CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE FINISHING AND TREATMENT OF YARNS OR THREADS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Godfrey Ermen, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Cotton Spinner and Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE FINISHING
AND TREATMENT OF YARNS OR THREADS."
Sealed the 21st April 1857, and dated the 22nd October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Godfrey Ermen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
⚫ October 1856.
I, GODFREY ERMEN, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton
Spinner and Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE FINISHING AND
TREATMENT OF YARNS OR THREADS," to be as follows:-
'My Invention consists, first, in the novel application, employment, or use of
an uneven or roughened surface or surfaces for the purpose of imparting
friction to the yarn or thread during the processess of polishing and finishing.
The frictional surfaces so applied may be either used as rollers, cylinders, or
rods or bars, or in any other convenient form, and may be composed of either
wood, glass, metal, earthenware, stone, or any other suitable materials.
My improvements consist, secondly, in the novel application, employment,
or use of rollers or cylinders, or other convenient apparatus, having grooved,
fluted, or corrugated surfaces (in the direction of their length), for the pur-
pose of passing the polished or finished yarns or threads through or between

page_text: them, in order to break or. subdue the harshness of the size or stiffening
material, and thereby to give or impart an elastic softness of feeling or touch
to the yarn or thread.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Godfrey Ermen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd April '1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM. THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,-I, GODFREY
ERMEN, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, and
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did; for Herself; Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Godfrey Ermen,, Her especial license that I, the said Godfrey Ermen, my
executors, administrators, and assigns,Lor: such others as I; the said Godfrey
Ermen, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time. agree
with, and no other, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE FINISHING: AND TREATMENT OF YARNS OR
THREADS, upon the condition, amongst others, that I; the said Godfrey. Ermen,
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 the
said Letters Patent.
NOW, KNOW YE,, that I, the said Godfrey Ermen, 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
and accompanying Drawings.
7:
My Invention consists, first, in the novel application, employment, or use of
an uneven or roughened surface. or surfaces..for the purpose of imparting
friction to the yarn or thread during the processes of polishing and finishing.
The frictional surfaces so applied may, be either used as rollers, cylinders, or
rods, or bars, or in, any other, convenient form, and may be composed of either
wood, glass, metal, earthenware, stone, or any other suitable materials, is sy

page_text: . My improvements consist, secondly; in 'the novel application, employment,
of use of 'rollers.or cylinders, or other convenient apparatus, having grooved,
fluted, or corrugated surfaces in the direction of their length, for the purpose
of passing the polished or finished yarns or threads through or. between them,
in order to break or subdues the harshness of the size or stiffening "material,
and thereby to give or impart a softness of feeling or touch to the yarn or
thread:
In order that this Invention may be better understood and further.explained
in detail, I have hereunto attached à Sheet of Drawings, made upon a scale
of about one inch and a half to the foot, and having similar letters of reference
marked upon corresponding parts of the apparatus.
Fig. 1 represents the apparatus, wherein the uneven or roughened surface
of a cylinder.or. roller is employed for the purpose of imparting. friction to the
yarn or thread, a front view of which is shewn .detached at 'Fig. 2; Fig::3
exhibits the rollers or cylinders, having grooved, fluted, or corrugated surfaces
in the direction of their length, between which the yarn or thread is passed
when polished or. finished, in order to break or subdue the stiffness or harshness
of the sizeing material, and impart a supple, soft, and pliant feeling. or touch
thereto;Fig. 4 shewing a section of, the same. The yarn or thread is: dis-
tended between rollers or cylinders, the upper one being fluted: and the
lower, one plain, to,which is attached a weight and lever; or other! suitable
apparatus, for retainingior, keeping the yarn or thread distended, and above or
opposite to the upperfluted or corrugated roller is placed a second roller, or
cylinder, having a corrugated surface, the flutes,of these two rollers entering
each other slightly; so as to break up the stiffening or harshness of the thread
by the constant, bending thereof as it passes between them; 5.
The description of the machine, to which the first part of my said Invention
is shewn as applied; will be found in the Specification of Letters, Patent
previously granted to me for certain improvements in the. method of and
apparatus for finishing yarns or threads, bearing date the Séventeenth day' of
June; One thousand eight, hundred and fifty-one. 1.
In Figa of the Drawings attached, a, a:is the framing of the machine;
and b; b, are the rollers, over which the yarn.or thread: (shewn in.blue), having
been first stiffened or starched, as described in the Specification off my former
Patent, is distended, and around which it revolves whilst under the operation
or action of the cylinder or roller c, the surface of which is made uneven, or
otherwise, roughened. This roller, or cylinder is, caused to rotate trapidly.by
suitable driving apparatus, such as the band and pulley d, and by thic friction.
created by the uneven surface of the cylinder acting upon or against the thread

page_text: :
or yarn, the thread becomes polished or finished, the cylinder with such uneven
surface supplying the place of the circular brush or brushes, described in the
Specification of my former Patent.
"
I would here remark, that the roughened or uneven surface may be formed
upon either a cylinder, roller, or drum, or it may be formed on a number of
bars, and placed around a frame after the form of a cylinder, or may be formed,
arranged, and applied in any other manner convenient for imparting friction to
the thread, and either by rotatory or other motion. The uneven or roughened
surface may be composed of wood, bone, ivory, iron, or other hard metal, glass,
earthenware, stone, or other suitable solid or rigid substance, as distinguished
from surfaces of or parts covered with soft or yielding substances, such. as
cloth, leather, hair, or the like, the application of which for the purpose of
giving a polish to thread by friction is already in use and forms no part of my
present Invention. The uneven or roughened surface may be formed in
variety of modes, such as by grooves, channels, indentations, points, or other
inequalities, cut in or raised on the cylinder or equivalent part, and in sucli
directions, and of such sizes, depths, or heights, as may be found best adapted
for producing the desired effect.
In the Drawing, Fig. 2, the uneven surface is represented as produced by
rows of parallel grooves, the grooves in each alternate row inclining slightly from
right to left, and vice versa, which is a form I adopt, and find well adapted to the
purpose. After the yarn has been thus polished, as before described, if it is
required that it should be further treated, to break or subdue the stiffness or
harshness, as before expressed, it must be submitted to the action of the fluted
or corrugated rollers or cylinders, shewn in Fig. 2 a, a', being the rollers over
which the polished yarn is distended, the upper one a¹ having a fluted surface,
the lower one a being plain or uncorrugated, and is used for the purpose of
keeping the yarn distended, the tension being regulated by the lever and
weight b, b.
Above or opposite the fluted roller a is situated a second
roller c, so placed that the flutes of the two may enter between those of each
other to any required depth, so that as the yarn or thread passes between
them, and is submitted to the bending or indenting action of the rollers, the
stiffening therein contained will become broken or subdued, and the wiry or
harsh feeling will be modified, or entirely destroyed, without injuring the polish
or lustre of the yarn.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together
with the manner of performing the same, I wish it to be clearly understood
that I claim,
First, the polishing and finishing of yarns or threads by means of the novel

page_text: application and use of a cylinder, roller, or other equivalent, having an uneven
or roughened surface, composed of suitable solid material, as herein-before
expressed, for the purpose of imparting friction to the yarn or thread during
the processes of polishing and finishing, as herein-before described.
And, secondly, the application, employment, and use of the fluted, grooved,
or corrugated rollers or cylinders, between which the yarns or threads are
passed, for the purpose of subduing, modifying, or destroying the stiffness of
the yarn or thread, as herein-before described, and set forth and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Godfrey Ermen, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
GODFREY ERMEN. (L.S.)