IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING OR STRETCHING, AND IRONING OR FINISHING LACE AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Leonard Lindley, of the Town and County of the Town
of Nottingham, Lace Dyer and Dresser, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING OR STRETCHING, AND IRONING OR
FINISHING LACE AND OTHER FABRICS."
Sealed the 22nd January 1878, and dated the 19th November 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Leonard Lindley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th November 1877.
LEONARD LINDLEY, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Lace
Dyer and Dresser. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING
OR STRETCHING, AND IRONING OR FINISHING LACE AND OTHER FABRICS."
The Invention has for its object improvements in machinery or apparatus for
dressing or stretching, and ironing or finishing lace and other fabrics, and relates
chiefly to the class of machinery described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to me, dated June 17th, 1872, No. 1819.
According to my Invention, as shown and described in the aforesaid Specifi-
cation, I used two endless bands or chains of pins or tentering hooks passing
through suitable divergent guides, and I caused the fabric to be carried by such
bands into contact with one or more heated cylinders.
In carrying out this arrangement I found the following difficulties and defects,
which are overcome by my present Invention:-
Firstly. According to my former Patent I passed the endless bands over the
heated cylinder, which was also used as the driving cylinder, and I found the dirt
or grease from the belt discolored the cylinder (or its covering), and so communi-
cated the dirt to the fabric to be dressed.
Secondly. Not unfrequently the bands slipped on the cylinder.
Thirdly. I could not stretch the fabric in width while it was passing over the
drying cylinder.
Fourthly. As cotton and similar fabrics expand or become slack while drying, I
was unable to stretch them sufficiently, and as they became slack they did not

page_text: remain in close contact with the drying cylinder, consequently did not dry with
sufficient rapidity.
According to my present Invention I employ a number of heated cylinders, so
arranged and operated as to overcome these defects and iron the fabric more
efficiently.
By preference I use cylinders about one half of the width of the dressing frame,
they are placed transversely to and within the sides of the frame, and being con-
nected thereto they are moved along with the said frame sides. In this way the
whole of the heating surface of the cylinders is brought into use.
If the dressing frame be capable of containing a fabric, say, 200 inches in width,
I arrange a number of cylinders about 100 inches long, one half of them being
attached to or borne by either side of the dressing frame, and with a gear wheel
attached so that the chains which carry tenter hooks will each drive one half of the
cylinders. These cylinders have proper supports, and are heated with steam or
other suitable means.
The cylinders are so placed that those connected with one side of the dressing
frame shall not come into contact with those connected to the other side, but be
parallel thereto; by this arrangement the dressing frame may be reduced in width
to about 100 inches, or to about the length of the cylinders attached to one of its
sides. I arrange these heated cylinders in a line with the tenter hooks or pins, so
that as the fabric is traversed by the chains it will be brought into contact with
the heated cylinders. I also place on the opposite side of the fabric to that in
contact with the heated cylinders a number of bearing rollers near to but not
exactly over the heated cylinders; these press slightly upon the fabric, and so by
depressing it increase the extent of surface of fabric in contact with the cylinders.
By this Invention I am enabled to thoroughly iron and dry fabrics without
conducting the chains over or in contact with the surface of the cylinders, and thus
prevent liability of soiling by dirt or grease from the bands. I am enabled to
stretch the fabric in width as it is carried from cylinder to cylinder, and held by
the tenter hooks or pins; also I obtain much greater heating and ironing surface
and consequently greater speed in finishing, and an improved finish to the goods.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Leonard Lindley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th May
1878.
LEONARD LINDLEY, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Lace
Dyer and Dresser. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING
OR STRETCHING, AND IRONING OR FINISHING LACE AND OTHER FABRICS."
The Invention has for its object improvements in machinery or apparatus for
dressing or stretching, and ironing or finishing lace and other fabrics, and relates
chiefly to the class of machinery described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to me, dated June 17, 1872, No. 1819.
According to my Invention, as shown and described in the aforesaid Specifi-.
cation, I used two endless bands or chains of pins or tentering hooks passing
through suitable divergent guides, and I caused the fabric to be carried by such
bands into contact with one or more heated cylinders.
In carrying out this arrangement I found the following difficulties and defects,
which are overcome by my present Invention.
Firstly. According to my former Patent I passed the endless bands over the
heated cylinder, which was also used as the driving cylinder, and I found the dirt
or grease from the belt discolored the cylinder (or its covering) and so communi-
cated the dirt to the fabric to be dressed.
Secondly. Not unfrequently the bands slipped on the cylinder.
Thirdly. I could not stretch the fabric in width while it was passing over the
drying cylinder.
Fourthly. As cotton and similar fabrics expand or become slack while drying,
I was unable to stretch them sufficiently, and as they became slack they did not
remain in close contact with the drying cylinders, consequently did not dry with
sufficient rapidity.
According to my present Invention I employ a number of heated cylinders, so
arranged and operated as to overcome these defects and iron the fabric more
efficiently.
By preference I use cylinders about or a little more than one half of the extreme
working width of the dressing frame; they are placed transversely to and within
the sides of the frame, and being connected thereto they are moved along with the
said frame sides. In this way the whole of the heating surface of the cylinders is
brought into use.
