A CERTAIN MACHINE AND APPARATUS FOR INCREASING AND PERMANENTLY FASTENING THE FACE OR GLOSS OF ALL KINDS OF WOOLLEN, WORSTED, AND FANCY CLOTHS, BY THE APPLICATION OF STEAM ALONE, WITHOUT IMMERSING THE GOODS IN WATER
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, TпоMAS
MITCHELL, of Dalton, in the Parish of Kirkeaton, in the County of York,
Dyer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifteenth day of June, in the sixth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Mitchell, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Thomas Mitchell, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Thomas Mitchell, my exors, adññiors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A CERTAIN MACHINE AND APPARATUS FOR
INCREASING AND PERMANENTLY FASTENING THE FACE OR GLOSS OF ALL KINDS OF
WOOLLEN, WORSTED, AND FANCY CLOTHS, BY THE APPLICATION OF STEAM ALONE,
WITHOUT IMMERSING THE GOODS IN WATER;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, that I, the said Thomas Mitchell, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately after the date fo
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Mitchell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :-
My Invention relates, first, to a certain machine for winding woollen and
worsted cloths or fabrics requiring heat in the finishing processes for laying
the nap or face, and obtaining a gloss or finish thereto; and,
Secondly, my Invention relates to apparatus for applying steam to woollen
and worsted cloths when rolled, in order more effectually and readily to set the
face and obtain a gloss thereto. And in order that my Invention may be
most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe
the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 shows a side view in section of a machine for rolling cloths of
wool or worsted; and Figure 2 is a front view thereof. This machine is so
arranged that the cloth, in its progress to be wound on a roller suitable for
having heat applied there.to set the face or gloss thereof, passes against one
or two heated rollers.
a, a, is the framing of the machine. b is the hollow
roller, on to which the cloth is wound, at the two ends of which there are
square holes, and a square bar c is passed through the cylinder, one end of which
passes into the square socket d, and the other end of the bar has a cylindrical
neck, which moves in a bearing at the other side framing. On the socket d,
which turns in a suitable bearing, is affixed the cog wheel e, which receives
motion from the cog wheel f, affixed on the axis g. On the axis g is a cog
wheel h, which is driven by the cog wheel i, affixed on the main axis k, which
main axis is driven by a strap acting on the pulley 1. On the main axis k is
affixed the cog wheel m, which takes into and drives the cog wheel n, on the
axis of the brush cylinder o, by which the nap of the cloth is laid in its
progress to the roller b. The cloth in its passage to the roller bis subjected
to the action of one or two steam or heated cylinders p, p, over and against
which the guide rollers 7, 9, guide the cloth, as is indicated by the red line;
and in case the cloth is to be beated or smoothed by only one heated cylinder,
then, in place of the cloth passing against the lower heating roller p, it is
caused to pass over the third guide roller q'. In some cases it is required
that the cloth should be wound off the roller b on to a similar roller, so as to
cause the winding to be more tightly performed, in this case the cloth on the
roller 6 is by its square axis introduced into the socket r, the other cylindrical
end of the bar being received by the bearings, when another roller being

page_text: placed at b, the cloth is rewound the other end first, and the degree of tight-
ness of the winding is governed by the friction band t, on the cylindrical
collar v, affixed on the socket r.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which relates to apparatus
for applying steam to wollen and worsted fabrics when rolled. It has heretofore
been common to apply hot water, and in some cases steam, to cloths or fabrics of
wool or worsted. Now the object of this part of my Invention is, so to
arrange apparatus that steam may be applied under pressure to rolls of cloth
enclosed in a suitable vessel or apparatus, such apparatus being so formed as
to allow of the atmospheric air being driven out thereof by the pressure of the
steam; the peculiar feature of the Invention being the use of steam above the
atmospheric pressure, so that the vessel or apparatus may be rendered void of
air by steam.
Figure 3 shows a section of the apparatus.
Figure 4 is a plan in section, and Figure 5 is an external view. This
apparatus is suitable for applying steam to woollen or other fabrics, whether
the fabrics be introduced in the dry or wet state, in place of immersing such
cloths in hot water as heretofore practised, and the rollers being hollow allows
the steam to be introduced into the interior of the roller. b is the roller; at
the upper end of the roller is a plug, which is withdrawn when the steam is
first introduced into the interior of the roller; and when the air is driven
therefrom the plug e is introduced, and the cover f is closed, and the bar g
passed under the catch h, and then the screw is screwed down on to the
cover so as to cause the vessel to be closed air and steam tight. Steam is then
allowed to flow into the vessel j, and thus drive off the air at the cock k,
which cock is then to be closed; and if the fabric has been introduced in the
wet state, then I do not allow the steam to continue to flow into the vessel j
after the air has been driven out, but close that cock l, and open the cock m,
so that the external part of the apparatus will be kept full of steam, the
air being first driven out by the steam at the cock n; and in this state I retain
the apparatus for from ten minutes to a quarter of an hour, the nature of the
fabrics treated requiring a slight difference of time, which a little practice
will enable a workman to judge of. If the roll of fabric has been introduced
in a dry state, then I continue the supply of steam to the inner vessel during
the same time, the outer vessel not being required. The steam which I
usually employ is of about twenty pounds pressure on the square inch in the
steam boiler; but I do not confine myself thereto, so long as the steam passed
into the closed apparatus offers a pressure to drive off the air therefrom, and
render it void thereof. When worsted fabrics are being operated on, I can

page_text: use the roller or cylinder b, as shewn, or the same may be perforated all over.
with numerous small holes, as is now sometimes practised with worsted fabrics,
and which when separately considered forms no part of my Invention.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, 1 would remark that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein described, provided the peculiar character
of either part of my Invention be retained. But what I claim is,—
First, the mode of arranging the parts into a machine for winding cloth on-
to a roller as above explained; and,
Secondly, I claim the mode of arranging apparatus for applying steam
under pressure to cloths, and in such manner that the air is driven from the
apparatus by steam, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Mitchell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.