IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING OF PIECE GOODS MADE FROM SILK OR WORSTED, OR OF BOTH THESE MATERIALS
Year: 1822

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JonN
FREDERICK SMITH, of Dunston Hall, in the Parish of Chesterfield, in the
County of Derby, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did.
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twelfth day of February, in the third year of His reign,
givo and grant unto me, the said John Frederick Smith, my exors, adiñors,
and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, said John Frederick Smith, my exors, adñors, and assigns, during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING OF PIECE GOODS
MADE FROM SILK OR WORSTED, OR OF BOTH THESE MATERIALS;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, that if I, the said John Fre-
derick Smith, shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention; and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within four calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that
then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever
thereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and
by the same, relation being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said John
Frederick Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of my aforesaid Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be carried into effect and
practised, is fully described and ascertained in the following description and
the explanatory Drawing thereunto annexed:-
pre-
In the first place, I recommend that the said piece goods, when they consist
of worsted, yarn, or thread (by whatever name such piece goods may be called
or distinguished), or when they consist conjointly of worsted and silk woven
together, should be fulled or milled by beating or kneading them in warmı
water, in which a quantity of soap or other necessary ingredients has been
previously dissolved, in the same manner as other woollen goods have been
heretofore fulled; but although this process has not to my knowledge or
belief been before used, and applied to bombazines, stuff's, serges, and the like
manufactures of worsted, or silk and worsted combined, I do not consider it
as a part of my aforesaid Invention, or claim any exclusive right to its use,
notwithstanding it improves the fabrics to which it is applied, both in durability
and appearance. Whether the said pièce goods have been so fulled and
pared, or not, I dress and finish them after they have been singed in the usual
way by hot cylinders or flame, by means of friction and pressure with rubbers
covered with silk, and made to move with different degrees of velocity, by
which the effect they produce is improved. Such rubbers may be differently
formed and disposed, but the arrangement shewn in the Drawing is one'tliat I
have used, and which I can recommend as convenient. It consists of a roller
or cylinder A, of two or three inches diameter, to receive the piece of goods
which is to be rolled upon it. Several of these rollers, having iron axles or
gudgeons, must be provided, in order that pieces of goods may be rolling upon
them, or may romain upon them, while others are "dressing, and they are 'all
moveable or capable of being placed on or taken away from the dressing frame
B, B, at pleasure. In general I stitch or sew four pieces of goods together by
their ends, and roll them upon these rollers, and pass them through the
machine as one piece; but this is merely for expedition sake, 'and a single piece,
or more than one piece, can be united and dressed, at the option of the party
using the 'machine. It will likewise be necessary to sew or attach about four
yards of woollen, 'linen, or cotton cloth, of about the same width as the piece
goods to be dressed, to each extreme end of such quantity of piece goods, in
order that the two extreme ends of the same may be kept stretched, and may
be made to pass under the action of the rubbers, to be herein-after described.
The roller A, with the piece of pieces of goods tightly and evenly rolled upon
it, is to be placed in a notch or groove C of the frame B, B; and another

