CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING WOVE AND LAID PAPER
Year: 1825

page_text: DENISON AND HARRIS'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEL
DENISON, of Leeds, in the County of York, Whitesmith, and JOHN HARRIS,
of Leeds aforesaid, Paper Mould Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the First day of January, in the fifth year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Samuel
Denison and John Harris, His especial licence that we, the said Samuel
Denison and John Harris, our exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Samuel Denison and John Harris, our exors, adñors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING WOVE AND LAID PAPER;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained proviso obliging us, the said Samuel Denison and
John Harris, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
and to cause the same to be inrolled in His 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Samuel Denison and John Harris, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention by the following description thereof, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed and carried into effect by the Figs. upon the Sheet
of Drawings which is hereunto annexed, reference being thereunto had, and
to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon, as follows (that is to
say) :-
Our Invention for Improvements in Machinery for the Purpose of Making
Wove or Laid Paper consist, first, in a new or improved arrangement and
combination of parts of apparatus, which constitute an improved machine for
making such paper as is usually termed wove or laid endless paper, from the
circumstance of its being delivered from the machine in the state of a long con-
tinued sheet or web. The said improved arrangement and combination of appa-
ratus will be hereafter explained by reference to the Figs. 1 and 2 upon the
annexed Drawing. The first of those Figs. is supposed to represent an horizontal
plan, and the second Figure a longitudinal section, of the principal parts of our
improved machinery for making paper, drawn to a scale of about two inches
to a foot. A, A, represent the vat or vessel which contains the pulp or mate-
rial desired to be employed for making paper. This vessel is supplied con-
stantly with pulp through the trough a from any convenient reservoir, so that
the level may always remain the same when at work. It is provided with a
vane or agitator B, which is caused to revolve by any convenient means, so as
to stir up the pulp and prevent it from subsiding to the bottom in a mass.
One end of the vat A is formed to a segment of a cylinder, and is placed as
near as may be without touching to the circumference of the main drum or
cylinder C, C, upon the circumference of which the pulp is suffered to flow,
and be carried away by the revolving motion of the same in the direction of
the arrow in Fig. 2, in the form of a sheet or web. The main drum or
cylinder is mounted upon an axis c, which turns in bearings or supports in the
framing K, K, as will appear from inspection of the plan Fig. 1, where the
same letters of reference are used to denote the same parts as will be found on
the Fig. 2. The outer circumference of the cylinder C, C, operates as a mould
or seive in forming the paper, it being entirely composed of small bars of
copper, or other suitable metal, disposed in the direction of radii, and
parallel to its axis, at very small distances asunder, so as to leave a narrow
opening or slit between each pair of bars for the water to escape through to
the interior of the cylinder on quitting the pulp or paper matter, which it
leaves in the form of a sheet upon the upper part of the cylinder; the lower
portion of the main cylinder being situated in a cistern of clear water, in order

page_text: by its rotation to become free from any small pieces of pulp. The particular
manner of forming the main cylinder C, C, constitutes one of our present im-
provements, as will be hereafter explained with reference to the Figures 3, 4,
and 5, upon the annexed Drawing. The sheet or web of newly-formed paper is
carried forwards by the main cylinder C, C, until it meets with the surface of
the uppermost endless felt D, D, which passes over the couching roller E, and
is thereby pressed sufficiently into contact with the circumference of the
cylinder C, C, to cause the sheet of paper to quit the surface of the bars there-
upon, and adhere to the surface of the felt. The upper felt D, D, is formed
endless, and is distended (by the aid of the screws and nuts which carry the
centers of the couching roller) between the couching roller E and the upper-
most roller of the dry press G. The lower side of the felt passes in its course
in the direction shewn by the arrow in Fig. 2, between the rollers of the wet
or first press F. H, H, represent the lower endless felt. It is distended
over a small roller I at one end, which turns on an axis supported by the
frame K, K, and round the lower roller of the dry press G at the opposite end,
the upper side passing in its course along with the under side of the upper felt D,
through between the rollers of the wet press F. The uppermost roller of the
wet press is supported or borne up at each end by a screw h, which is affixed
to its brasses, in order to regulate the pressure upon the felts and paper at
pleasure. The dry press G is provided with a screw i, which bears upon its
upper brass so as to enable the workman to force the rollers G together, and
press the felts and paper between them in a sufficient degree to enable the
sheet of paper to be taken off or parted from the felt immediately on quitting
the dry press, in order to be reeled or lapped upon the vane L, which, when
full, is removed along with the paper from the machine, and an empty vane
substituted in its place. The two pairs of rollers of the presses F aid G are
mounted in bearings in a strong metal frame M and N, which has a projecting
arm n from it, serving the carry the axis of the paper reel or vane L. This
frame is usually firmly bolted to the floor of the mill; but the frame K, K,
which supports the axis of the main cylinder C, C, couching roller E, and
roller felt roller I, is not generally fixed immoveably to the floor, but is mounted
upon vertical legs or levers, having joints at top and bottom, such as are
represented, P, P, in Fig. 2. The lower joints of these legs are attached or
hinged to pieces affixed to the floor, so that the entire frame K, K, with the
main cylinder and appendages upon it, has the power of being agitated or shook
by means of a small crank or other shaking apparatus, such as is at present
employed in paper machines, in order to cause the water to quit the paper pulp
with greater facility. R represents a small roller, which is mounted upon an

