IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Cochran, of the Firm of Cochran and
Hay, of Kirktonfield, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain,
Bleachers and Dyers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS."
Sealed the 15th December 1868, and dated the 18th June 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Cochran at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th June 1868.
I, ALEXANDER COCHRAN, of the Firm of Cochran and Hay, of
5 Kirktonfield, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Bleachers and
Dyers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to machinery for giving what is known as
the elastic finish to muslin and other woven fabrics, and comprises

page_text: improvements in the parts for moving clamping bars or equivalent
details further from or nearer to each other to suit different widths
of fabric and for stretching the fabrics transversely. The adjustment
for width is effected by pairs of bars fitted with racks, the individuals
of each pair of which gear on opposite sides of a pinion on a vertical
spindle, and which are carried on a bearer arranged to oscilliate about
a vertical axis coincident with that of the pinion. If the pinion is
held stationary during the oscillating motion that motion causes the
racks to vary the width apart of the holding details which tends to
tear the fabric, but such action is prevented according to the present
Invention by making the pinions of the several bearers oscillate with
the bearers. All the pinions are actuated simultaneously for adjusting
the width by means of a longitudinal shaft with bevil wheels on it
in gear with bevil wheels fixed to the several pinions. Two additional
bevil wheels are used, one on the longitudinal shaft and the other fixed
to a bearer or bar oscillating with the bearers, and when the adjustment
for width has been effected these bevil wheels (previously out of gear)
are put into gear and cause the requisite oscillating motion to be
imparted to all the pinions. The oscillating motion may be imparted
in the ordinary way, or it may be given by making the longitudinal
shaft oscillate. The ordinary stiff finish may be given by the same
machinery.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Cochran in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th December 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
COCHRAN, of the Firm of Cochran and Hay, of Kirktonfield, in
the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Bleachers and Dyers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Cochran, Her special licence
2

page_text: that I, the said Alexander Cochran, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Cochran, 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 FOR FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alexander Cochran, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and scals, should particularly 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 Alexander Cochran, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :--
My said Invention relates to machinery for giving what is known
as the elastic finish to muslin and other woven fabrics, and comprises
improvements in the parts for moving clamping bars or equivalent
details further from or nearer to each other to suit different widths of
fabric and for stretching the fabrics transversely. And in order that
my said Invention and the manner of performing the same may be
properly understood I have hereunto appended a Sheet of explanatory
Drawings to be hercin-after referred to, and representing a modification
of finishing machinery as fitted with my improvements.
Figure 1 is a plan of one end of the machine, and Figure 2 is a
corresponding longitudinal vertical section, whilst Figure 3 is a
transverse vertical section.
This machine in many respects resembles a machine for the same
purpose described in the Specification of certain Letters Patent granted
to me, and dated 19th December 1867 (No. 3612), and it will therefore
be unnecessary for me herein to describe any details, excepting those

page_text: ments.
The longitudinal clamping bars 1 are pivoted on pairs of trans-
verse breadthening bars 2, and the adjustment for width is effected by
means of the latter bars, which are formed or fitted with racks
gearing on opposite sides with a pinion 3 on a vertical spindle 4, and
which are carried on a bearer 5 arranged to oscillate about a vertical
axis coincident with that of the pinion 3. If the pinion 3 is held
stationary during the oscillating motion that motion causes the racks 2
to vary the width apart of the clamping bars 1, which tends to tear
the fabric, but such action is prevented according to my present
Invention by making the pinions of the several bearers (of which only
one 5 is shown in the Drawing) to oscillate with the bearers. All
the pinions 3 are actuated simultaneously for adjusting the width
apart of the clamping bars 1 by means of a longitudinal shaft 6, with
bevil pinions 7 on it in gear with bevil wheels 8 fixed on the spindles 4
of the several pinions 3. Two additional bevil wheels are used, one 9
on the longitudinal shaft 6, and the other 10 fixed to a bar 11 connected
by parallel rods 12 to the nearest bearer 5 so as to oscillate with the
bearers. The wheel or pinion 9 on the shaft 6 can be put into or out
of gear by means of a clutch lever 13, and after the adjustment for
width has been effected this wheel 9 (previously out of gear) is put into
gear, and the oscillating motion of the bearers 5 being communicated
by the rods 12 to the cross bar 11 and bevil wheel 10 is transmitted
by the shaft 6 to all the pinions 3. The oscillating motion may be
imparted in the ordinary way, or it may be given by making the
longitudinal shaft 6 oscillate. The spindle 4 of each pinion 3 is tubular,
being put over a vertical spindle forged in one piece with an open frame
14 and lower spindle 15 carried in bearings in a standard 16. The
bearer 5 is fixed down upon the open frame 14, and the longitudinal
shaft 6 passes through that frame which is made wide enough to allow
of the required oscillation. The ordinary stiff finish may be given
with the same machine on merely omitting the oscillating motion.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do
not restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated;
but that what I believe to be novel and original and claim as the

page_text: Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the constructing of finishing machinery with mek and pinion
breadthening bars and with engaging and disengaging gear to make
the pinions oscillate with the bars, substantially as herein-before
described.
T
..
breadthening bars and with engaging and disengaging gear to make
the pinions oscillate with the bars, substantially as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Cochuan, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of December in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Cochran, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of December in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
ALEX. COCHRAN. (L.s.)