page_text: roller D, the diameter of which is not material; is placed with its gudgeons or
axles in convenient notches, as shewn in the Figure, so that the said last nien-
tioned roller may,, lic, with its full weight upon the upper part of the piece of
goods, and so that it may descend, and continue to press upon the piece goods
as they unroll from the roller A. The only use of the roller Dis to produce
sufficient friction to prevent the roller A from turning faster tlian necessary
when the piece. goods so rolled upon it are drawn away by the action of the
machinery, as herein-after described, consequently this necessary, degree of.
friction may be produced by a spring or, brake, or other contrivance, applied
either to the ends or gudgeons of the roller A,, or in any other convenient
manner. The piece goods are to be delivered either from the lower or upper
side the cylinder A (according to the manner or direction in which they"
have been rolled upon it, or as may be. most convenient to the manufacturer),
between the feeding rollers E and F, being moved.by machinery, as herein-
after mentioned, in the direction of the arrow placed against it, while the
upper, feeding roller is kept in contact with the lower one F by springs or
weights applied to its gudgeons or axles. These rollers must be truly formed,
in order that they may pinch or hold the said piece goods so introduced.
between them evenly and equably from one selvage to the other; and in order
the more effectually to produce this end, I cause, such feeding rollers to be at
least three inches in diameter, and I cover their surfaces with woollen cloth,
either pasted, sewed, or otherwise affixed to them. From the feeding rollers
the said piece goods pass over and under or between three, four, or more other
rollers, disposed either horizontally one above the other, or one beyond the
other in an horizontal position, as shewn at G, H, I, K, in the Drawing.
These rollers are formed of beech or other hard wood, with iron axles, and may
all be of the same size or not, as will hereafter appear. If they are of the
same size, I find eight inches a convenient diameter for them, and in all cases
they are to be covered with woollen cloth, which is to be pasted, glued, or
otherwise fixed upon their surfaces, and this is again to be covered with very
stout woove silk or lutestring, or other fit material, herein-after described,
which is to be stretched tight, and sewed or fixed upon them, so that it may be
free from pleats, folds, or inequalities. When the piece goods consist entirely
of silk, the covering of the rubbing cylinders, particularly for the last dressing,
must be of silk; but for other fabrics I reserve to myself the right of covering
my rubbing cylinders, and using them, when so covered, with woven piece
goods made of worsted, silk, cotton, or flax, or any or all these ingredients
mixed or united together, as may best suit the intended purpose; and the said
piece goods to be dressed are to be conducted as shewn by the red line in the

page_text: Drawing, viz, over the top of the first rubbing cylinder G, under the second
rubbing cylinder H, over the third I, and under the fourth K, or vice versa,
so that both sides of the said piece of goods is exposed to the action of the
rubbing cylinders, after which it passes off between the drawing rollers L and
M, which are constructed, formed, and arranged in the same manner as the
delivering rollers E and F, herein-before described. After passing between
the last-mentioned drawing rollers L and M, the said piece goods are finally
conducted to the receiving cylinder or roller O, which is the same in every
respect as the first roller A, except that instead of having the pressing roller
D above it, there is a fixed roller P placed underneath it, at such distance
that the receiving roller O, either with or without goods upon it, may always
bear and press upon it; and as the roller P is covered with woollen cloth, and
is moved by machinery, as herein-after mentioned, its friction or rubbing
against the surface of O, or against any goods which may happen to be rolled
upon it, will have the effect of turning that roller O round, and will cause it to
take or roll up the goods as fast as they are delivered from between the rollers
L and M. The gudgeons or axles of the roller O must not turn in fixed holes,
but in long perpendicular slits Q, Q, similar to those in which the roller D
moves, because both the rollers D and O will require to come nearer to or
recede further from the rollers A and P, as A and O are more or less charged
with the goods to be dressed. In order to give motion to the piece goods, and
to the machinery for dressing and finishing the same, as aforesaid, I use and
apply the force of men, animals, wind, water, or steam in any of the usual and
accustomed ways, but through the intervention of such cogged or toothed
wheels, riggers, pullies, bands, or straps as will produce the following effects,
viz I cause the feeding roller F to revolve with such a speed that it shall
draw off at least thirty yards of the piece goods from the roller A in the
space of a minute, and of course the receiving rollers L, M, must move with
the same or a trifling greater velocity, in order that they may keep the goods
properly stretched, and may take them up for the receiving roller O as fast as
they pass the machine. This I insure by giving the rollers F and M the same
velocity at their axles, but making the diameter of the roller M a trifling
quantity larger than the roller F, which quantity must be determined by trial,
as it will depend upon the stretching of the piece goods in the act of rubbing;
but if the roller F is three inches in diameter, from one-fiftieth to one-
twentieth of an inch larger will generally answer for the roller M, and will
keep the goods well stretched; or if the goods are sufficiently strong and close
to resist tearing and fraying, there need be no motion given by machinery to
the roller F, but the pinching of the rollers L and M will draw the said goods

