IMPROVEMENTS IN SINGEING, TREATING, OR FINISHING TEXTILE FABRICS. YARNS FELTS. AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Cooke, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, late of Belfast, Ireland, Gas Singer, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SINGEING, TREATING, OR FINISHING TEXTILE
FABRICS. YARNS FELTS. AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS."
Sealed the 12th March 1861, and dated the 14th September 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Cooke at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th September 1860.
I, JAMES COOKE, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
late of Belfast, Ireland, Gas Singer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SINGEING, TREATING, OR FINISHING TEXTILE
FABRICS, YARNS, FELTS, AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention, which is an improvement or extension of the Patentgranted
to me, dated the 26th day of July 1858, No. 1677, for singeing textile fabrics
by means of gas and other arrangements, consists of mixing or combining gas,
air, and steam, or using each of them separately, either hot or cold, in passing
through the tubes or burners, or they may be mixed and impinged on the
flame and fabrics after leaving the burners or tubes, and of using a bright or
polished metal plate or table of any suitable shape or size for the fabrics or
materials to pass over in the process of singeing. In singcing and finishing
Price S

page_text: colored fancy and other fabrics, I apply heated air by means of steam cans,
cylinders, boxes, or chambers, to dry the goods before coming in contact with
the
gas in one or more rows of flame, and then I put them through a process
of brushing or carding by means of stationary, revolving, or moving brushes
or cards. The goods also pass over solid or hollow metal rollers with a stream
of cold water or air running or rushing through them to keep them cold, or
over a polished metal plate of any convenient form, so as to form a body for
the goods to press on, and prevent damage by the oxygen being extinguished,
as the surface of the goods only will be impinged on and singed; or for light
or thin good sthe flame may be placed under and over them, so as to penetrate
and remove all the fibres by the flame or flames ascending and descending at
the same time by means of a fan or suction pipes; this process is applicable to
yarns, braids, hats, felts, or other similar materials, as well as textile fabrics.
When fancy goods have passed the singeing process, I also subject them to
a brushing or carding process on the singed surface, to loosen the burnt fibres,
and then blow all dust off them by a powerful stream of hot or cold air, and
then pass them over or under a perforated cylinder wire gauze or pipe, or
through a box or chamber containing steam, by which means I remove the
burnt smell from them, thicken the goods, and bring the colors up to a high
state of perfection. I then pass the goods over one or more cans, cylinders,
or surface heated vessels, or one or more pairs of calender rollers, to put a
finish on them, and then I lay them in folds ready for packing. Also, in this
process I pass them through troughs, boxes, or other vessels containing size or
other suitable substance. All the said processes may be accomplished by the
same machine; or, if preferred, each process may be accomplished by a
separate machine. Air or steam must be impinged on the gas by forcing a
current of air through wire gauze or other suitable means after the gas leaves
the burners; if found advantageous, the goods may meet it in the opposite
direction.
To extinguish sparks or rough selvedges which catch fire the goods must
pass through a box or vessel with steam blown in to impinge on them after
passing the singeing rollers, and to prevent the said rollers becoming clogged,
I place a doctor, made of steel or other suitable metal or material under the
roller, and in slight contact with it, so as to scrape it and keep it free
from dirt.
To prevent goods becoming overheated in the process of singeing, I fix
a roller with fan blades across the machine to revolve at a great speed, and
thus cause a strong draught to keep them cool. In some cases instead of
small drilled holes in the gas burners, I make fine slots cut from one end of

page_text: the burner to the other, so as to give a more even and regular flame. For
mixing gas, air, steam or decomposed water, and then combining them,
I make a box or vessel with one, two, three, or more inlets, and a tap to each
to regulate them, with one outlet tap to regulate the pressure after being
mixed or combined.
When goods require much brushing or carding, I use a pair of pinion
rollers behind the machine to hold the goods at any required tension, and also
rails or pins to keep them in the same line or position. With my improved
smoke jacket I obtain more power with one row of burners than I could with
the plan as described in my former Specification already alluded to, though in
certain cases the former plan may be used with advantage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Cooke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
COOKE, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, late of Belfast,
Ireland, Gas Singer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Cooke, Her special licence that I, the said James
Cooke, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Cooke, my executors, administrators, and 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
nake, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SINGEING, TREATING, OR FINISHING TEXTILE FABRICS, YARNS, FELTS, AND
OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said James Cooke, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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,

