AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN A PART OR PARTS OF THE APPARATUS FOR MAKING PAPER BY MACHINERY
Year: 1830

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WILKS, of Blue Anchor Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
Millwright, and Machinist, one of the Copartners in the firm of Bryan Donkin
and Company, of the same place, Engineers, Millwrights, and Machinists, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His late Majesty King George the Fourth, by His Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of April now
last past, did give and grant unto me, the said John Wilks, His especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Jolin Wilks, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Wilks,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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, my Invention
of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN A PART OR PARTS OF THE APPARATUS
FOR MAKING PAPER BY MACHINERY;" in which said Letters Patent there is con-
tained a proviso, obliging me, the said John Wilks, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to
cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said John
Wilks, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained by
the following Specification thereof in writing, reference at the same time being
had to the annexed Drawings, in which said Drawings the same letters or
figures of reference are used to denote the same things wherever it has been
found practicable and convenient so to do, that is to say:-.
The nature of my said Invention consists in the application of a hollow
cylinder or roller of a peculiar construction in conjunction with other machinery
now in common use, and well known in many of the paper manufactories in
this kingdon, for the purpose of making paper, and the manner in which my
said Invention is to be performed as it regards the construction thereof, and
also its application to the making of paper, is as follows, that is to say:-I
make the said cylinder or roller of copper, brass, or any other fit material, but
I prefer copper. The length of the said 'roller depends upon and must be
determined by the greatest width of any sheet of paper which can be made by
the individual paper machine to which the said roller is intended to be applied;
as, for instance, it is known to paper makers that paper machines, such as are
commonly known, by the name of Fourdrinier's patent paper machines, (although
the term of Fourdrinier's patent has expired,) are made of various widths, and
consequently the width of each machine limits the width of the sheet of paper
to be made by that individual machine. But, by way of example, let it be
supposed that one of my said rollers is required for a machine which makes
paper of the width of fifty-four inches. In such a case I make my said roller
of the length of fifty-eight or sixty inches, so that each end thereof may extend
over or beyond each edge of the sheet of paper upon which it is laid. It is not
very material as it regards the effect to be. produced that the diameter of my
said roller should be made to any precise dimension; but I have found that
when its diameter was seven inches that-it answered very well, and I am not
aware that either an increase or decrease to a moderate extent in this par-
ticular dimension would be at all injurious or otherwise. 'It is necessary here
to state that I make my roller of a drawn copper tube, and as the art of
drawing copper, brass, lead, or other metal tubes or pipes is well known, I
need not particularly describe the process of drawing such, tubes further than
to state, that metal tubes are generally drawn upon cylindrical pieces of cast or
wrought iron or steel of any required length, turned and ground as truly cylin-
drical and as smooth as possible, and these cylindrical pieces are usually called
tribletts. The diameter of each triblett determines the internal diameter of
any tube which may be drawn upon it, and the diameter of the hole through

page_text: which the triblett with the tube upon it are made to pass determines the
external diameter of the said tube. In making my said. roller I use two
tribletts, which on account of their size. I make of cast iron. The diameter of
one of these tribletts which is first used. must be such as that its circumference
may be equal to or rather exceed the length of the roller intended to be made,.
and the length of the said first triblett ought to exceed by a few inches (or any
other quantity, at the discretion or convenience of the maker,) the circumference
of the other or second triblett,, upon which the said second triblett, the tube of
which I make my said roller, is to be finished. It is necessary for me here
also to state, that in making my said roller I employ the aforesaid tribletts in
the double capacity of tribletts for drawing the tube and as mandrils, in which
latter character they can be placed between the centres of a turning lathe, for,
the purpose herein-after described. In making one of my said rollers of the
length of fifty-eight inches, and its external diameter seven inches, I first
make use of a triblett of eighteen and three-quarter inches in diameter, and in
the second place I use another triblett of six and seven-eighth inches in dia-
meter. The sheet of copper of which I make my said roller is about one-tenth
of an, inch thick, and its length and breadth will be known with sufficient
accuracy from what I have herein-before mentioned, and by now stating that
as in making my said roller the said sheet of copper is twice made into a tube,,
that is, it is drawn once on the first or larger of the herein-before mentioned
tribletts,. and then again drawn upon the second or smaller of the said tribletts,
and in each of these operations of drawing I find by experience that the copper.
tube is lengthened or drawn out about two and a half inches. Thus, it will be
clearly understood that the sheet of copper of which any said roller is intended
to be made ought to be in the first instance long enough to form a tube by
having its end hard soldered or brazed together in the usual manner, and to be
then drawn upon the larger triblett, and that its breadth should be such after
making the proper allowances for waste at one end (which waste is unavoidable
in the operation of drawing), and for the lengthening of the tube in drawing,
as will make the length of the tube made by drawing it upon the larger of the
said tribletts rather more than equal to the circumference of the smaller one.
Having in the manner herein-before described formed and drawn the said
copper tube upon the larger .triblett, I cause the said triblett with the said
tube yet remaining upon it to be put into a. turning lathe, and if on examina-
tion the surface of the copper tube be not then found truly cylindrical, I make
it so by turning, filing, or grinding. This being. effected, I proceed by turning
to cut a. number of grooves in the surface of the said tube throughout its length,
inaking about eight grooves in every inch; the said grooves are one-sixteenth

