IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING, FINISHING, AND LUSTRING YARNS AND THREADS OF SILK. COTTON. AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Medwin Hands, of Coventry, in the County
of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR DRESSING, FINISHING, AND LUSTRING YARNS AND THREADS OF
SILK. COTTON. AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Medwin Hands
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th October 1864.
I, RICHARD MEDWIN HANDS, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING, FINISHING, AND LUSTRING YARNS AND
THREADS OF SILK, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
One part of my Invention consists in the application of a machine or
apparatus that has heretofore, been used for dressing and lustring ribbons to.
the dressing, finishing, and lustring of yarns and threads of silk. Such.
machine consists mainly of a trough containing the sizing or lustring solution,.
into which a roller is partially immersed; immediately in contact with another
roller which obtains its motion from the same. The ribbon is caused to pass,
between these two rollers, wliich are covered with flannel or other suitable
material purposely to enable the ribbon to inibibe suflicient of the solution to.

page_text: make it of a proper stiffness; the ribbon is then passed over the surface of a
hollow revolving metal cylinder, heated by steam, gas jets, or heaters of metal,
and situated immediately in front of the trough, from which cylinder the
ribbon passes alternately under and over two or more stationary hollow metal
cylinders, also heated by steam, gas jets, or metal heaters, from the last of
which the ribbon is taken away to be made up in the usual manner.
In applying the said machine or apparatus to the dressing, finishing, and
lustring of silk yarn or thread, instead, of allowing the yarn or thread after
baving been treated with the sizing or lustring solution to pass over a con-
siderable portion of the surface of the heated revolving cylinder I cause it to
pass first in close proximity to but not in contact with a considerable portion
of the surface of the same, and then after passing over a wire or roller situated
near the said cylinder I cause it to come in contact with, a small portion only
of the surface of the latter, whereby the sizing or lustring material becomes
partially dried on the yarn or thread by the heat of the revolving cylinder
before the yarn or thread comes in contact with the same; and thus the
accumulation of such sizing or lustring material upon the surface of the cylinder-
is prevented Instead of winding the yarn or thread upon bobbins after
passing from the last stationary heated cylinder I wind the same upon skeleton
reels, from which it is taken in the form of hanks.***.)
Another part of my Invention has reference as well to the machine or
apparatus before described as to machinery or apparatus for sizing or dressing
yarns and threads generally. In such apparatus the yarn or thread has
heretofore either been passed through the bath containing the sizing or lustring
solution, or it has been passed between two revolving rollers, of which one was
partially immersed in the sizing or lustring solution as herein-before described.
By either of the above arrangements the yarn or thread retains too great a
quantity of the sizing 'ör lustring solution, even when, as is' sometimes, the
case, it is subsequently passed over' à sponge or between 'other' rollers for
removing a portion of the superfluous solution.
"
Now my improvement has for its object to remedy this defect, and consists
in causing the yarn or thread to pass over the upper portion of the circum-
ference of a roller, not itself immersed in the solution, but in contact, with
another röller that is partially immersed in the solution, such, first-named
roller, having, by preference, a rotary motion. imparted to it in the reverse
direction to that in which the thread is passing: By this means the sizing or
lustring solution is deposited. by the immersed roller upon the 'second-roller,
and by the latter upon the yarn or thread in the exact required quantity.
After passing from such upper roller the yarn or thread is then made'to pass

page_text: beneath, and in contact with a roller, board, or other similar suitable con-
trivance, covered with flannel or other suitable porous material, whereby that
portion of the surface of such yarn or thread that may not have come in
contact with the roller first mentioned also becomes coated with the sizing or
lustring solution that is deposited upon the board or roller.
Another part of my Invention consists in the employment of copper or tin
for the heated metal surfaces, for drying and lustring the. yarns or threads of
such colours that would be injured on coming in contact with heated iron
surfaces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Medwin Hands in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
MEDWIN HANDS, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Richard Medwin Hands, Her special licence that I, the said
Richard.Medwin Hands, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others, as I, the said Richard Medwin Hands, 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 MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
DRESSING, FINISHING, AND LUSTRING YARNS AND THREADS OF SILK, COTTON, AND
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Richard Medwin Hands, my executors or administrators, by ap instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to 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 Richard Medwin Hands, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is

page_text: to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
One part of my Invention consists in the application of a machine or appa-
ratus that has heretofore been used for dressing and lustring ribbons to the
dressing, finishing, and lustring of yarns and threads of silk. Such machine
consists mainly of a trough containing the sizing or lustring solution, into.
which a roller. is partially immersed, immediately in contact with another
roller which obtains its motion from the same. The ribbon is caused to pass
between these two rollers, which are covered with flannel or other suitable
material purposely to enable the ribbon to imbibe sufficient of the solution to
make it of a proper stiffness. The ribbon is then passed over the surface of
a hollow revolving metal cylinder, heated by steam, gas jets, or heaters of
metal, and situated immediately in front of the trough, from which cylinder
the ribbon passes alternately under and over two or more stationary hollow
metal cylinders, also heated by steam, gas jets, or metal heaters, from the
last of which the ribbon is taken away to be made.up in the usual manner.
++
In applying the said machine or apparatus to the dressing, finishing, and
lustring of silk yarn or thread, instead of allowing the yarn or thread after
having been treated with the sizing or lustring solution to pass over a con-
siderable portion of the surface of the heated revolving cylinder I cause it to
pass first in close proximity to but not in contact with a considerable portion
of the surface of the same, and then after passing over a wire or roller
situated near the said cylinder I cause it to come in contact with a small
portion only of the surface of the latter, whereby the sizing or lustring.
material becomes partially dried on the yarn or thread by the heat of the
revolving cylinder before the yarn or thread comes in contact with the same,
and thus the accumulation of such sizing or lustring material upon the surface
of the cylinder is prevented. Instead of winding the yarn or thread upon
bobbins after passing from the last stationary heated cylinder I wind the same
upon skeleton reels, from which it is taken in the form of hanks.
Another part of my Invention has reference as well to the machine or
apparatus before described as to machinery or apparatus for sizing or dressing
yarns and threads generally. In such-apparatus the yarn or thread has
heretofore either been passed through the bath containing the sizing or
lustring solution, or it has been passed between two revolving rollers, of
which one was partially immersed in the sizing or lustring solution as herein-
before described. By either of the above arrangements the yarn or thread
retains too great a quantity of the sizing or lustring solution, even when, as