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Cooke, 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 (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to certain means or methods and mechanical arrange-
ments for singeing and finishing one or both of the surfaces at the same time
of textile fabrics, such as cords, velvets, calicoes, silks, woollen, and other
similar goods, and consists in mixing or combining inflammable gas, atmo-
spheric air, decomposed steam, water, naptha, or other gaseous liquid or
liquids, or of using each or any of them with the exception of coal gas which
has been used before, separately either hot or cold, forced at any required
pressure by a fan, bellows, or other suitable apparatus through the burners,
so that the flame of the united gas or gases, or compounds may impinge on
the surface or surfaces of the fabric or yarn.
When colored or fancy fabrics are required to be singed and finished, I
cause them to come in contact with, or pass at a short distance from cans,
cylinders, boxes, or chambers, heated with hot air in order to dry the goods
before coming in contact with the ignited gas or gases, consisting of one or
more rows of flame, and I also put the goods through a process of brushing or
carding by means of stationary or revolving, or otherwise moving brushes or
cards, which operations of brushing and singeing may be repeated as often as
required. The goods also pass over or partly round hollow metal rollers or
segments with a stream of cold water or air running or rushing through them
to keep them cold, or over a fixed polished metal plate, solid bar, or segment
or table of any convenient size or form.for the purpose of providing a body or
surface for the goods to press on, and thereby prevent them from being
damaged by the extinguishing of the oxygen from the back part, because the
surface of the goods only will be impinged on and singed; but for light or
very thin goods the flame may be placed under and over them so as to pene-
trate and remove all the fibres by the flame or flames ascending and descending
at the same time by means of a fan, or suction pipe or pipes. This process
is applicable to yarns, braids, hats, felts, or other similar articles, as well as
textile fabrics.
When fancy or similar goods have passed through the singeing process, I
subject them to a brushing or carding process on the singed surface in order
to loosen the burnt fibres, and then blow all the refuse and dust off them by
a powerful stream of hot or cold air produced by fans or other means, and
then pass them over or under a perforated cylinder, wire gauze, or pipe, or
through a box or chamber containing steam, by which I remove the burnt

page_text: smell from them, thicken the goods, and bring the colors up to a high state
of perfection.
For some kinds of fabrics, other than cords, I force the gas, air, or combi-
nation already mentioned into the interior of hollow metal rollers or fixed
tubes, or through vessels of any convenient form or shape, and impinge the
flame in the inside or underneath to heat it or them, and then pass the goods
on the heated surface so that they thereby become singed.
I then pass the goods over one or more heated cans, cylinders, or other
surface-heated vessels, or through one or more pairs of calender rollers to put
a finish on them, and then I lay them in folds ready for packing; and if de-
sirable, I pass the goods through troughs, boxes, or other vessels containing
size or other suitable substauce, the said processes being accomplished either
by one compound machine, or separate ones at pleasure.
To extinguish sparks, or any part that may have caught fire, the goods pass
through a box or vessel having steam blown into it to impinge on them after
passing the singeing rollers, bars, or segments, or a pipe with a slot or small
perforations may be used for the same purpose; and to prevent the said rollers
or apparatus becoming clogged, I place a card, or a doctor or scraper made of
any suitable metal or material under the roller, and in slight contact with it,
so as to scrape it and keep it free from dirt.
To prevent the goods becoming overheated in the process of singeing I fix
a fan and pipe with a slot or holes in it, or a roller with fan blades across the
machine to revolve at a great speed, and thus cause a strong draught to keep
them cool. In some cases instead of small drilled holes in the gas burners,
I make fine slots cut from one end of the burner to the other so as to give a
more even and regular flame.
For mixing gas, atmospheric air, steam, decomposed water, naptha, or
other inflammable liquid or matter, and then combining them, I make a box
or vessel with one, two, three, or more inlets, with a tap to each to regulate
them, with one outer tap to regulate the pressure after being mixed or com-
bined. To draw the goods through the machine I place at the front of the
machine a card roller or a pair of pressure rollers, or similar apparatus through
or over which the goods pass.
When the goods require much brushing or carding, I use a pair of pinion
rollers behind the machine to hold the goods at any required tension, and
also rails or pins to keep them in the same line or position.
In order to obtain the greatest effect from one row of burners, 1 employ an
improved exhaust or smoke jacket or flue so formed that the flame laps

