Ir THE MEANS OR PROCESS OF DESTROYING OR REMOVING THE FIBRES FROM THE THREAD, WHETHER OF FLAX, COTTON, SILK, OR ANY OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCE COMPOSING THE FABRICS USUALLY TERMED LACE, NET, OR ANY OTHER DENOMINATION OF FABRIC, WHERE HOLES OR INTERSTICES ARE FORMED BY SUCH THREAD, IN ANY OF THE AFORESAID FABRICS
Year: 1823

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BRYAN
DONKIN, of Great Surrey Street, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Fourth, by His Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster;
the Eleventh day of September now last past, did give and grant unto me,
the said Bryan Donkin, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Bryan Donkin, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said Bryan Doukin, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others;
from time to time and at all times thereaftor 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, my Invention "Ir
THE MEANS OR PROCESS OF DESTROYING OR REMOVING THE FIBRES FROM THE
THREAD, WHETHER OF FLAX, COTTON, SILK, OR ANY OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCE
COMPOSING THE FABRICS USUALLY TERMED LACE, NET, OR ANY OTHER DENOMINATION
OF FABRIC, WHERE HOLES OR INTERSTICES ARE FORMED BY SUCH THREAD, IN ANY OF
THE AFORESAID FABRICS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a
proviso obliging me, the said Bryan Donkin, 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

page_text: within two calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the said recited Letters Patent, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Bryan Donkin, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly ascertained
by the following description thereof in writing, reference at the same time
being had to the annexed Drawings, that is to say:—
The nature of my Invention consists in the application of atmospheric
or other air or gases, when heated to the temperature of ignition, to singe,
destroy, or remove the fibres from the thread, whether of flax, cotton, silk, or
other fibrous substance composing the fabrics usually termed lace, net,
or any other denomination of fabric, where holes or interstices are formed by
such thread, by causing a current of such heated air to pass through the
holes or interstices in fabrics of the description just mentioned.
any
Before describing the manner in which my said Invention is to be per-
formed, I shall here premise that in the annexed Drawings, and in the
following description, I have made use of the same letters or figures of
reference to denote the same thing wherever the same has been found
practicable and convenient, that is to say :-
In the Sheet of Drawings hereto annexed there are six different Figures
marked, Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, and Fig. 6, to which I shall
herein-after refer in describing the apparatus I employ for carrying my said
Invention into effect. The said apparatus consists of a furnace or stove A,
for heating the air of a chimney B, and a horizontal flue C, by which the
heated air is conducted in the orifice at a, on the upper side of the horizontal
flue C; of a second chimney D, G, placed immediately above the orifice a,
which said second chimney serves to convey the heated air out of the chamber
or room in which the process is carried on into the open air; of a wind
fan O, used for the purpose of blowing air into and through the furnace A;
of a frame P, P, R, Q, S, which, together with the rollers b, c, d, e, f, are
employed for extending and causing to circulate the fabric to be singed;
and of several other parts or appendages connected with those I have already
mentioned, and which I will herein-after more particularly describe.
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a part of the aforesaid apparatus. A is the
body of the furnace, in which a fire is to be made; V, the fire bars; L, L, is
the outside casing to the furnace, which I prefer to make of cast iron; K, K,
is an internal lining of fire-brick, loam, or any other fit substance which
will sufficiently resist the fire and prove a bad conductor of heat; but I

