Improvements in Starching Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 20th May, 1892-Accepted, 20th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Starching Machines.
I HENRY POWELL Pool Wall Mills High Street Taunton in the County of
Somerset, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be an
follows:
My invention is for the purpose of superseding the laborious work of starching
shirt fronts and cuffs and other textile fabrics by hand and has for its abject the
more effectual incorporating, saturating or costing the fibres, with starch.
I earry my invention into practice in manner as hereinafter described.
One or more rollers are arranged in a frame either free to revolve in any
required direction or made to revolve in certain directions by suitable mechanism
there may be one or more sets of rollers arranged in frames working pafallel to
each other or in any suitable direction with reference to each other. The rollers
may be circular or any other shape in sections that may be deemed expedient the
rollers may be made up in sections somewhat in the same manner as the well known
agricultural implement called a clod-breaker, is made c. certain desired sections
are threaded upon a spindle so that they may revolve freely, upon the spindle the
friction in passing the fabrics between the rollers gives them a certain motion or a
positive motion may be given them by means of a rack and pinion or any other
similar or equivalent arrangement or by means of cords or bands.
The frame in which the rollers are set move in a vertical horizontal angular or
circular direction as may be desired.
The motion that it is desired to impart to the frames which contain the rollers is
reciprocating and whilst one frame moves in one direction the opposite frame moves
in another and reverse direction and the reversing action takes place at certain
required portions of the frames this motion is given to the frames by cams
eccentrics cranks or any other suitable and well known mechanical devices for
giving such motion.
There is also another motion which is imparted to the frames at pleasure viz. :—
a lifting or separating motion whereby one or more frames can be drawn apart
from each other this is effected by means of levers chains or any other suitable and
well known devices the object of this is to introduce the fabrics that it is required
to starch in an expeditious manner.
The frames may have increased pressure put on them by means of weights or
springs so as to squeeze the fabrics placed between the rollers.
The material of which the rollers are composed of may be wood metal india
rubber vulcanite felt or any other suitable material or any combination of wood
metal india rubber vulcanite or other suitable material or materials,
The whole of the rollers and frames in which they revolve may work wholly or
in part in a starch solution contained in a cistern fat or trough in this trough is a
stirrer which keeps in agitation the starch solution and prevents its setting or
getting thick as the action of the frames tend to throw the starch solution in one
direction and would if allowed to continue to so accumulate tend to sløp or splash
there is a channel provided' which returns the accumulations of starol solution to
other end of vat and thus equalizes the amount of starch solution in all parts of the
vat or trough.
Dated thie 25th dev of Auoust 1801

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Starching Machines
I, HENRY POWELL of Pool Wall Mills Taunton in the County of Somerset
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 the construction adaptation and application of a new
method for starching textile fabrics or means of incorporating or applying starch to
such fabrics hereinafter called "goods" and in order that the carrying out of my
invention into practice may be more fully understood I annex hereto one sheet of
explanatory drawings which are to be read herewith and taken as part of these
presents and I have marked the same with letters of reference corresponding with
those in the following description thereof.
Figure 1. is a transverse sectional elevation of the machine.
Figure 2. is a cross section of the machine.
Figure 3. is a plan of the machine.
.
Figure 4. is a plan of the frame C showing rollers J.
Figure 5. is a plan of the guide which is attached to frame.
Figures 6. and 7. are respectively a plan and elevation of one method of
revolving the rollers J by means of worm wheel and worm.
Figures 8 and 9. are respectively a plan and elevation of one method of
revolving the rollers J by means of chains or bands.
Figure 10, shows a plan of revolving the rollers by means of bevel wheels.
In Figure 1. A & B are a pair of wheels gearing together and by means of
suitable pins g¹ k¹ which are used as crank pins and connected to and through the
intermediary of the connecting rod F which is connected to the upper frame C by
means of its jointed end at G and thus imparts a reciprocating motion to the
frame C and also permits of its motion in a vertical direction.
In like manner the frame E receives its longitudinal motion from the connecting
rod which connects at I' with the red M which works through a stuffing box E
and is kept in position by means of a guide 0 which slides on a guide rod N.
The frame E slides on the rollers P along the guides Q situated inside the bottom
of the trough Z¹.
The frame C is attached to a guide whose section is at the ends the same as
shown in Figure 5 and fits over and slides along the guides D. Both the upper and
lower frames C & E are fitted with a series of rollers J each roller may be composed
of one piece of wood metal indla-rubber composition or other suitable material or
may be composed of a number of sections of such suitable material threaded on
the spindles J each section of which is free to revolve by itself independently of
any other section the shape of the rollers may be spherical elliptical star-shaped or
any other suitable form when however the outline of the roller or rollers is irregular
I prefer that the projection of one roller should correspond to the depression of
its relative roller in the upper or lower frame as the case may be one form of this
arrangement is shown in Figure 2 where the longitudinal section of the roller is
nadulating or corrugated and the convex portion of one roller or set of rollere in
one of the frames oprresponds to the concave portion of one of the other rollers or
set of rollera in the other frame. The top frame C can be raised in a vertical
direction by means of a system of levers or rods H. T. a' ' working upon the
fulcrums Cd as shown in Figure 2 the horizontal guides Dare kept in their place
by the vertical guide bars K as shown in Figures 1 and 3. X is a tank containing
starch which is kept in agitation by a mixer which is actuated by bevel wheels U
which receive their motion from pullies v. w. Y is a draw-off tap for supplying the

