shewn in fig. 1 and 2. When the moulds come again into the horizontal position the injecting of the metal is re peated, and another type is cast in each of the moulds, so that every time the shafts t and b revolve, a new type is produced in each mould, and is pushed out of the mould by the means already described, and is thence taken and dressed as usual by hand.

The specification concludes by saying, "Having thus described the machine or machinery for casting types, and also certain auxiliary machinery with which the same may be conveniently worked; we declare that we do not intend to claim any part of such auxiliary machinery; but we claim as our invention and patent right the machine or machinery for casting types as shewn in figs. 1 and 2."

[Inrolled February, 1824.]

To SAMUEL SEVILL, of Brown's-hill, in the. Parish of Bisley, and County of Gloucester, Clothier, for his Invention of a new Mode or Improvement, for Dressing of Woollen or other Cloths.

[Sealed 13th November, 1823.]

THESE improvements apply to the gig mill, a machine used in the woollen manufacture, for scouring and dressing the surface of cloth. The gig mill is a revolving cylinder, round the outside of which brushes are fixed, usually made of teazles, for the purpose of laying the nap and smoothing the surface, as the cloth passes over the cylinder, in a contrary direction. The object of the present invention, is to adapt a series of fine metal points to the gig cylinder, which shall act as combs by

brushing against the cloth, so as to produce the same effect in laying the nap as the teazle heretofore employed.

Plate VIII. Fig. 3. represents a part of the end of a gig barrel or cylinder before-mentioned. In place of the frames containing teazles usually attached to the barrel, a series of the wire combs with their appendages, as at A, B, C, are fixed round the barrel. The comb itself is shewn de tached at fig. 4. It is made by laying a series of needles a a in a mould their equal distances, and points being carefully adjusted, and then running molten lead, tin, pewter, or other mixture of metals, into the mould, so as to form the back b of the comb, exactly as the combs or points of a lace machine are made. These combs are then placed in bearings or hooks as seen at A. fig. 3, turning freely upon their pivots, and are severally held in their carriages as at A B C, by means of springs attached to the rods or shaft c.

The comb being mounted in its carriage as at A. fig. 3, and the ends or pivots of the shaft c being confined by loops to the carriage, a ratchet-wheel d is then attached to the end of the shaft as at B, and a small catch spring e is also fixed to the carriage, for the purpose of holding the ratchet-wheel and the shaft firmly. By turning the ratchet a tooth or two, which may be done by means of a winch to be placed upon the square end of the shaft c, the helical springs d d are wound up, and by that means any desired pressure may be applied to the back of the comb, the object of which is to allow a certain vibratory action or springing of the comb as the cloth passes over the gig barrel, which is shewn by the dotted line f, fig. 3. A standard g, g, g, is placed behind each of the combs as a guard, for the purpose of keeping the cloth at a certain elevation; h,h, h are similar standards before the comb, which regulate the height at which the cloth

passes over the gig, and limits the action of the comb points against the surface of the cloth.

If the standards h were raised, the points a would scarcely touch the cloth, but if they were lowered, the points would be enabled to act with considerable force against it. The adjustment, therefore, of these standards h, is very essential to the beneficial performance of the apparatus, and is regulated in the following manner.

The front bar or standard h is fixed to a shaft i, mounted in bearings upon the carriage, as shewn at B and c. fig. 3; to the ends of each of these shafts i, a lever k is attached, the tail of which is confined to the circular sliding plate l, by a bolt passing into one of the holes of that plate as at B, or the lever may be held by a spring m, as at c, bearing against a stop. The inner circle of this sliding plate has teeth, and into these teeth a pinion h takes; this pinion is worked by a lever o, and hence by shifting the lever o, the position of the standard hhh will be determined, and they will be held fast by introducing a pin through the slit of the lever o, into one of the holes of the fixed plate p.

A rail or bar with an indented edge, is proposed to be placed on each side of the barrel in the frame of the machine for the purpose of distending the cloth, and keeping it from wrinkling. It may be found desirable sometimes to employ teazles and brushes, in conjunction with these combs, upon the same gig barrel, or a separate barrel may be combined with the gig mill machiney. The frame of the gig mill is not described, nor are the wheels or other contrivances, by which the barrel is made to revolve, as these are well known, and may be varied in their construction at pleasure: The bars of points being straight, and both sides alike, may be shifted in case the points wear away. The claims of the patentee are, first the application of

wire points, which are nearly or quite non elastic, by means of a joint or hinge; the necessary elasticity being given by a coiled or spiral spring, not directly connected with the wire points; secondly, in the power of applying both sides of the wire point with equal effect; thirdly, in the method of setting the points, and forming the metal to contain them."

[Inrolled, January, 1824.]

TO WILLIAM WIGSTON, of the Town of Derby, in the County of Derby, Engineer, for his Invention of certain Improvements on Steam-Engines.

THE engine proposed is of the alternating kind, with heavy plungers or pistons, which are intended to be raised by floating in a dense fluid, as mercury: the fluid being forced up in the cylinders by the superincumbent pressure of steam; and where the mercury has withdrawn itself from the cylinders, (the action of the steam being removed from its surface) the plungers or pistons descend again by their own gravity; thus through the agency of the piston rods, an alternating motion is given to the beam of the engine, which communicates its power by a fly-wheel, crank, &c. as usual.

Plate VIII. fig. 1, is a vertical section of two cylinders a and b, connected at bottom by the semi-circular part c, which is of equal diameter to the cylinders; d and e are two plungers or pistons, formed hollow, so as to float in the fluid metal, and move freely up and down the cylinders; to the tops of these pistons or plungers, rods are attached by bolts or otherwise, which rods pass through stuffing boxes of the usual construction. At

the top of the cylinders is the cap ff, or nozzle-piece, as it is called, which is affixed to the cylinders by flanges and bolts. Through this nozzle-piece, the passages for the entrance and exit of steam are formed, and the slide valve g above, which opens and shuts those passages, is moved by a rack and toothed segment, or other contrivance, actuated by the ascent and descent of the piston or plunger rod, or some such well known means.

The cylinders are proposed to be occupied within about half way up with mercury, or other fluid metal, such as lead and bismuth; if the latter metals are employed, it will be necessary to enclose the cylinders in a heated chamber, so as to keep the metallic compound in a fluid state; this may be done by inserting the cylinders into the flues of the furnace, which heats a steam boiler, or a separate furnace may be employed for that purpose. Steam being admitted to the cylinder a, by the slide valve having opened the induction passage, its elastic force will act upon the surface of the mercury, or other fluid metal, in that cylinder, and drive it through the semi-circular tube c into the cylinder b, by which means the plunger e will float and be carried up to the top of the cylinder b, while the piston d descends by its own gravity to the bottom of the cylinder a, as shewn in fig. 1.

The slide-valve now closing the steam passage of the cylinder a, and opening that of the cylinder b, the pressure of the steam upon the mercury in b will force it down, and consequently cause it to rise in the cylinder a, which has been exhausted by the slide-valve having opened the eduction aperture leading to the condenser and air-pump. Thus the plunger d will be made to ascend by floating, and the plunger e to descend by its own gravity, which gives the reciprocating action to the beam of the engine

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