IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALDS FOR WEAVING FIBROUS MATERIALS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING THE SAME
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lockwood, of Dudley Hill, near Bradford, in
the County of York, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HEALDS FOR WEAVING FIBROUS MATERIALS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING
THE SAME."
Sealed the 2nd August 1861, and dated the 9th February 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lockwood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
February 1861.
I, JOHN LOCKWOOD, of Dudley Hill, near Bradford, in the County of York,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HEALDS FOR WEAVING FIBROUS MATERIALS, AND IS MACHINERY FOR
MAKING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to metallic healds for weaving fibrous materials, and
consists in forming such healds out of one piece of wire (though two pieces
may be employed substantially in the same manner) by doubling.it so as
to form a long staple, and then twisting the ends of the staple together
to form a long loop, and then twisting the loop together, but leaving a
part untwisted at each end to form a loop for the heald rods, and another
part untwisted in the middle to form a loop or eye for the warp thread.
The machinery by which I manufacture my improved healds consists of the
following arrangements, namely:-Two bars of any convenient length con-

page_text: nected together so as to be parallel to each other, and at a suitable distance
apart according to the length of the healds required, or a flat oblong piece of
metal of any convenient length having two sides parallel to each other, and of
suitable breadth according to the length of the bealds required, provided at
each end with axes placed midway between the arrangement of bars or the
edges of the flat plate, so that it can be rotated. Upon this arrangement of
bars or flat plate I wind the wire, traversing the part which guides the wire by
means of a screw or other equivalent arrangement, so that the said arrange-
ment of bars or flat plate will be covered from end to end by the wire, each
lap being close against the side of the lap preceding it. I then make a cut
through the wire along the outside edge of one of the bars, or along one edge
of the flat plate, and thus make each "lap" of wire form a separate staple.
I then twist each staple of wire to form the heald by the following combination
and arrangement of mechanism, namely:-A shaft made so as to be rotated by
suitable geer, which shaft carries a pair of pincers, or their equivalents, also a
wheel upon a hollow axis placed in bearings, so as to be rotated by suitable
gearing, which wheel and its bearings have a space cut out to allow the passage
of the wire to and from the hollow axis, which carries a pin or die of the size and
shape of the loop or hole to be formed in the heald for the warp thread; also
two pins of the size and shape of the loops for the heald rods, and which are
placed at a distance apart equal to about the length of the intended heald, and
are arranged so that they can be made fast in one position, and then left loose
and free (with the exception of the resistance of springs or weights) to move
towards each other; also two restraining pins, mounted or arranged so that
they can be moved backwards and forwards, and then dropped out of the
way; and also a series of lifters or pushers arranged so as to move up and
down or to and fro. The axis of tho said wheel is placed in a line between
the said two pins, and the said restraining pins are also placed in the same
said line, one on each side of the said wheel, and the axis of the said shaft
carrying the pincers, or their equivalents, is also placed in the same said line,
the pincers being within a short distance of one of the said two pins. The
staple of wire to be twisted and formed into the heald is placed on the said
two pins, which are at the time immoveable, and the two ends of the staple
come between the said pincers, and each side of the staple also passes through
the space in the said wheel, one side of the staple on one, the other on the
other side of the said pin or die and the said restraining pins. The said
pincers are now made to pinch the ends of the staple, and then the said shaf
is rotated, twisting the two ends of the staple together till those parts of the
ends of the staple within the pincers break off; then the said two pins are

