IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PILED FABRICS, WHETHER PLAIN OR FIGURED
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Pidding, of New Kent Road, in the
County of Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PILED FABRICS,
WHETHER PLAIN OR FIGURED."
Scaled the 12th May 1857, and dated the 16th March 1857.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Pidding at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declara-
tion, on the 16th March 1857, pursuant to the 9th section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PIDDING, of New Kent Road, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PILED FABRICS, WHETHER
PLAIN OR FIGURED," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the
same, and have made solemn declaration that I verily believe myself to be the
first and true Inventor thereof:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Pidding, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in

page_text: which the same is to be performed, reference being had to the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and forming part of this my Specification, on
which Figures or Diagrams illustrating the said Invention are designed; and
similar letters of reference are placed upon and denote similar parts in each
of the Figures respectively.
The object of my Invention is to improve, either by economy in manu-
facture or superiority of finish, certain fabrics, usually denominated piled or
cut fabrics, such as rugs, carpet, animal or other baize, and all fabrics whose
surfaces when made or manufactured are cut or shorn to be made even,
which latter result I obtain during the making of such fabrics, without
having recourse to an after process for the purpose.
My mode of operating will be best understood by an immediate reference
to the Drawing, while reading the following description.
In the said Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the machine in
which the threads I use are laid, as it would appear when constructed and
ready for use; Fig. 2 shews an end view, representing the machine as partly
charged with threads forming a design or pattern; Fig. 3, a top plan view
of the bottom board; and Fig. 4, an isometrical view of one end of the bottom
board with metal plate attached, and one of the loose plates laid thereon (to
be hereafter described).
At Fig. 1, it will be observed, I place a flat board a upon a framing or rest
(which is to support the whole of the apparatus containing the threads I use
in my operations) marked b, the top of which is raised to any convenient
distance from the floor. At each end of the board a I screw or otherwise
firmly secure strips of wood c (at Fig. 1 and 2) in such a manner that their
surfaces become even with the surface of the board a, as shewn also at
Fig. 3. Upon the strips of wood c I lay thin plates of metal (or other
suitable material) d, d, about one inch wide, more or less, for a purpose to be
herein-after described. Upon the outer sides of the board a, I place pieces
of wood e, e, to form the sides of the thread's receiver; these pieces or
lengths may be made of any convenient thickness, and carried to such height
as may be most suitable to the purpose or operations intended, and of the
length of the board a (but not including in such length the pieces c. The
metal plates d are made with innumerable small notches in their outer
edges, almost close together and equidistant, for the purpose of passing the
threads or yarns over (or if desirable these plates may be made without
notches cut on their said outer edges). Over and under these plates a strong
adhesive substance is laid, so that when the ends of the threads or yarns are
drawn over the plates and placed in the notches, the ends of the threads or

page_text: yarns are turned over and secured. The long pieces or strips of wood e, e,
are lettered, say, from A to L, M, N, or furth, according to the number of
pieces required (or they may be numbered). Each of these lettered pieces I
call a section, and each of these sections is to be furnished with metal plates,
longer than the width of the machine, (see A', Fig. 4,) say, twenty or twenty-
five to each section, or as many as may be found necessary to agree with the
depth of the section board e. The plates belonging to the section A are
marked A', A, A³, and so on; those of B section B1, B2, B3, and upwards,
for the purpose hereafter explained.
Having arranged the entire number of plates necessary for the size of the
material to be manufactured, the design or pattern (if any) is then to be
painted on their outer edges. When the paint is dry the plates are taken off
in sections, and as each plate is separated from the other, the color of the
pattern will be found in the notches (before-mentioned) on their outer edges,
which color may afterwards be extended to the other edge of the plate, and so
on to as many other plates as may be required (say for innumerable sets of
plates), the first painted plate being retained as a standard pattern to multiply
copies from in case of a run on any particular design; and to economize
plates I put different designs on each side of them. The workmen have now
to fill each notch in the plates with thread or yarn of the color corresponding
to that on the plate, and turn the ends of the thread under the plate, as
before-described; but if notches be not used the threads are to be laid in
the lines extended across the plate, and turned down in the same manner.
The other ends of the threads or yarns are affixed to corresponding plates at
the other end of the machine, care being taken that the threads are sufficiently
distended to keep them each and all in their proper positions, and so on till
each section is complete, when the machine is ready for building, as follows:-
At Fig. 4 is to be seen the bottom of section A, with one of the loose
notched plates placed thereon. For the convenience of the operator I place
blocks of wood f on each side of the pieces e, and slightly projecting, and
immediately under the ends of said blocks I place thin pieces of wood (shewn
in dotted lines) of the thickness of the trimming knife. The blocks f are
made with dowels for the more easy removal of the same, and when the
plates belonging to the section are complete they are bound or pressed down,
so as to become level with the surface of the piece e, when the block f may be
removed, and the strips c then screwed into the top of the board a, and so
on till the whole pattern is finished. When the screws g on the top of the
machine are set in motion, the ends thereof being attached to the block h
inside, for the purpose of fixing the threads more solidly or securely into

