AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY FOR MAKING PAPER
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SWEETAPPLE, of Catteshall Mill, Godalming, in the County of Surrey, Paper
Maker, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her present Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent
under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
bearing date at Westminster, the Sixth day of December now last past,
did give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Sweetapple, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas
Sweetapple, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Sweetapple, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MACHINERY FOR MAKING PAPER;" in which said Letters Patent there
is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Thomas Sweetapple, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, and to cause the same 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 recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Sweetapple, do hereby déclare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained by the following Specification and description thereof, reference at
the same time being had to the annexed Sheet of Drawings, in which said
Drawings the same letters or figures of reference are made to denote the
same things as exhibited in the different Figures marked Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
on the said Sheet of Drawings, that is to say:-
My said Invention is applicable to and may be used in conjunction with
a machine well known to paper makers, and now in very common use
for the purpose of making paper in many parts of the United Kingdom, and
known by the name of Fourdrinier's Patent Paper Machine, and I have
accordingly applied it to and used it in conjunction with a paper machine
of the description just mentioned, and the nature of my said Invention, when
applied and used in the manner herein-after described, is such as to improve
the texture and strength of the paper so made, by causing a greater number
of the fibres of which the paper is formed to be laid lengthwise in a horizontal
direction, or nearly parallel with the plane of the sheet of paper during
the operation of forming the pulp or paper stuff into a sheet of paper, or,
in other words, (well understood by paper makers,) it causes the stuff or
pulp to be well shut, which means that the fibres have been made to deposit
themselves longitudinally in the plane of the sheet of paper, so as to produce
that kind of casual interlacing of fibre with fibre which shall give the
greatest practicable strength to the paper that the quality of the fibres will
admit of. My said Invention is applicable in general to any machine for
making paper in which the paper is formed upon a revolving endless web
of wove wire, and in which that part of the said endless web upon which
the paper is made moves in a horizontal plane, or nearly so. I would here'
observe that as the principle of Fourdrinier's patent paper machine and
the machine itself are so well known to paper makers, I have not delineated
in the annexed Sheet of Drawings more of the said machine than 'such'
parts as became necessary for the purpose of clearly describing the nature
of my said Invention, and the effective application of the same to that or
any other machine for making paper upon the principle herein-before alluded
to. In the annexed Sheet of Drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional or side view'
of certain parts of the herein-before mentioned patent paper machines; and
Fig. 2 is a plan or bird's-eye view of the same, in both of which views, as
also in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, are shewn in different views the several parts
which constitute my said Invention, and which herein-after are described.

page_text: In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, at A, A, A, is represented a portion of the vat in which
the paper stuff or pulp of which the paper is intended to be made is contained,
and B, B, B, represent a spout attached to the front side of the said vat
for the purpose of conveying the pulp from the said vat. C, C, represents
the section of a trough into which the stuff falls from the spout B, from
which trough the pulp flows over a leathern flap, usually called an apron,
on to the endless web of wire upon which the pulp is to be formed into a
sheet of paper.
a, a, a, mark the line in which the lower part of the said
endless web moves after it has passed between the first pair of pressing
rollers, usually called the first or wet press rollers, the
points out the
when the said
direction in which the lower part of the said web moves
machine is in motion and in the act of making paper. D, in Fig. 1, is a
hollow cylinder or roller, usually denominated the breast roller, and in
Fig. 2 its situation is denoted by the dotted lines at b, b, b, b; and c, c, shew
the pivots on which the said roller turns, resting upon two carriages, one
of which is shewn at G, in Fig. 1. It will be well understood by paper
makers, and others conversant with the said patent paper machine, that the
said endless web of wove wire on its return to the breast roller D near the vat
is made to pass round the same and then to move in a contrary direction,
as shewn by the arrow a', over a series of tubular metallic rollers marked
1, 1, 1, 1, &c., 2, 2, 2, 2, &c., as shewn in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, until it arrives
at the first pair of pressing rollers, where it passes round the lower one,
and is pressed upon by the upper one, so that by the revolution of the said
first pair of pressing rollers the said endless web is kept in motion. H, H,
shew the deckles and H', H', the deckle straps. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, arc
pullies, and 7 a roller over which the deckle straps pass. In each of the
said machines there are two deckles, and a deckle strap to each, but only
one deckle and one deckle strap is shewn in the Drawing, but as both the
deckles and the deckle straps are employed in each of the said paper machines
herein-before mentioned, and for a purpose well understood, it is not necessary
for me here to give a more particular description of them. J, J, J, J, in
Fig. 2, represent two bars of iron, usually called ruler bars, one on each
side of the said endless web of wire, at a little distance from and parallel
with the edges of the said web. In the present state. of the said paper
machine the rollers 1, 1, 1, &c. and 2, 2, 2, &c., are supported and turn upon
pivots at each end thereof, resting in appropriate notches made in the
upper edges of two iron bars extending from the roller at K to the roller
at L; these last-mentioned bars are usually called the rack bars, and the
said rack bars are firmly attached to the said ruler bars J, J, by suitable

