Iм- DRAVEMENTS IN THE MAnufacture OF ELASTIC FABRICS. PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUfacture of ELASTIC FABRICS.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Luke Turner, of Leicester, in the County of
Leicester, Elastic Web Manufacturer, for the Invention of "Iм-
DRAVEMENTS IN THE MAnufacture OF ELASTIC FABRICS.
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUfacture of ELASTIC FABRICS.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Luke Turner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th May 1870.
I, LUKE TURNER, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Elastic
Web Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC FABRICS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention of improvements in the manufacture of elastic fabrics.
has for its object to produce an elastic fabric with a napped surface
having the appearance of woollen cloth. Attempts have been made to
produce this result by the use of woollen yarns instead of the cotton,
silk, or other yarns usually employed in combination with elastic strands
of india-rubber, but it has been found that the use of woollen yarns

page_text: alone with the elastic strands will not produce a marketable article
suitable for the purposes for which elastic fabrics are usually employed.
The fabric produced has been uneven, thick, and heavy, and altogether
unsuitable for the intended purpose.
I have discovered that if the elastic fabric is made with a back
formed of cotton, silk, or other fibrous substance which is not capable of
felting like wool, and woollen yarns are introduced to form the face of
the fabric, then I am enabled to produce an elastic fabric with a napped
face like woollen cloth and of suitable texture for the purposes for which
these fabrics are required. To this end I introduce in the non-elastic
warp strands or yarns of wool which in the weaving operation are kept
on the face of the fabric, while the cotton or other non-felting warp
threads are exclusively employed to form the back. If desired a woollen
weft may be employed, and for some cases it may be found advantageous,
but as a very satisfactory and useful result may be obtained even when
the ordinary cotton weft is used, I reserve to myself the right to use
either a woollen or other weft às may be preferred.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Luke Turner in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th November 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LUKE
TURNER, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Elastic Web Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, .by. Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Luke Turner, Her special licence that
I, the said Luke Turner, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Luke Turner, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for ¨“IMPROVEMENTS IN THE

page_text: MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Luke Turner, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
I NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Luke Turner; do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
My Invention of." Improvements in the Manufacture of Elastic
Fabrics" consists in making such fabrics with a napped surface similar
in appearance to the napped surface of woollen cloth. Attempts have
been made to produce this result by the simple substitution of woollen.
yarns for the cotton, silk, or other yarns usually employed in combination
with clastic strands of india-rubber to make elastic fabrics, but it has
been found that the use of woollen yarns alone with the elastic strands
will not produce a marketable article suitable for the purposes for which
elastic fabrics are usually employed.
I have discovered that if the elastic fabric be woven with a back
formed of cotton or silk or cotton and silk or other like fibrous substance
which is not capable of felting, and the face of the fabric be formed of
woollen yarns capable of felting, and if the fabric be made in the way
herein-after described it will have a napped surface similar in appearance
to the napped surface of woollen cloth, and will be of suitable texture for
the purposes for which these clastic fabrics are used. To this end F
introduce with the non-clastic warp threads, strands, or yarns of wool,
which in the weaving operation are kept on the face of the fabric while
the cotton or other non-felting warp threads are exclusively employed
to form the back. A cotton or a woollen weft may be used in the
weaving, but when the latter is used a better pile may be produced than
if a non-felting weft thread be employed. Both woollen and cotton or
other non-felting weft threads may be used in combination, but when
they are so used in combination two shuttles should be used. One of

