IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FINISHING AND FOLDING OF TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Wilson, Clerk, of Glasgow, County of
Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
FINISHING AND FOLDING OF TEXTILE FABRICS."
Sealed the 28th December 1860, and dated the 10th July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Wilson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
July 1860.
I, ROBERT WILSON, Clerk, of Glasgow, County of Lanark, North Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE FINISHING AND FOLDING OF TEXTILE FABRICS," to be as follows, that
is to say:-
The object of the said Invention is to give to such textile fabrics as are
suitable for wearing apparel, a better and more expeditious finish than at
present is obtained. This is to be accomplished by improvements in several of
the processes to which such fabrics are or should be subjected whilst being
finished.
First, a brush or brushes and a fan are connected to machines which cut off
the loose fibres on the surface of the cloth; which machines are known by the
name of cropping or shaving machines. The object of the brush or brushes
and fan is to raise up the loose fibres from the surface, that the spiral knife of
[Price 8d.]

page_text: the machine may more readily cut them off. The brush or brushes press on
the surface of the cloth, and have two motions, a rotatory motion and a motion
from one side of the machine to the other and back. The stroke of this latter
motion is made more or less by an adjustable crank or otherwise. The fan
blows a stream of air up through the cloth at the part of the machine called
the bed of the knife. The air to feed the fan may or may not be drawn from
the other side of the cloth.
Secondly, the one side of the cloth is so slightly stiffened that the stiffening
fluid will not penetrate to the other side to wet it. This is effected by means
of a machine consisting of a roller of wood or metal (and either covered or
uncovered with blanket or other material) and drying apparatus. The roller
whilst revolving is partially immersed in a vessel containing the stiffening
fluid. Immediately in front of the roller and in contact with it is a bar of
wood or iron, covered with blanket or other material, which acts as a stationary
doctor, and regulates the quantity of stiffening liquid, which the roller on its
surface conveys to the cloth. The cloth rests on and presses on the top of the
roller, and after being slightly stiffened, passes over one or more bars of wood
or metal covered with blanket or other material. The bar or bars are either
fixed and stationary, or have a motion backwards and forwards accross the
breadth of the cloth. This motion from side to side of the machine will
spread the stiffening liquid deposited on the surface of the cloth by the roller.
The roller is drawn by means of a friction pulley, so that its speed can be
made more or less than that of the drying apparatus. There may or may not
be a roller revolving upon the top of the roller immersed in the stiffening
fluid. Instead of a roller partially immersed in the stiffening liquid, a
revolving brush may be used to stiffen the goods. The tips of the hairs of the
brush do not dip into the stiffening liquid, but press against a blanket or other
material immersed in the fluid; the brush is also driven by a friction pulley.
The drying apparatus consists of metal cylinders heated with steam or warm
air. If heated with hot air, the cylinders may or may not be perforated
so allow the air to pass through the pores of the cloth. Each cylinder las a
stop-cock to regulate the quantity of steam or hot air admitted. Some of the
cylinders may or may not be driven ata quicker speed than the others bymeans
of a friction pulley; or the drying apparatus mayconsist of an endless revolving
chain made of metal and leather fixed together passing through a hot air
stove. The stall pulleys which conduct the chain are fixed in moveable
levers, and all the four large pulleys round and upon which the chain revolves
are driven.
Thirdly, the cloth is placed neatly and expeditiously in pressing boardsto

page_text: be hot pressed. This is effected by a machine which draws the cloth back-
wards and forwards, and places it in folds of equal lengths, whilst an attendant
lays a pressing board upon each fold or double fold. The drawing backwards
and forwards is effected by a travelling lever, at the top of which are fixed two
rails or rollers through which the cloth runs. The folds are kept to one size
by means of four blades of metal, which, during each stroke of the travelling
lever, enter and press down upon the cloth near the selvage. By stroke is
here meant the back-and-forward stroke obtained from one revolution of the
crank. The four metal blades may or may not be assisted by two metal bars
lying accross the breadth of the cloth, and which during each stroke of the
travelling lever rise and descend.
Fourthly, the cloth is hot-pressed by means of cast-iron plates, cast with
hollow channels or grooves in the inside, these plates being heated by filling
the hollow channel or channels with superheated steam. The superheated
steam is admitted to these plates by metal pipes working perpendicularly in
stuffing boxes.
Fifthly, the goods are folded by a machine similar to that described under
the third head.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, ROBERT
WILSON, Clerk, of Glasgow, County of Lanark, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Wilson, Her special licence that I, the said Robert
Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Robert Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FINISHING AND FOLDING OF TEXTILE FABRICS," upon