page_text: use fire-brick as possessing these qualities in a sufficient degree. The out-
side casing L, L, is made to stand upon the bottom piece N, M, N, which
I also make of cast iron. There are grooves around the cutsides of the said
bottom piece, as shewn at N, N, into which the bottom or lower edge of
the outside casing L, L, is placed, the said grooves being made wider than
the said outside casing is thick. The cavity thus remaining in the said
grooves is afterwards filled up with loam or clay, so as to make the joining
between the said outside casing and the said bottom piece tolerably air-tight.
W is the ash-hole below the fire bars, from which there is an opening at F,
through the outside casing, with a kind of mouth-piece, into which is inserted
the nozle T of the blowing machine or wind fan O. O is the wind fan,
the make and manner of applying which is obvious on inspecting Figs. 1 and
2, and it is sufficient to say, that it's construction is very similar to that of
the fans in common use for winnowing corn. The joint between the said
mouth-piece and the said nozle T of the wind fan is made air-tight by a
luting of clay or other fit substance, so as to allow of the said wind fan to
be easily removed when the ash pit becomes too full. X is a pier or stack of
brickwork for supporting the iron casing E, E, and the internal lining of
fire-brick K, K, of the chimney B. The horizontal flue C is also made
with a cast-iron casing, lined with fire-brick, and its construction will be
clearly understood by inspecting the Drawings, Figs. 1, 3, and 5; Fig. 1
being a longitudinal, and Figs. 3 and 5 cross sections thereof. In these
sections F, F, is the iron casing; J, J, the lining of fire-brick, and C,
the cavity of the flue. The bottom and sides of the said horizontal flue are
cast together, and assume somewhat the appearance of a trough open at the
top, and narrower there than at the bottom. The opening at the top
or upper side of the said flue extends from a to a, as is shewn in the
longitudinal section in Fig. 1; and the absolute length of the said opening
ought to exceed by five or six inches the width of the widest lace, net, or
other fabric intended to undergo the operation of singeing. In putting in
the lining of fire-bricks on each side of the said horizontal flue, I take care
that the upper sides of the lining J and J, and the upper edges of the iron
casing F, F, shall be in the same horizontal plane, or very nearly so. Upon
the upper side of the said flue I lay two cast-iron plates 9 and g, of the shape
represented in Figs. 5 and 3, and of a length corresponding to the distance
between a and a in Fig. 1; and I make the junction between the said two
plates and the upper sides of the fire-bricks, upon which they rest as nearly
air-tight as possible, by laying a very thin stratum of clay or other fit luting
between the said plates and bricks; and I place the aforesaid two plates in

page_text: such a manner as that their upper edges lie parallel to each other, and form
a slit or opening between them of any required width, the greatest extent of
which need never exceed half an inch. The absolute distance between the
edges of the said two plates, or, in other words, the width of the said opening,
can only be determined by experiment, and inust be adjusted according to the
velocity and temperature of the air which issues through the said slit or
opening, by moving one or both of the said plates, so as to make a greater
or smaller opening between them. That part of the said horizontal flue C,
which is between the top of the chimney B and the end of the aforesaid
opening at a, I cover with fire-brick, so as to make it air-tight. The termi-
nation of the said covering is more distinctly shewn by the line at p, and I
also close the opposite end of the said horizontal flue with fire-brick, as is
shewn at i, Fig. 1. At the top of the furnace there is an opening, as shewn
at Tin Fig. 1, through which the fuel is to be introduced; and U represents
the cover of the said opening. The horizontal flue C is supported in its
place by firmly attaching, with bolts or otherwise, the bottom part of the cast-
iron casing of the said flue C to the cast-iron casing of the chimney B; for
this purpose I make the bottom part of the casing of the said flue C to
extend over and beyond the top of the casing of the chimney B, and there
fasten it down with a screw bolt, as shewn at I in Fig. 1.
And as an
additional support to the said horizontal flue C, I introduce the iron bracket
H immediately above the opening at a, a, in Fig. 1, and at a, in Figs. 3
and 5, I place a chimney, which is made of sheet iron, or any other fit
material, with a rectangular opening at its lower end, the length of which
opening being equal to the distance between a and a, in Fig. 1, and the
width thereof about one inch, as shewn in Figs. 3 and 5, just above a. The
shape of the lower part of the said last-mentioned chimney is clearly shewn at
D, D, and D, in Figs. 1, 3, and 5, and it is there also shewn that at a few
feet above its lower end, the said chimney assumes a round form, as at G.
The round part G may either be carried up vertically through the roof of
the house, or, if more convenient, it may be turned into any chimney which
may happen to be near it, provided a sufficient draft be secured for carrying
off the heated air, for without such draft the chamber would become insup-
portably hot. I must here observe, that the two parallel sides of the chimney
D, at the lower end thereof, must terminate in the same horizontal plane at
the distance of from one quarter to half an inch from the upper edges of
the aforesaid plates 9, 9; and means should be provided for raising or
lowering the said chimney, in order to adjust it to the proper height. I have
found such an adjustment necessary to counteract the effect of expansion