page_text: of an inch in width, and I cut them to the depth of half the thickness of the
copper, and the said grooves are cut with a rectangularly-shaped tool, so as to
make the bottom of each groove parallel with the axis of the tube, and the
sides of the said grooves at right angles with the said axis; consequently an
annular space or rib of copper is left between every two of the said grooves, so
as to form a succession of ribs and grooves throughout the whole length of the
said tube. I find it to answer equally well in practice, if, instead of making so
many distinct grooves round the said tube, a continuous groove be cut, in a
manner similar to that employed in cutting screws by engines used for that
purpose, so that the ribs between the grooves would resemble the threads of a
screw. In this manner one or more such ribs or threads may be made for
every revolution of the said tube, like a double or treble threaded screw, but
I prefer making it with a single thread. After cutting the aforesaid grooves, I
carefully smooth off the edges of the ribs or threads by a fine-cut file or other-
wise, so as to remove all such rough parts as would, if allowed to remain, cause
the pulp or stuff of which paper is made to adhere to thein and becomie
injurious.
Having proceeded so far, I in the next place and in the usual manner, well
known to tube drawers, remove or pull off the said tube from the said larger
triblett, and with a saw I cut the said tube open from end to end through the
part that was joined by brazing, and having softened the copper by the usual
process of annealing it, I unbend it and reduce it again to a flat sheet. From
the description herein-before given it will be understood that I must now have
produced a sheet of copper having one of its sides grooved or fluted throughout
in the direction of its length. I now proceed to form the said sheet into
another tube, and to draw it upon the second or smaller triblett, and in doing
so I first carefully straighten both edges of the said sheet, making it at the
same time of the proper width, and taking care that each edge shall terminate
about the middle of one of the ribs, and not in one of the grooves, so as that
the edges which are to be united to each other by brazing or hard soldering
may be as thick as possible, which would not be the case if the edges termi-
nated in the grooves, where the copper is but half the thickness. In making
the said sheet of copper into a tube the second time, I turn it up in the con-
trary direction, that is, its edges are brought together and not its ends, as when
it was first made into a tube, by which means the ribbed side of the copper is
now turned inwards and the smooth side outwards, and the said ribs and
grooves are now laid in the direction of the length of the said tube, and parallel
or nearly so with its axis. Having drawn the said tube upon the said smaller
triblett, I place the said triblett together with the tube in a turning lathe, and

