IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE WOOLLEN CLOTH AND CLOTH MADE FROM WOOL AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HIRST, of Leeds, in the County of York, Clothier, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-fourth day of September, in the fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Hirst, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Hirst, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Hirst, my exors, admors, or 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, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
WOOLLEN CLOTH AND CLOTH MADE FROM WOOL AND OTHER MATERIALS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William Hirst,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part 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
William Hirst, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-

page_text: tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
My Invention relates to certain modes of fulling and milling cloths made
of wool, or wool combined with other fibrous materials which will felt there-
with, or not prejudicially interfere with the felting properties of wool; and my
Invention more particularly relates to that description of cloth which is pro-
duced and milled or fulled without the fibres being first spun into yarn and
then woven in looms, that is, simply taking advantage of the properties of such
fibres interlocking and matting, called felting, by motion of the fibres amongst
themselves; but part of my Invention relates also to the fulling and milling
of cloths of wool, or of wool and other fibres, which are made into yarn, and
then woven into fabrics.
And in order to give the fullest information in my power, I will proceed to
describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
In manufacturing cloths of wool, or wool and other fibres, when the pro-
cesses of spinning and weaving are dispensed with, it is necessary to obtain
fabricated sheets of wool, or wool and other fibres, of even and equal thickness
all over, and to fabricate such sheets to such an extent or to such a degree of
substance that the same will not, by the after processes, be dragged out of
figure or state of evenness, which may have been effected by the machinery by.
which such sheets of the cloth or fabric of fibre may have been made. And
although the formation of such sheets forms no part of my Invention, I will
describe the means I prefer for performing that part of the manufacture of
woollen cloths, and cloths of wool and other material; at the same time, in
doing so, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself thereto, as
sheets of fibres made by other means may be fulled and milled according to
my Invention.
Figure 1 represents so much of a section of an ordinary scribbling machine
as will enable me to explain how I prefer to make sheets of wool, or wool and
other fibres, in order to the sheets so made being in such a state of fabrication
as will be sufficient for undergoing the process of fulling and milling. The
scribbling machine being well understood, and forming no part of my Inven-
tion, it will not be necessary to enter into any description thereof, but simply.
to remark, that the sliver roller a is enlarged, in order to obtain as large a
sheet of fibres as conveniently can be. In other respects the scribbling
machine, as above stated, is of the ordinary kind. And, in working of the

page_text: machine, I cause as many layers of sliver to be combined together around the
surface of the sliver roller or cylinder a as will be required for cloth of the
thickness desired; and I have found that forty-six layers of sliver, so made
into sheets, makes a very strong thick cloth, but the quantities will be varied
as the manufacturer may judge best for his purpose, and as is now the case in
making like descriptions of cloths. And having obtained the requisite thick-
ness of fabric or sheet of partially formed cloth on the cylinder a, I cut the
same off the cylinder, and, according to the length I desire to have the cloth
with reference to the circumference of the cylinder a, so I join two or more
sheets together by combing out the edges of the ends of such sheets, that
the ends of two such sheets may lap over each other for a length of from one
to three inches without varying the thickness at the joins from any other
part; and when the two ends are so lapped on each other I slightly press
them, that the fibres at the edges may sufficiently combine to allow of the
various sheets so joined being wound on a roller b in one length, and then to
be conveyed to the machinery for performing the first part of the process of
fulling and milling by condensing or compressing the fibres amongst each
other, and thus cause them to interlock, and the sheet of fabric to have more
strength.
Figure 2 represents a section of a press by which the sheets are con-
densed and partially fulled, and the fibres caused to intermat by their felting
properties; Figure 3 is an end view of the press complete, except that the
guide rollers are removed. c, c, is the framing of the press, the nature of
which is clearly shewn in the Drawing. d, d, are two hollow smooth surfaces
or plates of cast iron, so formed as to allow of being heated by steam, as is
well understood in making such presses; but it is not absolutely necessary to
heat such surfaces, but it is preferable so to do; e is the steam pipe for
supplying steam from an ordinary low-pressure steam boiler; the pipe e¹ for
supplying the upper hollow plate, sliding in a stuffing box f, as is shewn;
g, g, are supporting and guiding rollers for the sheets of combined fibres; they
turn easily in bearings at h, h. In Figure 2 a fabricated sheet or cloth of
fibres on a roller b is shewn to be placed in the machine, and the end
attached to the roller i, on to which the fabric or other sheet is wound, as it
has undergone the process of pressure by the surface press; and the workman,
in using the machine, causes the upper and moveable plate d to descend, and
press the fabric between the two plates d, d, and then he winds up a length
equal to that which has been so pressed, by which means he brings a fresh
quantity of the fabric between the surfaces which he next presses, and so on
till the whole length of fabric from the roller has been pressed and received

