IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MAKING OR MANU- TURING OF FELT, OR A SUBSTANCE IN THE NATURETHERE OF,. APPLICABLE TO COVERING THE BOTTOMS OF VESSELS, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1829

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ROBINSON WILLIAMS, of Norfolk Street, Strand,. in, the County of Middlesex,
Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-third day of May, in the tenth year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Robinson Williams, His especial licence that I, the said Thomas
Robinson Williams, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Thomas Robinson Williams, my executors,. administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also within all His Majesty's Colonies and.
Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MAKING OR MANU-
TURING OF FELT, OR A SUBSTANCE IN THE NATURETHERE OF,. APPLICABLE TO COVERING
THE BOTTOMS OF VESSELS, AND OTHER PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Thomas Robinson Williams,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next immediately after

page_text: the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Robinson Williams, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is described
and ascertained as follows (reference being had to the accompanying Drawing
(that is to say):
I pass the hair, wool, cotton, hemp, flax, or other fibrous substance to be
converted into felt, between two, wire webs immersed in a composition of
melted tar, pitch, or such other material as I propose to make use of with
reference to the nature of the proposed manufacture; this is subjected to
pressure under rollers, and a substance is thus produced of such width and
-length as may be desired.
The machine I have used for this purpose I have described as follows:-Fig. 1
represents a section of the machine, and A, B, represents an endless webb of.
woven wire extended upon and passing around the two rollers or drums C, D;
upon this endless web is received the different materials of which I make the
felt, or a substance in the nature thereof. These materials; whether hair,
wool, cotton, hemp, flax, or other fibrous materials, are prepared by a carding
engine, blowing machine, devil, or any other means of disposing them evenly
upon the web. E, F, represents another endless web of 'woven wire extended
upo
and passing around the two, drums G, H.-
Webs of any other material than wire sufficiently open would answer the
purpose, but I consider the woven wire web preferable on account of its
greater durability and firmness.
17 ind
:
't..
-I, Ĵ, represents a cistern or box, which contains the mixture in which the
materials are to be immersed. This cistern or box is heated when required
either by a steam pipe passing 'through and coiled within it, or by a fire im-
mediately applied underneath, as may be found most convenient.
K, L, are two metallic rollers, mounted in bearings at each end, the upper
one being pressed upon the lower by levers and weights, as represented at
1 and 2, or by any other common mechanical contrivance; these rollers receive
any required motion by being connected with any convenient part of the pre-
paratory machine.
It will now be readily seen, that as both the endless webs of woven wire
pass between the weighted rollers K, L, whilst in motion, that they will be
drawn forward, and consequently receive a rotatory motion, which will like-
wise be communicated to the four rollers or drums C, D, G, H, and that when
the different materials are properly spread upon the endless web, as seen at 3-

page_text: and 4, they will move onwards until they are received between the two sheets
of woven wire, as at 5 and 6, and thence onwards over the roller. 7, and
descend into the liquid (the surface of which is shewn by the dotted line.a, b),
then under the roller 8, after which it will pass up again: out of the liquid-
between the metallic rollers K, L, where all that may bé.superfluous is pressed.
out and falls again into the cistern, while the felt or substance in the nature
thereof will, still, move onwards. until it is..liberated from between the two
sheets of woven wire, as seen at No. 9, where, from the action of the rollers
and liquid, it is sufficiently compressed, and only remains to be deposited upon
the table M, N, where it is either cut into sheets, or rolled up in any lengths
which may be required.
:!**
For the purpose of covering ships' bottoms and houses, a felt composed of
hair immersed in a composition of tar and rosin, or tar and pitch, is preferable;
but by varying the material and using hemp, flax, cotton, or wool, and by
varying the composition or mixture through which the same is passed, and
adding size or glue, whiting, clay, lime, and other substances, I produce a felt,
or a substance in the nature thereof, of greater firmness, adapted for the same
uses as millboard, pasteboard, or floor cloth, and for other purposes.
I may, also further add, that I sometimes make use of two separate sheets
or pieces (instead of a continuous webb), between which the hair or other
substances are placed, and whilst so between them, they are immersed in the
required liquid, and subjected to the pressure of rollers, as in the above-
described manner.
In reference to the above description, I hereby declare that I do not claim
as my Invention any novelty in the manner of spreading the materials in the
way described, as I make use of either the common carding engine, blowing
machine, devil, or any other method of doing it as evenly as possible; but I do
claim as my Invention the making use of two sheets or webs for this purpose,
whether they be, as before mentioned, of woven, plaited, laid, or braided wire,
or of other substances, or even perforated sheets of metallic or other substances,
and the method of subjecting the different materials, whilst between them, to
the action of the rollers in such liquids as I wish to impregnate the different
materials with.
In witness whereof I, the said Thomas Robinson Williams, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of August, One thousand
eight hundred and twenty-nine.
THOS ROBINSON (L.s.) WILLIAMS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord 1829, the aforesaid Thomas Robinson Williams came before.
our said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine.