A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING OR FINISHING WOOLLEN CLOTHS, AND FOR THE METHOD OR METHODS OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, EPPECTING THE SAME
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
DUTTON, of Wotton-under-Edge, in the County of Gloucester, Clothier, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Thirteenth day of May, in the fourth year of His
reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-
four, did give and grant unto me, the said James Dutton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said James Dutton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James Dutton, my executors, adminis-
trators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times hereafter 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 IMPROVEMENT
OR CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING OR FINISHING WOOLLEN CLOTHS, AND FOR
THE METHOD OR METHODS OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, EPPECTING THE SAME;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said James Dutton,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of 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 sail proviso, 1, the sand
James Dutton, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly de-
scribed and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being bad to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures 5
marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Improvement or Improvements in Dressing or Finishing Woollen Cloths
consists in the application of pressure, with heat and humidity, to the cloth, in
a machine or apparatus, by means of which portions of the cloth may in suc-
cession be acted upon, until the whole length of the piece has received the
required dressing. To effect this object 1 employ a pressing apparatus of any
construction by which the process may be conveniently performed; in which
apparatus it is necessary to have one fixed broad and flat surface or table equal
to the width of the cloth, and of suitable dimensions in the other direction to
receive about a yard of the cloth in length. A platten or flat metal plate of
corresponding dimensions must also be adapted to lay upon the cloth when
spread over the said table, which platten must be made to rise and fall by
machinery, and to be acted upon by powerful leverage or other means in order
to give the required pressure to the cloth so spread between the two surfaces.
Or the platten may be fixed, and the table be made to rise and fall by suitable
machinery connected with an apparatus, as an hydraulic press, or any other
sufficient power. By these means I effect the pressure upon a portion of the
. cloth extended, say the entire width, and about one yard in length, at every
operation; and after this portion has been sufficiently pressed (which I calcu-
late may be done in about five minutes, but that will depend upon the quality
of the cloth, of the colour, and the required dressing; I then take off the
pressure and draw the cloth forward, bringing another portion in like manner
between the table and platten, and so on until the whole length of the pieco of
cloth has by successive operations been submitted to the pressing process.
In order to render the effect of this process of pressing permanent, it is
necessary to employ in connection with the pressure heat and humidity. This
I
propose to do by placing a steam or hot-water chamber in the table of the
press, and by bringing the cloth under operation in the wet state in which it
usually comes from the gig mill.
I
An apparatus to accomplish this object may be variously constructed.
think it, however, sufficient to exhibit one machine, which I have found to be
convenient, eligible, and effective for the exercise of my improved method
of dressing woollen cloths. This is a modification of a printing press of tho
ordinary construction, and which modification of press, with the peculiar

page_text: construction of the table, I claim as applied to the dressing of woollen cloth by
my improved method. But I wish it to be understood that I do not intend
to confine myself, that is, the exercise of my improved method of dressing
woollen cloth, to this or any other particular construction of press or appa-
ratus, as I claim the improved method of dressing woollen cloths by any and
every construction of machine or apparatus in which heat and humidity may
be brought into operation, with pressure, upon portions of the woollen cloth
successively, until the whole surface of the piece has been successively dressed.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the press. a, a,
is the table, firmly fixed to the bed b, b. The platten c, c, is suspended by the
perpendicular piece d, which slides up and down in a recess in the head
frame e, e, in which head frame compound levers f are introduced as in
ordinary printing presses, represented by dots. These levers are connected
by joints to other levers g, h, i, j, and k, shewn in this Figure, and the power
of the pressman being applied to the handle the platten is made to descend,
and to press with very considerable force upon the table below.
Figure 2 is a side view of the press, the respective letters indicating the
same parts as those already described.
Having explained the construction of the press, I will now describe the
peculiarity of the table, which will be required to be kept hot, and as nearly
as possible of one uniform temperature during the whole of the successive
operations upon a piece of cloth.
.
Figure 3 is an edge view of the table detached from the press, and Figure 4
is a section of the same, taken vertically. The table is a box or hollow vessel,
divided by a horizontal plate or partition into two compartments. The upper.
chamber is to be filled with water, and the lower one with steam; both of
which chambers may be supplied by any convenient means, through pipes with
stopcocks inserted into the side, and the water and condensed steam may be
drawn off by suitable cocks through the bottom. The compartments may
be made steam and water tight by bolts or screws passed through the flanges,
with cement in the joints; and in order to prevent the radiation of heat the
box or vessel should be encased with wood round its edges, and the vacant
spaces
filled up with pounded charcoal or other imperfect conductor of heat.
I I may also add, that as the colour of some cloths might be injured by the occa-
sional oxydation of the metal, it would be desirable to cover the upper surface
of the box forming the table with a thin plate of pewter, or other alloy or metal,
the oxydes of which would not injure the cloth. For the same reason, the face
of the platten should be covered also, but this may be done by cloth or any
other fit material.

