IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING YARNS OF LINEN OR COTTON, OR, BOTH; TO BE WOVEN' INTO VARIOUS SORTS OF CLOTH
Year: 1840

page_text: HEAL
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HEATON, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Overlooker, 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 Twelfth day of November, in the fourth year of Her reign, did;
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Heaton, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence that I; the
said John Heaton, my exors, adñors, and assigns, or such others as the said
John Heaton, my exors, admors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING YARNS OF LINEN OR COTTON, OR, BOTH; TO BE WOVEN'
INTO VARIOUS SORTS OF CLOTH;" in which said Letters Patent is contained. a.
proviso, obliging me, the said John Heaton, by an instrument in writing
under my
hand and seal, to particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed; and to¹
cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.
A
*Juan..

page_text: NÓW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Heaton, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to consist,
first, in warming the air, by which the yarn, when wet with the paste, sow,
or size, is to be dried in an apartment distinct from the dressing room;
secondly, in passing a 'current of the air so warmed through that portion
only of the yarn which is ready to be dried, and in quantity and of a tem-
perature sufficient to dry it, and to complete the dressing after the application
of the paste, sow, or size, and after the operation of brushing; thirdly, in
shutting off the said current of heated air from the yarn at the pleasure of the
operator; and, lastly, in forcing out of the dressing room the damp air gene-
rated by the drying process. And in further compliance with the said proviso,
I, the said John Heaton, do hereby declare that the manner in which my said
improvements are performed and put in operation are particularly ascertained
and described by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (similar
letters and figures of reference being used to denote similar parts in all the
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Heaton, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to consist,
first, in warming the air, by which the yarn, when wet with the paste, sow,
or size, is to be dried in an apartment distinct from the dressing room;
secondly, in passing a 'current of the air so warmed through that portion
only of the yarn which is ready to be dried, and in quantity and of a tem-
perature sufficient to dry it, and to complete the dressing after the application
of the paste, sow, or size, and after the operation of brushing; thirdly, in
shutting off the said current of heated air from the yarn at the pleasure of the
operator; and, lastly, in forcing out of the dressing room the damp air gene-
rated by the drying process. And in further compliance with the said proviso,
I, the said John Heaton, do hereby declare that the manner in which my said
improvements are performed and put in operation are particularly ascertained
and described by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (similar
letters and figures of reference being used to denote similar parts in all the
Drawings), that is to say:-.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
In Sheet 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed, Figure 1 is a side elevation
of an ordinary dressing machine with part of my improvements attached.
This machine is set in motion by the strap K, K, the pulley L, and the conical
speed drums m, m. Figure 2 is a section of the machine, shown as in Figure 1,
with an additional part of my improvements; and Figure 3 is a plan of the
same machine, with part of my improvements shown. In Sheet 2, Figure 4
exhibits an elevation of the chambers I use for warming the air, and the
apparatus for forcing the air so warmed at any required speed through the
yarn. In Figure 1, A, A, A, A, A, A, A, A, represent yarn which requires
dressing, wound round beams which are fixed in suitable positions in the usual
manner upon the dressing frame B, B, B, B, B, B; b, b, represent two reeds,
through which the yarn is passed to keep cach thread in its proper position ass
it passes over the guide rollers c; c, and between the sow or dressing rollers
d, d, d, d, (the lowermost of which in revolving dips into the paste, sow, or
size contained in the trough e, e, shewn in Figures 2 and 3, and onwards to
the circular revolving brushes f. f. After the yarn has been wet by the paste,
sow, or size, and the fibres belonging to each thread have been brushed, so as
to lay close against it by means of the paste, sow, or size, and the revolution
of the brushes f, f, against the yarn in the wet state, it is then passed ou
through the reeds 61, 61, 62, 6, (by, which time the yarn 'is partially dried, so

page_text: much so as not to deposit any of the paste, sow, or size upon the reeds b³, b³)
through the. reeds 63, 63, under the guiding rollers c', c', and through the headles
9, g, and the reed h (at which place the yarn is completely. dry), and then on
to the beam I, round, which it is wound with sufficient tightness and of the
required length ready to be woven. N, N, represent two wooden troughs,
which serve to conduct the current of warm air from the valves O, O, through
the wet yarn after it has passed through the reeds b', 6', whereby the yarn is
dried before it reaches the beam I. Attached to the inside of each trough,
and near to the brushes f, f, are. two pieces of bent sheet iron t, t, extending
across each trough, which give a direction to the current of warm air forced
through the valves O, O, towards the reeds b', 61, 62, 63, the conducting rollers
c', c', the headles g, g, and the. reed h, and which keep that current from acting
upon and drying the paste, sow, or size on the brushes f, f, which they collect
by, revolving against the wet yarn and the paste, sow, or size deposited on
the reeds 6, 6, during the passage of the wet yarn through them. O, O,
are two valves, fixed upon hinges. These valves are opened to the required
distance, when the machine is at work, by means of the weights y, y, attached
to them, as shown in Sheet I., Figure 1, to allow of a sufficient current
of air from below to rise and be forced through the yarn to dry it. In
Figure 2, two rods u, u, are shown, attached by a moveable joint to a
stud on the top of each valve at one end, and at the other by similar. joints
to a lever Z: The lever Z works upon a stud at 5, and its upper end passes
through a slot, shown in plan in Figure 3. The sliding rod 6, 6, carries a
fork, by which the driving strap is moved on and off the fast and loose pulley,
as required, to set the machine in motion or to stop it; it also carries a piece
of iron 7; with an inclined plane upon it, against which the upper end of the
lever Z is constantly pressed by the weights y, y. In Figure 8, the driving
strap is shown passing upon the loose pulley through the fork at the end of
the sliding rod, consequently the machine is at rest, and the upper end of the
lever Z, having been forced outwards by the inclined plane 7, has also forced
outwards the rods u, u, attached to it, so as to raise the weights y, y, and shut
the valves 0, 0, as in Figure 2, consequently the current of air is stopped.
It will be evident, that when the rods 6, 6, is moved, so as to pass the driving
strap on to the fast pulley, by which the machine will be set in motion, the
inclined plane will be so far withdrawn as to allow the upper end of the rod Z
to slide down it to the other end of the slot, through which it works, and the
valves will then be open by means of the weights y, y. By this arrangement,
whenever the machine is stopped for any purpose, the current of air is at the
same time stopped, and when it is again, set in motion the current of air is

