IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COVERING FIBRES APPLICABLE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRAID AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTOPHER
NICKELS, of York Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-first day of April, in the first year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Chris-
topher Nickels, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Christopher Nickels, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Christopher Nickels, my exors, admors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COVERING
FIBRES APPLICABLE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRAID AND OTHER FABRICS," com-
municated to me by a certain foreigner residing abroad; in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Christopher Nickels,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same.
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Christopher Nickels, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same. is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
The Invention relates to certain improvements on or additions to the appa-
ratus or parts constituting what is called braiding or plaiting machines,
whereby I am enabled to produce by such machines elastic and non-elastic
braids, and other fabrics with elastic or non-clastic strands, yarns, or threads,
introduced lengthwise of the fabric, and four or more in the same surface or
plane, or mixtures of elastic and non-elastic fibres in combination in the
same fabric, such introduced elastic and non-elastic threads or strands pro-
ceeding lengthwise of the fabric produced, and not partaking of the move-
ments of the braiding or plaiting threads or yarns, which in the progress of
working twist around or over the longitudinal introduced threads and plait or
braid amongst each other, whereby I am enabled to produce elastic and non-
elastic braid and other plaited fabrics, wherein are contained four or more
clastic or non-elastic strands or threads on the same plane, which are covered
by the ordinary plaiting or braiding operation of the machinery.
The construction of braiding or plaiting machinery wherein all the threads
partake of like movements, and all aid in forming a fabric of plaited threads,
being well known in the manufacture of braids, it will not be necessary to
enter into a long description of the same. All that will be required to make
the Invention clear, and enable a workman acquainted with such machinery
readily to perform my Invention, which is only applicable to such machines as
work with four or more heads or circular tables for actuating a system or
series of bobbins, and consequently capable of introducing four or more elastic
or non-elastic (or a combination of elastic or non-elastic) strands or threads in
the same plane within the plaited or braided fabrics which the machine would
otherwise be capable of producing.
It is well known that according as the width of the braid or other plaited
fabric produced by braiding machines is wider or narrower, so are the number
of heads or revolving tables with their bobbins employed, the threads from the
bobbins being caused to plait or braid with one another by the revolution of
the tables or heads, each bobbin in the course of its working being actuated.
by each of the revolving tables or heads, so that at one moment each of the
threads will in succession be at one selvage of the fabric, and progressively
traverse across the fabric in a diagonal direction to the other selvage of tho

page_text: .
fabric, and then will traverse back in an opposite diagonal direction to the
selvage from which it started, and so on across from selvage to selvage, all
which is well understood, and the plaiting or braiding bobbin threads alter-
nately pass under and over the longitudinal threads or strands, thus causing
such longitudinal threads to be tied into a fabric.
The objects of my Invention being, first, so to arrange and adapt the me-
chanical parts, and the apparatus of braiding machinery, that elastic fabrics
may be produced therein with four or more strands or threads of india-rubber
in the same plane, introduced as longitudinal threads.
Secondly, so to adapt and arrange the mechanical parts and apparatus of
braiding machines that clastic fabrics may be produced therein with four or
more strands or threads of india-rubber and non-elastic threads in the same
plane, introduced as longitudinal threads.
And, thirdly, so to adapt and arrange the mechanical parts and apparatus
of braiding machines that fabrics may be produced therein with four or more
threads or strands of cotton, silk, wire, or other fibrous materials in the same
plane, introduced as longitudinal threads.
And in order to give the best information in my power, I will proceed to
describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a section of a revolving table or head, and of oue plaiting or
braiding bobbin. Figure 2 is a side view of a braiding machine, with
eight revolving tables or heads, and seventeen plaiting or braiding bobbins.
Figure 3 is a front view of the machine, and Figure 4 is a
plan. In
each of these Figures the same letters indicate similar parts, but I will
first describe Figure 1, which, as before stated, shews one of the revolving
tables or heads in section, and as all the heads shewn in Figures 2, 3,
and 4, are of a similar construction, the description now given will be
applicable to all the tables or heads. a, a, is the revolving table, which
is of a like construction to those of the other braiding machines, and has
notches or recesses for receiving the pipes or spindles of the plaiting or braid-
ing bobbins, as is clearly shewn in the Drawing, and as is well understood.
The table a moves on a hollow spindle b, which is fixed in the framing of the
machine by screw and nut at 6'. Through the tube 6 the strand or thread, of
india-rubber or of cotton, or other fibrous material, which is to form one of
the longitudinal elastic or non-elastic threads of the fabric, passes; this I believe
being the most convenient mode of introducing the longitudinal threads into
the fabric, the upper part of the tube b rising to.such a position amongst the