page_text: in a similar manner to that
which I cut the grooves herein-before described,
I proceed to cut similar grooves in the surface of the now smaller tube, with
this difference, namely, that instead of eight in an inch I now make twenty-
four, so that the width of each of the grooves and of each rib is only the forty-
eighth part of an inch. I do not, however, confine myself to any precise
number of ribs in a given space, nor to any particular width either of the said
ribs or of the said grooves, as these must be left to the choice of the paper
maker by whom my said roller is intended to be employed. These last men-
tioned or second set of grooves I also make to the depth of half the thickness
of the copper, or in other words, I cut them to such a depth as to make the
grooves on the outer side of the said tube meet those which are in. the
inner side; and from what I have herein-before said, namely, that the first-
mentioned set of grooves in the interior surface of the said copper tube.
having been made to run in the longitudinal direction of the said tube, and
that the second set of grooves have been cut in a transverse direction round
the exterior surface of the said tube, it will be manifest that the two afore-
said sets of grooves will cross cach other at right angles, or nearly so; and
that if the operation has been properly performed, it will be found that
where the grooves on the outside cross those on the inside the whole sub-
stance of the copper has been removed, and that so many holes have been
made, and in effect leaving a series of straight copper ribs on the interior
surface of the said tube crossed by another series of ribs coiled round them
ou the outside, all securely and firmly united together, and forming a kind
of cylindrical sieve. Before I remove the said tube or pull it off the triblett,
I carefully round off with a smooth cut file the sharp and rough edges of all
the ribs, making the exterior edge of every rib nearly semicircular, and as
smooth as possible. At each end of the said tube I leave an annular space of
the copper, of about three quarters of an inch in width, without any grooves
cut in the outer surface thereof, for the purpose of more securely fixing or
attaching the said tube to two brass rings, which are herein-after described.
I now pull the said tube off the triblett, and in each end thereof I fix a brass
ring, with arms and a central pivot therein, so as to form it into a roller, the
manner of doing which will be better understood by reference to Fig. 1 and 2
in Sheet 1 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
A, A, in Fig. 1 and 2, are portions of the ribbed copper tube (the manner
of making which has been herein-before described), shewing the direction in
which the two sets of ribs run. Fig. 1 shews the exterior, and Fig. 2 the
interior surface of the said roller or tube. b, b, and b, b, in these Figures,
shew the plain part at each end of the said tube where it is fastened to the

page_text: brass rings C, C, by rivets or screws. C, C, are. the rings, with arins and a
centre piece in each, in which said centre piece is fixed the iron pivot or
arbor B. One such pivot is fixed by rivetting it in each of the said centre
pièces of the said rings, as is shewn at c in Fig. 2, so that both the said pivots
shall be concentric with the said rings, and have one-common axis with..each
other and with my said roller. At a and a there is a groove turned in each
of the said pivots, for the purpose of suspending a weight by a hook. thereon;
in order to increase the pressure of the said roller upon the paper whenever it
may be found requisite so to do. Fig. 3 is an end view of my said roller, in
which is shewn the copper tube and its internal ribs, as at A, A; the brass
ring C, C, the arms D, D, D; D, the centre piece E, and the pivot B. Fig. 4
shews a section of the said ring, arms, centre piece, and pivot, so obviously as
not to require further description.
:
I will now proceed to describe the manner in which my said roller is
applied to or employed upon a machine for making paper, and for the better
illustration of which I have in the herein-before mentioned Sheet 1 of the
annexed Drawings exhibited two sketches of the most prominent parts of &
machine for making paper, the said machine being constructed upon the
principle of those commonly called and known by the name of Fourdrinier's
patent paper machines. Fig. 5 is a plan, and Fig. 6 an elevation or sec-
tional view of the said machine, in which F, F, F, &c. is the cast-iron frame
of the said machine; G, G, is the vat; H, H, H, the first or wet press
rollers; I, I, I, the second or dry press rollers; the dotted circles J, J, shew
the situation of the reels. K, K, is the breast roller; c, c, c, &c. are the small
rollers for supporting the wire on which the paper is made; d, d, d, &c. the
ruler bars, to which said ruler bars the shaking. motion is communicated;
e, e, one of the deckles; f, f, f, a deckle strap; 9: 9, 9, are two short ruler
bars, which do not partake of the shaking motion. To each of these bars I
have fixed a small brass carriage, as shewn at h, h, in the plan and h in the
section; these said two brass carriages are for the purpose of retaining and
keeping my said roller in a proper position. The upper end of each of the
said carriages h, h, is of a forked shape, and the pivots B of my said roller
are made to turn in the cleft of the said forked carriages in such a manner
that my said roller may be prevented from having any lateral motion, but at
the same time be allowed a free motion upwards and downwards, and so as
that the whole of the weight of my said roller may be borne by the endless
web of wove wire upon which the paper is made. My said roller is shewn
at L, L, in which situation it lies upon the surface of the said web of wove
wire. The relative situation of my said roller E and the roller b, above-which

