AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSE OF DYING, AND PERFORMING SIMILAR OPERATIONS
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BUCHANAN, of Rambottom, in the County of Lancaster, Millwright, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-second day of November, in the seventh year
of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Buchanan, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said John Buchanan, my exors, admors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said John Buchanan, my exors, admors,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE
PURPOSE OF DYING, AND PERFORMING SIMILAR OPERATIONS;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, that I, the said John Buchanan,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's

page_text: High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Buchanan, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in the Drawings hereto annexed and to the following explanation
thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention of "An Improved Apparatus for the purpose of Dying, and
performing similar Operations," to consist in a new arrangement of machinery,
by which dying and similar operations are performed in a more efficient and
economical manner than by the apparatus now generally in use for such
purposes; and the manner in which the same is to be performed and carried
into effect is set forth and described in the annexed Drawings and following
description thereof. The scale to which the Drawings are made is marked
thereon, and the same letters or figures of reference indicate the same parts
throughout the whole of the Drawings. The direction of rotation of the
revolving surfaces is also indicated by arrows.
In the annexed Drawings Figure 1 represents sectional end view, Figure 2
a sectional side view, and Figure 3 a plan of my improved apparatus.
Figure 4 is an end view of the driving geering, as herein-after described
and Figure 5 is a similar view to Figure 1, shewing a modification of the
same apparatus by which the pieces are washed or rinced at the same time.
In these Figures A represents a pully driven by a strap, and connected with
the spur wheel B, which revolves on the fixed stud or axis a, a. E is a loose
pulley moving on the same stud a, a, on to which the strap may be traversed
when it is required to stop the motion of the apparatus. The wheel B conveys
motion to two similar spur wheels C and D, which run loose on their respective
shafts d, d, and c, c. F and F are sliding couplings, the position of which are
governed by means of the lever f, which vibrates on the fulcrum G, passing
through the fixed stud. a, a, so that in the position of the lever f, as represented
at Figure 2, the coupling F connects the shaft d with the spur wheel. D, while
the coupling F, being disconnected from the spur wheel C, allows it to run free
of the shaft c, c. But supposing the lever f to be vibrated in the direction in-
dicated by dotted lines, the shaft c, c, would be connected with the wheel C by
the coupling F', and the shaft d, d, would be free. At the opposite end of the
coupling F and F to that at which they connect the spur wheels D and C
with the shafts d and e, as already described, is placed the friction clips g
and g', which run free of the fixed studs H and H', when either coupling is in

page_text: connection with the spur wheels D or C; but when that is not the case, the
stud H or H' impedes the rotation of the shaft on which such coupling is
placed, as would be the case with the shaft c, c, as represented at Figure 2,
where the coupling F is disconnected from the spur wheel C, and the clip g'
is in contact with the stud H'. The position of this driving geering will be
seen in an end view at Figure 4, where the same letters indicate the same
parts, as already stated. On the shaft d, d, is placed a wooden cylinder I,
and perpendicularly under it, on the shaft c, c, a similar cylinder K, which
partakes of the motion of their respective shafts. The whole of the above-
described geering is supported in an oblong cast-iron vessel, the shape of
which is seen by the letters n, n, n, n, in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the lower part of
which vessel is provided with an interior casing or division, as represented at
m, m, m, m, Figures 1 and 2, which divides the vessel n, n, n, n, into an
interior chamber O and an exterior chamber P, the latter of which is a steam
chamber, as will be hereafter described. Independent of the driving geering
of this apparatus, but parallel to the shaft d, d, are placed the shafts L and M,
which are provided with the cylinders N and N', which run free on the
respective shafts. On the same shafts L and M are placed, and firmly
attached by set screws, the stretching bars Q and Q', the position of which (as
best seen at Figure 1) is governed by the vibration of the lever R, R, which
is provided with the racks r, r, taking into pinions or spur wheels at the
extremities of the respective rods L and M. S, S, are guide rollers, running
free at the lower parts of the interior chamber O.
I shall now proceed to describe the mode of operation with this machine
for one description of work, noticing such parts as have not been already
described as I proceed. Supposing it therefore be required to dye or strike
the colour in the ordinary description of calicoes after they have received the
mordant from the printing machine, and the driving gearing of the apparatus.
to be in the position represented at Figure 2, about twenty pieces of
calico, sewed end to end, must be wound or run on to the roller I, which
will then fill a space as indicated by the dotted line i, i, i, i, Figures 1
and 2. The amount of goods to be operated on being thus uniformly and
smoothly placed or wound on to the cylinder I, the driving strap is
traversed to the loose pulley E, and the end of the goods passed over the
guide rollers N', and under the rollers S, S, at the bottom of the chamber O,
from which it is again brought up and passed over the stretching bar Qand
attached to the lower cylinder K, in the direction indicated by arrows and red-
lines. The interior chamber O is then filled up to the line q, q, with such

