IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING AND PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS AND STAINING OR PRINTING FABRICS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BEALE BROWNE, of Hampen, near Andoversford, in the County of Gloucester,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the fourteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Beale Browne, Her especial license, full power, sole privi:
lege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Beale Browne, my exors, admors,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said Thomas Beale Browne, my exors,
adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use,exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, and in the islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING AND PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS AND
STAINING OR PRINTING FABRICS," being a communication from abroad; in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Thomas Beale
Browne, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly
to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in
Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and

page_text: immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Beale Browne, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention, ascommunicated to me by my correspondent, consists, firstly,
in a novel system of weaving, whereby I am enabled to weave double or treble
widths of fabric in looms, of less width than the fabric woven.
Secondly, is an improved beat-up motion for the batten of the loom, whereby
a double beat-up may be effected without suspending the action of the other
parts of the-loom.
Thirdly, in an arrangement of flax-dressing machinery, whereby the several
operations of breaking, scutching, and heckling may be performed in one and
the same machine.
And, fourthly, is an arrangement of machinery for staining or printing
woven and other fabrics.
In order to produce a wide cloth in a narrow loom, say, two or three times
the width of the loom, I beam on one or more beams two or three times the
quantity of warp that would be requisite for weaving cloth of the breadth of
the loom; thus, if I wish to weave a cloth of two yards in width in a yard wide
loom, I place in the loom a double quantity of warp, either on the same beam
or separate beams, and pass the same through a double set of harness, and
thus in effect have two sets of warp threads, which are put through the reed
in the ordinary manner, and each set is acted upon alternately to form a shed
for the passage of the shuttle. The shuttle passes alternately through the two
sets of warp threads; but instead of weaving two distinct cloths one below the
other, it produces a single piece of fabric, which when opened out will present
the same appearance as if it were woven in a wide loom. The following
description will serve to shew the mode of operation:-The two sets of warp
threads being properly arranged in the loom in a double set of harness, I first
pass the weft through a shed, formed by raising one-half of the upper warp,
which is to produce the upper part of the cloth; this is effected by sinking three
of the treadles and raising one, and when the weft is thrown in, the batten is
beaten up; I then, by the action of the loom,lift up the whole of the upper set
of warp
threads,and also one-half of the lower set, when the shuttle is thrown
back again, and the batten again beaten up,then the second half of the lower

page_text: warp is raised, the whole of the upper warp remaining up and the first half of
the lower warp taken down; the weft is then again thrown in and beaten up,
then all the lower warp and the second half of the upper warp goes down, the
remaining half of the upper warp being raised and the weft thrown back again,
and so on, until the piece is completed.
To render this explanation clearer to the practical weaver, I have shewn in
the Diagram, Fig. 2, what is technically called the drawing of the tie. This
mode of weaving only produces a tabby tie, but any other ties may be made,
at the will of the weaver. The cloth so woven will be double the width of
the warp, and will be folded like a piece of note paper upon the take-off
roller of the loom, as shewn in Fig. 3, and will on opening it be of double
width. If required, the cloth may be treble the width of the loom, as
shewn in Fig. 4, in which case three times the quantity of warp that would be
necessary for one cloth must be put on the beam and passed through the
reed; the tie would be a little altered, but the principle of weaving would be
the same. Unless some means be taken to prevent the drawing in of the warp
threads at the fold or folds, as at a, a, Figures 3 and 4, the appearance of the
fabric when opened out to its full width will be injured, as a white mark or
stripe will be seen down the middle of the piece. In order to prevent this, I so
arrange the reed, that at that division of the warp where the fold or folds
come, the last half dozen, more or less, of the dents be set somewhat further
apart, and made gradually thicker thau at the other parts of the reed. I prefer
that these dents should be soldered together at the top and bottom at their
proper distances, so that they may remain stiff, and not yield to the pull of the
weft threads or yarns; by this means an allowance will be made for the lateral
pull made by the weft thread upon the warp at the fold or folds of the cloth,
and thus prevent the last few warp threads from being pulled in thereby.
My improved beat-up motion is shewn at Fig. 1, Sheet 1., of theaccompanying
Drawings, forming part of this my Specification, the object being, as before
stated, to give two beats up for every pick of the shuttle, and thus to produce
close and firm work without suspending the action of the other parts of the
loom. a represents the batten or shuttle race of the lathe; b, the lay sword
working on the fulcrum c; it is connected to a stationary part of the back
framed of the loom by a toggle jointed attachment e, e, from the middle joint
f of which depends a connecting rod g, which receives motion from the crank/
on the main driving shaft i of the loom, and by being attached to the toggle
joint gives motion to the lay sword b. The Drawing represents the position of
the parts when the batten is driven home. On referring to the Drawing it
will be seen, that for every throw of the crank the toggle joint will be made to

