IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BOILING SIZE
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Kenyon, of Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, Cotton Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR BOILING SIZE."
Sealed the 12th June 1868, and dated the 21st December 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Kenyon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
December 1867.
I, JAMES KENYON, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BOILING SIZE," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of an improved apparatus chiefly applicable for
boiling the size before it is admitted into the size trough of the ordinary
sizing machines used in preparing cotton warps; but it may be used for
boiling size for any other purpose.
My improved apparatus consists of a closed vessel provided with two
equilibrium taps or valves, one to admit the unboiled or partially boiled size,
and the other to admit steam; this latter is provided with a weighted lever
to regulate the pressure. The size only partially fills the vessel and is main-
tained at its proper level by a ball float or other equivalent acting on the
equilibrium tap or valve; the object of keeping the vessel only partially full
of size is to allow the steam to penetrate into and pass through the size,

page_text: thereby boiling the size. The steam enters the size through a perforated
pipe near the bottom of the vessel. The equilibrium valves are made with a
cylindrical plug which is moved endwise by the pressure of the steam, or by
the float, so as to cover or uncover the orifices for admitting and shutting off
the steam and size to and from the vessel. The pipe to supply the size is also
provided with an equilibrium valve weighted in the same manner as the steam
valve. When the size is sufficiently boiled in the closed vessel it is forced
into the size trough or other vessel in which it may be required; the regu-
lation of the supply in the size trough is governed by an equilibrium
valve and float or other equivalent. By means of this improved self-acting
apparatus the size is boiled uniformly and with much less steam than heretofore,
and the yarn or other article is more uniformly prepared or sized.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Kenyon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th June 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
KENYON, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Kenyon, Her special license that I, the said James Kenyon,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Kenyon, 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 or Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR BOILING SIZE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said James Kenyon, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particu-
larly 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Kenyon, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists of an improved apparatus chiefly applicable for
boiling the size before it is admitted into the size trough of the ordinary
sizing machines used in preparing cotton warps; but it may be used for
boiling size for dressing yarns of silk, wool, linen, or for any other purpose.
My improved apparatus consists of a closed vessel provided with two taps
or valves, one to admit the unboiled or partially boiled size, and the other to
admit steam. The size only partially fills the vessel and is maintained at its
proper level by a ball float or other equivalent acting on the admission tap or
valve. The steam enters the size through a perforated pipe placed near the
bottom of the closed vessel. The pipe to supply the size is provided with an
overflow and back pressure valve. When the size is sufficiently boiled in the
closed vessel it is forced into the size trough or other vessel by the pressure
of the steam generated from the boiling size; the regulation of the supply in
the size trough is governed by a valve and a cylindrical or other float which
revolves in the size. By means of this improved self-acting apparatus
the size is boiled uniformly and with much less steam than heretofore, and
the yarn or other article is also more uniformly prepared or sized.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
intooperation I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. is a side elevation of part of an ordinary tape sizing machine, to
which my improvements are applied; Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 is a section
of part of the same.
In Fig. 1 represents one of the usual drying cylinders; bis thesize trough,
which is provided with the ordinary squeezing rollers cand d. These and all
the other parts of the sizing machine are made in any approved manner. My
improved apparatus consists principally of the vessel which is secured to the
floor of the room or to the framing of the sizing machine, and is closed by the
lide; this closed vessel is made by preference of cast iron lined with copper,
or entirely of copper, and it must be of sufficient strength to resist the pressure
of the steam generated by the boiling size; above the vessel e is the steam
guage e to indicate the pressure of steam in the vessel. The unboiled or
partially boiled size is prepared in a separate vat or cistern, and it is forced
or pumped into the closed vessel e through the supply pipe, which is pro-
vided with a stop-cock and with an overflow and back pressure valve of the

