Improvements in Ironing Machinery.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 8th June, 1895.
COMPLETE SPECIFICARON.
Improvements in Ironing Machinery.
I WILLIAM AUGUST EDWIN HENRICI, of 762 Broadway, Chelsea, County of
Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
In the ironing of shirts by machinery a number of machines are employed to do
the work, each adapted to perform its particular part in such manner that the
completely ironed shirt combines the results of the various operations in such
a way that much time is saved and the results are satisfactory in the highest
degree.
Usually the bosom of a shirt is first ironed, then the neck and wrist bands, and it.
is desirable to make sharp and distinct the angle between the boson and neck band;
this operation being called bosom fixing.
The rough and unironed yoke must also be set or ironed, and for "outing",
shirts, or others in which the bosoms are plaited, a special step or operation is
necessary.
"
This invention has for its object the production of an apparatus by which these
operations of bosom fixing, yoke setting, and "outing shirt ironing, may be
accomplished rapidly and effectively, and in accordance therewith my invention
consists in the construction, arrangement and operation of the apparatus to he
hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
Fig. 1, in front elevation, represents one form of apparatus embodying my
invention, and ready to iron the bosom of an "outing" shirt.
Fig. 2 is a left-hand elevation thereof, viewing Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of one of the shirt clamps, shewn in Fig. 1 at the
left hand end;
Fig. 4 is a front elevation, partly broken off to save space, shewing the apparatus
as adapted to set the yokes.
Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the bosom fixing board and clamp, and part of the
supporting stand;
Figs. 6 and 7 are side and front views respectively of the iron used in fixing the
bosom;
Fig. 8 is a top or plan view of the yoke setting iron, and,
Fig. 9 a similar view of the "outing" shirt iron.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the apparatus is mounted upon a suitable frame-.
work A, having a flattened top A¹ to form a suitable support for the shirt to be
ironed, the frame having secured thereto at one end, as by suitable bolts 5 and 6,
Fig. 1, a rearwardly extended frame B having bearings b, b; for a rotatable and
vertically movable slide-rod a, supported at its lower end on a suitable treadle T
pivoted to an ear A²
.1
The rod a is surrounded by a spiral spring g between the bearing b¹ and an
exteriorly threaded sleeve a!, see Fig. 1, having an enlarged head a³, an engaging..
an interiorly threaded hub a³, held in place on the rod by a collar a', maintained.
in adjusted position by a set screw 7.
By adjusting the collar at the tension of the spring may be regulated, and after
the collar has been secured to the rod, the sleeve a¹ may be rotated by means of a

page_text: suitable spanner or wrench within the hub a³, to complete the adjustment with
greater nicety and easiness..
The regulation of the spring determines the pressure of the iron upon the work,
as will be described.
A swinging frame C has bearings,c, c, through which the rod a is extended, and
the swinging frame is secured to the rod by set screws, as 8, in one or both of the
bearings, c, c¹.
The outer or free end of the frame which is upwardly inclined, as shewn in
Figs. 1 and 2, also has bearings c, c, through which is extended a pintle c, on which
is mounted an iron carrying arm or support D having at its outer end a hub d
provided with a vertical hole, through which is extended the shank d' of a handle d³,
of any suitable construction, the shank being rotatable in the hub and to which is
secured the iron by a suitable set screw 9, Fig. 2.
From the foregoing description and the drawings it will be obvious that the
supporting arm D is free to swing about the pintles c, and the said pivotal point
of the arm is mounted on the swinging frame C so that the iron may be moved
over all parts of a work-support E.
When the work is to be placed on the support the operator depresses the treadle T
thus raising the rod a and through it the arm D to lift the iron and permit the
insertion of a shirt beneath it.
$5
a
Secured to the arm D is a mixing chamber d, connected by suitable flexible
pipes d and d³ with supplies of gas and air respectively to form practically
Bunsen burner of well known construction, the mixed air and gas being conveyed
through a pipe to a passage d' in the hub d see Fig. 2, the open end of the
passage terminating directly above the iron, forming thereat a burner, the flame
being directed against the top of the iron to heat the same, the hand of the operator
being protected by a suitable shield d*, below the handle d².
In ironing "outing" shirt bosoms it is desirable to clamp the shirt at both ends
to the work-support E and at the left hand end of the frame A. I have secured a
bracket F, in which is pivoted a rocking-frame f having ears fa for a rock-shaft.ƒ³
provided with a handle and cam hubs fast on the rock-shaft.
Clamping fingers f, Figs. 1 and 3, having rearwardly extended and weighted
ends are pivoted on a rod supported in the upper part of the ears f³
and in additional ears on the rocking-frame f.
The cam bubs on the rock-shaft ƒ³ act upon adjusting screws f* in the rear-
wardly extended arms of the clamping fingers f to press the said fingers firmly
down upon the work held on the work support E when the handle is in the
position shewn in Figs. 1 to 3.
The overhanging end of the shirt is clamped against the edge of the work-
support by means of a strip of rubber or other suitable material 10, secured to a
cross-bar of the rocking-frame, and the latter is connected at its lower end at 12
to the lever of a toggle joint, the other lever thereof being pivoted at 1 to
the bracket F.
The outer end of the lever has fast thereto an actuating handle ₤16. to
straighten or break the toggle, the toggle being shewn as straightened in the figs.,
to thus press the ad f10 firmly against the edge of the work-support.
When the hand lever is moved in the direction of the arrow 20, Fig. 1, the
toggle is broken and the upper end of the rocking-frame f swings outwardly or to
the left viewing Fig. 1, and first the operator, by depressing the handle f*, moves
the cam hubs out of the way to permit the weighted ends of the clamping tingers fª
to raise the latter from the work.
At the other end of the work-support I have provided a clamp, shewn as an
arm g, pivoted at g to the side of a stand having a flanged foot g³ to enter an
undercut groove in a portion A* of the frame, see Fig. 2, and held in adjusted
position by a set screw 12.
The end of the clamping arm g, nearest its pivot, extends over a hub y, pivoted
at g to the stand and cut away at g so that when the hub g' is turned part way