page_text: act twice upon the lay sword b, and thereby effect the beating up of the weft
twice. The period at which this operation is performed is when the crank
arm g, hy the motion of the crank h, arrives ateither of the positions indicated
by the red lines. The motions of these parts of the loom are as follows:-
Suppose the second beating up to have just taken place, the rotation of the
driving shaft in the directi 'n of the arrow will bring the arm into the
position indicated by the blue li es, whereby the toggle joint e will be made to
draw the lay into its farthest backward position, as shewn by the blue lines,
and at the same time an open shed will have been formed by the harness in
the usual way to receive a fresh shoot of weft. This shoot being thrown into
the shed at this moment, the crank by its continued rotation will bring the
arm g to the position of the red lines, marked 1, and thereby straighten the
toggle joint and effect the first beat-up of the weft; by the crank continuing
to move round, the arm g will be brought to the position shewn by the yellow
lines, and by thus bending upwards or shortening the toggle joint e, e, will
draw back the lathe into the position indicated by the yellow lines preparatory
to another beat-up, which will take place on the crank arm g arriving at the
position indicated by the red line 2, when the toggle joint will be again
straightened, and the lathe will beat up a second time, as before mentioned.
The third part of the Invention, namely, improvements in preparing fibrous
substances, relates to a novel combination or arrangement of parts, whereby
the several operations of beating, scutching, and heckling flax or hemp may
be performed in one machine, thereby economizing a considerable amount of
labor, and preventing the loss of material. The flax or hemp straw to be
operated upon is secured in holders in the ordinary way, and these holders
being placed in the machine are conducted along rails by means of an endless
band, which will gradually draw the holders forward into and through the
machine. The first operation to which the flax or hemp straw is submitted
is a beating, crushing, or rubbing process, for the purpose of loosening the
woody parts from the useful fibre. This operation is effected by means of
pairs of vertical rollers, to which a peculiar vibrating or rubbing motion is
communicated. I prefer that one of each pair of these rollers should be
indented, and the other plain, or but very slightly indented. After the flax
has passed between these rollers the woody parts will be completely broken,
and this refuse matter is removed from the useful fibre by means of rotary
scutchers with serrated edges, which are gradually made with finer teeth as
the distance from the beating or rubbing rollers increases. After the flax or
hemp has passed through the scutching apparatus it is conducted to the
rotary heckles, which form a continuation of the rotary scutchers, and the flax

