An Improved Mode and Apparatus for Automatically Reversing Burl Dyeing and other Dyeing or Washing Machines for Woven or Felted Fabrics.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 15th July, 1889-Accepted, 14th Sept., 1889-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Mode and Apparatus for Automatically Reversing
Burl Dyeing and other Dyeing or Washing Machines for Woven
or Felted Fabrics.
1, ROBERT MIDDLETON, of Sheepscar Foundry, Leeds, Yorkshire, Engineer,
Millwright and Ironfounder do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention has reference in general to the application of an Automatic
Reversing Motion to Machinery used by Dyers etc. for the purpose of dyeing or
washing pieces or other woven or felted goods, and where it is necessary to pass the
pieces backwards and forwards through the liquid or liquids several times. Taking
the machine known as a Burl Dyeing Machine or Wee Gee, for example:-The
usual mode has been to reverse the machine when the piece or pieces have passed
through the liquid, the piece or pieces being of varying lengths one way by hand by
means of levers actuated by an attendant, or where attempted automatically by means
of complicated cams, levers, and extra shafts etc. My invention is intended to do away
with the unnecessary machinery now employed, and by a simple arrangement not
hitherto invented to attain the object desired effectually in the following manner :-
The machine as at present used consists of a trough with two rollers called top rollers
fixed over it at some distance above the edge and also two rollers called bottom
roilers fixed near the bottom of the trough. On the shafts of these top. rollers are
keyed two bevel wheels. These wheels gear into two other bevel wheels which run
loose on a cross or driving shaft, and are actuated by means of two clutches sliding
on feathers on this shaft. These clutches are fitted with levers and used to reverso
the top rollers and thereby conduct the pieces the reverso way through the liquid.
To do this I employ the following means:
Round cach top roller I roll a quantity of canvas or other kind of wrapper, and in
each wrapper fasten by suitable means a knocker off. In connection with each
knocker off I fix an L lever working on a stud fixed at each end of the machine.
To the two ordinary clutch levers I attach a rod thereby connecting them together,
and in the centre of the connecting rod I make a slot through which I pass a vertical
reversing lever fitted with a suitable weight. When the cloth has been unrolled
from one top roller on to the other, the wrapper following brings its knocker off into
contact with the L lever which is connected as above described to the vertical
reversing lever, and this being thrown over pulls the clutches in and out of gear. and
so reverses the machine as desired.
The difficulty existing hitherto has been that when the driving clutch has been
pulled out of gear, during the interval of time that elapses before the opposite clutch
can get into gear, the machine stops and comes to a standstill. By the means above
described the L levers throw the vertical reversing lever over in the slot without
actuating the clutch levers until it has passed its centre of gravity, the weight on the
lever then carries it forward to the end of the slot and pressing the clutch home con-
tinues to keep it in gear until it is necessary to reverse the machine again.
I do not bind myself to any particular arrangements of levers or slots, but adopt
different arrangements as required by the construction of various machines..
Dated this Twelfth day of October 1888.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Mode and Apparatus for Automatically Reversing
Burl Dyeing and other Dyeing or Washing Machines for Woven
or Felted Fabrics.
I, ROBERT MIDDLETON, of Sheepscar Foundry, Leeds, Yorkshire, Engineer,
Millwright and Ironfounder do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference in general to the application of an Automatic Reversing
Motion to machinery used by Dyers etc. for the purpose of dyeing or washing "picces
or other woven or felted goods, or to any such machinery in which it is necessary to
pass the "pieces" backwards and forwards through the liquid or liquids several
times. Taking the machine known as a Burl Dyeing Machine, or Wee Gee, for
example-The rsual mode has been to reverse the machine when, the piece or pieces
have passed through the liquid, the piece or pieces being of varying lengths, one way,
by hand, by means of levers actuated by an attendant; or where attempted auto-
matically, by means of complicated cams, levers, and extra shafts etc. My invention
is intended to do away with the unnecessary machinery now employed & by a simple
arrangement not hitherto invented to attain the desired object, effectually, in the
following manner. The machine as at present used consists of a trough A-sce
drawings with two rollers B, B, called top rollers fixed over it at some distance above
the edge, and also two rollers C, C, called bottom rollers, fixed near the bottom of the
trough. On the shafts of these top rollers are keyed two bevel wheels D, D. These
wheels gear into two other bevel wheels E, E, which run loose on a cross or driving
shaft F, and are actuated by means of two clutches G, G, sliding on feathers on this
shaft. These clutches. are fitted with levers and are used to reverse the top rollers
and thereby conduct the pieces backwards and forwards through the liquid.
