MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLOORCLOTH, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick Walton at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th December
1865.
I, FREDERICK WALTON, of Linoleum Works, Staines, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLOORCLOTH, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of floor-
cloth, and in apparatus employed therein. In the manufacture of floorcloth
from oxidized oil, india-rubber, or similar materials mixed with cork or saw-
dust or such like substance, it is found that after the composition has passed
the rollers the surface of the rolled sheet springs up again, thus becoming
uneven, so as to appear unfinished, and it then is difficult to print upon.
It has before been proposed to remove these irregularities, and to finish the
Now
surface by grinding it with pumicestone, or in some similar manner.
according to my Invention I employ cylinders covered with points and caused
to revolve at a high speed in contact with the surface it is desired to finish.
I prefer to use two cylinders covered with cards such as are used for carding
fibres; the cards on the one cylinder are coarse, and this cylinder is used first
for removing the principal irregularities, whilst the cards on the other cylinder
are finer, as they are intended to finish the surface. Under each of the

page_text: cylinders is a table capable of being raised and lowered by levers. The floor-
cloth is caused to pass slowly over the tables whilst the toothed cylinders
revolve rapidly, say at a surface speed of at least 500 feet per minute, in
contact with it; these rollers also have a short sideway motion given to them
in order to prevent the production of longitudinal marks on the floorcloth.
In order that the card teeth may not be injured by the passing of floorcloth
having in it ragged holes with projecting edges or in any similar manner a
bar is employed; it is laid across the material so as to be caught and moved
by any such projections, and thus a bell is rung giving notice to the workman,
who by a hand lever lowers the table of the machine, or the lowering the table
or the stopping of the machine may be rendered self-acting. The cutting
cylinders are arranged to be adjusted up or down by screws to regulate the
amount of pressure on the surface of the floorcloth. In order to sharpen
the card teeth when necessary I mount in bearings in the machine a grinding
roller, which is made to act on the back of the card teeth whilst the cylinder
revolves. By the means above described a smooth velvety surface may be given
to the floorcloth.
In some cases I employ cylinders as above described, but with bands of teeth
upon them, and without any endway movement, so as to cut grooves in the
surface of the floorcloth, which grooves may be filled with color. As the surface
is rendered somewhat porous and absorbent by this process I coat it with stearine,
paraffinė, varnish, or similar non-absorbent materials, and these may be laid on
in a hot and semi-fluid state, or when dissolved in naptha or spirits by means
of a knife or gauge.