IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hyndford Rawlins, of Hope Paper Mills,
near Wrexham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER."-A communication from abroad by
Oliver Woodworth, resident at New London, Connecticut, United States
of America.
Sealed the 15th July 1862, and dated the 21st January 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hyndford Rawlins
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st January 1862.
I, JAMES HYNDFORD RAWLINS, of Hope Paper Mills, near Wrexham, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," to be as follows:-
Two plans have been for a long time in existence of making paper in con-
tinuous webs, the first being that of Fourdrinier, with various improvements.
of using an endless wire web going round rollers, and receiving at one end
liquid pulp, which is partially drained of its water by a vacuum produced.
under the wire, and by rollers of wire travelling upon it called dandy rollers.
The wet pulp is finally squeezed as it leaves the wire between two rollers,
called couching rollers, the top one of which is wet or damp, to prevent the

page_text: paper sticking to it. The pulp is afterwards taken off from the wire to a felt,
also travelling endlessly which takes it to other rollers called press rollers,
which further squeeze it, and from thence it goes to be dried by contact with
hot cylinders.
The second plan is to make a hollow cylinder (usually of metal of open
work covered with brass wire) turn in a vessel of pulp. By various con-
trivances the water flows away from the inside of the cylinder by the end or
ends, and leaves the pulp on the wire which is taken away from it by an
endless web of felt passing round a soft roller, which keeps it in contact with
the wire cylinder, the pulp sticking to the felt in preference to the wire
cylinder; this felt or blanket takes it away to the squeezing or pressing
rollers, and from thence it goes to be dried on hot cylinders, or to be otherwise,
finished.
The first plan is best adapted for all ordinary papers for general con-
sumption, owing to its having facilities for treating the "paper while on the
wire in three ways; first, shaking the wire; second, putting a pattern on the
paper laid, or wove, or lettered; third, sucking out the water by a vacuum
under the wire. All these are necessary for the strength, clearness, and
suitability of the paper. for a market; its disadvantage is in the liability to
serious waste of paper at that part of the machine where it leaves the couch
roll in a wet state to go to be pressed and dried. This applies principally to
which must be made more rapidly than thick.
thin papers,
The second plan is adapted especially for thin papers, owing to the pulp
being taken from the wire without any loss, as it actually transfers itself to the
felt by contact, and does not pass over a void space, as in the Fourdrinier
machine, from the endless wire to the endless blanket; but it has several
serious defects. The fibres are laid in one direction, which makes the paper
tend one way, to avoid which several modes have been patented or sought to
be. The wire is liable to get stopped up with particles of pulp making holes,
nor can a. mark of any kind be put on. the paper without loss of time and
money.
Now, the improvement I wish to secure by Patent is a combination of the
revolving web of wire (Fourdrinier's plan) and the cylinder machine. I am
aware that it has already been proposed to unite two webs of paper produced
from the two modes of making a web; and thrown on one felt to be pressed
dried, and finished. But my machine differs in this, that I use Fourdrinier's
plan to make the wet layer or web of pulp, and take it off the wire by the
adhesion thereto of a blanket travelling round a soft roller, as in the American
machine. At or near the point where the wet pulp. is finally pressed on the

page_text: wire there travels underneath the web of wire, and in place of the bottom
couch, a hollow metal cylinder (wood could be employed, but I prefer metal)
being, in fact, the cylinder of open or hollow sides, and open end or ends now
sometimes used, as above stated. For making paper, this cylinder forms a
peculiar bed underneath the wire in connection with the soft couch, and the
endless felt travelling on the top of it, which secures the safe transfer of the
paper, thin or thick, from the wire to the felt. The pulp, after it has been
taken from the wire by the blanket, may be operated upon by press rolls in
any suitable manner; but I prefer to arrange the machine in such manner
that the felt takes the pulp or wet web from the wire to the hot drying
cylinder when on the thinnest class of paper.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Hyndford Rawlins in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st July 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HYNDFORD RAWLINS, of Hope Paper Mills, near Wrexham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Hyndford Rawlins, Her special licence that I, the said James
Hyndford Rawlins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said James Hyndford Rawlins; 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 for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," a com
munication to me from abroad by Oliver Woodworth, resident at New
London, Connecticut, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Hyndford Rawlins, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Hyndford Rawlins, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
bé performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
The Invention consists in applying to a Fourdrinier paper making machine,
wherein an endless web of woven wire is used, apparatus consisting of a
roller and travelling blanket or felt to remove the wet web of pulp from the
endless web of wire of such machine; by which means the web of wet pulp
is caused to adhere to the travelling blanket or felt, and the two together are
pressed between pressing rollers, and then the web of pressed pulp or paper is
separated from the blanket, and passes away to be dried, whilst the travelling
blanket returns to the paper-making machine.
The details by which the Invention may be carried out can be varied; I
will, however, proceed to describe the arrangement of machinery I employ for
the purpose.
The Drawing annexed represents parts of an ordinary Fourdrinier's paper-
making machine, with apparatus combined therewith, according to the Inven-
tion, whereby the wet web of pulp is caused to be removed from the endless
web of woven wire of the paper-making machine by a soft roller and a travelling
blanket in such manner that the wet web of pulp adheres to the travelling
blanket, and is by it conveyed to and between pressing rollers. A is the
ordinary endless web of woven wire; B is the deckel strap. The pulp is
continuously supplied to the web of woven wire at A' in the usual or any
convenient manner; C is the roller at the back end of the machine, over
which the web of woven wire passes, having on its upper surface the wet web
of pulp. This roller I prefer to be hollow, with open ends, and the surface
on which the endless web of wire is supported I prefer to be of wire or of
perforated metal. D is a travelling blanket, which is carried by the rollers
E, E; this blanket is moved in the direction indicated by the arrows.
roller, the axes of which turn in bearings carried by a weighted lever frame F;
this roller G is rendered soft by felt or otherwise; it presses the travelling
blanket in contact with the wet web of pulp by which the pulp is caused to
adhere to the travelling blanket, and is by it separated from the web of woven
wire, and is carried to the pressing rollers H, where the wet pulp and blanket
are pressed. The pressing rollers H are driven by a steam engine or other
power, and from thence the power for moving the other parts of the machinery
is derived. The pressed web of pulp or paper is then separated from the
travelling blanket, and is conducted to a drying cylinder I, as shown, or to
G is a

page_text: other suitable drying apparatus, whilst the travelling blanket reurns to the
paper-making machine; the surface, however, of the blanket is washed by
water thrown against it by a revolving fan J, to which a stream of water is con-
stantly supplied. L, L, are two squeezing rollers between which the blanket
is squeezed; K is a guard which prevents the water thrown against the
travelling blanket passing beyond such guard.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the parts separately; but what I claim is the combined arrangement herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hyndford Rawlins, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JAMES HYNDFORD RAWLINS. (L.S.)