MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING AND FINISHING FABRICS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Fréderic Vasserot, of No. 45, Essex Street,
Strand, London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR DRESSING AND FINISHING FABRICS."-A communication from
Pierre Labérie, residing at Mazamet (Tarn), in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 15th March 1859, and dated the 17th September 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Fréderic Vasserot
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 17th September 1858.
I, CHARLES FREDERIC VASSEROT, of 45, Essex Street, Strand, London,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING AND FINISHING FABRICS," a communication from
Pierre Labérie, residing at Mazamet (Tarn), in the Empire of France, to be
as follows; and consists of a frame raised upon proper supports; over this
frame the fabric to be finished travels on rollers. Supported on the frame and
raised so as to be above the fabric is a reservoir, stretching across the frame
from side to side; this reservoir is triangular in section tapering at the
bottom so as to form a lip; within this vessel is contained the preparation or
liquor for finishing the fabric; a brass slide padded with leather on its face,
and acted upon by a rack and lever, regulates the flow of the liquor, as it
passes through slits in the face of the reservoir. Immediately in front of
the lip of the reservoir is the brush roller; made of wood or other material,

page_text: and rendered waterproof, its surface being studded with stiff bristles, so as to
<listribute the liquor in a drizzling shower on the fabric passing underneath.
The fabric is received by the beetle roller where it is acted upon by the beetle,
which is a rod stretching from side to side of the beetle roller, and equal to
the width of the cloth. It is caused to strike or vibrate by means of two bent
levers, one at each end of it, of an S form, oue end of which is fixed to the
beetle, the other end free; its centre is fixed to the frame so that it may
oscillate back and forwards carrying the beetle with it; it is caused to oscillate
by the free end of the lever playing upon the periphery of a wheel, on which
several studs are fixed, so that on the free end coming on a stud the
other end with the beetle is caused to jerk back, and a spiral.spring causes
it to fall on the beetle roller with some force; by means of toothed gear
working in a segmental rack, the motion of the beetle roller is kept uniform.
The machine is put in motion by means of a pulley on one of the rollers,
and this motion is conveyed to all the other rollers and parts requiring it by
means of toothed gear, pinions, and bands, mounted on the axes of the various
parts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Fréderick Vasserot in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th March 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
FREDERICK VASSEROT, of No. 45, Essex Street, Strand, London, Patent Agent,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Frederick Vasserot, Her special licence that I, the said
Charles Frederick Vasserot, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Charles Frederick Vasserot, 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 make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and, Isle of Man, an
Invention for "MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING AND FINISHING FABRICS,"
(a communication from Pierre Laberic, residing at Mazamet (Tarn), in the

page_text: Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Charles Frederick Vasserot, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Frederick Vasserot, 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 :-
Up to the present time, so far as I am aware, fabrics of all kinds, more
especially cloth, have been finished and dressed principally by the hand, the
operation being performed either by throwing the proper solution upon the
fabrics, or dipping them into a bath containing it. The object of my Invention
is to effect this by means of machinery; and this consists of a frame raised
upon proper bearers; over this frame the fabric to be dressed or finished
travels on rollers. Supported on the frame and raised so as to be above the
fabric is a reservoir stretching across from side to side of the frame; this
reservoir is triangular in section, tapering at the bottom so as to form a lip;
within this vessel is contained the preparation or liquor for finishing the
fabric; a brass slide padded with leather, and acted upon by a rack and lever,
regulates the flow of the liquor as it passes through slits in the face of the
reservoir. Immediately in front of this lip of the reservoir is the brush roller
made of wood or other material, and rendered waterproof, its surface being
studded with stiff bristles, so as to distribute the liquor in a drizzling shower
on the fabric passing underneath. The fabric is then received by the beetle,
which is a rod stretching from side to side of the beetle roller and equal to the
width of the cloth; the beetle is caused to strike or vibrate by means of two
bent levers, one at each end, of an S form; one end of each lever is fixed to
the beetle, the other end free; its centre is fixed to the frame, so that it may
oscillate backwards and forwards, carrying the beetle with it; this oscillation
is produced by the free end of the levers playing each on the periphery of a
wheel on which several studs are fixed, so that when the end of a lever comes
on a stud, the other end with the beetle is caused to jerk back, and a spiral
spring projects it on the beetle roller with a sharp blow. By means of toothed
gear in a segmental rack, the motion of the beetle is kept uniform.
For dressing linen or cotton fabrics I suppress the beetle and substitute
a pair of copper rollers (hollow), so that the material having first received the