page_text: ordinary construction.
Within the vessel e and in communication with the
supply pipe is the admission tap or valve /. I prefer to make this tap
or valve with a cylindrical plug, with a passage through it, and this plug is
turned round to admit or shut off the size by the float" fixed to the lever f;
but any other tap or valve may be used. The size after passing through the
tap or valve is carried upwards by the pipe. The steam to boil the
size in the closed vessel is admitted by the pipe g, and the pressure of the
steam is regulated by the weighted lever g of the tap or valve g², or the
pressure of the steam may be regulated by an ordinary equilibrium valve, the
spindle of which is acted upon by an expansion tube which opens the valve
when the pressure is reduced and closes it as the pressure increases; the
pipe has also a stop-cock g" and it is brought into the under side of the
vessel e and connected to the perforated pipe g. When the size has been
sufficiently boiled in the vessel e it is conveyed into the size trough of the
sizing machine by the pipe which is connected to the tap or valve / placed
within the size trough ; this tap or valve is opened or closed by the cylindrical
float, which is supported at one end by a trunnion resting in the hook b',
shewn in Fig. 3, fixed in the side of the trough b, and the trunnion at the
other end of the float is connected to the double elbow lever h³, which is
mounted on a stud fixed in the other side of the trough b. The lever h³ has a
toothed segment gearing into tectli cast to the cylindrical plug of the tap or
valve h', consequently as the end of the float rises or falls according to the
level of the size in the trough b, the toothed segment turns the plug round in
one direction or the other, and admits or shuts off the size; there is also a
stop-cock in the pipe h. The cock is placed near the bottom of the
vessel e to draw off a portion of the contents when necessary for examining
the state of the size or other purposes. The handle and fork are toagitate
the level occasionally by hand in order to move the plug of the tap or
valve when any dirt or grit interferes with the free action of the plug;
this handle and fork are fixed to a spindle passing through the side of the
vessel e, and when the valve has been moved the handle is drawn out, so
as to hold the fork clear of the lever f, which is then at liberty to be
raised and lowered by the float. The mode of operation is as follows:-
As soon as the requisite quantity of size has been allowed to flow into the
closed vessel e the float f³ in rising closes the admission tap or valves, and
I prefer to keep the size at the level indicated by a dotted line in Fig. 1, in
order that there may be sufficient space above the size for the accumulation
cf steam, as the action of the steam is very beneficial in boiling and preparing
the size. When the float3 has closed the valve f the stop-cock g³ is opened

page_text: to admit steam to the perforated pipe ; this steam boils the size, and the
ebullition isallowed to proceed until the steam generated and rising from the
size is of the pressure required, say, for instance, twenty to twenty-five
pounds per square inch, which pressure has been found to give good results,
but may be varied. The size being now sufficiently boiled the stop-cock h¹ in
the pipe is opened to allow the pressure of the steain in the vessel e to force
the size into the trough b, and the level of the size in this trough is kept
uniform or nearly so by the float h. as above described. I prefer to make
this float cylindrical; but it may be of any other convenient form, providing
it is capable of being turned round by the agitation of the size in the trought;
the object of making the float rotate is to prevent the accumulation and
hardening of size on the upper surface which is exposed to the atmosphere.
and which accumulation would interfere with the accurate working of the
float.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that the size is supplied to
and kept at the proper level in the closed vessel e by self-acting apparatus; it
is boiled under the desired pressure, and consequently to an uniformn con-
sistency in the said vessel, and then forced into the size trough b of the sizing
machine or into any other trough or vessel; when thoroughly prepared and
in the best condition for acting efficiently on the yarn or other article to be
operated pon, thereby producing a great saving in time, material, and labour,
and insuring good and regular work.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described a convenient
apparatus for perforining the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the details given; but what I claim is,-
First. Boiling size by the admission of steam into the size contained in a
closed vessel, in which the requisite level is maintained by a float acting on a
tap or valve, as described.
And, secondly, the application of a rotating float to the tap or valve by
which size is admitted to the size trough of sizing or other machines, as
shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Kenyon, have hereto set my hand
and seal, the Nineteenth day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-eight.
JAMES KENYON. (L.S.)