page_text: the shuttles carries a woollen weft for the face of the fabric, and the
other a cotton or other non-felting weft for the back of the fabric.
Woollen warp threads made from wool similar to those used in the
manufacture of woollen cloth should be employed, and to render these
woollen warp threads stronger and at the same time more applicable for
the purpose two or more of the woollen yarns should be doubled or
twisted together, care being taken, however, in the doubling operation
to twist the doubled yarns in the opposite direction to that in which the
single yarns were twisted. By this means additional strength is obtained,
and at the same time the fibres are left open or loose, and thus are in a
suitable state for fulling or felting. In order to lay and consolidate the
fibres of these woollen warp threads and to give the threads sufficient
tenacity and strength to resist the friction to which they will be subjected
during the weaving operation I size or prepare them with a glutinous
preparation made of a solution of gelatine or glue in water, or a solution
of starch, dextrine, or paste made from flour, as in dressing warps for
calico or other weaving. By the subsequent processes of fulling or felting
to which the fabric when woven must be subjected this glutinous or
sizing preparation will be removed, and the fibres will then be in a
suitable condition to felt or full preparatory to raising the nap on the
fabric. It is necessary that the woollen warp threads should be brought
to the face of the fabric, so that by the subsequent processes of felting
or fulling and dressing a napped surface similar in appearance to the
napped surface of woollen cloth may be produced.
One mode in which this may be effected will be understood by reference
to the Diagram in the accompanying Drawing, in which Fig. 1 represents
a sectional diagram of the fabric shewing the manner in which the warp
threads and strands may be arranged to effect the desired result. The
woollen warp threads which form the face of the fabric are shewn at w, w,
and the cotton warp threads which form the back of the fabric at c, c.
The rubber strands which impart clasticity to the fabric are shewn at r, r.
The binder threads b, b, connect the woollen and cotton warps together
by rising and falling up and down alternately between the rubber strands
and thereby binding the two warps w, w, and c, c, together, thus forming
a compound fabric, in weaving which seven healds or heddles are
employed, as indicated in Fig. 2, which is a diagram of the "tie." The
first and second heddles carry the cotton warp threads which form the
back of the fabric. The third and fourth heddles carry the woollen

page_text: warp threads which form the face of the fabric. The fifth and sixth-
heddles carry the binder threads which may be made of wool, but silk,
cotton, or other fibrous material may be employed if desired. The seventh-
heddle carries the rubber strands. When the seventh heddle is raised
the cotton weft, if two kinds of weft are employed, passes underneath it,
and when it falls the woollen weft passes over for the face of the, fabric.
The diagram indicates the order in which the warp threads are raised
and lowered to form the fabric, the weft being thrown across in the usual
manner.
As a modification of the above a similar fabric (that is, a fabric with
a woollen face and cotton back as above described) may be produced by
forming a double shed and leaving the rubber strands stationary in the
middle, the woollen shoot or weft being made to pass over the rubber to
form the face of the fabric and the cotton shoot or weft to pass under the
rubber to form the back of the fabric. Or if preferred, the cotton weft
may be thrown above the rubber and the woollen weft below the rubber.
A compound fabric with a woollen face and cotton back having, been thus
woven it is next to be submitted to the fulling or felting process. I
prefer to effect the fulling process by passing the fabric between two or
more pairs of fulling rollers, one pair of which I prefer to drive at a
quicker speed than the other rollers. The fabric while being fulled or
felted must be kept wet with water or soap and water, as in fulling
woollen cloth. This fulling or felting operation will take out of the
fabric all the dress or size which has been given to the woollen warp
threads, and will full, felt, or mat the' woollen fibres together and bring
them out on the surface. The fabric may then be teazled, brushed, or
dressed and subsequently sheared in the usual way of dressing and shearing
ordinary woollen cloth, and by this means will be produced an elastic
fabric with a napped surface similar in appearance to the napped surface
of woollen cloth.
"
Having now described my Invention of · Improvements in the
Manufacture of Elastic Fabrics," and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would observe that I do not claim either
the mode of weaving herein set forth or described, or the mode of fulling
as described, but that which I consider to be new and desire to claim as
the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid is, the making
of clastic fabrics with a napped surface similar in appearance to the
napped surface of woollen cloth by the combination of the process of

page_text: weaving elastic fabrics composed of elastic strands and a woollen face
and cotton or other non-felting back with a fulling, felting, and dressing
process or processes, as and for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, F, the said Luke Turner; have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.