AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR PRINTING WOOLLEN AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1859

page_text: of Austria, and No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Gentleman, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR PRINTING WOOLLEN AND
OTHER FABRICS."
Sealed the 23rd March 1860, and dated the 26th November 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ferdinand Scheithauer at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th November 1859.
I, FERDINAND SCHEITHAUER, of Pensing, in the Empire of Austria, and
No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR PRINTING
WOOLLEN AND OTHER FABRICS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of a frame having a carriage thereon, which is
worked or made to travel my means of a rod and handle. This wooden
carriage is formed in parts or openings by means of intermediate pieces, the
two largest of such openings being closed by two trelisses formed with wooden
lathes, and divided into frames hinged at the corners; such frames are moved
vertically, and take up the colors underneath. The printing plates are secured
to the lathwork by fly screws; to the middle of the trelisses are attached
iron rods, which are held in their proper positions by inclined pieces provided
with a link. At their upper extremities two wooden standards are placed
upon the carriage, and secured by screws or tie rods. Upon the top of the
standards are fixed two small bearings for supporting a shaft, provided with
two arms forming a tilting or vibrating lever; upon the end of the same shaft

page_text: is a lever and weight for producing the movement herein-after described. A
wooden floor, supported by transverse pieces, is placed on the upper part of
the framing, and supports the troughs for containing the necessary colors.
The printing table is constructed as follows:-A cross piece is introduced into
the table, which can be taken off when required; a frame fixed by means of
screws is let into the printing table, which is of the same width internally as
the stuff to be printed, the frame being provided with grooves to take hold of,
and it is also fixed to the cross piece before described by means of fly screws.
The centre of the cross piece is fixed upon a vertical shaft, which passes
through a tranverse piece on the frame; the lower end of the vertical shaft
rests in a socket fixed to a lever, the centre bearing on a pinion having 4
fusees. The pressure given by the foot of the workman on the lever causes
it to turn round the pivot, and raise the fusee as well as the printing table; a
point which is set into the fusee becomes disengaged from out of the grooves
of the socket, and at the same time sets the whole of the levers connected
therewith in motion, the counter-weight being drawn in the proper direction;
the point passes through the wooden beam, and is jointed to a spring which is
stretched & united to the groove, to which is attached a hoop, which is
thrust forward by a spring. The fusee carries the pinions to a barrel provided
with 4 studs or pins, one of them being caught by a hook or catch the
moment the pressure caused by the workman ceases. The spring draws the
groove with the hoop, and one of such rods draws the pinions conjointly with
the fusee, and thus the table performs a rotative motion of a quarter of the
circumference; then the point falls into the opposite groove, and so on.
Another Modification of the Rotative Movement of the Printing Table.
As soon as the stuff to be printed is stretched upon the frame, it is placed into
another frame and screwed; then by taking hold of the pendulum rod, and
giving to it an alternate motion, causes it to raise and lower alternately the
trelisses, thereby pressing the printing plates against the colors in the trough;
the motion of the pendulum rod being then interrupted, it returns to its
normal position at the same time the printing table returns to its normal
position, and by means of a handle the carriage is run back on the rod until
the points upon the front of the carriage come in contact and unite with
similar points upon the end of the frame. The carriage is prevented from
returning by means of bolts. After this operation has taken place, the
trelisses before described are arranged in a different position, and the printing
tables which were before on the other side, are back to their respective places
at the moment the above described alternate movement takes place.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Ferdinand Scheithauer in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th May 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FERDINAND
SCHEITHAUER, of Pensing, in the Empire of Austria, and Number 4, South
Street, Finsbury, London, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Ferdinand Scheithauer, Her special licence that I, the said Ferdinand
Scheithauer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Ferdinand Scheithauer, my executors, administrators, and 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 of "AN
IMPROVED MACHINE FOR PRINTING WOOLLEN AND OTHER FABRICS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Ferdinand Scheithauer, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, 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 immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ferdinand Scheithauer, 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
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in the construction of an improved block printing
machine for printing woollen and other fabrics. The improved machine, con-
structed according to my Invention, is fully described and set forth by the
following explanation, and will be better understood by reference to the
Drawings, Sheets 1, 2, and 3, and is as follows:-On a framework a,
iron railway is placed on which is worked by a handle c the carriage b, shewn
in Figures 1 and 2, Sheets 1 and 2. This carriage is strongly constructed of
wood, and forms a frame divided into four parts by the intermediate pieces d,
small

