IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lancaster, James Henry Pilkington, and William
Peel, all of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lancaster, James
Henry Pilkington, and William Peel at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 22nd September 1876.
WILLIAM LANCASTER, JAMES HENRY PILKINGTON, and WILLIAM PEEL, all of
Accrington, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
This Invention relates to the construction of the following parts of looms for
weaving:
1. The crank shaft.
2. The crank arm.
3. The check strap.
4. The picker.
5. The shuttle.
6. The swell.
7. The self-acting temple.
First. Instead of making the crank and crank shaft all of one piece as heretofore,
we make a part of two or more pieces, keyed, bolted, or otherwise attached to the
straight part of the shaft, so that the crank itself may (if preferred) be of cast iron
(which works easier and is cheaper) and the shaft itself of wrought iron.
Secondly. We make the crank arm in two pieces, that is, divided or split
longitudinally from end to end, and we connect these two pieces together by screw
bolts, the inner part of the ends being inclined or V shaped and the steps or brasses
formed in two halves, so that by tightening the screws which connect the two
halves together, the steps or brasses can be firmly secured and set up when required
without the use of straps, gibs, or cotters.
Thirdly. We mount a short vertical lever upon a stud on the front of the shuttle
box;
to the upper end of this lever we attach a strap (or two short straps) each
Price 6d 1

page_text: end of which is slipped on to the picker spindle, one end in front of the picker and
the other end at the back of the same. When the picker is brought to the front it
takes the strap, and the lever also, to the front, and when the shuttle returns to the
same box it takes the strap and lever towards the back end of the shuttle box. To
cause a little friction or drag to the strap and lever we place behind or on the
front of the lever a small flat spring or a piece of any pliable material.
Fourthly. We apply to any kind of buffalo hide, leather, or other similar kind of
picker, a metallic tube or small bush to run upon the picker spindle. The picking
band or picking strap is passed around this tube and does not touch the spindle.
The picker runs much more freely and evenly and its durability is thereby
increased.
Fifthly. In order to cause a little drag or friction on the weft thread for the
purpose of drawing the selvages up close, we place two or more pins or pegs in the
shuttle eye or weft passage, between or through which pins or pegs the weft thrend
passes.
Sixthly. For lifting the swell in the shuttle box either for loose or fast reed
looms, we place a small excentric pulley or bowl in or on the swell or shuttle lever.
This small excentric pulley or bowl is fixed upon a small stud about the middle of
the swell. We attach a small spring to the excentric pulley near to its centre, and
when the shuttle comes in contact with the pulley it causes it to turn a little over
its pin centre when the spring comes into action, and by turning the pulley round
causes it to draw the shuttle up to the end of the shuttle box. When the shuttle
returns the reverse action takes place.
Seventhly. We construct the pin rings for self-acting temples of india-rubber
composition or other suitable material made in two rings half the thickness
required; the pins are then placed between them and the two rings pressed
together either with or without solution or cement to cause the two rings to adhere
according to the material of which the rings may be formed. Fine pipe-clay, china-
clay, or any other material or composition which will consolidate upon compression
or is capable of being cemented may be used for this purpose. If more than one
row of pins is required, then three or more rings must be employed. We make the
elliptical rings without pins (which are employed as washers to separate and carry
the pin rings in self-acting temples) in the same manner, and for drilling the holes
diagonally through the centre of these elliptical rings (whether made as above
described or of metal) we use the following arrangement:-To the end of the
running spindle of a lathe we screw or fix a box having in the centre a hole
corresponding to the diameter of the rings and of sufficient depth to hold, say, ten
or twelve rings. In the bottom of this box we place a diagonal faced block, and we
then put in the rings so that they lie at an angle to the axis; we then drop in
another similar block and screw on a lid which has a hole through the centre.
Having put the lathe spindle in motion we then pass the drill in through the hole
in the lid, and by pressing it forward cause it to drill a hole diagonally through all
the rings. Or instead of performing this operation horizontally in a lathe, it may
be done vertically in a drilling machine by fixing the same kind of box (with the
rings therein) to the bed of the drilling machine and bringing down the drill
through the hole in the lid of the box.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said William Lancaster, James Henry Pilkington, and William Peel in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st March 1877.
WILLIAM LANCASTER, JAMES HENRY PILKINGTON, and WILLIAM PEEL, all of
Accrington, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING."