page_text: axis turning in bearings in the under side of the frame K, K, beneath the
roller I. The brass of this roller is provided with a screw m, in order that the
upper surface of the roller R may be made to press in contact with the lower
felt H, H, as it passes under the roller I, and thereby squeeze or express the
water therefrom, and leave it sufficiently dry to continue the operation of the
machine. And to prevent any small particles of pulp or paper matter from
accumulating upon the felts, we usually apply one or more cylindrical brushes,
together with a jet of water, at any convenient part of the machine; which
said brushes, by being caused to revolve in contact with the felt, take away all
foreign substances from the surface thereof. The machine is supposed to be
put in motion by any adequate power applied to the axis of the lower roller of
the dry press G, and to be communicated to the paper reel L, to the wet press
rollers F, and from thence to the couching roller E, and main cylinder C, C,
by means of cog wheels or chains, as may be found most convenient; observing
that the circumference of the main cylinder C, C, the circumference of the
couching roller E, and the circumferences of the two sets of pressing rollers F.
and G, should be caused to move with one uniform velocity, in order that the
paper may be taken up regularly from the surface of the main cylinder, and
conveyed between the surfaces of the two felts D and H, through the wet and
dry presses F and G, and lastly brought out and wound upon the reel or
vane L. And in order to insure a good separation from the felt, we apply a
small roller marked w in Figure 2, which is adapted to turn upon pivots in
grooves or slitts in the frames, and bear with its weight upon the surface of
the sheet immediately on quitting the dry press G.
Figures 3, 4, and 5, upon the annexed Drawing, will serve to explain the
manner we have adopted of constructing our improved main drum or cylinder
for paper machines.
Fig. 5 is supposed to represent a section of part of the main drum, taken
parallel to its axes c, c. It is composed of a number of light wheels or rings
of arms C, C, C, which are fitted and keyed fast upon enlarged parts of the axis,
at about every five inches in length, throughout the entire length of the
cylinder. The two uttermost rings are made so as to project about 1 inches
in diameter beyond the intermediate ones, and have grooves truned out, as
shewn at d in the Fig. 5; and the middle rings are turned or shaped off at
their rims, as represented at e, e. In this state we provide a number of small
copper bars, about 3/8 of an inch in breadth, and the equal in length to the
cylinder, and of the form represented by the perspective Figure 4, that is,
having small nibs projecting from one of their sides at about every 3/4 or
inch in length, as may be desired. These bars we prepare by passing narrow

page_text: slips of copper or other fit metal through between the surfaces of a pair of
steel laminating roblers; one of which said rollers is properly cut or fluted on
its surface, to give the proper form of the small nibs on one side of the bars,
as seen at S, S, in Fig. 4, and the other roller is formed with an even and
plain surface. The bars being so prepared be lay them on edge by the side of
each other, as close together as the nibs S, S, will permit them to be laid,
so as to project in the direction of radii upon the circumference of the rings C, C,
at e, e, and their extremities being inserted into the grooves d in the exterior
of wheels, until the entire circumference of the main drain cylinder presents a
surface like a sieve, as represented by three of the bars laid together in Fig. 3.
The bars are then to be fixed by means of soft solder upon the edges of the
rims e, e, as seen at 9, 9, in Fig. 5, so as to form a firm and even surface,
adapted for the paper pulp to flow over and be taken off by the endless felt, as
before mentioned, the outer rims operating as deckles to prevent the pulp from
flowing over the ends of the cylinder to waste; and, in cases where it may. be
required, we employ one or more moveable deckles, bearing upon the circum-
ference of the main cylinder in the manner of a leather strap, extending in
contact with the surface from the part where the pulp arrives upon the cylinder
to the part where the sheet is couched by the roller E. The strap may be
fixed so as to bear at any required place upon the length of the main cylinder
to determine the width to which the pulp shall flow, and form the sheet or web
of paper. And when it is required to make wove paper by our improved
cylinders, we first prepare the cylinder the same as for laid paper, and after-
wards we trun a number of fine grooves by the side of each other upon the
circumference of the cylinder, thereby rendering its surface into small square
spaces adapted as a mould for making wove paper.
Having already described, with reference to the Figures upon the annexed
Drawing, an Invention of Improvements in Machinery for the Purpose of
Making Wove or Laid Paper in such a manner as to enable persons conver-
sant with works of a similar nature to put the same into practice, we do
hereby declare that we consider our present claim of Invention as confined to
the following particulars, viz. :-
First, the general new arrangement and combination of parts and apparatus
constituting an improved machine for making wove or laid paper as we have
represented it by the Figures 1 and 2 upon the annexed Drawing, without
claiming the detached parts thereof if in their uncombined or separate state.
Secondly, we claim as our Invention the improved method of making or
constructing the main drum or cylinder to be used in machinery for making
wove or laid paper, as herein-before described with reference to Figs. 3, 4,

page_text: and 5, upon the Drawing, and as composed of small bars or slips of copper, or
other suitable metal, formed with small nibs or projections out of one side, as
represented at S, in Figure 4, being arranged parallel to each other, side by
side, upon the circumference of a number of wheels or rims, and secured by
solder or otherwise to the said rims, so as when complete to form a drum or
cylinder of open or net work capable of being used as a main cylinder or cylin-
drical mould in paper machinery, observing that the form and proportions of
the above-described machinery may be varied according to the nature and
quality of the paper which is desired to be produced. The materials of which
the whole may be made may be varied according to the discretion of the work-
man employed in constructing the same, without departing from the intent
and object of the Invention, as herein-before described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Denison, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.
SAMUEL (L.S.) DENISON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of June, in
the year of our Lord 1825, the aforesaid Samuel Denison came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.