244 



CALENDER. 



Common 

 mangle. 

 PLATE 

 CVIII. 



Calender, rent modes are adopted : The first is merely that de- 

 ""V ' gree of compression which, besides divesting the 

 threads which compose the texture, frees the cloth 

 from any cresses or folds which it has previously re- 

 ceived, and renders the whole surface on both sides 

 uniform and level. The second, besides effecting 

 this, adds a gloss to one side of the fabric ; the first 

 is generally called dressing ; the second glazing. A 

 considerable diversity of apparatus is required for 

 these purposes; representations of the most important 

 and essential parts of which will be found in Plate 

 CVIII. 



The most simple and common way of smoothing the 

 surface of cloth, and which in some respects com 

 bines the two modes of acting upon it, namely, by 

 pressure and by friction, is the common domestic 

 smoothing iron, which acts both by pressure and fric- 

 tion. In the operation of the smoothing iron too, 

 besides the mechanical operation, the effect is found. 

 to be much heightened by moderate heat, probably 

 from the expansion produced in the stuff of which 

 the cloth is composed, during the operation. Far 

 the smoothing of large surfaces of cloth, the opera- 

 tion of the hand-iron being much too tedious, the 

 implement generally employed for the use of private 

 families, is the common mangle, of which there are 

 different kinds in use. -One very simple in construc- 

 tion, and which answers the purpose very well, is repre- 

 sented in Fig. 1. Plate CVIII. This machine consist* 

 merely of a strong level smooth table, of a convenient 

 height and breadth, the cover being stout, and of well 

 seasoned wood, to prevent casting or warping. The 

 cloth being smoothly spread upon this table, the box 

 A, which is placed upon two smoothly turned rollers 

 of iron, is made to roll alternately from one end of 

 the table to the other, until the cloth is sufficiently 

 smoothed, when a fresh portion is spread upon the 

 table, and the operation repeated until the whole 

 piece has undergone the process. The cloth may be 

 very regularly and quickly drawn along the table, by 

 unwinding it from a roller at one end, and wind- 

 ing it upon a similar roller at the other. If it 

 be desirable occasionally to employ heat, it may be 

 easily done by casting the iron rollers of the box A 

 hollow, and filling the cavity with small cylinders of 

 cast iron, heated previously in a furnace or common 

 fire. The motion is communicated to the box A by 

 two belts, cords, or chains B, B, which, after passing 

 over a pulley at either end of the table, are wound 

 round the cylinder or barrel C. By turning a handle 

 or winch W, the barrel is moved round, and the mo- 

 tion communicated to the box in either direction. It 

 "will be found convenient to have two hooks suspend- 

 ed over the box, by which it may be lifted from the 

 table when the cloth is to be shifted. 



An apparatus of this kind may do very well for 

 family use, or upon a small scale ; but it would be 

 found too trifling and tedious for the operations of 

 general business, where quantity and disparch are 

 necessary. For this reason, the common five bowl 

 calender is generally used ; and this machine is usually 

 set in motion by the power of a horse, excepting in 

 large manufactories, where the great moving powers, 

 water or steam, are employed for a variety of pur- 

 poses, in which case the calenders are driven by the 

 power employed for other mechanical purposes. 



A front elevation of the five bowl calender will be 

 found in Fig. 4. A is the frame-work, consisting 

 of two very strong upright posts, generally of hard 

 wood, about 12 inches by 6, and Connected at the 

 top by a strong cross piece or cape, fixed to the up- 

 right posts by screw-bolts, besides which there is 

 usually another cross rail below ; secured in the same 

 manner* The bowls or cylinders, five in number, are 

 distinguished by numerals. Of these, numbers 2 

 and 4- are of cast iron, very smoothly turned, and 

 hollow in the centre, for the purpose of admitting 

 cylindrical pieces of iron red hot, when the calender 

 is to be heated. The main bowl, or cylinder 3, 

 used to be universally of wood, until the introduc- 

 tion of what are called paper bowls, which, we be- 

 lieve, originated in Lancashire, and which have beert 

 found in every respect so much superior to the for- 

 mer, that they are now in very general use, although 

 the original expence of a paper bowl is at least six 

 times as great as that of a wooden one. The advan- 

 tage of the paper bowl over the wooden one, arises 

 from its being perfectly free from every tendency to 

 split or warp, to both of which the wooden one is 

 very liable, especially when often exposed to great 

 heat from the iron bowls with which it is in contact. 

 Independent of this, which of itself is of infinite im- 

 portance, the paper takes a very smooth fine polish 

 when turned; and by pressing into every pore of the 

 cloth, smooths its surface much more effectually than 

 any cylinder of wood, however truly turned. 



The construction of the paper bowls is simple 

 although tedious, and may be very briefly explained. 

 The axis of the cylinder is a square bar of malleable 

 iron, of the proper length. Upon this is first put a 

 strong round plate of cast iron, of the diameter in- 

 tended for the cylinder when finished. A quantity 

 of thick stout pasteboard is then procured, and cut 

 into round pieces, rather larger in the diameter than 

 the iron plate. In the plates, and in every piece of 

 the pasteboard, a square hole inust be cut in the 

 centre to receive the axis ; and the circle being di- 

 vided into four or five equal parts, a hole must also 

 be cut at each of the divisions, an inch or two with- 

 in the rim. These pieces of pasteboard being suc- 

 cessively put upon the axis, a long rod of malleable 

 iron, with a head at one end, and screwed at the 

 other, is also introduced through each of the holes 

 near the rim, and this is continued until a sufficient 

 number are thus placed to forma cylinder of the length 

 required, proper allowance being made for the com- 

 pression which the pasteboard is afterwards to un- 

 dergo. Another round plate is then put on, and 

 nuts being put upon the screws, the whole are 

 screwed tight, and a cylinder formed. The cylinder 

 is now to be placed in a stove, exposed to a strong 

 heat, and must be kept there for at least several days ; 

 and as the pasteboard shrinks by exposure to the 

 heat, the screws must be frequently tightened until 

 the whole mass has been compressed as much as pos- 

 sible. When the cylinder is thus brought to a suf- 

 ficient degree of density, it is removed from the 

 stove; and when allowed to cool, the expansion of 

 the pasteboard forms a substance almost inconceiv- 

 ably dense and hard. Nothing now remains but to 

 turn the cylinder, and this is an operation of n 

 slight labour and patience, The motitn in 



Calender. 



Five howl 

 calender. 

 PI.ATB 

 CVIII. 

 Fig. 4. 



Method oft 

 construct- 



