20,235. Asher, W. J. Sept. 19. Ironing machines.- The material to be ironed is carried by an endless apron over the surface of a steam chamber, preferably in the form of a rotary cylinder. In the machine shown the steam cylinder 1 is rotated by the worm gear &c. 3, 4, 5, 6. The apron 2, which is driven by the cylinder, receives the articles at the roller 12, conveys them round the surface of the steam cylinder, and delivers them at the roller 7. Rollers 8, 9, 10, and 11 are arranged, as shown, to support the apron which is adjusted by the screw-gear 35, 36 attached to the roller 11, the tension being kept uniform by the roller 10, carried by the weighted levers 37. Articles to be ironed are placed on the feed-box, of which the back board 14 may be adjusted by bolts 15, and are fed to the machine over the feedboard 17 between the steam box 22 and the roller 18 pivoted at 21, Fig. 3. The roller 18 is carried by levers 20 pivoted at 21, Fig. 3, and the steam box 22. The roller 18 is driven positively from the roller 12, at a little lower peripheral speed than the apron, so that a slight tension is applied to the articles, as they are drawn on to the cylinder. The roller 12 is carried by links 23 so that the tension of the apron causes it to press on to the cylinder. When the articles reach the roller 7, they are stripped from the cylinder by the doffer blade 25, which is carried by the bar 28, pivoted at 29, and prevented from fouling the apron by the stop 30, and are carried round the roll 7 by a series of tapes 26, which pass over the padded pulley 31, driven by friction with the apron. The tapes pass through a number of slots 27 in the doffer plate. The articles are delivered on the top of the return portion of the apron, and are carried to the folding table 33. Fig. 1, the rollers 31, 7, and 18 are mounted on arms 32, 43, and 20, so that they may be displaced, leaving the doffer plate readily accessible for repair. A double machine is arranged to iron both sides of the goods which, after leaving the roller 9, are carried between the aprons of the two cylinders over a series of rollers to a roller where the aprons separate, that of one cylinder returning by rollers such as 11, 12 and the other carrying the articles over the face of the second steam cylinder, driven in the opposite direction. The goods pass to a plain doffing-plate which strips them from the cylinder, and passes them to the folding board. The rollers 8 are provided with devices shown in Fig. 7 for keeping the aprons centrally on the rollers. Stops 50 are carried by a rod 49 so that, if the apron deviates from its proper position, the rod will be moved, and one of two pawls, attached to a bar 52, will be brought into contact with one of the racks 55, 56. The bar 52 is moved to and fro by the pin 51 fixed eccentrically on the spindle of the roller, so that immediately a pawl is put in gear, the roller 8, which is pivoted at 44, is made to move slightly so causing the apron to return to its central position. The racks are inclined, as shown, so that the pawls fall out of gear when the apron returns.