IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRESSING LACE AND OTHER FABRICS to be as follows that is to say
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We, ARTHUR JOYNES BUTLER, of the Firm of Messieurs M. Jacoby and
Company of Broadway, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Lace Manufacturers and
WILLIAM JENNINGS, Lace Dressor Mansfield Road Nottingham do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
CONTINUOUSLY DRESSING LACE AND OTHER FABRICS to be as follows that is
to say -
"
This Invention relates to apparatus employed for dressing lace (particularly nets
requiring a very stiff finish) and other fabrics by subjecting such fabrics to treat-
ment with starch or size and then to the action of steam and hot air and it has
for its object the improvement of the construction and arrangement of apparatus
for that purpose whereby the apparatus is rendered less liable to overheat and
thus render injurious to the workpeople the air in the room containing the
apparatus and at the same time to greatly facilitate the convenient and speedy
dressing of lace nets and other fabrics by such apparatus or combinations of such
apparatus.
The improved apparatus comprises suitable stenter hooks carried by endless
chains on each side of the apparatus for carrying the fabric through it. The fabric
is entered at one end and is first led over a suitable roller or rollers dipping into a
starch or size trough and next over a roller or rollers covered with bristles for
removing superfluous starch or size. After passing these rollers the fabric is next
subjected to the action of, steam which is contained in a chamber or chest into
which the fabric is led through a suitable opening or openings. The fabric after
passing through this steam chamber is next led through a suitable opening or
openings into a chamber into which heated air is forced by suitable arrangements
for drying the fabric. When the apparatus is employed for the preparation or
dressing of what are known as the "Rice" or "Paisley" finish as also other stiff
finishes the apparatus is arranged with two three or more series of combinations
of starching or sizing rollers, bristle rollers steam chamber and heated air chamber
in succession. With this improved arrangement of apparatus the net while
passing through the entire length of the apparatus will receive as it emerges dry
from the first hot air chamber and passes over the second starching or sizing rollers

page_text: additional stiffening matter until it has passed through the whole series when it
will have acquired tho requisite stiffness and finish in one continuous operation
which can only be obtained with the apparatus hitherto existing by about ten or
eleven separate coating and drying operations which require a largo number of
attendants. In apparatus in which steam and heated air has hitherto been
attempted to be used the heated air after passing through or acting on the fabric
mingles with the air of the room which is thus rendered by reason of its high
temperature exceedingly injurious and uncomfortable to the workpeople but according
to this Invention by employing closed steam chambers and closed air chambers the
atmosphere of the room in which the apparatus is working is not excessively
heated, vitiated or rendered injurious.

page_text: We, ARTHUR JOYNES BUTLER, of the firm of Messrs M. Jacoby & Company
of Broadway, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Lace Manufacturer, and WILLIAM
JENNINGS, Lace Dresser, Mansfield Road, Nottingham, do hereby declare tho
nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY
DRESSING LACE AND OTHER FABRICS," and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement that is to say :-
Our snid Invention relates to apparatus employed for dressing lace (particularly
nets requiring a very stiff finish) and other fabrics by.subjecting such fabrics to
treatment with starch or size and then to the action of steam and hot air and it
has for its object the improvement of the construction and arrangement of
apparatus for that purpose whereby the apparatus is rendered less liable to over-
heat and thus render injurious to the workpeople the air in the room containing
the apparatus, and at the same time to greatly facilitato the convenient and speedy
dressing of lace, nets, and other fabrics by such apparatus or combination of such
apparatus.
Our improved apparatus comprises suitable stenter books carried by endless
chains on each side of the apparatus for carrying the fabric through it. The fabric
is entered at one end and is first led over a suitable roller or rollers dipping into a
starch or size trough and next over a roller or rollers covered with bristles for
removing superfluous starch or size. After passing these rollers the fabric is next
subjected to the action of steam which is contained in a chamber or chest into
which the fabric is led through a suitable opening or openings. The fabric after
passing through the steam chamber is next led through a suitable opening or
openings into a chamber into which heated air is forced by suitable arrangements
for drying the fabric. When the apparatus is employed for the preparation or
dressing of what are known as the "rice" or Paisley finish as also other stiff
finishes, the apparatus is arranged with two, three, or more series of combinations
of starching or sizing rollers, bristle rollers, steam chamber and heated air chamber
in succession. With this improved arrangement of apparatus the net while passing
through the entire length of the apparatus will receive as it emerges dry from
the first hot air chamber and passes over the second starching or sizing rollers
additional stiffening matter until it has passed through the whole series when it
will have acquired the requisite stiffness and finish in one continuous operation
which can only be obtained with the apparatus hitherto existing by about ten or
eleven separate coating and drying operations which require a large number of
attendants.
In apparatus in which steam and heated air has hitherto been attempted to be
used the steam and heated air after passing through or acting on the fabric mingles
with the air of the room which is thus rendered by reason of its high temperature
exceedingly injurious and uncomfortable to the workpeople, but according to this
Invention by employing enclosed steam chambers and enclosed hot air chambers,
the atmosphere of the room in which the apparatus is working is not excessively
heated, vitiated, or rendered injurious.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood we hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings
to be hereinafter referred to and representing our improved arrangements. In
these drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
:
:

