IM- PROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."-A communication from abroad by
Edmond Philippe and Dominique Gance, both of 29, Boulevart
St. Martin, Paris.
Sealed the 25th July 1865, and dated the 3rd February 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
February 1865.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved machinery for producing what is known
as the whip stitch, used in the manufacture of gloves, for sewing hats leathers,
and otherwise. The stitch, as hitherto done by hand, can only be produced
with a single thread, which presents many disadvantages, viz., 1st, having

page_text: to work backwards and forwards; 2ndly, producing irregular tension of
the threads; and, 3rdly, causing a waste of the short ends of the threads,
to which should be added the liability to cut the edges of the leather by
passing a long length of the thread through the hole made by the needle; the
thread is also frayed and twisted unnecessarily by such passage. The appa-
ratus of this Invention presents the following advantages as compared with
those which have hitherto but imperfectly attained the desired result, or with
the stitch as done by hand.
1st, in the use of two threads, one furnished by the needle and the other
by the shuttle, they being afterwards joined and raised one by the other first
into the leather and then brought forwards, this crossing of the threads offers
sufficient resistance to prevent their giving way, which might otherwise occur
on any slight strain, thus rendering it impossible for the seam produced by the
junction of the two pieces of leather to come unsewn.
2ndly, in the doubly increased strength ensured by the employment of two
threads in every seam, while the needle does not pass the whole of its length
through the leather, and only just a sufficient amount of thread for producing
Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of the apparatus; Fig. 2 a plan; Fig. 3 an
elevation with the lower part in section to show the cam gearing and shuttle;
while Fig. 4 shows a transverse section of the cylindrical part enclosing the
shuttle and serving to support the work.
A, plate covering the needle carrier B, and serving to support it in guides Q;
this plate also serves to transmit the transverse motion produced by lever C to
the head of the machine; B, needle carrier, which in its up-and-down motion
actuates a part T by means of a pin S sliding in the guides of said part T,
which latter in its turn governs the stretcher H; C, lever acting on the end of
cam D, for producing the transverse motion; D, cam mounted on shaft E, and
producing by means of lever O two strokes of the needle, and one movement
in a transverse direction at every revolution; E, shaft on which are mounted
the cams actuating the needle and shuttle. On the end of the shaft are also
mounted two small cams for shifting the work, being further provided with a
grooved pulley in communication with the fly wheel. F, screw regulating the
motion of lever C; G, work presser; II, stretcher formed of two parts, one of
which turns on its centre at will, in order to lengthen the stretcher, the other,
being hinged to the sliding part, is maintained in position by a spring, which
in case of the thread becoming too much stretched gives way, in order to

page_text: prevent its breaking; I, shuttle, furnished with a reel or ball of thread; J,
shuttle carrier, receiving to-and-fro motion from a rod K jointed to lever L,
the latter having a friction roller M. sliding in the groove of cam N; O, lever
actuating the needle carrier; P, lever raising the work presser once for every
double motion of the needle, and only when the latter is in its lowest position,
and penetrating the fabric in order that the finger ends may be turned without
risk of disarrangement; Q, guide of the needle carrier B, also serving by
means of pins R, R', to move the head of the machine transversely while
preserving its parallelism; S, pin passing through the needle carrier B, on the
one end of which is mounted the lever O, the other end sliding in part T,
which latter imparts motion to stretcher II; U, feed.
Fig. 5 shows an arrangement of parts whereby to replace the rectilinear
to-and-fro motion of the shuttle by an alternate circular motion; 1, table
on which is screwed the semicircular race 2 of the shuttle; 3, 4, shuttle
carrier oscillating on a centre at 5; 6, cam for actuating shuttle; 7,
needle. The following is the action of the apparatus:-The two threads.
represented by the red lines from shuttle I and needle B being placed
aside, the fabric is first fed by part U, when the needle will pass through
carrying with it about an inch of the thread, and having reached its lowest
position it again rises, and then stops in order to form a loop, through
which the shuttle passes by the motion of carriage J, the two threads being
united so as to cross each other, the junction of which, regulated by the
tension is in the middle of the leather. After the needle has left the fabric in
its upward movement the head of the machine is moved on pins R, R', so as
to be displaced transversely by the aid of lever C, by which means the needle.
in again descending passes on one side of the fabric and forms a second loop
for the passage of the shuttle I, carrying a thread with it on rising to its first.
position, the crossing of which is effected with the previous one at the junction
of the two pieces of leather. The stitch thus produced will present the form
of a double whip stitch.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st August 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
5 CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," a communication to me from abroad by Edmond
Philippe and Dominique Gance, both of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, 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 William Clark, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to improvements in sewing machines, in which the
needle carrier has the ordinary vertical motion and a lateral movement, which
produces the rise and descent of the needle alternately in different lines at a
certain distance apart, for the purpose of forming what is termed the "whip
stitch," produced by interlacing the two threads, one of which is furnished by
a shuttle from a ball or reel, and the other by a bobbin serving to feed the
needle. These improvements are represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Fig. 1 shows a part sectional elevation of the improvements applied to a sewing
machine; Fig. 2 represents this machine in plan, partly in elevation, and
section; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section taken near the head of the
machine; Fig. 4 shows a part sectional elevation of an improved machine
according to this Invention to be used in the glove manufacture; Fig. 5, a
plan of the same, seen partly in section; Fig. 6 shows a vertical section of
this machine taken through the work feeder, also showing the mechanism at

