CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
NASH, of Paul's Cray, in the County of Kent, Paper Manufacturer, send
greeting.
of
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of January, in the seventh year
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Nash, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege, and authority, that I, the said Thomas
Nash, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Nash, my exors, adiñors, 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 that part of Her Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland called England, Her Dominion of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained
a proviso, that I, the said Thomas Nash, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be.
performed, under my hand and seal, 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, I, the said
Thomas Nash, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and

page_text: in what manner the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following Specification thereof, reference being had
to the Sheets of Drawings marked A, B, C, D, hereunto annexed, that is
to say:-
My said Invention consists, firstly, of an improved apparatus for washing or
cleansing the rags used in the manufacture of paper. Figure 1, Sheet A, is a
longitudinal elevation, partly in section, of this apparatus. Figure 2 is a plan,
also partly in section; and Figure 3 is a transverse section. A is a revolving
rag-holder, consisting of a perforated cylinder a, a, encased in a strong frame-
work of wood b, b, and closed at the ends by two metal plates or other suitable
covers c, c, firmly bolted to the frame-work at i, i. It has a door d, through
which the rags are introduced and withdrawn, which turns on a hinge e, as
more particularly shewn in the external end view of the rag-holder given in
Figure 4, Sheet A, and is secured when shut by two bolts g, 9, (see Figures 1
and 3). Inside of the cylinder, and running along its whole length, there are
a number of ledges or partitions h, h, h, bolted to the frame-work 6, 6, and
projecting inwards through corresponding orifices in the metal cylinder a, a,
which serve to separate and agitate the rags while the cylinder is revolving.
B is the axis of the rag-holder A, the ends of which rest in bearings p, p, on
the top of an open tank C. This axis is of metal, and hollow, and perforated
throughout in the same manner as the cylinder a, a, (see Figure 2). At one
end it is closed, but at the other it communicates, through the medium of a
stuffing box k, with a water supply pipe D provided with a cock n.
E is a
drum fixed on the end of a short shaft F, which revolves in a bearing a secured
to the top of the crank C, and is connected by a belt with a steam engine or
other prime mover. G is a pinion keyed on the shaft F, which takes into a
spur wheel H on the axis B of the rag-holder A.
been charged with rags, and the door d made fast, water is admitted into the
hollow axis by turning the cock n, and a revolving motion at the same time
given to the rag-holder by connecting the prime mover to the drum E. The s
water, as it flows in, is projected in numerous streams through the orifices in
the hollow axis B into and amongst the rags, after which it passes out through
the orifices in the cylinder a, a, into the tank C, carrying along with it the
impurities separated from the rags. At the bottom of the tank there is a
discharge hole t, which is kept constantly open for the escape of the foul water. 3
When the rags have been sufficiently cleansed the water is turned off, the door
d opened, and the rag-holder emptied, in order to receive a fresh charge. In
cases where a constant inflow of water cannot be conveniently obtained, the
apparatus instead of being constructed as before described, may be modified as
When the rag-holder has

page_text: follows:-The rag-holder may be caused to revolve in a tank similar to C,
kept filled with water to nearly the height of the axis of the rag-holder by any
convenient means, and only emptied occasionally for the sake of renewing the
water, the axis B being hollow and perforated, as before, but closed at both
ends. Where, again, it may be desirable, for the sake of greater expedition,
to cause the rag-holder to revolve at greater rates of velocity than usual, or to
load it with heavier charges of goods than usual, it may be divided in the
interior into four separate chambers, as represented in Figure 5, Sheet A, by
means of four longitudinal plates or leaves perforated like the cylinder a, a,
each chamber having a separate door turning on hinges at t, t.
My Invention consists, secondly, of the improved apparatus for drying paper,
represented in Figures 6 to 12, both inclusive, of Sheets B and C of the
Drawings hereunto annexed. Figure 6 is a front elevation of this apparatus,
and Figure 7 a plan. A, A, is a series of cylindrical stoves mounted on
standards a, a, a side view of one of which stoves is shewn separately in
Figure 8. Each of these stoves communicates by a small descending flue o,
with a common receiving flue p, which first passes horizontally along the
whole series of stoves in front, and then returns underneath them in a reverse
direction, till it terminates in a vertical chimney, which carries off the heated
vapours and smoke (if any) into the atmosphere. B, B, are a series of open
ribbed drums, which are concentric with and revolve round the stoves A, A,
but are fixed at a little distance from them. Four separate views of a stove
and drum on an enlarged scale, shewing more particularly the manner of the
connexions between them, are given in Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12. Each drum
consists of a number of longitudinal wooden ribs, placed about four inches
apart, and connected at the two ends to metal rings c, c, and from the metal
rings c, c, project outwards six or more pivots f, f, carrying on their outer
extremities small grooved wheels e, e, which fit upon bearings f, f, bolted to
the outside of the stove, by which wheels and bearings, when the apparatus is
at work, the drum is kept constantly concentric to the stove round which it
revolves. In the space between each stove and drum there is a fan C, which,
being caused to revolve along with the drum, produces a current of air which
serves materially to promote the process of drying. The means by which
motion is given to the drums and fans are as follows:-To the rings c, c, of the
outer or back end of the first five drums there are toothed wheels D, D,
attached, into which wheels gear four pinions E, E, mounted on standards b, b,
placed intermediately between the stoves, and bolted to the stove standards a, a.
To the same shaft which carries the first of these pinions E, there is affixed
a rigger F, from which a strap m, m, is carried to the steam engine or other