page_text: my said roller lies, is shewn in' the Drawing, by which it will be seen that the
axis of my said roller L lies a little on one side of the axis of the roller b,
that is, I place my said roller L so as that its axis shall be about an inch
more distant from the vat G than the axis of the roller b. Hence it will be
also understood that whenever the said endless web of wire is put into motion,
it will cause my said roller L to revolve upon its surface, and that when any
sheet of paper is made upon the surface of the said web the said sheet of
paper will pass together with the said web of wire below the surface of my
said roller, and thus the said sheet of paper, which in this part of the opera-.
tion is yet in a wet and pulpy 'state, becomes compressed by the weight of my
said roller, and freed of a considerable quantity of water, and the fibres of the
pulp or stuff of which the said sheet of paper is composed are rendered more
compact and made to adhere more firmly together, and in this state the said
sheet of paper is less liable to be injured on its passage between the first or
wet press rollers H, H. The uses of my said roller, or the effects to be
produced by it when made in the manner herein-before described, are not
only to press out a portion of the water from and give to the 'said sheet of
paper a greater degree of consistency, but it may occasionally be employed to
give to the said sheet of paper somewhat the appearance of having been made
upon a mould such as is well known to paper makers by the appellation of a
laid mould.
I hereby further declare that my said Invention consists in the cylindrical
part of my said roller'; when the said cylindrical part is formed of a sheet of
copper, brass, or other fit material grooved on both sides, in the manner herein-
before described, and when, in consequence of the said sheet of copper or
other material having been so grooved, two sets or series of ribs have been
produced or formed crossing each other at right angles or nearly so, leaving
all the said ribs on one side of the said cylindrical part securely united to all
the said ribs on the other side thereof by the natural cohesive force of the
solid metal or material of which the said cylindrical part may have been made,
and when the said grooves have been so made as to meet each other from
both sides of the sheet of metal of which the said cylindrical part is coinposed,
and thus causing perforations or holes to be made completely through the
metal at all the intermediate spaces between the said ribs where one set or
series of the said ribs crosses the other. A similar effect may be produced
by cutting grooves in a sheet of copper or other metal previously to its being
turned up into the shape of a cylinder or roller, so as to answer the purpose
equally well; but in my opinion the operation of making the said grooves

page_text: is performed better and with more facility by the method herein-before
described.
And I further, declare that my Invention also consists in the application of
a roller or cylinder having its cylindrical part made in the manner herein-
before described in conjunction with or in aid of any of the well-known
machines. now in use for making paper. I sometimes employ two such
rollers on the same paper machine, placing the second.roller near to the first,
in the situation shewn. by the dotted lines at i, i, i, in Figs.. 5 and 6 in Sheet 1
of the annexed Drawings.
.
I now proceed to describe another application. of. my said Invention in the
construction of a hollow-cylinder to the purpose. of making paper when the
said cylinder is used in conjunction with or applied, to one of the machines for
making. paper herein-before mentioned. In this case the said cylinder is
applied to the said machine in. the situation as shewn at L, L, in Figs. 1 and 2
in Sheet 2 of the said Drawings; the said Fig. 1 is an elevation, and Fig. 2
is a plan of a paper machine, the principal parts of. which are shewn in a
similar manner, and marked with the same letters or figures of reference
as those in. Fig. 5 and 6 in Sheet 1 of the annexed Drawings.. In Sheet 2
of the said Drawings the several Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are herein-after
referred to in order to explain the manner in which the said cylinder is
constructed. In Fig. 3, I have shewn two parts of the said cylinder, and
also a portion of a round hollow axle upon which the said cylinder is made
to turn. Fig. 4 is an end view of the said cylinder, in which one of the brass
rings, its arms, and centre piece or boss are shewn, as also a section of the
aforesaid hollow iron axle. These two said Figs. 3 and 4 are drawn to the
full size, but the diameter of the said cylinder may be made larger, at the dis-
cretion and convenience of the maker. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal and sectional
view of the said cylinder, shewing the form of the before-mentioned hollow
axle and other parts, herein-after described, and which said parts are affixed to
the said hollow axle in the interior of the said cylinder. The aforesaid Fig. 5
is a section taken through the line k, k, in Figs. 6 and 7. Figs. 6 and 7 are
transverse sectional views of the said cylinder; Fig. 6 is a section taken on
the line 1, 1, in Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a section on the line m, m, in Fig. 5.
I make the aforesaid cylinder of two copper. tubes, an inner and an outer one;
the internal diameter of the outermost tube must be made to correspond with
the exterior diameter of the inner tube, so that when both the said tubes have
been finished in the manner herein-after described, the outer one may be
slipped over or. upon the inner one, so as that the said inner tube may forin a

