AN IMPROVED MODE OF SIZING PAPER
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Stones, of Greenhithe, in the County of
Kent, Paper Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF
SIZING PAPER."
Sealed the 8th May 1857, and dated the 10th November 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Stones at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th November 1856.
I, WILLIAM STONES, of Greenhithe, in the County of Kent, Paper Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED MODE OF SIZING PAPER," to be as follows:-.
This Invention is principally intended to be applied to papers made by
machine, but is also applicable to the sizing of paper made by hand.
The usual process of sizing paper is to pass the web of paper through a
trough of size, from which the web is conducted into a drying chamber. Some-
times it is rolled upon reels backwards and forwards previous to drying, in
order to allow the size to penetrate the paper. After partially drying the web
of paper it is sometimes passed through a trough containing water, with a view
to redissolve and distribute the size more uniformly through the substance of
the paper.
That these operations do not satisfactorily effect the desired result is evident
from the sinking of the writing on many papers, especially when wetted for

page_text: copying, and also by the almost impossibility of writing upon paper which has
been subjected to crasure. This arises from the fact that the size does not
penetrate and permeate the body of the paper sufficiently, but remains prin-
cipally upon or near the surface.
The object of the present improvements is to cause the size to enter and
permeate the body of the paper so that it shall be thoroughly sized throughout,
and this is effected by causing the unsized web of paper to pass over air boxes,
being supported during its passage by means of tapes or felts, or by an endless
wire, if necessary; and as the paper passes along, and immediately before its
arrival over the air box, a current of size issuing from a tubo with a fine slit
or with perforations is projected on to the surface of the paper, and the partial
vacuum made in the air box will, cause the size to enter the paper; and if not
sufficiently sized by one current the web of paper may be conveyed over a
second air box, and a second stream of size be allowed to fall upon the reverse
side of the paper previous to its passage over the second air box.
The air boxes are partially exhausted by the withdrawal of the air by means
of pumps, steam jets, wind draft, or other convenient apparatus, and by this
exhaustion the atmospheric pressure causes the size to enter the paper and be
drawn into the substance of the fabric.
The web may at once, if required, be passed through a trough containing
water, and thence into the drying chamber, or be carried into the drying
chamber without the intervention of the water trough.
The object of the water trough in this case is to clear the surface of the
paper from any superfluous size or impurities.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Stones in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th May 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
STONES, of Greenhithe, in the County of Kent, Paper Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS: Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth 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 William Stones, Her special license that I, the said William Stones, my
executors, cadministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William.

page_text: Stones, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agreo
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during tho
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 MODE OF SIZING
PAPER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Stones,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of tho 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 William Stones, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention of "An Improved Mode of Sizing Paper" is principally
intended to be applied to papers made by machinery, but is also applicable to
the sizing of paper made by hand.
The usual process of sizing paper is to pass the web of paper through a
trough of size, from which the web is conducted into a drying chamber. Some-
times it is rolled upon reels backwards and forwards in folds in a serpentine
direction previous to drying, in order to allow the size to penetrate the paper.
After partially drying the web of paper it is sometimes passed through a trough
containing water, with a view to redissolve and distribute the size more
uniformly through the substance of the paper.
That these operations do not satisfactorily effect the desired result is evident
from the sinking of the writing on many papers, especially when wetted for
copying, and by the almost utter impossibility of writing upon paper which has
been subjected to erasure. This arises from the fact that the size does not
penetrate and permeate the body of the paper sufficiently, but remains prin-
cipally upon or near the surface.
The object of the present improvements is to cause the size to enter and
permeate the body of the paper so that it shall be thoroughly sized throughout,
and this is effected by causing the unsized web of paper to pass over air boxes
from which the air is exhausted, the web being supported during its passage
by means of tapes or felts, or by an endless wire cloth, if necessary; and as the
paper passes along, and immediately before its arrival over the air box, a current
of size issuing from a tube, in which is made a fine slit or a number of per-

page_text: forations, is projected on to the surface of the paper, and the partial vacuum
made in the air box will cause the size to enter the body of the paper; and if
not sufficiently sized by one current the web of paper may be conveyed over a
second air box, and a second stream of size be allowed to fall upon the reverse
side of the paper previous to its passage over the second air box.
of
The air boxes are partially exhausted by the withdrawal of the air by means
pumps, steam jets, wind draft, fans, or other convenient means or apparatus,
and by this exhaustion the atmospheric pressure on the surface of the paper
causes the size to enter the paper and be drawn into the substance of the fabric.
The web may at once, if required, be passed through a trough containing
water, and thence into the drying chamber, or be carried into the drying
chamber without the intervention of the water trough.
The object of the water trough in this case is to clear the surface of the
paper from any superfluous size or impurities.
In tho accompanying Drawing I have shown an arrangement of apparatus
whereby the object of the present improvements may be carried into effect.
The Figure in the Drawing is a longitudinal vertical section taken through the
apparatus. In order to avoid apparent complexity in the Drawing, I have
omitted the framework of the apparatus, and have simply shewn the principal
working parts. The long web of paper to be sized is previously wound upon a
roller or cylinder a, which is then mounted in bearings at one end of the
machine. The web is unwound from the roller a, and is passed into the
machine over an endless band b, composed of felt, woven fabric, wire cloth, or
other suitable material, which is passed round the rollers or cylinders c, c, which
keep the endless cloth extended so as to support the web of, paper in its passage
through the machine; d is a long box extending transversely across the
machine and under the endless cloth, and is made somewhat longer than the
web of paper is wide. The size is supplied either by pressure or in any con-
venient manner to the pipe e, which extends across the paper web, and has
a long narrow slit made along it at or near its lower part, or, if preferred,
perforations may be mado therein. From this long slit or the perforations
made in this tube or pipe e, the size issues in a continuous sheet or shower as
the web of paper travels on, and when the paper with the size floating thereon
comes over the air box d, the partial vacuum that has been formed therein will
cause the size to enter and permeate the body of the paper more thoroughly
than if the paper were left simply to absorb it. The web of paper then passes
between the guide rollers f.f.f.f, and if it be desired it may be conducted
over another air box d*, by means of a second endless cloth 6*, having been
previously provided with another supply of size from the perforated pipe e*.

page_text: By this means the size will be made to thoroughly enter and permeate the
body of the paper, and any superfluous size may be removed from the surface
by washing in the ordinary way.
This must of course bo done before drying the paper, but I have not shewn
in the Drawing any apparatus for effecting this operation, as it forms no part
of the present Invention. The superfluous size having been removed from
both surfaces of the paper the sized web may be wound on to a receiving roller g,
or passed through a drying chamber, or carried round heated or drying
cylinders, as shewn at h, h.
Having now described my Invention of an "Improved Mode of Sizing
Paper," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would
obsorve that I do not mean or intend to confine myself rigidly to the precise
arrangement of parts herein shewn and described, as they may doubtless be
varied in some particulars without departing from the nature and object of the
present Invention; nor do I always intend to apply the size to both sides of the
paper, as it will no doubt be found in practice that for some kinds of paper
the application of the size to one side only will be sufficient.
In conclusion, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, as
aforesaid, the mode herein set fort of sizing paper, or any mere modification
thereof, in which the size is made to permeate the body of the paper by causing
the pressure of the atmosphere to act on the upper surface of the web of paper.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Stones, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
FRED. WALKDEN,
66, Chancery Lane.
WILLIAM STONES. (L.s.)