CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN THE PROCESSES OR OPERATIONS OF DRYING, DRESSING, BRUSHING, WAXING, AND FINISHING FABRICS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Lawrence of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Mechanic, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN THE PROCESSES OR OPERATIONS OF DRYING,
DRESSING, BRUSHING, WAXING, AND FINISHING FABRICS."
Sealed the 6th November 1863, and dated the 14th May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Lawrence at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition on the 14th
May 1863.
I, THOMAS LAWRENCE, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN THE PROCESSES OR OPERATIONS OF DRYING,
DRESSING, BRUSHING, WAXING, AND FINISHING FABRICS," to be as follows:-
My improvements in machinery or apparatus for drying fabrics consist in
the use of certain chambers heated by hot air or gas, which chambers are
arranged and connected together by pipes to allow a current of hot air or
gas to pass through each chamber; a fan is employed to the end chamber
to cause a draught through them, the front chamber is connected to a pipe for
supplying hot air or gas by a stove or gas jets, or the waste heat from boiler
furnaces or any other furnaces may be applied for drying purposes. The
chambers are so arranged that the fabric to be dried may be brought in
contact with both sides of them; they are in the form of segments of circles;
or the fabric may be brought in close proximity to without coming in contact
with the chambers. In that case I make the chambers with flat sides; the
fabric is passed from one chamber to another over and under rollers; and
they may be constructed of any kind of metal adapted to the purpose.

page_text: My improvements in machinery for dressing fabrics consist in the applica-
tion of a revolving bed heated by an admixture of air and gas, the axle
carrying the revolving bed is arranged and constructed with an aperture
through each end to admit a gas supply pipe, which is stationary while the
bed or axle revolves. The bed is made in the form of a hollow roller with
ends inserted and perforated to admit air to support combustion, one or more
rows of gas jets, acting on the inner diameter of the bed, heat it as it revolves.
The bed roller is driven by gearing in a contrary direction to the dressing
roller, thereby improving the glossy appearance of the fabrics; I propose to
apply a pyrometer or heatgauge to indicate the temperature of the bed roller.
My improvements in machinery or apparatus for waxing, brushing, and
finishing fabrics consist in the application of a revolving plate recessed and
containing wax, part of which stands above the surface of the plate, in com-
bination with one ormore plates arranged to form a bed to wax the cloth in
passing between the bed or beds and the surface of the wax. Also in the
application of one or more helically formed peg rollers, or a number of pegs
arranged round an axle, so as to revolve with the same, and provided with
a flat circular or revolving bed, either stationary or adjustable to suit different
widths of cloth. The peg rollers are provided with screws, wheels, cross
shafts, and handles, to regulate the distance of the periphery of the
peg roller from the bed or cloth. Also in the application of helically
formed brushes provided with two bed rollers to each brush, and furnished
with cross shafts, wheels, screws, and handles, to set the periphery of the
brushes in contact with the cloth on the two bed rollers and intervening
space between them, thereby causing a greater surface of cloth to be in
contact with each brush, than when only one bed roller is employed. I
propose to apply a helically formed brush between the peg rollers when
more than one peg roller is applied. I wish also to remark that the
particulars given above may be varied or modified and so arranged as to
use each process separately and distinctly from the rest.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Lawrence in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
LAWRENCE, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One

page_text: thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Lawrence, Her special license that I, the said Thomas
Lawrence, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Lawrence, 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
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN THE PROCESSES
OR OPERATIONS OF DRYING. DRESSING, BRUSHING, WAXING, AND FINISHING FABRICS,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Lawrence,
my executors or administrators, 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 Thomas Lawrence, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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):
My Invention consists, first, in an improved arrangement and combination
of rollers and chambers heated by hot air or gas for drying fabrics.
Secondly, in the application of a revolving bed heated by an admixture
of air and gas for dressing or ironing fabrics.
And, thirdly, iu an improved arrangement and combination of a revolving
disc containing wax, with helically formed revolving peg rollers and brushes,
for brushing, waxing, and fishing fabrics.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the two accompanying Sheets
of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 an end view of a drying
apparatus constructed according to my Invention. a represents the fabric to
be dried which is taken over and under the stretching bars b, then under the
bottom roller c, from which it passes along the surface of the end chamber d
and over the top roller e, from which it descends along the other side of the
chamber d, and so on until it has passed over all the rollers e and under the
rollers c, from the-last of which it is taken over the roller e¹ and thence drops