page_text: carriages; the rollers 2, 2, 2, &c. in Figs. 1 and 2 are shewn as resting
upon similar but shorter rack bars, as are shewn at M in Fig. 1 and at M, M;.
in Fig. 2. I may here remark that the Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are all drawn
to a scale of three inches equal to one foot, with the exception of Fig. 2,
wherein the vat A, the spout B, the trough C, and the whole of the tubular
rollers are shewn as broken asunder in the middle, and the width alone
of the machine, as there represented, made to differ from the scale; and
I may also here remark that the said paper machines are made of different
widths, at the choice of the paper maker, varying the width of the paper
to be made thereby generally from about three feet six inches to six feet or
upwards.
Having thus far described those parts of Fourdrinier's patent paper
machines as will render the application of my said Invention thereto
sufficiently intelligible, I will now proceed to describe the apparatus con-
stituting my Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be employed.
In the application of my said Invention to the aforesaid patent paper machine
I make use of an apparatus consisting of one or more troughs of a rectangular
shape, made of copper, brass, or other fit material, but I prefer copper; two
of such troughs are delineated in Fig. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 3 is a vertical
section of the said troughs as taken through the dotted line N, O, in the plan,
Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken vertically through one of the
said troughs; in each of the said troughs I place a number of tubular roliers
similar to those now used in the aforesaid patent paper machine and for the
same purpose, namely, that of supporting the upper part of the aforesaid
endless web in a uniform horizontal plane or nearly so; and I make the
length of each of the said troughs to be equal to the width of the endless web
of wire, which may happen to be used in any particular machine to which my
.said Invention is intended to be applied; but in Fig. 4 one of the said troughs
is shewn to be of the length of sixty-three and a half inches, and in Fig. 3
the width of cach of the said troughs shown therein is about thirteen
inches; but as any one or more of the said troughs may be used, such trough
or troughs may be made of any convenient width, provided that width be
appropriately determined for the reception of a certain number of tubular
rollers, so as that the distance between the last roller in the first trough and
the first roller in the second trough, as shewn at R and S respectively, in Fig 3,
be equal or nearly so to that between all the other of the said rollers
marked 1, 1, &c., when the said two troughs are placed side by side and
close to each other, as shewn in the said Figs. 1, 2, and 3; one of the aforesaid
tubular rollers is shewn at d, e, Fig. 4; with the pivot at each end thereof

page_text: resting upon the rack bars, as shewn by f, f, one of the said rack bars f, f,
being fixed by screws or otherwise to each end of each of the said troughs.
In Fig. 1 two of the said rack bars are also shewn by dotted lines at f, f.
The depth of the said troughs I make about two and a half inches, as is
shewn in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. To each end of each of the said troughs I affix
two brass carriages, two of which are shewn at g, g, in Fig. 4, and four
of the said carriages are shewn at 9, 9, and 9, 9, in Fig 1. By means
of the said carriages g, g, I append the said troughs to the aforesaid ruler
bars J, J, by means of the screw pins T, T, two of which are shewn in Fig. 4,
and which are made to pass through appropriate holes in the ruler bars J, J,
and also through appropriate holes in the said carriages g, g. h, i, and h, i,
are two screw nuts upon the lower end of each of the said screw pins T, T,
for the purpose of holding the said troughs in their proper place; the nuts h, h,
are in the first instance used for adjusting the top of the said troughs and
the top of the said tubular rollers to the proper height for supporting the
aforesaid web, and I cause all the upper edges of the said troughs and the
upper sides of all the said tubular rollers placed in each of the said troughs
to lie in the same plane, or as nearly so as is practicable, and when these
are properly adjusted, and in order to prevent the screw nuts h, h, from
becoming loose by the working of the machine, I apply the additional screw
nuts i, i, upon all the said screw pins T, T, &c., causing the lower screw
nut i to be firmly tightened against the nut h on each of the said screw pins.
Through the bottom of each of the said troughs and near one end thereof I
make a rectangular hole or aperture of about three inches by two inches, less
or more, and below each of the said apertures I place a slide valve, by which
the said apertures may be closed or opened at pleasure; a portion of one end
of one of the said troughs is shewn by the section Fig. 5; the said hole is
represented at k; the slide valve at ; and m is a screw which I employ for
moving the said slide valve; n, the handle by which the said screw is turned;
and o, o, represent a brass carriage through which the said screw passes and turns
in, the said screw being held in its place by means of the collar p fixed thercon.
The situation of each of the said slide valves is also shewn at l, l, in Fig. 3, and by
the dotted lines at l, l, in Fig. 2. The said slide valves are introduced for the pur-
pose of emptying the said troughs when the said machine ceases to be at work,
and for the purpose of getting rid of any sand or other matter that may have
been deposited therein during the working of the machine. It will be seen by
the Drawings that when the said troughs are applied to one of the said paper
machines that the sides of each are placed parallel to the axis of the said

