IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REEDS FOR WEAVING, AND IN MACHINERY OR IMPLEMENTS AND MATERIALS TO BE USED IN SUCH CONSTRUCTION
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Yeadon, of Idle, near Bradford, in the
County of York, Reed Maker, and George Chapman, of Stockport, in the
County of Chester, Draper, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF REEDS FOR WEAVING, AND IN MACHINERY OR IMPLEMENTS
AND MATERIALS TO BE USED IN SUCH CONSTRUCTION."
Sealed the 26th September 1856, and dated the 26th July 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Yeadon and
George Chapman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 26th July 1856.
We, SAMUEL YEADON, of Idle, near Bradford, in the County of York, Reed
Maker, and GEORGE CHAPMAN, of Stockport, in the County of Chester, Draper,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF REEDS FOR WEAVING, AND IN MACHINERY QR IMPLEMENTS AND
MATERIALS TO BE USED IN SUCH CONSTRUCTION," to be as follows:-
Our said Invention consists, first, in a method of constructing reeds without
the lap or wax band commonly used, the dents being arranged at equal inter-
vals in a frame or mould, and their extremities secured between two slips of
wood by a cement, which serves at the same time to unite the slips of wood
together and form the reed balk.

page_text: Secondly, in the composition of the cement before mentioned, the principal
ingredients thereof being gutta percha and caoutchouc.
Thirdly, in the arrangement and construction of frames or moulds for
adjusting and retaining the dents at uniform distances apart whilst they are
being united into a reed; such frame consisting of a series of parallel wires
evenly arranged and bedded in cement, so that the interstices between their
projecting extremities form receptacles for the dents.
Fourthly, in the arrangement and construction of guages, to be used in
making the frames or moulds before mentioned; such guages being composed
of parallel flat pieces of wire arranged in juxtaposition, the alternate pieces
being of different lengths. The ends of the longer wires project, and their
thickness corresponds with that of the wire of which the reed is to be composed.
The shorter wires are interposed, and determine the spaces between the longer
ones, their thickness corresponding with the width of the interstices or open-
ings in the reed proposed to be made.
Fifthly, in the construction of a clamping table or press, for uniting the
balks to the dents of the reeds. The unfinished reed with the frame is placed
on a bench and there subjected to compression by jaws carried by a suitable
framework, the whole being actuated by a powerful screw, or other mechanical
means adapted to the purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Yeadon and George Chapman in the Great Seal
. Patent Office on the 22nd January 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEL
YEADON, of Idle, near Bradford, in the County of York, Reed Maker, and
GEORGE CHAPMAN, of Stockport, in the County of Chester, Draper, send
greeting..
. WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of July, One thousand eight hun-
dred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her
heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Samuel Yeadon and
George Chapman, Her special licence that we, the said Samuel Yeadon and
George Chapman, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Samuel Yeadon and George Chapman, our executors, admini-
strators, or assigus, 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

page_text: lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REEDS FOR WEAVING, AND IN
MACHINERY OR IMPLEMENTS AND MATERIALS TO BE USED IN SUCH CONSTRUCTION," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Samuel Yeadon and George
Chapman, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the saine 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 we, the said Samuel Yeadon and George Chapman,
do hereby declare that the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and ascertained,
with the aid of the Drawings hereunto annexed, by the following statement (that
is to say):-
Our said Invention has reference to the fabrication of the reeds or sleys
commonly used in weaving. It consists in the composition and art of pre-
paring a cement to be employed in uniting the parts of reeds, and connecting
together the parts of certain instruments or implements ancillary to some of
our improved processes, in the fabrication of such reeds.
In uniting the parts of reeds by means of the last-named cement or com-
position, in lieu of the lap or waxed band commonly employed for that
purpose.
In determining and preserving the sett of reeds, that is to say, in regulating
the magnitude and ensuring the equality of the intervals or open spaces
between the dents of reeds by a new and improved method, herein-after
pointed out.
In reducing the faces of reeds to true planes by a new and improved method,
herein-after pointed out.
In the construction and arrangement of certain frames or moulds, racks or
combs, herein-after described, and in the use of such frames or moulds, racks
or combs in making reeds.
In the construction and use of certain implements to be employed in the
fabrication of the before-named frames or moulds, racks or combs, and which
mplements we term "
guages.
In the construction, arrangement, and combination of the parts of certain
machines, clamping tables, or presses, herein-after designated "press frames,"
and in the use and application of such press frames in uniting the parts of
eeds, and in reducing the faces of such reeds to true planes.