page_text: lining to the said outer tube. Previously to making the said inner tube, I cause
the sheet of copper with which I intend to make the same to be punched full
of. holes, as is shewn in Figure 3 in. Sheet 2 of the aforesaid Drawings ; a
portion of the said perforated inner tube is shewn uncovered at K, K, K, as
seen on the outside, and another portion of the said inner tube is shewn at
L, L, where the inside of the said tube is seen. In the same Figure 3, two
portions of the outer tube also are shewn as at M, M, and N, N; the former
is an external and the latter an internal. view of the same. The said Figure 3
also shews that the said exterior or outer tube is grooved and ribbed in the
same manner as the smaller tube herein-before described; and I make the
number of rows of holes in the said inner tube (by which I mean the rows
which run in the direction of the length of the said tube) to correspond with
the number of ribs or grooves on the inside of the aforesaid outer tube, and I
make the holes in each of the said rows so that every hole in one row shall
be opposite to the middle of the space left between two holes in the next row,
as will be evident on inspecting Figures 3 and 4. The distance from hole to
hole in each row is the same as the distance between the rows. The diameter
of each of the said holes should somewhat exceed the width of each rib on the
inside of the said outer cylinder, and it is desirable, although difficult to
accomplish, that every groove in the inside of the, outer. tube should 'fall
immediately over. a row of holes in the inner tube, for the. purpose of
admitting water to flow through both as freely as. possible. Having punched
the holes in the aforesaid sheet of copper, I form the same into a tube
of the required dimensions in the usual manner practised by tube drawers.
Having made the said inner and outer tubes in the manner herein-before
described, I put the one over the other, and I find this operation is facili-
tated by previously cooling the inner tube as much as possible and beating
the outer one. At each end. of the said tubes I leave a plain. part, as at
n, n, and n, n, in Figure 3, in which said plain parts there are no holes
in the inner tube, and grooves only on the inside of the outer tube. These
plain parts are for the purpose of securely fixing the said tubes or cylinder
upon the brass ends of the said cylinder, one of which ends is shewn in
Figure 4 in Sheet 2 of the said Drawings, in which O, O, is the brass ring, the
outer edge of which is turned and made cylindrical, so as to fit tight into
the inside of the end of the said tubes or cylinder. On the inside of each of
the said brass rings are formed four pieces projecting inwards towards the axis
of the cylinder, the situation of which are shewn at a, a, a, a, in Figure 4, and
two of the said pieces are shewn at a, a,, in section, Figure 3, of the said

page_text: Drawings. In Figures 3 and 4, b, b, &c. is a brass ring, having four arms
cc cc,&c., and the boss or centre piece d, d. The outer edge of the last-
mentioned ring is also turned cylindrical, and of such a diameter as that the
said 'ring shall correspond to and fit the interior of the hereini-before mentioned
ring o,o; in this situation the two said rings are securely held together by four
screws, which are shewn at 9, 9, 9. g, in Figure 4, and two of the said screws
are represented 'by the dotted lines at g, g, in Figure 3. e, e, in Figure 4
shews a section of the hollow iron axle upon which the said cylinder is made
to turn. The outside of the said axle is made truly cylindrical, so as to pass
through and fit;the circular holes in the bosses or centre pieces d. d, of the
said rings and arms at each end of the said cylinder. Thus, it will be under-
stood that if the said hollow axle be fixed so as that it could not be turned, the
'said cylinder would be capable of having a rotary motion given to.-it round
the said axle, by which it is supported, and when the said cylinder with its
hollow axle are applied to the paper machine, as before mentioned, I fix the
said hollow axle by means of two screw clamps, such as are shewn at min
Figure 1; and at m, m, in Figure 2, in Sheet 2 of the Drawings. To one end
of the said cylinder; as, at P, in Figure 3, I attach a cog or toothed. wheel,
by which means I am enabled to communicate a rotary motion to: the said
cylinder, so as that the velocity of the external surface thereof shall, be thie
same as that which is given to the web of wove wire as nearly so as is
practicable; that is, the velocity of the surface of the said cylinder over
which the said web of wove wire is made to pass should correspond as nearly
as possible to the velocity of the said web, otherwise a rubbing would be
occasioned between the two, by which one or both would become worn or
injured. As the means of communicating motion from one axle or wheel
to another, so as to procure any required velocity in the one to be moved, are
so various and so well understood, I need not give a particular description
thereof, and it would be impossible to describe such means as would be
applicable in every case. In Sheet 2 of the annexed Drawings, Figure 5 is a
longitudinal and sectional view, and Figures 6 and 7 are, as is herein-before
stated, two transverse sections of the said cylinder; intended to shew the form
and relative situation of certain apparatus which is employed in the inside
of the said cylinder; but that the reader may better understand the description
I shall herein-after give of the said apparatus; I will first state generally what
is the effect to be produced by the said cylinder when applied to one of the
paper machines herein-before mentioned. It is well known to those who
employ such machines as I have herein-before mentioned, that the paper stuff

