IMPROVE- MENTS IN FINISHING WOOLLEN, WORSTED, AND OTHER FABRICS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN."
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Dyson Taylor and John William Taylor, both
of Huddersfield, in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FINISHING WOOLLEN, WORSTED, AND OTHER FABRICS, AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Dyson Taylor and
John William Taylor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 12th March 1863.
We, HENRY DYSON TAYLOR and JOHN WILLIAM TAYLOR, both of Hudders
field, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FINISHING WOOLLEN, WORSTED, AND OTHER FABRICS, AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN," to be as follows, that is to
say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in finishing woollen, worsted,
and other fabrics, and in machinery or apparatus to be used therein.
The improvement in the finishing operation consists in causing the surfaces
to be dressed or finished to pass over, under, or between a pumice-stone dresser
or dressers.
The machinery by which the said improvement is effected consists of a
board frame or frames, upon or in which suitably cut or prepared blocks of

page_text: pumice-stone are mounted or fitted; these dressers, as the fabric in contact
therewith passes slowly over, under, or between them, have a rapid reciprocatory
motion, which motion is communicated to the dressing or finishing frames by
a crank, cranks, or other mechanism suitable for the purpose. The dressing
or finishing frames thus formed may be mounted upon a suitable drum or
cylinder, to which a rapid rotary or reciprocatory motion is to be given, while
the fabric in contact with the pumice-stone surfaces of the dressers on the
periphery passes slowly over the same, backwards or forwards, or in both
directions, propelled by rollers or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Dyson Taylor and John William Taylor, in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 12th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
DYSON TAYLOR and JOHN WILLIAM TAYLOR, both of Huddersfield, in the County
of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Henry Dyson Taylor and John William Taylor, Her special licence
that we, the said Henry Dyson Taylor and John William Taylor, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry Dyson
Taylor and John William Taylor, 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 of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FINISHING WOOLLEN, WORSTED, AND OTHER FABRICS, AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Henry Dyson Taylor and John William Taylor,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or
their, or one of their hands and seals, 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.

page_text: KNOW NOW YE, that we, the said Henry Dyson Taylor and John William
Taylor, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to improvements in finishing the surface or surfaces
of woollen, worsted, or other fabrics, and consists, first, in the improved
process herein-after described, which we denominate the pumex process.
And, secondly, in the machinery or apparatus for effecting the same, and
which we denominate the pumex machines.
The improved process or finishing operation consists in causing the surface
or surfaces of fabrics requiring to be dressed to pass in contact slowly over,
under, or between a flat, convex, cylindrical, or other dresser or dressers, while
the latter are in rapid motion, so that the surface of the fabric is thereby
subjected to a peculiar operation, the effect of which is to raise the pile or
staple in the first instance, then to reduce it by rubbing till the required finish
is obtained, and finally, to beat or cleanse the fabric from the pumex dust and
other impurities.
The object of this improvement is to produce such a finish upon the surface
of the fabric as shall render it immaterial in what way the same shall be cut
and put together in the manufacture of any article therefrom; the pile or nap
of the woollen, worsted, or other goods, instead of being raised and dressed (in
the usual way) so as to lay in an inclined direction upon the surface of the
piece, is raised and reduced so as to form a short and even nap standing vertically
on the surface of the fabric.
The machinery or apparatus which constitutes the second part of our said
Invention, and by which we propose to effect the aforesaid finishing operation,
consists of a dresser or dressers, having pile raising plates, rubbers, and beaters
or cleansers, formed as herein-after described, actuated by any mechanism
suitable for the purpose, and the whole mounted in a proper frame fitted with
feed and take-off rollers, by which the fabric is propelled. The surface of the
dressers may be either flat, convex, segmental, or cylindrical, and they may
be formed and mounted singly or in series. When flat, convex, or segmental,
we give them a rapid, direct, or radial reciprocatory motion, and when
cylindrical we place the cylinders side by side and give them a rapid rotary
motion, and cause each cylinder to rotate in a direction opposite to that of the
one adjoining.
In constructing these dressers we first make a sole board or frame of the
required form and length (the length being determined by the width of the
fabric to be dressed). Upon these sole boards or frames we fix blocks of

