IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WRINGING AND MANGLING
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Bennett Howell, of Sheffield, in the County
of York, Steel Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR WRINGING AND MANGLING."-Partly a communication from
abroad by Samuel James Dennis, of Boston, in the United States of
America.
Sealed the 3rd January 1865, and dated the 6th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Bennett Howell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th July 1864.
I, JOSEPH BENNETT HOWELL, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Steel
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WRINGING AND MANGLING," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to machines or apparatus for wringing and mangling,
which perform that operation by means of rollers, and consists in the applica-
tion of a peculiar form and arrangement of metal springs exerting pressure to
press the rollers together, and in the frames which fix and support the machine
to the tub, vessel, or otherwise, according to requirements in its use. The
bearings of the rollers are supported by and in fact formed in the ends of
strong metal springs of a horse-shoe form, one spring being placed at either

page_text: end of the rollers, which springs have a constant tendency to press the rollers
forcibly in contact; they are connected by a kind of stretcher or body part of
wood, which answers also as a guide to the clothes or articles in passing
between the rollers; this body part embraces the lower limbs of the springs
towards the bearing of the lower roller, to which parts of the springs it is fixed;
it projects beyond the springs at either end, and on the ends are fixed metal
sockets by which the machine is supported from the tub or other article; for
this purpose there is an extension from the socket downwards and laterally,
forming the one-half of a strong hinge having a vertical axis; the other half
of the hinge supports a cramp or crutch piece to embrace the edge of the tub
or other article to which it is to be fixed. To secure it a binding screw is
applied to this crutch piece or cramp, whereby it is readily fixed, the cramp
being sufficiently open to embrace a thick tub, while the screw closes to fix
it equally well to the thinnest substance; by mounting these cramps and
holding pieces (one at each end) on hinge joints, they readily accommodate
themselves to the curves of different diameters of tubs, as also to the holding
of straight parts. The mounting of these rollers on springs, as described,
renders these machines as wringers available for passing a thin or thick body
of material to be squeezed or wrung, as besides the elasticity of the rollers
themselves (when covered with india-rubber), the springs recede or open and
allow of the passage of thick bodies with nearly equal effect. The axis
of one of the rollers is extended a sufficient length, and fitted with a winch
handle, by which it is driven.
These machines are also made available for mangling either by a hot or cold
process, for which purpose I change the rollers, that is to say, I remove the
india-rubber or squeezing rollers and introduce a pair of smooth metal rollers,
or it may be a separate machine altogether. The horse-shoe springs before
mentioned afford the pressure required for mangling while passing the articles
between the rollers, and one or both such rollers may be hollow to receive a
hot iron or irons for the application of heat; at same time spur gearing is
applied to the axes of these rollers to drive the one uniformly with the other.
The hinged cramps, although not required to secure the machine to a tub,
may be used to secure it in some convenient position for the mangling operation.
In order to change the rollers readily, I introduce a stem with a right and left
hand screw upon it, to operate on and open the horse-shoe springs a little,
and so remove the pressure from the bearings of the rollers.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Bennett Howell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BENNETT HOWELL, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Steel Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Joseph Bennett Howell, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph
Bennett Howell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Joseph Bennett Howell, 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 WRINGING AND MANGLING,"
partly my own Invention and partly a communication to me from abroad by
Samuel James Dennis, of Boston, in the United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Bennett Howell, 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 Joseph Bennett Howell, do hereby
declare the nature of this said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to machines or apparatus for wringing and mangling,
which perform that operation by means of rollers, and consists in the applica-
tion of a peculiar form and arrangement of metal springs exerting pressure to
press the rollers together, and in the frames which fix and support the machine.

