IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLANNEL
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
ARCHER, of Rochdale, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, Flannel Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Ninth day of November, in the seventh year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Archer, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Samuel Archer, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Samuel Archer, my exors, admiñors, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLANNEL;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Samuel
Archer, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Leters 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
Samuel Archer, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention consists,
:-
First, in applying weft composed of German cod wool, combined with other
wool, in the manufacture of flannel.
And secondly, my Invention consists of a mode of finishing flannel after it is
woven.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to
explain the means pursued by me, both as to the materials used, and also the
processes of manufacture, first remarking that I have, by a series of experi-
ments, discovered that German cod wool, when suitably combined with other
wools in forming weft, is peculiarly adapted to the manufacture of flannel.
In manufacturing flannel the manufacturer's object should be to obtain
elasticity and softness, and that it should shrink as little as possible in washing
after being made up into garments; and with these objects I prefer to employ,
when making yarn for warp, two third parts by weight of Southdown shorn
lambs' wool, and one third part of Southdown skin lambs' wool; and when
making the weft or woof I prefer to employ two third parts of German shorn
lambs' wool, from a half to three quarters of an inch in length of staple,
mixed with one third part of German cod lambs' wool; but I do not con-
fine myself to these quantities or qualities. In making a piece of flannel
thirty-nine inches in the reed, and about forty-eight yards long, I use
about eight pounds of warp and about thirteen pounds of weft, and in about
the same ratio for other widths; and I generally have the selvages, with
thirty ends one side and ten ends on the other, Indigo blue, and the flannel
to stand thirty-two to thirty-three inches wide when fit for sale. The
descriptions of wools above mentioned to be used in the manufacture of
flannel are to be sorted free from grey into classes of various qualities, which
will be suitable for making as many qualities of flannel. In the manufacture
of flannel, as at present practised in England, manufacturers generally employ
English sheep's wool, which has very much deteriorated of late years, and is, I
consider, too long in the staple for the purpose of manufacturing flannel, and it
felts too freely when washing, and the desired softness and flexibility cannot be
retained; and I find in practice, that using the warp of English wool and weft
of foreign wool, they possessing different qualities of hair, they will not pre-
judicially felt and harden when made into flannel. When making flannel as
heretofore practised, flaunel with the oil in it has been put into stocks and
beaten till it is brought to what it is technically called "ripe," when water is
run freely into the stocks, and the dirt and grease carried off, and the flannel

page_text: is then dried; and when working according to my Invention the flannel is
treated in like manner, but in place of then submitting the flannel with soap
in the stocks.I omit that process, as it is injurious, and tends to felt and harden
the fabric, and in place thereof I submit the flannel with soap to the operation
of weighted wood rollers in the following manner :-The machine I use is
similar to what is known in Yorkshire by the name of a "crab," and used by
dyers, but the upper roller is caused to press heavily on the other roller. The
rollers are about eighteen inches diameter, and of a length somewhat greater
than the width of the flannel; thereby I have usually caused the upper roller
to press on the lower one with a pressure equal to one and a half to two tons,
which is done by a lever with weights pressing on the axes of the upper roller,
as is well understood. Under these rollers is placed a trough to contain soap
and water, and I use about one and a half pounds of soap to each piece of
flannel, the water being as hot as the workpeople can conveniently bear.
A piece of flannel is placed in the trough and a workman conducts one end
between the rollers, keeping the flannel smooth as it passes through between
the rollers, and he repeats this process of pressure, and submerging the flannel
in the soap several times till the flannel is well cleaned; and on the flannel
going the last time through between the rollers I cause the rollers to press
more heavily so as to express the soap and water more completely from the
flannel under process, preventing it again falling into the trough of soap and
The flannel is then again put through the stocks quickly with clean
cold water. It will be found, by thus operating, the prejudicial effect of felting
and hardening of flannel, consequent on beating the same with soap in the
stocks, are avoided, and a greatly improved manufacture of flannel will result,
whether the flannel be made according to the first part of my Invention or
otherwise. The flannel thus treated is then to be stoved, as is well understood.
And I would remark, that when fulled in the wet state the flannel is to
measure about four inches wider than it does when dried and finished; the
four inches which is wider before tentering in the wet state is brought to the
required width by drawing it on the tenters before it is hooked to the desired
width; by so doing the flannel when dry will remain elastic and free. In
teazelling the flannel I only go twice on each side over a dull barrel, and
this is done after the flannel has been dried on the tenters, when the flannel is
fit for the market.
water.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I would wish it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details herein described, provided the peculiar
character of either part of my Invention be retained; but what I claim is,―

page_text: First, the mode of manufacturing flannel by applying weft of German cod
wool, combined with other wool.
And secondly, I claim the mode of finishing flannels as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Archer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
Enrolled the Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-four.