IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRETCHING COTTON AND OTHER FABRICS OR MATERIALS
Year: 1865

page_text: of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRETCHING COTTON AND OTHER FABRICS
OR MATERIALS."
Sealed the 31st October 1865, and dated the 12th May 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hesford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
May 1865.
I, JAMES HESFORD, of the Cunliffe Street Works, Bolton, in the County of
Lancaster, Millwright and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRETCHING COTTON AND OTHER
FABRICS OR MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the stretching machines usually applied to bleachers
and other mangles, and to drying and other machines, for widening the fabric
before it enters the mangle or other machine; these stretching machines consist
of several ribbed slides placed around an axle and connected to diagonal discs
to move them to and fro in the direction of the axis.
My present improvements in such stretching machinery consist in connecting
the said diagonal dises (which are made either with an internal
groove acting

page_text: on antifriction bowls connected to the slides, or without groove and acting
between two bowls connected to the slides) to a bush forming part of the end
bearings by trunnions on which they swivel, and in varying the angle of the
discs simultaneously by right and left banded screws formed at each end of
a centre axle these right and left handed screws have nuts connected to the
dises by rods passing through the end bearings and attached by a swivel joint
to the discs. The ribbed slides are connected to the centre discs by T headed
guides in the manner described in the Specification of former Letters Patent
granted to me on the Twentieth day of May One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-eight, No. 1122, and these centre discs are keyed on to a hollow axle
supported at each end in adjustable bushes passing through the end bearings;
to these adjustable bushes are fixed pointers, and the end bearings are furnished
with letters or figures, the pointers coincide with that part of the machine
where the diagonal discs are widest apart, or where the fabric is taken off,
consequently by placing the pointer at each end of the machine to a correspond-
ing letter or figure the slides will be kept parallel to the axis. The ribbed
slides instead of being provided with half lap joints at the centre are made
with square ends to reduce the liability to cut the fabric, and the ribs instead
of being diagonal, as now customary, are made at right angles to the axis to
increase their stretching or widening effect, and to insure the weft being kept
at right angles to the warp.
Another part of my Invention consists in causing the fabric or other material
to pass between a pair of weighted rollers before it passes over the stretching
machinery; these rollers are turned round by the fabric or other material
passing between them, which is thus kept at an uniform tension.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Hesford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th
November 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HESFORD, of the Cunliffe Street Works, Bolton, in the County of Lancaster,
Millwright and Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Hesford, Her special licence that I, the said James
Hesford, my

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Hesford, 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 FOR
STRETCHING COTTON AND OTHER FABRICS AND MATERIALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Hesford, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Hesford, 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
(that is to say)-
My Invention consists, first, in certain improvements applicable to the
stretching machines usually applied to bleachers and other mangles, and to
drying and other machines for widening the fabric before it enters the mangle
or other machine; and, secondly, in the application of a pair of weighted
rollers between which the fabric passes before it passes over the stretching
machine.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation, Figure 2 a longitudinal section, and Figure 3 an
end view of my improved stretching machinery; Figures 4 to 10, inclusive,
are detached parts of the same. In these views a, a, are the ribbed slides
forming the outer circumference of the stretching machine, the ribs on these
slides instead of being diagonal as now customary, are made at right angles
to the slides to increase their stretching and widening effect, and to insure the
weft of the fabric being kept at right angles to the warp the slides a are
connected to the centre discs b, b, by T-headed guides in the manner described
in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to me on the Twentietli
day of May One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, Number 1122, and
these centre discs are keyed on to the hollow axle c, which is supported at
each end in the adjustable bushes d, see Figures 4 and 5, passing through
the end bearings e, see Figures 8 and 9. The hollow axle c is held endwise

page_text: by set washers as shewn in Figure 2; to the adjustable bushes d are fixel
the pointers f, and the end bearings e are furnished with corresponding
letters or figures. The ribbed slides a are moved to and fro as the stretching
machine goes round by means of studs with spherical antifriction bowls entering
between the diagonal dises or grooved cams g, which swivel on trunnions fixed
to the bushes d as shown best in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, instead of being
connected to the shaft by a swivel bush as heretofore customary, and the
angles of the discs or cams g are varied simultaneously by means of the right
and left handed screws formed at each end of the centre axle h, shewn
detached in Figure 10; these screws having nuts i, which are connected to the
discs or cams g by the rods j, these rods pass through the bushes d, and they
are connected to the discs or cams g, by swivel joints. The centre axle h is
supported by and revolves in the angle studs k, passing through the bushes d
The Drawing represents the dises or cams g'at their greatest inclination, and
the nuts i are now abutting against the set washers fixed on the centre axle,
but the inclination of the discs or cams can be reduced by applying a handle to
one of the square ends of the centre axle as shewn in Figure 1, and turning
it round in the direction for bringing the nuts i towards each other. The
pointers coincide with that part of the stretching machine at which the discs
or cams g are widest apart, as shewn in Figure 2, or where the fabric is taken
off, consequently by placing the pointer at each end of the machine to a
corresponding letter or figure, the slides a are kept parallel to the axis, the
slides instead of being made with square ends in the centre as shewn in
Figure 1, may be made with half lap joints as usual as shewn in dotted lines,
and the ribbed slides a instead of being moved by studs with bowls taking in
a groove between the discs or cams g may be moved by two studs one on
each side of the disc or cam as shewn by dotted lines in Figure 2. By
means of these improvements in stretching machines the fabrics are widened
'more effectually and with less power than heretofore.
Figures 11 and 12 represent an end view and front view of an ordinary
bleachers mangle to which my improvements are applied, the dotted line
represents the fabric to be operated upon, which before passing over the
stretching machine a is taken between the rollers m; which are pressed
together by the weighted levers n; these rollers are turned round by the fabric
passing between them, which is thus kept at an uniform tension. I prefer to
convey the fabric after it has left the rollers m under the guide roller o,
and thence to the stretching machine a, but it may go direct to the stretching
machine.
As it is sometimes necessary to relieve the rollers m from the
pressure I connect the levers n by the side links p, bottom levers g, and cross

page_text: rails so that on the attendant placing his foot on the cross rails the weighted
levers n are raised and the pressure removed from the top roller m.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
First, the various improvements shewn and described in stretching machines.
And, secondly, the application of the rollers m to mangles or other machines
working in combination with stretching machines.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hesford, have hereto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of November, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-five.
JAMES HESFORD. (L.S.)