page_text: pumex-stone prepared or cut to the required form of surface, and parallel with
these blocks or segments, we fix vertical or radiating edge plates of steel or
other suitable material; these plates are adjustable by set screws, so that the
projection above or beyond the surface of the rubbers can be adjusted as
required to the wear of the blocks, and, when necessary, raised to such a height
above the pumex as to carry the fabric clear of the same altogether, and thus
to cause the dresser to operate as a pile raiser only, or to act as a beater only,
as circumstances may require. The first or front plate raises the pile before
it comes in contact with the rubber, and the second or after plate acts as a
beater for cleansing the fabric by removing the pumex dust or other impurity
therefrom. The pile raisers, rubbers, and beaters, may be formed and actuated
separately if desired, and a brush or vulcanized india-rubber be used instead of
the steel plate before mentioned for the cleansing operation. The flat or
segmental dressers, constructed as above described, are mounted upon levers
which are caused to vibrate in a suitable frame by the action of cranks and
connecting rods or other mechanism, or the cylinders are substituted and
caused to rotate rapidly in opposite or counter directions to each other by
gearing wheels, pullies, and bands, or any other suitable propelling media.
In operating the machine, it is necessary that the fabric which passes slowly.
over the dressers should be slightly stretched or tightened across or over the
same, and for this purpose the feed and take-off rollers are placed below the
line of the surface of the dressers, or above the same when the fabric is passed
under them. One end of the fabric is first passed over the dressers, where it
is joined by sewing, or is otherwise temperally fastened to the other end of
the piece, so as to form an endless belt, and in this condition the fabric is
passed through the machine two or three times, or as often as is necessary to
produce the required degree of finish upon the surface or surfaces of the entire
The accompanying Drawing is intended to illustrate the manner of performing
the improved finish and the mode of placing the fabric and dresser. The form
and order of arrangement, as well as the mode of actuating the latter, however,
may be varied as circumstances may require. The fabric is supposed to be
shewn by the dotted lines, and passes through the machine in the direction
shewn by the arrows.
a, a, the main framing; b, the scragg or dished rack upon which the
fabric to be dressed is first placed; c, c, spreading rails over and under which
the fabric passes before coming in contact with the feed rollers; d, the feed.

page_text: roller which runs loosely and depresses the fabric by which it is propelled ;
e, the dresser; e¹, the pile raising plate; e, the pumex blocks or rubbers;
es, the beater plate, brush, or vulcanized india-rubber; e, reciprocating levers
driven by the cranks and connections i, i; f, the take-off roller, which also
runs loose and depresses or tightens the fabric across the dressers; g, the
propelling roller, which is covered with flannel, cloth, or any other suitable
covering, for causing it to have a better hold on the fabric; this roller receives
its motion from a small wheel on the crank shaft i, driven by the pullies h.
From this propelling roller the fabric passes round the roller g' and over the
rollers and g³, from which it again falls into the scragg, and again passes
through the machine until the required finish is obtained by the operation
being repeated.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature and object of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the said improvements may be carried
into effect in practice, we hereby further declare that we do not absolutely
restrict ourselves to the precise modes of forming and applying the dressers
herein described or illustrated upon the Drawing; but what we do claim is,
the use of dressers thus or similarly formed for producing the finish herein
specified, and more particularly the employment of pumice-stone or pumex in
its natural state, or prepared as herein described for that purpose.
In witness whereof I, the said John William Taylor, on behalf of
myself and the said Henry Dyson Taylor, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
5
Witness,
ALFRED C. BAGSHAWE.
JOHN WILLIAM TAYLOR. (L.S.)