page_text: or hemp straw after it has passed through the machine will come out perfectly.
heckled.
Having thus given a general description of the machine, I will now proceed
to explain in detail the construction and operation of the several parts as
shewn in the Drawings, in which Fig. 5 is a plan view of the machine, and
Fig. 6 a side elevation, the covers or casings which envelope the whole
machinery being removed, the better to shew the construction and arrangement
of the parts; the holders a, a, a, a, a, in which the flax or hemp straw is
secured, in the usual manner, are placed upon rails b, b, which extend from
end to end of the machine, and are carried forward by means of an endless
band c, c, c, c, which passes over two pullies d and d*, one at each end of the
machine this band is also furnished with projecting pieces or snubs, which
catch against the holders aand draw them forward. Motion is communicated
to one of the pullies d, d*, from the driving shaft e by means of bevel
gearing ff, and a worm and worm wheel g, on the axle of the pulley, as
shewn in the Figures. The rubbing or crushing operation is effected by the
pairs of rollers h,h,h,h,h, one of each of these pairs of rollers being grooved,
and the other plain, as shewn in Fig. 6, and in the sectional detached
view, Fig. 7. Each of these pairs of rollers are geared together by toothed
wheels at their lower ends, and the bearings of one of them is furnished at
both ends with a spring, so as to allow them to yield as the straw passes
between them. In order to prevent the fibres from lapping round the rollers,
the rollers are grooved at 3, 3, 3, 3, (Fig.. 7,) and two wires 4, 4, are passed
between the rollers and secured to the standards of the framing, as shewn best
in Fig. 6. A horizontal vibrating motion is communicated to all these rollers
by means of an endless pitch chain i; i, i, i, which passes round and is driven
by the horizontal wheel j. A vibrating motion is imparted to this wheel by
a pin p at the end of the connecting rod k, which is actuated by the crank
at one end of the horizontal shaft m, on the opposite end of which is mounted
a bevel wheel n, which gears into a similar wheel on the shaft o, and is driven
by bevil gearing connected with the main driving shaft. It will be seen, on
referring to Fig. 5, that the wheel jis provided with a number of pins or
studs 1, 1, 1, between which the pin p of the rod k works, so that as the
crank rotates it will impart a horizontal vibrating motion to the wheel j,
and a similar motion will by means of the chain i, i, be communicated to the
vertical rollers h, h. It will, however, be necessary that these rollers should
gradually move round on their centres, and this is effected at every third
rotation of the crank by means of a cam wheel q on the end of the shaft r;
this shaft carried at its opposite end a large bevil wheel, which gears into and

page_text: is driven by a bevel pinion on the shaft o, so that at every third rotation of the
crank the larger diameter of the cam 9 will come round and lift up the
connecting rod k and pin p, and will drop the pin p between other studs of
the wheel j, which, as the crank / continues to rotate, will be pushed round,
and thereby shift round all the rollers h, h. By the slow but continuous pro-
gressive motion of the endless band c, c, the holders with the rubbed or
crushed straw will be carried forward to the scutchers. The scutchers may
be made of wood or metal, and are shewn in section in the detached view,
Fig. 8. The framework is shewn in the Drawing as made of wood, and is
furnished with metal scutchers s, s, s, with serrated edges, as shewn in
Figures 5 and 6; these scutchers s, s, are fastened in any convenient manner
to the wooden framing, and as they revolve their serrated edges partially enter
the straw and scrape off or detach the woody parts from the fibre. It will be
seen, upon referring to Figures 5 and 6, that the indentations in the edges of
the scutchers gradually increase in fineness according as the distance from the
beaters increases, by this means the fibres become partially heckled in the
scutcher previous to entering the heckling part of the machine. The rotary
scutchers are driven by toothed wheels t, t, (as shewn by the red lines,) one of
which is mounted on the main shaft e. I would here observe, that the straw
in its passage through the machine is warmed by means of a steamed pipe u, u,
which extends from end to end of the operative part of the machine; by this
means the fibre becomes gradually softenedas itapproachesthe finishing process
The operative parts of the machine are enclosed in a metal or other casing, to
prevent annoyance from dust. It is found advisable to enclose the several
parts of the machine with separate cases, and the scutching case is divided
into two or more parts, so that the refuse may be collected according to its
value; and for the purpose of drawing off the dust, it is found convenient to
exhaust the compartment which encloses the first part of the scutching appa-
ratus by means of a blower or fan, situated in any convenient part of the build-
ing, and made to communicate with the compartment by a pipe or tube, as
is usual in cotton mills. After leaving thescutching apparatus, the flax or hemp
enters the heckling apparatus, which is shewn detached and in section at Fig. 9.
The rotary heckles are driven by a train of gearing, as shewn in the Figure, and
actuated by a toothed wheel on the main driving shafte, by which means a much
slower motion is given to the heckles than that at which the scutchers revolve.
The principal improvement in this part of the apparatus is in the form of the teeth
which are shewn detached and upon an enlarged scale at Figs. 10; the tooth v
is made round, in the usual way, but at its lower end, and near the part which
is inserted in the wood, it is gradually reduced in thickness, to give it a little