page_text: or pulp is allowed to run from the vat G (see Figure 1 in Sheet 2 of the
annexed Drawings). from whence it flows on to the surface of the endless
web of wove wire whilst the said web is in motion. The red lines, as shewn
nt o; o, o, &c. in the said Figure 1, shew the course in which the said web
moves or circulates, and the small arrows near the said lines point out
the direction in which the said web moves; and it is also known that the said
web of wove wire operates as a sieve, and separates to a certain degree the
pulp from the water with which it is previously mixed, that is, the water falls
through the meshes of the web by its natural gravity only, leaving the pulp
still in a very wet state to be carried forward in the shape of a sheet of paper
upon the surface of the said web until it arrives at the first pair, of pressing
rollers H, H, between which both the said web and sheet of wet paper are
made to pass in order that another portion of the water yet remaining in the
said sheet of paper may be squeezed or pressed out; and it is likewise known,
particularly in making thick paper, that the said paper is frequently injured.on
its passing between the said first press rollers by becoming water-galled.. Now;
the effect intended to be produced by the introduction of the said cylinder, is
to cause the abstraction or discharge of a greater quantity of water from the
said sheet of paper than would be discharged by the gravitating tendency of
the water only; and the expedient by which the said effect is produced is 'the
making of a partial vacuuin. on the lower side of the said web of wove wire
whilst the wet sheet of paper lies on the upper side thereof, so as to cause the
weight of the atmospheric air to press the water from the paper and through
the wire. By inspecting Figure 1, in Sheet 2 of the Drawings hereto annexed;
it will be understood that the upper part of the said revolving web of wire
which is supported by the aforesaid small rollers c, c, c, &c. &c. lies or moves
in a horizontal plane, or nearly so, until it arrives at the said cylinder L, over
the tipper surface of which a portion of the said web is made to bend, and, that
the said web in passing from the said cylinder towards the aforesaid first pair of
pressing rollers H, H, moves in an inclined plane (the measure of the angle of
inclination of the said plane, and how that is to be determined, will be herein-
after explained). I may here also state, that the said cylinder, together with
its internal and other apparatus, herein-after described, constitute the means by
which, the "herein-before mentioned. partial vacuum is to be produced. In
Figures 5, 6, and 7, in Sheet 2. of the annexed Drawings, are shewn the
apparatus which is applied in the interior of the said cylinder by fixing or
attaching the same to the before-mentioned hollow axle. e, e, in Figure 5, is
a longitudinal view of the said axle; and.e, e, in Figures 6 and 7, are trans

page_text: verse sections of the same, taken upon the lines l, l, and m, m, in Figure 5,
respectively. a, a, a, a, in Figure 5, and a, a, in Figures 6 and 7, are the
cylinder, which as has herein-before been explained as being. formed of two
tubes; one perforated, and the other grooved or ribbed, in the manner herein-
before described. b, b, b, b, in Figure 5 are the two ends of the said cylinder,
a description of which has herein-before been given, and which said ends are
shewn of the full size in Figures 3 and 4. For the sake of brevity, I have
now called the before-mentioned rings o and 6, the arms c, and the centre piece
or boss d in their compound character the ends of the said cylinder. In order
to prevent the said cylinder from moving or shifting endways upon the said
hollow axle, I fix two metal collars upon the said axle (as shewn at p, p, p, p,
in Figures 5 and 3, so as that the said cylinder may be turned freely between
them. In Figures 6 and 7 is shewn the section of a wooden trough, which I
shall herein-after call the vacuum trough), of which d, d, and d, d, are the sides,
and c, c, the bottom. The ends of the said trough aro shewn at ff, in Figure 5,
in which is also shewn the bottom c, c. To the bottom of the said trough I
affix two cylindrical brass pins 9. 9, of about an inch in diameter, by making
the upper end of each pin pass through the bottom of the said box, and
fastening the same by means of the screw nut, as shewn at h, h, in Figure 5,
and at h, in Figure 7; and by inspecting the said Figures it will be seen that
near the upper end of each of the said pins there is a collar, as at o, o, and o,
and that by means of the said screw nuts and the said collars the said pins
may be securely fixed to the bottom of the said trough. These said two pins
require to be about six inches and a half long, and the lower end of each is
made to pass through the said hollow axle, in the mauner and in the situation
represented in the aforesaid Figures 5 and 7. The holes in the said hollow
axle through which the said pins pass should be a little larger in diameter
than the said pins, so as to allow the said pins to move freely therein in the
direction of their length, but so as not to allow them to have too much lateral
shake or motion, or more than is necessary for allowing the said pins to move
freely in the aforesaid direction of their length. The said hollow axle when
made of cast iron may have those parts thereof through which the said pins
pass made of an appropriate shape, as shewn in the said Figures 5 and 7, to
which said parts I affix by screws two small brass cups, as shewn at j,j, in
Figure 5, and j in Figure 7, in which last-mentioned Figure 7, j is a section
of one of the said cups. At the upper end of each of the said cups there is a
flanche, by which they are fastened with screws to the under side of the said
hollow axle, as seen -at i, i, and i, in Figures 5 and 7. By an inspection of