page_text: braiding threads, that in the evolution of those threads from one selvage to the
other of the fabric, that they pass under and over (and lie at the back and
front of the fabric) each of the longitudinal threads or yarns, hence the brading
threads will tie the longitudinal threads into a fabric, the longitudinal threads
forming the length of the fabric, and the braiding threads forming the covering
(when sufficiently closely worked) and the tie threads of the fabric, the close-
ness of the covering by the braiding threads depending on the relative speed at
which the work is taken up in comparison with the speed at which the braid-
ing bobbins pass from selvage to selvage of the fabric. And it should be
stated that, although I prefer that the longitudinal threads (from separate
bobbins or from a beam) should pass up through the axis of the revolving
tables or heads, it is evident that the longitudinal threads may be placed
on the top of the axis, or otherwise above the table, taking care that the longi-
tudinal threads are so conducted up between the braiding or plaiting threads,
that such plaiting or braiding threads may pass under and over the longitudinal
threads, and in such manner as to lie on the two surfaces of the fabric
produced. The axes or pipes of the braiding or plaiting bobbins are of tubes
as heretofore, in order to allow of means for stopping the machine in the event
of any of the threads breaking, and at the same time keeping the thread at
the proper tension at all parts of the revolving tables or heads, as is well
understood. The machine receives motion in the following manner :-c is an
endless cord or band (driven by a steam engine or other power) which drives
the pulley d on the axis e, such axis e by the cog wheel of gives motion
to the axis g, by taking into the cog wheel h, which is affixed on the axis g.
On the upper part of the axis g is a cog wheel i, which takes into and drives
one of the cog wheels j, on the tables or revolving heads, the cog wheels j
of the revolving heads gearing one into the other, hence communicating motion
to one, the whole are actuated and caused to revolve in opposite directions,
and by their revolution they cause the pipes or spindles of the braiding bobbins
to pass from one revolving head to the next, as is well understood, the tappets
1, 1, acting as guides to cause the pipes or spindles of the braiding bobbins to
pass in the proper direction, all which is well understood in the making and
working braiding machines. m is the roller for winding up the work; it
receives motion from one of the wheels j, which takes into and drives the wheel
n, on a vertical axis at the back of the machine; o is a wheel affixed on the
same axis as the wheel n, and the wheel o takes into and drives the wheel p
on another vertical axis at the back of the machine, there being a screw or
worm affixed on the axis of the wheel p which drives the roller m by taking
into the wheel 9, as is shewn in the Drawing; and it will be seen that the

page_text: roller m will wind up the work faster or slower, according as the surface m²,
m², m³, m, m³, is the surface at any time employed from moving the fabric,
and it will be seen that whichever of those surfaces are being used, the speed
of the braiding or plaiting bobbins will remain the same, consequently the
fabric produced will have the longitudinal threads more or less closely covered,
and the covering of the longitudinal threads may be varied by working with
less braiding threads then there are pipes or spindles for braiding bobbins ;
that is, using partly empty pipes or spindles by which an open net covering
will be shewn on the surfaces of the longitudinal threads, or the fabrics pro-
duced thereby.
In the event of any of the braiding threads breaking, the rod in the hollow
pipe or tube which is the axis of that bobbin will fall, and when it comes to
the front of the machine will come against the tail of the catch r, and let go
the rods from the roller t, which will allow of the driving axis falling towards
the back of the machine, and thus take its cog wheel out of action, all which
is well understood, and is shewn in the Drawing.
.
Having thus given a description of the machinery, I will proceed to give
such information as may be desirable for varying the nature of the fabrics
produced in the machine. The machine is capable of including eight threads or
strands of india rubber, which will be worked into and covered by the plaiting
of the threads from the braiding bobbins, and it should be understood that the
threads or strands of india-rubber may be uncovered or covered by any of the
known means. The india-rubber threads or strands which are to constitute
the longitudinal threads are to be wound on to bobbins or beams, but by
preference one bobbin to each thread; and care should be taken that the
bobbins should be equally weighted, in order that the strands should all be
worked into the fabric with an equal strain. One india-rubber thread is to be
passed up the hollow axis of each of the revolving heads or tables, and (such
is to be the case when working with longitudinal threads of silk, cotton, or
other suitable fibrous materials) the plaiting or braiding threads, together with
the india-rubber threads, are to be collected together and passed over the wile
guide and then to the roller m, or other means of winding up the work as it is
made, the machine being capable of varying the speed of drawing up the work
quicker or slower in comparison with the speed of the evolutions of the
bobbins. The closeness or openness of the plaiting may, as heretofore, be
regulated.
In case it be desirable to make a fabric with less quantity of india-rubber
threads, yet of the width the eight revolving heads or tables usually produced,
in such case only part of the hollow axes of the tables or heads may be sup.:

page_text: plied with india-rubber threads, whilst the other hollow axes may remain
empty; thus any degree of elasticity may be obtained, because the threads from
the bobbins where there are no india-rubber threads to the heads or tables, will
produce simple plaiting or braiding fabric; and again, if it be desired to control
the elasticity of the fabric produced in the machine, in such case some of the
hollow axes may be supplied with india-rubber, and some with threads of
cotton, silk, or other fibrous material, by which the fabric will have the
elasticity of the india-rubber, and at the same time, that elasticity may be
prevented being drawn on beyond that distance from which it will return to its
proper length, thus, with the machine above described, a good fabric may be
obtained by supplying the hollow axes of the first revolving table with thread
of cotton or other fibre; the second with india-rubber thread; the third with
cotton or other fibre; the fourth and fifth with india-rubber thread; the sixth
with cotton or other fibrous material; the seventh with india-rubber thread;
and the eighth with cotton or other fibrous materials. I give this merely as
an instance, as the numbers of each of the threads may be varied; but whatever
be the threads supplied to the revolving heads, whether elastic or non-
elastic, they will all be laid into the fabrics longitudinally, and in the same
plane with each other, thus may fabrics of different strengths of elasticity
be obtained, and also of different weight, depending on the weight of the
non-elastic threads, in comparision with the india-rubber threads, which is im-
portant for surgical bands and other purposes. Or other fabrics may be made
with all non-clastic threads or fibrous material laid longitudinally in the fabric
produced, such threads being wound on suitable bobbins or beams, and applied
to the machine, as above described. When fabrics are plaited by this descrip-
tion of machinery, having india-rubber threads or strands laid in longitudinally,
they are to be submitted to heat by the application of a hot iron, as is well
understood in obtaining elasticity to woven fabrics, where they are partly of
india-rubber, in a stretched state for the thread when being worked into the
fabric of a braiding machine, is in the same condition as it is used for weaving
purposes, all which is well understood, which will reduce the length of the fabric
produced in the brading machine: I would here remark, that I have only
thought it necessary to show one machine for plaiting flat fabrics, having eight
revolving heads or tables, but it is evident that machines may be made with as
few as four revolving heads, and many more than eight, and each revolving
table or head have an hollow axis or other suitable means for longitudinal
strands or threads, as above explained, depending on the nature of the fabric
to be produced. I do not, therefore, confine my Invention to any particular
number of revolving tables or heads and their bobbins to this or the circular

page_text: machine hereafter mentioned, provided the mechanical parts and apparatus
constituting the machine are suitably arranged or adapted for producing fabrics
having four or more yarns or strands laid longitudinally into the plaited or braid.
fabrics, as herein described. The Drawing also shows parts of another braiding:
machine, which differs from that above described, inasmuch as in the former.
machine the bobbins having passed from one selvage to the other selvage, pass.
back again, but in the machine partly shown at Figures 5, 6, and 7, the appa-
ratus is so arranged that the bobbins are constantly performing in a circle, and
consequently will produce a hollow cylinder of plaited fabric, and the revolving
tables or heads having hollow axes or other suitable arrangement may have
strands or threads (elastic or non-elastic, or a combination of elastic and non-
elastic) laid longitudinally into such cylindrical tubes or plaited fabrics, and in
the same plane or surface, such machine differing from other braiding or plaiting
machines only inasmuch as it is capable of laying such longitudinal threads
into the plaited fabric as it is made, and if it be desired, such tube of plaited
fabrics may be worked over a cord or a quantity of threads, and will then
resemble a covering machine of the ordinary kind, excepting inasmuch as it
has the capability of introducing the longitudinal threads herein explained.
The various parts in these Figures being marked with the same letters of
reference as those employed for the other machine, and as this machine does
not otherwise differ from other machines which make circular tubes of plaited
fabric, the description above given will be sufficient for the workmen. And
I would state that according to the number of revolving tables, and their
bobbins, and their strength, and the nature of the yarn and thread used, so
may be the fabrics produced in these machines, and the circular machines will
be particularly applicable for making elastic and other cords, ropes, rigger
bands, and such like fabrics applicable to various useful purposes.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any of
the parts of the apparatus constituting the machine separately nor combined,
so far as the same have been before known and in use, and there may be
variations made in the machine without departing from the nature of the
machine, so long as the general adaptation and arrangement of the parts be
as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Nickels, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of October, One thousand eight
CHRISTOPHER (L.S.) NICKELS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of October, in
the
year of our Lord 1838, the aforesaid Christopher Nickels came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.