page_text: occasioned by the chimney B becoming heated, and thereby raising the
horizontal flue so much as to leave no space between the plates g, g, and the
lower end of the chimney D.
Fig. 2 is a plan or bird's-eye view of the blowing fan O, a section of
the furnace A and the chimney B. But as the several parts therein de-
lineated have herein-before been described, and are marked with the same
letters, an inspection of the Drawing will be sufficient without any further
description.
In the annexed Drawing I have represented the furnace as standing upon
one floor, (I prefer placing it on a ground floor,) and the chimney Bas
passing through the next floor into the room above, where the operation of
singeing is to be carried on. And I have also represented the upper edges
of the two plates g, g, as being about four feet above the surface of the upper
floor; which said surface is represented by the line j, j. At the aforesaid
height of four feet, the operation of singeing can be performed very conve-
niently. P, P, in Fig. 3, is one of the side rails at the bottom of the frame
herein-before mentioned. In Fig. 4, P, P, P, are the two side rails, and one
of the cross rails thereof. In Fig. 3, R, S, Q, are three upright posts for
supporting the rollers b, c, d, e, and f. By an inspection of the Figs. 3 and 4,
it will be understood that the two side rails P, P, are connected by two or
more cross rails, and that the said side and cross rails form a rectangular
frame; and that upon each of the said side rails are three posts placed
similarly to those shewn at R, S, Q, in Fig. 3. Four of the posts which
stand in the positions as at R and S in Fig. 8, are fixed in a permanent
manner to the rails P, P; but the two posts represented by Q are connected
together upon a separate frame, which last-mentioned frame, with the roller e,
is so constructed as to be capable of being moved to a greater or less distance
from the two posts at S upon the side rails P. To this end I fasten upon
the upper side, and at the ends towards Q, of each of the said rails P, P, an
iron plate, with a number of rectangular holes in each plate, and into the
bottom and on each side of the moveable frame Q, at k, I affix two iron
hooks, so that when the moveable frame Q is placed upon the side rails P, P,
the hooks at k may correspond with and fall into the holes in the iron plates
before mentioned. The holes in each of the said plates must be made to
correspond, space and space alike, in order that whenever the frame Q is
moved from one hole to another, the roller e may be placed parallel with the
rollers & and c.
By examining the Drawing Fig. 3 of the frame, and the Drawing Fig. 6
of one of the plates, the application of the said plates and hooks will be

page_text: clearly understood. The frame P, P, R, Q, S, is mounted upon four wheels
as shewn 1, 1, in Figs. 3 and 4, and moves upon two rails laid upon the
floor for that purpose, as represented by q, q, Fig. 1, and by 9, 1, in
Fig. 3. When a piece of lace, net, or other fabric is to be singed, and the
said pieces of sufficient length to go round the rollers b, d, e, f, &c., I join
its two ends together so as to make an endless web or band; it is then
put upon the rollers, as is represented by the lines h, h, h, h, in Fig. 3.
In order to do this conveniently it is evident that one end of each of the
rollers b, c, d, e, f, should be so contrived as to be easily lifted out of its
bearing; and I accordingly place the axes of the said rollers in what are
usually termed Y's; but the construction and the end to be answered are
so obvious, as well as by an inspection of the Drawings, that no further
description is necessary. Upon one end of the axle of the roller d I place
a small handle, by which it may be turned round, and I cover the surfaces
of the rollers c and d with coarse woolen cloth, or any other substance of
a similar nature that is capable of grasping the fabric to be singed. When
the fabric is placed between the rollers d and c, it is pressed by the weight
of the upper roller c lying upon it, and thus, if the under roller d be
turned, the fabric will be drawn forward and made to circulate round the
rollers and d, by which it is kept extended.
The cross section Fig. 4 shews the position in which the frame P, P, R, S, Q,
is to be placed when the fabric is put upon the rollers, and the dotted lines
P, P, R, R, in Fig. 1, show it's position during the operation of singeing.
In Fig. 3 the arrow upon the line h, h, indicates the direction in which the
fabric is to be moved; and it is also there shewn that the fabric passes over
the opening or slit in the upper side of the horizontal flue C, through which
the heated air issues.
By attending to the foregoing descriptions, and by an inspection of the
Drawings, the nature and use of the whole of the apparatus herein-before
mentioned will be so far understood as to shew that the rollers b, c, d, e, f,
the horizontal flue C, and the railway 9, 7, must all be parallel with
each other, or at least that it is most convenient to make them so, in order
that the fabric to be singed may be drawn over the opening or slit
in the apper flue C, in a direction at right angles with the said slit. In
preparing for the operation of singeing, a fire must be made in the furnace A
with such fuel as produces little or no smoke, and on this account I use
charcoal or coke, but I prefer the latter as less expensive. On lighting the
fire the wind fan must be put in motion, in order to produce a current of air
through the fire with such a velocity as will produce the desired effect; and