page_text: dyeing solution as is required, see Figure 1 and 2, and steam admitted to the
exterior chamber P through the apperture p. By this means the dye liquor in
the interior chamber is gradually heated till it arrives at the boiling point.
But should it be required to accellerate the heating process, steam may also be
admitted to the interior chamber through the tap x, which connects with the
dye liquor by means of the perforated tube T, T, and with the steam chamber.
P by means of the opening a¹ when turned opposite to the channel t, t. This
channel t, t, is connected with the chamber P, in the direction of the bended:
arrow, seen at Figure 2, and is carried to an elevated position for the purpose
of preventing any slight condension in the steam chamber P, allowing the
atmospheric pressure to force the dye liquor into the steam chamber, should
such occur. In Figure 2 the tap x is represented as shut. The dye liquor
being placed in the interior chamber O, and the cloth arranged as already
described, the position of the lever f is reversed, by which the coupling E
and the wheel C are connected, at the same time that the coupling F is
liberated from the wheel D, and the friction clip g brought in contact with the
stop H. The driving strap is then placed on the driving pulley A, and motion-
imparted to the cylinder K, on to which the goods are regularly wound or
received over the stretcher Q in an uniform and smooth state, having first
passed through the dye liquor until the whole amount originally placed on the
upper roller I are unwound. As soon as this is effected the operative vibrates
the levers R, R, which reverses the position of the stretching bars Q & Q',
at the same time that he reverses the position of the lever f, thereby arresting
the motion of the cylinder K, on which the goods are now deposited, and
imparting motion to the cylinder I, which again receives them in a uniform
and smooth state over the stretcher rod Q', which has already been elevated
for that purpose. Thus the goods are alternately transferred through the dye
liquor from the cylinder I to the cylinder K, and the reverse, until the process
is concluded, when they are taken off the cylinder I and replaced by others;
and when it is required to renew the dye liquor, it may be run off at the tap r.
During this process the steam is turned on to the chamber P by a separate
tap, and admitted or not to the chamber O, according to the judgment of the
operator and the nature of the work to be performed.
Figure 5 represents a modification of my Invention, seen in the same section
as seen at Figure 1, with the addition of a water tank, provided with a series
of parallel carrier rollers marked S, above which the goods are passed, and
under the corresponding ribbed rollers at the bottom of the vessel y, y, y, y.
To put this part of my Invention into operation, it is required, as soon as the

page_text: dyeing process is completed, to detach one end of the goods from the roller K
and pass it over the guide pulleys and through the squeezers W, W, and
thence forward in the direction of the red line indicated by small arrows, and
finally between the drawing rollers w, w, which are driven in any convenient
manner, and by which it is drawn forward and finally deposited on the floor
at Z. While this part of the process is proceeding, the vessel y, y, y, y, is
supplied with a continuous stream of fresh water, which is kept in a constant
state of agitation by the levers or beaters on the S rollers at the lower part of
the vessel y, y, y, y, and the goods are deposited by this modification of my
Invention at the point Z in the same state as those which have been subjected
to the operation of winching in the ordinary manner. From the foregoing
description of the construction and mode of operating with my improved
apparatus, it will be obvious to dyers, printers, and persons conversant with
this description of machinery, that my improved apparatus is equally pplicable
to dunging, braining, soaping, and all similar processes. And I would remark,
that by heating the dye liquor from a steam chamber, its strength is not
deteriorated as in the case when entirely heated from steam admitted in the
ordinary manner. Added to which advantage, a very reduced quantity of dye
liquor is sufficient to dye the same quantity of goods, and there is no risk of
damage to the pieces during the process. The space also which the apparatus.
occupies is much less than that required by the ordinary apparatus; and the
steam required for heating, I find by experience, diminished about two-thirds,
and consequently the expenditure of fuel, while the labour of the operative is
diminished nearly in an equal ratio. The extra work performed, and the
saving of dying material, are equally important; but these must necessarily
vary according to the nature of the work to be performed.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed and carried into effect, together with some
advantages which I have experienced from its application, I wish it to be
understood that I do not claim, as my Invention, any of the separate or well-
known parts of the apparatus herein-before set forth and described; but I do
claim as my Invention those parts combinedly as the whole apparatus, as
herein-before set forth and described, for the purpose of dyeing and performing
similar operations, the essential characteristics of which are heating the dyeing
or other liquor from a steam chest without, at the same time that the goods
are transferred and passed through the liquor from one revolving surface to
another in a uniform flat and stretched state.
And such, my Invention, being to the best of my knowledge and belief

page_text: new and never before used in that part of His Majesty's dominion called
England, I hereby deliver this as my true and faithful Specification of the
same.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Buchanan, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-ninth day of April, in
the year of our Lord 1837, the aforesaid John Buchanan came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-second day of May, in the year of our Lord One 2
thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.