An Improved Method of and Means .or Rubbing Fabrics while Weaving in the Loom.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Apr., 1897--Accepted, 7th Aug., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Means .or Rubbing Fabrics while
Weaving in the Loom.
We WALTER DYER care of Messrs. Bailey Fox & Co. of Queens Road Plaistow
in the County of Essex, Mechanic, and WILLIAM ROBERT FOX JUNIOR of Frithmans
George Lame Woodford in the County of Essex, Silk Manufacturer, 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 an improvement in the rubbing of Fabrics for the
purpose of giving them greater density and spreading all the threads more evenly
and effectually than can be done by hand when the Fabric is woven, it has also
the advantage of levelling the back and giving more brilliancy to the face without
softening or breaking the feel or handle of the cloth. The operation of rubbing or
spreading the threads of a fabric to give it greater density is usually done by hand
or by a long vibrating knife rubbing in the direction of the warp and of a small
knife rubbing in the direction of the shoot or across the fabric. We however find
that the cheapest method of rubbing or spreading the threads with the most
beneficial effect is obtained by a small wheel fixed loosely in a wooden carrier or
holder the advantage thus obtained being that the wood passing over the iron
Guide bar creates no friction and no grease or oil is necessary as it is in the
case with iron upon iron and being so close to the fabric the oil is almost certain
to drop or get smeared on it so causing bad soils if not damages especially in light
colored fabrics, the wheel hereafter more fully described is caused to pass backwards
& forwards across the width of the fabric while it is weaving.
To carry this into effect we utilise the rotary movement of any convenient shaft
of the power loom imparting such movement to an endless band running round
pullies under the loom by means of a pulley on the shaft and a band passing round
it under two guide rollers and round one of the pullies under the loom the said
pulley being made double for the purpose.
We find the best rubber to be a small wheel loosely attatched to a wooden carrier
so made that it falls over to a given angle opposite to that on which the strain
of the gut or band comes, the advantage of a wheel over a knife is that the wheel
wears evenly all round and as it is made the same thickness all through and works
at an angle it never gets blunt but keeps an equal degree of sharpness all round.
The result of this process in the finished fabric is a good cover and an even face
without softening or destroying the crisp feel of a freshly woven fabric so liable
when it is rubbed by hand out of the loom, the pressure of the said wheel being
so even and lighter than when done by hand it does not in any way weaken or
impare the wear of the fabric.
In order that this rubber may be more fully understood we describe the same
with reference to the drawing annexed, and the letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of power loom showing the apparatus attatched.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

page_text: Figure 3 is a plan.
Figure 4 is a section and side elevation of the rubbing wheel and its carrier
also isometrical drawing or arm or pin. On any rotating shaft X of the power-
loom Fig. 2 we fix a pulley B from which is driven by an endless band another
double pulley c fixed to the floor under the loom while round the top half of pulley ca
and round another pulley at the other side of the loom as shown in Figure 1 passes
another endless belt on which is fastened a bent arm or pin D which rotates round
with the belt having attatched by means of a plate a gut or band passing over guide
pullies V and fastened to the wheel carrier thus giving the required backwards
and forwards motion as the belt revolves.
The carrier A shown in detail in Fig. 4 carries a wheel K fastened under it by
means of a pin E bent or straight, passing through its centre and fixed to the block
on each side, which carrier is made to travel along a guide rod M, by the pull of
a gut or band attached to the aforesaid bent arm or pin 1) as it passes with the band
round the pullies C.
The carrier to which the wheel is attatched is a rocking block of wood made
so that it takes a cant on the guide rod before coming to the edge of the fabric
and passes right across in this position Fig. 4 and corrects itself to a cant the other
way ready to return when the strain comes from the other side. The wheel being
loose is enabled to turn slightly as it hangs beyond the edge of the work and as
it rubs at an
angle and is the same thickness all through it wears uniformly and
never requires sharpening.
Having now described and ascertained the manner and application of this
improved rubbing principle we declare that what we claim is:-
J. An improved mechanical method of rubbing the backs of fabrics in the
powerloom, by means of a wheel attatched to a wooden block the central portion
of which is so shaped as to produce a rocking movement.
2. The mechanical movement for the wheel and block by means of bands
running in a horizontal direction carrying a pin connected by a gut or band
running over suitable guide pullies to either side and across the top of the loom.
3. An oscillating plate pivotted to the rocking block.
4. An arrangement by which the apparatus claimed in 1 and 2 are made to pro-
duce a backwards and forwards movement by means of a hand from a pulley
attatched to any driving shaft.
5. The pin or arm fixed to the endless band to which the gut or band is attatched
by means of a plate.
Dated this 6th day of Anvil 1897