I carry out my invention as follows, and in order to fully explain my meaning
I have annexed two sheets of drawing on which the same letters refer to the same
parts or their equivalents in all the figures.
Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional elevation through the centre of a machine such
as embodies my mode and apparatus; fig. 2 is a corresponding longitudinal section
showing the upper part of the two ends of the machine which to save room is shown
broken; and fig. 3 is an end view of one of the Brakes. Fig. 4 is a transverse
sectional elevation of the same type of machine with my apparatus for reversing
but fitted with different gear for actuating the main reversing lever M. Fig. 5 is
a corresponding plan-broken to save room-showing the latter details, but other-
wise representing either machine. The drawings show all the levers in a vertical
position, with both clutches out of gear; these latter may be thus fixed, and held,
by inserting the pin N through a quadrant N' into the adjacent lever J,-fig. 5.-In
reading over the following explanations it should be understood that the pin N is
withdrawn and the main lever M thrown over to the left hand side, which will of
course put the left hand clutch into gear. The arrow shows the direction of revolu-
tion of the main shaft, F1 being the driving pulley.
Round each top roller B, B, I roll, as usual, a certain quantity of canvas B₁ or
other kind of wrapper, and in each wrapper fasten by suitable means a "knocker off" B'.
In connection with each "knocker off" I fix a lever H keying it to a shaft H³
which carries another lever H' at its other end-this at each side of the machine.
To the two ordinary clutch levers J, J, I attach a rod K, thereby connecting them
together, and in the centre of the rod 1 make a slot through which I pass a vertical
reversing lever M "fitted with a suitable weight M¹. This lever M is directly con-
nected with each lever H¹ by means of the links H, H. When the cloth which is
attached as usual to the ends of the wrappers on the rollers B, B, has been unrolled
from off one top roller on to the other, the wrapper, following-supposing the
direction to be that shown by the arrow-brings its "knocker off" B into contact
-

page_text: with the lever H (see fig. 1) which is connected as above described to the vertical
reversing lever M, and this being thrown over, say from left to right, pulls the
left hand clutch out, and puts the right hand in gear, and so reverses the machine as
desired.
When the other end of the cloth is reached the other "knocker off" actuates the
levor M, in the opposite direction, and the machine is again reversed.
By the
The difficulty existing hitherto has been that when either driving clutch has been
pulled out of gear, during the interval of time that elapses before the opposite clutch
can get into gear, the machine stops, and all comes to a standstill.
means above described either lever H may throw the vertical reversing lever M
over in the slot-which extends between the studs K & K without actuating the
clutch then in gear until it, (M), has passed its centre of gravity; when the weight M
on the lever M carries it forward to the end of the slot pulling out one clutch
and pressing the other in, which latter it keeps in gear until the machine reverses
itself again.
An objection to the type of "knocker off" shown attached to the canvas wrapper
in fig. 2, arises when it is desired to arrange the levers H at one end of the machine
only. In this case the pressure necessary to reverse the machine has to be transmitted
mainly through that part of the canvas near the lever. In order to meet this
objection, and render it unnecessary to carry the shafts H³ to the other end of the
trough and there fix other levers H, I have devised another way of actuating the
levers H, and I do it in such a manner that the strain is passed evenly through the
entire width of the cloth. It may be as well to state that if a very fragile "pieco"
was being passed through the machine, such as was thought ought not to transmit
the reversing strain, then 1 arrange that the canvas at the ends shall be of an extra
length so that it may travel forward & get one or more coils on the far roller before
the reversing gear is brought into action so that the strain may be confined to the
canvas itself.
