Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM CRAIG, of 48 French Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Millwright and
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said invention has reference to special improvements in the construction of
the parts of chain clips for cloth stentering and finishing machines, which will
make such clips more convenient and efficient than they have been heretofore.
Figure 1 shows an end elevation of one link and the parts of its clip complete
constructed in accordance with and illustrative of my improvements as applied
thereto. Figure 2 is a side or front elevation corresponding to Figure 1, of two
chain clips, and Figure 3 is a plan of the same corresponding to Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a sectional end view of this improved chain clip corresponding to
Figure 1, but taken on the line 1 - - - 1 in Figure 2. In these several Figures
the same reference letters indicate the same parts.
Referring to these Figures, the web W of woven fabric to be stentered, jigged, or
finished, is gripped at each selvage edge W¹, by and between the lower jaw A and
the upper one A¹ of the clip. The lower jaw A is fixed to the front side of each
link B B¹ of the chain by the two horizontal arms A²; and the upper jaw A¹ is
hinged by the two short vertical oscillating joint limbs A¹¹ to the arms A³ by the
long pins A through the lower fixed jaw A, and in such manner that when
the upper jaw A¹ is slightly pressed down by a spring on the selvage W¹ of the
cloth upon the lower jaw A, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, they grip the cloth tight
as the strain on the cloth increases. Each link of the chain is of an open con-
struction, and has an open and solid joint end B and B¹ respectively, so that the
links can be jointed together by a joint pin B² at each joint to complete an endless
chain for each side of the finishing machine, and which are traversed through
guides for the purpose, with clips A A¹ projecting out towards each other to grip
the two edges of the web of cloth W, which they carry through the machine to be
stentered, finished, and dried as it is so traversed. The web of fabric is fed at the
front of the machine between the jaws A, A¹, of the clips while they are opened by
the projecting finger A³ and fixed cam plates on the machine against the power of
a spring acting on the upper jaw which closes it as soon as the cloth is entered.
At the delivery end of the machine the reverse action takes place to relieve the
fabric when it is finished, all so far as is well known and commonly constructed.

page_text: A very common cause of trouble with the said clip is the various kinds of springs
heretofore used, which when they break are difficult of removal and thereby cause
great labour and loss of time in stoppage of the machine.
One of my improvements is the application of a simple construction of spring
made up of a number of single steel wires of knee or ✓ shape, as shown detached
in side view and plan in Figure 1 b, made, when put together side by side in a
number, to act as a blade spring, without its drawbacks. A number of these L or
knee wires b are put side by side, as seen in Figures 1 to 4; and if any one wire
of the spring breaks the others are always acting, and the machine does not require
to be stopped, and a new wire can be inserted in a moment at any time the
machine is stopped. The short stem of each wire of the spring 6 is inserted into
a slot at b¹ in the side of the link B of the chain, while the long arm projects
forward and down to act on a heel A* projecting down from the finger A³ of the
upper clip A, pushing it upwards and forwards to act and grip the edges of the
fabric as before described.
A further improvement has reference to the construction of the lower jaw A of
the clip, which heretofore has always been made so broad that it kept the gripped
edges W¹ of the cloth W, and the part inside the jaws always kept damp while the
other parts of the fabric were being dried, as it was traversed, by the heat of
the steam pipes usually ranged below it. My improvement consists in making the
gripping face or edge a of the lower jaw A sharp (instead of broad and flat) and
in piercing a number of small lateral holes a¹ through from the front face of the
clips A preferably at an angle upwards, so as to direct the bot jets of air up on
the inner edge of the fabric from the front where the hot air is acting on the lower
side of the fabric, and in forming slits up through these sinall holes a¹ to the
gripping edge a to further assist the drying of the selvage of the cloth.
These chain clips would preferably be made of cast steel, and the gripping parts
of the clips might be tempered when preferred, and the lower jaw might be made
with a dovetailed slot or slots, or other equivalent, to be able to fit in a new
gripping face a, a¹, when this wore down, before the links B, B¹, of the chain
wore out. The improved sharp gripping face a a¹ of the lower jaw A may be
applied to these chain clips, without the improved spring 6 b, that is, to clips with
other ordinary springs of the blade or spiral kind.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First. The construction of the chain clips for cloth stentering and finishing
machines, substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.
Second. The construction of the chain clips for cloth stentering and finishing
machines, with sharp perforated gripping jaws a, a¹, on the under gripper,
substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Third. The construction of the chain clips, for cloth stentering and finishing
machines, with springs made of a number of single kneed steel wire springs b,
fitted and acting all substantially as herein described, and shown in the accom-
panying Drawings.