page_text: trough Z with starch e¹ is a stuffing box through which the rod M which is fixed
rigidly to frame E works N is a guide rod and Ois a guide fixed to rod M with
the connection I' which by means of connecting rod L and crank pin g¹ reciprocating
motion can be given to frame E.
Figure 3 . . are the pullies connected with a belt which actuate the bevel
wheels u.
If it is desired to communicate a positive circular or intermittent motion to the
rollers J then either of the arrangements shown in Figures 6. 7. 8. 9 & 10 cau be
adopted or any other equivalent arrangements to those shown in Figures 6. 7. 8. 9
& 10. On reference to these figures taken in order,
Figure 6 is a plan and Figure 7 an elevation J are the rollers which are fixed to
the spindle J¹ this spindle has a worm wheel G¹ attached to it and this worm wheel
gears in a worm which is fixed on a spindle I which spindle upon motion being
given to it revolves the worm wheel G₁ which in turn communicates a oironlai
motion to the rollers J.
Figures 8. & 9. of which 8 is a plan and Figure 9 an elevation show another
method of imparting a positive motion to the rollers J in this modification H' are
toothed wheels fixed to spindle Jin which wheels Ha suitably made ohain m³
engages and upon motion being given to the chain m¹ it in turn communicates it
by means of wheels H to the rollers J.
Figure 10 is a plan of a further modification in which P¹ are bevel wheels
attached to spindle J¹ on which rollers J are fixed bevel wheel P engages with
bevel wheel n which is fixed on shaft & motion being given to shaft b' is com
municated to bevel wheel n' which in turn revolves bevel wheel P¹ and by means of
epindle J' gives motion to rollers J.
The method of working this machine is as follows.
By means of the system of levers and rods H. T. a ' the top frame C. C. is
raised from the lower frame E E and the goods which require to be starched are
put between the two frames then the top frame is released and allowed to drop upon
the "goods" requiring to be starched. The trough Z' in which the rollers are moving
having been previously filled with starch from the tank X the apparatus is set in
motion by means of a belt over the wheel this setting in motion the two geared
wheels A. B. which in turn by means of connecting rod F and connecting rod L
and rod M actuate the frames C and E in such a manner that they reverse when at
opposite ends of their strokes or periods that is to say when the top frame C is at
its extreme right hand limit the bottom frame E will be at its extreme left hand
limit and will thus by this motion and also by means of the rollers imitate more or
less the action of the human land and knuckles when washing or starching "goods"
by hand. When the "goods" have been sufficiently starched the top frame C.is
raised by means of the system of levers hereinbefore described and the goods
taken out and a fresh lot inserted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is :-
1. I claim making one or more rollers of any required section or sections and
fitting same in frames as hereinbefore described.
2. I claim the making of one or more of such rollers to be threaded upon a
spindle and free to revolve independently of each other.
3. I claim making these rollers to be revolved by the means of bevel screw or
worm wheel arrangement or by means of bands cords chains or any other similar
appliances.
4. I claim giving the frames in which the rollers revolve a reciprocating motion
in a vertical angular or any other plane that may be required,
5. 1 claim the method of raising the top frame in the manner hereinbefore
described.
6. I claim having the top frame fixed and depressing the lower frame.
1

page_text: 7. I claim the combination of mechanism substantially as hereinbefore set forth
and described,
Dated this 24th day of May 1892.
W. M. LLEWELLIN, C.E.,
16, King Square, Bristol, Agent for the Applicant.