page_text: moving power. The rotary motion thus communicated to the first five drum
is transmitted to the remaining drums by the endless felt n (as in the ordinary
drying machines), which is mounted on and guided by pulleys, as shewn in
Figure 6. Or, instead of the machinery being thus driven, partly by wheel
work and partly by an endless felt, the wheel-work may be continued through
out the whole series of stoves and drums, and the endless felt be dispensed
with. The fans C, C, receive their motion from the drums B through the
medium of the longitudinal and cross shafts r and s, and the bevilled gearing
t. t. The paper to be dried is conducted around and over the drums by means
of the system of pullies and stretchers mounted on the uprights G, G, bolted to
the top of the stoves A, A, as particularly shewn in Figure 6. The paper
being taken in a wet state from the sizing machine, is first wrapped round a
reel w, whence it passes successively round the drums, in the manner shewn,
till it reaches the last of the series, from which it is carried upwards on to an
endless web of wire u, u, kept distended by two rollers v, v, after passing along
which it is carried back over the rollers x, y, to the reel z, on which it is finally
wound in a dry state. The bearings of the reels wand z and rollers v, x, y,
are for clearness sake omitted.
And
my Invention consists, thirdly, of the improved apparatus for glazing
paper, represented in Figures 13 to 17, both inclusive, Sheet D, Figure 13,
is an end elevation, Figure 14 a top plan, and Figure 15 a side view of this
apparatus. A, A, is an iron framework resting on wooden supports B, B.
C is the main cylinder, which has a fillet on it at each end, of about two inches
wide, and about three quarters of an inch thick, for the purpose of keeping it
at an equal and uniform distance from a series of rollers D, D, D, D, fixed
immediately above it, as more particularly shewn in the separate end view
given of these rollers in Figure 16. e, e, e, are two sets of metal guides, one
at each end, which serve to direct the copper plates (such as are usually used
in paper glazing) between the main cylinders C and the rollers D, D. Each
of these guides is attached to a vertical rod m, which passes upwards between
the rollers D, D, and is secured at top to one of the longitudinal braces n, n,
which braces are attached at their two ends to the cross stays s, s. The
driving gear of the apparatus is arranged as follows:-E is a pinion fixed on
the main driving shaft of the apparatus, which works into a toothed wheel F
fixed on a second shaft K. The shaft K carries two loose pinions G, H, inside
of the toothed wheel F, and below the shaft K there is a third shaft P, which
carries two other pinions N. O. L is a large toothed wheel, which is keyed on
to the end of the axis of the main cylinder C. The near pinions G and N both
take into the wheel L when in gearing, while the off pinions H and O work

page_text: into one another. M is a sliding clutch, by means of which the pinions G and
N are alternately put in and out of gearing with the wheel L, and at each
change of gearing the action of the machine reversed. By this means the
copper plates, after they have once passed between the cylinder C and the
rollers D, D, D, can be immediately passed back again without removing them
from the apparatus, and so on, as often as may be found requisite. A plan of
this reversing gear is shewn separately in Figures 17, Sheet D.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not claim in respect
of any of the machines before described any of the parts of which the same
respectively consist individually and separately considered; but that what I
claim in respect of the rag washing or cleansing apparatus is the general
arrangement and combination of parts of which the same consists. And that
what I claim in respect of the paper drying apparatus is the use of a series of
stoves for the purpose in the manner before described. And that what I claim
in respect of the paper glazing machine is the use of the cylinder C, having
fillets at the ends thereof in combination with the rollers D, D, D.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Twenty-third day of July, One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
THOMAS (L.S.) NASH.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-third day of July, in
the year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid Thomas Nash came before our
and coknowledged the Specification
•
TT