page_text: This Invention relates to the construction of the following parts of looms for
weaving:-
First. The crank shaft.
Second. The crank arm.
Third. The check strap.
Fourth. The picker.
Fifth. The shuttle.
Sixth. The swell.
Seventh. The self-acting temple.
Such being the nature of the said Invention we will now proceed to describe in
detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood we have
annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the
same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof:-
First. Instead of making the crank and crank shaft all of one piece as heretofore,
we make the cranked part of two or more pieces a, a, see Fig. 1, keyed, bolted, or
otherwise attached to the straight part of the shaft b, b, so that the crank may (if
preferred) be of cast iron (which works easier and is cheaper) and the shaft itself of
wrought iron.
Secondly. We make the crank arm in two pieces a, a, b, b, that is, divided or
split longitudinally from end to end, see sections Figs. 2 and 3, and plan view
Fig. 4, and we connect these two pieces together by screw bolts c, c, the inner part
of the ends of the pieces a and b being inclined or V shaped, and the steps or
brasses d, d, formed round and in two halves, so that by tightening the screws c, c,
which connect the two halves a and b together the steps or brasses d, d, can be
firmly secured and "set up" when required without the use of straps, gibs, or
cotters.
In some cases we make the ends of the pieces a and b circular on the inside, and
make the inclined surfaces on the outside of the brasses d, d, as shown at Fig. 3.
Sometimes we form the crank arm of a steel spring strap a, a, (see Fig. 5) and two
inclined blocks b, b. Each end of the strap a, a, forms a hook and embraces the
inclined block b, b, and the brass d, d, the whole being held together by the screw
bolt c, c.
In Fig. 6 the crank arm a, a, and inclined blocks b, b, are made in one piece, and
the brasses d, d, are held in their place by means of separate hooks f, f, fixed by the
bolts c, c.
Thirdly. In making our improved check strap we mount a short vertical lever
(a, a, see front view, Fig. 7) upon a stud b on the front of the shuttle box c, c; to
the upper end of this lever a we attach a strap d, d, (or two short straps) each end
of which is slipped on to the picker spindle e, e, one end in front of the picker f, f,
and the other end at the back of the same. When the picker f, f, is brought to the
front it takes the strap d, d, and the lever a, a, also to the front, and when the
shuttle returns to the same box it takes the strap d, d, and lever a, a, towards
the back end of the shuttle box c, c. To cause a little friction or drag to the
strap d, d, and lever a, a, we place behind or on the front of the lever a small flat
spring 9, g, or a piece of any pliable material.
Fourthly (see Figs. 8 and 9). We apply to any kind of buffalo hide, leather, or
other similar kind of picker a, a, a metallic tube or small bush b, b, to run upon the
picker spindle c, c. The picking band or picking strap is passed around this
tube b, b, and does not touch the spindle c, c. The picker runs much more freely
and evenly and its durability is thereby increased. The bushes b, b, we prefer to
make with flanges d, d, at the ends, and they may be made of such a length that
these flanges are embeded between the folds of buffalo hide or leather, as shown at
Fig. 8, or extend to the outside of the picker, as shown at Fig. 9.
Fifthly. In order to cause a little drag or friction on the weft thread for the

page_text: purpose of drawing the selvages up close, we place two, three, or more pins or
pegs a, a, in the shuttle eye or weft passage, between or through which pins or pegs
the weft thread passes, as shewn in plan view of shuttle, Fig. 10.
Sixthly. For lifting the swell in the shuttle box a, a, (see Fig. 11, plan view of
shuttle box and shuttle,) either for loose or fast reed looms, we place a small
excentric pulley b, b, or bowl in or on the swell or shuttle lever c, c.
This small
excentric pulley or bowl b, b, is fixed upon a small stud about the middle of the
swell. We attach a small spring d, d, to the excentric pulley near to its centre,
and when the shuttle e, e, comes in contact with the pulley b, b, it causes it to turn
a little over its pin centre, when the spring d, d, comes into action and by turning
the pulley b, b, round causes it to draw the shuttle e, e, up to the end of the shuttle
box a, a.
When the shuttle e, e, returns the reverse action takes place.
Seventhly. We construct the pin rings for self-acting temples of india-rubber
composition or other suitable material made in two rings half the thickness
required; the pins are then placed between them and the two rings pressed
together either with or without solution or cement to cause the two rings to adhere
according to the material of which the rings may be formed. Fine pipe-clay, china-
clay, or any other material or composition which will consolidate upon compression
or is capable of being cemented may be used for this purpose. If more than one
row of pins is required, then three or more rings must be employed. We make the
elliptical rings without pins (which are employed as washers to separate and carry
the pin rings in self-acting temples) in the same manner, and for drilling the holes
diagonally through the centre of these elliptical rings (whether made as above
described or of metal) we use the following arrangement (see partial section,
Fig. 12) To the end of the running spindle a, a, of a lathe we screw or fix a
box b, b, having in the centre a hole corresponding to the diameter of the rings, and
of sufficient depth to hold, say, ten or twelve rings. In the bottom of this box we
place a diagonal faced block c, c, and we then put in the rings d, d, so that they lie
at an angle to the axis; we then drop in another similar block e and screw on a
lid ff, which has a hole through the centro. Having put the lathe spindle a, a, in
motion we then pass the drill g, g, in through the hole in the lid and by pressing it
forward cause it to drill a hole diagonally through all the rings (see detached view
of one ring d, Fig. 13). Or instead of performing this operation horizontally in a
lathe, it may be done vertically in a drilling machine by fixing the same kind of
box (with the rings therein) to the bed of the drilling machine and bringing down
the drill through the hole in the lid of the box.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our Invention,-
First. The method of constructing the crank shaft and crank separately and
connecting them together, substantially as described.
Secondly. The methods, substantially as shown and described, of constructing the
crank arms in two or more pieces with inclined surfaces so arranged that the brasses
or steps are set up by tightening the holding screws or bolts.
Thirdly. The combination of check strap, lever, and spring or frictional surface,
substantially as described.
Fourthly. The use of a metallic bush or tube in the picker, the said bush running
on the spindle, as and for the purposes set forth.
Fifthly. The use of pins or pegs in the thread way of the shuttle for giving a
slight drag or tension on the weft.
Sixthly. The substitution for the "swell" in the shuttle box of an excentric
pulley arranged substantially as described and illustrated.
Seventhly. The method described of constructing the pin rings for self-acting
temples of india-rubber composition or other suitable material made in two or more
thicknesses fastened together with cement or otherwise and pressed together with
the pins between them.

page_text: Eighthly. The method and apparatus described and illustrated for drilling the
central holes diagonally through the elliptical rings or washers used for carrying and
separating the pin rings in self-acting temples for looms.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Lancaster and James Henry
Pilkington (on behalf of ourselves and the said William Peel), have hereunto
set our hands and seals, this Twentieth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
WILLIAM LANCASTER.
(L.S.)
JAMES HENRY PILKINGTON. (L.S.)