An Improved Method of Treating Finner Whalebone and similar Fibrous Material and in Apparatus for the Purpose.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 4th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 4th Nov., 1887
An Improved Method of Treating Finner Whalebone and similar
Fibrous Material and in Apparatus for the Purpose.
We EMILE ROSENWALD, and EDWARD ROSENWALD, both of, 27, Noble Street,
City of London, Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of our said invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to a novel method of treating Finner whalebone and like
fibrous substances to remove the twist, or curl which is naturally in it, to render it of
commercial value or of greater commercial value than at present the operation being
performed by machinery or appliances suitably constructed, aided by heat, which may
be applied either previously to, or simultaneously with that of straightening.
According to our invention the whalebone is first cut up by hand or by machine,
care being taken to follow the direction of the fibres as much as possible. The fibrous
whalebone thus cut up, always twists or curls up and will not remain straight or flat
after cutting and slitting, unless subjected to treatment; we therefore straighten each
strip or length mechanically by means of a machine which we have designed for the
purpose in substitution for the after treatment by hand as hitherto practised.
Our machine as also our process can be applied to straightening any other analogous
materials which twist or curl in the "rending" process.
In addition to the rapidity of execution and consequently the economy in manu-
facture obtained by our treatment by mechanical process, it also ensures regularity in
the process of beating the whalebone; this regularity can only be approximately
obtained in the treatment by hand, the result of which is that the whalebone is either
too highly heated, which renders it brittle, or not sufficiently heated for it to retain its
flat or straight form.
We will describe our machine as heated by means of gas which we have found
preferable, but we may apply any other source of heat such as steam, hot air, &c.
Finally by our mechanical treatment we avoid the undulations or "wavy" form
along the edges or the surface of the whalebone which is always produced by hand
treatment; also the concavity of the whalebone formed when straightened by the
"ironing treatment at present employed. By our process therefore a new result is

page_text: obtained by reason of its qualities above referred to, and of its fixity after the whale-
bone leaves the machine.
The apparatus we employ in carrying out our improved treatment of whalebone or
material having a laminated structure consists of a series of rollers mounted in a box
frame, the latter being supported on legs or standards. The rollers are arranged
preferably in upper and lower pairs, the bearings of the lower rollers being fixed in
the sides of the box frame but the upper rollers are fitted with vertical movable or
sliding bearings and springs in order to allow of their pressure on the material between
the upper and lower rollers being regulated by a set screw or other appliance. The
lower rollers are revolved by a worm actuating worm wheels formed on the xles of
and between shoulders or pressure surfaces of each pair of lower rollers, the upper
rollers taking their motion from the frictional contact.
The source of heat is placed near the entrance end of the machine in such manner
that the strips of whalebone when first inserted are heated by the direct action of gas
flame and as they pass on between the other or back rollers get gradually cooled as
they travel through the machine, and arrive at the exit end completely straightened
and cold, which prevents them recovering any original shape.
The strips of whalebone are fed into the inachine by the openings arranged in two
guides running along the whole length of the machine. These guides have openings
formed in them in order to permit, 1. The passage of heat to soften the whalebone;
2. The passage of the feed rollers which cause the whalebone to travel through the
whole length of the machine.
The distance separating each pair of rollers is less than the lengths of whalebone to
be straightened and it will be thus understood how the feed from one end of the
machine to the other is produced, the speed being regulated according to the degree
of heat to be imparted either by hand or by any suitable automatic arrangement, and
we may on the other hand regulate the beat' in accordance with the rate of feed
in such manner as to obtain a perfect treatment in all cases and almost without
supervision.
Dated this 10th day of January 1887.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Emile Rosenwald
and Edward Rosenwald.

page_text: An Improved Method of Treating Finner Whalebone and Similar
Fibrous Material and in Apparatus for the Purpose.
We EMILE ROSENWALD and EDWARD ROSENWALD both of 27 Noble Street, City
of London Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a novel method of treating Finner whalebone and like
fibrous substances to remove the twist or curl which is naturally in it, to render it of
commercial value or of greater commercial value than at present the operation being-
performed by machinery or appliances suitably constructed, aided by heat, which may
be applied either previously to or simultaneously with that of straightening.
According to our invention the whalebone is first cut up by hand or by machine,
care being taken to follow the direction of the fibres as much as possible. The fibrous
whalebone thus cut up always twists or curls up and will not remain straight or flat
after cutting and slitting unless subjected to treatment; we therefore straighten each
strip or length mechanically by means of a machine which we have designed for the
purpose in substitution for the after treatment by hand as hitherto practised.
Our machine as also our process can be applied to straightening any other analogous
materials which twist or curl in the "rending" process.
In addition to the rapidity of execution and consequently the economy in manu-
facture obtained by our treatment by mechanical process, it also ensures regularity in
the process of heating the whalebone; this regularity can only be approximately
obtained in the treatment by hand the result of which is that the whalebone is either
100 highly heated, which renders it brittle or not sufficiently heated for it to retain its
Hat or straight form.
wavy
We will describe our machine as heated by means of gas which we have found
preferable but we may apply any other source of heat such as steam, hot air etc.
Finally by our mechanical treatment we avoid the undulations or ::
"form
along the edges or the surface of the whalebone which is always produced by hand
treatment, also the concavity of the whalebone formed when straightened by the
ironing treatment at present employed. By our process therefore a new result is
obtained by reason of its qualities above referred to and of its fixity after the whale-
bone leaves the machine.
"
In order that our invention may be well understood we have shown our machine
(as an illustration of one form only) in the annexed drawings.
In the drawings Figure 1 is a front view of our machine for straightening
whalebone.
Figure 2 is a side view
Figure 3 a plan and

page_text: In these figures the same letters of reference indicate the same parts.
a is the source of heat placed near the extreme end of the machine in such manner
that the strips of whalebone when first inserted are heated by the direct action of gas
flame and as they pass on between the other or hack rollers get gradually cooled as
they travel through the machine, and arrive at the exit end completely straightened
and cold which prevents them recovering any original shape.
arranged in
The strips of whalebone are fed into the machine by the openings
two guides c running along the whole length of the machine..These guides c have
openings formed in them in order to permit 1. the passage of heat to soften the whale-
bone 2 the passage of the feed rollers which cause the whalebone to travel through
the whole length of the machine.
The lower rollers are actuated by means of screws y and their bearings are fixed
whilst the upper rollers may have a rising or a descending movement, the pressure
being regulated by the springs h.
The distance separating each pair of rollers is less than the lengths of whalebone to
be straightened and it will be thus understood how the feed from one end of the
machine to the other is produced, the speed being regulated according to the degree of
heat to be imparted either by hand or by any suitable automatic arrangement, and we
may on the other hand regulate the heat in accordance with the rate of feed in such
manner as to obtain a perfect treatment in all cases and almost without supervision.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
The mechanical process of treating finner whalebone and other material of a similar
kind of which the features and apparatus have been above described with reference to
the drawings annexed shown as an example and consisting of causing the whalebone
to travel along a suitable path between heated guides but the temperature of which is
decreased more and more from the entrance end to the delivery end in such manner
that the whalebone strips are gradually cooled as they advance and are sufficiently
cold when leaving the machine as to prevent them from afterwards altering their shape
as set forth.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Emile Rosenwald
and Edward Rosenwald.