IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS."
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Cochran, of the Firm of Cochran and
Hay, of Kirktonfield, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Bleachers
and Dyers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Cochran at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th
December 1867.
I, ALEXANDER COCHRAN, of the Firm of Cochran and Hay, of Kirktonfield,
in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Bleachers and Dyers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS," to be as follows:→
This Invention relates to machinery for giving what is known as the
elastic finish to muslin and other woven fabrics, and consists of various
improvements in the details of such machinery.
The said improvements have been designed for use along with clamping
bars for holding by the selvedges the fabric to be operated upon, but they

page_text: are also applicable with pinned bars commonly employed for that purpose.
The ordinary stiff finish may also be given by the same machinery.
In a modification of finishing machinery embodying the improvements there
are a series of transverse horizontal bearers each of which is fixed upon a
vertical spindle arranged to oscillate in a collar bearing in an arched frame
and in a footstep bearing at the bottom. Each bearer is formed with two
rails one on each side of its centre line, and on each of these is set a wheeled
bar or carriage which can move inwards and outwards whilst both can pass
each other on opposite sides of the centre. The clamping bars are carried
by the outer ends of the carriages. Each carriage is moved inwards aud
outwards by means of two bands, and the four bands pass round pulleys at
the middle of the bearer and thence down round pulleys carried by the
framing to horizontal bars, which last extend along the entire machine and
have the bands of the various bearers suitably attached to them. The
horizontal bars can be moved longitudinally by screw or other convenient
gearing, and when they are moved in one direction they cause the carriages
to be moved outwards so as to stretch or breadthen the fabric, the reverse
movement of the horizontal bars shifting them inwards. The transverse
horizontal bearers are made to, oscillate in the ordinary way, but it is an.
important advantage of the improved details described that they can be
conveniently moved through a greater angle than in ordinary machines and
so as to act on the cloth close to the selvedges of the fabric more efficiently,
whereby considerable hand labor is saved. A bar of wood or metal set on
the upper ends of the vertical spindles serves to steady these, and near one
end carries an adjustable slide on which is pivoted a bar (technically termed
aroller") for stentering the fag end of the fabric so as to keep it square.
The middle portion of this bar is fitted with stenter pins in the ordinary way,.
but towards each end slides are fitted in grooves so as to be capable of being
drawn out to suit different widths. These slides carry short pinned pieces
which move immediately out of the way on the strain of the fabric being
taken off them either by springs or by turning on hinges, the slides carrying
them also at the same time moving inwards by springs or otherwise. The
slides are held out to the requisite width by straps attached to their ends and
which are caught in the clamps at the sides. The bar can be moved the
lengthway of the machine in order to draw the fabric tight.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Cochran. in. the Great. Seal Patent Office on the
18th June 1868..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
COCHRAN, of the Firm of Cochran and Hay, of Kirktonfield; in the County of.
Renfrew, North Britain,. Bleachers and Dyers; send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth 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, Hér heirs and successors, give and grant unto me;.
the said Alexander Cochran,. Her special licence that I, the said Alexander.
Cochran, my executors, administrators, and assigns,: or such. others' as I,
the said Alexander Cochran, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst others). that I, the said Alexander Cochran, my executors. or
administrátors, 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 Alexander Cochran,, do hereby declare:
the nature of iny said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to bé particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, that
is to say:
1
My said Invention relates to machinery for giving: what is known as the
elastic finish to muslin and other woven fabrics, and consists of various.
improvements in the details of such machinery.
My said improvements have been designed for use along with clamping.
bars for holding by the selvedges the fabric to be operated upon; but they
are also applicable with pinned bars commonly employed for that purpose.'
The ordinary stiff finish may also be given by the same machinery.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the.
I

