IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELTED ARTICLES AND FABRICS, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ezekiel Edmonds, of Berryfield, in the County of
Wilts, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
FELTED ARTICLES AND FABRICS, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."...
Partly a communication from abroad by James Wyght, of Lawrence,
Massachusetts, United States of America.
I
Sealed the 9th December 1862, and dated the 21st June 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ezekiel Edmonds at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st June 1862.
I, EZEKIEL EDMONDS, of Berryfield, in the County of Wilts, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF FELTED ARTICLES AND FABRICS, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of felted
articles and fabrics, and in the apparatus' employed therein, and whereby the
elongation of the fibre of the wool as now caused by the present roller hardener
(and by which the staple of the wool is injured, so that felted articles are weak
when n strained laterally) is prevented, and the felted cloth is as strong when
strained one way as the other.
In hardening felted articles and fabrics flat hardeners are commonly em-
ployed'; these consist of two flat surfaces, between which the article is pressed

page_text: and one of these surfaces has a felting motion communicated to it. Hereto-
fore however flat hardeners have only been able to felt articles of small size;
now this Invention consists in combining with flat hardeners rollers, or similar
instruments, for carrying forward through them a continuous sheet of fabric,
and thus flat hardeners are enabled to operate on a sheet of any length. In
order to produce a better crossing and interlaying of the fibres of the wool,
and a more even felt than has heretofore been made, the sliver of wool from
the scribbler is not fed into the carder in the same direction as that in which
it comes from the scribbler; (as heretofore in the manufacture of felted articles
and fabrics,) but transversely, or at angles to this direction. By this means.
the fibre of the wool, which, under the present system of making felted goods,
proceeds longitudinally from one machine to the other, is reversed, and will
better bear the action of the hardener.
After the felted cloth is hardened and milled to the required substance, I,
according to this Invention, pass the article through a series of iron or other
metal rollers, the said rollers being adjusted in such a manner that any amount
of pressure may be applied according to the nature of the article operated
upon. The said rollers are heated internally by steam. Any number of
rollers may be applied in a series as in a paper-making machine, but I find
three rollers best adapted to the purpose, and I run the material through
between these rollers once, twice, or more times.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Ezekiel Edmonds, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th December 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EZEKIEL
EDMONDS, of Berryfield, in the County of Wilts, send greeting.
.. WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for. Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Ezekiel Edmonds, Her special licence that I, the said Ezekiel
Edmonds, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Ezekiel Edmonds, 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

page_text: ...
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELTED ARTICLES AND FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN," the result partly of communication from abroad made to.
me by James Wyght, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States of America,
and partly of invention and discovery made by myself, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Ezekiel Edmonds, my executors or admin's-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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 Ezekiel Edmonds, 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 follow-
ing statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of felted
articles and fabrics, and in the apparatus employed therein, and whereby the
elongation of the fibre of the wool as now caused by the present roller hardener
(and by which the staple of the wool is injured, so that felted articles are
weak when strained laterally) is prevented, and the felted cloth is as strong
when strained one way as the other.
In hardening felted articles and fabrics flat hardeners are cominonly
employed; these consist of two flat surfaces, between which the article is
pressed, and one of these surfaces has a felting motion communicated to it.
Heretofore however flat hardeners have only been able to felt articles of small
size; now this Invention consists in combining with flat hardeners rollers, or
similar instruments, for carrying forward through them a continuous sheet of
fabric, and thus flat hardeners are enabled to operate on a sheet of any length.
Figure 1 is a side view of continuous flat hardening apparatus arranged
according to this Invention. a, a, is the frame of the apparatus; b, b, are the
lower felting or hardening boards fixed thereon; these boards are conveniently
made about eighteen inches wide, and their length exceeds the width of tho
broadest fabric the apparatus is required to operate on. c, c, are the upper
boards placed immediately over the lower boards b; these boards are at their
two ends suspended by the rods d, d, to the bars e, e, of which there is one at
each side of the frame. The bars e are jointed to the levers f, which turn on
centres at f, and these are connected to the excentrics 9, g, on the shaft h,
which is conveniently made to rotate about 120 times per minute. In this
manner the boards are constantly moved up and down a short distance. The