page_text: released, and the said wheel begins to rotate and to twist the loop; the said
restraining pins confine several of the first turns of twist to that part near the
said pin or die in the hollow axis, and then retire out of the way and allow
the twist to traverse to the said two pins, which are brought towards each
other by the shortening of the wire by the twist, but are made to keep a
proper amount of tension upon the wire by the springs or weights before
mentioned. When sufficient twist has been given, the wire is pushed from
the said two pins and the said pin or die by the said lifters or pushers, and
thus the heald is formed, these operations being repeated for each heald. The
long loops, instead of being twisted from the middle, may be twisted from each
end. In making wire harness for jacquard purposes, the "lingo" may be
placed upon the staple of wire before it is twisted, or subsequently secured to
it. The shape of the loop or eye for the warp thread may be modified or
altered if required after being twisted by means of suitably shaped punches
and dies.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said John Lockwood in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th
August 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LOCKWOOD, of Dudley Hill, near Bradford, in the County of York, Mechanic,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight bundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Lockwood, Her special license that I, the said John Lockwood, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Lockwood, my executors, administrators, 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
HEALDS FOR WEAVING FIBROUS MATERIALS, AND IN MACHINERY POR MAKING THE
BAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Lockwood,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Lockwood, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
:-
My Invention relates to metallic heads for weaving fibrous materials, and
consists in forming such healds out of one piece of wire (though two pieces -
may be employed substantially in the same manner) by doubling it, so as to
form a single staple, and then twisting the ends of the staple together to form
a long loop, and then twisting the loop together, but leaving a part untwisted
at each end to form a loop for the heald rods, and another part untwisted in
the middle to form a loop for the warp. thread. The machinery by which I
manufacture my improved healds consists of the following arrangements,
namely: Two bars of any convenient length connected together, so as to be
parallel to each other and at a suitable distance apart, according to the length
of the heald required, or a flat oblong piece of metal of any convenient length
having two sides parallel to each other and of suitable breadth, according to
the length of the healds required, and provided at each end with axes placed
midway between the arrangement of bars or the edges of the flat plate, so
that it can be rotated. Upon this arrangement of bars or flat plate I wind
the wire traversing the part which guides the wire by means of a screw or
other equivalent arrangement, so that the said arrangement of bars or flat
plate will be covered from end to end by the wire, each lap being close against
the side of the lap preceding it. I then make a cut through the wire along
the outside edge of one of the bars, or along one edge of the flat plate, and
thus make each "lap" of wire form a separate staple. I then twist each
staple of wire to form the heald by the following combination and arrange-
ment of mechanism, namely:-A shaft made so as to be rotated by suitable
geer, which shaft carries a pair of pincers or their equivalents; also a wheel
upon a hollow axis placed in bearings so as to be rotated by suitable geering,
which wheel and its bearings have a space cut out to allow the passage of the
wire to and from the hollow axis, which carries a pin or die of the size and
shape of the loop or hole to be formed in the heald for the warp thread; also
two pins of the size and shape of the loops for the heald rods, and which are
placed at a distance apart equal to about the length of the intended heald, and
are arranged so that they can be made fast in one position, and then left loose
and free (with the exception of the resistance of springs or weights) to move

page_text: towards each other; also two restraining pins mounted or arranged so that
they can be moved backwards and forwards, and then dropped out of the way,
or to rise and fall simply; and also a series of lifters or pushers arranged so
as to move up and down or to and fro. The axis of the said wheel is placed
in a line between the said two pins, and the said restraining pins are also
placed in the same said line one on each side of the said wheel, and the axis of
the said shaft carrying the pincers or their equivalents is also placed in the
same said line, the pincers being within a short distance of one of the said
two pins. The staple of wire to be twisted and formed into the heald is placed
on the said two pins, which are at the time immovable, and the two ends of
the staple come between the said pincers, and each side of the staple also
passes through the space in the said wheel, one side of the staple on one side,
the other on the other side of the said pin or die and the said restraining pins.
The said pincers are now made to pinch the ends of the staple, and then the
said shaft is rotated, twisting the two ends of the staple together till those parts
of the ends of the staple within the pinchers break off; then the said two pins
are released, and the said wheel begins to rotate and to twist the loop; the
said restraining pins confine several of the first turns of twist to that part near
the said pin or die in the hollow axis, and then retire out of the way and
allow the twist to traverse to the said two pins, which are brought towards
each other by the shortening of the wire by the twist, and are made to keep a
proper amount of tension upon the wire by the springs or weights before
mentioned. When sufficient twist has been given the wire is pushed from the
said two pins and the said pin or die by means of the said lifters or pushers,
and thus the heald is formed, these operations being repeated for each heald.
The long loops, instead of being twisted from the middle, may be twisted from
each end, but I prefer to twist them from the middle.
In making wire harness for jacquard purposes, the "lingo" may be placed
upon the staple of wire before it is twisted or subsequently secured to it. The
shape of the loop or eye for the warp thread may be modified or altered, if
required, after being twisted by means of suitably shaped punches and dies.
My improved wire heald is shown by Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing;
(the eye for the warp thread is shown in the plane of those for the heald rods,
but should be at a right angle thereto). It will be seen that the wire on
each side of the eye is twisted in opposite directions, the twist being greatest
near the eye for the warp thread, and where the two ends of the wire are
twisted together.
The mechanism which I prefer to employ for making my improved wire