page_text: dressing solution is caused to pass between the two rollers, which are heated
by steam, and is by them pressed and dried.
The machine is put in motion by means of a chain passing round pullies
mounted on one of the rollers, and this motion is conveyed to all the other
parts by means of bands, toothed gear, or similar contrivances.
In order more fully to explain my Invention, I have appended the
accompanying Drawings, which I entend to illustrate the main features of
my Invention, and the means by which I propose to accomplish it; at the
same time I wish it understood that I do not confine myself to the exact
details shewn therin, as these may all be modified to suit particular applica-
tions, and other equivalent parts substituted for them so long as the main
features of construction and contrivance are retained.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine; Figure 2, a back view;
Figures 3 and 4, are end views of same; Figure 5 shews the beetle with
its studded wheel; Figure 6 is a view of the reservoir for containing the
solution for dressing. Similar Figures refer to the same parts in the different
Drawings.
A, A, is the frame; A1, A2, the main pulley and gear; B', B', the brush
roller; C, the reservoir in which the solution is contained, and which is kept
filled by means of a pipe communicating with a boiler within which the
solution is warmed. The liquor runs through the openings at R (Fig. 6),
upon the blade S, which is of whalebone or other flexible material, and
regulates the flow of the liquor from the reservoir, which is effected by means
of the screws M', which elevate or depress it over the mouth of the latter.
Q is a brass rod padded with leather, which regulates more nicely than the
latter the flow of the liquor, by opening more or less the ports R; or it can
cut off the supply entirely by closing them up. This rod is actuated by means
of the handles or levers D¹ mounted on the axle D, and a rack T holds it in
any desired position. M, M, are two slides which regulate the flow of the
liquor according to the width of the fabric; F (Figure 5) shews the beetle
with its levers F¹, and the wheel E with the studs H on its periphery. The
brush roller B¹ is of cast iron or of wood, made waterproof and covered with
stiff bristles; it is actuated by the pinion B, and rubs strongly against the
blade S, upon which runs the solution, and throws it in a drizzling shower upon
the fabric placed underneath. The rollers 1, 2 3, 4, are moveable and
"covered with gutta percha for carrying the fabric; the two last are made with
sliding chains, so as to allow the fabric to be placed nearer or further from

page_text: the brush roller. The fabric is rolled upon the roller 5, which is turned by
the pulley I, and may be removed at will; it first passes from roller 1 to
roller 2, and then upon 3; after having received the solution it passes under 4,
and is rolled on 5, where it is beaten by the beetle so as to force the
solution completely within it.
Figure 7 shews an arrangement for modifying the speed of the roller No. 5,
and for producing an even strain and velocity for the cloth; since this roller,
by having its diameter increased, owing to the fabric being rolled round it,
will have a tendancy to draw the latter more quickly. To obviate this, as
the diameter of the roller with the fabric increases, it presses against the top
piece of the rack o, (Figure 8), which it forces gradually down, and then puts
in motion the pinion N. The chain P attached to the fork R, which works
the strap I of the conical pulley I', I', causes the strap to move towards N¹,
and hence diminishes gradually the movement of the conical pullies, and
consequently that of roller 5. Figure 9 shews the rollers I adopt when
dressing or finishing linen or cotton fabrics.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of my Invention,
and how the same is effected, I wish it understood that what I claim and
desire secured by the before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the general
arrangement and construction of parts for the purpose of forming a machine
for dressing and finishing fabrics, as set forth in this Specification, and
illustrated in the Drawings appended thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Frederick Vasserot, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of March, in the
year One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
CH. FRED. VASSEROT. (L.S.)