Improvements in and relating to the Chain Clips of Cloth Stentering and Finishing Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30th June, 1890-Accepted, 2nd Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Chain Clips of Cloth
Stentering and Finishing Machines.
I, WILLIAM CRAIG of 48 French Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Millwright and
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention, to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in and relating to the
chain clips of cloth stentering and finishing machines, and more particularly to the
fitting and mounting of the springs which have been mostly used in these clips for
actuating their moving grippers, and which will act quite as efficiently as heretofore,
and be more convenient for repairs, and the putting in of new springs, without
requiring to take out a link of the chain or removing the gripping part which has
been found necessary heretofore in replacing the springs. The improvements also
comprise the constructing and actuating of the grippers and their clips in a novel
manner to work either with or without springs.
In these chain clips heretofore it has been found desirable to make the hinge parts
long to give steadiness to the moving clip, nearly the length of the whole link, and
consequently the length of the spindle on which it oscillates, so that these spindles
cannot be removed without removing a link of the chain; and as the said spiral
springs have heretofore been always mounted on these spindles, the renewal of a
spring also necessitated the removal of a link.
The improvements of the present invention consist first in preventing the aforesaid
necessity of removing the chain links by mounting each spiral spring on a separate
portable or removable spindle of its own fixed in grooves or recesses in the arms,
carrying the fixed lower member of the clip over which the edge of the fabric is fed to
be gripped by the upper oscillating clips, close down nearly on a level with and
outside the said fulcrum spindle of the upper clip, all so that the two free outer ends
of the helical coiled spring are led forward and act as holding levers under the said
While the double
spindle, or it might be any projection or holes in the fixed arms.
bow piece projecting out from the two coils at the centre form the acting lever upon
the outer surface of the said lower arm of the upper oscillating gripper, and turn and
actuate this so as to grip the cloth on its usual joint pin. And when the gripper is
opened by its upper arm, either by its cam or by the hand, it turns the central parts
of the spiral spring on its fixed spindle, and the spring throws back the gripper'
again, with the extra force given to it in so tightening it up, although the spring and
its spindle are inserted so as to act with a considerable amount of force in its normal
closed position. In this way the spindle of the spring has only to be pressed up out
of its groove to remove it, and insert a new spring on the spindle and push it down
into its grooves, a projection or other equivalent being preferably left at the end of the
grooves to prevent the spindle being shifted on end by the working of the spring.
This portable spindle carrying the spiral spring might be mounted otherwise to effect
the same purpose, of removing or inserting the spring, such as by inserting it longi-
tudinally and screwing its point or head into the hole or putting a lateral pin through
it to retain it in its position.
A further improvement consists in forming the upper or outer oscillating gripper
of each clip so weighted or loaded in front of its fulcrum and bevelling the gripping
face of the lower fixed gripper downwards and outwards tangentially to the fulcrum
of the upper oscillating gripper that its own weight tends to make it grip the cloth
tighter the harder it is pulled, laterally out from the grippers, so that the clip can act
either without a spring or with a very weak spring to grip the cloth and which spring
might be of other forms instead of the spiral spring hereinbefore described. And
further when the clips and their chain links are inverted and returning in the opposite

page_text: direction, the weight of the moving clip opens it and frees it from the cloth and its
under or fixed gripper, and brings the clip round up at the entering end ready for
receiving the cloth on top. Although the clip so weighted will automatically act in this
manner and reverse at the two ends of the machine, it is still desirable to have a fixed
or elastic segmental cam at one or both ends of the machine to act on the ordinary
projecting finger of the oscillating gripper, and ensure the positive reversal of the
clips as heretofore, with the addition that the cam would be fitted with a spring to
press the oscillating clip at the entering end of the machine to grip the cloth and
which would continue to grip the cloth by the strain on the cloth itself, and at the
other or rear end to press the clips quite open below the fulcrum.
A further improvement consists in forming the two gripping parts of the clip both
of hard gun metal, or other metal which would not oxidise or have any electric action
to discolour the edges of the goods, which they were gripping and stretching. While
the lower gripper would also be perforated or cut with slits, which would allow the
hot air to pass up and dry the gripped edges of the cloth.
Dated the 4th October 1889.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
A gents
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Chain Clips of Cloth
Stentering and Finishing Machines.
1, WILLIAM CRAIG, of 48 French Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Millwright and
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my 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 Sheet of
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in and relating to the
chain clips of cloth stentering and finishing machines, and more particularly to the
fitting and mounting of the springs which have been mostly used in these clips
for actuating their moving upper grippers, for catching the edge of the fabric while
passing through these machines, and which will act quite as efficiently as heretofore,
and be more convenient for repairs, and the putting in of new springs, without
requiring to take out a link of the chain or removing the gripping part which has
been found necessary heretofore in replacing the springs. The improvements also
comprise the constructing and actuating of the grippers and their clips in a novel
manner to work either with or without springs.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended
an explanatory sheet of Drawings, in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown. Figure 1 is an end
elevation of one link and the parts of its spring clip complete as in its closed position
gripping the cloth, and constructed in accordance with my improvements. Figure 2
is a side or front elevation, corresponding to Figure 1 of two of my improved chain
clips linked together by a joint pin at 1 and Figure 3 is a plan of the same corre-
sponding to Figure 2, showing the grippers A, A¹, holding the edge W₁ of the
fabric W. Figure 4 is a sectional end view of the improved chain clip showing the
jaws A, A', in their open position, and as taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2.
Referring to these Drawings:-In the chain clips heretofore in use it has been
found desirable to make the hinge parts long to give steadiness to the moving clip A¹,
nearly the length of the whole link B, B, and consequently the length of the
spindle A on which it oscillates, so that these spindles cannot be removed without
removing a link B of the chain; and as the said spiral springs have heretofore been
always mounted on these spindles A, the renewal of a spring also necessitated the
removal of a link B of the chain.
The improvements of the present invention consist, first, in preventing the aforesaid