page_text: flexibility, and allow it to yield to the work; the teeth ware shewn in edge,
side, and end views, and are made of a flat oval form, and are fixed in the
wood in such a manner as to offer their flat sides to the work, by this means
allowing the teeth to yield, as in the former instance. The rotary heckles are
enclosed in a casing, as shewn in the Drawing, and the doffing rollers and
combs are adapted thereto and actuated in the usual manner. It will only
therefore be necessary further to state that, the heckle cylinders as well as
the rotary scutchers are mounted in adjustable bearings, so as to admit of the
cylinders and heckles being moved nearer to or further from each other, as
may be required.
The last part of the Invention relates to an improved apparatus for staining
or printing fabrics, and consists in mounting the blocks or forms (to be printed
from)on horizontal travelling tables connected to the outer ends of radial arms;
and causing such tables with the forms thereon to travel on rails round a
centre and pass under impression cylinders, which will give an impression every
time the forms pass under them. Fig. 11 represents a plan view of an
apparatus constructed on the improved plan, and Fig. 12 is a side elevation.
A is the main central shaft, from which the horizontal radial arms B, B, B, B,
extend. The ends of these arms are slotted, as shewn by dots in Fig. 11, for
the purpose of receiving the centre pins F of the travelling tables C, C, upon
which the forms or blocks to be printed from are secured. On the under sides,
of these tables are antifriction wheels or rollers D, D, D, D, which run upon
the railway E,E, E, E, which is supported by strong pillars or masonry. The
impression cylinder G, G, are mounted on strong horizontal pins or shafts,
extending out from the standards H; the inking or color apparatus is shewn
at I. It will of course be understood that for every printing table and form
there must be an inking or colour apparatus and an impression cylinder,
although, in order to avoid complexity, only one inking or colour apparatus
is shewn in the Drawing.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-Upon motion being com-
municated to the central shaft from any prime mover, the travelling tables will
be carried round under the inking or colour rollers I, from which the blocks
or forms placed thereon will receive a proper supply of colour, and the forms
will then pass under the impression cylinders, to which the paper or other
fabric to be printed is fed, either in the ordinary manner, or by the means
hereafter described, and as the tables and forms or blocks travel onward, the
paper or other fabric is delivered on the opposite side of the cylinder printed.
I would here remark that I do not intend to coufine myself to any given
number of printing cylinders and forms, as six, eight, and even more may be used

