IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF RUCHE AND OTHER TRIMMINGS FOR LADIES' APPAREL, APPLICABLE ALSO TO MAKING CAP FRONTS AND OTHER FLUTED FABRICS
Year: 1858

page_text: application for Letters Patent was not given within the time prescribed
by the Act.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Tombs at the Oflice of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th May
1858.
I, EDWARD TOMBS, of 4, Waterloo Terrace, Islington, London, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF RUCHE AND OTHER TRIMMINGS FOR LADIES' APPAREL, APPLICABLE ALSO
TO MAKING CAP FRONTS AND OTHER FLUTED FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The trimmings for ladies dresses, caps, bonnets, & other like purposes,
called ruche trimming, is made of one, two, or more widths of ribbon or
other material, which is fluted or creased by being passed through golfering.
rollers, & secured in position by means of gummed strings which run down
the middle; the narrow ribbon is then stuck on to the wider, and the row or
rows of fluted surfaces produce a pleasing effect. Now this trimming is at
present made by hand, except that the ribbon or other material is fluted or
creased in the goffering machine; it is then indented in the middle, and stuck
together by means of gummed strings. And my Invention consists of manu-
facturing this ruche & other fancy trimmings, cap fronts, and other like
articles by machinery. The machinery I prefer to employ for this purpose
I will now describe. It consists of a table or stand, on one, end of which are
two rollers. In a part of the table or stand in a suitable framework four
grooved or fluted rollers are placed, and at the other end is a drum working
on an axis and in a slot. The two pieces of ribbon or other material to be
made into a ruche or other trimming are taken up under guide rollers on the

page_text: table between two other rollers, which are affixed to the standards or frame-
work of the four larger rollers, and where jets of steam impinge on them for
the purpose of damping them. The top or narrow length of ribbon & the
lower or wider are kept separate, and passed under upper & lower rollers.
Having been damped, the ribbons are conducted through rollers placed in
a framework or standard, which rollers are corrugated or fluted in the same
or nearly the same manner that ordinary goffering rollers are; but in addition
thereto, and this is an important feature of my Invention, the under rollers
are recessed or grooved in the middle, and the upper rollers are made in the
corresponding part convex or rounded, so as to take into the grooves or
recesses, & to press into them the ribbon or other material, and to cause
therein indentations for the reception of the gummed string. The ribbons
then pass out, and are conducted under guide rollers to a point, where they
meet with lengths of gummed string, which are brought up by any mechanical
action under two rollers from a pot containing gum or other adhesive matter.
As the ribbon passes from the creasing rollers to the drum the string is being
carried forward simultaneously, and attaches itself to the ribbon on coming
into contact. The two ribbons now having gummed strings attached pass on
to a drum or cylinder, on the periphery of which the smaller or upper ribbon
is made to press on the lower ribbon, & so to adhere. The drum or cylinder
is heated by gas or other convenient means for the purpose
of drying
the material. The drum is worked by means of an endless band which
passes round it, and takes on to a roller which derives motion from the central
goffering or creasing roller by a band, chain, or other suitable means, & thus
uniformity of motion is attained, and it has a reciprocating or excentric action
given to it in order to prevent the overlapping of the ruche as it comes on.
When taken off the drum, the ruche trimming is ready for use. By my
improved mode of making this fancy article of dress, I save much manual
labor, and can make the material cheaper & more perfect than at present.
I do not restrict myself to the precise machinery hercin-before described, &
I have not described the same in detail, but the above is an outline of my
Invention. In addition to ruche & other trimmings, cap fronts may be made
by the above machine, and other trimmings or ruched ornamental dressings,
whether in leather, paper, or other material.