IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS. OR: APPARATUS FOR SMOOTHING. PRESSING FINISHING, OR IRONING FABRICS. PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO HEATING ROLLERS USED IN CALENDERING AND FINISHING FABRICS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Gilson, of 44, Forston Street, New North
Road, in the County of Middlesex, Machinist, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS. OR: APPARATUS FOR SMOOTHING. PRESSING
FINISHING, OR IRONING FABRICS. PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO
APPLICABLE TO HEATING ROLLERS USED IN CALENDERING AND FINISHING
FABRICS."
Sealed the 12th April 1867, and dated the 15th October 1866
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Gilson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
October 1866
I, DAVID GILSON, of 44, Forston Street, New North Road, in the
County of Middlesex, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR SMOOTHING. PRESSING
FINISHING OR IRONING FABRICS. PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE
TO HEATING ROLLERS USED IN CALENDERING AND FINISHING FABRICS," to be as-
follows:
My Invention relates, first, to means of supporting and arranging irons
used for smoothing, pressing, finishing, or ironing garments or parts of

page_text: garments or other articles. According to my Invention the iron is sup-
ported and carried by one end of a bar or lever which is suspended
towards one end by a chain or other means attached to a support carried
by the ironing board or table, or otherwise, so as to allow of the necessary
movements being given to the iron by the operator. To the other end
of this supporting bar or lever a spring or it may be a weight is attached,
so as to counterbalance the weight of the iron. Pressure is obtained to
the iron when required by means of a lever or treadle which is connected
to the bar or lever supporting the iron by means of a chain or other con-
necting means. The iron is provided with a handle such as ordinarily
used, in order that the operator may give the necessary movements to it,
and it is connected to the supporting bar or lever by means of a ball-and-
socket or other suitable joint.
Secondly, my Invention relates to improvements in arranging and heat-
ing irons used for the various purposes above referred to. According to
my Invention the interior of the iron is divided laterally into three
chambers by means of partitions. Into the lowest of these chambers (or
that next the bottom or "face" of the iron) a jet of gas and air is forced
from a burner or blow pipe connected to the "heel" of the iron by means
of bellows or other forcing apparatus, whereby the flame obtained is
caused to pass from the "heel" over the bottom or "face" of the iron to
the "nose" thereof, where it is conducted by a passage or passages to the
chamber above, which may, if desired, be again divided by a vertical
partition or partitions, so as to split the flame into streams, thereby
increasing its heating surface. After the flame has passed through this
second chamber back to the "heel" of the iron it is conducted by a
passage or passages to the chamber above, which conducts it a third time
along the iron to a point near to the "nose" thereof, where it is con-
ducted away by a suitable chimney or pipe. If desired the iron may be
arranged with other number of chambers. The burners or blow pipes
are affixed to the "heels " of the irons, and are formed by means of a small
tube surrounded by two larger tubes or annular chambers one within the
other. Through the small inner tube, and also through the outer tube
or chamber, I force air by means of bellows or other forcing apparatus,
whilst through the intermediate tube or chamber I cause gas to flow from
a suitable supply pipe.
My Invention relates, thirdly, to improvements upon the means of heat-
ing irons described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to
Frederick Osbourn, dated May 28th, 1863, No. 1343, and consists in

page_text: applying within the "gas tube" therein shown and described another
tube which conducts the stream of mixed air and gas to the end of the
gas tube" before it is allowed to enter that tube and escape through
the jets in separate flames to act on the bottom or "face" of the iron,
thereby preventing the return of the burning stream of gas and air to the
supply pipe, and the ignition of the stream of gas issuing from the
nozzle" of the supply pipe as is the case with irons constructed accord-
ing to the Specification above referred to. The products of combustion
passing out from the chimneys or pipes of the irons I conduct away by
means of funnels arranged over them, such funnels being in connection
with tubes connected to a main tube or channel to which fans or other
exhaust apparatus are applied to draw or force such vapours away from
such tubes and funnels.
My Invention relates, fourthly, to applying the heating means described
under the third part of this Invention to the heating of calendering or .
finishing rollers. For this purpose the burner or blow pipe is arranged
inside the hollow roller, and the pipes for the supply of the gas and air
are conducted through one of the axes of the roller, which is formed
hollow for that purpose. The roller is caused to revolve independently
of the burner. I regulate the supply of air and gas to be burnt by
applying to the outside of the tube for the supply of the air, and which
is provided with holes for the admission of the air to such tubes, another
tube having holes in its circumference corresponding with the holes in
the inner tube. Upon this outer tube I apply a bevil wheel or pinion
working with another bevil wheel or pinion in connection with the tap
or valve for the supply of the gas, in order that when the supply of gas
is diminished or increased the supply of air may be diminished or
increased in the same proportion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Gilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME. I, DAVID
GILSON, of 44, Forston Street, New North Road, in the County of Middle-
sex, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said David Gilson, Her special licence that 1, the said
David Gilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said David Gilson, 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 law-
fully 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 MEANS GR APPARATUS FOR SMOOTHING.
PRESSING, FINISHING. OR IRONING FABRICS. PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS
ALSO APPLICABLE TO HEATING ROLLERS USED IN CALENDERING AND FINISHING FABRICS,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said David Gilson, 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 Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said David Gilson, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention relates, first, to means of supporting and arranging irons
used for smoothing, pressing, finishing, or ironing garments or parts of
garments or other fabrics.
Secondly, the improvements relate to means for heating irons.
Thirdly, the improvements relate to means for heating irons.
Fourthly, the improvements relate to applying heating means to rollers
used in calendering and finishing fabrics.
But that the Invention may be fully understood I will, by the aid of
the accompanying Drawings, proceed to describe means pursued by me
in carrying the same into effect.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side view, and Figure 2 an end view of apparatus
arranged according to the first part of the Invention.
A, A, is the main or stationary framing; b is the iron to be used. in the
smoothing or finishing operation. According to this part of the Invention