page_text: the head of the machine for keeping the needle thread in tension; Fig. 7
represents a transverse vertical section of a machine arranged according to
this Invention, also to be used in the manufacture of gloves; Figs. 8, 9, 10,
and 11 show details herein-after described. The same letters of reference
indicate similar parts seen in the several Figures.
The Invention consists, first, in the production of what is termed the whip
stitch with two threads, by means of a lateral movement presently described,
and serving more especially for sewing or uniting cloth or other fabric or even
leather, the threads being much stronger than those hitherto employed.
Secondly, in an improved means of feeding the fabric, with the object of
preventing the resistance due to the weight or adhesion. of large pieces of
fabrics, (such as sailcloth, awnings, tarpaulins, or leather,) from interfering
with the feed.
1st. For this purpose I employ two grooved cylinders superposed in such
manner as to act on the fabric. These cylinders are regulated in position by
means of a lever acting on a ratchet wheel. This lever is in turn actuated
by a double cam keyed on a horizontal shaft mounted under the table of the
machine.
2ndly. I employ an ordinary foot presser acting in combination with a plate
sliding in grooves made in the principal plate of the machine. The leather or
fabric being held between the presser and the plate is prevented from slipping
on the latter as in ordinary, but the pressure of the work presser and the
adhesion of the leather to said plate will cause the latter to move with it in
the direction taken by the work presser at the moment that the needle is
rising and withdraws from the leather; the presser retains its position and
compresses the leather until the needle agains descends to make a new stitch,
when at the moment that the point of the shuttle enters the loop the presser
rises, and the under plate being no longer retained by the pressure of the foot
returns to its original position under the action of a spring, whilst the leather
remains in position, being held by the needle passing through it. The leather
is thus successively shifted after the formation of each stitch, instead of
slipping, as usual in most machines.
3rdly. I may employ a feeder for shifting the fabric or leather as above
described, consisting of a gripper, the two jaws of which advance together in
order to shift the work.
The third part of the Invention consists in the application of two needles,
having the eye near the point in combination with two shuttles, each double
pointed for the purpose of forming a series of stitches or seams in two parallel
lines at a given distance apart. This application of parallel seams may serve

page_text: for ornamenting the backs of gloves or other purposes; it is also indispensably
necessary in making sails or awnings, as in this case the two parts to be
united lap one on the other for a certain width, while the two edges are united
by the whip stitch, which object is effected by the aid of the improved appa-
ratus of this Invention by the single passage of the fabric under the operating
point, see Figs. 1, 2, and 11. Two threads are employed; one furnished by
the needle and the other by the shuttle, which unite (the one being raised by
the other) alternately in the thickness of the article being sewn, and then
above it. This crossing of the threads offers sufficient resistance to prevent
their giving way, hence the seam produced may be considered as incapable of
becoming unsewn. This mode of sewing possesses an elasticity analogous to the
whip stitch as done by band, and presents the advantage of being lengthened
or shortened under a certain strain without breaking.
The Invention consists, 4thly, in an improved mode of driving the shuttle
without the aid of the ordinary guides, fixed or otherwise, by means of which,
1st, the thread is prevented from becoming greasy; 2ndly, a much stronger
or slacker needle thread may be employed than in ordinary sewing machines;
3rdly, a pitched or tarred needle thread may be used if desired.
Having now generally stated the principal improvements in sewing machines,
I will proceed to describe the apparatus arranged according to this Invention,
together with the applications of same,
a, table of the machine; b, arm bolted firmly to table a; c, plate enclosing
needle carrier d, and serving to maintain it in the guides e, which plate also
serves to transmit the lateral motion produced by lever f, Figs 1, 2, 4, and 5,
to the head of the machine. The needle carrier in its up-and-down motion
imparts movement to segmenth by means of a stud 9 working in a slot
therein, which segment in its turn regulates the stretcher i; lever f, actuated
by cam j, mounted on shaft k, Fig. 1, also producing the lateral movement.
In Fig. 5 this cam is shown as mounted on an intermediate shaft l, which
may be extended and serve to drive the feeder, the latter acting but once for
every two revolutions of the principal shaft k. On this shaft k are mounted
the cams for acting on the needle and shuttle in the arrangement shown at
Figs. 4 and 7. Two small cams U, P, are mounted on the one end of this
shaft for actuating the feeder, the other end being provided with a grooved
pulley receiving motion from the fly wheel; o, Figs. 1 and 3, work presser.
The stretcher i is formed of two parts jointed in such manner as to elongate and
extend the tension when desired. Fig. 10 represents a shuttle pointed at both
ends, in order to pass in either direction through the loop left by the needle
thread; the shuttle is nearly of cylindrical form, slightly flattened on one side.