On each roller B-see the sectional portion of the right hand roller in fig. 5-
a finger O, which has its fulcrum at 0, is mounted a light spring 2, causes the
finger to project whenever there is no wrapper immediately over it to press it within
the roller. In proximity to these fingers are discs P, riding loosely on their axes,
which have projections P by which they are coupled, by the links P2, to the levers H.
Each disc has internal teeth or catches into which its finger 0, when released by the
unwrapping of the canvas, can enter. This entrance locks the disc which then com-
mences to revolve along with its roller, & so presses down the end of the lever II,
and thus gradually raises and actuates the Main-lever M as before. In fig. 4 the
fingers are both shown, in section, that on the right hand roller being on the point
of entering one of the teeth in the disc P, the last coil of the canvas being on the
point of completely releasing it-the movement of the canvas being supposed to bo in
the direction shown by the arrow.
I do not bind myself to any particular arrangements of lovers or slots, but adopt
different arrangements as required to suit the construction of different machines.
For instance referring to the arrangement shown in fig. 1;-the fulcrum of the
main lever M might be arranged lower down, in such a position-preferably central-
that its fulcrum shaft could be used as the common shaft for a double-ended lever
equivalent to the levers H, H. This central shaft could then be readily carried
forward to the other end of the trough where another double-ended lever would
also take the strain from the other end of the "knocker off" and thus distributo
the strain for reversing equally through the whole width of the material.
To prevent the material on the full roller being played out too quickly, when being
unwound, it is necessary to introduce some sort of self-acting brake. In arranging
my brake I have had in view the necessity of providing such an one that shall render
it impossible for the attendant to put on too great a strain, which he may easily do
if he uses screw-keys and the like. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of my brake
arrangement, whilst to the right of fig. 2 is its side. elevation. R is a fixed collar
on the axis of the rollers B; R' is a leather washer; S sa ratchet wheel, which

page_text: works in connection with the ratchet U mounted on a stud V; T¹ is another leather
washer, and T is a winged-nut with its screw and wings suited for putting on the
necessary pressure by hand. The ratchet arrangement shown in fig. 3 is that
belonging to the right hand roller B, that for the left hand roller-not shown-
must be "left handed." By this means each ratchet allows its own roller to
revolve freely when the cloth is being wound up, and only acts when it is being
drawn off.
Equivalents to the Main-lever M and its action could easily be arranged :-for
instance instead of being weighted it might take the form of a cam acting on a
spring which would absorb power through the first half of its movement and give
it out in the latter half.
tr
I do not include in my claims the machine itself, nor the reversing clutches with
attendant wheels and shafts, nor the "knocker off" B2, attached to the usual canvas
wrapper, as these are old.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is―
1. The mode of automatically reversing Dyeing Machinery and the like consisting
essentially of mechanism which when actuated first stores up the necessary power for
reversing the machine and afterwards disengages the acting clutch by the release
of such stored up power after the manner described herein, or in a manner equivalent
thereto.
2. The apparatus for automatically reversing Dyeing Machinery and the like,
substantially as described and shown; with special reference to figs. 1 and 2.
3. The apparatus for automatically reversing Dyeing Machinery and the like,
substantially as described and shown; with special reference to figs. 4 and 5.
4. The arrangement of Brake shown in figs. 2 and 3 consisting of a thumb-
screw T, a ratchet wheel S and its accompanying washers, and a weighted pawl or
catch U, as, and for the purpose described, in combination with the automatic reversing
mechanism.
Dated this 13th day of July 1889
WM. SNOWDON,
9, Beckett's Bank Chambers, Leeds, Yorks, Agent for the 'Applicant..