IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF FLOOR CLOTH
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Walton, of Heatham House, Twickenham, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF FLOOR CLOTH."
Sealed the 18th November 1879, and dated the 4th June 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Walton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th June 1879.
FREDERICK WALTON, of Heatham. House, Twickenham, in the County of Middle-
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLOOR CLOTH."
80X.
The object of this Invention is the manufacture by improved methods of floor
cloth, the pattern of which has the appearance of granite or marble, and which is
not a surface pattern such as can be printed by blocks, but extends all through the
cloth from front to back, so that the pattern remains until the whole fabric is
worn through.
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 19th day of
December 1863, No. 3210, it is proposed to produce such a floor cloth by mixing
various colours of an oxidized oil composition, breaking the same into pieces of a
convenient size, and fixing the same onto canvas.
The difficulty of doing this without running together the pieces to be so combined
into a homogeneous sheet capable of withstanding wear is considerable.
According to my former Patent under which I endeavoured to compass this end
I used solidified oils, oxidized by exposure in thin films and made into cement, and
mixed with color and ground cork. The tenacity and intractability of such com-
pounds is such that the particles will not unite without much pressure, and it is
difficult to apply sufficient pressure without disturbing the form.
I now very much reduce these difficulties by employing in the production of
these fabrics a composition made by boiling oil at a high temperature, or by dis-
solving or softening the ordinary oxidized oil with naphtha, turpentine, or other
suitable solvent, and after the fabric is produced I impart to it the necessary hard-
ness by exposing it for a long time to a high temperature.
I also employ improved mechanism by means of a mechanical feeder. I distribute
the granulated material exactly and evenly over the surface of the woven fabric
which is to form the back of the floor cloth, to further ensure which I employ

page_text: straight edges or gauges at a set distance from the fabric, and I impart to these a
transverse motion whilst the fabric passes beneath them.
.
The fabric with the material thus spread upon it I then cause to pass beneath
two plano surfaces set at a slight inclination the one to the other.
One of these surfaces may be stationary whilst the other has a short recipro- 5
cating motion to and from the stationary surface imparted to it.
The fabric with the composition upon it enters between the surfaces at the end
when they are furthest apart, and leaves them when they most nearly approach
each other.
In the passage the composition receives successive pressures between these nearly
parallel surfaces, and is thus consolidated. Afterwards the fabric is passed between
rollers, which are so set as to apply but a moderate pressure, such as will further
consolidate without displacing the particles of the composition.
In order to lessen the tendency to spreading I roughen or indent the surfaces
both of the plane surface squeezers and of the finishing rollers.
]

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederick Walton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th
December 1879.
FREDERICK WALTON, of Heatham House, Twickenham, in the County of Middle-
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLOOR CLOTH."
sex.
The object of this Invention is the manufacture by improved methods of floor
cloth, the pattern of which has the appearance of granite or marble, and which is
not a surface pattern, such as can be printed by blocks, but extends all through the
cloth from front to back, so that the pattern remains until the whole fabric is
worn through.
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 19th day of
December 1863, No. 3210, it is proposed to produce such a floor cloth by mixing
various colours of an oxidized oil composition, breaking the same into pieces of a
convenient size and fixing the same on to canvas.
The difficulty of doing this without running together the pieces to be so combined
into a homogeneous sheet capable of withstanding wear is considerable.
According to my former Patent under which I endeavoured to compass this end
I used solidified oils, oxidized by exposure in thin films and made into cement, and
mixed with colour and ground cork. The tenacity and intractability of such com-
pounds is such that the particles will not unite without much pressure, and it is
difficult to apply sufficient pressure without disturbing the form.
I now very much reduce these difficulties by employing in the production of
these fabrics a composition made by boiling oil at a high temporature, or by dis-
solving or softening the ordinary oxidized oil with naphtha, turpentine, or other
suitable solvent, and after the fabric is produced I impart to it the necessary hard-
ness by exposing it for a long time to a high temperature.
I also employ improved mechanism by means of a mechanical feeder. I distribute
the granulated material exactly and evenly over the surface of the woven fabric
which is to form the back of the floor cloth, to further ensure which I employ
straight edges or gauges at a set distance from the fabric, and I impart to these a
transverse notion whilst the fabric passes beneath them.
Afterwards the fabric is passed between rollers which are so set as to apply but
a moderate pressure such as will consolidate without displacing the particles of the
composition.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe more
in detail the means by which I carry the same into practice.
The composition is best prepared in the following manner :-First, a cement is
made of which a certain proportion consists of linseed oil, boiled for many hours in
the manner well understood by makers of floor cloth at a temperature of about
500° Fahrenheit, until on cooling the oil becomes solid and assumes the appearance
of india rubber.
Oxidized oil however is the principal ingredient of the cement. This is prepared,
as is well known, by exposing a film of boiled oil spread upon a thin woven fabric
to the action of the air, and as each film dries another is laid on, until a thickness
of, say, a quarter of an inch is arrived at, and then the solidified oil with the fabric
on which it has been formed is ground up together.
The other ingredients of the cement are resin and Kowrie gum.
The following proportions are suitable :—

