CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Scott and John Starkey at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the
16th September 1863.
We, EDWARD SCOTT, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, and JOHN STARKEY, of Salford, in the same County, Overlooker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates, first, to that portion of the loom called the "taking-up
motion," and consists in an arrangement of self-acting mechanism for decreasing
the rotation of the cloth roller as the fabric accumulates thereupon, such
mechanism consists of the ordinary lever vibrating upon a fulcrum near the
top, and having the usual two or more pawls above such fulcrum which act
upon the ordinary ratchet wheel driving the cloth roller; in the lower end of
this lever a vertical slot or slide is formed, in which is a stud or sliding piecò.
connected with and receiving motion from the slay, the said stud being..
attached by a band passing round a bowl at the lower end of the slay to a rod
acting on the periphery of the cloth roller. Thus, as the fabric accumulates
on the roller the stud is drawn gradually down in the slot by the band, and
so gives a less throw to the pawls and diminishes the rotation of the cloth
roller.
A second part of the Invention relates to an improved arrangement of
apparatus for driving the shuttle, termed the "picking motion," which consists
in the use of a disc or wheel upon and revolving with the crank shaft, and
carrying on its surface near its circumference a bowl or stud which strikes

page_text: (every alternate revolution) a projecting finger secured to a diagonal shaft,
which is connected to the "picker stick," and thus effects the sudden movement
of the "picking stick " and the propulsion of the shuttle, but in order to obtain
the alternate action of the "picker stick " the said fingers are caused alternately
to swivel or turn out of course of the stud or bowl by means of a bowl on the
wheel driven by the crank shaft, which depresses a lever on the swivelling
boss of the finger and causes it to turn partly round and to escape the blow of
the stud or bowl on the disc.
The "picker and stick" for propelling the shuttle constitutes a third part
of the Invention, and consists in facing or covering the "picking stick" with
buffalo hide, india-rubber, or other suitable material, and thereby dispensing
with the ordinary picker, the parallel action of the picking stick being obtained
by a rod or guide in the shuttle box which passes through the stick, the
forward concussion or driving motion of the stick being modified by an elastic
cushion at the end of the shuttle box, and the blow of the return movement is_
lessened and governed by means of a wire and spring, by which the "sticks"
are attached together, a long loop or slot being formed in the centre of the
wire through which a strong stud fixed to the slay passes, the wire being
moved to and fro each pick, and the movement of the "sticks" being governed
by the loop or slot.
.
The fourth part of the Invention relates to the motion for actuating the
healds termed the "heald or shedding motion," and consists in the employment
and use of an endless chain, cord, or band, partly encircling the peripheries of
the cams or eccentrics to transmit the motion to the healds. The cams or
-eccentrics are to be driven from a pinion on the crank shaft by a toothed
wheel rotating once whilst the crank -shaft rotates twice, and one portion of
the chain or band passes round the cam, the lower part of the chain passing
round a bowl in connection with the heald levers so that the movement
of the cam effects the rise and fall of the healds by means of the endless
chain.
Fifthly, our Invention relates to that part of the loom known as the "weft
motion" for stopping the loom when the weft breaks, and consists in an
arrangement of mechanism, which may thus be described:-A sliding catch
or finger upon the slay of the loom is attached to the "picker strap" and
moves or slides with each movement of the said strap, which movement causes
a bent finger passing beneath the weft to lift the weft to the centre of the
ordinary "weft fork," thereby causing such fork to act in the usual manner;
but in the event of the absence of the weft a projecting finger in connection
with the fork is not lifted, and the sliding catch comes into contact therewith

page_text: and holds it down until it comes in contact with the ordinary spring handle,
and thus effects the stoppage of the loom.
Lastly, our Invention relates to the "warp beam" and is designed to
regulate the pressure thereupon, and consequently the tension of the warp,
the improvement consists in the use of screws having toothed or star wheel
heads, into which a stud or tooth on the "warp beam" gears at each revolution
so as to turn the screws and gradually lessen the pressure of the india-rubber
or elastic bearings in which the warp beam is mounted as the warp becomes
unwound.