page_text: the iron bis supported by being connected to one end of a bar or lever c,
which is suspended towards one end by a chain d, or it may be by other
means carried by the stationary support a', so as to allow of the necessary
movements being given to the iron by the operator. To the other end
of this supporting bar or lever c is attached a spring e, or it may be a
weight, to counterbalance the weight of the iron b. Pressure is obtained
to the iron b, when required by means of a lever or treadle f which is
connected to the bar or lever c supporting the iron b by a chain g or other
suitable connection. The iron b is provided with a handle b', such as
ordinarily used, in order that the operator may give the necessary move-
ments to it, and it is connected to the supporting bar or lever c by a ball-
and-socket joint 3, though it may be otherwise connected.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which relates to
improvements in arranging and heating irons used for the various
purposes above referred to; Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section, and
Figure 4 a transverse section of an irou constructed according to the
second part of the Invention. According to this part of my Invention
the interior of the iron is divided laterally into three chambers 63, bt, bo,
by the partitions 6º and b'. Into the lowest of these chambers 63 (or that
next the bottom or "face" of the iron) a jet of gas and air flows; the air
being forced to the "heel" of the iron by means of bellows or other
forcing apparatus, whereby the flame obtained is caused to pass from
the "heel" over the bottom or "face" of the iron to the "nose" 610
thereof, where it is conducted by a passage 6" to the chambers b*, b*,
above, which are separated from each other by a vertical partition 6B so
as to split the flame into streams, thereby increasing its heating surface.
After the flame has passed through these second chambers back to the
"heel" of the iron it is conducted by passages 6" to the chamber 65 above,
which conducts it a third time along the iron to a point near to the "nose"
thereof, where it is conducted away by a passage 613, or it may be by a
suitable chimney or pipe applied to that passage. If desired, the iron
may be arranged with other number of chambers. The burners or blow-
pipes are affixed to the "heels" of the irons, and are formed by means of
a small tube g surrounded by two larger tubes h and i forming annular
chambers one within the other. The air is forced (and by preference
at a pressure of about 12 oz. to the inch) through the pipe j, and then
through the small inner tube g, and also through the outer tube or
chamber i, whilst through the intermediate tube or chamber h I cause
gas to flow from a supply pipe k. I is a tap to regulate the supply of gas
33

page_text: through the pipe ; this tap is formed with a lever handle l', which at one
end is acted upon by a spring with a tendency to close the tap. The
other end of the lever handle is connected to the rod 1³, the upper end of
which is in position to be acted upon to open the tap and turn the gas
fully on when an iron comes in position to be heated, whilst at other times
the gas is only sufficiently turned on to keep it ignited
I will now, by reference to Figures 5 and 6, describe the third part of
my Invention, which relates to improvements upon the means of heating
irons described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Frederick
Osbourn, dated May 28th, 1863, No. 1343, and consists in applying
within the "gas tube" a therein shown and described another tube m,
which conducts the streams of mixed air and gas to the end of the "gas
tube" before it is allowed to enter the tube a, and escape through the
jets n in separate flames to act on the bottom or "face" 6" of the iron,
thereby preventing the return of the burning stream of gas and air to
the supply tube a', and the ignition of the stream of gas issuing from
the nozzle a² of the supply pipe a'. The products of combustion pass out
by the pipe or chimney o, and such products may be conducted away by
means of funnels arranged over them, such funnels being in connection
with tubes connected to a main tube or channel to which fans or other
exhaust apparatus are applied to draw or force such vapours away from
such tubes and funnels.
I will now, by the aid of Figures 7 and 8, describe the fourth part of
the Invention, which relates to applying the heating means described
under the third part of this Invention to the heating of calendering
or finishing rollers. For this purpose the pipes a and m are placed inside
a hollow roller, and these pipes for the supply of the gas and air are con-
ducted through one of the axes of the roller which is formed hollow for
that purpose. The roller is caused to revolve independently of these
pipes. The supply of air and gas to be burnt is regulated by applying
over the holes for the admission of the air to the air tube another tube p
having holes p' in its circumference corresponding with the holes in
the air tube. To this outer tube p I apply a bevil toothed wheel or
pinion p working with another bevil tooth wheel or pinion r affixed to
or formed on the tap for regulating the supply of the gas, in order that
when the supply of gas is diminished or increased the supply of air may
be diminished or increased in the same proportion.
Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt in
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not

page_text: confine myself to the precise arrangement and adaptation of parts as
shown and described; but what I do claim is,―
First, the method of supporting and actuating irons for smoothing,
pressing, finishing, or ironing fabrics, substantially as described.
Secondly, I claim the method of arranging the parts of irons for_
smoothing, pressing, finishing, or iron fabrics, and heating them, sub-
stantially as described under the second head of Invention.
Thirdly, I claim the method of heating irons for smoothing, pressing,
or ironing fabrics, substantially as described under the third head of
Invention.
Fourthly, I claim the method of applying the heat of jets of gas to
rollers used in calendering and finishing fabrics, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Gilson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
DAVID GILSON. (L.S.)