If the dressing frame be capable of containing a fabric, say, 200 inches in width,
I arrange a number of cylinders about 100 inches long, one half of them being
attached to or borne by either side of the dressing frame, and with a gear wheel
attached so that the chains which carry tenter hooks will each drive one half of the
cylinders. These cylinders have proper supports and are heated with steam or
other suitable means.
The cylinders are so placed that those connected with one side of the dressing
frame shall not come into contact with those connected to the other side, but be
parallel thereto; by this arrangement the dressing frame may be reduced in width
to about 100 inches or to about the length of the cylinders attached to one of its
sides. I arrange these heated cylinders in a line with the tenter hooks or pins, so
that as the fabric is traversed by the chains it will be brought into contact with
the heated cylinders. I also place on the opposite side of the fabric to that in
contact with the heated cylinders a number of bearing rollers near to but not
exactly over the heated cylinders; these press slightly upon the fabric, and so by
depressing it increase the extent of surface of fabric in contact with the cylinders.
And in order that my said Invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying Drawings, more fully
to describe the same.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 is an elevation of parts representing my
improvements in machinery or apparatus for dressing or stretching, and ironing or
finishing lace and other fabrics.
In the Drawings I have not represented a complete machine, but have shown,
aided with the present description, sufficient to enable a competent mechanic to
carry my Invention into effect.
I employ, as heretofore, two endless bands or chains a, b, of pins or tentering
hooks passing through suitable divergent guides (not shown), and I cause these
chains to carry the fabric over the surface of a series of heated cylinders c, d. The
chains a, b, after passing from the divergent guides pass into guides e, f, fixed to
traversing frames, arranged to run on rails, and operated in the manner now well
understood. These chains a, b, pass from the guides e, f, over driving wheels i',
rotated by but mounted with capability of sliding on the driving shaft i, which is
mounted and driven in any convenient manner, and from the driving wheels i¹,
the chains pass through guides j, k, to and partly around guide pulleys or wheels
(not shown) and thence return to the before-mentioned divergent guides.
The chain guides e, f, j, k, are mounted in lengths and in pairs on pivotted
brackets, carried by separate traversing frames g, h, and each length except those
carried by the traversing frame next the driving shaft is mounted at the one end
with a stud or axis fitting and working in a circular hole in its supporting bracket,
whilst at its other end it has a stud or pin working in a slot in its bracket, to permit
of the separate movement of each traversing frame within certain limits. The
lengths of chain guides, carried by the traversing frame next the driving shaft i,
are fixed rigidly to their pivotted brackets or supports l.
The heated cylinders c, d, are provided at each end with rollers c', d', by which
they are supported upon with capability of rotating around the steam pipes m, n,
and they are also provided at one end with toothed wheels c, d, which take into
and receive motion from the chains a, b, so as to cause the cylinders c, d, to rotate
at a surface speed equal. to that of the fabric passing through the machine; or, in
some cases, one or more of the heated cylinders may be driven at other speeds, or
the toothed wheels may be removed therefrom, and they may be driven by the
fabric, or they may be fixed so as to remain stationary.
The steam pipes m, n, pass in zig-zag lines through the cylinders c, d, and are
supported on bars o, p, fixed to brackets q, q, fixed to the before-mentioned
traversing frames in a similar manner to the chain guides e, f, to permit the inde-
pendent motion of such traversing frames. The chain guides e, j, and bars o are
supported on the left-hand traversing frames and the chain guides f, k, and bars p
are supported by the right-hand traversing frames.
It will be seen that the chains of pins or tentering hooks work clear of the
heated cylinders, whereby the soiling of the fabric by such chains is prevented.
The steam pipes are connected in any convenient way with the steam supply,
so as to permit free motion of the traversing frames as required.
The heated cylinders c, d, are in length about or a little more than one half of
the extreme working width of the dressing frame, and the pins or tentering hooks
work clear of the outer ends of the cylinders. I also employ other cylinders or
rollers r, s, supported in slots formed in brackets t, u, fixed to the chain guides e, f,
so as to enable them to press on the fabric, and by depressing it increase the extent
of surface of fabric in contact with the heated cylinders. These cylinders or rollers
r, 8, are connected together at their inner ends by means of a bar or rod or by
separate links, not shown, provided with bearings for the axles of such rollers to
retain them in position, as will be well understood.
By this Invention I am enabled to thoroughly iron and dry fabrics without
conducting the chains over or in contact with the surface of the cylinders, and thus
prevent liability of soiling by dirt or grease from the bands or chains of tenter

page_text: hooks. I am enabled to stretch the fabric in width as it is carried from cylinder
to cylinder and held by the tenter hooks or pins; also I obtain much greater
heating and ironing surfaces, and consequently greater speed in finishing and an
improved finish to the goods.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode in which
I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details of construction herein shown and described, as such
may be varied without departing from the peculiar character of my Invention;
but what I claim is, mounting chains of pins or tentering hooks in guides on each
side of the machine in combination with heated cylinders and pressing rollers,
arranged and operated in manner substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Leonard Lindley, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
LEONARD LINDLEY. (L.S.)