Improvements in Instruments or Apparatus for Stretching Trowsers, Garments, or Material.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 27th Dec.. 1887
Complete Accepted, 27th Jan., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Instruments or Apparatus for Stretching
Trowsers, Garments, or Material.
STANHOPE DREW BLOGG 23 Dulka Road Leathwaite Road Clapham Common S.W.
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
The parts of which are constructed & arranged or combined substantially as herein-
after described I construct two bars the thickness length & material of which they are
composed being such as may be thought most fit for the work they have to perform.
In one of these bars I place a stud & in the other ratchet teeth. Thus these two bars
when placed in a V shape between the clamps & being brought down to a straight
line will push the clamps apart & these latter holding on to the material or trowsers
they will cause an automatic tension When the tension is made the bars are kept
from being pressed down too far by the insertion of a stud in one of them against
which the overlapping piece of the other strikes or by the insertion in that overlapping
piece of a stud stop or other obstruction which strikes against its fellow bar. While
in this position the two bars are kept rigid by the twisting of a button which is secured
on one of them.
The ratchet teeth allow the tension to be graduated by the operator & do away with
the necessity of measuring the distance between the clamps besides saving the material
from too severe a strain.
I also construct clamps in the following manner. I take a bar on either end of
which I fix a piece of metal or other substance. In this metal I form a groove
running parallel to the plane of the bar. Into that groove I fit the top bar which is
constructed as follows.
1 take a bar of iron or other strong substance fitted so as to slide into the grooves.
In this near where it passes into the grooves I place two other pieces of iron at right
angles one each end. These pieces are each pierced with a hole which fits onto a
stud or button with which the two ends of an oblong piece of wood are provided thus
llowing the wood to twist on these pivots. In this way I have two bars fixed parallel
o one another by two connecting pieces one bar being allowed to revolve partially or
otally (the one which is held firmly is made longer than the other so that it may
ass into the grooves of the lower clamp & allow the other one to swing downwards).
By pressing the swinging bar which is made so that it will not pass over the lower
laup (the circle it describes being too large) I can nip any material between the two.
n this swinging bar I make a socket into which I fit the stretcher bar described in

page_text: the previous part of my specification. The pressing outward of this stretcher bar
causes the automatic nipping of the material. The clamps may be made by having a
piece of wood or other substance for the top part of the upper clamp. This is pierced
with studs at either end which pass into the grooves in the lower clamp & is connected
with the piece of wood which touches the trowsers by plates either rigid on the top
piece & allowing the bottom piece to revolve (preferably by eyes fixed into plates
pivoted on the bottom wood which latter is rounded off to allow it to pass partially) or
by the top piece being fixed to the bottom piece in such a lax manner that the one
will pull the other after it (preferably here the bottom wood is concave to allow a
larger circle to be described by the upper wood & the plates are slotted to allow the
bottom piece to move farther forward.
Strong wood may be used instead of the metal pieces or strong wire or chains.
These two pieces of wood when pressed down may touch each other or not.
These clamps may also be made by bending a strong piece of wire so that the ends
pass into the slots of the bottom clamp whilst an oblong piece of wood revolves on it.
These clamps top or bottom may be either flat concave convex or angular or the
bottom bar may have a ridge back or front or both to cause the trowsers to describe an
angle & so save slipping.
The clamps may be made also as follows:-
I take a right angled triangular bar of wood. In this at either end I fix plates with
a slot in them of the shape of a vent peg the point being outwards. For the upper
clamp I take a piece of wood of the shape of a Z with the triangular piece on one
side filled in. At either end of this I drive studs. On one side of this bar the studs
are shaped thin where they pierce the wood & get large & wedge shaped. On the
other side the stud is broad where it pierces the wood & gets thinner & wedge
shaped. This bar is rather shorter than the other. The way in which it is used is as
follows The bar with the plates is put underneath the trowsers the other bar passes
into the slots at the thinnest parts of the studs & is pressed down. The top bar is
then pulled towards the operator. This causes the thicker parts of the studs to wedge
themselves in the slots & the shape of the slots prevents any movement outwards.
