CALICO-PRINTING 



667 



pull oufc the cloth to an extent of 2 inches in the width. An opening machine, 

 patented by William Birch of Salford in 1871, is now used by many calico-printers 

 and bleachers. A detailed description of this 

 machine would involve too many drawings for the 

 size and aim of this work : a general idea alone of 

 it can be here given. Fig. 396 is an end eleva- 

 tion, &ndjiff. 397 a plan of part of the machine. The 

 side frames a of the machine are bolted to upright 

 beams b, or other framework at the upper part of 

 the building or other required place, and the fabric 

 to be acted upon is drawn through the machine from 

 vats, receptacles, or other places at the lower part 

 of the building, by its being connected to the dry- 

 ing, folding, or other machine to which they require 

 to go. In bearings at the top of the frames a there 

 is a shaft c carrying a roller d and bevel wheels e, 

 which gear into other bevel wheels / on shafts g, to 

 which are fixed spur-wheels h gearing into spur- 

 wheels i on stationary studs k. To the spur-wheels 

 are cast or fixed chain-wheels I, and on studs at the 

 back there are chain-wheels m. and on cranked 

 levers n,o, chain-wheels p, the levers working on the 

 stationary studs k. On the several pairs of chain- 

 wheels there are two pairs of endless bands q, hav- 

 ing external projections r and internal projections 

 e, the latter gearing with the chain-wheels, and 

 between these endless bands the fabric to be acted 

 upon is passed, and in order to obtain sufficient grip 

 the external projections on one of each pair of bands 

 passes between those on the other, and to prevent 

 the bands from bulging inwards there are plates t t 

 one plate at each side, being connected to the arm 

 , and the other plate at each side to a bracket u 

 connected to one of the cross frames. 



"When the fabric has to be opened, spread, and 

 guided, it is passed between the endless bands and 

 the single and double corrugated bars, and over the 

 roller d to the machine required, the central corru- 

 gated bar having been raised, to allow the passage 

 of the fabric, the bolts being withdrawn from the 

 slots for the purpose ; but when the connections are 

 complete the central bar is turned down and after- 

 wards bolted. When the machine to which the fabric 

 is connected is set to work, the fabric in its passage 

 turns the roller d, which gives revolving "motion 

 to the gearing and horizontal travelling motions 

 to the endless bands from the centre to the outside 

 where they are in contact with the fabric, and these 

 outward motions of the bands open and spread out 

 the fabric. 



The machine has also a very ingenious self-acting 

 arrangement for keeping the cloth from swerving 

 to either side during its passage through ; but a 

 description of it would be too elaborate for this 

 work. Every machine saves the labour of a boy or 

 girl. The drying-machine will be found described 

 in the article BLEACHING. To extend the pieces to 

 their utmost width a machine called a breadthen- 

 ing machine is employed. Fig. 398 is Mather and 

 Platt's belt-stretching machine: A is the framing; 

 B, moveable frame, supporting the breadthening 

 pullies and belts, regulated for breadthening by 

 screws ; c, hollow bars, on which frame B slides, and 

 through which the screws for regulating work ; D, 

 breadthening pullies ; K, tightening pullies for end- 

 less belte ; F, endless belt, which works half round H 

 pulley D and pullies B, and between the pulley D and the belt, the cloth is held 