page_text: from the position shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 the cut away portion g will be beneath
the adjacent end of the clamping plate, and the outer end of the latter may be
lifted to release the work, a reverse operation clamping the work.
The hub g' is provided with a suitable handle g by which it may be operated,
and the clamping arm shewn in Fig. 1 as adapted to turn down upon a board or
other support A which may be secured to the frame.
The iron varies in shape according to the work to be done and for ironing
"outing" shirts or shirts with plaited bosoms the foot of the iron I, shewn in
Fig. 9 and in Figs. 1 and 2, is very thin so that it will readily pass underneath the
plaits of the bosom, the foot of the iron being shown in Figs. 1 and 9 as extended
at one side.
Whatever the shape of the foot of the iron I prefer to hollow or concave the
top of the body portion thereof, as at, to receive the flame of the burner, the
shank d of the handle entering the central boss of the iron.
In ironing shirts with starched bosoms, the neck band and the bosom are ironed
separately but the angle between them is not sharp and distinctly defined, and to
do this work and also to iron the upper side of the under ply of the bosom the
shirt is placed upon the work-support and what is called a bosom fixing iron; shewn
in Figs. 6 and 7, is attached to the iron shank d³, the body I of the iron being
bent and, reduced in thickness to form a thin projecting foot which can be moved
up into the angle between the bosom and the neck band to sharply define it, the
concavity in the iron permitting the foot to extend beneath the upper ply of the
hosom while ironing the under ply.
A slight modification in the shape of the work support and the clamp is shewn
in Fig. 5, the support E* being shaped to enter the shirt and support the bosom,
the end of the shirt being clamped against the edge of the pivot to the frame and
locked by means of a toggle joint 42, controlled by a suitable handle 4³.
It is to be understood that the work-support in any instance is covered with
thick felting or other suitable material to present a properly yielding surface to
the shirt as it is ironed, and in Figs. 4 and 5 the work-support is shown as broken
out to more clearly illustrate the outer covering over the board, which forms the
basis of the support.
The bosom fixing iron can rectify any little imperfections in the ironing of the
bosom which may have been left by prior operations.
The shirt yoke is up to this point exteriorly rough and shapeless and it is
necessary to "set" it as it is commonly called.
To accomplish this the shirt is laid on the table or work-support bosom upward
and the top band is buttoned together and distended by a round block, made in
halves k, k¹, Fig. 4, and adjustable by means of a suitable screw in a manner
very similar to the mode of adjustment of a hatter's stretch, block.
The yoke is then creased from the back of the top to the shoulder points and
the adjoining parts properly ironed, the iron 12 in this instance, having a thin
foot Figs. 4 and 8, substantially symmetrical, the other parts of the iron
differing in no wise from the iron as shown in Figs. 12 and 9.
For the convenience of the operator the distension blocks for the yoke are made
in various sizes and supported on a suitable frame K, shown only in Fig. 4, which
may be attached to the frame A in suitable manner, the said frame having
supporting lugs or projections & thereon having concaved bases to form seats for
the blocks, three such blocks being shown in. Fig. 4 in their supports.
Whether the apparatus be used for "outing" shirt ironing, bosom fixing, or
yoke setting the frame, iron supporting arm and swinging frame are the same, and
as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but, inasmuch as a different apparatus is used for each
of the three operations herein described, for the sake of convenience and rapidity,
the work-support and clamping devices vary somewhat, although it will be obvious
that all of the operations may be carried out on an apparatus such as shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, by the simple substitution of one iron for another and by only using
the clamps which are absolutely necessary.

page_text: That is to say in yoke-setting it is unnecessary to clamp the shirt to the work-
support, while in ironing outing" shirts they should be clamped to properly
perform the work, and in bosom fixing, while it is not absolutely necessary that
the shirt be clamped it is preferable.
•
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1. declare that what I
claim 'is:
J.
1. The use, in an ironing machine, of a support for the work, a swinging frame,
antiron carrying arm pivoted thereto, an iron mounted in the arm and adapted to
be moved in all directions over the work, and means to lift the frame, substantially
as described.
2. The use, in an ironing machine, of a work-support, an iron carrying arm
pivoted to a swinging frame, and means to support the frame in a yielding
manner, substantially as described.
'
3. The use, in an ironing machine, of a jointed supporting frame for the iron, an
iron mounted to rotate about a vertical axis in the frame, and means to detach the
iron, substantially as described.
4. The use, in an ironing machine, of a work-support, a clamp for the work,
a jointed two part frame for the iron; and an iron holder rotatively mounted in the
frame and adapted to carry an iron above the work and to be moved over it,
substantially as described.
5. The use, in an ironing machine, of a swinging frame, an iron carrying arm
pivotted thereto, a spring controlled support for the frame, and means to lift said
support when desired, substantially as described.
6. The use, in an ironing machine, of an iron supporting arm, a burner thereon
adjacent and to heat the iron, connections between the burner and air and gas
supplies, and an iron detachably mounted in the arm, substantially as described.
7. The use, in an ironing machine, of an iron supported to be moved over the
work in various directions, a work-support and a distension block adapted to be
inserted in the neck band of a shirt while ironing the yoke thereof, substantially
as described.
8. The construction and use of an ironing machine so as to adapt it to iron the
parts of a shirt or like garment substantially as set forth.
Dated the 25th day of April 1895.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.