In this position the stretcher bar is placed into a socket in the top clamp. The
trowser being thus forced to describe a figure something like a Z the variety of angles
causes great friction & resistance. Preferably I round off the sharp points of the
clamps so that the trowsers may not be marked.
:-
For clamps I also proceed this way -
I take two cylinders to one of which at either end 1 fasten plates with a slot in
them. To the other cylinder I place at either end studs. I use them in the following
way:The trowsers being folded as usual I place the cylinder with the plates on the
upper surface of them a short distance from the end, the trowsers are then folded over
this & the other cylinder let drop into the slots. When the stretcher bar is placed in
a socket in this latter & pressure is put on the trowsers will be found to be firmly
held. These bars can be cylindrical or other shape & the studs & plates may be the same
as in the immediately previous description if preferred or instead of plain slots these
may have teeth so that the angular stud of the one bar becomes caught when turned.
In these two latter top & bottom clamps at the different points where the seams pass
I cut away the wood in order to allow for the increased thickness. These cuttings
may be padded or not. In my clamps I proceed in a novel method viz.:-That
of putting in the top or bottom bars or both a pad placed in a bed to receive it
at the point where the seam lies so that the varying thickness of the seams are all
nipped.
In these clamps a covering of cloth or other like substance adds greatly to their
efficacy.

page_text: Trowsers, Garments, or Material.
I, STANHOPE DREW BLOGG, of 23, Dulka Road, Leathwaite Road, Clapham
Common, in the County of Surrey, 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 :-
Apparatus according to this invention for stretching trowsers, garments, or material,
consists of two clamps which grip the object to be stretched and a stretcher bar to
force or hold the clamps apart, and put the tension on the material.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 shows in elevation a stretcher bar according to this invention; it also shows
in elevation and in section the two clamps.
Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.
The stretcher bar according to this invention consists of two rods 1 and 2, in one of
which (1) is a stud 3, and in the other ratchet teeth 4. In stretching a garment, the
stud 3 is placed in a tooth 4, the two rods being held in an angular position as shown
in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and applied to the clamps which are hereinafter described.
The rods 1-2 are then brought into a straight line, and push the clamps apart, putting
a tension on to the garment. When the tension is effected, the rods are kept in
position by a bent plate 5 carried by the bar 1, against which plate the overlapping
piece of the bar 2 strikes, or the overlapping piece may be provided with a stud, stop,
or other obstruction which strikes against its fellow rod. The rods 1 and 2 are further
secured by the twisting of a button 6 carried by the bar 2. The ratchet teeth 4 allow
the tension to be graduated by the operator, and thus do away with the necessity of
measuring the distances between the clamps, besides saving the material from too
severe a strain.
According to this invention the clamps are each constructed in the following manner.
On a bar 7 are fixed end cheeks or plates 8 in each of which is a groove or slot 9
running parallel to the plane of the bar. A second bar 10 has trunnions 11 fitting in
these slots, and on this second bar are mounted bearings or pivots 12 by which a
third bar 13 is carried. The material under treatment is placed between the two pairs
of bars 7 and 13 when they are apart as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1; it is after-
wards nipped between each pair of the bars by the partial rotation of the second and
third bars 10 and 13 which is caused by the straightening of the stretcher bar 1-2,
the proportions being such that only a partial rotation can take place before the first
and third bars are in close contact with the material between them. There is a socket 14
in the third bar 13 into which the end of the stretcher bar fits, and the tension
caused by the application of the stretcher bar causes the first and third bars 7 and 13
of each clamp to nip the material. The two bars 10 and 13 may be arranged to touch
each other or not.

