IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING AND FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS COMPOSED WHOLLY OR PARTLY OF WOOL
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry William Ripley, of Bradford, in the County
of York, Dyer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING AND
FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS COMPOSED WHOLLY OR PARTLY OF WOOL."-Partly
a communication.
Sealed the 28th September 1855, and dated the 23rd July 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry William Ripley at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd July 1855.
I, HENRY WILLIAM RIPLEY, of Bradford, in the County of York, Dyer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING
AND FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS COMPOSED WHOLLY OR PARTLY OF WOOL" to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a mode of treating woven fabrics composed
wholly or partly of wool, so as to free their face from loose knots, and at the
same time raise the nap or fibre. For this purpose, the goods are stretched on
a convenient frame, and then subjected to the action of fine steel combs, which
are caused to act upon the fabric in a line nearly parallel to its surface. This
When per-
operation may be performed by hand or other motive power.
formed by hand, the instrument used will be a narrow rectangular frame,
furnished with a handle at its opposite ends, and made of a sufficient width to
receive on its under side two steel combs, the teeth of which stand opposite
each other. By imparting a reciprocating motion to this frame, when in con-
tact with the fabric the fine comb teeth will remove the loose knots from the
face of the fabric and otherwise improve its appearance.

page_text: Another improvement which I propose to effect in the finishing of cloth is
to expedite the cooling of the fabric after it comes from the heated cylinders.
To this end, I roll the cloth upon a perforated cylinder, and then submit it to a
blast of air produced by the use of any suitable blowing apparatus. In some
cases I may find it desirable to apply a blast of air to the cloth in the pre-
paring process, that is, previous to submitting the cloth to the operation of
dveive
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry William Ripley in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd January 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
WILLIAM RIPLEY, of Bradford, in the County of York, Dyer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Terself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry William Ripley, IIer special licence that I, the said Henry William
Ripley, my executors, administrators. and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Henry William Ripley, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN DRESSING AND FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS COMPOSED WHOLLY OR PARTLY
OF WOOL," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry William Ripley, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and scal, 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 I, the said Henry William Ripley, 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 (that is to say):-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a mode of treating woven fabrics composed
wholly or partly of wool, so as to free their face from loose knots, and at the

page_text: same time raise the nap or fibre. For this purpose, the goods are passed.
through a machine, similar to those commonly used in cloth dressing, for the
purpose of keeping the cloth at tension while under operation, and while at
tension they are subjected to the action of fine steel combs, which are caused
to act upon the fabric in a line nearly parallel to its surface. This operation
may be performed by hand or other motive power. When performed by hand,
the instrument used will be a narrow rectangular frame, furnished with a
handle at its opposito ends, and made of a sufficient width to receive on its
under side two steel combs, the teeth of which stand opposite each other. By
imparting a reciprocating motion to this frame, when in contact with the fabric
the fine combs will alternately act upon the surface of the fabric and remove
the loose knots therefrom, and, by imparting regularity or evenness to the nap,
will greatly improve the appearance of the fabric.
A further improvement which is proposed to be effected in the finishing of
the woven fabrics above referred to, is to expedite the cooling of the fabrics
after they have been exposed to or undergone any process by or in which heat
is communicated or imparted to them. This is accomplished by forcing cold air
through or against the cloth by means of blowing or exhausting apparatus.
The mechanical appliances used for this purpose may vary, but it is preferred
to employ perforated cylinders on which to roll or wind the cloth, and by means
of any suitable well-known apparatus to exhaust the air from the interior of the
perforated cylinders to cause cold air to pass through the cloth, which is rapidly
thereby cooled. By this mode of treatment I am enabled to produce on the
woven fabrics an improved finish, of a character which I have failed to attain
by the processes in ordinary use.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that, under the above in part recited Letters
Patent, I claim the method of dressing and finishing woven fabrics composed
wholly or partly of wool, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry William Ripley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
HENRY W. RIPLEY. (L.S.)