IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRINTING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mather, of the Firm of Mather and Platt, of
Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRINTING TEXTILE
FABRICS."
Sealed the 9th April 1880, and dated the 23rd October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mather at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd October 1879.
.
WILLIAM MATHER, of the Firm of Mather and Platt, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Machine Maker. IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
PRINTING TEXTILE FABRICS."
"
The object of this Invention is to enable the operation of printing textile fabrics
to be carried on without the use of under cloths or 'greys" running with the
printer's blanket through the printing machine to prevent the blanket being soiled
with colour. By means of the improved washing apparatus hereinafter described
the blanket alone, without "greys," may be used, and the colour which soils the
surface of it in passing through the printing machine in an endless belt will be
effectually removed immediately on its leaving the printing machine, thereby
ensuring continuously a clean dry blanket.
The apparatus consists of a box or chamber through which the blanket is made
to pass. At the bottom of the box is a shallow water tight trough with a drain
outlet. A series of flat or round revolving brushes is made to act upon the surface
of the blanket in a horizontal position having an oscillating motion; a spirt pipe
of water or soap and water, or any cleansing fluid, supplies a jet at the places where
the brushes act so that the colour is removed from the surface by the combined
effect of the brushes and the jet of water or other fluid to carry it away.
The number of these brushes and jets of water may be increased at pleasure, and
as the blanket ascends through the box it meets a cleaner brush and fresh water.
The surface only of the blanket is operated on by the water, no saturation takes
place, and consequently very little drying is needed. After passing the last brush
the blanket is nipped between two strips of india rubber in issuing from the box
which remove all moisture from the surface. The drying is performed by passing
the blanket over one or more drying cylinders on its way back to the printing
machine in the usual way.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Mather in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd April
1880.
WILLIAM MATHER, of the Firm of Mather and Platt, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Machine Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
PRINTING TEXTILE FABRICS."
My Invention consists in improved machinery or apparatus for washing the
blankets used in printing textile fabrics, and in order that it may be fully under-
stood I will describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, reference being
had to the Figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section, and Fig. 2 is a front
elevation of my improved machinery for cleansing blankets used in printing textile
fabrics; a is the blanket which comes from the printing machine and enters the
washing machine over the guide rollers b, b, it then passes between the pressing
rollers c and the brushes d; the rollers c are caused to press the blanket against the
brushes by the screws k and hand wheels 1, the brushes revolve rapidly in either
direction; above the brushes & are spirt pipes e from which jets of water, soap
and water, or other liquid flow on to the blanket, and wet only the surface of the
blanket on which the colour is deposited; f; f, are two strips of india rubber which
remove the moisture from the surface of the blanket; g, g, are a pair of squeezing
rollers, and h is a sheet iron guard which prevents the brushes & from splashing the
cleaned blanket as it descends in front of the machine in passing to the drying
cylinders; i is a trough to catch the water that has been used for cleansing the
blanket. The mode of operation is as follows:-As the blanket passes through the
machine the brushes d in revolving remove the colour from its surface, and the jet
of water or other liquid which flows on to the blanket, combined with the action
of the revolving brushes, effectually removes all the colouring matter; the strips of
india rubber marked f, or the squeezing rollers g, or both the india rubber-and the
rollers together, remove the moisture from the surface of the blanket so that very
little drying is required.
On Sheet 2 a modification of my Invention is shewn.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of a machine; m is a large circular roller over which the
blanket a is drawn, and the revolving brushes d and water, soap and water, or
other liquid from the spirt pipes e act upon the surface of the blanket and cleanse
it in the manner described in reference to Figs. 1 and 2. In this case I use only
one scraper or strip of india rubber f and one squeezing roller g to remove the
moisture from the blanket, as the large roller m acts instead of the second scraper
and squeezing roller. In this machine the revolving brushes are moved towards
the roller m by the screws k and hand wheels l'to cause the requisite pressure on the
blanket. The brushes are caused to revolve in either direction by the large spur
wheel gearing into the small wheels y.
Fig. 4 is a machine almost similar in construction to Fig. 3, but flat brushes d²
are used instead of circular brushes. An oscillating motion is communicated to
these flat brushes d¹ by a large wave camo acting upon studs p fixed to the
brushes; the spirt pipes e act as before described. The flat brushes are pressed
against the blanket by screws and hand wheels similar to those used for putting
the pressure on the revolving brushes. The blanket enters the machine over the
guide roller b, and. when cleaned is conducted from the squeeze roller g to the
drying machine, and a trough i is provided to catch the water, as described in
reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described several methods
of performing the same, I declare that I claim, the washing of printer's blankets
upon which the colour has been deposited by wetting the surfaces only, and the
combination of machinery as shewn and described for effecting the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mather, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Ninth day of April, One thousand eight hundred and eighty.