page_text: heald is illustrated on the accompanying Sheet of Drawing by Figures 2, 3,
4, 5, and 6.
Figure 2 is a front, and Figure 8 an edge view of the flat plate arrangement
for making the wire into "staples." a is the flat plate, of any convenient length
from 1 to 2, and of a breadth from 1 to 3. equal to the length of the staple
required; b, the axes of the plate. When used, it is placed in lathe centres,
and the wire is placed on a suitable bobbin or reel arranged that while the
wire is being drawn off from the bobbin or reel it may traverse the length of
the flat plate, and so that as the plate is rotated a screw in gear with the
lathe headstock traverses the bobbin or reel carriage and a suitable guide for
directing the wire from one end of the plate to the other at such a speed that
the wire is wound upon the plate, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. When filled,
the plate is removed, and the wire is cut along one edge (a) of the flat plate,
which is made sharp, so that on pressure being applied the wire is cut; this
may be done by securing the plate on a table, and traversing it against a
roller brought firmly against the wire, or by any other convenient means.
In place of making the staples in this manner, the wires may be cut into
suitable lengths, and then bent to the staple form.
The mechanism by which the staples are twisted into the forms shown by
Figure 1 is illustrated by Figure 4, a plan view; Figure 5, an end sectional
view; and Figure 6, a front view. a is a table or plate; b is a shaft, one end of
'which is formed into a pair of nippers or pinchers; the other end is screwed, and
'passes through the hollow axis of a pinion (61), to which it is secured by the
lock nuts, as shown; by this means the pincher end of the shaft (6) can be
adjusted to the required position. The pinion 61 is placed in bearings b³,
secured to the table (a), and geers with a wheel &, secured on a shaft (c)
below the table (a). Another pinion (d) with a hollow axis is carried by the
bearings d', secured to the table (a), and this pinion geers with a wheel d³
loose on the shaft c, but on one side it has one half of a clutch box (d³) formed
upon it, the other half d being arranged on a fixed key on the shaft (c), so
that by this means the wheel de can be connected or disconnected with the
shaft (c) when required. The pinion, with the hollow axis and its bearings,
have a space cut out, as shown best in Figure 5, so that the wire can get into
the hollow axis, in which a pine is fixed, upon which the eye is formed in the
heald for the warp thread. f and f' are two pins for the heald rods or loops
formed in the ends of the healds; they are each screwed into an arm f* and
f, one of which is secured on a rod (f), the other (s) being free to
'slide on the rod having a projection (f) passing from it to form a bearing

