CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF LOOPED AND WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1847

page_text: CLARKE & BARBER'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, URIAH
CLARKE, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Dyer, and HARBY BARBER,
of the same place, Fuller and Dresser, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighth day of February,
(One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the tenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant us, the said
Uriah Clarke and Harby Barber, our exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said Uriah
Clarke and Harby Barber, our exors, admors, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said Uriah Clarke and Harby Barber, our exors, adñors, 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, in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF LOOPED AND WOVEN FABRICS;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that we, the said Uriah Clarke and Harby Barber, or

page_text: one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said In-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of
us, 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 in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Uriah Clarke and Harby Barber, hereby declare that the naturo of our said
improvements, and in what manner the same are to be performed, are fully
described in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed (that is to say) :-
Our said improvements have reference,―
Firstly, to the method of dressing and getting up stockings and other
hosiery goods now in ordinary use, according to which method the goods
after being dried are placed between rigid press papers or millboards, and
submitted for a time to pressure; and our Invention in so far as it relates
to the said method, consists in substituting for the said rigid press papers
or millboards, yielding or elastic pressers composed of caoutchouc or of
gutta percha, in one or other of the states of preparation or combination
herein-after specified, which yield readily without any cracking of surface, to
whatever inequalities of thickness there may be in the goods subjected to
pressure, and impart to them therefore a more uniform gloss and finish than
paper or millboard, or any other like rigid substance is capable of doing.
We make these improved pressers either of caoutchouc which has been
previously sulphurized, and is commonly known by the name of "vulcanized
caoutchouc," or of gutta percha which has been sulphurized or vulcanized in
a similar manner to caoutchouc, or of ordinary caoutchouc coated with a
solution of gutta percha, or of gutta percha which has by continuous kneading
or by the intermixture of other substances, such as caoutchouc or French
chalk, been brought to a state of elasticity, or of thin sheets of caoutchouc
or gutta percha in any of the said states of preparation or combination
cemented to backings of woollen or cotton cloth or felt or some other like
soft material; or finally of woollen or cotton or any other textile fabric coated
on one or both sides with a solution of gutta percha, or first with a solution
of caoutchouc and then with a solution of gutta percha. The materials so
prepared or combined are either fitted to revolving cylinders or formed into
cushions filled with air, and the goods passed between them under pressure,
or to flat tables, boards, or plates to which vertical pressure is applied. The

page_text: goods may be pressed either with or without shapes or forms being introduced
into them. The pressers moreover may be either used in a cold state, or have
any requisite degree of heat imparted to them by making the cylinders or
tables or boards or plates to which they are fitted hollow, in order that .steam
dr hot water may be admitted inside to effect the required heating; but
where they are required to be of a temperature exceeding blood heat, those
pressers only should be employed which are formed of sulphurized caoutchouc
or sulphurized gutta percha as aforesaid.
And in regard to this head of our Invention, we declare that we make no
claim to the employment for the purpose aforesaid of air cushions formed of
unsulphurized caoutchouc; but that what we claim is the employment of
pressets composed of caoutchouc or gutta percha, in any of the peculiar
states of preparation or combination aforesaid, for pressing between them or
against them, of hoisery and other looped fabrics, however the same may be
mounted, fixed, or otherwise adapted to the purpose, and whether heated or not.
heated, and whatever may be the made in which the pressure is exerted.
Secondly, our Invention has reference to the class of goods known as
"black hoisery," and consists in oiling them after drying, by means of
machinery of the description represented in Figures 1 and 2 of the Draw-
ings hereunto annexed. A, A, are two rollers which are mounted in.
suitable bearings, and made to revolve by bands, carried from a steam engine
or any other convenient first mover. These-rollers are made of wood covered
with some elastic material, which will not absorb oil or be injuriously affected
by it, or with some elastic material which is an absorbent of oil or affected
by it, but is protected by a non-absorbent outer covering. We prefer using
for the purpose of covering such rollers, gutta percha sheeting or sul-
phurized caoutchouc. Common caoutchouc sheeting may be used for an
under covering, with an external envelope of stout calico, or cotton; or an
under covering may be employed of cotton or woollen cloth, protected by
an external covering of gutta percha or sulphurized caoutchouc. B', B²,
are two oiling rollers, which are made to revolve by frictional contact with
the rollers A, A. C. C, are funnel-shaped reservoirs for containing oil,
each of which communicates at bottom with a pipo D, which is perforated on
its under surface with numerous holes, which open into a linen, cotton, or
woollen bag E, suspended from the pipe, which bag is filled, or nearly so,
with sawdust or any other material which will readily absorb and retain
the oil which drops from the pipe. The bags E rest upon the oiling rollers
B, B, and keep them always piled to a degree suflicient to enable them

