IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING, STRETCHING, AND POLISHING OR FINISHING YARNS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Collier, of Halifax, in the County of York,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING, STRETCHING, AND POLISHING
OR FINISHING YARNS."
Sealed the 21st April 1857, and dated the 5th November 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Collier at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th November
1856.
1, GEORGE COLLIER, of Halifax, in the County of York, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING, STRETCHING, AND
POLISHING OR FINISHING YARNS," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate, firstly, to that class of machines used in finishing
yarns where the yarn in hank is supported, & has motion given to it by pairs
of revolving rollers or cylinders by which it is conducted against the surface
of a heated chamber, and the Invention consists in applying brushes to act
upon such yarn for the purpose of laying the loose fibres all in one direction
combined with the use of rotating burnishers.
According to one arrangement, the brushes are supported and actuated
so as to be capable of a kind of reciprocating motion by which to move on
the yarns, and thereby lay their loose fibres whilst traversing in one direc-
tion, and to move out of the way of the yarns in the back motion.
According to another arrangement, circular rotating brushes are used. In
some cases I omit the heated surfaces and substitute currents of air obtained
by a fan or fans or other suitable means.
Also, the improvements relate to machines for finishing yarns, by support-
ing them in hanks upon pairs of cylinders or rollers. Motion is given to one

page_text: or both of each of the cylinders or rollers to give motion to the hanks whilst
the banks so supported are borne against the surface of a heated cylinder
or chamber. There may be several pairs of cylinders operating together or
simultaneously to support several sets of banks. The axis of one supporting
cylinder of each pair is capable of being shifted to effect a stretching of the
yarns, and the beated cylinder may be stationary or have motion given to
it, & whilst such heated surface acis upon the outer surface of the banks
other heated chamber or chambers act upon the inner surface of them.
Secondly, the improvements relate to treating yarns (after being sized and
operated upon by suitable means to lay the fibres as heretofore) by a series of
rotating brushes,each successive brush acting only to obtain a polish or lustre
to the yarns. I am aware that heretofore rotating brushes in series have been
used in dressing machines, but simply for the purpose of laying the fibres after
sizeing, & it has also been proposed to use a rotating brush to act upon the
yarn after it has been subjected to a heated surface with wax, for the purpose
of effecting a partial smoothing or polishing by the laying of such wax, but the
object of this part of the improvements is by the use of a series of rotating
brushes to act upon the yarns after the sizeing & laying of the fibres are
complete, to produce a superior smooth & lustrous appearance to them.
Thus, supposing four rotating brushes to be the number found sufficient to
effect, as heretofore, the laying of the fibres after the sizeing, then I should
use at least 2 extra brushes to produce the polishing, and I cause all the
brushes to travel at a greatly increased surface speed, say, not less than
1,000 feet per minute. And I employ this part of the improvements to
operate upon the yarns in passing from bobbin to bobbin or beam, and also
in their passage direct to recls, or to the weaver's beam.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Collier in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th
May 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
COLLIER, of Halifax, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said

page_text: George Collier, Her special licence that I, the said George Collier, my
executors, , administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Collier, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
terin 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 DRYING,
STRETCHING, AND POLISHING OR FINISHING YARNS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Collier, 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 Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Collier, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement.
thereof, that is to say:-
The improvements relate, firstly, to that class of machines used in finishing
yarn where the yarn in hank is supported, and has motion given to it by pairs
of revolving rollers or cylinders, by which it is conducted against the surface of
a heated chamber, and the Invention consists in applying brushes to act upon
such yarn for the purpose of laying the loose fibres all in one direction
combined with the use of rotating burnishers.
But that the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner I carry the
same into effect, may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe the
Drawing annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews an end view of the working parts of apparatus for carrying
out the first part of my improvements. a, a, and b, b, are two pairs of
revolving rollers or cylinders which support the yarn to be operated in hanks
c, c, and these rollers or cylinders have rotary motion given to them so as to
conduct the surfaces of the hauks past the brushes e, e, and the burnishers fit:
and according to this arrangement, the brushes e, e, are supported so as to
be capable of a kind of reciprocating motion by their being affixed to the
frame e', which at one end is connected to the crank pin g from the axis g',
whilst the other end is formed with a slot, by which it is guided in sliding
upon the fixed pin h, by which the crank g will in its rotation actuate the