page_text: the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Wilson, my execu-
tors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar mouths next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Wilson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The object of my said Invention is to give to such textile fabrics as are
suitable for wearing apparel a better and more expeditious finish than has
hitherto been obtained. This is to be accomplished by improvements in
several of the processes to which such fabrics are or may be subjected whilst
being finished.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood and
carried into effect, I have hereunto appended three Sheets of explanatory
Drawings, to which I shall refer in the following particular description of my
improvements.
In the first place, one or more circular or rotating brushes and a fan are
connected to machines which cut off the loose fibres on the surface of the
cloth, and which are known as shaving or cropping machines. The object of
the brush or brushes and fan is to raise up the loose fibres from the surface in
order that the spiral knife of the machine may more readily cut them off.
The brush or brushes effect this by gentle friction on the surface and the fan,
side
by either blowing air up through the cloth, or drawing air from its upper
at the part of the machine called the bed of the knife. The circular brushes
are of a convenient diameter, as five or six inches, and are made the same
length as the machines. They are placed between the last rail over which
the cloth passes at the front of the machine and bed of the knife; they
have two motions; a rotatory one in the direction of the length of the cloth,
and a reciprocating motion from one side of the machine to the other side
that is, in the direction of the breadth of the cloth.
Figure 1, Sheet 1, of the Drawings is a plan of one of the circular brushes
as detached from the machine. The rotatory motion is imparted to the
brush A by a belt passing over the small pulley a on the spindle of the brush
and a pulley fixed on the main driving shaft of the machine. The motion

page_text: When the air is
across the breadth of the fabric is effected by a lever a¹, which gives greater
or less throw as may be required by means of an adjustable driving crank,
which crank is fixed on the main driving shaft, and works the lever by a
connecting rod. When two brushes are used in the same machine, each has
a separate lever, and they are driven in opposite directions, so that while the
one set proceeds towards tho right side the other proceeds towards the left
side of the machine. Instead of a brush having a combined rotatory and
reciprocating motion, a simply rotating brush may be used along with a flat
brush made to reciprocate across the breadth of the fabric.
driven up through the cloth from its under side, it is conveyed by a pipo from
the fan to the bottom of the bed of the knife, which has either a slit across
its whole breadth, or is perforated with holes for the passage of the air. The
cloth passing over the bed is subjected to the stream of air from the slit or
holes. When the air is drawn by the fan from the upper side of the cloth
the spiral knife and top of the bed are enclosed by a metal or other covering.
The one side of this covering rests gently on the cloth at a convenient distance
from the bed, as one inch, and it is from this side that the air to feed the fan
is drawn. The other side of the covering is connected to the pipe which
conveys the air to the fan. The two ends of the covering are close to the
spindle of the knife, allowing only room for it to work without contact.
In the second place, one side of the cloth is so slightly stiffened, that the
stiffening fluid does not penetrate to its other side to wet it. This is effected
by starching and drying apparatus of the kind shown in side elevation and
plan in Figures 2 and 3, Sheet 1, of the Drawings. The starching apparatus
comprises a roller B of wood or metal (and either covered or uncovered with
blanket or other material) which is partially immersed, and revolves in a box
C, containing the stiffening fluid. The box has a double copper bottom filled
with steam to keep the stiffening fluid always hot. The starch roller B is
driven by means of a friction plate D and an adjustable driving pulley E.
Immediately in front of the roller B, and in contact with it, is a bar of wood
or metal, or a small roller covered with blanket or other material, which by
pressure regulates the quantity of stiffening fluid which the starching rolleron
its surface conveys to the cloth above. The starching roller may, however, be
worked without the bar or small roller, and it may or may not have a roller
covered with blanket or other material working upon its top.
In another modification of the starching apparatus a circular brush is
mounted above the starch box, the tips of which are fed with the stiffening
fluid by a covered or uncovered roller revolving and partially immersed in the
starch box, or by a blanket or other material partially immersed in it. The

