CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SIZING, STARCHING, DRESSING, AND PREPARING WARPS FOR WEAVING FABRICS, AND ON THE MACHINERY AND APPARATUS THEREWITH CONNECTED
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FORRESTER, residing at Barrhead, in the County of Renfrew, Manager at
Levern Mill, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Victoria, by Her Letters Patent
under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the
Eleventh day of March, Eighteen hundred and forty years, in the third year
of Her Majesty's reign, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, did give and
grant unto me, the said William Forrester, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said William Forrester, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and
every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said William Forrester,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times hereafter during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-on-Tweed, my Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SIZING, STARCHING, DRESSING, AND
PREPARING WARPS FOR WEAVING FABRICS, AND ON THE MACHINERY AND
APPARATUS THEREWITH CONNECTED;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso that I, the said William Forrester, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,

page_text: to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calender
months next and immediately after the date of said Letters Patent, reference
being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Forrester, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
contained in the following description thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the Figures marked thereon, that is
to say:-
My said Invention consists in passing the yarns or warps, in being dressed
or sized, through a trough containing paste, dressing, or size, in a hot state, and
in keeping the threads from running into strands during that process, and
thereafter applying a brush or brushes for the purpose of smoothing the fibres
of the threads as they pass along to be dried, thereby combining the advantages
of hot sizing and of brushing in one process, whereby a greater amount of
work can be performed at less cost, whilst the warps are better prepared for
weaving, and which improvements can either be attached to any existing
dressing machine, or may be arranged when necessary in a framework of a
convenient structure. In order to illustrate the peculiarities of my Invention
I shall refer to a Sheet of Drawings hereunto attached, the same numbers of
reference being attached to the different views of the corresponding parts in
the different Figures.
Figure First, exhibits a longitudinal vertical section of a dressing machine
of one of the usual construction. Figure Second, a similar section of a
machine converted into a double beam machine, whereby two webs are
dressed in the same machine at one time. 1, the general framework of
the machine. 2, warp beams, from which the warp is being unwound. 3,
reeds, thro' which the warps pass, in order to keep the threads properly divided
when passing on to the bearing rollers 4, and which rollers receive the threads
from the reeds in equal distribution. 5, a trough made of copper, cast iron, or
any other suitable material, for containing the size or dressing in the usual
way. 6, a casing surrounding the outer surface of the trough, and being so
attached to the edges of the trough as to form an air-tight chamber, into which
steam, hot water, or other suitable fluid is caused to flow, whereby the size or
paste is kept to the necessary degree of heat, being 160° of Fahrenheit, or
thereby. 7, a roller, partly immersed in the hot size, receiving the threads
equally divided from the bearing roller, and so conducting them into the hot
size or paste. 8, rollers of copper, brass, or other suitable material, so placed
over the warp as to immerse it completely in the hot dressing or size, whereby.

page_text: 12. a
the air is expelled from the body of the threads, and the size or dressing is
caused to penetrate the whole body of each thread. One or more rollers may.
be used, as experience of the particular fabric shall point out. 9, the usual
paste roller of the dressing machine, over which the threads pass after emerging
from the hot size. 10, the roller commonly used in pressing out the super-
abundant dressing which is placed behind the central line, in order that
the workmen may have room to pick up any threads which break without
cross lifting. 11, the warp threads passing along in the usual way.
circular brush, of the usual construction for brushing and smoothing the
threads, but it is evident that sweep brushes may be used for the same
purpose. 13, heddles through which the threads pass, for the purpose of
taking the case when the successive beams are cut out. 14, the crown reed.
through which the warps pass, that they may be disposed in due order upon
the beam. 15, Fig. 2nd, a framework containing the heddles, reeds, beams,
and other apparatus necessary when two webs are to be dressed in the same
machine at one time. 16, an inch pipe for admitting the steam to the trough
casing 6. On the opposite section of the trough there is a half-inch pipe for
leading off the condensed steam; on the same side of the trough is a discharging.
pipe for the purpose of running off the dressing when the trough requires
to be cleaned; near to this in the casing is placed a safety valve for the purpose
of admitting air in the case of a vacuum being formed inside. 17, boards to
prevent the heat of the trough coming in contact with the cylinder brushes.
N.B.-I do not think it necessary to refer to any of the parts of the ordinary
dressing machine, exhibited in the Drawings, which are not necessary for the
illustration of my improvement.
Having thus described the various parts of the construction necessary for
accomplishing my improved method of sizing or dressing warps, I do not
claim as of my Invention any of the well-known parts of the dressing machine
or of the sizing trough. But I do claim,-
First, the passing of the warp threads into the trough in a uniform and fully
extended sheet, and in that position conducting them into the size trough by
rollers so disposed, that, whilst they accomplish a complete immersion of the
threads amongst the size or dressing, they, from their near approach to each
other, permit only a small length of the threads to be free from the last point
of contact of the one to the first point of contact of the other, thereby pre-
venting the threads from packing together, or drawing into strands.
Secondly, I claim the application of a brush or brushes for the purpose of
smoothing the fibres of the threads in emerging from the sizing trough whilst
they are in a hot state.

page_text: Thirdly, I claim the disposal of the threads singly, or at most in pairs, in
uniformly divided positions upon the weaving beam or roller, after having been
so sized; and,
Fourthly, I claim the adaptation of apparatus for sizing or dressing (or
dressing) two separate webs at the same time in the same machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Forrester, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Seventh day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty.
WILLIAM FORRESTER (L.S.)
Taken and acknowledged by William
Forrester, party hereto, the Seventh
day of September, Eighteen hundred
Inrolled the Tenth day of September, One thousand eight hundred and
forty.