Improvement in Darning Machines for Domestic Use.
Year: 1893

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Date of Application, 17th Aug., 1893
omplete Specification Left, 11th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Darning Machines for Domestic Use.
ARTHUR JONES 34 St. Domingo Vale Everton Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Metal Worker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention consists of a circular piece of metal with middle cut out so as to
leave at one end as many hooks as required, and at the other two brackets with a
hole in cach, these are turned downwards, one of these holes is tapped. It also has
another piece of metal with a similar number of hooks as the above piece with a
bracket stamped out near these hooks and another bracket at the opposite end both
of which are turned downwards. These two pieces are connected by means of a
screw which moves the second plate to or from the first piece according to size of
darn. The screw is furnished with a spiral spring at its innermost end, this
enables the whole work to move towards the lifter so to give more room between
the threads worked by the lifter and those held by the frame, thus enabling the
needle to be passed between them much quicker and with more ease and
certainty.
The screw being thinner and without a thread at the end where the spiral spring
is fixed to it, does not allow it to pass through the fourth or innermost bracket
more than about five eighths of an inch, and on the other side of the said. bracket,
the spiral spring always presses against it, so that in the interim of the lifter raising
or lowering half the number of the warp threads, the spring presses the hookplate
back and maintains the same tension throughout the operation. The screw allows the
hookplate to be placed at any suitable distance from the hooks at the opposite end
of the machine, which are part of the frame, and the lifter by means of the spiral
spring draws the hookplate forward, so giving greater space between the warp
threads.
There is another way of regulating the size of darn with the hookplate. It may
be done by means of a notched rod of metal to which I attach a spiral spring as in
the case of the screw above described. I then make a slot in the body of the
machine, into this slot which answers the purpose of a rivet, I insert a flat steel
spring, and over this spring I pass the notched rod and at the same time through
the holes in the brackets thus uniting the hookplate and the frame or body of the
machine. This spring as it presses upwards against the rod, causes the notches to
catch in the holes of the brackets, and thus fixes the hookplate at the desirable
distance from the opposite end of the machine. By pressing this spring with the
forefinger of the left hand, and taking hold of the knob of the rod with the other
hand, the hookplate may be fixed as desired.
The lifter is stamped out of a flat piece of metal. It has a number of hooks
answering to the number of hooks at either end of the machine. These hooks or
prongs are turned downwards, and are somewhat like the teeth of a comb, and at
the end of each prong there is an eye or slot with one side open.
When the lifter is fixed to the machine and is pressed downwards with the thumb
of the left hand, these prongs pass between the warp threads which before were
placed upon the frame of the machine, and catches each other thread. This enables
half the number of threads to be raised or lowered, while with the other hand the
needle which carries the woof thread is passed to and fro through the warp.
On each side of the lifter there is a pivot which passes into brackets, these
brackets are stamped out of the frame of the machine, one on each side at the left
band end of the machine. One of the eyes or holes in these two brackets is slotted
so that the lifter may be easily replaced or removed:
.

page_text: The advantages which I claim to be secured by my improvements are first, that
the work may be more quickly and easily done. Secondly, that the warp is not so
liable to break. Thirdly, that the work can be more readily removed from the
frame and the lifter. Fourthly, that the machine may be regulated according to
size of darn required, thus saving a great deal of time.
1009
ARTHUR JONES.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Darning Machines for Domestic Use.
ARTHUR JONES, 34 St. Domingo Vale Everton Liverpool in the County of
Lancashire, Metal Worker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists of three pieces of thin sheet metal. The first forms the
body of the machine, the second, the moveable hookplate, and the third, the lifter.
These may be stamped out of one piece of metal.
Fig. 1. represents a front view of the body of the machine with its two brackets
marked (2. 3.) which are placed between the brackets (1. 4.) of the moveable
hookplate Fig. III. It has also two brackets (a. a) into which is fixed the
lifter Fig. VII. At the end of the body of the machine at (D) are a number of
hooks, varying in number according to size of machine, which are stamped out of
the same piece of metal as the body.
Fig. II. shows the under or back part of the body, with its brackets
marked (2. 3.).
Fig. III. gives a back view of the moveable hookplate with its brackets
marked (1. 4.).
Fig. IV. is a view of the under part of the machine, showing the union of the
body or frame Figs. I. II. with the moveable hookplate Fig. III. by means of the
screw Fig. V. which passes through the brackets (1. 2. 3. 4). The bracket
numbered (3) is tapped, the other three are not tapped. At the thin end of the
screw Figs. IV. V. is attached a spiral spring (c), which presses against bracket (4)
as seen in Fig. IV., it is kept in its place by a washer on the end of the screw.
While moving the hookplate forward towards (D) Fig. VI. by turning the screw
at (B), the spiral spring by its pressure against bracket (+) of the hook-
plate Fig. IV. prevents the said hookplate from falling towards the washer at (c)
so that there is always the same distance between bracket (4) and the knob (B).
Fig. V.represents the screw, with the spiral spring fixed at its thinner end, which
thin end is without a thread, and passes through bracket (4) Fig. IV. about five
eighths of an inch. This screw allows the hookplate to be fixed at any suitable
distance from the hooks at (D) Fig. VI. according to size of darn.
Fig. VI. gives a general view of the machine with the lifter Fig. VII. removed
from the brackets (a. a). By turning the screw round at (B) the hookplate (e)
Figs. III. IV. VI. is made to move towards (D) thus regulating the distance
between the hooks (D. d.) according to size of darn required. The lines extending
from hook to hook at each end of the machine Fig. VI. represents worsted or other
material used in darning to form the warp. When the lifter Fig. VII. is fixed
into the brackets (a. a) Fig. VI. and is pressed down by the thumb of the left
hand, every alternate thread is caught up and falls into the eyes or holes of the
lifter. This is seen at (F) Figs. VIII. While the lifter is raised or lowered as
seen in Figs. X. XI. the needle which carries the woof thread is passed between
the warp threads to and fro, from side to side to weave a patch according to size
required. A suitable stretcher may also be used, which when covered with the
article to be darned, and placed under the machine between its sides (J) Fig. VI.
holds the material in its place. The needle is then passed through the article near