page_text: The parts of the Figures in the Drawings appended to these Presents are
and it is to be observed that the same characters
indicated by numerical characters, when they recur refer to the same parts
throughout.
Gutta percha, without any admixture, forms an efficient cement for uniting
the parts of reeds, but the cement which we prefer for that purpose is com-
posed of pitch, gutta percha, and caoutchouc or india rubber; and we combine
these ingredients generally in the proportions of half a pound of pitch and one
ounce of caoutchouc to each pound of gutta percha, or of sixty-four parts of
gutta percha, thirty-two of pitch, and four of caoutchouc for each one hundred
parts of cement. The proportions here stated are the best adapted, according
to our experience, for the average or general class of reeds for cotton or worsted
fabrics, but a rigid adherence to them is not essential. We find it not only
allowable, but convenient, to modify them according to the quality of the reeds
intended to be made. For coarse reeds, the whole or part of the caoutchouc
may be left out and the proportion of pitch augmented; and for the coarsest
kinds we mix gutta percha and pitch in equal parts, omitting the caoutchouc.
For the finer kinds of reeds we find it advantageous to increase the proportion
of caoutchouc and to diminish that of the pitch. The pitch is to be refined or
purified by boiling, and allowing the impurities to settle to the bottom of the
vessel containing it, and then separating the sedimentary matters by carefully
pouring off the pitch into another vessel; the gutta prcha and caoutchouc
are then to be added, the whole mass raised to a boiling temperature, and well
mingled by stirring until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. The
caoutchouc should be previously dissolved in naphtha, and added to the other
ingredients in the state of solution. The whole mass being well amalgamated,
it will be convenient for future use to roll or draw it out when in a plastic
state into narrow slips or straps of a semi-convex form, in determining the bulk
or thickness of which, regard is to be had to the extent of the cavities or
spaces which will have to be occupied by the cement in the structure of tho
reeds proposed to be made. The section of a slip of the kind intended is
represented at Figure 3, in Sheet 1 of the Drawings. The cement, rendered
plastic by immersion in boiling water, may be conveniently reduced to this form
by passing it through a pair of rolls, such as those represented in Figure 1,
Sheet 1. The upper of these rolls 1 is indented by equidistant segmental
grooves 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3. The lower roll 2 is plain, a small interval being left
between it and the cylindrical portions of the upper roll. By compression
between these rolls, the cement will be reduced to the form of sheets, with
convex ridges of the sectional form, shewn in Figure 2; and these sheets may
te divided by longitudinal intersection along the thin parts or intervals between

page_text: the ridges into slips of the form proposed, and which is represented in section
at Figure 3. The cement will then be ready for use. We find the form of
the prepared cement now recommended to be well adapted for the ultimate
application of it in the manner herein-after explained.
A weaver's reed is constituted of three parts, namely, firstly, the dents, which
are vertical and parallel pieces of flattened and polished wire, having equal
intervals or openings between them for the passage of the ends or threads of
the warp; secondly, the binders, which are slender laths or slips of wood,
retaining the dents in their places, and uniting them into a continuons grating,
commonly called the "web" of the reed; thirdly, a material for attaching the
binders and dents together, and connecting the whole into one fabric. The
substance commonly applied to the last-named use is band or yarn saturated
with a kind of wax, chiefly composed of pitch, tar, and tallow, but we dispense
with the waxed band, and use for this purpose the cement before described.
Figure 4, in Sheet 1, is a front view, and Figure 5 a section, of a portion
of a reed of our improved construction. 4, 4, 4, are dents, composing part of
the web; and 5, 5, 5, 5, are parts of the binders. The inner side of a part of
a binder is also shewn at Figure 6, and the section thereof at Figure 7.
These Figures explain the form which we prefer to give to our binders. We
make them rather stronger than usual, being enabled to do so without in-
creasing the bulk of this part of the reed by reason of the absence of the usual
overlay of waxed band. A small groove 6 is ploughed down the middle of the
inner side of each binder, and small holes 7, 7, 7, 7, are perforated at intervals
in a slightly oblique direction. The grooves and perforations are for the
purpose of making the cement, when pressed into them, retain its hold more
firmly on the wood. With the same view we prefer to leave the inner side of
the binder unplaned, the surface remaining in the rough state in which it has
been left by the saw. The dents being arranged and temporarily maintained
in position by the means herein-after pointed out, the binders are attached in
their usual places, as represented in Figure 4, by the cement before mentioned,
part of the cement being pressed into the interstices between the ends of the
dents, and serving to retain the latter permanently in their places.
For the purpose of ensuring the parallelism and uniform distances of the
dents in forming the webs of the reeds, it is necessary to arrange them upon
an even surface or plate, each dent being inserted edgewise between corre-
sponding teeth or dents of three frames, moulds, racks, or combs, such as are
herein-after described, and which we shall henceforward designate as "racks."
One part of our Invention consists in a ready and economical method of
preparing these racks, and another part thereof in a method of cheaply con-