page_text: circular brush is driven by means of a friction plate. After the cloth has been
stiffened by the starching roller or circular brush, it passes between bars or
rollers F, covered with blanket or other material, and then proceeds direct to
the drying apparatus. The drying apparatus consists of metal cylinders G
filled with steam.
In one modification of the machine these cylinders are all of one diameter;
in another the last one is of much larger diameter than the others. This last
one is driven at a little slower speed than the others, and is used as a stentering
cylinder, and is shown in side elevation and plan in Figures 4 and 5, Sheet 2,
of the Drawings. It has two metal straps into which stentering teeth are
inserted. The one strap is drawn tight by screws upon the surface of the
cylinder H, the other is fixed upon a pulley I of the same diameter as the
cylinder H. The pulley I works loose upon the shaft J of the cylinder. The
rim of the pulley is in separate unconnected segments of suitable size as one
foot; the segments are placed upon jointed levers, one of which is shown at K,
and upon each segment is fastened a part of the metal strap with stenter
teeth. The levers K, at the ends upon which the rim of the pulley and metal
strap with steuter teeth are fixed, are pressed outwards by springs to stretch
the cloth, and they may or may not be pressed inwards, whilst passing the
front of the machine to enable the cloth to be more easily entered upon the
teeth. To both cylinder H and pulley 1 large spur wheels h, i, are attached,
in order that both may be driven at a uniform speed, or so that by means of a
pair of eccentric spur pinions or elliptical wheels indicated by red lines at L,
in Figure 4, which are connected to each, the cylinder may alternately go at
a quicker and slower speed than the pulley. When the cylinder for a few
inches goes quickly, the pulley goes slowly, and vice versâ; which motions
have the effect of imparting an "elastic finish" to the fabric. In front of the
cylinder H is a stentering breadthener M, m, m, upon the two outside pulleys,
m, m, of which are fixed straps containing stenter teeth; these two pulleys
instead of turning on bosses P, rigidly fixed to a particular breadth by screws
are kept out to the proper breadth by weighted levers N, or springs connected
to the oblique bosses P. The breadthening strain is increased or diminished
by shifting the weights. Instead of being made to revolve by the cloth along
the pulleys me aro assisted to revolve by a friction pulley 2 working upon the
eye or elongated boss of each. The friction pulleys are pressed upon the
bosses of the stentering pulleys by levers 7, and are driven by belts from a
rotating shaft R beneath. The stentering cylinder may be used without the
breadthener or the cloth after passing over the breadthener may proceed over
the cylinder without being held by its two stenter straps Or instead of the

