IMPROVEMENTS IN FINISHING TEXTILE AND OTHER FABRICS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Gillies Lowndes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th April 1868..
I, ROBERT GILLIES LOWNDES, of the Firm of James Young and Sons,
Bleachers and Finishers, of Auldhousefield. and Crofthead, both in the
County of Renfrew, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN FINISHING TEXTILE AND OTHER FABRICS,
AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as.
follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to a new arrangement and construction of
certain parts of that class of machinery used for finishing textile fabrics:
by the process known as stenting or stretching. The object of the
present improvements is to firmly hold the edges of the cloth or web by
means of a species of clamp instead of by pins or other means hitherto
used..

page_text: suitably suspended from brackets or other supports, and provided with
a handle or lever by which it can be moved on its centres of suspension
or fixture. Beneath the moveable bar above referred to a second moveable
strip of wood, metal, or other material is situated, the same being hinged
or similarly connected to a lower plate; at one or both ends of this second
moveable strip links are attached by which the strip is connected to the
first-mentioned moveable bar; the links have slots or parallel holes
formed in them, through which the pins that connect them to the first-
mentioned bar pass. By means of the foregoing arrangement of parts,
as the bar is lifted through applying the hand to the lever or handle the
links are raised, and with them the strip herein-before referred to, so that
the edge of the piece of cloth to be held thereby can be easily laid between
the strip and under plate, after which the bar is again lowered, and the
curved form of its under side pressing on the strip facilitates the transmis-
sion of the requisite pressure for retaining the cloth, which by depressing
or raising the handle can be increased or diminished at pleasure; and in
place of producing the necessary pressure by the foregoing means, screws,
cams, springs, or weights may be employed for that purpose. In lieu of
constructing the apparatus exactly as herein-before described, the employ-
ment of the suspended bar may be avoided, in which case the strip which
rests upon the upper side of the cloth has one or more projections formed
on it, either at right angles with the horizontal plane of the strip or in
the same plane therewith, or at any other angle. The strip is connected
by hinges or other suitable means to the plate of wood, metal, or other
material which forms the under side of the clamping mechanism, so
that by producing pressure against the projecting pieces herein-before
specified, the strip itself can be pressed upon the cloth to any extent
requisite for retaining its edges firmly whilst the stenting, stretching, or
finishing action is being carried on. The pressure against the projecting
pieces fixed to or formed on the strip may be produced by cams, screws,
sliding bolts, wedges, or springs. In place of using the second bar or
strip as set forth in the first modification, this may be avoided, in which
case the apparatus consists of a bar of heavy material or of light material,
having a weight applied to it, the bar being suspended from one or more
brackets, so that its under side rests upon a plate of metal or other
material; the bar presses upon the edge of the cloth during the time the
stenting or stretching operation is conducted. In each of the foregoing
modifications the description refers only to one of the special appliances;

page_text: it is however to be understood that several of them are to be employed
by being fixed either to moveable, stationary, or progressive stretching
frames by being fastened to the traversing and reciprocating chains of
the former, and the upper or under side of the latter.