page_text: structing certain implements to be employed in the fabrication of such racks,
and which implements we term " guages.' We shall therefore proceed to
explain these methods, commencing with that of making the guages.
Figure 8, Sheet 1, represents in side view a short detached portion of a
guage," sufficient to explain the construction thereof; and Figure 9 is a
section of the same. To construct such a guage, we take flattened and polished
wire of the kind used in making reeds; we cut such wire into short pieces,
half the number of which pieces are shorter than the others, the respective
lengths being to each other in about the same proportion as those of the two
pieces represented at Figure 10, Sheet 1; the burrs or deflected edges on the
ends of the pieces of wire, left by the operation of the shears in cutting, must
be carefully removed by grinding; the pieces of wire are then to be arranged
side by side, close together, on a plane surface or face plate, the shorter and
longer pieces being placed alternately, and resting on their edges, the ends of
the longer pieces extending, however, in one direction about one quarter or
three eighths of an inch beyond the ends of the shorter ones, these projecting
ends being intended to form the teeth or dents of the guage. The thickness of
the wire used for the guages must be regulated by the thickness of the dents
and width of the openings in the reeds proposed to be made. In reeds for
cotton and worsted fabrics, the thickness of the dents and width of the openings
are usually of the same magnitude, but in reeds for woollen fabrics the width
of the openings usually exceeds the thickness of the dents. In the former
case, therefore, the wire of which the guage is constructed must be uniformly
of the same thickness as that which is to be used for the dents of the intended
reed. In the latter case, the longer pieces of wire which form the teeth
of the guage must be of equal thickness with the dents of the proposed reed,
and the shorter wires of a thickness equal to the width of the openings in the
same. The pieces of wire being arranged in this manner and pressed into close
lateral contact, one side of the series is united by a layer of the cement herein-
before described to a small slip or lath of wood, and a similar lath or slip is
afterwards cemented to the other side. In Figure 8 the shorter pieces of wire
are marked 9, 9, 9; their office is to determine and preserve uniform the
distances between the larger wires 8, 8, 8. The upper ends of the longer wires
extend above those of the shorter ones, and form the teeth of the guage.
10, 10, are portions of the slips of wood cemented to the sides. Two of these
guages are necessary for the construction of a rack. Previously to being so
employed; they are to be transferred to a frame or pair of jaws, formed as
shewn in Figures 11 and 12, Sheet 1; the first-named Figure representing a
small portion of the frame in plan view, and the last-named a transverso

page_text: section of the same, the guages being represented as inserted in their places..
11 is the mid-rib or body of the frame, which must be as long as or a littlo
longer than the rack proposed to be made. The frame may be of wood or
metal, but the latter is preferable. The upper surface of the mid-rib or body
is to be planed true, so as to afford an even bed for the support of the dents in
making the racks, and the sides of it are to be rebated, so as to form cavities
or recesses for the reception of. the guages. 12, 12, are the cheeks or side
pieces; they are of the same length and material as the middle part, and
attached thereto by two or three screwed spindles, with winged nutts 13, 13,
whereby they can be clamped or closed so as to confine the guages in tho
recesses or grooves left between the cheeks and the mid-rib of the frame..
These recesses must be deep enough to envelope the whole of the guages.
except the teeth or dents, which are to project above the upper surface of the
frame. The guages when placed in the frame must be carefully adjusted in,
position, so that the dents and openings of the one may be accurately per-
pendicular or at right angles to the corresponding parts of the other. The
guages in this state are complete and ready for use in the fabrication of.
the "racks" required for the construction of the reed, which process we shall
next describe.
Flat reed wire must be selected for the racks, of a thickness corresponding
with the width of the openings in the proposed reed, consequently of the same
thickness as the shorter pieces of wire used in composing the guages; it is to
be divided into pieces of equal length, such length being at least half or five-
eighths of an inch more than the width of the space between the dents of the
two guages when the latter are fixed in the frame, as before mentioned. The
pieces of wire are to be inserted edgewise between corresponding teeth or
dents of the guages, the extremities of them in one direction being made
to project about a quarter of an inch beyond the teeth of the guage, in order
to form the teeth of the rack. All the interstices in the guages are to be
thus fitted with pieces of wire, the lower edges of the latter being pressed
into contact with the planed upper surface of the mid-rib of the guage frame,
and the projecting ends, which are to become the teeth of the rack, being
neatly trimmed to an uniform line by the application of a straight edge. The
pieces of wire thus placed are represented in Figures 11 and 12, being marked
14, 14, 14. When the whole have been so arranged, a lath or slip of wood
15 is to be applied, and pressed closely down upon that part of them which
occupies the space between the two guages, a strip of the prepared cement
in a viscous state being interposed. The cement is to be reduced to the state
mentioned by the application of heat, as when applied for uniting the parts