page_text: .again admitted through the valves. When the valves are closed, little or no
heat is acting upon the yarn or in the dressing room; whereas, by the old
¡method of dressing, when the machinery was not at work, during the dinner
hour, the steam.in the steam cases under the dressing machine and in the
.pipes over-the dressing-machine continued to act upon and to partially bake
the sow, paste, or size on that part of the yarn between the beams A, A, A, A,
AA, A, A, and the beam I, and thereby rendered the yarn so acted upon
less.elastic,, and therefore less fit to be woven, which is not the case with my
improvements; for during all the periods when the dressing machines to which
my improvements are attached are not at work the valves O, O;'are closed.
Again, by my improvements. the current of air forced into the room is also
forced out through openings in the roof or sides of the dressing room, (for
which purpose I use ordinary ventilators in the roof, one of which is'exhibited
in Sheet 1, Figure 1, and openings about a foot square in the side walls of the
dressing room,) whereby the damp warm air is passed 'off, and the 'dressing
process is therefore carried on with greater dispatch and with comparative
coolness to the operators, and no water. collects upon the walls or roof by
condensation; whereas by: the old method, when the air in the room was very
humid and the drying incomplete, it occasionally happened that the yarn-was
wound round 'the beam I in a damp state, whereby the threads of yarn adhere
together so. completely on being afterwards drawn off in the process of weaving
as to tear off part of the 'dressing and raise 'the fibres again in those places,
which is not likely to happen with my improvements; also, in the old mode of
dressing, the open fan, which revolved. immediately under the yarn when the
machinery was at work, agitated the air in so great a degree as to cause the
threads at times to get in contact with each other, whereby the uniformity of
the dressing thereon 'was impaired, and they were prevented from passing freely
through the rods, j, j, j, j, j, which is not the case with my improvements.
Moreover, in the old mode of dressing, when the machine had to be stopped
for the operator to' piece a few ends, the dressing upon the yarn became so
dry as to cause it to adhere to the rods j, j, jj,j, j; and it became necessary
before the machine was again set in motion to apply hot water with brushes
to the yarn, whereby' the paste, sow, or size upon that part of the yarn became
diluted' and uneven, and the cloth woven from that portion was often soiled
and rough; but by my improvements the machine may be stopped for the same
period and. purpose without the subsequent application of water being necessary,
and without the consequent loss of time and injury to the dressing. In
Figure 2, P, P, is 'a long wooden channel, running horizontally across and
under any number of the dressing frames, and having no openings out of it

page_text: .:
except through the valves 0, 0, and having no opening into it except at one
end, shewn at P, P, in Sheet 2, Figure 4, where it communicates with the
top of the vertical hot-air chamber Q, Q, Q, Q. Q. This hot-air chamber, and
the two fans S, S, S, S, which force air into it at the bottom from a chamber
V, V, V, below it, are shewn with the front part removed, in order to exhibit the
communication between the two chambers, and the mode of heating the air in
the upper one by the steam pipes r, r, r, r, r, r, r, r,.r, r, inclosed within it.
The fans S, S, S, S, and the steam cases t, t, t, t, t, t, are placed in the lowest
chamber V, V, V, which has also the front removed, for the purpose of shewing
the internal arrangement:" The two sides W, W, are always open for...the
purpose of admitting cold air to be warmed by the steam chests t, t, t, t, t, t, in
its passage to the fans S; S, S, S. It will be obvious to persons conversant
with dressing, that as soon as the fans are set in 'motion by the straps X, X,
the air will be drawn past the steam chests t, t, t, t, t, t, whereby it will be
slightly warmed into the fans, and forced out by the fans into the chamber
Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, whereby it will acquire more heat and sufficient. pressure to
pass through the valves O, O, opened above for the purpose, and dry the yarn.
Now, whereas I do not claim the dressing machine I have exhibited, nor any
separate parts thereof, having referred to it merely to show my Invention as
used and applied in conjunction with the machinery now in common use to
effect my improvements in dressing; but whereas I do claim as my Invention
the heating of air in a chamber, case, or compartment apart from the dressing
room, and creating a current of that heated air, and forcing and directing that
current of air so heated through that portion of the wet yarn requiring the
same in the process of dressing, in such a manner as to dry the said portion of
yarn, while the heat in the dressing room is less oppressive to the operators
than it is in the method or methods of drying the yarn followed before my
Invention; and also so as to force the moist air created thereby out of the
dressing room through ventilators arranged for the purpose, and when needful
or expedient stopping the supply of heated air. And such ny improvements
as herein-before described being, to the best of my knowledge and belief, new,
and never before used in this kingdom, I deliver this as my true and faithful
Specification of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Heaton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
JOHN (L.B.) HEATON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid John Heaton came before our said. Lady the
Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-one.