IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FLOORCLOTHS FOR PRINTING
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Barker Nairn, of Kirkcaldy, Scotland,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING
FLOORCLOTHS FOR PRINTING."
Sealed the 12th March 1875, and dated the 4th January 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Barker Nairn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 4th January 1875.
I, MICHAEL BARKER NAIRN, of Kirkcaldy, Scotland, do hereby.
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR PREPARING FLOORCLOTHS FOR PRINTING," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the trowelling or applying
paint to the surface of cloth and the subsequent drying and rubbing of
such cloth to prepare it for printing. For these purposes a roller with
the cloth to be coated wound upon it is mounted horizontally in suitable
bearings, and the cloth is drawn off therefrom by two endless travelling
chains which carry hooks or clips to lay hold of the side.edges of the
cloth, and they carry forward the cloth in a horizontal direction. As the

page_text: cloth is drawn off from the roller it passes under a straight edge or
"doctor" behind which a supply of the grounding or preparing paint is
applied freely to the surface of the cloth, and as the cloth is drawn past
the doctor its surface receives an even coating of the paint; the edges
of the cloth are then taken hold of by the clips or hooks of the endless
chains and the cloth is carried forward by them. The chains are main-
tained parallel with one another by means of angle iron guides carried
by parallel upright frames. The chains and guides are of considerable
length, being by preference of a length equal to the lengths of cloth to
be coated.
The upright frames carry several sets of guides and chains one above
the other so that a number of separate cloths may be supported hori-
zontally and one above the other within the framing until the cloths are
dry. The endless chains pass around chain wheels at the two ends of
the framing.
The chain wheels at that end of the framing where the cloth is taken
hold of by the endless chains are carried by a vertical shaft, there being
one such shaft on each side, carrying the several chain wheels which are
one above the other, and each of the chain wheels can be made fast with
its shaft by means of a clutch. The two vertical shafts are driven
continuously at the same speed.
The trowelling apparatus is mounted upon a separate framework at
the end of the drying frame and can be raised or lowered upon the frame
so as to bring it opposite to any of the pairs of horizontal chains of the
drying frame, so that after one piece of cloth has been coated and run
into the drying frame upon one pair of chains the apparatus may be
raised or lowered so as to bring it to the level of another pair of chains
for a piece of cloth to be run into the drying frame upon these chains
and so on, until all the pairs of chains in the frame are supporting a
coated cloth. The frame carrying the trowelling or supporting apparatus
may then if desired be moved and brought opposite to the end of another
frame similarly provided with several pairs of endless chains to support
pieces of coated cloth one above the other whilst they are being allowed.
to dry.
The endless chains which are to support the edges of the cloth may
either be simple chains of oval links with some of the links formed with
hooks projecting sidewise from them to project between the parallel.

page_text: angle iron guides herein-before mentioned, whilst the chain itself bears
against the back of these guides; or in place of some of the links being
simply formed with hooks projecting from them some of the links may
be formed from sheet metal with a projection standing out sidewise from
them, to which is jointed close up to the link an arm carrying at its
outer end a pin or point projecting downwards, and in the lower plate is
a hole for the point to descend through. As the links come round to
the point at which they are to receive and lay hold of the edges of the
cloth, the arm carrying the pin or point is held up out of the way by a
spring or otherwise, the plate or projection from the link then passes
below the cloth, and as the link enters between the angle iron guides
between which it is to be carried along horizontally the arm carrying
the point is caused to descend and pierce the cloth.
When the pieces of cloth have been allowed to dry they are removed
from the drying frame by causing the endless chains to travel back in
the opposite direction, and as the cloth comes back to the end of the
drying frame at which it previously entered it is either lifted off the
hooks of the chain, or if hinged arms carrying hooks are used such arms
are caused by inclines to turn upwards and so to withdraw the points
carried by them from the cloth. As the dried cloths are removed from
the frame their surface may be rubbed down with pumice stone or other
suitable rubbers either worked by hand or by machinery.
Any suitable number of coats may be given to the cloths in the
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Michael Barker Nairn in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
BARKER NAIRN, of Kirkcaldy, Scotland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
cighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said Michael Barker Nairn, Her special
license; that I, the said Michael Barker Nairn, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Michael Barker
Nairn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there.
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FLOOR CLOTHS FOR
PRINTING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Michael
Barker Nairn, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Michael Barker Nairn, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:―
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the trowelling or applying
paint to the surface of cloth, and the subsequent drying and rubbing
of such cloth to prepare it for printing. For these purposes a roller
with the cloth to be coated wound upon it is mounted horizontally in
suitable bearings, and the cloth is drawn off therefrom by two endless
travelling chains which carry hooks or clips to lay hold of the side edges
of the cloth, and they carry forward the cloth in a horizontal direction.
As the cloth is drawn off from the roller it passes under one or more
straight edges or "doctors" behind which a supply of the grounding
or preparing paint is applied freely to the surface of the cloth, and as
the cloth is drawn past the doctor its surface receives an even coating
of the paint. The edges of the cloth are then taken hold of by the
clips or hooks of 'the endless chains, and the cloth is carried forward by
them. The chains are maintained parallel with one another by means
of angle iron guides carried by parallel upright frames. The chains and
guides are of considerable length, being by preference of a length equal
to the lengths. of cloth to be coated.

page_text: The upright frames carry several sets of guides and chains one above
the other, so that a number of separate cloths may be supported hori-
zontally and one above the other within the framing until the cloths
are dry. The endless chains pass around chain wheels at the two ends
of the framing.
The chain wheels at that end of the framing where the cloth is taken
hold of by the endless chains are carried by a vertical shaft, there being
one such shaft on each side carrying the several chain wheels which are
one above the other, and each of the chain wheels can be made fast with
its shaft by means of a clutch. The two vertical shafts are driven con-
tinuously at the same speed.
The trowelling apparatus is mounted upon a separate framework at the
end of the drying frame, and can be raised or lowered upon the frame so
as to bring it opposite to any of the pairs of horizontal chains of the
drying frame, so that after one piece of cloth has been coated and run
into the drying frame upon one pair of chains, the apparatus may be
raised or lowered so as to bring it to the level of another pair of chains
for a piece of cloth to be run into the drying frame upon these chans,
and so on until all the pairs of chains in the frame are supporting a
coated cloth.. The frame carrying the trowelling or supporting apparatus
may then if desired be moved and brought opposite to the end of another
frame, similarly provided with several pairs of endless chains to support
pieces of coated cloth one above the other, whilst they are being allowed
to dry.
The endless chains which are to support the edges of the cloth may
either be simple chains of oval links with some of the links formed with
hooks projecting sidewise from them to project between the parallel angle
iron guides herein-before mentioned, whilst the chain itself bears against
the back of these guides, or in place of some of the links being
simply formed with hooks projecting from them, some of the links may
be formed with a projection standing out sidewise from them, to which is
jointed close up to the link an arm carrying at its outer end a pin or
point projecting downwards, and in the lower plate is a hole for the point
to descend through as the links come round to the point at which they
are to receive and lay hold of the edges of the cloth, the arm carrying
the pin or point is held up out of the way by an opening stud or other
wise. The plate or projection from the link then passes below the cloth,
and as the link enters. between the angle iron guides between which it is

page_text: supports for the angle iron rails; D, D, angle iron rails; E, E, the clip
hooks carrying cloth; F, F, the cloth..
Drawing No. 3 shows several Figures to an enlarged scale of the
parts shown on Drawing No. 2, and the same reference letters apply
thereto.
Drawing No. 4 shows details of the clip hook and chains, also of the
upright rails carrying the angle iron rails. A is a plan of the clip hook;
B, a side side view of the clip hook showing it open and closed; B¹³, the
opening stud; C is a plan showing the clip hook with the tongue and
opening stud removed; D, E, the tongue; F, F, are plan and side views
of the chain; G, G, the upright rails or supports for angle iron rails.
This Figure shows the angle iron rails fixed thereon having double
angle irons on the inside, and single angle irons on the outside, with
recesses at the back of the angle irons to allow the chains to pass
through; H, H, the angle iron rails..
In place of arranging the chains to travel in a horizontal direction it
may in some cases be more convenient to make them ascend vertically
with the cloth, or to travel in an inclined direction.
Having thus described. the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I
claim, the construction of machinery for preparing floorcloths for
printing, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Barker Nairn, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.