page_text: on the floor, or is plaited down, or is otherwise disposed of. The chambers d
are heated by hot air or gas and they are connected together by pipes to allow
the current of hot air or gas to pass through each chamber, the fan is in
communication with the end chamber, to cause a draft through them, a pipe
is connected to the first chamber for supplying the hot air or gas either from
a stove or gas jets, or the waste heat from boiler furnaces, or any other
furnaces may be applied for the purpose. The chambers d are shaped like
seginents of circles so that the fabric to be dried may be brought in contact
with both sides of them, or the fabric may be brought in close proximity to,
without coming in contact with, the chambers; in that case I make the
chambers with flat sides.
In order to ascertain the temperature I apply a heat guage or pyrometer
to one of the chambers, as shewn at g, in Figure 2, and the heat is regulated
by a valve or damper in the supply pipe. The pipe f" from the fan fis taken
to the chimney or into the atmosphere. The requisite slow rotary motion is
given to all the top rollers e, by the side shaft e¹ and mitre pinions fixed on it,
and by the pulleysand straps shewn in the Drawing, or in any other convenient
manner.
On Sheet 2, Figure 3 is an elevation, and Figure 4 an end view of a machine
for ironing ordressing fabrics,constructed according to my improvements. This
part of my Invention is particularly applicable in ironing or dressing plushes
and other silk piled fabrics. The fabric after being prepared in the usual
manner is brought to the machine and carried over or around the guide
rollers h, h', and he; in passing over this roller the fabric is acted upon by the
revolving brush i, by which the pile is brushed and laid before it is carried
under theironing or dressing rollerj which revolves in bearings in the levers j¹
the fulcra of which is the driving shaft l. Below the roller is the revolving
bed which is heated by gas or by an admixture of air and gas, as will be
described hereafter. The roller ; and bed are made to rovolve slowly in
contrary directions by the pinion on the driving shaft 7, the former being
driven by the carrier wheel and pinion and³, and the latter by the carrier
wheel. The burners for heating the bed are supplied with an admixture of
air and gas by the pipe m, which is in communication with the fan n, by which
the air and gas are mixed. The inflammable gas is admitted to the fan
through the pipe n¹ and the atmospheric air is admitted by the pipe n², the
proportion of gas and air being regulated by taps and valves in the pipes, the
mixed air and gas are discharged from the fan through the pipen³, from which
the pipe m is supplied; this pipe m passes through one of the trunnions
of the bed k and communicatos, by a short upright pipe, with the pipe

page_text: m in which are the burners. The pipe n is to carry off the unconsumed
gas from the revolving bed, which is surrounded by a sheet metal casing k²
to prevent the radiation of the heat. The continuation of the pipe n³ is in
communication with other machines of the same description. The fan n is
driven by a strap from the shaft o, which is driven direct from the main shaft.
as shewn in Figure 3. After the fabric has passed over the bed / it is carried
over the guide roller
P. and around the roller p¹, to which motion is given
from the shaft by crossed strap and pulleys and wheel and pinion clearly
shewn in the Drawing. The ends of the revolving bed k are constructed with
apertures through which air is admitted to support the combustion of the
burners in the pipe ml; one or more rows of gas jets may be employed for
heating the revolving bed. The bed roller is driven in a contrary direction
to the ironing or dressing roller, thereby improving the glossy appearance
of the fabrics. I propose to apply a pyrometer or heat guage, shewn at in
Fig. 4, to the space between the bed roller k and the case 2 to indicate the
temperature of the bed roller. The pressure between the roller j and the
bed can be adjusted by the set screws 4, passing through the levers j
which are suspended by chains, to the pulleys j; these pulleys can be
turned partly round to raise or lower the roller by the handle j. The
arrows indicate the direction in which the fabric passes through the machine
My improvements in machinery or apparatus for waxing, brushing, and
finishing fabrics are shewn in sectional elevation and end view in Figures 5
and 6. In these views is a revolving plate or disc recessed and containing
wax, part of which stands above the surface of the disc; the fabric to be
operated upon after passing over and under the stretching bars s, s, and over
the guide roller t and under the binding roller t¹, is then taken under the
plate u, forming a bed on which the fabric is waxed in passing between the
bed and the surface of the wax in the disc r. After passing the bed u, the
fabric is taken over the guide rollers t and t, and then under the bed u¹,
when it is again waxed; the fabric is then taken over the guide roller t³ to
the bed rollers v, v, in passing over which it is brushed by the circular
brush vl, the bristles of which form helical rows around the roller. The fabric
is then taken over the usual expanding plates w, above which are the
helically formed peg rollers,x, and a brush similar to v₁ between them; after
leaving the plates w, the fabric passes under the guide roller t and between
the two sets of bed rollers v, v, and helical brushes v₁, the peg rollers and the
revolving brushes are provided with screws, wheels, cross shafts, and handles,
to regulate the distance of their peripheries from the beds or from the fabrics,

