IMPROVEMENTS IN PRE- PARING, BEETLING, OR FINISHING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Ridgway Bridson, of Bolton-le-Moors, in:
the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRE-
PARING, BEETLING, OR FINISHING TEXTILE FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Ridgway Bridson
..at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd November 1855.
I, THOMAS RIDGWAY BRIDSON, of Bolton-le-Moors,. in the County of Lan-
caster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PREPARING, BEETLING, OR FINISHING TEXTILE FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a system or mode of treating or preparing textile
fabrics in such manner as to produce, a beetling or finishing effect entirely by
rotatory action upon the goods. Under one simple modification of the machi-
nery. or apparatus, which is employed for carrying out this system of treating
woven goods, the parts are arranged in the form of a bleacher's mangle, or
calendering machine of three rollers. The horizontal central roller is arranged
to revolve in stationary bearings in the vertical frame of the machine, and the
other two rollers, one above and one. below the central roller, are carried in
moveable bearings, having a free vertical traverse. The three rollers may be
either geared together to work in concert, or they may work entirely by surface
contact. The central roller or cylinder is the main working beetler or finisher,

page_text: whilst the two external rollers are the pressure-resisting rollers. The central
working roller is made with alternated surface and sunk portions over its
entire surface. It is preferred to be cast in metal, with squares or diamonds,
alternately faces and sunk parts, these lines or series of relievo and intaglio
parts being either parallel with the roller's axis in that direction, or slightly
inclined thereto, so as to produce a spiral action in working. The fabric to be
treated is beamed or wound upon one of the external rollers, and in the
process of working it is wound off this roller and passed round one side of
the central roller, being finally wound upon the opposite external roller. The
two external rollers are kept in hard and close contact with the central roller
by weighted levers, or by other convenient means, the object being to cause
the central roller to exert a powerful, squeezing pressure upon the fabric as
wound upon both external rollers. When the machine is put in motion the
fabric is continually wound off one external-roller on to the other, whilst the
folds upon both rollers are undergoing the necessary pressure from the central
roller,, the fabric being passed; and repassed from one, external roller to the
other until the process is complete. The effect of this treatment is, that not
only does the central roller cause a powerful pressure in a line parallel with
the axes of the coils, of beamed fabric, and hence produce a corresponding
bulge of the coils, but the bulge occurs as well at each alternation of the faces
and recesses on the central roller. This alternation may obviously be of finer
or coarser pitch, or the face pieces of larger or smaller extent, as may be
desired in practice, the object being the production of a beetling or finishing
effect by alternating severe pressure with escaping bulges at short intervals
over the entire fabric without having recourse to severe haminering. The
machine, too, may be driven at a very rapid rate without impairing its action or
producing any other serious inconvenience. The central roller surface may
be formed in various ways, still producing alternations of level; projecting
pieces may be inserted in its surface at the proper distances asunder, or, a
rope or other hard' substance may be coiled spirally round the roller with
a similar view; or instead of this coiling, the same or a similar effect may be
produced by forming the spiral out of the solid, roller. It will be obvious to
the practical man that the details of apparatus of this kind may be combined
in various ways, so as to effect by direct rotatory pressure or force what has
hitherto been always done by a broken movement of impact. The effect of
the alternations of face and sunk parts is that of rotatory fallers or hammers
each face part as it comes round in rotating gives its own especial beetling
effect to the goods.
.
J.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
"
by the said Thomas Ridgway" Bridson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
RIDGWAY BRIDSON, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster,. Bleacher,
send greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her. Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year, of Her
reign; did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Ridgway Bridson, Her special license that I; the said Thomas
Ridgway Bridson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Thomas Ridgway Bridson, 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 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PREPARING, BEETLING, OR FINISHING TEXTILE FABRICS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Ridgway Bridson, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 tho
said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Ridgway Bridson, 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...
My said Invention relates to a system or mode of treating or preparing
textile fabrics in such manner as, to produce a beetling or finishing effect
entirely by rotatory action upon the goods. Under one simple modification. of
the machinery or apparatus which is employed for carrying out this system
of treating woven goods, the parts are 'arranged in the form of a bleacher's
mangle, or calendering machine, of three rollers. The horizontal central
roller is arranged to srevolve in stationary bearings in the vertical frame of the
machine, and the other two rollers, one above and one below the central roller,