page_text: shewn in plan, Figure 2, Sheet 2. The two largest openings of the frame are
closed by two trellises a*, Figure 2, formed with wooden laths. These trelisses
are divided into frames having hinges 6 and provided at their corners or edges
with iron or brass e. They are caused to move vertically, and serve to take
up the colours underneath. The printing blocks shewn in red ink at g,
Figure 4, Sheet 3, are attached to the trellises by fly screws t, t. In the
middle of the trellises are fitted the iron rods h, Figures 1 and 3, which are
kept in their proper position by the inclined rods i having a link at their upper
extremity. Two wooden standards k are placed upon the carriage b, and
united together by a tie rod 1, better shewn in Figures 3 and 4, Sheet 3; on
these standards are fixed two bearings m supporting the shaft n, having two
arms o forming with the shaft n, a kind of balance lever. The arms o are
jointed to the rods p, p, by means of the pins d³, which pass through the link.
On the projecting part of the shaft n is fitted a round iron rod a, a, provided
with a balance weight at its lower end; this rod a, a, produces the movement,
herein-after described. A wooden floor is formed on the upper part of the
framing a, and is supported by the transverse pieces g*, Figures 1, 3, and 4,
Sheets 1 and 3, attached to the said framing; this floor supports the colour
troughs u, which are of the usual kind, and are shewn in section in Figure 4;
these troughs are set exactly underneath the trellises a*.
A, Figures 1 and 2, Sheets 1 and 2, represents the printing table which is
constructed as follows:-A cross piece r, Figure 2, is introduced into the table,
and can be removed as required. A frames is fixed by means of the fly
screws t to the framework a, seen in plan, Figure 2, and is of the same width
as the cloth to be printed. This frame s is provided with clamp pieces v to
take hold of and change the frames n on which the stuffs to be printed are
stretched. It is also fixed to the cross piece r by means of fly screws t. The
centre of the cross piece r is fixed on a vertical shaft h, Figures 1 and 3,
passing through the wooden transverse piece y of the framing, shewn in Figure 1,
Sheet 1. The lower part of the vertical shaft h bears on a socket w, shewn
on a large scale at Figure 6, Sheet 3, fixed to the lever or treadle z, and the
centre bears on a barrel pinion i having four rods j, j. The apparatus pro-
ducing the movement of the quarters of circumference is represented in detail
in Figures 5 and 6, Sheet 3. I will now describe the complete action of this
improved machine-Upon pressure being applied by the workman's foot on
the lever or treadle z, it causes to turn round the pivot g, Figure 5, and raises
the barrel pinion i, as also the printing table A; a point, Figure 5, which is
attached to the barrel pinion, becomes released from the grooves of the socket
tu, and at the same time the series of levers m³ are put in motion, and the arm

page_text: or lever n is drawn in the direction of the arrow. The point o³ passes through
the wooden beam and is united to the spring p³, which is stretched and united
to the arm q, having upon it the hook pushed forward by a spring p*. Upon
one of the rods j of the barrel pinion i being taken hold of by the hook r³,
the pressure caused by the foot of the workman on the treadle = ceases.
The
spring p draws the arm g, having upon it the hook 7, and this hook draws
round the barrel pinion i, and the printing table is thus caused to perform a
rotative movement of a quarter of the circumference. Then the point o* falls
into the opposite groove, and so on.
To use my machine with advantage, I had to overcome a difficulty, namely,
the printing blocks could not be cleaned without being entirely taken down
from the machine, which occasioned great loss of time, the cleaning of such
blocks having to take place frequently. I have obviated this defect by adopt-
ing the trellises a³, to which are screwed the printing blocks provided with
hinges 6, and by this contrivance they can be cleaned without difficulty or loss
of time, having merely to open up the catch c, Figure 1, and remove the
point d of the link which causes the frames to which the printing blocks are
attached to open up.
The rotative movement of the printing table from quarter to quarter is
ordinarily effected by a toothed wheel and gearing, and counterweight, requir-
ing to be wound up from time to time; this mode is not convenient, and
occasions much loss of time. I have obviated these disadvantages by sub-
stituting for the above described mechanism the following, which is represented
by a front and side view at Figure 5, Sheet 3, of the Drawing. A, plan; B,
side view; as soon as the cloth is stitched upon the frame n, Figure 2,
Sheet 2, this frame is placed in the frames and screwed down. I take hold
of the pendulum rod a, a, and give to it an alternate motion, which causes it
to raise and lower alternately the trellises a pressing the printing blocks g
against the colours in the troughs u. I then stop the motion of the pendulum
rod which causes it to return to its primitive position, at the same time causing
the printing blocks g to return also to their first position, then by means of the
handle c, Figure 1, the carriage is pushed back on the rails until the points
b, b, arrive close to c, c, Figure 1, and unite the bolt d, d, Figure 1, preventing
the carriage from returning. When this movement has been effected, the
trelisses a are placed as shewn in the Drawings by the red lines, Figures 1
and 2, Sheets 1 and 2, and the printing blocks which were on the opposite
side return to their respective places. At this moment the alternate move-
ment is again given to the pendulum rod a, a, and the blocks g will print the
wool or other fabrics. If the printing blocks become dirty they must be

page_text: washed and cleaned, which will necessitate their being taken from the machine;
for this purpose the peg or key is withdrawn, the catches removed, and the
trellises opened from the outside inwardly, as represented in Figure Three of
the Drawings.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details of construction, what I claim as my
Invention, and intend to be protected by the herein in part recited Letters
Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of a block printing machine,
as herein-before described and represented in the Figures of the several Sheets
of Drawings.
Secondly, the general arrangement and construction of the frames n, upon
which the fabric to be printed is laid; and also the mechanism for causing the
same to rise from the printing table, to turn, and then to fall again, as herein-
before described and represented in the various Sheets of the Drawings.
Thirdly, the arrangement and construction of the frames and clamps v,
permitting the frames n to be changed with facility, as herein-before described
and represented in Figure 2.
Fourthly, the arrangement and construction of the trellises a formed with
wooden laths and subdivided into frames moving vertically, for the purpose of
taking up the colours underneath, as herein-before described and shewn in
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Fifthly, the arrangement of mechanism for producing the rotative move-
ment of the printing table from quarter to quarter, as herein-before described
and represented in Figures 1, 3, 4, and 5 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ferdinand Scheithauer have hereto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
FERDINAND SCHETTHAUER. (L.S.)