page_text: The cement is afterwards compounded with ground cork and with wood fibre as
it is prepared for the manufacture of paper, say, in the proportions:-
Cement
Cork dust
Wood fibre
23 lbs.
14 lbs.
7 Ibs.
The apparatus known as a radial mixer may be used to effect a thorough com-
bination.
Convenient quantities of this compound are then taken and mixed separately in
other sinaller mixers with pigments, ochres, chromes, and the like, to give the
shades of colors desired. The colored mixture is passed between rollers to reduce 1
it to a sheet, and the sheet whilst it rests upon the lower roller is torn into frag-
ments by revolving spikes carried upon a drum. The pieces which will pass
through a quarter inch sieve are fit for use, those of larger size are reworked. In
place of using thickened oil in the preparation of the cement to soften the oxidised
oil a solvent such as turpentine may be used. The following are suitable pro-
portions.
Kowrie gum-
1 3 0
The mixing vessel must be close and capable of withstanding some pressure, or
the mixing must be carried on at a lower temperature and for a longer time.
The different colored fragments having been prepared and sifted to a suitable
size they are mixed in proportions to give the pattern or effect desired. In this
state they are conveyed to the machine represented in section at Figure 1 of the
annexed Drawings. a, a, are a pair of rollers driven in any convenient manner,
and heated by the admission within them of steam of, say, 90 lbs. pressure; b, b,
are other similar but smaller rollers cooled by streams of water passing through
them; c is a roll from which the backing (which is a strong and very open fabric
made of jute) is drawn; d is a roller on which the floor cloth is wound as it is
produced; e, e, are guide rollers.
The materials being ready for rolling are placed in a hopper f, the bottom f¹ of
which is covered with wirework, and made to move alternately from side to side, or
upwards and downwards, which has the effect of bringing the granulated materials
down on to the canvas g. Or the hopper may be made to contain a number of
revolving arms, upon which are arranged cups which serve the purpose of loosening
the material, and also depositing the proper quantity upon the cloth.
The canvas g is supported upon an endless band or web h of very stout woven
fabric. This web is made to pass around the guide rolls and between the main
rolls in the direction shown on the Drawings. The object served by the web h is
to press the granulated material against the lower heated roll a so that it becomes
heated and closely knit and cemented together before reaching the grip of rolls.
The floor cloth is thereby rendered tough and solid without the necessity of pressing
the rolls so tightly as to disturb the pattern. The guide roller e adjacent to the
lower roller a is clothed with wire cards, and has a brake applied to it for tightening
the web to the degree desired. The form of the doctor employed for the purpose
for regulating the thickness of the granulated material or layer of fragments laid
upon the canvas is shown at i, i, and also at Figure 2, and to a larger scale by the
Figures 3, 4, and 5. Motion is given to these doctors by a crank or eccentric
(revolving at the rate of 200 revolutions per minute); a crank is preferred, as by
making the crank pin moveable the length of stroke may be varied. This form of
doctor lifting a triflc at each stroke allows the larger particles to pass under the
doctors more perfectly than if the doctors moved in a straight line, and at the same
time the material is more perfectly flattened. This form of doctor also allows of
the surplus material passing up an incline and over on to the back part of the doctor

page_text: into a trough which is there formed, as is shown, and from which trough the surplus
is removed by the attendant from time to time.
Other forms of doctors may be used, for example, such as shown at Figures 6
and 7, consisting of an endless metal band operating as a pair of straight edge
doctors, and kept in motion to aid in the equal distribution of the material. În
addition to the pressure of the endless web a series of rolls may be used, as
shown at Figure 8; or a shorter web may be used, in the form shown at Figure 9.
Although not shown in the Drawing, a steam heated chest from 5 to 10 feet long
should be arranged between the doctors and rolls for the purpose of heating the
granulated material previous to pressing it against the large roll. This steam
heated chest consists of steam plates placed under and over the travelling fabric,
with space between them to permit it to pass freely. The jaw press, as shown at k,
may also with advantage be used to give pressure and solidity to the material
previous to its coming into contact with the heated rolls. Both of the jaws are
heated by steam, and the upper one receives a rapid reciprocating motion, as is
shown.
After the fabric has passed the rollers a, a, it is taken through the pair of rollers
b, b, for the purpose of fixing and smoothing the finished article.
The floor cloth is afterwards hardened by hanging it for about two weeks in a
drying room, heated to a temperature of, say, 100° Fahrenheit.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. The manufacture of floor cloth by combining together and with a backing
fabric fragments of an oxidized oil composition, rendered sufficiently soft or
malleable by an admixture of thickened oil, or of a solvent, substantially as
described.
Second. The method of combining fragments to form a floor cloth by spreading
them out evenly on a fabric by reciprocating or moving edges or doctors, and con-
veying them around a heated roller, and applying a continuous or frequently
repeated moderate pressure whilst they are in contact with the roller, substantially
as described.
Third. The machine for the manufacture of floor cloth, substantially as described
and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Walton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
FREDERICK WALTON
FREDERICK WALTON (10)