Improvements in Apparatus for Pressing, Smoothing, and Finishing Garments or Parts of Garments, also for Pressing Woollen or other Woven or Felted Fabrics.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 14th July, 1890-Accepted, 30th Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Pressing, Smoothing, and Finishing
Garments or Parts of Garments, also for Pressing Woollen or
other Woven or Felted Fabrics.
.
I, WALTER BEECROFT of Swinegate, Leeds in the County of York, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, to be as follows:-
My invention refers to an arrangement of mechanism or apparatus, by the use of
which the pressure required for pressing, smoothing and finishing garments or parts
of garments, also for pressing woollen or other woven or felted fabrics, may be more
easily adjusted and applied, and further to conduct away the condensed steam or water
as well as the products of combustion.
The iron is suspended on a hollow ball and socket bearing, mounted on the end of
a jointed arm.
I find in practice that it is not only necessary to conduct away the products of
combustion or gases, but also, to carry off the condensed steam or water; and for this
purpose I provide in the jointed arm, by preference two passages, one for carrying off
the products of combustion or gases, and the other the condensed steam or water, or
when desired one passage only may be employed for both purposes.
I support the arm on a pillar attached to an overhanging bracket, such bracket
being mounted in suitable bearings attached to the table of the machine, and by
this arrangement of overhanging bracket I am able to dispense with the use of
weights or springs usually employed on similar machines for lifting the iron off the
work when the pressure is removed.
The shoulder of the arm which is carried on the aforesaid pillar rests on a number
of small balls placed in an annular groove on the upper part of the bracket and at
the bottom of such pillar, and a similar arrangement of balls is placed in an annular
groove at the top of the shoulder and round the upper part of the pillar, and covered
by an adjustable cap. By this anti-frictional arrangement of balls the movement of
the arm is more easily effected by the operator.
I make the "iron heater" in two sections or parts, the upper and lower parts
being so grooved that when the two parts come together, passages for gas are
formed, and the operation of drilling such holes is obviated. I also project the upper
part of the heater outwards beyond the aforesaid holes for the purpose of deflecting
the heat of the flame down onto the lower part of the iron.
1000
J. W. HARDING,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Pressing, Smoothing, and Finishing
Garments or Parts of Garments, also for Pressing Woollen or
other Woven or Felted Fabrics.
I, WALTER BEECROFT of Swinegate, Leeds in the County of York, Mechanical
Engineer, 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 :-
My invention refers to an arrangement of mechanism or apparatus, by the use of

page_text: which the pressure required for pressing smoothing and finishing garments or parts of
garments, also for pressing woollen or other woven or felted fabrics, may be more
easily adjusted and applied, and further to conduct away the condensed steam or
water as well as the products of combustion.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation and part section.
Fig. 2 a side elevation and part section, shewing construction of pressing machine.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section.
Fig. 5 a transverse section through A. B. Fig. 4, and
Fig. 6 a plan looking at the top shewing burner and lower part of iron with cover
removed.
I support the arm A on a pillar B attached to an overhanging bracket C, such
overhanging bracket being attached to the table D of the machine by means of
bracket E. By this arrangement of overhanging bracket, I am enabled to dispense
with weights and springs, usually employed on similar machines for lifting the iron F
off the work when the pressure is removed. The shoulder B¹, of the arm A which
is carried on the aforesaid pillar B rests on a number of small balls H placed in an
annular groove on the upper part of bracket C and at the bottom of such pillar,
and a similar arrangement of balls is placed in an annular groove on the top of the
shoulder B and round the upper part of the pillar B and covered by an adjustable
cap J. By this anti-frictional arrangement of balls, the movement of the arm A is
more easily effected by the operator.
I find in practice that it is not only necessary to conduct away the products of
combustion or gases but also the condensed steam or water, and for this purpose, I
provide in the jointed arm A two passages K and L, the former for carrying off the
products of combustion or gases, and the later, the condensed steam or water; but
when preferred one passage only may be employed for both purposes. The water
passes from jointed arm through conductor M into upper part of overhanging bracket C,
from thence down the interior of such bracket into a trough N from whence it can
be removed at pleasure or as required.
The products of combustion are conducted away through tube O attached to the
arm A at P.
The pressure is effected through treadle R attached to overhanging bracket C by
suitable connecting rod S in the usual way.
The iron F is suspended on a hollow-ball and socket, bearing U mounted or
inserted into the end of the jointed arm A, and through such ball and socket joint,
passages are provided forming a ventilator through which the products of com-
bustion pass into the arm A.
This ball and socket joint U forming a ventilator is applicable to machines other
than the herein described.
I make the "iron heater " or burner in two sections 1 and 2 the upper and lower
parts being so grooved that when the two parts come together passages 3 for gas
are formed as shewn, and the operation of drilling such holes when being constructed
is obviated, besides this the interior is better to get at for cleaning purposes. I also
project the upper part of the heater beyond the aforesaid holes 3 as shewn at 4
Figs. 4, 5 and 6, for the purpose of deflecting the heat down onto the lower part 5
of the iron F.
The cover 6 is of ordinary construction and when placed in position over the
heater, is fixed there by means of bolts 7. The side holes 8 are for admission of air
into the interior, these being formed by the combination of the cover and the grooves
in lower part of heater. This arrangement also dispenses with the necessity of
drilling holes for the admission of air and considerably cheapens the construction of
the iron..
It is to be understood that I reserve to myself the right to use the smoothing iron
as well as the ball and socket bearing forming a ventilator on machines other than the
herein before described, without departing from the nature of my said invention.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The arrangement construction and application of overhanging bracket C, in
combination with the various parts forming the pressing or finishing machine, sub-
stantially as and for purposes herein set forth.
2nd. The arrangement of anti-frictional balls H, in combination with the adjust-
able cap J, pillar B and shoulder B¹ of the arm A applied and operating substantially
as herein set forth.
3rd. The arrangement and application of means for conducting the condensed
steam and other products of combustion or gases from the smoothing or pressing
iron, substantially as herein set forth.
4th. The arrangement construction and application of hollow-ball and socket
joint U forming a ventilator, substantially as and for purposes herein set forth.
5th. The arrangement and construction of the various parts forming the burner or
heater, in combination with other parts forming the iron, substantially as, and for
purposes herein set forth.
6th. The general arrangement construction and combination of the various parts
forming the means or apparatus for pressing smoothing and finishing garments or
parts of garments, also for pressing woollen or other woven or felted fabrics, sub-
stantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 10th dow of In1 1900
J. W. HARDING,
Agent for the Applicant.