page_text: breast roller D and at right angles with the line of direction in which the
said web of wire moves. I have herein-before mentioned that the pulp flows
from the trough C, C, over a leathern flap or apron on to the revolving web
of wire; one edge of this leathern flap or apron is usually fastened to. the
edge of the said trough C, C, by small tacks at r, and the said leathern flap
is made to extend from the edge of the said trough as far as the first of the
said tubular rollers marked 1, the said leathern flap acting as a valve to
prevent any water passing through the said web of wove wire between the
edge of the said trough C and the said roller. It is therefore necessary that
the edge of the said leather apron should extend beyond or a part of the said
apron be made to overlap that side of the said trough (which in Fig. 1 is
marked First Trough) which is nearest to the said vat. When the said troughs,
which in the section Fig. 3 are marked First Trough and Second Trough, are
placed in their proper position, as shewn in Fig. 1, and the machine ready
to begin making paper, the machine is put into motion, and the pulp or stuff
is then allowed to flow from the vat on to the endless web, which is also in
motion. And I should here state that previously to putting the said machine
to work, the herein-before mentioned sliding valve in each of the said troughs
is closed, so as to admit of but little or no, water to escape from the bottom
of the said troughs; consequently, as soon as the stream of pulp arrives at and
continues to flow upon the said web of wire the said troughs soon become
filled with water, which falls through the said web, leaving the fibres (yet in
a pulpy state) spread out in a thin layer upon the surface of the said web.
Now, as the said web is borne up by the aforesaid tubular rollers contained in
the said troughs, and as it also completely covers the said troughs, it is evident
that when once the said troughs become filled that the upper surface of the
water will be in contact with the said web, and that then no water (or at any
rate very little) can be drained off from the pulp through the said web during
its passage over the said troughs,, and that the whole of the pulp which has
flowed from the said vat on to the said web will, whilst passing over the said
troughs, remain very nearly in the same state of fluidity'; I say very nearly,
for when the operation is going on, as herein-before described, a small portion
of the water may and does escape over the edges of the said troughs,
consequently the fibres of the pulp are by the introduction of my said
Invention allowed to remain for a certain time afloat in the water and to
subside gradually, whereby a better arrangement or interlacing of fibre with
'fibre is effected than can be attained by allowing the water to escape from
the fibres immediately the pulp. falls upon the web from the edge of the

page_text: herein-before mentioned leather flap or apron, as has heretofore been done by
paper makers who have made use of the herein-before mentioned patent paper
machines. I may here mention, that although I have herein-before stated
the width of each of the said troughs to be thirteen inches, and have shewn
by 'the said Drawings in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, that each of the said troughs
contains eight of the said tubular rollers, yet the width of the said troughs may
be so varied as to allow of a greater or lesser number of the said tubular
rollers being placed in each of the said troughs at pleasure. I may also
imention that in cases when the paper to be inade is intended to be very thin,
and the pulp or stuff to be used for that purpose be fine and long, or such
as is usually termied (by paper makers) wet stuff, it will be found that if the
first trough alone be kept full of water it will be sufficient to produce the
desired effect, and the sliding valve in the second trough may then be left
open so as to allow the water falling into the same to run off. But in other
cases, when the paper to be made is intended to be thick, and the fibres of the
pulp to be used are short and coarse, and the pulp or stuff' be of that kind
called fast stuff, then it will be found advantageous to close the valve of
the second trough, so as that both of the said troughs may remain full of
water.
Having herein-before fully described the nature of my said Invention, the
manner in which I make and apply the same to the said paper machines, and
also the effect produced thereby, I further declare that although in the
aforesaid description of my said Invention I have said that I make use of a
copper trough or troughs, of metallic tubular rollers, and other things in
combination therewith, neither the said trough or troughs, nor the said tubular
rollers, nor any other of the things in their individual characters, and therein
mentioned, form any part of my said Invention; and that as the said troughs,
tubular rollers, and other things combined therewith may be made of any
suitable material, I also declare that I have described the same as having
been made of such materials respectively as in my judgment are preferable.
And lastly, I declare that my said Invention consists in the application and
use of an apparatus such as that herein-before described to and with a
machine for making paper similar in principle to Fourdrinier's patent paper
machine, as is also herein-before stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Sweetapple, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
THOMAS (L.S.) SWEETAPPLE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Seventeenth day of
May, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Thomas Sweetapple came
before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the .Spe-
cification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above.
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.