its being glazed
or polished.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walmsley Preston, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
HUGH JOSEPH BOYD,
Cashier.
WALMSLEY PRESTON. (L.S.)