page_text: and the peg rollers can be raised by eccentrics when required to pass the
jointed ends of the fabric. The object by applying two bed rollers to each
brush is to cause a greater surface of cloth to be in contact with each brush
than when only one bed roller is employed. After the fabric has been operated
upon by the last revolving brush it is taken over the drag roller to, which is
covered with card fillet or otherwise roughened on its circumference, to give
the requisite friction for drawing the fabric through the machine, then it
passes under the tightening roller and then it is carried over the guide
roller to the roller a, on which it is wound; in passing over the roller t5,
the loose fly or other particles are brushed off by the fan brush y. The
requisite motion is given to the peg rollers and brushes by the large pulley 2¹
is
on the driving shafts and the strap s2, shewn by dotted lines; this strap
maintained at its proper tension by the pulley 3 mounted on a weighted
lever. The tiscris counterbalanced by the weights suspended to the lever
in which is a footstep supporting the spindle r3 of the discr; the handle
lever is to lower the disc to allow the jointed ends of the fabric to pass
under the bed plates n. The drag roller to is driven by a crossed strap from
the driving shaft, as shewn by dotted lines, and by the pinion and wheel t8
and t. In order to be able to vary the speed of the drag roller the crossed
strap by which it is driven is taken over speed pulleys, as shewn in Figure 6.
The peg rollers are constructed in the following manner :-Seven or
other convenient number of blades of metal or other suitable material, bent
to the proper helical shape, are secured to the sets of arms x', which are
staked at suitable distances apart to a shaft, as shewn in Figure 7. In
revolving these rollers, by rubbing on the fabric, produce the desired glossy
appearance, and they may be made with detached pegs arranged helically
around the shaft. Instead of acting on a straight bed plate as shewn, they
made be made to act in combination with a circular or revolving bed, either
stationery or adjustable. The pegs and the beds against which they operate
may be of wood, metal, or any other suitable substance; and in operating
upon fabrics having hard knotty places, I propose to apply a revolving bed
with a coating of india-rubber or other suitable yielding substance.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I wish to remark that I do not limit myself to the
details given, as they may be varied or modified to suit the peculiar fabric
to be operated upon, and I declare that I claim,-
First, the use of the chambers with convex or flat sides connected together
and heated by a current of hot air or gas for drying purposes, as described.

page_text: Secondly, the application and use of a revolving bed heated by gas, or
by an admixture of atmospheric air and gas, for ironing or dressing fabrics,
as described.
Thirdly, the application and use of a revolving fan for mixing atmospheric
air and gas, and for forcing the same under an increased pressure to the
gas jets, used in the various processes of drying, dressing, and finishing
fabrics, as described.
Fourthly, the use of a separate roller for brushing the fabric upon instead
of brushing it as heretofore on the ironing or dressing roller.
Fifthly, the application of a heat guage for ascertaining the temperature
of the bed on which the ironing or dressing process is performed as
described.
Sixthly, the use of a revolving plate either wholly or partly covered with
wax combined with one or more beds as described,
Seventhly, the improved mode of construction and the use of the helically
formed peg rollers for finishing fabrics, as described.
Eighthly, the combination of the above described peg rollers with the
circular or revolving bed over which the fabric passes, as described.
And, lastly, the combination of helically formed brushes with two bed
rollers for finishing fabrics, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lawrence, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
THOMAS LAWRENCE. (L.B.)