IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRESSING OR RAISING THE NAP OF WOOLLEN CLOTH
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Rowland Smith, of the Bonds Mills, Stonehouse,
in the County of Gloucester, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR DRESSING OR RAISING THE NAP OF WOOLLEN CLOTH."
Sealed the 27th June 1871, and dated the 10th February 1871.

page_text: wheels on their axes gearing with a corresponding wheel on the main
shaft of the machine. This shaft has fast and loose pullies upon it and
can be driven in either direction by means of two driving belts, the one
direct and the other crossed. The cloth is led through the machine
in a zig-zag direction so that its surface is brought twice in contact
with each dressing or raising cylinder, and with more or less pressure
as may be required. The rollers by which the cloth is fed into and
delivered out of the machine take their motion through a train of
wheels from a shaft which is actuated by the main shaft, being driven
therefrom sometimes in the same direction and sometimes in the
contrary direction by a direct and a crossed driving belt and fast and
loose pulleys. A pitch chain and chain wheels convey the driving
power from the feeding to the delivery rollers, and the same chain drives
a pair of nipping rollers placed between the two dressing or raising
cylinders to lessen the strain on the cloth which would otherwise be
requisite to draw it through the machine.
It will be seen that by this arrangement I dress or raise the cloth with
two (or more) cylinders revolving in the same direction, and I am able to
reverse the motion of the cylinders in respect to that of the cloth so as
to turn over the nap as often as the work may require it without taking
the cloth out of the machine or altering its position in any way. In
reversing the cylinders occasion is taken at the same time to turn over
the teazles. By means of the nipping rollers the excessive strain that
would otherwise be caused by both dressing or raising cylinders revolving
in the same direction is avoided.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Rowland Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROWLAND
SMITH, of the Bonds Mills, Stonchouse, in the County of Gloucester,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-

page_text: fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Rowland Smith, Her special license
that I, the said Rowland Smith, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Rowland Smith, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR DRESSING OR RAISING THE NAP OF WOOLLEN CLOTH," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Rowland Smith, 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.
KNOW NOW YE, that I, the said Rowland Smith, 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
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
dressing or raising the nap of woollen cloth.
The apparatus consists of two dressing or raising cylinders mounted
on a frame parallel the one to the other and both driven by toothed
wheels on their axes gearing with a corresponding wheel on the main
shaft of the machine. This shaft has fast and loose pulleys upon it and
can be driven in either direction by means of two driving belts, the one
direct and the other crossed. The cloth is led through the machine in a
zig-zag direction so that its surface is brought twice in contact with each
dressing or raising cylinder and with more or less pressure as may be
required. The rollers by which the cloth is fed into and delivered out
of the machine take their motion through a train of wheels from a shaft
which is actuated by the main shaft, being driven therefrom sometimes
in the same direction as the main shaft and sometimes in the contrary
direction by a direct and a crossed driving belt and fast and loose
pulleys, the feeding in and delivering out rollers always rotating in the

page_text: same direction. A pitch chain and chain wheels convey the driving
power from the feeding to the delivery rollers, and the same chain drives
a pair of nipping rollers placed between the two dressing or raising
cylinders to lessen the strain on the cloth which would otherwise be
requisite to draw it through the machine, or oblique shafts and bevilled
wheels may be substituted for a pitch chain.
It will be seen that by this arrangement I dress or raise the cloth
with two (or more) cylinders revolving in the same direction, and I am
able to reverse the motion of the cylinders in respect to that of the cloth
so as to turn over the nap as often as the work may require it without
taking the cloth out of the machine or altering its position in any way.
In reversing the cylinders occasion is taken at the same time to turn
over the teazles. By means of the nipping rollers the excessive strain
that would otherwise be caused by both dressing or raising cylinders
revolving in the same direction is avoided.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings here-
unto annexed
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine, and Figures 2 and 3
shew in elevation the two ends of the machine.
A is the driving shaft of the machine; B, B, are brackets affixed to
the machine for supporting driving shaft; C, C, are cast-iron supports
from the ground for supporting the ends of driving shaft; D, D, are
two loose pulleys on the driving shaft; E, the fast pulley which works
the machine. On these pulleys two belts run, one belt is crossed
and the other open for driving the machine in opposite directions;
F is an iron tooth wheel working into iron or wood geared wheels
to drive the dressing or raising cylinders f, f, which have the
teazles upon them both in the same direction; G is a fast pulley on the
end of the driving shaft opposite to the driving pulleys; it works two
belts one crossed and the other open, which are used to drive the winding
apparatus for drawing the cloth through the machine in one direction
or the other as may be desired; H is the open belt; I is the crossed
belt; J is the lower shaft for driving the cloth-winding apparatus; K is

page_text: a bracket affixed to the machine for supporting the lower shaft; L, L,
are loose pulleys on the lower shaft; M is a fast pulley on the lower
shaft; N is an iron tooth wheel working into large wheel for winding.
forward the cloth; O, O, are a pair of nipping rollers placed between
the cylinders ff, through which the cloth passes, it is held by them
securely and drawn forward at a proper speed so that the nipping,
rollers take the strain of either cylinder and thereby prevent any
excessive or accumulated strain coming upon the cloth which might
otherwise be occasioned by both cylinders running the same way; P, P,
are levers for weighting down the nipping rollers; Q is a chain wheel on
the axis of one of the nipping rollers; R is an endless chain driving
the nipping rollers and connecting them with the rollers through which
the cloth is fed into and delivered out of the machine, it passes over
chain wheels on the axes of these rollers; S, S, are the feeding and
delivering rollers; T are toothed wheels which drive the axes of the
rollers S, they take their motion from the wheel N; U, U, are guide
rollers for the cloths; V is an arrangement for regulating the tension
of the cloth by means of a suspended weight. Additional dressing or
raising cylinders may be added to the machine if desired, nipping rollers
being provided between each pair of cylinders.
The advantages arising from the improvements I have made in this
machine by my Invention are the power which I obtain to "dress" or
"raise" with two or more barrels or cylinders, both working in the
same direction and with power to reverse the direction of both cylinders,
and yet to retain the same forward motion of the cloth without taking
it out of the machine or altering its position in any way, thereby reversing
the wool or nap of the cloth as frequently as desired or retaining its
straight throughout if necessary.
By the adaptation to the machine of nipping rollers the cloth becomes
held so firmly by their grip or bite that there is no excessive strain from
two or more cylinders working together, as there can be no more than
the strain of one cylinder upon any given point. They also enable me
to work a number of cylinders together by having a pair of nipping
rollers between each. These cylinders either work in the same direction
as I have shewn and as I prefer, or work in contrary directions and with
reversible motion or otherwise.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim
the construction of apparatus for dressing or raising the nap of woollen
cloth, substantially as described.
I also claim the combination with dressing or raising apparatus of
nipping rollers to retain the cloth between the dressing or raising 5
cylinders and prevent it being overstrained, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Rowland Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.