page_text: the said Figures it will be seen that the said cups are so placed as that they
cover the lower ends of the said pins. In the bottom part of each of the said
cups is a short helical spring. These said springs must be of such a strength,
or possess so much elastic force when under a state of compression by having
the said pins pushed down upon them, that the said force should be equal to
raising the whole weight of the said vacuum trough, together with the pins
and other apparatus connected therewith, so as to keep the upper edges
of the said trough in close contact with the internal surface of the said
cylinder. The said springs are shewn in the bottom of each of the said cups
by the dotted lines at j, j, in Figure 5, and one of the said springs is shewn
at j. in Figure 7; it will also be seen, by the said Figures 5, 6, and 7, that
the upper part of the said trough (or the upper edges of the sides and ends
thereof) is of a corresponding shape to that of the interior surface of the said
cylinder. The upper edges of both the sides and ends of the said trough are
covered with leather, as represented in the Drawings. The edges of the wood
are shewn to be covered by leather, drawn down on each side of the pieces of
wood, and fastened thereto by small nails or tacks. The said leather is thus
applied for the purpose of bringing the edges of the sides and ends of the said
trough, of which the said leather now forms a part, into close contact with the
interior surface of the said cylinder, and also for the purpose of giving to the
said edges of the sides and ends of the said trough a smooth and soft surface,
over which the internal surface of the said cylinder may freely slide. Into
the inside of the said trough I introduce a copper pipe or tube, as is shewn
at Q. Q, in Figure 5, and also in Figure 6 and 7, in which last-mentioned
two Figures, Q and Q denote the place in the said trough occupied by the said
tube. This said tube has a number of small holes made in it throughout
its whole length, and the ends thereof may be left open, or they may be
partly closed.
To the middle of the last-mentioned tube I join the end of
another pipe or tube S, which is made to pass through a hole made for that
purpose in one side of the said trough; it is then bent, as is shewn at S, S, in
Figure 5, and made to lie in a direction nearly parallel with the said hollow
axle till it reaches beyond one of the said pins g to T, where it is again bent,
so as to pass through a hole made in one side of the said hollow axle, and
from the said hole it is conveyed along the inside of the said hollow axle,
and out at the end of the same, as is shewn by the Drawing, Figure 5. It is
through these two last-mentioned pipes or tubes that the air is intended to be
drawn from the vacuum trough, and for this purpose the outer end of the said
pipe S is connected with an air pump, and I prefer making the said air pump