page_text: connection between the levers of and the excentrics is for one side of the
machine made directly by the rod i, for the other side of the machine,
the motion is communicated from the excentric to a horizontal rod, and this
is connected to a vertical rod similar to that marked i by a bell-crank lever;
the throw of the excentrics 9 may conveniently. be about two inches. In
addition to the vertical motion, the boards c also have a horizontal motion
communicated to them; this is done by means of the excentric rods k and
excentrics, which are, mounted on the horizontal axes m; one of these axes
is
driven by
a band passing around a pulley upon it, and the axis so driven is
connected with all the rest by a driving strap passing over a pulley on each of
them. The axes m are conveniently driven at about 400 revolutions per minute,
and the throw of the excentrics should be about two inches. n, n, are rollers,
the bearings of the axes of which are carried by brackets on the frame; o, o, are
toothed wheels, fixed on the axes of these rollers, and gearing with the screws p
on the vertical axes 9, and these by bevilled wheels receive simultaneous
motion from the horizontal shaft h. The felt to be opèrated upon passes as is
shown by the dotted lines in the Drawing in a continuous length over, the
rollers n, and between the boards 6 and c. It is convenient to sew the two
ends of the piece of felt to be operated upon together, and to cause it thus to
pass through and through the apparatus until the desired result is produced;
the number of pairs employed may be varied. I find four pairs a convenient
number. The lower boards 6, may conveniently be made of metal, and hollow,
so that they can be heated by means of steam admitted to the interior.
In order to produce a better crossing and interlaying of the fibres of the
wool, and a more even felt than has heretofore been made, the sliver of wool
from the scribbler is not fed into the carder in the same direction as that in
which it comes from the scribbler, (as heretofore in the manufacture of felted
articles and fabrics) but transversely, or at angles to this direction. By
this means the fibre of the wool, which, under the present system of making
felted goods proceeds longitudinally from one machine to the other, is reversed
and will better bear the action of the hardener.
In carrying out this part of the Invention, I prefer to employ the apparatus
now commonly employed in the manufacture of yarns, and known as "Apperly
and Clissold's Self-acting Carder Feeding Machine." This machine receives
the condensed sliver from the scribbler and lays it on a travelling apron, which
carries it forward and feeds it to the carder at an angle to the direction at
which it came from the scribbler. The batt or fleece from the carder is
accumulated to a sufficient thickness, and felted as is now practised with batts
or fleeces otherwise obtained. I would remark that this part of the present

page_text: Invention does not consist in the method of obtaining the batt or fleece, but
in submitting to the felting process a batt or fleece of this description.
After the felted cloth is hardened and milled to the required substance, I,
according to this Invention, pass the article through a series of iron or other
metal rollers, the said rollers being adjusted in such a manner that any amount
of pressure may be applied according to the nature of the article operated
upon. The said rollers are heated internally by steam. Any number of
rollers may be applied in a series, as in a paper-making machine, but I find
three rollers best adapted to the purpose, and I run the material through
between these rollers once, twice, or more times.
I prefer to employ rollers of chilled cast iron from 15 to 20 inches diameter,
very truly turned, and sufficiently long to take between them the widest fabric
which it is desired to operate on. These rollers are made hollow, and are
heated internally by steam of a pressure of, say 15 lbs. per square inch,
and they are mounted in a frame vertically one above the other, and geared
together with pinions. The bearings of the top and bottom rollers are made
adjustable by screws, so that the spaces between the rollers can be regulated
according to the thickness of the felt, and the surface and degree of firmness
it is desired to give to it; if a very close felt with a glossy surface considerable
pressure is employed, and the felt is passed repeatedly between the rollers, but
when a soft elastic felt is required, less pressure is employed, and it is not so
often repeated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ezekiel Edmonds, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
EZEKIEL EDMONDS. (L.S.)