page_text: on the roller i, in which state it is in a condition to undergo the next process
of fulling and milling, which is performed in the machine shewn at Figures 4
and 5, Figure 4 being a section of the machine, and Figure 5 a side view
thereof. The roll of fabric in the roller i is then covered with calico, and
placed in a fulling and milling machine, which I will now describe. j, j, is a
trough, which has a false bottom k perforated with holes, and a partition 7, as
is shewn, m being a steam pipe, the under surface of which is perforated with
holes; hence the steam descends between the side of the trough and the
partition . The roll of fabric is placed in the trough, having a fabric n, n,
which is affixed at the ends to rollers o, p, and the fabric is wound on the
roller o at the commencement, and unwound therefrom on to the roller p by
the working of the machine, by which means the roll of fabric is constantly
being moved round, so as to be pressed on at a different point of the circum-
ference. 7 is a plank of wood, which is raised and lowered by a screw 7, and
by such means the roll of fabric is successively pressed on, and then changed
in its position, and so on, again and again pressing and changing the position
of the fabric, and by such means causing the fibres to intermat and felt, and
the fabric or cloth to full and mill, and thus to complete the cloth ready for
the finishing processes; and such fulling and milling is facilitated by being
constantly in a bath of steam. And I would here remark, that although I
prefer the machine now under description, and also the previously described
machine, to work in the manner of a screw or fly press; it will be evident that
the pressing operations of the surfaces d of the former case, and of the plank
7 of the present machinery, may be performed by other mechanical means.
s, 8, are two ratchet wheels affixed on the ends of the roller p, and motion is
communicated to such roller by the drivers t, t, hinged to the plank q, the
ratchet wheels being retained from turning back by clicks or catches v, v, as
is shewn. I would here remark, that I have found it desirable, in winding
the fabric (to be milled and fulled) on to the roller i, to wind with it a length of
calico or other smooth fabric in such manner as to keep the surfaces of the
fabric to be fulled and milled from coming together, by which means the
fabric may remain longer under operation without opening out and rewinding;
and I have found, that by submitting the cloth of wool, or wool and other
fibres, to the operation of the second machine for an hour, that the same will
have arrived at such a state as to allow of being unwound from the roller i,
and folded in such lengths of folds as to be capable of being put again into the
trough; and the piece of cloth, as folded, I roll up in the way of the length
of the folds, and wrap the roll in calico or strong cotton fabric or open
canvas, and submit it again to the operation of the n achine, till the fulling and

page_text: milling process is complete to the extent desired by the manufacturer; or, in
place of completing the process of milling and fulling in such machine, the
fulling and milling may be completed in the ordinary stocks. The cloth is
then to undergo the ordinary processes of finishing, which are well understood
by woollen manufacturers; and, in case of fulling and milling cloths made of
yarn by this machine, the same process is to be observed.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,—
First, the mode herein described of commencing the milling and fulling
process on fibres fabricated into sheets, as described in respect to Figures 2
and 3 of the Drawing.
And, secondly, I claim the mode of carrying on the process of milling and
fulling cloths of wool, or of wool and other fibres, as described in respect to
Figures 4 and 5.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hirst, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifteenth day of March, in
the year of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid William Hirst came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, 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-fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.