A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR GATHERING, FLATTENING DOWN, AND IRONING KILTED FABRICS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Allan John Tracy, of Compton Street, Clerkenwell, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE
FOR GATHERING, FLATTENING DOWN, AND IRONING KILTED FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Allan John Tracy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th May 1879.
ALLAN JOHN TRACY, of Compton Street, Clerkenwell, in the County of
Middlesex. "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR GATHERING, FLATTENING
DOWN, AND IRONING KILTED FABRICS."
The object of this Invention is to supersede the gathering, flattening down, and
ironing of kilted fabrics, heretofore usually done by hand.
The kilted fabric, that is, the fabric which has been passed through the ordinary
fluted rollers of a kilting machine, is fed into this machine over a plate in front of
the machine, and under a revolving roller provided with brushes, or having an
equivalent surface for gathering the pleats of the fabric and folding them down
under guide wires curved to suit the gathering roller (or I may use endless travelling
guide wire or other bands). It is then carried on by a travelling endless band of
woven or other sufficiently rough material; the upper portion of this band passes
over a plate. The fabric passes between this endless band and the guide wires and
under the ironing roller, which can be heated or not, according to the amount of
flattening required. The ironing roller is formed with grooves of the depth of the
guide wires, which latter are embedded therein, and are fastened on a cross bar that
can be adjusted in position as required. For heating the ironing roller I make it
hollow, and pass a Bunsen burner gas jet pipe into it. The gathering roller revolves
in the opposite direction of the upper part of the travelling band, and at a higher
surface speed than the travelling band and the ironing roller. According to one
arrangement I place one of the endless band, drums, or rollers directly under the
ironing roller.
Instead of the revolving brush roller I may use one or more stationary comb or
other brushes, or equivalent retarding appliances; the fabric would then have to be

page_text: put in the reverse way; or a revolving brush having a less surface speed than that
of the ironing roller and travelling band may in that case be used.
The caps of the ironing roller bearings are fitted with springs and set screws to
adjust the nip at pressure. The gathering roller bearings rest on springs, which
can be compressed more or less by set screws, as required.
There are guides on the plate in front of the machine adjustable to the width of
the material.
Revolving brushes or rollers may be applied for taking off the material at the
delivery end of the machine.
This machine may be combined in one frame or bed plate with a kilting
machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Allan John Tracy in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
November 1879.
ALLAN JOHN TRACY, of Compton Street, Clerkenwell, in the County of
Middlesex. "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR GATHERING, FLATTENING
DOWN, AND IRONING KILTED FABRICS."
The object of this Invention is to supersede the gathering, flattening down, and
ironing of kilted fabrics, heretofore usually done by hand.
The kilted fabric, that is, the fabric which has been passed through the ordinary
fluted rollers of a kilting machine, is fed into this machine over a plate in front of
the machine and under a revolving roller provided with brushes, or having an
equivalent surface for gathering the plaits of the fabric, and folding them down
under guide wires curved to suit the gathering roller (or I may use endless
travelling guide wire or other bands). It is then carried on by a travelling endless
band of woven or other sufficiently rough material; the upper portion of this band,
or it may be a feed roller with a roughened surface, passes over a plate. The fabric
passes between this endless band or feed roller and the guide wires and under the
'ironing" roller, which can be heated or not, according to the amount of flattening
required. The ironing roller is formed with grooves of the depth of the guide
wires, which latter are embedded therein, and are fastened on a cross bar that can
be adjusted in position as required. For heating the ironing roller I make it hollow,
and pass a Bunsen burner gas jet pipe into it. The gathering roller revolves in the
opposite direction of the upper part of the travelling band or feed roller; and at a
higher surface speed than the travelling band or feed roller and the ironing roller.
According to one arrangement I place one of the endless band, drums, or rollers
directly under the ironing roller.
"
Instead of the revolving brush roller I may use one or more stationary comb or
other brushes, or equivalent retarding appliances; the fabric would then have to be
put in the reverse way, or a revolving brush having a less surface speed than that
of the ironing roller and feed roller may in that case be used.
The caps of the ironing roller bearings are fitted with springs and set screws to
adjust the nip or pressure. The gathering roller bearings rest on springs, which
can be compressed more or less by set screws as required.
There are guides on the plate in front of the machine adjustable to the width of
the material.
Revolving brushes or rollers may be applied for taking off the material at the
delivery end of the machine.
This machine may be combined on one frame or bed plate with a kilting
machine.
In order that my Invention may be more fully understood, and readily carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accom-
panying Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a part
sectional plan of a machine constructed according to my Invention. The kiltod
fabric that has been passed through the ordinary fluted or crimping rollers in the
first process is fed next under a number of guide wires a, a, as indicated by the
arrow, and over a roller b, which has its periphery roughened, or what is properly
termed a milled surface. t is the handle for working the machine, and on its axis
is a spur pinion t', which gears in the spur wheel 3 on the axis of the cylinder h,
said spur wheel t2 driving the roller b through the wheel t³. A revolving brush c is
caused to revolve at a greater surface speed than the roller b by the train of spur
wheels d, e, f, g, and so more effectually gathers the plaits of the fabric, and folds
them down before being compressed between the wires a, a, and roller b. The
fabric is then drawn along under the hollow ironing cylinder h The means I adopt
for heating the said ironing cylinder is to run a Bunsen burner gas jet pipe l into

page_text: it. The other end m of said pipe is made to receive an indiarubber tube. The
cylinder h has circumferential grooves cut around its periphery, and the wires a are
embedded therein, said wires being fastened at each end to cross bars i and k. The
cross bark, which is at the rear end of the machine, is connected to the frame by a
loop spring n at each end, as shown, also in the part back view, at Figure 3, and will
thereby suit the varied positions of the rollers b and h, according as the various
thicknesses of the work may require. The cross bar i at the front of the machine
is carried over each side of the frame o by bearings x, x; which may be raised or
lowered and fastened to the frame by a set screw x¹.
The side frames o, o, of the machine have slots formed in them, and in which the
bearings for the ironing cylinder h and roller b are free to slide, said bearings being
adjusted by the set screws p, which come in contact with a spiral spring p¹ placed
above the bearings of the cylinder h and milled roller b.
In another slot are the bearings 9 of the revolving brush c, and underneath said
bearings I place spiral springs ?. The set screws s come against the bearing, and
so adjust the height of the revolving brush.
The ironing cylinder and roller b revolve at the same speed, and are actuated
by means of the handle t where hand power is used, but it may be driven by steam
power. Motion is imparted to the train of gear for driving the revolving brush
through the ironing cylinder h.
u is the feed plate, and v are the guides for feeding the material into the nips of
the rollers, said guides being adjusted to suit the widths of the material to be
ironed.
The material after it has been ironed passes over the inclined shoot w into a
receptacle provided for that purpose.
And having thus described and ascertained the nature of the said Invention, I
declare that I claim,-
First. The application of rollers provided with brushes or equivalent surfaces to
machines for flattening and ironing kilted fabrics for the purpose of gathering the
plaits of same, substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination of the gathering brushes, the guide wires, and the
feed roller for the purpose of gathering the kilted fabric to the ironing roller, sub-
stantially as set forth.
Third. The combination of the grooved ironing roller and the guide wirės
embedded therein for directing the fabric to be ironed, substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination of the gathering brushes, the guide wires, the feed
roller, and the grooved ironing roller, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Allan John Tracy, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty second day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
T TOITAY TDO
זיז זי
ALLAR
JOHN TRACY. (L.S.)