page_text: of reeds, in the manner herein-after explained; the lath or slip of wood should
also be heated to about the same temperature. The plastic cement will in
part be forced by the pressure into the interstices between the wires, so as to
secure each of them permanently in its place, and will in part remain between
the wood and the series of wires, which it will thus unite into a continuous
rack. In Figures 11 and 12, 14, 14, 14, shew the dents of the rack; and
15 the slip of wood binding the same together. The same numbers refer to
the same parts in Figures 18 and 14; the former of which elucidates the
general form and arrangement of the parts of a rack by a side view of a
detached portion, the latter by a section of the same. When the cement is
well set, the rack is to be raised out of the guage frame, and is ready for use.
It will be seen that the racks are very similar in general form to the guages,
the places of the short wires in the latter being occupied by the interposed
cement in the racks.
The racks are now ready to be mounted for use in making reeds, in the
manner illustrated by Figures 15 and 16; the former being a plan view, and
the latter a section, of a portion of a rack frame furnished with its racks as
used in making reeds. Three of the racks are to be placed in parallel grooves
in a frame or bed block of wood or metal, the form of which is shewn in the
Figures; the frame in these Figures is supposed to be of wood. 16 is the
body of the frame, which must be at least as long as the reed to be made in
it; 17, 17, 17, are parallel grooves or recesses for the reception of the racks
14, 14, 14. The racks must be carefully adjusted and secured in their places,
the corresponding teeth ranging with each other in lines at right angles to
the 'sides of the frame. The outer sides 18, 18, of the frame are metal plates,
attached by screws, and as thin as they can be made consistently with stability.
The upper side of the frame between the rack grooves is faced with iron or
brass plates 19, 19, which as well as the upper edges of the side plates are to
be planed true. 20 is a back plate, furnished with the racks, as shewn in
Figures 15 and 16. The frame forms a bed on which the dents. are to be
arranged in making reeds; it also answers another purpose in conjunction
with parts to be herein-after described. 4, 4, 4, in Figures 15 and 16;
represent dents as they are to be inserted between the teeth of the racks
in the process of reed-making. To secure the evenness of the faces of
our reeds, we compress them, during the time that the binders are being
applied, between two parallel hard planes or surfaces, continuing such com-
pression until the cement is sufficiently set to prevent displacement of any
of the parts of the 'reeds. One of these planes or surfaces is the upper
face of the rack frame 16, upon which the dents rest when deposited between

