IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Litchfield, of Southey Street, Nottingham,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE
FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 17th November 1868, and dated the 7th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Litchfield at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th August 1868.
I, JOSEPH LITCHFIELD, of Southey Street, Nottingham, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF LACE FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as
follows:-
-
The object of this Invention is principally to produce readily and
advantageously in twist lace machines broad lace fabrics, such, for
example, as curtains.

page_text: The fabric which I desire to produce consists of ground work or net
with a pattern of fining or opaque work upon it, and usually also with
open work or holes larger than the meshes of the ground net. The
crossings of the net are each produced by two warps threads passing from
pillar to pillar in opposite directions, and so crossing each other, and
the finings are produced by warp threads passing over three or more of
the pillars. The open work or large holes are produced by omitting the
crossings of the warp threads.
Now according to my Invention I produce such fabrics by the use in
the machine of jacks or moveable stops, which enter amongst the warp
threads and act upon them, so as to regulate their motion and prevent
them from moving; in all cases the same number of gates as the warp
bars which carry them move. Fabrics of this nature have never here-
tofore been produced by this contrivance.
I arrange the apparatus in the following manner:-A twist lace
machine (which, except as herein-after stated, may be of ordinary con-
struction) is set up with two warp threads to each bobbin thread. The
warp threads are carried in two warp bars which have movement given
to them, so that (when the jacks or stops do not operate to modify the
action of the bars on the threads) the threads carried by one bar twist
constantly each with its own bobbin thread, and the threads carried by
the other bar traverse to and fro over three or other number of bobbins.
In other words, the machine when the jacks or stops are out of action
works so as to produce the fining or pattern of the fabric. The jacks or
stops are carried by a bar at the back (or it might be at the front) of the
machine, and this jack bar works so as to cause the jacks or stops to dip
in amongst the warp threads at one motion, and then shog or move
sideways one space or gate. At the next motion the jack bar returns or
is shogged a gate in the opposite direction, and at the following motion
the jack bar so moves as to withdraw its jacks or stops from amongst
the warp threads, then replace them and moves a gate sideways, and
so the jack bar works continuously, withdrawing the jacks or stops from
amongst the warp threads at every alternate motion. Each jack or stop
however is itself a spring, or otherwise is moveable independently of the
jack bar, and each jack or stop is connected with a cord passing to the
jacquard, so that by means of the jacquard any of the jacks or stops can
be moved back from amongst the warp threads whilst the other jacks or
stops are in action. In producing the pattern or finings all the jacks or

page_text: stops are kept out of action. In producing the ground net the jacks or
stops operate on both sets of warp threads. Those threads which, as already
mentioned, are by their warp bar carried only one gate or space are by
the jack bar from time to time moved a second gate or space, so as to
make a crossing to another bobbin thread, and are for a time caused to
work upon this bobbin thread. The threads carried by the bar which
moves three or more gates are at the same time stopped by the jacks, so
as to cause them to move sometimes only one gate when they have to
work on a single bobbin, and sometimes two gates to produce a crossing.
To produce the open work the jacks or stops are caused so to regulate
the warp threads of both sets that they work for a time only on one
bobbin thread.