page_text: frame e to givo motion to the brushes in such manner that, whilst traversing
in one direction, some of them will be acting on the yarn to lay the loose
fibres thereof; but when moving back, or in the opposite direction, those
brushes will move out of the way of the yarns, and others which were out of
the way of the yarns will come into operation. i, i, are chambers for steam
or hot air to dry the yarns whilst being conducted over them.
[
Figure 2 shews another arrangement for carrying out this part of my
improvements. According to this modification; in place of employing re-
ciprocating brushes a, e, actuated, as described, to operate upon the
yarns,
employ circular rotating brushesj,j, in combination with the burnishers ff.
In some cases I omit the heated surfaces i, i, and substitute currents of air,
obtained by a fan or fans, or other suitable means. The axis of one of each
pair of rollers or cylinders a or b will be capable of adjustment to obtain the
required tension on the yarns, and prefer that the speed of the axes of the
burnishers be about nine times that of the rollers or cylinders « or b, but
this may be varied.
Also, the improvemonts relate to machines for finishing yarns by support-
ing them in hanks upon pairs of cylinders or rollers, motion to one or both of
which is given to give motion to the hanks they support, whilst the hanks so
supported are borne against the surface of a heated cylinder or chamber to
stretch, dry, and give lustre to them. I would state, that in the specification
of a recent Patent granted to me in connection with Robert Midgley, dated
the 5th of May 1855, yarns in hanks are supported by cylinders or rollers
whilst they are borne against the surface of a heated cylinder, but in such
case the cylinder against the surface of which the hanks are borne is that
which has motion given to it to give motion by surface friction to the hunks
of yarn, and I have discovered that very beneficial effects are obtained by
giving motion to the hanks of yarn only by the cylinders or rollers supporting
them, those cylinders or rollers having the desired rotary motion given them.
This
part of the improvements is represented by Figure 3. k, k, ropresent
the supporting cylinders or rollers for the yarns; and 1, the heating cylinder
against which the yarns are borne, in manner such as described in tho said
Specification of Patent granted to Robert Midgley and myself, before referred
to, or otherwise.
There may be several pairs of cylinders or rollers & operating together or
simultaneously, and, as in the Specification of Patent before referred to, onc
supporting cylinder or roller of each pair is capable of being shifted to effect
a stretching of the yarns, and the heated cylinder may be stationary, or have
motion given to it, and whilst such heated surface acts upon the outer surface

page_text: of the hanks other heated chamber or chambers m act upon the inner sur-
face of them.
Secondly, the improvements relate to treating yarns (after being sized
and operated upon by suitable means to lay the fibres as heretofore) by a
series of rotating brushes, each successive brush acting only to obtain a
polish or lustre to the yarns.
I am aware that heretofore rotating brushes in series have been used in
dressing machines, but simply for the purpose of laying the fibres after
sizing, and it has also been proposed to use a rotating brush to act upon
the yarn after it has been subjected to a heated surface with wax, for the
purpose of effecting a partial smoothing or polishing by the laying of such
wax, but the object of this part of the improvements is by the use of a
series of rotating brushes to act upon the yarns after the sizing and laying
of the fibres are complete to produce a superior smooth and lustrous appear-
ance to them. Thus, supposing four rotating brushes to be the number
found sufficient to effect, as heretofore, the laying of the fibres after the
sizing, then I use at least two extra brushes to produce the polishing, and
I cause all the brushes to travel at greatly increased surface speed, say, not
less than 1,000 feet per minute.
I also employ this part of my improvements to operate upon the yarns
in passing from bobbin to bobbin or beam, and also in their passage direct
to reels or to a weaver's beam.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details referred to, so long as the peculiar
character of the improvements be retained; but what I do claim is, the
combination or adaptation of means for effecting the drying, stretching, and
polishing or finishing of yarns, substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Collier, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
WILLIAM BROOKES.
GEORGE COLLIER (L.S.)