IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELTED AND CEMENTED
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Erskine, of Greenock, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, Felt Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELTED AND CEMENTED
Sealed the 8th December 1852, and dated the 4th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Erskine at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th October 1852.
I, JOHN ERSKINE, of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North'
Britain, Felt Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELTED AND
CEMENTED FABRICS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of cemented or water-
proofed felt, such as is used for ship sheathing and roofing buildings,
and other purposes where protective coverings are required. The teasing
apparatus as at present in use is in this arrangement combined with the
cementing apparatus in such manner that both operations are simul-
taneously carried on. That is to say, the dry hair felt from the teasing
apparatus is conveyed by an endless band to an endless perforated or
5 wire cloth belt, by which it is conveyed over a roller or small cylinder
down beneath a large steam heated cylinder. This cylinder revolves on

page_text: a horizontal shaft, and dips into a saturating chest containing the heated
cement or saturating mixture. This process saturates and binds
together the fibres of the hair, and the perforated cloth carries the web
so cemented out at the opposite side of the saturating chest. Here as
it emerges it passes over a smaller steam heated cylinder, and is finally
passed between hot pressing rollers to dry and consolidate the fabric.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Erskine in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 4th April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN ERSKINE, of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain,
Felt Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by' Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Erskine, Her special licence
that I, the said John Erskine, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Erskine, my executors, administra-
tors, or assigns, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF FELTED AND CEMENTED FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Erskine, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 immie-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Erskine, 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

page_text: the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
attached, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
My said Invention relates to the manufacture of cemented or
waterproofed felt, such as is used for ship sheathing and roofing
buildings, and other purposes where protective coverings are re-
quired. The teazing apparatus as at present in use is in this,
arrangement combined with the cementing apparatus in such manner
that both operations are simultaneously carried on. That is to
say, the dry hair felt from the teazing apparatus is conveyed by an
endless band to an endless perforated or wire cloth belt, by which
it is carried over a roller or small cylinder down beneath a large
steam heated cylinder. This cylinder revolves on a horizontal shaft,
and dips into a saturating chest containing the heated cement or
saturating mixture. This process saturates and binds together the
fibres of the hair, and the perforated cloth carries the web so cemented
out at the opposite side of the saturating chest. Here as it emerges it
passes over a smaller steam heated cylinder, and is finally passed
between hot pressing rollers to dry an consolidate the fabric. The
Figure on my Sheet of Drawings represents one arrangement of my
machine in longitudinal section. The roller A, forms the connection
between the teasing apparatus and my improved machine. The arrows
indicate the various movements. The line of carded dry hair is repre-
sented at B, being fed in in the usual way by an endless cloth web C,
which delivers the felt on to the roller D, round which is made to pass
an endless web of perforated material E, for carrying the felt through
the cementing process. In tracing the course of this perforated web
it passes from the roller D, down beneath the large steam heated
cylinder F, which revolves partially immersed in the steam heated
saturating chamber G. Thence the perforated web passes up and over
the line of three rollers H, descending over the furthest or outside
oller, and then returning back to the entrance of the apparatus
beneath the bottom guide rollers I, J. A second endless belt of
erforated material K, is also passed round the main cylinder F,
working in the direction of the arrows, and passing up from beneath
he cylinder over the first two rollers H, and between those rollers and
heir corresponding upper rollers L, thence returning over the top of

page_text: the main cylinder. The saturating cistern or chamber G, being supplied
with the cementing composition; it is kept in a properly heated state by
the admission of steam to the division or casing M, beneath. The dry
felt then passes into the cement by being caught at N, between the
two perforated 'webs E, K, which carry the material down. into the
chamber G, where it gets well saturated with the cement, whilst it is
compressed between the perforated webs-by the-action of the cylinder.D;
this binds the hair or felted material into a tenacious web, and the
onward traverse of the two perforated webs or conducting fabrics carries
the cemented web between and through the two pairs of rollers H, L,
acting as steam heated squeezers. This completes the process, and the
cemented fabric now passes through the arrangements of rollers O, or
it may be conveyed away in any other way as desired.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not
confine or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which
I have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be
made therefrom without deviating from the principles or- main features
of my Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, is,--
First, the manufacture of cemented or waterproofed felt by the
combined and simultaneous action of the teazing or preparing machine
and the saturating or cementing apparatus.
Second, the system or mode of manufacturing cemented or water-
proofed felt by conveying the dry felt direct from the preparing machine
into the cementing chamber.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Erskine, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
JOHN ERSKINE. (L.S.)