IMPROVED APPARATUS AND MACHINERY FOR SCOURING, SIZING, AND WARPING WOOLLEN, WORSTED, LINEN, OR COTTON YARNS IN SECTIONS IN ONE CONTINUOUS OPERATION, AND WINDING THE WARP WHEN MADE ON THE LOOM BEAM READY FOR WEAVING
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Leach, of the Borough of Rochdale, in the County
of Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS AND
MACHINERY FOR SCOURING, SIZING, AND WARPING WOOLLEN, WORSTED,
LINEN, OR COTTON YARNS IN SECTIONS IN ONE CONTINUOUS OPERATION,
AND WINDING THE WARP WHEN MADE ON THE LOOM BEAM READY FOR
WEAVING"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Leach at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th July 1878.
JOHN LEACH, of the Borough of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist..
IMPROVED APPARATUS AND MACHINERY FOR SCOURING, SIZING, AND WARPING
WOOLLEN, WORSTED, LINEN, OR COTTON YARNS IN SECTIONS IN ONE CONTINUOUS
OPERATION, AND WINDING THE WARP WHEN MADE ON THE LOOM BEAM READY FOR
WEAVING."
The woollen yarns, or those combined of, wool and cotton or other fibrous
materials, are previously wound on spools in the usual manner, the spools being
placed in a creel fitted up, if preferred, with a surface drum or surface strap to.
unwind the yarns, the creel being fixed at a convenient distance from a cistern con-
sisting of two, three, or more divisions, the cistern being fixed at right angles, or at
an angle of about 40° to 45° to the central line of the drying machine.
The yarns from the spools pass through a series of eyelets, or a heck bolted to the
front of the cistern, into the first division containing a liquor diluted, more or less,
with ammonia or other scouring fluid, the yarns passing over and under corrugated
rollers made of wood or of anti-corrosive metal to squeezing rollers into the second
division containing water or a weaker solution of ammonia, and then under and.
over corrugated rollers into the last division containing animal or vegetable size,
from whence the yarns pass under a corrugated roller to the last squeezing rollers,
and then over an oblique roller adjustable to any angle to suit the transfer of the

page_text: yarns to the drum cylinders, the object being to enable the yarns to be efficiently
dried in far less time than in any machine at present in use.
The drying machine consists of three parallel cylinders heated by steam, and the
yarns from the oblique roller at the end of the sizing cistern pass under another
oblique roller attached to the frame of the drying machine, and over a transfer
drum placed above the cylinders, to be delivered first to one of the said cylinders,
then to a second, and afterwards to the third large cylinder, and from thence to
another transfer drum adjustable to any angle.
The yarn is deposited, as before, on the steam cylinders in a spiral form in close
proximity to the previous deposit, the process of passing the yarn round the transfer
drums and cylinders being repeated until the surfaces of the steam cylinders are
covered with yarns, and by that time the material will become dry.
The dried yarns pass from the end of the main steam cylinder to a roller, and
then through a reed or heck over a vessel containing à coloured liquid, in which
there is a revolving brush or dabber to mark the yarn in consecutive lengths, and,
when desired; there is another marker traversed by a screw working in bearings
in the framework of the machine, the screw being turned by gearing from a
cylinder.
From the marker the yarn passes to a cylinder, commonly called a section
cylinder, placed on a moveable carriage on a tramway parallel to the main steam
cylinder, the yarn passing into as many sections as may be required to suit the reed
in the loom, the proper tension of the yarn being maintained as the circumference
of the section cylinder is increased by the consecutive layers of yarn by driving
the section cylinder by means of a strap and cone pulleys, the strap being shifted
in a self-acting manner by spur, ratchet, and worm gearing; and to enable the
yarns wound on the section cylinder to have the same numbers of layers of yarn
in each section with exactness, and to have the section cylinder stopped either by
hand or self-acting means, there is a long screw at the top of the framework carrying
a finger or pointer in front of a graduated scale, the screw being turned by wheels
from the shaft of the section cylinder, and when the pointer arrives at a point
fixed upon the cylinder, stops; but if preferred an alarum is struck to warn the
operative.
