IM- PROVEMENTS IN SPREADING OR DISTRIBUTING STARCH, GUM, AND OTHER SEMI-FLUID MATTERS.
Year: 1853

page_text: 82
LETTERS PATENT to George Hamilton, of Paisley, in the County
of Renfrew, North Britain, Bleacher, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN SPREADING OR DISTRIBUTING STARCH, GUM, AND OTHER
SEMI-FLUID MATTERS.'
Sealed the 13th February 1854, and dated the 31st October 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hamilton
at the Office of the. Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 31st October 1853.
I, GEORGE HAMILTON, of Paisley, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Bleacher, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPREADING OR DISTRIBUTING STARCH, GUM, AND
OTHER SEMI-FLUID MATTERS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an arrangement of apparatus for spreading
or evenly distributing thin layers of starch, gum, or other semi-fluid or
glutinous matters upon woven goods. During the ordinary starching
and finishing processes the starch is usually spread out by hand, with
brushes, or other manual distributing apparatus; but in this improved

page_text: plan the starch is deposited in a receiver or -feed box, having within
it a set of feeding or supplying-rollers. These rollers are made
to revolve in the mass of starch in this receiver, and they thus
lift and carry up thin films of the substance, and impress or distri-
bute it upon the surface of a large starching roller or cylinder
arranged to rotate above and in contact with the feed rollers beneath.
In this way this large cylinder receives an uniform coating of starch,
and the goods to be treated with the starch are then continuously
passed round guide rollers, and over and in contact with the upper
side of the cylinder. The piece being kept taught during its traverse in
this way the starch is evenly impressed from the cylinder on to the
fabric. A fixed brush is added to work upon the cylinder surface and
aid the spreading action. The pieces being attached together, end
to end, the process goes-on-continuously. The same apparatus,
perhaps slightly modified, is also applicable for spreading or distri
buting various matters on, other surfaces, such as gumis or colours, for
application to woven or other goods; the object, in all cases being
the substitution of a simple roller or cylinder arrangement for the
common manual apparatus, so as to obtain an equable distribution
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Hamilton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th April 1854.
i
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME
GEORGE HAMILTON, of Paisley; in the County of Renfrew, North. 2
Britain, Bleacher, send greeting
WHEREAS Her, most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,, by; Her
Letters: Patent,, bearing date the Thirty-first day of October, in the
year of our Lord. One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Hen reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and, suc- 3
cessors, giver and grant unto me, the said, George, Hamilton, Her
special license that I, the said George Hamilton, my executors,
L

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administrators, and assigns,, or such others as I, the said .George
Hamilton; 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 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 SPREADING OR DISTRIBUTING STARCH, GUM, AND OTHER
SEMI-FLUID MATTERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the.
said George Hamilton, by an instrument in writing; under hand
-and seal, 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.
un
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said, George Hamilton, 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, reference being had to the accompany
ing Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say)
My said Invention relates to arrangements of machinery, apparatus;
or. means to be used-for spreading or evenly distributing, thin layers of
starch, gum, or other semi-fluid or glutinous matters upon woven goods...
During the ordinary starching and finishing processes the starch is
usually spread out by hand, with the aid of brushes, or by other manual
distributing apparatus; but in this improved plan the starch is depo-
sited in-a receiver or feedbox, having within it a set of feeding cor
supplying, rollers. These rollers are made to revolve..in the mass of i
starch in this receiver, and they-thus-lift and carry up thin films of the
substance; and impress for distributer its upon the surface of a large-
starching roller or cylinder arranged, to rotate above and in contact:
with the feed rollers beneath In this way this large cylinder receives:
an, uniform coating of starch, and they goods to be treated with the
starch are then continuously passed round guide rollers, and over and
in contact with the upper side of the cylinder: The piece being kept
3

page_text: taught during its traverse in this way the starch is evenly impressed
from the cylinder on to the fabric. A fixed brush is added to work
upon the cylindrical surface and aid the spreading action. The pieces
being attached together, end to end, the process goes on continuously.
The same apparatus, perhaps slightly modified, is also applicable for
spreading or distributing various matters on other surfaces, such as
gums or colours, for application to woven or other goods; the object
in all cases being the substitution of a simple roller or cylinder
arrangement for the common manual apparatus, so as to obtain an
equable distribution at a cheap rate.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I
shall now proceed to describe the various Figures on the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto attached. Figure 1, on my Sheet of Drawings is
a side external clevation of one modification of starching apparatus,
constructed according to my Invention, as in complete working order
for the treatment of piece goods; Figure 2, is a corresponding plan
of the machine; and Figure 3, is a transverse section of the starch
supplying chest, with the supplying and distributing rollers attached.
The entire apparatus is contained within an open rectangular frame
work A of timber, fitted with numerous cross bars for carrying
the various details of the machine. On one side of this frame, and
at the lower part thereof, is a horizontal beam or roller B, on
which the fabric to be starched is beamed. This beam is carried
in end bearings in the frame, weighted frictional levers C being em-
ployed for giving the requisite retarding force to the cloth delivery as
it unwinds. From this beam the fabric passes, as indicated by the
arrows, over the first stationary tensional guide roller D, and descend-
ing from this roller it passes beneath a corresponding lower roller E.
From the roller E the fabric again passes upwards, and over the
roller F, and thence round the two other rollers G, and H, to the
roller I. The roller I runs in bearings fast to one of the main vertical
pieces of framing, and it directs the fabric well up to and upon the
surface of the large starching drum or cylinder J. This large drum,
which has a plain cylindrical surface of wood, is disposed near the
centre of the machine, with its spindle set in end bearings K, which