page_text: the teeth of the racks. The other of such planes or surfaces is the upper face
of a piece, which we term the "facing plate," the construction of which may
be understood by inspection of Figures 17 and 18; the former of which is a
plan view of a detached part of, and the latter a section of, the said "facing
plate;" 21 is the body thereof, supposed to be of wood, as in the case of the
rack frame; its length is the same as that of the rack frame. 22, 22, 22
are parallel grooves, corresponding in position with the racks in the rack
frames, the teetli of which latter enter these grooves, so that the approximation
of the faces of the rack frame and facing plate is not obstructed by them;
the outer sides 24, 24, are thin metal plates, like those of the rack frame,
and attached to the body in the same manner; the intervals between the
grooves are faced with iron or brass plates 23, 23, which, as well as the upper
edges of the side plates, are planed true. 25 is the back plate. Two of these
facing plates are required in the process of making a reed. The manner of using
them in conjunction with the rack frames and other parts will appear hereafter.
For the purpose of finally adjusting and uniting its component parts each
reed has to be subjected to the operation of two machines, which we deno-
minate "press frames." The two press frames differ only in the arrange:
ment of their beds, or of the parts immediately connected therewith. This
difference we will explain, referring to Figures 20 and 21 in the second
Sheet of the Drawings, the former of which shews in section the arrangement
of the bed of the first press frame, and the latter, or Figure 21, that of the
second. In both these Figures 16 is the rack frame, previously described, and
delineated at Figures 15 and 16, Sheet 1. In the present case it is repre-
sented as made of annealed cast iron, or what is commonly known as "malleable
cast iron," the surface plate, the sides, and the shells of the grooves being all
cast in one piece. This material is more expensive than wood in the first
instance, but more durable. 26, 26, are bolts, by which the body of the
frame is affixed to the back plate 20 at several points in the course of its
length; 21 is the "facing plate," also previously described in connection with
Figures 17 and 18 (Sheet 1). The surface plate, the sides, and the shells of
the grooves in this are also represented as of annealed or malleable cast iron,
attached by screws to the wood body, which in this case is retained. 27, 28,
Figure 20, are side pieces or cheeks which rest upon a level bed in the
machine, the latter of them being fixed, and the former moveable by screws,
so that it can be made to approach towards or recede from the other at
pleasure. These side pieces are each of about the same length as the rack
frames and facing plates. In the upper edge of each of the side pieces is a
recess formed to receive a slip or lath of wood 29, 29, of such a thickness

page_text: that when resting in the recess the upper side of it will coincide with the
plane of the upper face of the rack frame; this slip of wood forms a slightly
yielding bed for the ends of the dents. The rack frame, when filled with
dents is placed between the side pieces 27, 28, resting on the same bed which
supports them, and the moveable side piece is screwed up so as to bring all
the three pieces 27, 16, and 28 into close contact. The extreme upper edges
of the side pieces at 30, 30, rise about a quarter of an inch above the slips
of wood 29, 29, for the purpose of confining the cement and making it fill
the spaces between the dents of the reed. 31, 31, are two upper side pieces
or binder pressers, carried by pieces sliding vertically in the press frame, so
that they can be easily raised and lowered from time to time as required. The
lower edges of these binder pressers 32, 32, coincide with or are immediately
opposite to the recesses 29, 29, in the lower side pieces 27, 28, and are fluted
or grooved lengthwise to a section, which is the counterpart of that of the
binders. In Figure 21, 83, 34, are the side pieces in the second press frame,
the one being fixed and the other moveable by screws, as in the first press
frame; they enclose between them one of the facing plates 21. The sides
33, 34, are of the same height as the facing plate, and have their upper edges
grooved or fluted to fit the binders, in the same manner as the upper side
pieces previously described, and represented in Figures 20 and 21. 31, 31,
are the upper side pieces, which are precisely the same as those in the first
press frame. In comparing the arrangements of the beds of the two press
frames, it will be observed that the relative positions of their rack frames and
facing plates are the reverse of each other, the reason of which will appear in
the sequel.
The construction of the press frames will be explained by Figures 22, 23, 24,
and 25 in the second Sheet of the Drawings. Figure 22 is a front elevation,
Figure 23, a plan of the bed, taken in the plane of a horizontal section along
the line A, B, in Figure 22; Figure 24 is an elevation view of the end of the
frame lying nearest to it in the Drawing; Figure 25 is a view, taken in the plane
of a vertical cross section along the line C, D, in Figure 22, looking towards
the nearest end. We shall describe the machine as fitted up for the second
or finishing press frame. The frame of the machine consists principally of two
upright end pieces 36, 37, connected by a top rail 38, and by other rails
39, 40, 40, 41, 41. 42, 42, 42, (Figure 23,) are transverse bars, extending
between the side rails 40, 40, the upper surfaces of these bearers being in the:
same plane form the bed of the machine, upon which rest the side pieces
33, 34. Of these, 34 is fixed by bolts 43, 43, 43, passing through slots in the.
bearers, so that the position of the side piece can be adjusted according to

