AN IMPROVED SCREEN WIRE FOR DRESSING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN, WHICH WEB IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO DRESSING SIEVES GENERALLY, AND FOR THE FLOORS OF MALT AND OTHER DRYING KILNS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Silcock, of Warrington, in the County
of Lancaster, Wire Web Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED SCREEN WIRE FOR DRESSING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN, WHICH
WEB IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO DRESSING SIEVES GENERALLY, AND FOR THE FLOORS
OF MALT AND OTHER DRYING KILNS."
Sealed the 3rd March 1871, and dated the 8th September 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Silcock at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th September 1870.
I, WILLIAM SILCOCK, of Warrington, in the County of Lancaster,
Wire Web Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED SCREEN WIRE FOR DRESSING WHEAT AND
OTHER GRAIN, WHICH WEB IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO DRESSING SIEVES GENERALLY,
AND FOR THE FLOORS OF MALT AND OTHER DRYING KILNS," to be as follows (that
is to say):-
This Invention consists of an improved wire web as applied to screens
for dressing wheat and other grain, and to dressing sieves generally and

page_text: for the forming of the floors of malt and other drying kilns, and will be
found very superior to the wire web at present used for those purposes,
having a superior dressing and polishing effect on all descriptions of
grain, at the same time combining strength and durability greatly in
excess of the ordinary web now used for those purposes.
The improved web is applied to screens, seives, and so forth in the
ordinary manner. A screen wire for (say) the dressing of wheat or
other grain may be woven with a warp of (say) No. 17 gauge wire,
either round or square, and a weft of (say) No. 16 gauge wire, either
round or square, but,_by_preference, square, having (say) eight wires.
to the inch in the warp and a like number in-the-wcft._
In weaving this improved wire web the weft is alternately carried two
over and two under the warp, or it may be under two and over one.
The wires of the warp being, by preference square present a number
of right angles, the edges of which form a cutting or rasping surface,
in either case of a length equal to two meshes when taken across the
web, in which direction the screen acts on the grain, performing its
work more effectually and expeditiously than the ordinary screen wire
consisting of a plain web woven from round wire, the weft passed
alternately over and under each alternate thread of the warp.
This improved web may be woven from either round or square wire,
but, by preference, from square; or square wire may be used for the
warp, and round wire for the weft; or round wire may be used for
the warp and square wire for the weft; or round and square wire may
be combined in warp or weft, or both, all of which may be woven in
various meshes to suit the different descriptions of grain to be operated
upon, and so forth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Silcock in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th March 1871.
"
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SILCOCK, of Warrington, in the County of Lancaster, Wire Web Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of October, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Silcock, Her special licence that I, the
said William Silcock, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such.
others as I, the said William Silcock, my executors, administrators, and
assigus, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times 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 AN IMPROVED SCREEN WIRE FOR
DRESSING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN, WHICH WEB IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO DRESSING
SIEVES GENERALLY, AND FOR THE FLOORS OF MALT AND OTHER DRYING KILNS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Silcock,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
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 Ietters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Silcock, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say) :—
This my said Invention consists of an improved wire web as applied
to screens for dressing wheat and other grain and for friction sieves and
screens generally, and for the forming of the floors of malt and other
drying kilns, and will be found very superior to the wire web at present
used for those purposes, having a superior dressing and polishing effect
on all descriptions of grain, at the same time combining strength and
durability greatly in excess of the ordinary web now used for those
purposes.
The improved wire web not merely separates various particles treated
by sieves and screens to which it is applied, but has an action like a
rasp or file, removing the external surfaces of the granular substances
treated.
The improved web I apply to screens, sieves, and so forth, in the
ordinary manner. A screen wire for, say, the dressing of wheat or

page_text: other grain, I prefer woven with a warp of, say, not less than No. 19
gauge wire, either round or square, and a weft of, say, No. 18 gauge
wire, either round or square, but by preference square, having, say, six
or seven wires to the inch in the warp, more or less, and a like number
in the weft, more or less.
In weaving this improved wire web I prefer to carry the weft alter-
nately, two over and two under the warp threads, or it may be under
two and over one, or three over and three under, or two over and three
under, or any other arrangement except one over and one under, which
is the ordinary-screen and sieve wire web. The wires of the warp and
weft being, by preference, square, present-a-number of right angles,
the edges of which form a cutting or rasping surface, in either case-of-
a length equal to two or more meshes when taken across the web in
which direction the wire acts on the grain, performing its work more
effectually and expeditiously than the ordinary screen wire, consisting
of a plain web, the wire passing alternately over and under each
alternate thread of the warp.
This my improved wire web may be woven from either round or
square wire, but by preference, from square; or square wire may be
used for the warp and round wire for the weft; or round wire may
be used for the warp and square wire for the weft; or round and square
wire may be combined in warp or weft, or both; all of which may be
woven in various meshes to suit the different descriptions of grain to be
operated upon, and so forth. In some cases I much prefer to use steel
wire in the manufacture of the improved web.
That the mode of manufacturing this my improved wire web may be
the more readily seen and understood I have hereunto annexed Drawings
illustrating eight modifications of weaving the same.
Figure 1 is a wire web having seven wires to the inch in both warp
and weft, and the weft being carried over and under two of the warp
threads.
Figure 2 is a cloth formed with six wires in one direction and eight
in the other within the inch, which is also woven two over and two
under..
Figure 3 is formed with seven wires to the inch in one direction, and
eight in the other, the weft being carried alternately over one and under
two of the warp wires.

page_text: Figure 4 has eight wires within the space of an inch in one direction
and six in the other, and is woven two over and two under.
Figure 5 is woven with eight wires to the inch in each direction, and
are two over and two under alternately.
Figure 6 is seven by eight wires to the inch and interwoven two over
and two under alternately.
Figure 7 is woven four over and four under with eight wires to the
inch in each direction.
Figure 8 has seven wires to the inch, each way carried three over and
three under.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my
said Invention, and the best means I am acquainted with for carrying
the same into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise number of meshes to the inch or to the
interweaving of the warp and weft wires as herein-before described, so
long as the weft or warp wires are not placed one under and one over,
as it will be readily seen that they may be considerably varied without
departing from my Invention, nor do I claim the making or use of wire
webs from wire of a less gauge than No. 19 for the purpose specified; but
what I claim is, the application of the "Improved Wire Web to Dressing
Screens for Wheat and other Grains, to Dressing Sieves generally, and
for the Floors of Malt and other Drying Kilns," substantially in the
manner and for the purposes herein-before fully described, illustrated,
and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Silcock, have hereunto
set my hand and affixed my seal, this Seventh day of March, in
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
WILLIAM (L.S.) SILCOCK.