page_text: the edge of the stretcher, and while the lifter raises half the number of warp threads,.
the needle is passed through them, and again at the other side through the article
and the warp threads while the lifter holds the other threads down, and so on till
the work is finished. But the patch darn is preferable and more readily and
quickly made without a stretcher, and is easily stitched to the article afterwards.
Figs. VIII. IX. show what a small space there is between the warp.
threads (G. G) as raised or lowered by the lifter, without my improvements, which.
as the darn is proceeded with becomes still smaller.
Figs. X. XI. show how by my improvements a greater space is obtained between
the warp threads which allows the needle to be passed between them with greater
case and rapidity. This is done by means of the spiral spring (c) Fig. VI. This
spring as the lifter Fig. VII. is being raised or lowered as in Figs. X. XI. allows.
the hookplate (e) Fig. VI. to be drawn forward towards the lifter (F) from (H)
to (1) Figs. X. XI. thus giving greater space between the warp threads (G. G:)..
This spring during the interim of raising and lowering of the lifter (F) Figs. X. XI..
always keeps the warp in the same condition of tension by pressing the hookplate
back towards the knob (B) Fig. VI.
There are two other ways of making the hookplate to regulate the size of darn..
It may be done by means of a notched rod of metal to which I attach a spiral
spring as in the case of the screw above described. I then make a slot in the body
of the machine at (L) Fig. XII. into this slot which answers the purpose of a
rivet, insert a Hat steel spring (K) Fig. XII. and over this spring I pass the
notched rod (B) Fig. XII. and at the same time through the holes in the brackets
thus uniting the hookplate and the frame of the machine. The spiral spring (c).
Fig. IV. is then fixed to the notched rod by means of a washer. The flat
spring (K) Fig. XII. as it presses upwards against the rod, causes the notches to
catch in the holes of the brackets and thus fixes the hookplate at the desirable.
distance from the opposite end of machine. By pressing this spring with the fore-
finger of the left hand, and by taking hold of the knob of the rod with the other
hand, the hookplate may be fixed as desired.
Another way of making the hookplate to act as above described, is by using a.
plain rod of metal which I pass through the brackets of the hookplate and of the
frame of the machine as in the above cases, Fig. XIII. The spiral spring is then
fixed to this rod at (c) by means of a washer. Before the rod is passed through the
brackets (1. 2. 3. 4) Fig. XIII. a metal wedge is placed on the frame of machine
at (K) Fig. XIII. the rod is then passed over it through the brackets (1. 2. 3. 4),.
the spiral spring is fixed at the end of the rod at (c) with a washer and the machine
is then complete.
The ends of the wedge are turned up so that when once fixed to the machine it.
cannot be lost. By pressing this wedge at (K) the rod is wedged against the
brackets (1. 2. 3. 4) through which it passes, and so fixes the hookplate as desired,.
pressure at the other end of the wedge at (N) releases it to allow the hookplate to
be re-adjusted.
The frame of the machine is fluted at (P) Fig. 1. to strengthen it, but this is not.
absolutely necessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a darning machine such as described, a body such as Fig. 1. with one row
o igid teeth or hooks as D, and with a platform marked (3) for a moveable
hookplate to travel upon, also with two brackets substantially as described and
illustrated in Fig. 1. of the accompanying drawings.
2. In a darning machine such as described, a moveable hookplate such as.
Fig. III. with its two brackets, to travel upon the platform marked (3) Fig. I.,
with a
row of rigid hooks substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.

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3. In a darning machine such as described, a serew arrangement to unite the
moveable hookplate with the body or frame and to regulate the size of darn sub-
stantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In a darning machine such as described, a spiral spring (e) Fig. V. attached to
foregoing screw arrangement to increase the space between the warp threads for
the more rapid passage of the needle substantially as described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
5. In a darning machine such as described, a flat spring fixed in a slot under the
platform of the body Figs. I. and XII. pressing a notched rod upwards in the eyes
of brackets (1. 2. 3. 4) of Fig. XII. being another way of regulating the size of
darn substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. In a darning machine such as described, a third way of regulating the size of
darn niz. by means of a wedge pressing between the platform and a plain metal rod
passed through brackets (1. 2. 3. 4) substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
7. In a darning machine such as described, a body as Fig. I., a hookplate as
Fig. 1. and a lifter as Fig. VII. being stamped out of sheet metal substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Ninth day of November 1893.
ARTHUR JONES.