page_text: to impart a slight oiling to the surface of the larger rollers A', A. The
goods are passed between these large rollers, and thus oiled at once on both
sides. When the goods require or would be improved by brushing as well
as oiling, as is the case with black cotton hoisery, we place two brushing
cylinders in such a position behind the rollers (as indicated by the dotted
line Figure 5, F.) that the goods as they emerge from between the rollers,
shall pass next between and in contact with the brushing cylinders.
And in regard to this head of our Invention, we declare that what wo
claim as of our Invention is the oiling of black hoisery goods, by means of
rollers covered with some elastic material which will not absorb or be
injuriously affected by oil, or which, if it be an absorbent of oil or liable to
be affected by it, is protected by a non-absorbent outer covering, as before
exemplified and described.
And, thirdly, our Invention has relation to the pressing and finishing of
woven fabrics generally, and consists in employing for the purpose a machine
of the description represented in Figures 3, 4, and 5 of the Drawings annexed,
Figure 8 being a right-hand side elevation of the machine, Figure 4 a left-
hand side elevation, and Figure 5 a top plan. G, G, represent the framework.
H', H, H, are three rollers, fixed as regards one another in the triangular
position shewn. K is a large roller, which is placed between the two upper-
most of the rollers H', H, H. In the Drawing this roller (K) is represented
as being about half of the diameter of the rollers H lower down, but it be
may
placed either higher or lower, according as it is desired to make the goods
impinge against the roller (as afterwards explained) through a smaller or
larger portion of its periphery. L, L, is an endless web without seam, which
passes from the undermost roller H' over the top of H', then under K, and
thence over H, and is kept from swerving or twisting by two or more guide
pieces Q, Q, on each side (a pair of which are shewn separately on an enlarged
scale in Figure 6), which catch against two raised hems formed by turning
over the edges of the cloth and stitching a cord between the doubled parts.
The bolts a, a, which secure the bearings b, b, of the axles of the rollers H, H,
in their places are passed through horizontal slots c, c, in the framework,
which allows of these bearings, and consequently of the rollers being brought
more or less close to the centre roller K, according to the thickness of the
goods which are to be pressed. When the roller (K) is to be used warm it is
heated by steam introduced through the axle (the same being made hollow for
the purpose) and connected by a stuffing box (y) and pipe 7 to a steam
boiler, or by iron heaters insorted through openings in the ends of the roller.

page_text: N is a pulley on the right-hand end of the axis of the centre roller K, which
is connected in the usual way to a steam engine or other first mover. O is a
pinion on the left-hand end of the.axis of K, which gears into, and gives motion
to two toothed wheels P, P, which are respectively attached to the left-hand
ends of the rollers H and H. The numbers of the pinion and wheel are
nearly as 1 to 64, so that the rates of speed at which they respectively revolve
may vary in these proportions and a corresponding degree of friction be pro-
duced between the centre roller (K) and the goods.. (These numbers may be
varied according as either more or less friction is required.) R' is a cloth
beam, from which the goods to be pressed are delivered to the machine.
From R' they pass atop of the endless web Lover the roller H, then under K,
next over H, from which last they are carried under and (partly) around a
roller S (kept cold by being filled with cold water or some refrigerating mix-
ture, or by causing a stream of water or cold air to be directed through it), and
then finally wound on a receiving roller R. W is a band which connects the
cloth beam R¹ and the roller R. In passing over H' the goods are brought
in-contact with a brushing cylinder T, mounted immediately over it, which is
driven by a belt on the pulleys L', I'; but this brushing cylinder may be
removed when not required for particular sorts of goods. V is a lever attached
to the end of the axis of the roller H' (which axis is inserted in slotted
bearings to admit of its being lowered to any extent required) by attaching
weights more or less, to the end of which lever a corresponding degree of
depression of the roller and increase of tension in the endless web will bo
produced. The receiving roller R' instead of being attached to the machine
as shewn, may, if preferred,.be placed at some distance from it.
And in regard to this branch of our Invention, we declare that we make no
claim to the mere employment of revolving rollers for the pressing of woven
fabrics; but that what we claim is, the employment for the said purpose of
rollers, combined with an endless web, one of which rollers revolves at a
different rate of speed from the others, so as to produce a frictional contact
between such roller and the goods, as before exemplified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Uriah Clarke, on behalf of myself and
the said Harby Barber, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and forty-seven.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of August, in
the year of our Lord 1847, the aforesaid Uriah Clarke came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.