When all the required spaces are filled with the desired quantity of warp, motion
is given to the beam to be used as the warp beam of the loom, and the warp trans-
ferred from the section cylinder to the said warp beam of the loom, the proper
tension being maintained by means of a brake pulley with a lever, or by other well-
known means,
I have described these improvements as applied to the ordinary drying machine
having two small and one large steam drying cylinders, over which the series of
webs or laps pass to the section cylinder, and from thence to the beam intended for
the warp beam of the loom; but instead of using these steam drying cylinders I may
employ, when desired, a cage cylinder, having internal steam tubes placed longitudi-
nally, the cage being either stationary or revolving, there being a series of guiding
rollers when the cage is stationary; or, instead of the cage or steam cylinders, I may
employ a series of horizontal pipes heated by steam, and pass the yarns over and
under the pipes by a series of guiding rollers placed at any required distance from
the pipes, there being an exhaust fan to exhaust the moisture or damp air arising
from the action of the heat on the moist yarns.

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Leach in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th January
· 1879.
JOHN LEACH, of the Borough of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist.
"IMPROVED APPARATUS AND MACHINERY FOR SCOURING, SIZING, AND WARPING
WOOLLEN, WORSTED, LINEN, OR COTTON YARNS IN SECTIONS IN ONE CONTINUOUS
OPERATION, AND WINDING THE WARP WHEN MADE ON THE LOOM BEAM READY FOR
WEAVING."
The woollen yarns, or those combined of wool, or cotton, or other fibrous
materials, are previously wound on spools in the usual manner, the spools being
placed in a creel fitted up, if preferred, with a surface drum or surface strap to
unwind the yarns, the creel being fixed at a convenient distance from a cistern con-
sisting of two, three, or more divisions, the cistern being placed at any angle, from
20° to 90°, to the central line of the drying machine.
The yarns from the spools pass through a series of eyelets, or a heck bolted to the
front of the cistern, into the first division containing a liquor diluted, more or less,
with ammonia or other scouring fluid, the yarns passing between squeezing rollers,
and under and over guiding rollers to squeezing rollers, into the second division
containing water or a weaker solution of ammonia, and then under and over
rollers into the last division containing animal or vegetable size, from whence the
yarns pass under a roller to the last squeezing rollers, the bottom rollers being made
of wood, earthenware, or anti-corrosive metal, and the lower rollers aro corrugated
for enabling broken ends to be easily picked up.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation, and Fig. 2 a
plan, representing my improved arrangement of machinery, and part of the cistern
with its squeezing and guiding rollers is marked a. From the last squeezing
rollers the yarns 6 pass under a rod c over an oblique roller d, adjustable to any
angle to suit the transfer of the yarns to the drying cylinders of the drying
machine, the object being to enable the yarns to be efficiently dried in far less time
than in any machine at present in use.
b
The drying machine consists of three parallel cylinders e, f, g, heated by steam,
and the yarns from the oblique roller d at the end of the sizing cistern pass under
a parallel or oblique roller h working in bearings attached to the frame of the drying
machine, and over a transfer drum i placed above the cylinders, to be delivered first
to the steam cylinder e, then to the steam cylinder f, and afterwards to the large
steam cylinder g, and from thence to the first of a series of oblique transfer drums k
adjustable to any angle. From the first oblique transfer drum the yarn passes a
second time under, over, and under the steam cylinders e, f, g, to the first
of another series of oblique transfer drums 7, from whence it again passes
under, over, and under the cylinders e, f, g, to a second of the oblique transfer
drums k, and then to the cylinders e, f, g, to a second oblique drum 7, and so on in
succession.
The yarn is deposited on the steam cylinders in a spiral form, in close proximity
to each other, the process of passing the yarn round the transfer drums and cylinders
being repeated until the surfaces of the steam cylinders are covered with yarns, and
by that time the material will become dry.
