Improvements in Felt Hardening Machines.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 6th Apr., 1889
RESERVE CO
Improvements in Felt Hardening Machines.
We WILLIAM GAINES BYWATER of Sweet Street Foundry, Leeds in the County of
York, Machine Maker, and THOMAS BELLSHAW BEANLAND, of 41 Cemetery Road,
Beeston Hill, Leeds, in the County of York, Draughtsman do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present improvements are adapted to machines which are known as Flat
Hardeners, and which are more particularly used in the inanufacture of hair felt.
The object of this Invention is to make the machine self acting so that when the
machine has been felting for any given time it stops itself and raises the felting plate.
The mechanism by which this is accomplished consists of a worm on the end of the
ordinary excentric shaft, which is geared into a wheel which again carries a worm
which is geared into a larger wheel, which is the time wheel. The time wheel carries
a projecting pin, which comes in contact with a stop, this being its starting point;
in the rim of the wheel are a number of holes into any one of which a pin is screwed.
During the revolution of the time wheel, the pin comes in contact with one end of
a lever, which it moves, and causes the other end to lift the belt rod so that it is
clear of a retaining notch; when by means of a weight it is moved and throws the
belt from the fast to the loose pulley. Upon the belt rod is an incline which when the
rod is moved lifts one end of a lever upon which is a stud which carries the time
wheel, this releases the time wheel from contact with its driving worm, and by means
of a weight it is turned back to the starting point, and is ready to drop into gear
with its worm when the machine is started again.
The felting plate is connected to one end of an oscillating lever, by means of a
connecting rod, one end of which works upon a stud in the oscillating lever, and the
other end is connected to a stud at the middle of the felting plate. The stud in the
oscillating lever is also the pivot upon which the top felting plate turns when it is
lifted and lowered. The mechanisin by which the lifting is accomplished consists of
a horizontal shaft, which is carried by suitable frame at a sufficient height above the
felting plate, the centre of the shaft being above the pivot stud upon which the plate
turns when lifted. Upon the shaft is a boss to which one end of a chain is fastened, the

page_text: other end being fastened to the connecting rod at the middle of the felting plate.
The shaft is caused to revolve by means of a falling weight which is attached to a
rope or chain, the rope or chain being wrapped around a grooved pulley and
attached to it near its centre. Thus as the weight descends the shaft revolves and
the chain is wrapped around the boss and so the felting plate is lifted to a nearly
perpendicular position. The grooved pulley is made in the form of a scroll, so that
as the felting plate is lifted and the weight decreases the leverage of the pulley also
decreases.
Attached to one end of the horizontal shaft is a hand wheel, in the rim of which
is a notch. When the machine is in operation the falling weight is held by means of a
pawl taking into the notch in the hand wheel this causes the whole weight of the
felting plate, to rest upon the material being felted. A perpendicular rod is attached
to one ond of the time wheel lover, the other end has a notch engaged with one end
of the pawl. Thus when the machine stops itself the incline npon the belt rod raises
the time wheel lever, and the perpendicular rod. This action releases both the time
wheel from the worm, and the pawl from the notch in the hand wheel, and so leaves
the falling weight free to raise the felting plate. The plate is lowered by means of
the hand wheel.

page_text: We WILLIAM GAINES BYWATER of Sweet Street Foundry, Leeds in the County
of York, Machine Maker, and THOMAS BELLSHAW BEANLAND, of 41, Cemetery
Road Beeston Hill, Leeds in the County of York, Draughtsman 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:-
The prosent Improvements are, adapted to machines which are known as Flat
Hardeners, and which are more particularly used in the manufacture of hair felt.
The object of this Invention is to make the machine self acting, so that when the
machine has been felting for any given time, it stops itself and raises the felting plate.
The mechanism by which this is accomplished consists of a worm on the end of the
ordinary excentric shaft, which is geared into a wheel, which again carries a worin
which is geared into a larger wheel, which is the time wheel. The time wheel carries
a projecting pin which comes in contact with a stop, this being its starting point;
in the rim of the wheel are a number of holes, into any one of which a pin is screwed.
During the revolution of the time wheel the pin comes in contact with one end of a
lever which it moves and causes the other end to lift the belt rod so that it is clear
of a retaining notch, when by means of a weight it is moved and throws the belt
from the fast to the loose pulley.
Upon the belt rod is an incline which when the rod is moved, lifts one end of a
lever upon which is a stud which carries the time wheel, this releases the time
wheel from contact with its driving worm, and by means of a weight it is turned
back to the starting point, and is ready to drop into gear with its worm when the
machine is started again.
The felting plate is connected to one end of an oscillating lever by means of a
connecting rod, one end of which works upon a stud in the oscillating lever, and the
other end is connected to a stud at the middle of the felting plate. The stud in the
oscillating lever is also the pivot upon which the top felting plate turns when it is
lifted and lowered. The mechanism by which the lifting is accomplished consists of
a horizontal shaft which is carried by suitable frame, at a sufficient height above the
felting plate, the centre of the shaft being above the pivot stud upon which the plate
turns when lifted.

