IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING WOOL, SILK, AND COTTON FROM OLD FABRICS IN A CONDITION TO BE AGAIN USED
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LAZARE
FRANCOIS VAUDELIN, of Upper Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of June,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Lazare Francois Vaudelin, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Lazare
Francois Vaudelin, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Lazare Francois Vaudelin, my exors, admors, 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING WOOL, SILK, AND COTTON FROM
OLD FABRICS IN A CONDITION TO BE AGAIN USED," being partly communicated to
me by a certain foreigner residing abroad, and partly invented by myself;
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Lazare
Francois Vaudelin, should cause a particular description of the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the

page_text: 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
Lazare Francois Vaudelin, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
The Invention consists of passing the old woollen and other fabrics, whilst in
water, between a cylinder and a flat plate, or other form of surface, armed with
teeth or points, by which the fabric is torn to pieces, and the fibre brought to a
state to be again manufactured. Heretofore old fabrics have been extensively
torn to pieces, and the fibre obtained has been again spun and used in the
manufacture of other fabrics; but by reason of the process having been per-
formed in the dry state, the fibres have not been so readily separated, but
have become much more injured and broken than when working according to
the present Invention, by which the pieces of fabrics which are being acted on
are constantly in water, and by which the fibres are more readily separated,
and at the same time the fibres will be thoroughly cleansed. The old fabrics,
whether of wool or of other fibre, having been washed, if they require it, are
cut into pieces, say, from about two to eight inches square. The machinery
used is very similar to what is used by paper-makers, which, however, I prefer
to be constructed with two beating wheels.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2, a longitudinal section; and Figure 3, part of
the spiked plate, full size. a, a, the beaters, having straight blades of metal b,
with plain edges. I have, however, in some cases, such as for tearing silk,
cotton, and mixed rags, used the beating blades 6 with notched edges. When
treating silk or cotton rags, I have found it desirable to place behind each
cylinder with pointed plates, a bar or comb, with points to hook off the silk or
cotton, so as to prevent its clogging the machine.
The beating wheels a, a, have each a cover or guard, to prevent the splashing
over of the water; and each of the beating wheels has a fall or incline, as shewn
ȧt c, and a plate of metal with teeth, which I prefer to be of the form shewn at
Figure 3, which is full size, for fabrics made of wool; but for silk, cotton, or
mixed rags,
I use a plate of metal, with points or teeth of smaller dimensions,
about one-half. The machine is arranged for the axes of the beating
cylinders to be raised and lowered by screws, as is well understood, but not

page_text: shewn in the Drawing. Water constantly flows into the cistern of the machine
at d, and flows off constantly through the perforated surfaces e, and away at f.
It is found for silk fabrics that the work goes on better if the water be at
about 90° of Fahrenheit, and a small quantity of soft soap may be advan-
tageously employed in the water. At starting, the beating cylinders are nearly
down to the fixed teeth, and are to be progressively raised as the disintegration
or separation of the fibre proceeds, till the complete separation or unweaving
and untwisting has been accomplished.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the best manner of
performing the same with which I am acquainted, I would wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the details herein shewn and
described, as the same may be varied, so long as the peculiar character of the
Invention, that of treating old fabrics in water, so as to separate the fibres into
a state to be again used with other fibres in the manufacture of fabrics by
spinning and weaving, be retained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lazare Francois Vaudelin, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of December, in the
year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid Lazare Francois Vaudelin, came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
5 to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.