page_text: nearly round the roller, bar, or segment, over which the fabric or material
passes, there being as many smoke jackets as there are rows of burners.
And, lastly, when desired, I employ a friction surface plate and wheel for
giving motion to each arrangement of my improved machinery for singeing
and finishing, instead of the ordinary gearing or pulleys.
The aforesaid improvements may be employed either separately or conjointly,
and varied to any extent according to the material intended to be singed or
finished, and the several parts of the Invention are so simple that their general
application will be clearly understood by referring to the figures and letters
on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal
elevation with parts in section; and Fig. 2, an end elevation of one of my
improved arrangements of machinery or apparatus for singeing and finishing
textile fabrics, the machine being adapted for singeing and finishing two or
more pieces of cloth at one operation; Fig. 3, a transverse section of my
improved exhaust or smoke jacket for one row of burners; and Fig. 4 a view
of a friction surface plate and wheel employed when desired for transmitting
motion to any arrangement of my improved machinery.
In the arrangement represented in Figs. 1 and 2, in order to singe the
fabric I employ ordinary coal gas and atmospheric air mixed together. The
gas is supplied by a pipe in the usual mauner, and the air incorporated with
the gas before it arrives at the burners by means of a fan, though a bellows or
other mode of obtaining pressure may be used. This mixture of gas and air
when ignited produces a steady flame of intense heat, which is admirably
adapted for singeing. The cloth or material is passed over hollow or solid
rollers, bars, or tubes, and is subjected to the action of three revolving brushes
and six rows of burners, which numbers may be varied as required, and after
the cloth has passed the last row of burners it is conveyed into a steam chest.
and acted upon by steam which preserves it from damage by extinguishing
any sparks, or destroying any heat likely to be prejudicial. From the steam
chest the cloth passes between a pair of pressing rollers, and from thence either
conveyed to a folding apparatus or taking-up beam as may be desired.
In Figs. 1 and 2, a is the framework of the machine, b the guiding or
stretching bars, c revolving brushes or cards, d the cloth or fabric, e hollow or
solid rollers, bars or tubes, over which it passes, the burners, g the steam
chest, pressing rollers, i guide rollers for guiding the fabric to the brushes
and burners, and k guide rollers connected with the steam chest, the pipe for
the supply of gas, m the pipe for the supply of air, n the chamber where the
union of the gas and air takes place, o the pipes to which the burners are

page_text: connected, p pipes and cocks communicating with them, 7 the fan for incor-
porating the air with the gas,r the fan for drawing off the products of combus-
tion, s the steam pipe for supplying the steam chest, t and u pipes for supply-
ing and discharging water from the hollow bars or tubes, the apparatus for
folding or plaiting the fabric, w the driving shaft of the machine, and a the
fast and loose pulleys. The fabric dis delivered to the machine from a
letting-off roller or heap, and passed over and under the stretching bars b,
to the first guide roller which leads it against the surface of the first revolving
brush and over the first solid or hollow roller, bar, or tube, at the lower part
of which it is at each side in contact with the flames of two rows of burners;
the fabric is then guided by the guide rollers against the second revolving
brush and over the second solid or hollow roller, bar, or tube where it is
again brought in contact with the second two rows of burners, after which the
fabric is led by the guide rollers against the third revolving brush and over
the third solid or hollow roller, bar or tube, and then subjected to the action
of two more rows of flame, after which it is guided by the roller into the
steam chest and led upwards by the roller k to the pressing rollers which
draw the fabric or material through the machine; from whence it passes, as
before stated, to the folding apparatus, or to a taking up roller or beam,
the lower roller being turned by gearing from the driving shaft, and the
brushes by pulleys from any suitable revolving shaft of the machine.
૩,
The products of combustion and dust are drawn off by the fan r, through
the flues y, and pipes z, and afterwards expelled to the exterior through the
pipe al; and the fan q, for incorporating air with the gas draws the supply
from without through the pipe 61, in order that the air may be as pure as
possible.
When the rollers, bars, or tubes e, are hollow they are maintained at a
safe temperature by supplying them with water by the pipes t, which is
discharged through the pipes u; the pipes o, to which the burners are
connected, are closed at their ends by conical rods or shafts, which work
in the boxes or bearings c¹, there being nuts d', to keep them to their places.
The lower pipes for the supply of gas and air enter the tops of the boxes or
bearings c¹, and are kept tight by the stuffing boxes e¹, and to the shafts fixed
to the pipes o there are handles f¹ for moving the burners to and fro, so
that they can be adjusted to the fabric with the greatest nicety, or drawn back
when required for the purpose of cleansing. The pipes land m, are furnished
with taps and dials as shewn at g', in order to regulate the admission of
the gas
and air.
When the fabric has passed into the steam chest it is acted upon by steam