The dried yarns pass from the end of the large steam cylinder g to a drum n, and
then through reeds or hecks o, p, to a cylinder q, commonly called a section cylinder,
with divisions either fixed or adjustable, there being near the reed o a vessel con-
taining a coloured liquid, in which there is a revolving brush or dabber to mark the
yarn in consecutive lengths, and, when desired, there is another marker traversed
by a screw working in bearings in or on the framework of the machine, the screw
being turned by gearing from one of the cylinders.
The section cylinder is placed on a moveable carriage r on a tramway 8 parallel to
the main steam cylinder, the yarn passing into as many sections as may be required.

page_text: to suit the reed in the loom, the proper tension of the yarn being maintained as the
circumference of the section cylinder is increased by the consecutive layers of yarn
by driving the section cylinder by means of a strap t and cone pulleys u, the strap
being shifted in a self-acting manner by spur, ratchet, and worm gearing, the section
cylinder being turned by gearing v. To enable the yarns wound on the section
cylinder to have the same number of layers of yarn in each section with exactness,
and to have the section cylinder stopped either by hand or self-acting means, there
is a long screw w at the top of the framework, carrying a finger or pointer in front
of a graduated scale, the screw being turned by toothed wheels x from the shaft of
the section cylinder, and when the required length of yarn is accumulated on the
cylinder the position of the pointer is noted, and the yarn cut, and the ends secured;
then the cylinder being traversed so far as to bring the empty spaces to receive
their complement of yarn. The pointer is then removed on the screw to zero, and
when it arrives by subsequent revolutions to the same point as before it is then
cut, and the operation repeated; and, when desired, a bell or alarum is struck to
warn the operative.
When all the required spaces are filled with the desired quantity of warp, motion
is given to the beam to be used as the warp beam of the loom, and the warp trans-
ferred from the section cylinder to the said warp beam of the loom, the proper
tension being maintained by means of a strap, brake pulley, or by other well-known
means..
I have described these improvements as applied to the ordinary drying machine,"
having two small and one large steam drying cylinders, over which the series of
webs or laps pass to the section cylinder, and from thence to the beam intended for-
the warp beam of the loom; but instead of using these steam drying cylinders I
may employ, when desired, a cage cylinder, having internal steam tubes placed
longitudinally, the cage being either stationary or revolving, there being a series of
guiding rollers when the cage is stationary; or, instead of the cage or steam
cylinders, I may employ a series of horizontal pipes heated by steam, and pass the
yarns over and under the pipes by a series of guiding rollers placed at any required
distance from the pipes, there being an exhaust fan to exhaust the moisture or damp
air arising from the action of the heat on the moist yarns, and the application of
one or more fans extending the whole length of the steam pipes, or a series of them
at right angles to the pipes and the web of yarn. The pipes are all enclosed in a
frame, but the rollers at the ends conveying the yarn from one series of pipes to
the next lower are placed outside the frame, twelve inches, or more or less, to prevent
the said rollers becoming heated and the yarn adhering to them, but by keeping
the rollers comparatively cool, the moist yarn with size on it will leave the roller
free. The web of yarn enters at the uppermost part, and descending downwards
by successive layers, and betwixt successive ranges of heated pipes, and leaves the
heated closet at the lowest part to pass on the section cylinder, as in the before-
named method of steam cylinders.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of my Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be distinctly understood that
I do not confine myself to the exact details herein set forth, as such may be varied
or modified without departing from the principle thereof; but I claim,-
Firstly. The setting the cistern containing the scouring and size material at some
angle betwixt 90° and 20°.
Secondly. The use of corrugated rollers in the cistern.
Thirdly. The use of oblique rollers in transferring the web from the size cistern
to the drying cylinder.
Fourthly. The use of adjustable transfer drums.
Fifthly. The use of a graduated scale actuated by a screw.
Sixthly. The moving the strap on the cone drums by a self-acting arrangement.
Seventhly. The placing of transfer rollers in the heated chamber at such a
distance from it as to cause them to be kept comparatively cool.

page_text: Eighthly. The taking the web in the heated chamber at the uppermost part, and
the dry web passing out at the lowest part.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Leach, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.
JOHN LEACH. (L.S.)