page_text: is sometimes the case, it is subsequently passed over a sponge or between other
rollers for removing a portion of the superfluous solution.
Now my improvement has for its object to remedy this defect, and consists
in causing the yarn or thread to pass over the upper portion of the circum-
ference of a roller not itself immersed in the solution, but in contact with
another roller that is partially immersed in the solution; such first-named
roller having by preference. a rotary motion imparted to it in the reverse
direction to that in which.the thread is passing. By this means the sizing or
lustring solution is deposited by the immersed roller upon the second 'roller,
and by the latter upon the yarn or thread in the exact required .quantity:
After passing from such upper roller, the yarn or thread is then made to pass
beneath and in contact with a roller, board, or other similar suitable con-
trivance covered with flannel or other suitable porous material, whereby that
portion of the surface of such yarn or thread that may not have come in
contact with the roller first mentioned also becomes coated with the sizing or
lustring solution that is deposited upon the board or roller.
Another part of my Invention consists in the employment of copper or tin
for the, heated metal surfaces, for drying and lustring the yarns or threads:
of such colours that would be injured on coming in contact with heated iron
surfaces.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Drawing shews a sectional elevation of a
machine for dressing, finishing, or lustring. silk yarn or thread according to.
the first part of.my Invention. The yarn or thread, after passing between.
the rollers B, B, of which the lower one is partially immersed in the lustring
solution in the bath C, is conducted upwards, in close proximity to but not. in.
contact with the revolving heated metal cylinder D, and after passing over.
the pin or roller E is then brought in contact with a small portion only of;
the cylinder D, whereby the dressing or lustring solution is partially dried by.
the heat of the roller before such contact, takes place. The yarn or thread is;
then conducted over the surfaces of the stationary heated metal rollers F and,
G, the degree of tension of the thread being regulated by the adjustable
roller H. After becoming polished by such friction upon the heated metal_
surfaces, the yarn or thread is finally, wound up on the skeleten reel I, from:
which it is taken in the form of banks.
Instead of causing the yarn or thread to pass between the rollers B, B, in
order to coat the same with the lustring solution, it may be caused to pass
beneath a roller immersed in the solution, and upon emerging may be
brought in contact with a sponge or scraper to remove the superfluous.
solution adhering thereto, or the yarn or thread may be coated by means of the

page_text: arrangement described in the second part of my Invention, which is shewn at
Figure 2. Here the thread A is conducted first underneath the guide roller B,
and is then caused to. pass over the top of the roller. C, to which rotary
motion is imparted in the direction of the arrow. This roller is covered with
flannel or other absorbent material, and is in contact with the roller D partially
immersed in the lustring solution. As the latter is caused to revolve by the
roller C it carries up some of the solution and deposits it upon the surface of
the roller C, which in its turn deposits the solution upon the yarn or thread
A, which is travelling in the reverse direction to that of the roller, so that a
rubbing action takes place between the two, thus insuring the perfect coating
of the thread. The degree of contact between the rollers C and D is regu-
lated by the set screw E. After passing from the roller C the yarn or thread
is by preference conducted beneath a board or roller F covered with flannel
for the purpose of distributing the. solution taken up by the yarn or thread
uniformly upon its entire surface, and it is then caused to pass in contact with
heated metal surfaces, arranged either as described with reference to the first
part of my Invention, or in any other known manner. The yarn or thread
may also be conducted direct from the roller C on to the heated metal
surfaces without employing the board F.
.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in:
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
claim generally the arrangement of machinery or apparatus for dressing and
lustring yarns or threads of silk, cotton, and other fibrous substances in
which the yarns or threads are first passed through a lustring or dressing
solution, and then against one or more heated metallic surfaces, as I am well
aware that this process has before been described by Briggs in his Specifi-
cation, No. 857 of 1854, and by others; nor do I claim as my Invention any
of the various details of the before-described machinery or apparatus when
taken separate and apart from their peculiar combination and operation as
described; but what I claim is,-
First, adapting the machine herein-before described as having been
hitherto used for the dressing of ribbons to the dressing and lustring of yarns
and-threads of silk_by_so arranging the same that the yarn or thread, after
passing from the lustring solution, is conducted for some distance in close
proximity to but not in contact with the heated revolving cylinder before
being brought in contact with the same.
Second, the construction and employment of machinery for dressing,
finishing, and lustring yarns and threads of silk, cotton, and other fibrous
substances in which such yarns or threads are caused to pass over the top of

page_text: a roller not itself immersed in the sizing or lustring solution, but which is in
contact with a second roller partly immersed in such solution.
Third, constructing the heated metal surfaces of copper or tin for drying
and lustring the yarns or threads of such colours that would be injured on
coming in contact with heated iron surfaces.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Medwin Hands, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
RICHARD MEDWIN HANDS. (L.S.)