A NEW AND IMPROVED MACHINE FOR STRETCHING AND GLOSSING SILE
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Skinner, of Williamsburgh, Massachussetts,
in the United States of America, for the Invention of "A NEW AND
IMPROVED MACHINE FOR STRETCHING AND GLOSSING SILE."-A communi-
cation from abroad by Lucius Dimock, of Hebron, Connecticut, United
States of America.
Sealed the 4th December 1860, and dated the 4th July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Skinner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th July 1860.
I, WILLIAM SKINNER, of Williamsburgh, Massachusetts, in the United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"A NEW AND IMPROVED MACHINE FOR STRETCHING AND GLOSSING SILK," (being a
communication from abroad by Lucius Dimock, of Hebron, Connecticut,
United States of America,) to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obtain a simple, compact, and portable
silk stretching and straining machine, the manipulation of which will be
simple, while the power may be increased or diminished at pleasure. To this
end my Invention consists in suitably combining with a stretching and
straining box wherein the hanks of silk are placed to be stretched, a cylinder
enclosing a piston, which is to be operated by steam or hydrostatic power for

page_text: giving a direct action upon the stretching bars, over which the banks of silk
are placed, and thus perform the operation of stretching and straining at the
same time, and with great facility, as will be hereinafter represented.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, in which
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the machine, with a portion of the
stretching box broken to exhibit the stretching bars. Figure 2 is a longitu-
dinal vertical section taken through the entire machine, showing clearly the
construction and arrangements of the stretching bars, and the application of
steam power to operate them. Similar letters of reference indicate cor-
responding parts in both Figures.
In the Drawings, A represents an oblong box standing in an upright
position, and of any suitable capacity, having a door B opening in front,
which is to be closed tightly, and secured in any suitable manner when steam
is let into the box. Passing up and down through the middle of this box are
two hook-headed stretching bars C, C'. The upper bar C' passes through an
enlargement formed on the top of the box A, and receives a hand wheel D,
which wheel is used for adjusting the distance between the right angular-
hooked portions a, a; for different lengths of hanks of silk a male and female
screw is cut on the bar C' and hub of wheel D for this purpose. The lower
stretching bar C passes down through a neck E that connects the stretching
box A with the head of a steam box or cylinder G, and is attached in a
proper manner with a large and solid piston H, that is suitably packed and
made to work up and down in the cylinder G. The bar C is continued down
through this piston H and through the bottom of the cylinder, as shown in
Figure 2; this latter projection of the bar C keeps it in a steady position in
its alternate reciprocating movement. On one side of cylinder G is placed
an ordinary slide valve 6 with two ports c, c, opening on the inside of and at
the top and bottom of the cylinder G above and below the piston H. The
slide valve 6 is operated by a stem d that passes up through the top of box e,
and connects with a hand lever J. The steam is admitted into the box e
through a pipe g, and the exhaust steam escapes through pipe 9'.
Having thus described the several parts forming my Invention, I will
proceed to describe its construction and operation. The banks of silk are
placed over the right angular hooks a, a, of the stretchers C, C', they being
properly adjusted according to the length of hanks to be submitted to the
operation, and when this is done the piston H will be at or near the top of
the cylinder G, as shown in Figure 2. The door B of box A is now closed
tightly, and steam is admitted into the box A through pipe h (Figure 2.)
The operator now gently raises the lever J, when steam of any desirable

page_text: pressure will be admitted into the cylinder G over the piston H, and force the
bar C down with effect, the stretching of the bank of silk while it is submitted
to a steaming process. By reversing the movement of the steam valve, the
steam will pass under the piston, and return it to its original position, when
the door of box A may be opened, and the silk removed for a repetition of a
similar oneration.
The combination with a steaming and stretching box for stretching and
straining hanks of silk of the cylinder and piston, whereby a direct application
of power may be obtained in a simple and compact manner essentially as
herein described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Skinner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th December 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SKINNER, of Williamsburgh, Massachusetts, in the United States of America,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of July, 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 William Skinner, Her special licence that I, the said William
Skinner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Skinner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "A NEW
AND IMPROVED MACHINE FOR STRETCHING AND GLOSSING SILK," a communication
to me from abroad by Lucius Dimock, of Hebron, Connecticut, United States
of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Skinner, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in, writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Skinner, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The object of this Invention is to obtain a simple, compact, and portable
silk stretching and straining machine, the manipulation of which will be
simple, while the power may be increased or diminished at pleasure. To this
end my Invention consists in suitably combining with a stretching and
straining box, wherein the banks of silk are placed to be stretched, a cylinder
enclosing a piston, which is to be operated by steam or hydrostatic power for
giving a direct action upon the stretching bars, over which the banks of silk
are placed, and thus perform the operation of stretching and straining at the
same time, and with great facility, as will be herein-before represented.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, in which
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the machine with a portion of the
stretching box broken to exhibit the stretching bars. Figure 2 is a longi-
tudinal vertical section taken through the entiro machine, showing clearly the
construction and arrangements of the stretching bars, and the application of
steam power to operate them. Similar letters of reference indicate cor-
responding parts in both Figures.
In the Drawings A represents an oblong box, standing in an upright
position, and of any suitable capacity, having a door B opening in front,
which is to be closed tightly, and secured in any suitable manner when steam
is let into the box. Passing up and down through the middle of this box are
two hook-headed stretching bars C, C. The upper bar C' passes through an
enlargement formed on the top of the box A, and receives a band wheel D,
which wheel is used for adjusting the distance between the right angular
hooked portions a, a, for different lengths of hauks of silk, a male and female
screw is cut on the bar C' and hub of wheel D for this purpose. The lower
stretching bar C passes down through a neck E, that connects the stretching
box A with the head of a steam box or cylinder G, and is attached in a
proper manner with a large and solid piston H, that is suitably packed and
made to work up and down in the cylinder G. The bar C is continued
down through this piston II and through the bottom of the cylinder, as shown
in Figure 2; this latter projection of the bar C keeps it in a steady position
in its alternate reciprocating movement. On one side of cylinder G is placed
an ordinary slide valve b, with two ports c, c, opening on the inside of and at

page_text: the top and bottom of the cylinder G, above and below the piston H. The
slide valve 6 is operated by a stem d that passes up through the top of box e,
and connects with a hand lever J. The steam is admitted into the box e,
through a pipe g, and the exhaust steam escapes through pipe g¹.
Having thus described the several parts forming my Invention, I will
proceed to describe its construction and operation. The hanks of silk are
placed over the right angular hooks a, a, of the stretchers C, C', they being
properly adjusted according to the length of hanks to be submitted to the
operation, and when this is done the piston H will be at or near the top of
the cylinder G, as shown in Figure 2. The door B of box A is now closed
tightly, and steam is admitted into the box A through pipe h (Figure 2.)
The operator now gently raises the lever J, when steam of any desirable
pressure will be admitted into the cylinder G, over the piston H, and force
the bar C down with effect, the stretching of the bank of silk while it is
submitted to a steaming process. By reversing the movement of the steam
valve, the steam will pass under the piston and return it to its original position,
when the door of box A may be opened, and the silk removed for a repe-
tition of a similar oneration.
WILLIAM SKINNER. (LS.)