page_text: advantageously. I would also observe that the tables and forms are always made
to travel in a straight line whenever they are under the operation of printing.
On the axle of the printing cylinder is a toothed wheel, which works in a
rack y on th side of the travelling table, so that the cylinder never moves
until the rack of the travelling table comes in contact with it and drives
it round, thereby carrying in the paper or other fabric to be printed, and
bringing it in contact with the inked form or block, from which it receives
the impression.
P
The paperor fabric to be printed is fed up to the cylinder, and is carried into
the machine by fingers, nippers, or tapes, in the ordinary way; but when single
sheets of paper are to be fed in, and if great rapidity is required, I employ the
feeding apparatus shewn in the detached view Fig. 13, in which the paper is
iled upon a sloping table K, in the usual manner, and previous to setting
the apparatus in motion the attendant must push down the paper in the usual
manner, then a circular brush or roller H, with an unevened or roughened
surface, which is kept constantly revolving, will carry down sheet after sheet
to the guages, from which the sheets will be laid hold of and carried into the
machine by the fingers or nippers of the impression cylinder. The rotary
brush or roller H is mounted in bearings in the lever I, which will admit of
the brush or roller rising or falling, according to the quantity of paper on the
sloping table K. The brush or rolier H is kept constantly rotating by means
of a cord or band J, which passes over a pulley on its axle. At the lower end
As
of the sloping table K is a long slot 2, in which falls a roller L at the end of
the lever M, a similar lever being placed on the other side of the table.
the paper is drawn or pushed forward by the action of the roller H, it passes
across the slot 2 and under the roller L.which being properly balanced by the
weights N at the other end of the levers M, is raised up by the paper
passing under it. The back end of the lever M is jointed to the lever I, which
carries the rotary brush, it will therefore be seen that as the paper is drawn
down by the brush H, and thereby raises the roller L, the opposite end of the
lever M will be depressed, and by acting in a corresponding manner on the
lever I, will lift the brush Hoff the paper, and prevent it from pushing down
any more until the sheets which have been pushed down are drawn away by
the fingers or nippers of the printing cylinder; the roller L will then descend
again into the slot, and allow the brush to descend likewise and push forward
another sheet, and so on until all the sheets are carried in. It will be found
necessary from time to time for the attendant to push forward the pile of
papers, so as to bring it under the action of the rotary brush or roller, but as
this operation is only required occasionally, one man can attend to severaļ

page_text: feeding apparatus. In some cases, when the sheets of paper are large, it will
be found convenient and advisable to employ two or more rotary brushes or
rollers to assist in drawing the sheets off the pi e. The rotary brushes or
rollers H may be covered with gutta percha, as shewn in Figure 14, and the
surface must be roughened; or if a brush is employed for the purpose, I prefer
to construct it in the manner shewn in the Drawing at Fig. 15, as I have
found brushes to act more satisfactorily when a portion of the bristles are
inclined to the periphery of the roller, instead of all of them radiating from the
centre.
Having now described the Invention of my correspondent, and the best
means with which I am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would
observe, in conclusion, that although I have found it advisable to describe
various parts which have been before known and in use, yet I do not intend
to claim any such parts as constituting any portion of the present improve-
ments, nor do I intend to confine myself to the precise arrangement or con-
struction of parts herein shown and described, as they may perhaps be varied
without departing from the nature and object of the present Invention; but
that which I consider to be new, and herefore intend to claim as the Inven-
tion secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, weaving wide fabrics in looms of less width than the fabrics woven,
such object being effected by the employment of two or more sets of warps
ranged one above the other in the same reed, and tieing the edges of the sepa-
rate warps together, as shewn and described, so as to leave two perfect
selvages.
Second, for producing a double beat-up in looms, I claim the use of a toggle
joint or jointed arm in combination with the crank and connecting rod, as -
described.
Third, in relation to machinery for preparing fibrous materials, I claim the
general arrangement of the machine as shewn and described, whereby the
several operations of rubbing or crushing, and scutching and heckling the flax,
hemp, or other fibrous straw, may be carried on continuously in the same
machine. I claim also separately, the arrangement shewn and described, or
any mere modification thereof, for crushing or rubbing the flax or hemp, or
other fibrous straw, particularly the use of pairs of vertical rollers to which a
vibrating motion is communicated. I further claim the employment of rotary
scutchers with serrated edges, as shewn and described, and also the peculiar
form of heckle pins, shewn and described.
Fourth, as regards staining and printing fabrics, I claim the use of the
travelling beds on which the forms or blocks are secured, and which are carried

page_text: round a centre on rails in such a manner, that during the printing operation,
the beds must always travel in a straight line. I also claim the apparatus,
shewn in Figures 13, 14, and 15, or any modification thereof, for feeding
in the sheets of paper. I claim this apparatus, whether employed in com-
bination with the printing apparatus herein shewn, or as applied to any other
printing machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Beale Browne, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.