page_text: position, the thin pieces (shewn in dotted lines at Fig. 4) are then to be
removed by means of handles, and the triinming knife inserted in the space
left by the removal thereof; and, finally the plates d, d, are disengaged from
the apparatus containing the threads or yarns, as before-described. A piece
of board of size to fit the interior of the casing is inserted at one end
thereof, and pushed sufficiently far by the operator (the threads or yarns
moving with it in a body) to allow the ends of the threads or yarns to
project a little beyond the other end of the casing, for the purpose of
trimming them perfectly flat and even in the first instance. Having now
obtained the even surface required, an appropriate fabric (such as caiivass
having on one side thereof a coating of caoutchouc or solution thereof;
or any other substance suitable for the purpose of making the said fabric
adhere firmily to the ends of the threads or yarns in the casing, is to be
placed and pressed against the ends of the threads or yarns, and by means
of heat (applied by any known means) and sufficient pressure ends of the
thread or yarn, will adhere to the adhesive substance in the material coated
with it. The threads or yarns are then to be pushed forward from the
opposite end of the apparatus, as before directed, until they project as far as
may be desirable, or in other words, till the projections are of sufficient length
to form the height of pile or raised surface desired. The knife is then
brought into operation, and the ends of threads cut off thereby form the body
of the rug or other article, while the canvass forms the foundation thereof.
As before said, these articles may be of any design or pattern, flowers,
animals, mosaic, or other, or plain, if so desired. The operation is repeated
till all the threads or yarns are used up or withdrawn from the machine. The
pieces A, A, B, B, and and others, are to be connected together by cross
pieces attached thereto for safety in carriage, and to keep each sectioni
separate.
The great advantage of my system of manufacture of piled or raised fabrics
is that thereby I am enabled to multiply fabrics rapidly by at once setting the
yarn, and so dividing the cost amongst the whole number cut off. As it is
necessary to press the threads or yarns when placed as set in the apparatus,
the length through which the set yarn can be pushed is very limited, and as
must necessarily follow, the reduction of the cost of setting per fabric by
multiplying them and dividing the cost amongst the lot. Now, by having
(as where the extent of the operations will admit of it) the apparatus formed
as regards its length) into divided parts, capable of being connected or
disconnected, and setting the yarn or threads in the connected length, and
then disconnecting them, and manufacturing them from each division of the

page_text: length of the apparatus, an enormous number of fabrics can be made from
the cutting of one setting of the threads or yarn. To effect this the whole
length of the setting of, yarns required is made by forming a length, say, of
fifty feet of divisions of, say, ten feet each (more or less) as required.) These
divisions are built up precisely as directed in the apparatus shewn in the
Drawing, except that instead of the boards e, e, forming the sections, and top
and bottom boards being one length, they are of five lengths, and joined
nearly together during the operation of laying or setting the threads by strong
plates of iron or other material (leaving room between each division for the
knife to pass and divide the threads). The operation of setting the yarn
is the same as herein-before described; but that operation complete, the
screws 9 are set to work, the divisions made by removing the plates and
passing the knife through the threads. Assuming in fifty feet there be five
divisions, I have five cases of threads or yarns quite ready for storage,
sending away or operating simultaneously upon, as may be required. To
give a fuller idea of the making of these divisions, I have put in dotted lines
in the casing Fig. 1, the plates and spaces required to effect this operation.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which it is carried into effect, I desire it to be understood, that I do not
confine myself to the precise details of the parts or combination of parts
herein-before described, as such may be modified under particular circumstances.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Pidding, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
WILLIAM PIDDING. (L.S.)
JOHN GEDGE, Patent Agent,
4, Wellington Street South, Strand,
London.