IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR PRINTING FABRICS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Wilson, of the firm of Messrs. Heald,
Wilsons, and Company, of the City of Manchester, Calico Printers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO MACHINES
FOR PRINTING FABRICS."
Wilsons, and Company, of the City of Manchester, Calico Printers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO MACHINES
FOR PRINTING FABRICS."
Scaled the 5th December 1853, and dated the 14th September 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Wilson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th September 1853.
J, JOHN WILSON, of the firm of Messieurs Heald, Wilsons, & Com--
pany, of the City of Manchester, Calico Printers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO
MACHINES FOR PRINTING FABRICS" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists,-First, in dispensing with the blanket or
endless web of felt stuff which goes round the cylinder of the printing
machine, and constitutes the elastic surface on which the printing cylin-
ders exercise their pressure, and in employing in its stead a piece of
calico or other suitable cotton fabric. Secondly, in giving motion by
machinery to the heated tin drums, around which the endless piece of
calico or other cotton fabric passess in order to dry the colouring paste

page_text: that may have adhered to it, instead of allowing the endless web to give
motion to the tin drums, as in the ordinary mode when a blanket is
employed. And, lastly, in the application of a piece of mechanism
called a stretcher, over which the endless piece of calico or other
cotton fabric passess before it goes to the cylinder; the object of which
stretcher is to remove the creases in the said calico or other cotton
fabric
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th March 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN WILSON, of the firm of Messieurs Heald, Wilsons, and Company,
of the City of Manchester, Calico Printers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said John Wilson, Her special
licence that I, the said John Wilson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Wilson, my execu-
tors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR PRINTING FABRICS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said John Wilson, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 John Wilson, do hereby declare

page_text: 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 substituting an endless web or piece
of calico or other cotton fabric for the woollen blanket usually employed
in printing machines to constitute an elastic surface on which the
printing cylinders exercise their pressure, thereby effecting a con-
siderable saving in the cost of the material employed. Secondly, in
the application of one or more pieces of mechanism called stretchers,
over which the endless web or piece of calico or other cotton fabric
passes previous to its entering the printing machine for the purpose of
preventing creases. And, lastly, in giving motion to the drying cylin-
ders, over which the endless web of cotton fabric passes from the steam
engine or other motive power, instead of allowing the said cylinders to
be put in motion by the endless web, as is now customary when a
woollen blanket is employed.
Having now described the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Fig. 1, is a side elevation in section of a printing machine to which
my improvements are applied. Fig. 2, is an end view of part of my
improvements. a, is the framing of the printing machine; b, the
cylinder; c, is the roller of cloth to be printed; d, is the roller of gray
cloth which is usually employed in addition to the blanket; e, is a
roller on which the said gray cloth marked e', is wound by friction
from the roller f; g, is the drying cylinder for drying the endless web
or piece of calico or other cotton fabric marked h; and i, is the cylinder
for drying the gray cloth e¹. The printed cloth marked k, is dried in
the ordinary manner by passing over a steam chest ³, and over a set
of cylinders, only one of which is partly shewn at 7. The endless web h,
is conducted under the small stretcher m, and then over the large
stretcher n, before it enters the printing machine. The object of these
stretchers is to distend the endless web before it passes under the main
cylinder b. These stretchers are carried round by the endless web.,
"

page_text: The one marked m, is made with a right and left handed screw, and
the bars on the stretcher n, with right and left diagonal flutes, in the
same way as the stretchers usually employed in printing machines to
distend the fabric to be printed. After the endless web h, has passed
through the machine it is guided over the roller O, then over the rollers
01, 0, 0, 0, 0%, and 6, from which latter it descends and passes under
the drying cylinder g; then it is conducted over the rollers o, and o
and under the rollers o", and o10, from whence it rises to the roller o",
then under the tightening roller o¹², over the guide roller os, and thence
to the roller o", which is placed above the stretcher m. The tighten-
ing roller o, revolves in brackets p, each of which supports a pinion
p', gearing into the racks p', fixed to the uprights p. By this means
when the endless web h, becomes slack the attendant by turning the
handles p, draws down the roller o", thereby tightening the endless
web h. Each of the brackets p, can be lowered independently of the
other; consequently, one selvage can be tightened more than the other,
if requisite. When the brackets have been lowered a key is intro-
duced between the teeth of the pinion, as shewn in Fig. 2, to prevent
the roller o, from rising. The gray cloth e, after passing over the
guide roller ¹, descends to the drying cylinder i, then it is guided by
the rollers, 2, 2, and 3, to the rollers ", and 7, between which it
passes, and is then wound on the roller e, by the friction of the roller f
as before described. The requisite revolving motion is given to the
drying cylinders in order that their peripheries may work at the same
speed as that of the cylinder b, by the pulley 7, and strap q', driven
from the steam engine or other motive power. On the same shaft as
the pulley q, is fixed a spur wheel 7, gearing into another wheel, on
the axis of the drying cylinder i. This wheel, gears into the carrier
pinion g, which takes into the wheel g', on the axis of the cylinder g.
The roller f, is made to revolve by the crossed straps f¹, and f²; the
latter of which is driven by a pulley q³, fixed on the same shaft as the
pulley q.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim
any of the parts taken separately, nor do I limit myself to the details

page_text: shewn in the Drawing, although the same have been found in practice
to give good results; but what I do claim is,-First, dispensing with the
endless woollen blanket usually employed in printing machines, and
substituting in its stead an endless web or piece of calico or other cotton
fabric. Secondly, in the application of the machinery shewn and de-
scribed for stretching and tightening the endless web of cotton fabric.
And, lastly, giving motion to the drying cylinders by which the endless
web is dried by the steam engine or other motive power.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Wilson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-four.
JOHN WILSON. (L.S.)