page_text: same may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to and representing a
practically successful modification of my improved finishing machinery.
Figures 1 and 2 are plans of the two ends of the machine, whilst Figure 3
is a sectional side elevation of one end, and Figure 4. an elevation of the other
end; Figure 5 is a sectional end elevation showing one of the oscillating
bearers comprised in the machine with details connected therewith. The
same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts in all the
Figures.
There are a number of transverse horizontal bearers in the machine
depending on the length of the fabrics for which it is designed, but in the
Drawings only those at the ends are shown. Each bearer 1 is fixed upon a
vertical spindle 2, arranged to oscillate in a collar bearing in an arched
frame 3, and in a footstep bearing at the bottom. Each bearer 1 is formed
with two rails or edges projecting upwards, and one on each side of its centre
line, and on each of these rails is set a wheeled bar or carriage 4, which can
move inwards and outwards whilst they can pass each other on opposite sides.
of the centre. Plain slides may be substituted for the wheeled bars 4. The
clamping bars 5 are carried on pivots on the outer ends of the carriages 4.
Each carriage 4 is moved inwards and outwards for the purpose of adjusting
the clamping bars 5 to the width of the fabric, and for stretching the fabric
transversely by means of two bands 6, 7, 61, 71, and the four bands of each
pair of carriages 4 pass round small pulleys 8 at the middle of the bearer 1.
The four bands are fixed in pairs, 6, 61, and 7, 71, to single bands 9, 10;
which pass round pulleys 11, carried by the framing and are attached by
means of adjusting screws to two horizontal bars 12, which extend along the
entire machine and have the bands of all the various bearers suitably attached
to them. The pulleys 11 are carried upon longitudinal frame bars 13 fixed to
the sides of the arched standards 3, and serve to connect and give stability to
the entire series. The longitudinal bars 12 rest on rollers carried by the
standards 3, and are moved by means of a screw spindle 14 tapped through a
crosshead which unites them at one end, and this spindle which is partly sup-
ported in a standard 15 is turned by means of a band wheel 16, and a pair
of spur wheels 17. When the bars 12 are moved in one direction they cause
the carriages 4 to move the clamping bars 5 outwards so as to stretch or
breadthen the fabric, the reverse movement of the bars 12 shifting them
inwards. The transverse horizontal bearers 1 are made to oscillate in the
ordinary way, but it is an important advantage of my improved details berein-

page_text: before described that they can be conveniently moved through a greater angle
than in ordinary machines, and so as to act on the cloth close to the selvedges.
of the fabric more efficiently, whereby considerable hand labor is saved. A
bar 18 which may be of wood or metal is set on the upper ends of the vertical
spindles 2, and extending from end to end of the machine serves to steady the
spindles 2, whilst on it near one end there is mounted an adjustable slide 19
on which is pivoted a bar 20 (technically termed a "roller,") for stentering
the fag end of the fabric so as to keep it square. The roller 20 is drawn out
to the full length of the fabric by means of a cord which is wound on a barrel 21..
A transverse bar 22 with stenter pins is pivoted on the other end of the
top middle bar 18, but does not require to be adjustable. The bars 20
and 22, shown in Figures 1 and 2, are of the ordinary construction and
arrangement, but an improved bar or "roller" to be used in place of the
adjustable one 20 is shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8, which are respectively a
plan, an end view, and a cross section. The middle portion 23 of this bar is
fitted with stenter pins in the ordinary way and is of a length adapted to the
narrowest width of fabric for which the machine is designed.
fitted in longitudinal grooves in the middle part 23, and can be
lengthen the bar when required. These slides 24 have hinged to them a
number of short pieces 25 fitted with stenter pins, and when the slides are
drawn out as many of these as are required are turned over as shown in
Figure 7, which brings their pins into line with those of the middle part 23.
Springs are passed through bores to the outer ends of the slides 24, being
fixed at their opposite ends to the middle part 23, and draw in the slides when
relieved, the slides being held out by straps fixed to their ends and caught in
the clamps at the sides. Springs are also applied as indicated in the section
Figure 8 under each hinged piece 25, and when the strain of the fabric is
removed lift up the hinged pieces so as to clear the pins and upper part of
the middle bar 23. The clamping bars 5 with their hinged covers are repre-
sented as of a construction already in use, but the bars may be fitted with any
convenient kind of clamps or holders, or even with mere stenter pins.
Slides 24 are
drawn out to
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated; but that what I
believe to be novel and original and claim as the Invention secured to me by the
berein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the constructing and arranging
or combining together of the parts of finishing machinery substantially in the
improved manner herein described, and more particularly the adjusting of the

page_text: clamping or holding bars transversely by means of carriages or slides connected
by bands or straps passing round pulleys to longitudinal bars.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Cochran, have hereunto'
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
ALEX. COCHRAN. (L.S.)