page_text: to the tub, vessel, or otherwise, according to requirements in its use. The
bearings of the rollers are supported by and in fact formed in the ends of strong
metal springs of a horse-shoe form, one spring being placed at either end of
the rollers, which springs have a constant tendency to press the rollers forcibly
in contact; they are connected by a kind of stretcher or body part of wood,
which answers also as a guide to the clothes or articles in passing between
the rollers; this body part embraces the lower limbs of the springs towards
the bearing of the lower roller, to which part of the springs it is fixed; it
projects beyond the springs, and on the ends are fixed metal sockets by
which the machine is supported from the tub or other article; for this purpose
there is an extension from the socket downward and laterally, forming the
one-half of a strong hinge having a vertical axis; the other half of the hinge
is fitted with a cramp or crutch piece to embrace the edge of the tub or other
article to which it is to be fixed. To secure it a binding screw is applied to
this crutch or crank formed piece, whereby it is readily fixed, the cramp being
sufficiently open to embrace a thick tub, the screw closes on and binds it
equally well to a thick or thin substance; by mounting these cramps or holding
pieces one at each end on a binge joint they readily accommodate themselves
to tubs of different diameters, as also to the holding or fixing on straight
parts. The mounting of these rollers and springs, as described, renders these
machines as wringers available for passing a thin or thick body of material
to be squeezed or wrung, as in addition to the elasticity of the rollers them-
selves (when covered with india-rubber), the springs recede or open and allow
of the passage of thick bodies with facility. The axis of one of the rollers
extends beyond the bearing, and is fitted with a winch handle, by which it
is driven.
These machines are also made available for mangling either by a hot or
cold process, for which purpose I change the rollers, that is to say, I remove
the india-rubber or squeezing rollers and introduce a pair of smooth metal
rollers, or it may be a separate machine altogether. The horse-shoe springs
before mentioned afford the pressure required for mangling when passing the
articles between the rollers; one or both of these rollers may be hollow to
receive a hot iron or irons for the application of heat; I also apply spur
gearing to the axes of the rollers to drive the one uniformly with the other,
The hinge cramps, although not required to secure the machine to a tub, may
be used to secure it to the edge of a table, or a ledge, or otherwise in some con-
venient position for performing tho mangling operation. In order to change
the rollers readily, I introduce a stem or bolt with a right and left hand screw

page_text: Show spring a tie, and so remove
the pressure from the bearings of the rollers.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a front view of a wringer according to this Invention ;
Fig. 2 a plan, and Fig. 3 an end view of the same. a, a, are the horse-shoe
springs, in whose ends the bearings b, b, of the rollers c, c, are formed. The
lower limbs of the springs are let into the projecting ends of the stretcher.or
frame d, d; this stretcher d should be of wood where the clothes effect contact,
and in form is somewhat like the segment of a large cotton reel or bobbin ; the
whole of this stretcher may be of wood, the springs being secured therein by
small through bolts e. On the end of d, I fix metal sockets f, f, by small bolts
and nuts g, g, drawing upon the through screws e, inserted in the wood and
across the slot by which the springs are introduced. Sockets f, f, are hinged
to metal cramp pieces i, i, as seen, which are furnished with binding screws
k, k, with cranked heads, whereby they can be readily turned by hand. These
cramps and binding screws are made sufficiently open to attach to the thickest
tub, and can be varied in position in their application thereto as indicated in
dotted lines in the plan Fig. 2, and will be readily understood. The axis 7 of
the lower roller is extended the required length and fitted with a winch handle
m, whereby motion is imparted to that roller. The rollers for wringing are
made of india-rubber as usual, and the contact pressure exerted by the springs
a transmits the rotation from the lower roller to the upper one in that opera-
tion. I japan or otherwise coat the metal parts to protect them from the wet,
the bobbin like ends of wood stretcher d also protect the springs from
contact with the wet clothes when passed between the rollers.
I sometimes adapt this machine for mangling as well as wringing by fitting
rollers of metal or other hard material to the bearings of the springs, and
substituting such hard rollers for the soft wringing rollers of india-rubber, as
before mentioned. I also make such machines specially for mangling, in
which case I prefer to make the rollers of metal and hollow, so as to receive
heaters to warm them during the operation; for this purpose I make the
bearings at one end large and hollow, so that a heater can be readily intro-
duced or removed without removing the rollers from their bearings.
Having described the nature of this Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
The application of the horse-shoe springs a, a, and hinged cramps f, i, k, to

page_text: wringing and mangling machines in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described, and represented in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Bennett Howell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
JOSEPH BENNETT HOWELL. (L.S.)