page_text: the width of the rack frame intended to be used. The other side picce 33 has
flanched bushes 44 (Figure 25) attached to its under side, which bushes have
inside screws to receive the outside screws upon the cross shafts 45, 45. The
necks of the shafts 45, 45, work in steps or bearings 46, 46, (Figure 25,)
bolted to the side rails 40, 40. The shafts 45, 45, have collars abutting
against the steps in the front rail, and shoulders bearing against the steps
in the back rail, so that the shafts when turned cannot move endwise.
The ends of the same shafts project through the front side rail, and are
furnished with small hand wheels 46, 46, by which the shafts may be
turned in either direction, the effect of turning them being to move the side
piece 33 nearer to or further from the fixed side piece 34. When the
facing plate has been deposited on the bearers 42, 42, 42, and between the
side pieces, the moveable side piece 33 is advanced by turning the screwed
shafts 45, 45, until the three pieces 33, 21, and 84 are clamped together, and
thus the bed of the press frame is formed. 47, 47, are two screwed shafts,
turned when required by hand wheels 48, 48; their screws worke iu screwed
nutts or bushes 49, 49, fixed in the cross rail 39, and their upper ends pass
through guides 50, 50, fixed to the top rail 38. When the rack frame 16
(Figure 21) is superimposed upon its counterpart, the facing plate 21 (Figure
21), the screwed shafts 47, 47, are brought down by turning the hand wheels
48, 48, until their ends press upon the back plate of the said rack frame,
serving at once to compress the dents between the rack frame and facing plate,
and to retain the rack frame in its place. 51, 51, 51, 51, are upright cheeks,
bolted to the end pieces 36, 37, and having grooves which receive the tongues
or feathers of two slides 52, 52. These slides are affixed to the opposite ends
of the moveable cross rail 53 at right angles thereto, the three pieces forming
a frame capable of sliding up and down in the grooves of the cheeks 51, 51.
The moveable cross rail 53 is enlarged at the parts 54, 54, and vertical holes
or slots are made in the enlarged parts to allow the screwed shafts 47, 47, to
pass through the body of the rail without touching it. 55, 55, are brackets
with horizontal flanches, two of which brackets are attached to each side of the
rail 53. To the flanches of these brackets, which project outwardly on both
sides from the bottom edge of the rail, are affixed by bolts or set screws the
upper side pieces 31, 31, before described in connection with Figures 20
and 21. The upper side pieces are longer than the rack frame and facing
plates, and each of their extremities has a horizontally projecting part or snug,
into which is inserted a set pin or screw, which serves as the axis of a small
winged button 56, 56. The ends of these buttons can be turned across the
grooves in the side pieces, so that the binders when placed in the grooves may

page_text: be secured therein, and suspended, by the buttons crossing their extremities,
without danger of falling. 57, 57, are racks, one of which is attached to each
of the slides 52, 52; 58 is a shaft, carried by steps or bearings in the end
pieces 36, 37, and having a fly wheel 59 keyed on that end of it which projects
beyond the end 37 of the machine. Upon the shaft 58 are two pinions 60, 60,
which gear with the racks 57, 57, so that upon turning the wheel 59 the
slides 52, 52, and cross rail 53 will be elevated or depressed by the racks and
pinions. 61 is a shaft, carried by brackets, and extending the whole length of
the frame behind the rail 39; 62, 62, are two pulleys keyed upon it; 63, 63,
are eye bolts, inserted in projections from the lower ends of the slides 52, 52.
To these eye bolts are attached the straps, chains, or cords 64, 64, which are
carried up to the pulleys 62, 62, and fastened to them by set screws; the
rotation of the shaft 61 therefore winds or unwinds the straps 64, 64. On
the extremity of the shaft 61, which projects beyond the end 36 of the press
frame, is a third pulley 65, attached to which is a third strap or chain 66,
which depends from it in a direction contrary to that of the straps 64, 64, so
that when the two latter are wound on their pulleys the former strap 66 is
unwound from its pulley, and vice versa. The strap 66 carries a weight 67,
which is just sufficient to counterbalance the weight of the slides 52, 52, the
rail 53, and side pieces 31, with their appurtenances. These parts are there-
fore in equilibrium, or nearly so, and when not moved by the racks and pinions
will rest indifferently in any position. On the extremity of the shaft 61, which
projects beyond the end piece 37 of the frame, is keyed a band pulley 68. A
cord 69 is attached to this pulley, and depends from it towards the front side
of the machine, having a loop or hook at 71. 70 is a hook or pin projecting
from the end piece 37; the loop or hook 71 is at such a part of the cord, that
when the upper side pieces 31, 31, bave descended so low as to deposit the
binders upon the dents in the rack frame, the said hook or loop will have
descended nearly, but not quite, to the level of the hook or pin 70. Upon
drawing the cord 69 a little further, and casting the loop 71 over the hook 70,
the weight 67 will be a little further elevated, and the straps 64, 64, slackened;
the weight 67 will now be sustained by the hook 70 and cord 69, and the
rail 53 with the parts thereto attached being entirely relieved from the
action of the counterweight 67, will operate with its entire weight to press
the binders down upon the dents, and to force the interposed cement into the
interstices between the same.
The preceding description applies to the press frame which is the second
in the order of use in our process of reed making; but the other press frame,
which is to be used firstly in the same process, is precisely similar, except in

