Improvement in the Manufacture of Chenille Carpets and Rugs.
Year: 1899

page_text: Walpole and Rugs,
THOMAS WILLIAM MILLWARD, of the Firm of William Millward and Sons, Rug
Manufacturers, Albert Mill, Levenshulme, in the County of Lancashire, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows;-
This invention has for its object, the power of weaving Chenille fur, or weft,
used for the face, or pile of the fabric, from a shuttle, or carrier, without breakage,
and without twist, when, the fur is of the variety that is fan or V shaped in
section that is fur that has a right and a wrong side, as distinguished from round
or twisted fur, that has no wrong side.
Round or twisted fur can also be used.
The method by which this object is carried out is as follows. The Chenille
fur is woven from the interior of a shell, or tube, one end of which is closed.
This shell, may be made of thin sheet metal, or cardboard, and the like. The
diameter of which shell, fits the diameter of the hollow of the shuttle, or carrier
employed, to carry it through the shed.
This shell is filled with Chenille fur by mechanical means, any twist in it is
removed in filling (unless it is round or twisted fur). When the shell or tube
is full, the fur is kept in position by a simple flap cover top, furnished with an
elastic band, and hook, which is closed by hooking in the side of the case.
The fur is passed through a longitudinal slit in this flap top, by which a check
or tension strain is put on it in weaving.
Dated this 31st day of January 1800.
Improvement in the Manufacture of Chenille Carpets and Rugs.
I, THOMAS WILLIAM MILLWARD, of the Firm of William Millward and Sons, Rug
Manufacturers, Albert Mill, Levenshulme, in the County of Lancashire, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment:
This invention relates to an improved method of and means for weaving
Chenille carpets, rugs or other similar fabrics in which a fan or V-shaped "fur"
or pile weft forms the distinctive feature, the object being to devise both a simpler
method and means than those hitherto in use for the same purpose, and which
result in greater economy both of time, labour and mechanism.
Hitherto fabrics of this class have been woven both in hand and power looms.

page_text: In the former case the Chenille weft or fur is generally wrapped longitudinally on
a long stick or staff with notched ends by means of which it is passed through
the shed by the weaver. The method most generally in use, however, in power
looms is to wind the Chenille weft on a beam or large bobbin or place it in a
basket, either of which is placed in a suitable position about the loom, the weft
being then led to an apparatus by which it is laid through the shed. By this
method the use of somewhat intricate mechanism is required both to lay the
weft through the shed, to operate the "catcher" or pile tieing warp, and to guide
the latter into proper position. Needless to say. this mechanism forms part of
looms specially built for the purpose and which moreover are expensive and some-
what slow to operate.
According to my invention I dispense with the present means of carrying the
weft or fur across the loom, with the arrangement of needle bar and catcher warp,
the open-spaced reed and other details common to it. Instead of these my
invention consists essentially in placing the fur or weft in an untwisted state, in
a case or cases which may be carried in a shuttle or other suitable carrier capable
of being picked across the shed in a change box loom, by means of the usual
picking mechanism.
The invention will be fully described with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a shuttle or carrier adapted to the purposes of my
invention.
Fig. 2 a plan of same,
Fig. 3 a longitudinal section,
Fig. 4 a cross section on line e, y.
Fig. 5 a longitudinal section of
Fig. 6 side elevation of same and
Fig. 7 end elevation.
fur" or weft container,
I would have it understood that these are only given as examples of how my
invention may be carried into effect, the details being capable of alteration with-
out departing from the spirit of the invention. a is a shuttle body hollowed out
in the centre 6 and is provided at the open side with an elastic web c, steel spring
plate or the like which is connected to a pin d at one end whilst at the other end
it is provided with a hook e to engage with another pin f so that when stretched
the web covers the open side of the shuttle. All these parts are well known.
The principal feature of my invention consists in the use of a case which may
be of any suitable shape or size, that will enable it to be passed through the warp
shed easily, the shuttle or carrier being made to correspond. This case may be
made of strawboard, compressed paper, sheet metal or other suitable material.
It is stopped up at one end, whilst at the other end it is open to enable the
"fur" to be placed in it. When filled with fur the open end is closed by means
of a tightly fitting cap, or as shown by hinged flap attached to one side of the
case and then turned round the end, the loose end of the flap being provided
with a hook to engage with an eyelet in the case. The flap is provided with
a metallic guide eye k through which the fur may be led, being afterwards passed,
in the direction of the line shown, round pins to the eye m of the shuttle, or
carrier, the whole of which arrangements are designed to keep the fur straight
and at the proper tension. The case g is preferably placed in the shuttle or
carrier with the flap against the side of the latter and is kept in position by
the web c. I would here say that it is quite possible to make the case g to serve
both as the weft container and as its own carrier; but at present I prefer to make
it separate from the shuttle or carrier, which latter, as already indicated, may be
of any suitable or convenient shape.
The case g may be filled with fur by hand or by mechanical means care being
taken during the filling operation to take out all twist. As the fur is fed
forward it is from time to time pressed into the tube by a wooden rod or the like
so that when full the case contains a considerable length of fur which is laid

page_text: across it in transverse layers. Any number of cases may be used in accordance
with the size of the fabric being woven, each case being numbered in progressive
order for use in the loom so that the proper pattern may be woven, as will be
well understood by those in the trade.
By means of my invention I am enabled to weave Chenille fabrics in a change
box loom with say two boxes, and the usual and necessary warps for the particular
fabric in hand. The Chenille fur is passed through the catcher warp shed from
the top box, the backing weft being woven from the bottom box. The fur shot
is picked every third or fifth shot, or as required by the quality of the fabric pro-
duced. The warps are operated by heddles in the usual well known manner for
the nature of the back required. After the Chenille carrier is picked the loom
is arranged to stop, or dwell, whilst the weaver adjusts the fur to the pattern, after
which the backing weft is put in, and this cycle of operations is repeated until the
fabric is finished.
Either fan or V-shaped, round or twisted fur may be used in the cases according
to the class of fabric being made but I would have it particularly understood
that the invention is chiefly applicable to fan or V-shaped fur and such is the
simplicity of the method of weaving that the fur leaves the case with very little
friction, no breakages and entirely without twist. Consequently I am enabled
to use the method both for narrow and wide goods, and to weave each with less
expenditure of time, labour and mechanism than is now the case.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The method of weaving Chenille fabrics consisting in first placing the
Chenille weft or fur in transverse layers in an untwisted state in one or more
cases, placing such case or cases in proper order in a shuttle or carrier, and using
such shuttle or carrier in a change box loom substantially as described.
2. The method of weaving Chenille fabrics consisting in first placing the
Chenille weft or fur in transverse layers in an untwisted state in one or more
cases, placing each case in proper order in a shuttle or carrier and withdrawing
the fur from such shuttle or carrier to form the pile of the fabric by picking it
through the catcher warp shed in a change box loom, substantially as described.
3. In weaving Chenille fabrics the use of a case or cases such as g for holding
the Chenille weft or fuí, in combination with a shuttle or carrier substantially
as described.
4. The improved means or apparatus for Chenille weaving constructed, arranged
and operating substantially as described and as shown with reference to the accom-
panying drawings.