Year: 1885

page_text: I JOSEPH EMANUEL VALENTINE of 50 Bishopsgate Street Without, London,
Merchant Tailor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is, máinly, to so construct or arrange a cylinder or
drum with perforations or meshes and to put it. in. connection with a steam boiler
of pyramidial or equivalent shape heated by gas or other flame so that the steam
generated in the boiler may pass into the cylinder and issue through the perfora-
tions or meshes and act upon the cloth or fabric wrapped. round the cylinder in
order to damp and shrink the same to any desired extent and according to the
quality or texture of the cloth or fabric requiring such treatment.
The apparatus is portable and is chiefly intended for Tailors to enable them to
damp and shrink their cloth upon their own premises instead of sending it out for
that purpose as is now carried on.
For the purpose of my invention I construct or arrange a perforated or meshed
cylinder or drum with one end closed but carrying a trunnion or axle and also a
sliding screen which can be moved along to cover more or less of the perforations
of the cylinder, said screen or sleeve having a broadish collar serving as one end of
the drum upon which cloth or other fabric to be shrunk or damped is rolled or
wrapped. The other end of the cylinder has also a broad collar to correspond to
that first named, but fixed, and this end of the cylinder has a pipe connection
which also acts as an axle for supporting the cylinder in conjunction with the
other axle upon tressels or bearings to facilitate its being turned to roll the cloth
or fabric upon it. This pipe is provided with a socket or flange for easy connection
to a steam pipe leading from any convenient source but preferably from a cone
shaped or pyramidial boiler under which a gas or other burner can be arranged for
heating the water therein.
The water employed is preferably filtered water or water free from chemicals or
animalcula it being essential that the water be as pure as possible so that the steam
arising therefrom shall be clean so as not to injure the most delicate texture or
colour of the fabric that may be placed upon the drum for being damped or
shrunk.
·
The steam permeates through any number of plys or wraps of the material.and
it not only makes cloth pliable but removes gloss and other imperfections; the
material thus treated being ready for immediate use, for cutting. etc.

page_text: Generally.
I, JOSEPH EMANUEL VALENTINE, 50 Bishopsgate Street Without, London,
Merchant Tailor, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVED
MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR SHRINKING CLOTH AND FABRICS GENERALLY, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following.statement:
:-
The object of this Invention is mainly to so construct or arrange a cylinder or
drum with perforations or meshes and to put it in connection with a steam boiler
of pyramidial or equivalent shape heated by gas or other flame so that the steam
generated in the boiler may pass into the cylinder and issue through the perfora-
tions or meshes and act upon the cloth or fabric wrapped round the cylinder in
order to damp and shrink the same to any desired extent and according to the
quality or texture of the cloth or fabric requiring such treatment.
One of the most important features of my Invention is that the apparatus is
portable, and is intended for the use of Manufacturers Woollen Merchants, Master
Tailors &c, to enable them to damp and shrink their own cloth.
For the purpose of my Invention I construct or arrange a perforated or meshed
cylinder or drumn Fig. 1, with one end closed A but carrying a trunnion or axle B
and also sliding screens each with collar or band C which can be moved along to
cover more or less of the perforations of the cylinder and also to regulate the
different widths of cloth &c. The collars or bands C are fixed and serve to keep
the cloth or other fabric level and to avoid a waste of steam at the ends of the
cloth or other fabric. On the slides are placed small hooks, c¹, to catch the ends of
the cloth &c, for easy rolling. D is a pipe connection which also acts as an axle for
supporting the cylinder in conjunction with the other axle marked B, upon tressels
or bearings to facilitate the rolling of the drum or cylinder with the cloth or fabric
upon it. This pipe D is provided with a socket or flange L for easy connection and
forming a steam pipe leading from any convenient source but preferably from a
cone shaped or pyramidial boiler Fig. 3 under which a gas or other burner E can
be arranged for heating the. water therein. I find by experience that the pyramidial
shaped boiler Fig. 3 is necessary to allow the steam to enter more rapidly and
readily into the connecting steam pipe Fig. 2. The depth F of the boiler is so
arranged to give us a quick supply of steam with as little quantity of water
possible.
On the side of the boiler is attached a small tap or cock G for the purpose of
testing (by turning the tap on) the quantity as well as the purity of the water
then in the boiler. This tap G enables me to empty the boiler at will. As a matter
of course the water placed in the boiler through the inlet H which closes by means
of a screw should be clean to produce clean steam so as not to injure in any way
the most delicate texture of the cloth or fabric that may be placed on the drum or
cylinder (Fig. 1) for being damped and shrunk. Two small waste pipes M, placed
one at each end of the cylinder, allow the water that accumulates in the unper-
forated ends of the cylinder to escape so as to prevent the said water from
approaching the cloth and thereby saturating the ends.

page_text: The cylinder "Fig. 1" can be worked or rolled either by hand or by means of a
handle marked P.
I make the unperforated end Q of cylinder somewhat wider than the opposite
end R as the steam rushing from the boiler Fig. 3 accumulates more at the end
than at the R end.
Fig. 4 is the machine or apparatus as it stands ready for use.
When large quantities or pieces of cloth are required to be shrunk I use a double
drum of the same construction Fig. 5 connected by a double steam pipe S. One
boiler feeding the two cylinders, two sliding screens being required for each cylinder.
By using the double drum the process of shrinking is accelerated or in other words,
half of the cloth is shrunk by one drum, the other half by the other drum.
Fig. 2, the steam pipe is joined to Fig. 3 by means of the screw K. permanently
placed on the pipe and which when turned joins the said pipe to Fig. 3.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The invention of the most economical convenient and perfect system of
shrinking and damping ever devised inasmuch as the present cost of shrinking per
yard is from 1 to 1, by this machine 20 yards can be shrunk at a cost of 1d.
(for gas).
2. The invention of a machine which will obliterate all obnoxious ingredients,
such as what is termed "dress" in the cloth and also avoid gloss.
3. The invention of a shrinking machine superior in all respects to others
inasmuch as it is portable, safe and can be produced at a small cost.
Dated this 25th day of January 1886