page_text: Figure 1 on the accompanying sheet of drawings is a sectional side elevation
shewing our improved arrangements and combination of three scries of sets of
starching rollers, steaming and drying chambers as arranged for giving to nets a
very stiff finish. The apparatus is provided with suitable stenter hooks carried by
endless chains 1 at each side of the frame moving in guides and passed round
pulleys 2, 3, at each end of the frame for holding and carrying the fabric to be
dressed. The fabric to be dressed is attached to the stenter hooks and enters the
frame at the rollers 2 and first passes over a wooden starching roller 6. This
roller 6 is carried transversely to the length of the frame and dips into a trough 7
which extends across the frame and contains raw starch solution and is provided
with a stirrer. Next to this starch trough there is another trough 8 in which a
roller 9 covered with bristles revolves and as the fabric passes over, it brushes off
superfluous starch into the trough 8. Against this trough there is placed another
one 10 for receiving any further starch removed by the attendant as found
necessary or for placing another roller in if required. The fabric next passes
through a narrow slit or opening in the side of the steam Chamber 11 placed
against the trough 10 where it is subjected to the action of steam. This
chamber 11 is formed of wood and has a number of steam pipes placed transversely
at its bottom part and these pipes have a number of holes in them through which
stean issues and acts on the fabric which is passed over just above the pipes. The
steam passes through the fabric into the upper part of the chamber 11 and
eventually instead of escaping into the room is carried away through an outlet 12
near the top of the chamber 11 which outlet 12 communicates with a passage (not
shown in the drawings) leading through the wall of the room in which the
apparatus is, into the open air. The fabric in passing through this stoam chamber
is acted on by the hot steam which changes the raw starch previously taken up
from the roller 6 and adhering to the fabric into dextrine or "British gum." This
dextrine next requires to be dried in order to stiffen the fabric and to accomplish
this, there is placed next to the steam chamber a hot air chamber 13 likewise
formed with wood. The fabric enters this chamber 13 by an opening or slit in its
side leaving the steam chamber 11 by a similar opening, these openings being only
of sufficient width to permit the fabric and stenter hook chains to pass, so that
very little if any, steam or hot air can escape. This chamber 13 has a number of
tubes 14 placed one above the other across the chamber near its bottom so that the
top row of tubes is on a level with the steam tubes and the tops of the
troughs 8, 0, 10. Steam which may be superheated if desired is passed through
these tubes in a well known manner and air is forced upwards through between
these tubes 14 of which there are preferably at least six rows one above the other,
and the length of the chamber is preferably at least about six feet in length so as
to give sufficient drying space. The air is forced into the drying chamber through
the opening at its bottom and up through between the tubes 14 by a fan 15 driven
by belting from overhead pulloys. The heated air passes up into the top of the
chamber 13 and escapes through an outlet 12 leading into a passage (not shown)
connected with the steam outlet 12 of the chamber 11. This drying chamber
completes the first set of apparatus over and through which the fabric is passed
and in order to give the requisite finish to the fabric at one continuous operation
two more such sets of starching and bristle rollers, troughs, steaming and drying
chambers are arranged one after the other through which the fabric is successively
passed similarly as through the first set. After the third drying chamber in order
to ensure the fabric being perfectly dried or finished there are arranged in succession
four enclosed drying chambers 15 similar in construction and arrangement to the
first one through which the fabric is passed until it finally emerges in a finished
stato from the last one when it is removed from the stenter hooks when it reaches
the pulleys 3 and is wound upon a beam. The endless chains 1 pass round the
pulleys 3 and return along just above the floor of the room passing under the line
of the troughs and the chambers being supporte.l on small pulleys, 20, back to the
1ollers 2. In some cases it may be found desirable to drive all the fans 15 by a

page_text: special engine fitted in the room which may also through the overhead pulleys 17
give suitable motion to the rollers 7, 9, and the endless chains 1.
When it is desired to use the improved drossing frame for finishing fabrics which
do not require so stiff a finish as nets, the fabric to be dressed is only passed
through the first set of the series of apparatus the rollers of the suceeding sets
being removed or placed so as not to come in contact with the fabric. In this case
steam is not admitted to the steam chambers 11 of the second and third set of
apparatus, separate valves or stopcocks 18 being provided for admitting or shutting
off the steam. The second, third, and suceeding drying chambers may be put
into action if desired or if found unnecessary the whole or any one or more of them
may be put out of operation by turning off the steam by the valves 19 and putting
the belt driving the fan on a looso pulley.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
Firstly The improved arrangement of the combination of starching and bristle
rollers, with steaming and drying chambers, substantially as bereinbefore described
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Secondly Tho improved combination and arrangement of dressing apparatus
consisting of two or more series of sets of starching, steaming and drying apparatus
arranged successively substantially as herein before described and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of October 100%.
Witness,
LOCK MOORE,
Patent Agent, Nottingham.
ARTHUR JOYNES BUTLER.
WILLIAM JENNINGS.