page_text: are carried in moveable bearings, having a free vertical traverse. The three
rollers may be either geared together to work in concert, or they may work
entirely by surface contact. The central roller or cylinder is the main working
beetler or
finisher, whilst the two external rollers are the pressure-resisting
rollers. The central working roller is made with alternated surface and sunk
portions over its entire surface. It is preferred to be cast in metal, with
squares or diamonds, alternately faces and sunk parts, these lines: or series
of relievo and intaglio parts being either parallel with the roller's axis in
that direction, or slightly inclined thereto, so as to produce a spiral" action
in working. The fabric to be treated is beamed or wound upon one of the
external rollers, and in the process of working it is wound off this roller and
passed round one side of the central roller, being finally wound upon the oppo-
site external roller. The two external rollers are kept in hard and close contact
with the central roller by weighted levers, or by other convenient means, the
object being to cause the central roller to exert a powerful 'squeezing' pressure
upon the fabric as wound upon both external rollers: When the machine is
put in motion the fabric is continually wound off one external roller on to the
other, whilst the folds upon both rollers are undergoing the necessary pressure
from the central roller, the fabric being passed and repassed from one external
roller to the other.until the process is complete. The effect of this treatment
is, that not only does the central roller cause, a powerful pressure in a line
parallel with the axes of the coils of the beamed fabric, and hence produce a
corresponding bulge of the coils, but the bulge occurs as well at each alter-
nation of the faces and recesses on the central roller. This alternation may
obviously be of finer or coarser pitch, or the face pieces of larger or smaller
extent, as may be desired in practice, the object being the production of a
beetling or finishing effect by alternating severe pressure with escaping bulges
at short intervals 'over the entire fabric without having recourse to severe
hammering. The machine, too, may be driven at a very rapid rate without
impairing its action or producing any other serious inconvenience. The central
roller surface may be formed in various ways, still producing alternations of level;
projecting pieces may be inserted in its surface at the proper distances asunder,
or a rope or other, hard substance may be coiled spirally round the roller with
a similar view; or instead of this coiling, the same or 'a similar effect may bė:
produced by forming the spiral out of the solid roller. It will be obvious to.
the practical man that the details of apparatus of this kind may be combined:
in various ways, so as to effect by direct rotatory pressure or force what has:
hitherto been always done by 'a broken movement of impact. The effect: ofi

page_text: the alternations of face and sunk parts is that of rotatory fallers or hammers;
each face part as it comes round in rotating gives its own special beetling
effect to the goods.
4
And. in order. that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed: to describe the. Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
attached, such Figures being explanatory of one mode of carrying out my said
Invention in practice.
..
Figure 1, on the said Sheet of Drawings, is; a front elevation, and Figure 2
is a side elevation, of a beetling machine as constructed according to my im
proved system. In general appearance the, apparatus resembles a calendering
or mangling machine, the framing consisting of two strong parallel cast-
iron side standards A, bolted down or otherwise. fixed to strong, cast-iron
foundation plates B. These side standards are arranged to receive the spindles
of three rollers, C, D, E, which are placed above each other in a vertical line.
The central roller D works in stationary bearings F in the side standards, but
the upper and lower rollers C and E work in vertical slots G and H; one
above and the other below the central bearings F. The upper roller Cris
pressed down upon the central 'roller D by means of the levers I, upon which
weights may be hung, according to the degree of pressure required. These
levers I are forked at their inner ends, where they are jointed by double eyes.
upon pins at J, fixed in the tops of the side standards.A.: Near their inner
ends these, levers I are formed with bearings for the spindles K of a pair of
square blocks, indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2, and tapped to receive the
vertical screw, spindles L. These screw spindles are connected by means of
swivel joints to bearing pieces M; which bear upon the spindles of the upper
roller C, imparting to this roller the depressing action of the weighted, levers I.
The screw spindles are for the purpose of adjusting the connection between the
levers I and the bearing pieces M. The lower roller E is pressed upwards by
means of a similar arrangement of weight levers N, these levers being jointed
upon the framing at O, a point between their weighted extremities and their
opposite ends, where they are connected by means of-the-screw spindles P tö
the bearing pieces Q, which last act upon the spindles of the roller E. The
upper and lower rollers C and E are smooth surface rollers, but the central
roller D is formed with raised and sunk portions on its surface. In this instance
5 the raised portions of this roller surface consist of squares, arranged spirally
round the roller, deeply sunk portions being left between the squares .both
longitudinally and circularly, or circumferentially as regards the roller, the
circular or circumferential arrangement being contrived so that the adjacent

page_text: convolutions: break joint with each other. The woven fabric: to, be..operate
upon is first wound' upon either of the rollers C or E, and is thence passed roun
the central roller D, and wound on the other external roller. It is thien wound
back and forwards in the same manner from one of the rollers Cor:E to the
other, until the beetling action has been carried to a sufficient extent. As
already herein-before described; the form and arrangement of the beetling
surface of the central roller D may be varied in many ways, and it is also
obvious that the arrangement of the rollers may be modified without departing
from the essential feature of the Invention, which consists in passing the fabric
to be operated upon between or through two, or more rollers, the surface of
one or more of which rollers is composed of raised and sunk portions. The
rollers C, D, E, as represented in the Drawings hereunto attached, may be
driven in any convenient manner, either by means of suitable gearing applied
<to any one of their spindles, or by means of gearing driving the whole three
rollers simultaneously.
".
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
lescribe or refer to, as many variations may be made. therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my said Invention; but what
I consider to be-novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the
general arrangement and construction of machinery, apparatus, or means. for
beetling or finishing woven fabrics, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Ridgway Bridson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal; the Twenty-fifth day of April, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-six.
THOS RIDGWAY BRIDSON. (L.S.)