page_text: necessity of removing the chain links B B₁, by mounting each spiral spring b on a
separate portable or removable spindle 2 of its own fixed in grooves or recesses blin
the arms A2, carrying the fixed lower member A of the clip over which the edge WI
of the fabric W is fed to be gripped by the upper oscillating clips A¹, close down
nearly on a level with and outside of the said fulcrum spindle A of the upper
clip A all so that the two free outer ends 61, of the helical coiled spring b on the
spindle bare led forward and act as holding levers under the spindle A or it might
be any projection or holes in the fixed arms A². While the double bow piece 111
projecting out from the two coils b at the centre forms the acting lever of the spring b
upon the outer surface of the said lower part A4 of the upper arm A³ of oscillating
gripper A, and turns and actuates this so as to grip the cloth W on its usual joint
pin A. And when the gripper is opened by its upper arm A³ either by its cam or
by the hand, it turns the central parts of the spiral spring b on its fixed spindle 7,
and the spring throws back the gripper A¹ again, with the extra force given to it in so
tightening it up, although the spring and its spindle 62 are inserted so as always to act
with a considerable amount of force in its normal closed position as shown particularly
in Figure 1. In this way the spindle 6 of the spring has only to be pressed up out
of its grooves b¹ to remove it, and insert a new spring 6 on the spindle and push it
b
down into its grooves b', a projection or other equivalent being preferably left at 63 at
the end of the grooves to prevent the spindle 62 being shifted on end by the
working of the spring b. This portable spinille 63 carrying the spiral-spring & might
be mounted otherwise to effect the same purpose, of removing or inserting the spring,
such as by inserting it longitudinally and screwing its point or head into the hole or
putting a lateral pin through it to retain it in its position.
b
A further improvement consists in forming the upper or outer oscillating gripper A¹
of each clip so weighted or loaded in front of its fulcrum, as indicated by the dotted
line C, and bevelling the gripping face a of the lower fixed gripper A downwards
and outwards tangentially to the fulcrum of the upper oscillating gripper A¹ that
its own weight tends to make it grip the cloth W tighter the harder it is pulled,
laterally out from the grippers A, A', so that the clip can act either without a spring
or with a very weak spring to grip the cloth W, and which spring might be of other
forms instead of the spiral spring b hereinbefore described. And further when the
clips A, A, and their chain links B, B¹, are inverted and returning in the opposite
direction, the weight C of the moving clip A', opens or tends to open it and free
it from the cloth W, and its under or fixed gripper A, and bring the clip round
up at the entering end ready for receiving the cloth on top, as shown in Figure 4,
when no spring or a very light spring is used. Although the clip A, A¹, so
weighted will automatically act in this manner and reverse at the two ends of the
machine it is still desirable to have a fixed or elastic segmental cam at one or
both ends of the machine to act on the ordinary projecting finger A³, of the
oscillating gripper A¹, and ensure the positive reversal of the clips as heretofore to
open and close them, with the addition that the cam would be fitted with a spring to
press the oscillating clip A', at the entering end of the machine to grip the cloth W,
and which would continue to grip the cloth by the strain on the cloth itself, and at
the other or rear end to press the clips quite open below the fulcrum.
A further improvement consists in forming the two gripping parts a, a¹, of the
grippers A, A', both of hard gun metal, or other metal which would not oxidise or
have any electric action to discolour the edges W₁ of the goods W, which they were
gripping and stretching, the lower gripping jaw A being rivetted at a³, along the
lower steel part. While the lower gripper A would also be perforated or cut with
holes and slits a", which would allow the hot air to pass up and dry the gripped
edges W of the cloth W.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
First. The construction, or arrangement and combination of the parts of chain clips

page_text: and their grippers, either with or without the springs for cloth stentering and
finishing machines, substantially as and actuated in the manner herein described, in
reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
"
Second. The constructing of the chain clips of cloth stentering and finishing
machines, with spiral springs mounted on separate portable or removable spindles of
their own, substantially as and for the purposes and advantages berein described, in
reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Third. In chain clips for cloth stentering and finishing machines, the forming of
the upper oscillating gripper weighted in front of its fulcrum, and bevelling the
gripping face of the lower fixed gripper downwards and outwards, so that its own
weight tends to make it grip the cloth, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth. In chain clips for cloth stentering and finishing machines, the forming of
the cloth gripping parts a A, a' A', of gun metal or other metal which would not
oxidise or have any electric action, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Dated the 50th T1800
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.