page_text: upon the opposite end of the rod (ƒ) past the first-named arm (f). This
rod (f) is free to slide endways in bearings formed in brackets (f.) secured
to the table (a). The two arms f* and fare forced asunder by means of
the helical spring f" placed upon the rod f, and the force of the spring
is regulated by means of the adjustable collar (f.) placed on the rod (f*).
The outward position or distance which the arms f³ and f³ are to be at
from the pinion (d) is regulated by the adjusting set screws f in the
brackets f, one of which acts directly upon the arm f, the other upon
a projection from the arm f'. It will thus be seen that the two pins f
and f can approach but not recede from each other beyond the limits
fixed by the adjusting set screws (f'); but the arms f* and f' can be
locked so as to be immoveable by means of the plate (9), which slides
between ribs formed upon the able (a). This plate carries two set screws 9',
with lock nuts. When the plate is slided inwards the heads of the set screws
come against the slightly bevelled or inclined ends of the arms f* and f³, and
force them outwards to the utmost extent, and thus it will be seen that by
moving this sliding plate the arms carrying the pins f and f' can be locked or
left free as required. h is a two-pronged forked lever handle, the prongs
being turned upwards so as to come on each side of the hollow axis of the
pinion (d) with the space cut out. The fulcrum of the forked lever is carried
on a bracket (h) secured to the table (a); the handle end of the fork prepon-
derates in weight so as to keep the points of the prongs a little above the
centre or axis of the pinion (d). Rotatory motion is given to the mechanism
by means of a handle (c) fixed on the end of the shaft (c). The pincers are
caused to pinch the wire when placed within them by a collar (b) made to
slide on the pincer shaft (b), so that when pushed towards the pincer end of the
shaft it comes against the "swell" on the pincers and compels the jaws to
close, and when slided in the opposite direction allows the jaws to open by
their own elasticity. The sliding collar is acted upon by a bracket or fork b°,
(which also forms a handle) fitting into a groove formed in the collar, and
this forked bracket and handle is secured to a bar & made to slide endways in
suitable guides formed in the table (a). This sliding bar & has two diagonal
slots made in it, which act upon pins fixed in the sliding plate g, and thus
gives motion for locking or unlocking the arms carrying the two pins f and f.
A projection from the sliding bar & passes downwards through a hole in
the table, and to it a forked bracket is secured, which acts upon the
moveable half of the clutch box (d').
brackets (f), upon which four arms (l) are placed as shewn, the object of
is a shaft having bearings in the

page_text: which is to lift the heald when formed from the two pins f and f' and the
pin e in the pinion d.
:
. The manner of using this mechanism is as follows:-Suppose the sliding
bar (k) to be moved outwards so as to move the sliding collar (6) from the
pincer end of the shaft (b), and thus let them open; in this case the arms.f"
and carrying the pins will be unlocked and the clutch box d³, d', will be in
gear. The loop end of the wire is placed upon the pin f, and the two ends
are brought between the jaws of the pincers, both sides of the staple passing
into the hollow axis of the pinion d (through the space cut out of it for the
purpose, and also out of its bearings), one side of the staple passing on one side
of the points h, the pin e, and the pin f, the other on the other side of these
pins; then the handle is moved so as to slide the collar () and close the
nippers, and consequently to lock the arms f and f, and bring the clutch d³,
and d' out of geer also. Now the handle (c) is turned till the two ends of the
wire are twisted together, the surplus length of wire breaking off within the
pincers; then the sliding bar (k) is moved in the opposite direction, and this
opens the pincers and unlocks the arms f* and f, and brings the clutch &
and d into geer, when by the continued rotation of the shaft c the pinion d
will turn, and the pin (e) fixed in it will begin to twist the wire; the two
points of the forked lever (h) will prevent the twist from passing them till
the handle end of the forked lever (h) is lifted, when the points will be
withdrawn, and the twist will travel towards the two pins fand, which
will approach each other by the shortening of the wire. When twist enough
has been put in the turning of the handle is stopped so as to bring the space in
the pinion (d) upwards and in the vertical position, the pinion being first
rotated sufficiently past the vertical position as to compensate for the elasticity
tending to untwist when the heald. is released, and to bring the plane of the
eye for the warp thread at a right angle to the planes of the eyes for the heald
rods. The heald being now finished, by placing one finger under one arm (1)
from the shaft (1), and taking hold of the heald with that finger and the thumb,
and lifting up at the arm at the same time, the heald will be simultaneously
pushed from the two pins f and f' and that (e) in the pinion; thus, while one
beald is being removed by one hand the other hand is free to take up another
staple of wire; these operations are repeated for each heald. In place of
einploying the mechanism described, the ends of the staples of wire may be
first twisted together in one machine to form a loop and then finished in
another machine.
.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention and the node

page_text: of carrying the same into effect, and wish it to be understood that I claim as
my Invention,
Firstly, the construction of wire healds for weaving fibrous materials,
substantially as herein-before described.
Secondly, the system or mode of preparing the staples of wire for healds, as
herein-before described.
Thirdly, the combination of mechanism for twisting staples of wire to form
healds, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lockwood, have hereunto set
my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
JOHN LOCKWOOD. (L.S.)