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are vertically adjustable, so as to be capable of raising and lowering the
drum at pleasure by means of the screws L. This drum has a regular
and uniform rotatory motion given to it from the driving strap M, work-
ing the fast and loose pulleys N set on the projecting end of the 'hori-
zontal first motion spindle O, directly beneath and parallel with the
drum. This spindle O serves to give motion both to the main drum J,
and the separate starching rollers of the starch chest P, which is a
fixture in the centre of the machine. The opposite end of the spindle O
has upon it a finely toothed spur wheel Q, gearing with and driving
corresponding upper and lower spur wheels R, S. The bottom wheel
S is fast on one end of the spindle of the bottom starch collecting
roller Tin-the starch chest. This roller delivers its films of starch to
the intermediate roller U, which is fast upon the driving spindle O, and
the starch so elevated is then conveyed from this intermediate roller U
to the surface of the upper roller 'V on the spindle of the wheel R.
The end bearings of all these roller spindles are contained in vertically
slotted pieces fast to the frame so as to be capable of adjustment, and
as the rollers rotate in concert with each other and with the main
drum the starch dislodged from the chest P by the lowest roller is
carried upwards, and finally distributed in a uniform film upon the sur-
face of the drum J, with which surface the upper roller V is in working
contact. As the starch is thus deposited in a continuous layer or film
upon the lowest part of the drum (for the time being), it is further
spread out upon the drum surface by the action of the stationary
brush W fast to the frame, with its bristles turned upwards to bear
against the drum surface, and smooth down the newly deposited starch.
This brushing action occurs just before the treated fabric is directed by
the roller I upon the drum surface. The upper spur wheel R acts as
the actual driver of the drum, being made to gear with the large spur
wheel X built up in segmental sections, and fast upon the projecting
end of the drum spindle. As the operation goes on each fresh incre-
ment of the unstarched fabric, as it is laid upon the drum surface, meets
a fresh film of starch, and as the fabric passes round with and over the
upper side of the drum the starch upon the contact surface is well
impressed upon the contiguous surface of the fabric. The fabric thus

page_text: goes round with the drum, being in contact with it for-the-greater part
of the drum's surface, and it is directed off the drum; on the opposite
side by the stationary guide roller Y, round which the piece passes; as
the fabric leaves this roller Y it is. acted upon by the fixed <brush Z,
which further aids in spreading out the deposited starch upon the piece.
After this treatment: the. starched fabric passes round the fixed guide
roller aand thence up and over the upper fixed guide roller b; and
down, to a corresponding roller C beneath. Between the ascending
and descending streams of cloth at this: part is a horizontal rotatory
brush.d on a spindle carried in end pedestal bearings on the cross bar
supporting, the guide roller a. This rotatory, brush is made-to revolve.
at a rapid rate; so as to act still further upon the starched surface of
the fabric by means of its end pulleyte, over which is passed an endless
band passing over and driven by the larger pulley on end of the
spindle of the large roller h. This roller is carried in stationary bearings.
at the delivery side of the machine, and its outer projecting-end carries
a pulley, driven by an endless belt from a pulley on the first
motion shaft o. The brush thus receives rotatory motion in concert
with the rest of the machine's movements. After being thus brushed
the fabric passes up from the guide roller c, and over an upper guide
roller, descending thence to a lower roller m: Between these ascend-
ing and descending portions is a rotatory, fan n, driven with considerable
velocity, for the purpose of drying the starched surface of the fabric.
This fan is carried in bearings similar to those of the brush d. and on
one ends, of its spindle is a small pulley o, by which it is driven through
the open belt-p from the large pulley.q, on the end of the spindle:of
the roller After leaving the drying fan the, starched roller, passes
over the roller h, and round the fixed guide roller to its place, of delivery
in its finished-starched condition. It will be obvious to the practical
man that, the details of the various movements may be, variously
arranged and with efficient adjustments for the contact surfaces. In
the present example the adjustment of the contact between the upper
starching roller V and the main drum is effected by, weighted levers, s
set on fixed stud centres,t in the framing, the spindle, ends of the roller
being, entered into eyes in the opposite, short arms of the levers....In

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0
this way the weights keep the roller well up in working contact, the
other two rollers beneath being separately adjustable to follow.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my'
said Invention, and the manner in which the saine is or may be used or
carried into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made
therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of my
Invention. But what I consider to be novel and original, and there-
fore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery, appa-
ratus, or means for spreading or distributing starch, gum, and other
semi-fluid matters, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of spreading or distributing starch or
other semi-fluid matters by distending the fabric to be starched upon a
drum or curvilinear surface, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hamilton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
GEORGE HAMI
ILTON. (1)