page_text: with three working barrels, in order to procure a greater uniformity in the
state of the partial vacuum or state of exhaustion which it may be found
necessary to produce, in. the said vacuum trough.. As the construction of air
pumps; the nianner of applying such pumps for similar purposes, and of giving
motion to the same, are well understood by competent mechanics,.I need not
herein more particularly describe the same further than by stating, that the
size of the pumps and the number of strokes made thereby should be such as
to keep the state of the air in the vacuum trough of less expansive force than
the external air by about one pound to the square inch. It will be found,
however, that in making various kinds of paper, or in making the paper of
different widths upon the said paper machines, that the said variation in the
kinds and width of the paper will require a corresponding variation in the
state of the partial vacuum, and that consequently some of the well-known
expedients must be resorted to so as to enable the paper maker to increase or
diminish the exhausting effect of the said air punip at pleasure.
In Figure 5 of Sheet 2 of the said Drawings, m, m, are two moveable
partitions in the said vacuum trough, which are made of the same shape as
the fixed ends of the said trough, and to fit closely to the sides and bottom of
the same.
These two partitions are introduced for the purpose of limiting the
extent of the said partial vacuum to such a portion of the said vacuum trough
as lies or is included between them, and the length of the said portion will be
determined by the width of the sheet of paper intended to be made and (as
will be well understood by paper makers) the distance between the said two
partitions must be the same as that between the deckles of the paper machine,
so as to place each of the said partitions opposite to the deckle on the same
side of the paper machine. n, n, in the last-mentioned Figure is u brass
spindle, passing completely through the said vacuum trough, and the said
spindle is made to turn in two round bearings, shewn at f, f, that is, each of
the said bearings turns in a hole in the end of the said trough, through which
it passes; and at one end of the said spindle, as at r, as is shewn in the
Drawing, there is a square part, by which the said spindle may occasionally
be turned round to a certain extent, as is shewn in the Drawing at n, n; each
end of the said spindle is formed into a screw, the one a right-handed and the
other a left-handed screw. A female screw is cut in each of the said par-
titions m, m, so as that the screwed parts of the said spindle may turn in
the said partitions respectively. Thus it. will be understood that by turning
the said spindle in the proper direction the said partitions, may be brought
near to or further from each other. At one end of the said. vacuum trough is

page_text: a1
a hole U, made through the bottom thereof, into which hole the end of the
pipe T is introduced; and the said pipe is fastened to the said. trough. by means
of a flanche . The said pipe is made to pass through the upper side of the
said hollow axle into the hollow part of the said axle, through which it passes
(as is shewn by the dotted lines) beyond, the end of the said hollow axle. The
outer end of the said pipe is then bent downwards, as shewn at T, in Figure 6
of the last-mentioned Drawing. This last-mentioned pipe is for the purpose
of carrying off the water, which is, driven from the paper into the said vacuum
trough. In order to regulate the state of exhaustion in the vacuum trough,
the outer end of the said pipe T must be immersed in water contained in any
vessel most convenient for the purpose. Such a vessel is shewn at Y, in
Figure 6, in Sheet 2 of the said Drawings. By this means the water will
obviously be allowed to flow from the said vacuum trough through the said
pipe T, and over the upper end of the said vessel Y, whilst at the same time
the air will be prevented from entering the vacuum trough through the said
pipe T.
In Figure 7. Sheet 2'of the said Drawings, the line o, o, shews a portion of
the herein-before mentioned web of wove wire, and the manner in which it is
made to apply itself to a part of the surface of the aforesaid "cylinder; o 1
shews a part of the said web which lies or moves in an horizontal plane, and
2o shews that part of the said web which lies or moves in an inclined plane..
From what has been herein-before said in describing the construction of the
said vacuum trough, and the use to which it is applied, it will be clearly
understood that so much of the surface of the said cylinder as lies immediately
over the said trough should be embraced or completely covered by the afore-
said web; hence it will be seen that the width between the sides of the said
vacuum trough determines the angles of inclination of the inclined plane in
which the said web must move after it has passed over the said cylinder, and
also that the inside of one of the sides of the said vacuum trough must be in
a vertical plane, as represented by the line 3, 4, in the said last-mentioned
Figure. In Figure 1 of Sheet 2 of the said annexed Drawings, and imme-
diately below the said cylinder, is shewn the section of a wooden trough, which
when in use is filled with water. Along one side of the said trough I place a
copper pipe, a section of which colored red is shewn at x. The said pipe a is
of the same length as the said cylinder, and lies parallel therewith. The
distance between the said cylinder and the said pipe is about a quarter of an
inch, and in that side of the said pipe which is nearest the said cylinder there
is a number of small holes in a line with each other. The said holes are, made

page_text: about one-tenth of an inch in diameter, and about six holes in every incli
throughout the length of the said pipe; or instead of the said holes a thin
opening or slit may be made in lieu thereof. The said holes or slit are for the
purpose of permitting a number of jets of water or a thin stream of water to
be projected or thrown against the surface of the said cylinder, and thus the
said surface is continually washed during the operation of making paper.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Wilks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty.