IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FULLING OR MILLING WOOLLEN AND OTHER WOVEN OR FELTED FABRICS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Bottomley and William Bottomley, both
of Bramley, near Leeds, in the County of York, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FULLING OR MILLING WOOLLEN AND
OTHER WOVEN OR FELTED FABRICS."
Sealed the 14th April 1870, and dated the 18th October 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Bottomley and
William Bottomley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 18th October 1869.
We, JOSEPH BOTTOMLEY and WILLIAM BOTTOMLEY, both of Bramley,
near Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FULLING OR MILLING
WOOLLEN AND OTHER WOVEN OR FELTED FABRICS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to certain novel arrangements and combinations
of machinery, whereby we obtain a double-acting or compound machine
capable of doing a much greater amount of work and in a more satis-
factory manner than by machines of the ordinary construction.

page_text: Machines as heretofore constructed when in operation have always a
large quantity of the fabric lying at the bottom of the machine after it
leaves the confining spout, causing not only a great loss of time, but
also the fabric "goes back." Now by our improvements we obvinte
these defects.
On two suitable frames of iron or other material we place by pre-
ference two pairs of rollers or cylinders of iron or other material. The
upper of each of the pairs of rollers or cylinders we mount in bearings
adjustable in the direction of the lower of the pairs of rollers or cylinders.
Pressure may be applied to the said rollers by means of levers and
weights or other mechanical means. In front of each of the pairs of
rollers or cylinders we place a confining spout of ordinary construction.
We also use two lifting boards, which may either be of ordinary con-
struction, and to work independently of each other, or so connected as to
move simultaneously. The lifting boards are connected with a self-acting
throwing off motion whereby the belt is moved on to the loose pulley,
and the motion of the machine stopped when any knot or irregularity
of any kind attempts to pass through the lifting boards. Behind each
of the pairs of rollers or cylinders we mount a small roller of wood or
other suitable material to guide the cloth to the lift boards. At the
end of each of the confining spouts we fix a guide to conduct the fabric
as it leaves the confining spouts from one side of the machine to the
other. The machine is driven from one pulley, and power may be
obtained by suitable gearing. The two lower rollers of each of the pairs
of rollers are geared together, whereby motion given to one roller is
transmitted to the other. The upper and lower rollers of the pairs of
rollers may also be connected by gearing. The whole machine may be
covered up in the ordinary manner with wood or other suitable material.
The ends of the frame and casing are curved in such a way so that the
fabric under operation may fall nicely to the bottom without becoming
entangled.
By our Invention we obtain the following results :-
First. Almost all the fabric is confined in the spouts at one time,
whereby a much larger amount undergoes the operation of fulling or

page_text: Third. The machine not being required to run so fast as machines
heretofore constructed the fabric will pass through a better course of
milling or fulling, and consequently a better quality be produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Bottomley and William Bottomley in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
BOTTOMLEY and WILLIAM BOTTOMLEY, both of Bramley, near Leeds, in
the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing dato the Eighteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Joseph Bottomley and William
Bottomley, Her special licence that we, the said Joseph Bottomley and
William Bottomley, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as wo, the said Joseph Bottomley and William Bottomley, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all tinies 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FULLING OR MILLING WOOLLEN AND OTHER
WOVEN OR FELTED FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Joseph Bottomley and William Bottomley, our exccutors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said Joseph Bottomley and William
Bottomley, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described

page_text: and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked
thereon, that is to say :-
Our Invention relates to certain novel arrangements and combinations
of machinery whereby we obtain a double-acting or compound machine
capable of doing a much greater amount of work and in a more satis-
factory manner than by machines of the ordinary construction.
Machines as heretofore constructed when in operation have always a
large quantity of the fabric lying at the bottom of the machine after it
leaves the confining spout, causing not only a great loss of time, but
also the fabric "goes back." Now by our improvements we obviate
these defects.
On two suitable frames of iron or other material we place by pre-
ference two pairs of rollers or cylinders of iron or other material. The
upper of each of the pairs of rollers or cylinders we mount in bearings
adjustable in the direction of the lower of the pairs of rollers or cylinders.
Pressure may be applied to the said rollers by means of levers and
weights or other mechanical means. In front of each of the pairs of
rollers or cylinders we place a confining spout of ordinary construction.
We also use two lifting boards, which may either be of ordinary con-
struction and to work independently of each other, or so connected as
to move simultaneously. The lifting boards are connected with a self-
acting throwing-off motion, whereby the belt is moved on to the looso
pulley, and the motion of the machine stopped when any knot or irregu-
larity of any kind attempts to pass through the lifting boards. Behind
each of the pairs of rollers or cylinders wo mount a small roller of wood or
other suitable material to guide the cloth to the lifting boards. At the
end of each of the confining spouts we fix a guide to conduct the fabric as
it leaves the confining spouts from one side of the machine to the other.
The machine is driven from one pulley, and power may be obtained by
suitable gearing. The two lower rollers of each of the pairs of rollers
are geared together whereby motion given to one roller is transmitted
to the other. The upper and lower rollers of the pairs of rollers may
also be connected by gearing. The whole machine may be covered up
in the ordinary manner with wood or other suitable material. The ends
of the frame and casing are curved in such a way that the fabric under
operation may fall nicely to the bottom without becoming entangled.
In order that our said Invention may be more completely understood

page_text: we annex a Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents a side elevation
of a machine constructed according to our Invention; Fig. 2 is an end
view of the same; Fig. 3 is a plan shewing the position of rollers; Fig. 4
is a plan shewing the arrangement of gearing for driving the bottom
rollers.
a, a, a, a, are the standards and framework on which the bottom
rollers b, b, are supported in suitable bearings. The top rollers c, c, aro
made adjustable by having their plumber blocks to work between guides
or slides on the framework and standards a, a, a, a. Pressure is applied
by springs, as shown, to which the plumber blocks are fastened by means
of screws or bolts. Each pair of rollers is provided with a confining
spout d and a lid e, which are of the ordinary construction, to which
pressure is applied, and raised by placing any required number of
weights on the pin f which is attached to the lid. Behind each pair of
rollers the throat g is placed, which brings the "pieces" under operation
before passing between the rollers. The fabric before passing through
the throat runs over a guide roller on the shaft of the same, and
outside the frame we mount a friction wheel i, to which pressure may
be applied by the friction break j, which operation is performed by
tightening or screwing up the nut k against the boss on the frame.
By reducing the speed of the roller & the material between it and the
rollers b and c is stretched, causing it to pass between the rollers b and c
more evenly, and also the quantity of fabric is more equally distributed
at each end of the machine. The lift boards m, m, and lifting levers
n, n, m, n, are of the ordinary construction; the self-acting lever motion
for throwing the belt on to the loose pulley is also of the ordinary con-
struction. The bottom rollers are geared together by spur wheels o, o,
motion being transmitted from the driving pulley P, and power by the
pinion gearing into one of the spur wheels on the bottom rollers. This
is also applicablo to single machines. The top and bottom rollers aro
geared together by spur wheels 8, 8, with long tocth to allow for the
various thicknesses of fabric passing between the rollers. The guides t, t,
which may be of wood, are used to conduct the fabric after passing from
the confining spout from one side of the machine to the other, so as to
be in a position to pass direct to the lifting boards. The whole is
enclosed or covered in with woodwork, as shown, having doors u, u, at
each end of the machine, and the smaller doors u, v, at opposite sides of
the framework, so as to readily get to the working parts in the interior.

page_text: The action of the machine is as follows:-We would premise that
several "picces" may be operated upon at one and the same time. At
the commencement the picce is first passed through the lifting board,
then over the first guide roller h and through the first throat, and then
passed between the first pair of rollers and along the first confining spout,
and afterwards to the bottom or floor; the end is then passed through
the second lifting board over the second guide roller, through the second
throat between the second pair of rollers, and along the second con-
fining spout; the two ends of the piece are sewn together or otherwise
joined to form one continuous band. The fabric is made to pass in the
aforesaid course until the fulling or milling is complete.
Having now described the nature of our said Invontion, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we do not limit ourselves
to the exact details and configuration of parts we have explained and
shewn, as the same may be varied or modified without in any way
departing from our Invention; but what we claim as our Invention and
desire to secure to us by Letters Patent is,-
Firstly. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting a
double-acting machine.
Secondly. The application of break arrangement as described with
reference to guide pulley h.
Thirdly. The application of spur pinion r and wheels o, o, substantially
as and for the purposes herein set forth,
In witness whereof, we, the said Joseph Bottomley and William
Bottomley, havo hereunto set our hands and scals, this Sixteenth
day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and soventer