page_text: issuing from holes or jets on each side of the pipes, which steam damps and
extinguishes anysparks, and also prepares the fabric for the complete quenching
or extinction that takes place when it passes between the pressing rollers,
which arrangements have been found by experience to be so effectual that
damage from burning never occurs.
In the Figures there are but two fans, because there are but two agents
employed, gas and air, but when other gases or compounds are used, the
number of fans or other modes of forcing are determined as required and of
necessity the pipes and general arrangements are varied accordingly.
In the machine before described and illustrated, the fabric is singed and
finished on one side only, but it is evident that with a proper adaptation of the
guide rollers and burners both sides can be acted upon, and also that all kinds
of textile fabrics, yarus, felts, and other similar materials can be singed and
finished in a most efficient manner by the application of my improvements.
In Fig. 3 I represent my improved form of exhaust or smoke jacket,
adapted for one row of burners. is the solid or hollow bar over which the
fabric or material passes, and 71 the row of burners placed at one side of the
bar. The opening to the flue or exhaust passage is shewn at m¹; it is placed
on the side of the bar opposite to the burners, so that the flame shall nearly
encircle the bar and produce the greatest singeing effect. From the opening
m the flue may be formed as shewn in the Figure, or in any other manner,
and connected by pipes or passages with the fan or other apparatus for forming
the exhaust.
my
In Fig. 4 I represent a friction surface plate and wheel to be employed
when desired, for transmitting motion from the driving power to any of
improved machines for singeing and finishing. The friction plate is shewn
at n', and gives motion to the plain friction wheel o¹ fixed directly to the shaft
of the roller which draws the material through the machine or communicating
with it by gearing. The application of the aforesaid friction apparatus is for
the purpose of changing the speeds of the machine.
In order to prevent mistake it may be as well to point out the principal
differences between this Invention and that described in the Specification of
the Patent granted to me bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of July, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, Number 1677, and also my present
additions thereto.
In the first I employed coal gas, and impinged a stream of heated air upon
the flame along the whole length of the burners.
In the present, I employ coal gas, and incorporate with it cold air, and also
use the gases obtained from decomposed steam or water, naptha, or other

page_text: well-known gaseous fluid, and use them hot or cold, either separately or con-
joined, with the exception of coal gas; and for the purpose of incorporating
two or more gaseous fluids, and forcing them through the burners, I employ
as many fans, bellows, or other well-known mechanical means as may be
required.
In the first, I passed the fabric, after it was singed, between two small rollers
covered with cloth, in order to quench any burn or spark.
In the present, I pass it through a steam chest, or impinge steam upon it.
from a slot or perforations in a pipe, and then between large metal rollers, so
that the fabric is first slightly damped and then pressed.
In the first, the rollers near the burners where the fabric was singed were
simply the sides of a trough or solid revolving rollers.
In the present, they are hollow rollers, bars, or tubes, or hollow segments,
through which cold air or water may circulate, and also fixed solid rods or
segments, or polished plates, or angle bars of sufficient surface for preventing
damage.
The additional improvements to the aforesaid former Patent are,-
The employment of heated air in cans, cylinders, boxes, or chambers for the
purpose of drying the goods before they are singed or finished.
The subjection of fancy goods after they are singed and brushed to a stream
of hot or cold air, and to the cleansing action of steam, in order to remove the
burnt smell and bring up the colors to a high state of perfection.
The application for some kinds of fabrics of the flame of the ignited gases
in the interior of hollow tubes, rollers, or other vessels of any convenient form
or shape, so that the fabric may be singed by passing it on the heated
surface of the aforesaid tubes or vessels, and to prevent the rollers or apparatus
from becoming clogged I employ a card, doctor, or scraper made of any
suitable metal or material under the part required, and in slight contact with
it, so as to scrape it and keep it free from dirt.
The employment of surface-heated vessels and calender rollers to give a
finish to the fabric and the passage of the goods through troughs, boxes, or
other vessels containing size or other suitable substance.
The employment of a fan and pipe, with a slot or perforations, or a roller
with fan blades revolving across the machine for the purpose of creating a
strong draught across the fabric, and thereby prevent its becoming overheated,
and thus protecting the colors.
The employment, for the purpose of mixing the gases, of a box or vessel
having the necessary inlets and taps, and one outlet and tap.
The application of pinion rollers behind to those machines where the goods

page_text: require mueh brushing or carding for the purpose of holding the goods to
any required tension, there being pins or rails to keep them in the same line
or position.
The employment of an improved exhaust or smoke jacket for lapping the
flame of one row of burners nearly round the bar or tube over which the
fabric passes.
And lastly, the application of a friction surface plate and wheel for
changing the speed of the machine.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood, that I claim as my Invention the differences between and addi-
tions to my former Patent of the Twenty-sixth of July One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-eight, as such are herein described and illustrated in the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Cooke, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within named James Cooke, in the
presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
JAMES COOKE. (L.S.)