page_text: the arrangement of the parts of the bed, which is as represented in section
at Figure 20. The description of the press frame now given therefore applies
to the other also, with the exception mentioned.
Having described the machinery, implements, and materials to be used, so far
as the same are new and of our Invention, we shall now explain the process of
constructing a reed.
The wire having been selected of the requisite strength, is to be flattened,
polished, and cut into proper lengths by any of the modes in ordinary use for
those purposes, and as these are well known and commonly practised they do
not require to be noticed. The composition of the cement, the construction
of the guages, and of the racks and rack frames we have already fully de-
scribed. The number of racks and rack frames employed will vary according
to the number of reeds to be made in a given time, and the facilities for
rapidly cooling the cement, as each reed will have to remain in the rack frame
in which it is formed until the cement is well cooled and hardened. The
number of facing plates employed must be one to each press frame. To form a
reed, we fill a rack frame with dents to the length of the reed proposed to be
made, inserting such dents edgewise in the openings between the teeth of the
racks, and allowing their lower edges to rest upon the upper face of the rack
frame. The ends of the dents must overhang the edges of the rack frame to
equal distances at both sides, such distances being about equal to the width
of the binder intended to be used. The rack frame thus replenished is to be
placed in the bed of the first press frame, and fixed therein by closing the
side pieces 27, 28, by means of the screws 45, 45, the overhanging ends of the
dents resting upon the laths or slips of wood 29, 29, (Figure 20). One of
the facing plates must now be placed face downwards over the dents, its sides
coinciding with the sides of the rack frame, and the projecting teeth of the racks
entering the grooves in it. To facilitate the adjustment of these pieces, the facing
plates may have near each of their ends small vertical pins standing out from
their faces, which pins may enter holes bored to receive them at corresponding
points in the faces of the rack frames. The shafts 47, 47, must now be screwed
down upon the back of the facing plate, so as to compress the dents and hold
them firmly in their places. The web of the reed is now arranged and ready for
the application of the first pair of binders. To prepare the latter, one of the
long strips of cement before described, and represented at Figure 3, Sheet 1, or a
similar strip of gutta percha, is to be applied, with its flat side to, the flat side of
each binder, as shewn in section at Figure 19, Sheet 1, where 6. is the
cement, and 5 the binder. The binders must be a few inches longer than the
rack frame employed, or about the same length as the upper side pieces. Thus

page_text: associated, the binders and strips of cement are to be put into a heated stove
or oven of suitable dimensions, and to remain therein until the cement is
melted and the binders made thoroughly warm. The sliding frame being now
elevated, the first pair of binders is to be taken from the stove and placed with
the cemented sides downwards in the grooves of the upper side pieces 32, 32,
being secured therein by turning the ends of the buttons 56, 56, under them,
so as to prevent them from falling out. The operator now turns the wheel 59
in the direction of the arrow in Figure 24, so as to cause the pinions 60, 60, to
lower the racks 57, 57; the slides 52, 52, and cross rail 53 until the binders are
deposited in their places on the dents. The cord 69 must now be pulled so
as to turn the shaft 61 partly round, and the weight 67 being thereby raised
and the straps 64, 64, slackened, the loop 71 on the cord 69 is to be made fast
to the hook 70. The weight 67 now no longer balances that of the parts con-
nected with the slides, and the whole weight of the latter with their appendages
presses the binders closely to the dents, and forces the viscid cement into the
spaces between the latter. By contact with the dents the cement is partly
cooled and set, so as to make the binders adhere. The operation of the
first press frame is now completed. The ends of the binders may be re-
leased from the confinement of the buttons 56, 56, which have secured
them in the grooves of the upper side pieces; the loop 71 may be cast off
the hook 70, the pinion shaft 58 may be turned by its wheel to raise the
slides, and thus the side pieces will be elevated clear of the rack frame and
partly formed reed, leaving the binders attached to the latter. The ends of the
facing plate are next to be released from the pressure of the screwed shafts
47, 47, by turning the hand wheels 48, 48, and the facing plate is to be
removed. The screws 45, 45, are now to be turned a little to release the rack
frame from its confinement between the side pieces, and the rack frame is to
be removed, and, with the partly formed reed remaining in it undisturbed, it is
to be transferred to the second press frame.
The middle part of the bed, which in the first press frame is taken up by the
rack frame, is in the second press frame occupied by one of the facing plates
(see Figure 21). This facing plate, once adjusted in its place, need not be
-removed so long as rack frames of corresponding size are being used. The
rack frame taken from the first press frame and containing the incomplete reed
is to be inverted upon the facing plate in the second press frame, the dents of
the reed occupying, the space between them. In the second press frame the
side pieces, instead of rectangular recesses, as in the first frame, have concave
grooves sunk in them, to receive the first pair of binders which have been
attached in the first press frame. The rack frame being inverted over. the