page_text: it is evident, from the construction of the apparatus, that whenever the fire
arrives at a sufficient degree of intensity, the air so driven through it will
become heated and ascend the chimney, and issue with considerable velocity
through the slit of the horizontal flue at a, a, and may there be employed to
singe any of the fabrics herein-before mentioned. And it may be easily
ascertained when the air has arrived at the proper singeing temperature, by
exposing a piece of thread or other casily combustible substance to the current
of hot air issuing through the slit at a. The web or fabric having been
properly arranged upon the rollers, with the frame in the position as shewn
in Fig. 4, must be made to circulate by an assistant turning the handle of the
under the roller d. The frame must then be moved until it arrives at the
position represented by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. By this means the fabric
will be made to pass over the slit in the horizontal flue, and thus be exposed
to the current of heated air. I must here observe, that this operation requires
two additional assistants to keep the fabric extended laterally, and for this
purpose one is placed on each side of the fabric, between the horizontal flue
and the roller e. I must also here remark, that the space between the upper
edges of the plates g, g, and the lower end of the chimney D, is so small as to
render it somewhat difficult to introduce the fabric when in motion between
them. I obviate this difficulty by fixing wires at the ends of the said plates
and to the corner of the said chimney, these wires being bent into the form
as shewn in Fig. 1 at m and n. The singeing process having been con-
tinued a sufficient length of time on one side of the fabric, the frame is drawn
back, and the fabric is turned; the frame is then pushed back into the
singeing position, with the necessary precaution of turning the under roller,
so as to keep up the circulating motion of the fabric so long as it remains
over the current of heated air, in order to prevent the said fabric from
being burnt; and the operation is continued on the opposite side of the
fabric.
Although I have herein-before described a particular apparatus of which I
make use in singeing lace, net, &c., it is obvious that the essential parts or
principles of such an apparatus may be variously modified, and made to
answer a similar purpose.
And I further declare, that although I have herein described the several
parts constituting the particular apparatus I employ for singeing lace, net,
and other fabrics, yet I lay no claim to such parts individually or collectively
as forming any part of my Invention, excepting their application to the pur-
pose or purposes herein-before mentioned.
And I lastly declare, that my Invention consists in the application or

page_text: employment of air heated to the igniting point for the purpose of singeing,
destroying, or removing the fibres from the thread, whether of flax, cotton,
silk, or any other fibrous substance of which the fabrics usually termed lace
or net are composed, and from every other denomination of fabric where holes
or interstices are formed by such thread, by causing a current of such heated
air to pass through the holes or interstices of these fabrics.
In wituess whereof, I, the said Bryan Donkin, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-three.
1. LOWDESWELL.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Eleventh day of Novem-
ber, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Bryan Donkin came before
our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written..
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
tho Statuto in that case made and provided.