page_text: Upon the shaft is a boss to which one end of a chain is fastened, the other end
being fastened to the connecting rod at the middle of the felting plate. The shaft is
caused to revolve by means of a falling weight which is attached to a rope or chain,
the rope or chain being wrapped around a grooved pulley and attached to it near its
centre. Thus as the weight decends the shaft revolves and the chain is wrapped around
the boss and so the felting plate is lifted to a nearly perpendicular position.
The grooved pulley is made in the form of a scroll so that as the felting plate is
lifted and the weight decreases, the leverage of the pulley also decreases. Attached
to one end of the horizontal shaft is a hand wheel in the rim of which is a notch.
When the machine is in operation the falling weight is held by means of a pawl taking
into the notch in the hand wheel, this causes the whole weight of the felting plate to
rest upon the material being felted. A perpendicular rod is attached at one end to
the time wheel lever, the other end has a notch engaged with one end of the pawl.
Thus when the machine stops itself, the incline upon the belt rod raises the time
wheel lever and the perpendicular rod, this action releases both the time wheel from
the worm, and the pawl from the notch in the hand wheel, and so leaves the falling
weight free to raise the felting plate. The plate is lowered by means of the hand
wheel.
In order that this Invention may be better understood and carried into practical
effect, we have hereunto annexed a sheet of Drawings illustrative of the same of
which the following is a description.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a complete machine. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the
same. A is the excentric shaft. B is a worm which is affixed to A, and which gears
into worm wheel Cupon shaft C¹. D is a worm which is affixed to shaft C'
which gears into worm wheel E which is the time wheel. The wheel E is carried on
a stud which is fixed to a lever F. The lever F is pivotted upon a stud F¹. A
weight F is attached to the boss of the time wheel E by means of a cord, so that
when the time wheel is released from contact with the worm D. the weight F2 turns
the time wheel back to its starting position. The starting position is when the pin G
which is fixed to the rim of the time wheel E is in contact with the underside of the
lever H. The lever H swings upon stud H and is actuated by means of a pin (which
may be fixed in any of the holes in the rim of the time wheel) coming in contact with
one end of it, the time wheel revolving in the direction of the arrow, this causes the
other end to rise and being in contact with the belt rod J it lifts the same untill it is
clear of a retaining notch when by means of a weight J₁ the belt rod J is moved and
the belt thrown on the loose pulley. Upon the belt rod J is an incline K which when
the belt rod is moved comes into contact with the end of the time wheel lever F and
rising the same lifts the time wheel out of gear with the worm D, when the time
wheel is turned back to its starting position as before described. At a certain
position on the time wheel lever F is a stud L upon which is a vertical rod M, the
rod M has a notch which takes into one end of a retaining pawl N, the other end of
the pawl takes into a notch in the hand wheel P. The hand wheel P is affixed to a
shaft R upon which are also affixed a scroll S, and a chain pulley T. The scroll S
carries a chain upon which is a weight V. The chain pulley also carries a chain
which is attached to the chain pulley T at one end and to the bardening plate T¹ at
the other end. The hardening plate T¹ is actuated by the ordinary method viz.
lever and connecting rod. The connecting rod W is attached to the hardening plate and
to a stud W' at one end of the actuating lever ✗. When the vertical rod M has
been raised by the action of the belt rod J it releases the pawl N from the notch in
the hand wheel P, then the weight V is free to act upon the scroll S and causes the
shaft R to revolve, when the chain pulley T winds the chain upon itself and raises
the hardening plate T₁, the stud W₁ acting as a pivot upon which the hardening
plate is raised. In order to start the machine again the hardening plate T is lowered
by means of the hand wheel P and the belt rod moved so that the incline K is
released from the lever H, when the time wheel E falls into contact with its
actuating worm D.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed We declare that what
we claim is
1st. The mechanism by which the action of the machine may be stopped at any
pre-arranged time.
2nd. The mechanism used for raising and lowering the hardening plate.
3rd. The combination of the mechanisms of the previous claims whereby the
machine is made self stopping and self raising, all substantially as herein setforth and
described.