page_text: facing plate, the screwed shafts 47, 47, are to be brought down upon the back
of the rack frame, by which operation the dents are compressed between the
faces of the rack frame and facing plate; the edges of all of them are adjusted
to the same plane, and the face of the reed rendered perfectly true and even.
The second pair of binders, heated and supplied with cement, as in the former
case, are now to be applied in precisely the same manner as the first pair, by
suspending such binders in the grooves of the upper side pieces, lowering the
latter and relieving them from the counterweight, as before. After remaining
in the frame a short time to allow the cement to become partially set, the side
pieces and screwed shafts may be raised, and the rack frame containing the
reed may be removed from the press frame and placed aside until the cement
is hardened, when the reed, which is now completed, may be disengaged from
the rack, and is ready for use.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention, and
the manner of carrying the same into effect, we desire it to be understood that
we do not confine ourselves to the precise arrangements or forms of the
machinery or implements herein-before described, inasmuch as the same are
susceptible of considerable modification without the essential character thereof
being changed; neither do we restrict ourselves to the exact proportions or
ingredients of the cement described, so long as the principal constituent parts
and the general character of the composition thereof are retained; and that, in
respect of the several matters or things herein-before mentioned, we claim as
new and of our Invention,-
The composition and preparation of the cement herein-before described, and
the use and application of such cement, or of gutta percha alone, in uniting
the parts of reeds.
The art or method of disposing and arranging the dents of reeds at equal
and determinate distances by means of racks or combs, as herein-before
described, whether the said racks or combs be constructed after the method
herein pointed out or otherwise.
The construction and arrangement of the racks or combs formed of pieces of
flattened wire, or of similar pieces of metal, as herein-before described and
explained, whether the pieces of wire or metal composing such racks or combs
be united by the herein-before described cement or by some other means, so
long as the general composition and method of construction is substantially
retained.
The arrangement and construction of the rack frames for holding the said
racks or combs, as described.
The construction and arrangement of the guages formed of pieces of flattened

page_text: wire, or of similar pieces of metal, herein-before described, whether the parts of
such guages be united together by the cement before described or by other
means, so long as the general character and construction of such guages are
retained.
The arrangement and construction of the frames for holding the said
guages.
The arrangement and construction of the facing plates described, and the
use and application thereof in reducing the faces of reeds to true planes.
The art or method of reducing the face or faces of reeds to a true and even
plane or planes by the compression of the webs of the said reeds between the
rack frames and facing plates, as herein-before explained, or by the com-
pression of such web upon the face of one of the before-mentioned pieces, or
by like compression between or against any similar surfaces or surface.
The method of attaching the binders, herein-before described.
The arrangement and combination of the parts of the machines herein-before
described as press frames, or any mere modification of the same, and the use
and application of such press frames in adjusting and uniting the parts
of reeds.
And the method of constructing reeds by the successive operations herein-
before described, or by any combination of two or more of them, whether such
operations be performed by precisely the same implements or apparatus, or
otherwise, so long as the distinctive features of our Invention are retained.
In witness whereof, we, the said Samuel Yeadon and George Chapman,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-first day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
SAMU
ADON. (L.S.)
GEORGE CHAPMAN. (L.S.)
Signed and sealed by the said Samuel Yeadon
and George Chapman, in the presence of
J. TAYLER, Patent Agent,
Manchester.