Apparatus for processing textiles

A stone-washing machine comprising the combination of a rigid, open base frame having opposite sides, a horizontally disposed drum defining a substantially horizontal axis of rotation, said drum having opposite imperforate end walls of regular polygonal shape defining aligned peripheral edges, a plurality of imperforate substantially rectangular panels each of which extends between an aligned pair of said peripheral edges, said panels engaging one another and said end walls to provide a liquid tight drum, one of said panels having at lest a major section which is selectively removable to define an enlarged opening for loading and unloading the drum with solid stone-like objects and textile objects which are to be stone-washed, means for introducing liquid such as potassium permanganate into the drum, support means on said frame for rotatably supporting said drum about said axis, said support means including a pair of spaced coplanar support wheels supported for rotation at one of said sides of the base frame, drive means for rotating said drum about said axis, and guide means on said drum including a circular track circumscribing one end of the drum and rigidly secured thereto, said circular track being of generally outwardly directed U-shaped cross section to define a pair of spaced circular leg portions disposed in substantially parallel planes extending perpendicular to said axis, said support wheels being supported for rotation about axes which are substantially parallel with said first-mentioned axis and having a width fitting into said track, said support wheels having opposite lateral surfaces disposed in facing relation to said leg portions of the associated track to provide means for constraining said drum against axial movement along said axis relative to said frame.