page_text: through the machine, in which case the roller E must be more weighted or
forcibly pressed down upon the roller F than will be otherwise necessary. All.
the rubbing cylinders G, H, I, and K, must be made to move in the same
direction with that in which the piece goods move, but with encreased velocity,
for I make the rubbing surface of the cylinder G to move about twice as
fast, the cylinder H to move about twice and a half as fast, the cylinder I about
three times as fast, and K about three and a half times as fast as the piece.
goods they are operating upon, and so in the like proportion for any further or
additional rubbing cylinders that may be used, though in general four of such
cylinders will be found the best number, and will be sufficient for every pur-
pose. This increasing velocity of the rubbing cylinders, as they become more
distant froin the feeding rollers E, F, I produce by bevil or other coggod or
toothed wheels of duly proportioned size, fixed at the ends of the several axles
of the rubbing cylinders, and acted into and turned by other bevil or contrate.
wheels fixed upon the long shaft or axle R, S, to which the power for
working the machine is to be applied. This same shaft or axle likewise gives
motion to the cylinder P for turning the roller O, and P must turn with con-
siderable speed, otherwise when the roll of piece goods upon O becomes large,
the roller O will not move with sufficient velocity to take the same up as
rapidly as it will be delivered by the rollers L, M.
It will be evident to any mechanic that the same kind of motion may be com-
municated to all the said rollers and cylinders by pullies, straps, riggers, bands,
or wheels, otherwise disposed, and other means, or the difference of velocity may
be obtained by causing all the axles of the said cylinder to move with the same
velocity, and making a proportionate variation in the external diameters of the
said rollers and cylinders, which in all cases must be made about two inches
longer than the width of the piece goods to be dressed, in order to protect the
selvages, and I am not, therefore, very particular in describing the means of
producing such motion, since that is sufficiently obvious, and does not constitute.
any part of my aforesaid Invention, which consists solely in my improved method
of dressing piece goods made of silk and worsted, or of silk alone, or of worsted.
alone, by the application of silk or other rubbers, as herein-before described,
either in a cylindrical or any other form, and by causing the same to pass over
the said piece goods in the same direction, either with similar or dissimilar
velocity. This process I repeat as often as may be found necessary, but in
general it will be advantageous for the said piece goods to pass the cylinders
or rubbers at two different periods, viz, first, after having been singed
only, or milled or fulled and singed, before being dyed, for by this first process

page_text: A
the goods, become softened and opened, and are rendered much more fit for the
reception of the dye, and will take it more equably. and evenly; secondly, the
said, piece goods should pass the cylinders, or rubbers, after, being dyed, by
which means,the goods are entirely, freed from dust or dirt; while, a beautiful
gloss, lustre, and softness are obtained, and if the goods are well dyed they
will be found to soil very little in the wear; and as my process obviates the
necessity, of using any gums or stiffening ingredients, which are invariably used
in the present or generally adopted manner of dressing and finishing bombazines,
crapes, and other varieties of piece goods manufactured with the herein-before
mentioned, materials, so the goods dressed and finished by my process herein-
before described, will not only, have a superior appearance, but will not be
liable, to crack, crease, or get out of condition; and if fulled or milled in the
first instance (which, is strongly recommended, whenever, it can be done), they
will. not...only be more durable,, but will not fray or separate in the, texture,
which has of late, been. much, complained of, particularly in, the Norwich
crapes and bombazines; and accordingly I claim every shape, form, and modi-
fication; of arrangement by, which rubbers covered. with, woven silk, cotton,
flax,, wool, or, a mixture of these materials,, can, be applied to the, dressing,
polishing, and finishing of piece goods, as aforesaid, as a part of my aforesaid
Invention. The rollers A and O,, together with their gudgeons-or axles, are
made so nearly, of the same size that they can be made, to change places with
each other,, so, that if passing the piece, goods. once; over the cylinders or
rubbers should be found not productive of sufficient effect, the roller O can be
removed when full. of goods, and placed in the situation of A, by which the
piece, goods will be ready to be passed a second time or oftener through the
machine. All, the rollers to be used in the situations, as at A and O, should
likewise, be smoothly covered with woollen, cloth, as aforesaid, which will
facilitate, the rolling of such piece goods upon such rollers. The said goods
are not fixed, at all to such rollers, but I find their appearance much improved
by permitting them to remain at least forty-eight hours after their dressing
and finishing upon the roller upon which they were last taken up, after which
they may
be opened and properly rolled or folded for sale.
In witness. whereof, I, the said John Frederick Smith, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-two.
JOHN FREDERICK (L.S.) SMITH.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1822, the aforesaid John Frederick Smith came before our
said Lord the King in His 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 stampt according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
oight hundred and twenty twe