page_text: large stentering cylinder there may be two endless revolving stentering
chains consisting each of a leather belt, and a metal hoop fixed together
and having stenter teeth upon and projecting from their upper edges.
There are holes at distances of six inches from each other in these chains
to correspond to the teeth which are screwed into the face of the four
driving pulleys, two of which are at each end of the hot stove. The four
pulleys are either driven at a uniform speed or by eccentric spur pinions, each
pair alternately quickly and slowly in the same manner as the straps of the
stentering cylinder. The small pulleys S, which guide the chains from one
driving pulley to the other are carried by jointed levers T, which by weights
keep the chains to the desired breadth, as shown in Figure 6, Sheet 3, of the
Drawings; the small pulleys and the four driving pulleys have a projecting
rim on their under sides upon which the steutering chains rest edgeways.
These small pulleys are placed either in a straight or in a serpentine line.
In the third place, the cloth is placed neatly and expiditiously in pressing
boards to be hot-pressed. This is effected by a machine, which draws the
cloth backwards and forwards, and places it in folds ofequal length, whilstan
attendant lays the pressing boards, one upon each fold or double fold.
This machine is shown in side and end elevation in Figures 7 and 8,
Sheet 3 of the Drawings; Figure 9 being a plan. The drawing backwards
and forwards is effected by a pair of travelling or vibrating levers A, centred
near: the floor and worked by cranks B, and connecting rods b. The
centres of the levers A are in the ends of levers C, the other ends of
which are acted upon by cams D, on a shaft rotating at double the
speed of the cranks B, such cams having the effect of raising the travelling
levers A at particular parts of their stroke for a purpose herein-after
explained. The cloth passes through a number of rails or rollers at one
side, and thence up to and down between a pair of rails or rollers E,
fixed over the centre of the machine. From the stationary rollers E
the cloth passes between a pair of rollers F, mounted across the upper
ends of the travelling levers A, by which levers the cloth is drawn back-
wards and forwards. The folds are in succession kept to one size, and
are retained in place along with the pressing boards inserted by the attendant
by means of four metal blades G,contrived to move horizontally in carriersg,
which latter have a vertical motion. The horizontal motion of each blade is
imparted by a pin projecting up from a horizontal lever H, formed with
inclined projections on the travelling levers A. In moving towards one end
oue projection h acts on one end of the lever H so as to draw the blade G
outwards; at this period the fold of cloth is laid, and the other end of the

page_text: lever H being immediately acted upon, the blade G is pushed in again over
the fresh fold, having been raised sufficiently for this purpose by the action of
a bell-crank lever I, upon the vertical carrier piece g. The bell-crank levers I
are acted upon by projections i on the travelling levers A, and after being
raised the carriers y, with the blades G, are depressed by their own weight, or
by springs, thus securing the fresh fold. On the return inwards of the
travelling levers A they are elevated by the action of the cams D) and levers C
so as to clear the projections and i. To assist the metal blades in keeping
the folds of cloth and the pressing boards in their places, they may or may
not be a cross bar, which descends and presses upon them immediately after
the travelling levers have passed the pair of metal blades at the commence-
ment of their stroke. The cross bar is elevated above the levers as they
approach to lay another fold. To enable the attendant to quickly lay each
pressing board in its place there are or may be guides for the sides of the
boards fixed in the table, against which the pressing boards rest; and in order
that each lift of pressing boards may be casily removed from the machine, one
half of these guides may be lowered to the level of the table, and the metal
blades be withdrawn by levers worked by the foot.
In the fourth place, the cloth is hot-pressed by means of cast-iron plates
cast with a hollow channel or groove in the inside, these plates being heated
by filling the hollow channel or groove with superheated steam. The super-
heated steam is admitted to these plates by metal pipes working vertically in
stuffing boxes, so as to admit of the more or less close packing of the
plates.
In the fifth place, the cloth or fabric is folded by the machine described
under the third head, or by a similar machine, the pressing boards being of
course omitted, and the guides for them dispensed with.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I have to state that
I do not restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated,
and that I do not claim to have invented every separate detail herein described
or delineated; but that what I consider to be novel and original, and claim
as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is generally the finishing and folding of textile fabrics by means of the
improved processes and apparatus herein-before described, and more par-
ticularly,―
First, the raising of the loose fibres of the fabric on its being subjected to
the shaving or cropping operation, substantially in the manner herein-before
described.

page_text: Second, the applying of starch or stiffening matter to the cloth in the
manner and by apparatus, substantially such as is herein-before described.
Third, the combined drying and stentering or breadthening of the cloth,
and with or without "elastic finish," by means of apparatus fitted with the
improvements herein-before described.
Fourth, the folding of the cloth, either with pressing boards or without
them, by means of apparatus fitted with the improved contrivances herein-
before described.
Fifth, the heating of cast-iron hot-pressing plates by means of superheated
steam combined with the connecting of the steam pipes by means of sliding
stuffing-box joints, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Wilson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
5
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT, Patent Agent,
28, St. Enoch Square,
Glasgow.
VILSON. (L.S.)
ROBERT WILSON.