page_text: In order to apply this machine to the purpose of dressing woollen cloth I
first fill the upper chamber of the box or table with water, and then the lower
chamber with steam, for the purpose of heating the water; and having deter-
mined the temperature at which I mean to work (say, 200° Farenh', but
that must depend upon the quality of the cloth and the required dress), I
regulate the supply of steam accordingly, which will keep the water, and
consequently the upper surface of the table, at one uniform temperature, or
nearly so, during the continuance of the operation. I now bring the picco
of cloth in its wet state from the gig mill, and place it in a trough or suitable
vessel, or it may be wound upon a roller. I then draw the cloth from the
trough or roller on to a flat wooden table, shown at m in Figure 2, and connect
its lists to a series of habitting hooks on each side, as is the practice in shear-
ing machines, for the purpose of distending the cloth to one uniform width.
When the cloth has been thus distended it may be drawn forward, allowing
the habit rods n to slide along the side bars o, o, by which means the cloth
may be brought between the table and platten, as shewn in Figure 2, ready to
be pressed. The platten is now brought down upon the table by means of the
levers, in the ordinary way of working printing presses, and a very considerable
pressure is thereby given to the cloth. While this pressure, in conjunction
with the heat and humidity, is operating upon the portion of cloth, the
habitting hooks may be removed from the lists, and the habit rods 72 slidden
back again upon the bars o, o, in order to hook on to the lists of another
portion of the cloth to distend it, ready to be brought forward in like manner.
I must here remark, then, as a succession of pressing operations are intended
to give the same smooth and equal appearance to the piece of cloth as if it had
been operated upon by ono uniform extended pressing surface equal to the
whole length of the piece, the parts of the cloth at which the successive
operations meet each other must not be allowed to exhibit any marks of
junction. I, therefore, chamfer off, blunt, bevel, or round the edges of the
platten, and also of the tablo, so that the preciso point at which tho pressure
finishes in one operation, and commences in the next, may not be perceptible.
In this way I am enabled to blend the several successive pressing operations
along the length of the piece, and to produce the same appearance as though
the pressure had acted at once upon the whole extended surface. As a
convenient mode of conducting the cloth forward, I pass it over a small carrier
roller p, mounted in brackets, extending from the frame of the press, and
I attach the end of the cloth to a roller mounted upon an axle, in a suitable
standard or frame 7, and, as the cloth is required to be drawn forward, I turn
the winch upon the axle and wind it on to the roller.

page_text: Having now described my improved method of dressing woollen cloth by
pressing it in portions with heat and humidity, I beg it to be observed that
I do not intend to confine myself to pressing exactly one yard in length at each
operation, as a greater or less length of cloth may be operated upon, if a platten
and table of greater or less dimensions should be found to be more convenient.
And as to the width of the platten, in order to accommodate it to the pressing
of broad cloth of various breadths between the lists, I have occasionally found
it convenient to enlarge the platten by attaching suitable pieces to its sides, as
at r, r, Figure 1. Pieces of this sort, of different widths, may be provided, in
order that by displacing those of one width, and attaching others, the platten
may be brought to such dimensions as may suit the width of any particular
cloth, and they may be attached, as shewn, by screws, or by any other means
that may be found convenient.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Dutton, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four.
JAMES (L.S.) DUTTON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirteenth day of November, in
the fifth year of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth, the afore-
said James Dutton came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and
acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein con-
tained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the
fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inselled the Thirteenth day of November One thousand eight hundred and