page_text: According to a modification which is shown in transverse section and elevation
respectively in Figs. 3 and 4 the second and third bars 10 and 13 of each clamp have
studs or pivots 11 and 11ª respectively at their ends connected by links or plates 15
which hold the bars parallel to each other. The links or plates 15 are slotted where
they embrace the studs or pivots 11 which extend outward so as to form trunnions
which fit into the slots 9 of the end cheeks or plates 8 secured to the bar 7. The
bars 10 and 13 are capable of a partial revolution and are pivotted eccentrically with
reference to each other, so that, as they revolve, the bar 13 nips the material placed
between it and the first bar 7. Preferably the third bar 13 is concave to allow a
larger circle to be described by the upper or second bar 10 and the slots in the links or
plates 15 allow the third bar 13 to become wedged between the first and second bars.
The bars 7 and 13 may be either flat, concave, convex, or angular, or the bottom
bar may have a ridge at its rear or front, or both, to cause the trowsers or other
inaterial to assume," when nipped, an angular form, thus preventing the material from
slipping.
In clamps according to this invention there may be placed in the first or third bars,
or both, a pad placed in a bed to receive it at the point where the seams lie, so that
the varying thickness of the seams are all nipped.
According to another modification shown respectively in plan and end view in
Figs. 5 and 6, I employ two cylinders or rollers 7 and 13. To each end of the
cylinder or roller 7 I fasten a plate 8 formed with a slot 9. The cylinder or roller 13
has studs 16 (preferably rectangular in section) at each end. Upon the trowsers,
(after they have been folded as usual) is placed at a short distance from the end thereof
the cylinder or roller 7; the end of the trowsers is then folded over this cylinder or
roller, and the other cylinder or roller 13 is so applied that its studs 16 drop into the
slots 9. When the stretcher bar is placed in the socket 14 in the cylinder or roller 13
and pressure is applied at right angles to the line or plane of contact of the rollers,
the trowsers will be found to be firmly held. In lieu of using bars of cylindrical
shape, bars of other shape may be used.
The plates S at the ends of the cylinder 7 may be notched as shown at 17, so that
when the other cylinder is partially rotated, the studs 16 at the ends thereof will be
caused to enter the one or other sets of notches and thus lock the two rollers
together. In lieu of end plates 8, the cylinder or roller 7 may be provided at its ends
with pins arranged to enter corresponding holes in the ends of the cylinder or
roller 13. When the cylinders or rollers are in use, each cylinder or roller 13
will be held in position between the stretcher bar and its corresponding cylinder or
roller 7, by the reaction of the material being stretched. The nipping bars of each
clamp may, at the different points where the seams pass, be cut away in order to allow
for the increased thickness of the trowsers at the seams. These cuttings are padded
to give a modified pressure upon the seams of the trowsers.
In Figs. 5 and 6, the cylinder 7 is shewn (in dotted lines) cut away all round at 18,
the cylinder 13 being cut away only at its under part 19 (as shown in dotted lines in
Fig. 6) where a seam would come, the cut away portions being padded as shown.
I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to cut away part of bars between
which material is nipped, therefore I do not claim broadly this cutting away of the
bars.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner it is to be performed, I declare that what is claimed
in apparatus for stretching trowsers, garments, or material is :-
1. A stretcher bar having two parts of which one is provided with a stud and the
other with two or more ratchet teeth, substantially as described and shown in Figs. 1
and 2 of the drawings.
2. A clamp comprising three bars, of which one is interposed between the other two
and acts as a wedge or cam to nip the garment substantially as described with reference
respectively to Figs. 1 and 2; and to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings annexed.
3. A clamp comprising two bars held in firm contact by the sole pressure of the
stretcher bar and by the reaction of the material under treatment without the aid of

page_text: screws, cams, wedges, or the like, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 5
and 6 of the drawings.
4. A clamp having a depression or hollow at the part where the scam of a pair of
trowsers is nipped, the said depression or hollow being filled with a pad of soft material,
the whole being so arranged that the seam is subject to only a moderate tension
substantially as described.
5. In a clamp of the kind shown in Figs. 5 and 6, cutting away the centre of the
bar 7 all round the circumference, and the bar 13 for a part of the circumference,
substantially as described.
1
1
1
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London; W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.