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lentine Gotlieb, Lambeth marsli, Southwark : 
a a is tlie bottom or fixed bed of the press, 
firmly bolted to the two upright cheeks, b h, 
whicli support at their upper end a strong 
cross befcm, B, called the head ; the beam, 
B, is perforated in the middle to receive an 
iron screw, D. E is a contrate-wheel, of 
ninety-six teeth, which has a female screw, 
to admit the male screw, D ; the wheel is 
turned by a pinion of ten teeth, upon the 
axis of a large crank, f, which is turned 
round by one or two men, according to the 
power required : these men stand upon a 
stage, H, fastened to the upright cheeks, 
bb. The lower end of the screw, D, is 
square, and is keyed into a three-legged 
iron frame, h, bolted to the swinging-bed of 
the press, I ; this is formed of several pieces 
of thick oak plank, strongly bolted together 
the fixed bed, K, of the press is framed in the 
same manner, and supported on the bottom 
bed : aa,k k, are two upright beams, fast- 
ened at their lower ends to the fixed bed, 
the press, and at the upper ends are fasten- 
ed to the frame of the stage, H, on which 
the men who turn the handle,/, stands : one 
of these beams, k, is fixed to the lower bed 
by a moveable key-bolt ; at the upper end 
it turns on a bolt as a centre, so as to rise 
up, as shown in fig. 1 : 1 is a rope going 
round a pulley, one end fastened to the 
beam, the other to a weight which counter- 
balances the beam. 
The operation of the machine is begun 
by screwing the sw'inging bed of the press 
up as high as it will go, and turning up the 
bar. A:: a bag, filled with hops, and sewed 
up, as before described, is then placed on 
the lower bed, K, and the- bar, k, brought 
down and keyed fast, to keep the bag un- 
der the press, the man upon the stage, H, 
then turns the winch, f, and by the action 
of the pinion fixed upon its spindle, turns 
the wheel, E, and thus brings the screw and 
thesw'higing bed of the press down upon 
tlie bag, and compresses it into a very small 
space. A small cord is now passed tlmough 
the spaces between the pieces of wood, 
forming the lower side of the swinging bed, 
and the upper side of the fixed bed, and 
reefed twice round the bag, and tied fast : 
the man at the handles now turns it back, 
and draws up the swinging bed to relieve 
the bag, the cord retaining it in its com- 
pressed state. 
In 1798, the Society for the Encourage- 
ment of Arts, Manufactures, and Com- 
merce, rewarded Mr. John Peak, of the 
New Road, near the Adam and Eve, Lon- 
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don, with thirty guineas, for an improved 
packing press, shown in fig. 3, Plate Press, 
which is a front elevation of the machine, 
A A, tlie frame of the press ; B B, the large 
screws) which, in tliis press, contrary to 
those in common use, are fixed and im- 
moveable ; C, a circular iron bar, extend- 
ing beyond the sides of the press, and hav- 
ing thereon two worms or endless screws, 
E, E, which work in two toothed wheels, 
fixed to the nuts ; by turning the winch, D, 
the nuts and bed are driven up and down 
the screws, as may be found necessary. F, 
a stage suspended from the bed, and on 
which the men stand who work the press ; 
such a stage may, if found necessary, be 
fixed at the other end of the bar, another 
winch being put upon the square shoulder, 
G. The bed of this press must be formed 
of two pieces of strong wood, which are 
held together by screws and nuts passed 
through them, as shown at h h h h. 
One very considerable advantage of this 
press is, that much time is saved by its be- 
ing a double press ; for it will very readily 
be perceived, that when the lower package 
has been sufficiently pressed, as the bed or 
presser is raised, (another package being 
thereon) the upper package begins to be 
pressed, as that one underneath is relieved, 
and so alternately, during the whole opera- 
tion. 
PRESSING, in the manufactures, is the 
violently squeezing a cloth, stuff, &c. to 
render it smooth and glossy. There are two 
methods of pressing, liiz, cold or hot. As 
to the former, or cold pressing, after the 
stuff has been scoured, fulled, and shorn, 
it is folded square in equal plaits, and a skin 
of vellum, or pasteboard,' put between each 
plait. Over the whole is laid a square 
wooden plank, and so put into the press ; 
which is screwed down tight by means of a 
lever. After it has lain a sufficient time in 
the press, they take it out, removing the 
pasteboards, and lay it up to keep. Some 
only lay the stuff on a firm table, after 
plating and pasteboarding, cover the whole 
with a wooden plank, and load it with a 
proper weight. The method of pressing hot 
is this : when the stuff -has received tlie 
above preparations, it is sprinkled a little 
with water, sometimes gum water, then 
plaited equally, and betw'een each two 
plaits are put leaves of pasteboard ; and be- 
tween every sixth or seventh plait, as well 
as Over the whole, an iron or brass plate 
well heated in a kind of furnace. This done, 
it is laid upon the press, and forcibly screwed 
