IMPROVEMENTS IN 'HEALDS' OR 'HEDDLES' FOR WEAVING PURPOSES, IN THE PARTS CONNECTED THEREWITH, AND IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE PARTS OF SUCH 'HEALDS' OR 'HEDDLES.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Yeadon, the elder, of Idle, near Brad-
ford, in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN 'HEALDS' OR 'HEDDLES' FOR WEAVING PURPOSES, IN THE PARTS
CONNECTED THEREWITH, AND IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF THE PARTS OF SUCH 'HEALDS' OR 'HEDDLES.'
,,,
Sealed the 23rd August 1872, and dated the 23rd February 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Yeadon at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd February 1872.
I, SAMUEL YEADON, the elder, of Idle, near Bradford, in the County
of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN 'HEALDS' OR 'HEDDLES' FOR WEAVING PURPOSES, IN THE
PARTS CONNECTED THEREWITH, AND IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF THE PARTS OF SUCH HEALDS' OR 'HEDDLES,'
to be as
follows:
-
" "
My Invention has reference to the employment of metallic needles or
long males in the forming or constructing of healds or heddles, and in

page_text: the means or apparatus employed in the manufacture of these needles or
long males, all as hereafter described.
"
These needles or long males are made by preference of wire, and vary
or shuttle race.
in length in accordance with the depth of the “shead'
At the centre and at both ends of each needle a hole is provided which
may be made round or of any other required form. Through the eyes at
the ends of each needle or long male is passed a chord which is formed
into a loop and connected to the "rig band." The needles or long males
" heddle shafts by
are connected to the top and bottom "heald" or
means of the above described loops.
"
In order to keep the needle or long male edgewise to the reed for the
purpose of reducing the friction on the warp I pass a wire, chord, or
other pliable band through the top and bottom eyes from one end of the
heald" or "heddle" to the other; this is made perfectly tight, so as to
The warp is
retain the needles in the aforesaid edgewise position.
threaded through the centre hole of each needle or long male.
<<
The means or apparatus employed in the manufacture of the aforesaid
needles or long males is as follows:-The wire is passed through rollers
so recessed as to produce the required bevelled flat or other form. After
this operation the three holes or eyes are punched into it at a suitable
distance apart by means of a fly press or punch of ordinary construction,
the distance between the holes depending on the length of the needle.
This operation being completed the needles or long males are then cut
to length and polished.
I also form or make the needle or long male when preferred of small
wires twisted together, providing holes at each end and in the centre of
a similar form and 'construction to those described for the solid male.
These twisted needles or long males are applied in the same manner as
the herein-before described solid long males or needles.
The above-described needles or long males are applicable to all kinds

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Yeadon in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd August 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
YEADON, the elder, of Idle, near Bradford, in the County of York,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Samuel Yeadon, the elder, Her
special licence that I, the said Samuel Yeadon, the elder, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Samuel Yeadon, the elder, 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' OR 'HEDDLES' FOR
WEAVING PURPOSES, IN THE PARTS CONNECTED THEREWITH, AND IN THE MEANS OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE PARTS OF SUCH 'HEALDS'
OR 'HEDDLES,' upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Samuel Yeadon, the elder, 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.
""
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Yeadon, the elder, 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 accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that
is to say:-
My Invention has reference to the employment of metallic needles or

page_text: long males in the forming or constructing of healds or heddles, and in
the means or apparatus employed in the manufacture of these needles or
long males, all as hereafter described.
The Invention will be best understood by reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings.
The needles or long males are made of wire as shewn at Figs. 1, 2, 3,
and 4, and vary in length in accordance with the depth of shead. At
the centre and both ends of each needle the holes a, b, and c, are
situated, which may be made round or any other required form. Through
the eyes a and c at the ends of each needle or long male a chord or band
is passed, as shewn at Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, and formed into a loop d;
these loops vary in construction as shewn in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, in accord-
ance with the manner in which the needles are arranged on the heald or
heddle. The loops are connected by being lapped round the rig bands ď¹
and ď, and the shafts fare threaded through these loops. I employ the
arrangement shewn at Figs. 5 and 7 for common work; but when the
common work contains several colours I use by preference the arrange-
ment shewn at Fig. 7. I employ the X form, as shewn at Fig. 6, for
fancy goods or goods having a great number of colours interwoven, these
requiring more healds or heddles, and it will be readily understood by all
competent persons that by this arrangement the heald or heddle shafts
can be brought closer together than when the arrangements 5 and 7 are
employed.
In order to keep the needles or long males edgewise to the reeds for
the purpose of reducing the friction on the warp I pass a wire, chord, or
other pliable or elastic band through the top and bottom holes a and c ;
this is drawn tight and retains the needles in the aforesaid edgewise
position. The warp is threaded through the centre hole 6 in each needle
or long male.
I wish it to be understood that what I mean by long males is males of
such a length that the traverse of the warp never passes over the ends
during the weaving process, that is to say, the warp is always working on
the needle or long male, avoiding thereby the great amount of friction
occasioned by the use of "males."
To prevent the warp from getting over the top of the needles or long
males, and to be broken thereby, I provide a check rod e, which I pass
between the needles or long males as shewn, and attach it to a pin which

page_text: is screwed or otherwise fastened into the shaft f; this is particularly
necessary when the gearing chords g break and let down the healds or
heddles.
As well as flat needles or long males shewn at
employ a bevelled or oval long male, shewn at
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, I
Figs. 9 and 10, which
I have represented on an exaggerated scale. By this form the friction
on the warp is considerably more reduced than by the flat needles or
long males. The means or apparatus employed in the manufacture of
the aforesaid needles or long males is as follows:-
For flat long males the wire is passed through rollers of ordinary con-
struction; but when required for the bevel or oval form, as shewn at
Figs. 9 and 10, the rollers are recessed on the face for producing this
form; in other respects the rollers are of ordinary construction. After
the rolling operation the three holes or eyes may be punched at a suit-
able distance apart by means of a fly press or other known means, the
distance between the holes depending on the length of the needle; these
operations being completed the needles are then cut to length and
polished.
I also make the needles or long males, when required, of small twisted
wires, as shewn at Figs. 3 and 4; the holes at each end and in the centre
are of a similar form to those described for the solid long males. These
twisted needles or long males are applied in the same manner as the
herein before described solid long males or needles.
Healds or heddles constructed in the before-described manner are
applicable to all kinds of weaving looms. The loops d may either be
constructed by hand or by machines ordinarily employed for forming
loops of "males."
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I would remark in con-
clusion that I do not limit myself to the exact limits, details, and
configuration of parts I have expressed and shewn, as the same may of
course be varied or modified without in any way departing from my
Invention, at the same time I am fully aware that long males or needles
simply as shewn at Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 have been previously used for
forming healds or heddles; but what I claim and desire to be secured to
me by Letters Patent is,―
Firstly. The employment of long males or needles in combination with

page_text: the means employed for connecting or coupling them to the shafts, sub-
stantially as and for purposes herein set forth.
Secondly. The construction of needles or long males in an oval or
bevelled form, and in the rollers for forming the same, substantially as
and for purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Yeadon, the elder, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-two.
SAMUEL YEADON. (L.S.)