IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION ERLING MACH "
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT. to Ernest Gessner, of Aue, in the Kingdom of Saxony,
Manufacturer, for the. Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
ERLING MACH
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernest Gessner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th October 1867.
I, ERNEST GESSNER, of Aue, in the Kingdom of Saxony, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF FULLING STOCKS OR FULLING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in making the beds or troughs which are to
contain the cloth to be fulled moveable so that they can be moved towards or
away from the vibrating beaters. The beds are pressed forward by springs or
weights so that they may recede more or less from the beaters according to
the distance between the beaters and the beds. The beds are also formed
of a length sufficient for receiving the whole width of the stuff to be fulled,
and to each bed are adapted three or more beaters working side by side and
arranged to act alternately; the three or more beaters are together of sufficient
Price 8d.]

page_text: length to act along the whole length of the bed. I also form a fulling
machine with two beds opposite to one another, and the beaters working with
one bed are connected with the beaters opposite to them and working with
the other bed, so that the beaters are opposite to one another and move
together. Both beaters are actuated by an excentric placed between them.
The opposite hammers or beaters are connected to one another by elliptic
springs. the ends of the springs being pin jointed to the beaters. The springs
are arched so as to pass over the tops of the excentrics, but the beaters may be
otherwise connected. The excentrics for working the several beaters are all
carried by a shaft that passes from end to end of the machine. The top of
each bed is covered over with a lid or trap door by which the stuff can be
taken out of or put into the beds or troughs without stopping the machine,
the bed or beds being drawn back from the beaters to allow of this being
done. The beaters and the beds are each carried by separate arms turning on
pivots at the top of the framing of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Ernest Gessner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ERNEST
GESSNER, of Aue, in the Kingdom of Saxony, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Ernest Gessner, Her special licence that I, the said Ernest Gessner, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Ernest
Gessner, my 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 THE CONSTRUCTION
OF FULLING STOCKS OR FULLING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Ernest Gessner, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, 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

page_text: 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 Ernest Gessner, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed; and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of improvements in the construction of fulling mills
consist.-
Firstly. In the employment of a trough the position of which is capable of
being changed relatively to the beaters in such a way that it may either be
brought nearer to or removed further from them according to the thickness
of the stuff that is to be operated upon, and which would naturally vary
considerably.
Secondly. In the arrangement and disposition of this trough by means of
springs or weights so as to render it moveable and make it act elastically
against the beaters (that is to say) to make it give more or less according to
the quantity of stuff that is placed between the beaters and the trough, and
which often varies unequally during the operation. By arranging the apparatus
in this manner this variation in the position of the trough will be neither
prejudicial to the stuff nor to the trough.
Thirdly. In the trough (in which several beaters work side by side) being
of the same width as the cloth to be fulled the latter may be fulled not only
throughout its entire length, but also its entire width. The double advantage
of this is that it entirely does away with the false longitudinal folds which are
so very prejudicial to the stuff. This process also accelerates the operation of
fulling.
Fourthly. This Invention consists in using two beaters placed opposite
one another attached together and united by a single excentric and acting
alternately and each in an opposite trough. This arrangement constitutes a
double fulling action, which besides the advantages offered by the single fulling
stock offers several others that are peculiar to it.
Fifthly. The cover of the trough can be either opened or shut like a valve or
trap. This cover or lid when it is closed tends to keep the material warm and
to effect a more complete and uniform fulling, but when it is open it admits of
the cloth being introduced in and withdrawn from the trough easily and
regularly.
The manner of carrying out my Invention will be seen on referring to
the Drawings, in which Fig. I. represents a side view of the machine;

page_text: Fig. II. is a longitudinal vertical section; and Fig. III. is a plan view of the
same.
The trough A is suspended on two arms A', A'. and is moveable on the
shafts, on which are also mounted the rocking beaters B. Under each end
of the trough A are shafts on which are mounted two pinions e which gear
into toothed sector or segment racks c fixed on the under side of the trough,
so that by the rotation of the shaft d the trough A could be placed in any
desired position with regard to the beaters B. Instead of the pinions e and
the sector racks e the shaft may be connected with the trough by means of
pullies and cords or bands. This relative change of position of the trough A
with respect to the beaters B may also be effected by any other suitable
mechanical contrivance. On the shafts are placejl ratchet wheels f. at the
side of which are moveable arms g, which are attached to springs i. The
arms g also carry pawls h, which take into the teeth of the ratchet wheels f,
and thus transmit the action of the spring i to the shaft d, and through this
latter to the trough. This kind of elastic pressure of the trough may be
obtained by other means; but more especially by springs and weights. The
trough has also the peculiarity of being furnished with an upper moveable
part or hinged cover P, which by its own weight presses on the cloth firmly
and closes the trough during the fulling operation, and yields to the pressure
of the beaters and of the cloth. This cover may be opened while the beaters
are working to allow of the cloth being easily put into or taken out of the
trough. The trough A is equal in width to the entire width of the cloth, and
six beaters are employed, whereas the usual number is only two.
In con-
sequence of this arrangement the fulling operation is more regular. and is
effected with greater equality. The width of the trough as well as the number
of beaters B may however be augmented or diminished at pleasure. When
there are more than two beaters the inequality of the motive power is better
distributed and the machine works more smoothly than when the usual number
only are employed. Two beaters arranged in front of one another are united
by a peculiarly constructed spring K. This spring K is composed of two
parts, each of which holds one of the beaters B that are placed face to face.
A screw K' unites the two parts of the spring in such a way that an excentric L
fixed on the moveable shaft M works at the same time two beaters belonging
to the two opposite troughs. It is by the help of this screw K that the spring
and the beaters B which are attached to it can be adapted accurately to the
excentric L. The two beaters may also be coupled together by any other
suitable means. On the driving shaft M is a fly wheel N. and the fast and
loose pullies O, which transmit motion to the apparatus,

page_text: The apparatus may also be single-acting (that is to say) it may consist only
of one trough and a single set of beaters.
This new machine may be made more than double, for instance, it may be
made quadruple, so that a single motive shaft may operate several troughs, as
is done in old fulling mills, with this difference, however, that in the latter the
beaters do not work, whereas in my machine it is the troughs which are
stationary.
This novel fulling mill may be advantageously applied to the fulling of
cloths of all kinds, of purely woollen fabrics, or mixed cotton, leather, or other
fabrics.
The machine can also be used as a washing machine for linen.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, 1 claim as the Invention. secured to me by Letters- Patent as
aforesaid, the mode herein set forth of constructing and mounting the
troughs A, A, and of actuating the beaters B, B, so that all the working
parts may have a certain amount of elasticity, as and for the purpose above
mentioned.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ernest Gessner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
ERNEST GESSNER. (L.s.)