IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Roberton and Alexander Robertou,
both Stuff Finishers, of Bradford, in the County of York, for the
.
Sealed the 20th October 1853, and dated the 10th May 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Roberton
and Alexander Roberton at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 10th May 1853.
We, GEORGE ROBERTON and ALEXANDER ROBERTON, both Stuff
Finishers, of Bradford, in the County of York, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
DRYING AND FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS" to be as follows:-
The improvements apply to that class of woven fabrics (such as
alpacca, worsted, silk, and combinations thereof with cotton and other
fabrics) which are woven of such width that for the finishing process
they are usually what is called "rigged," that is, doubled list to list; the
finishing thereof is theu obtained by placing sheets of paper board,.
prepared for the purpose, between separate folds of the fabric, and the
application of pressure and heat, called "pressing."

page_text: the apparatus.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Roberton and Alexander Roberton in the
Great Seal Patent Office, on the 10th November 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
GEORGE ROBERTON and ALEXANDER ROBERTON, both Stuff Finishers, of
Bradford, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said George Roberton and Alexander
Roberton, Her special licence that we, the said George Robertson
and Alexander Roberton, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said George Roberton and Alexander
Roberton, our 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

page_text: of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND FINISH-
ING WOVEN FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said George Roberton and Alexander Roberton, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of
one of us, 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 months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Roberton and Alex-
ander Roberton, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say:
The improvements apply to that class of woven fabrics (such as
alpaca, worsted, silk, and combinations thereof with cotton and other
fabrics) which are woven of widths that generally require for the
finishing process that they should be what is called "rigged," that is,
doubled list to list; the finishing thereof, when so " rigged," being
obtained by placing sheets of paper board between separate folds of the
fabric, with the application of pressure and heat, called " pressing."
And the improvements consist in passing the fabric, when " "rigged,"
partly around each of a series of cylinders, by which a finishing effect is
obtained, such as that produced by the paper boards under the old
process, but more efficiently. The cylinders in this case are not
weighted or otherwise caused to press against each other so as to nip
the fabric as it passes between them.
The diagram, Figure 1, shows the system of cylinders which we
prefer to use. The fabric is conducted in, the direction indicated by
the red lines, first, over the cylinder a, then under the cylinder b, over
the cylinder c, and so on under and over the successive cylinders d, e, f, g,
and h, and then it passes out by the rollers i, j, to the roller i*; and we
prefer that the series of cylinders be simply noved by the friction or
drag of the fabric passing over their surface when drawn through by

page_text: the drawing-off rollers i, i, j, but the series of cylinders may have
motion given to them to carry the fabric through.
The cylinders may be heated by steam passing through their hollow
axes, as is well understood; and if the fabric to be treated is wet from
dyeing, the drying thereof is at the same time effected by heat applied
to any or all of the series of cylinders.
In connection with apparatus arranged for working, as above ex-
plained, we apply a steam pipe k, perforated to emit jets of steam against
the fabric as it passes out of the apparatus.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, we would
have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the particular
arrangement of apparatus indicated, so long as the peculiar character
of the Invention be retained. But what we claim is, the drying and
finishing woven fabrics of the character referred to, by subjecting them,
when "rigged" or folded; to the action of apparatus such as explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Roberton and Alexander
Roberton, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighth
day of November, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
THOMAS WILLANS.
JOHN SWIFT.
RUBERIUN. (L.S.)
ALEXANDER ROBERTON. (L.S.)