page_text: The mechanism for driving the shuttle is shown more particularly in Figs. 1
and 2; p, p, shuttle guides, four in number, consisting of what may be termed
sockets, their interior being of corresponding form to the shuttle and square
on the outside. Each shuttle carrier is furnished on one side with a movable
jaw, the inside of which is flat and fits on the flat side of the shuttle, said jaw
turns on a point q fitted to the socket, the latter being furnished with a spring
m, having a constant tendency to open the jaw; on the inside of the jaw
there is a small screw forming a projecting pin, which takes into one of the
holes r, r, made in the flat side of the shuttle, Fig. 10. The shuttle com-
pletely encloses the reel or ball of thread, it being made in two parts united
together in order to provide for their insertion. The shuttle carriers con-
structed as above described, are disposed opposite each other in the same line
in guides s, s, formed on the under side of the table. These guides are of just
sufficient width to admit the movable jaws when they are closed; each shuttle
carrier terminating in a flat part sliding in cross guides cast on table a. At
one end of the two shuttle carriers (at the flat part above mentioned) there is
a finger having a spring action projecting at right angles and working in a
groove made in one of the two cams'u, u, keyed on the shaft k. These cams
are exactly opposed to one another in form, so that each pair of shuttle
carriers may in turn separate or approach each other, while the other pair are
fixed; but each pair commences its backward movement before the other has
completed its forward movement, while during the completion of the greater
part of the backward motion the other remains fixed. One pair are set in
motion during the passage of the needle in and out of the fabric, and the other
during the subsequent motions of said needle. In this manner the shuttle
carriers are caused to actuate the shuttle alternately, and to pass them
through the loops of the needle thread formed in the fabrics. The following
is the action of the shuttles:-As each pair of shuttle carriers completes
its forward movement, the movable jaw before mentioned, having on one side
an obtuse angle v, moves beyond its guides, said angle causing the jaw
to open, and on the return of the shuttle carrier the jaw is again closed by its
passage in guide 8, as seen in the shuttle carrier p, Fig. 2. Each shuttle
carrier in advancing places the opposite end of the shuttle in the other shuttle
carrier, and as the one jaw opens as it advances while the other jaw closes
during its retreat, the pins x on the one jaw leave their holes r, while the
other pins on the jaw of the other shuttle driver are caused to enter their
respective holes r. These studs or pins are for the purpose of preventing the
shuttles slipping longitudinally in their carriers, while their flat sides prevent
then from turning. By this method, of working the shuttles the ordinary

page_text: guides are dispensed with, and the guides being fixed I not only avoid greasing
the thread in passing through the machine, but may also if desired employ
pitched or tarred threads much stronger and coarser than those used in
ordinary machines, or I may use a fine untwisted silk thread in the same
machine.
The feeder u is represented in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 11; it consists of two
cylinders, each turning. on a horizontal axis, supported in bearings above and
below the table, the former being bolted to the head of arm b; y, ratchet
wheel mounted on shaft z below the table. This wheel is actuated by a lever 1
fixed to a socket on shaft z, between the wheel and the bearing; 2, disc
mounted on horizontal shaft k, which disc is furnished with two adjustable
studs fitted at right angles thereto, and secured by means of nuts in slots made
in the disc, said slots serving to regulate the motion of lever 1, to which latter
is fixed a pawl kept up to the toothed wheel by a spring. The oscillations of
lever 1 cause said pawl to take effect on the teeth of said wheel. 4, handle of
a forked lever oscillating on an axis 5, fixed to arm 6, and serving to raise
the upper cylinder out of contact with the lower one, to permit of the position
of the work being changed or introduced afresh. The disc q being thus set in
motion by the horizontal shaft k, transmits rotary motion to cylinders n, n, by
means of lever 1, while the fabric being held between the two cylinders and
the latter rotated, imparts a shifting movement to the fabric proportionate to
the extent of motion imparted to wheel y by disc 2 and lever 1, which regulate
the feed of the work..
This method of feeding is necessary in the manufacture of sails, awnings,
and other articles of which the weight, thickness, or adhesion are such
that the feed arrangement of ordinary machines are entirely insufficient for
the purpose. In Figs. 4 and 7 I have shown two other feed arrangements,
which are especially applicable when sewing leather in the manufacture of
gloves. In Fig. 4 the work presser consists of a narrow flat iron bar
working in fixed guides 7, 7, formed on the head of the machine, on one side
of which bar is fixed an arm 8, placed in contact with a small cam 7 mounted
on the end of the principal shaft k, said cam being formed in such manner as
to raise the arm and with it the bar of the work presser; ', second small cam,
also mounted on the end of shaft k, which at each revolution of the latter
produces an upward movement of the presser at the moment that the needle
is withdrawn from the opening made in plate g for its reception as well as
that of the thread, and the bar is held in this position until the needle has
passed in a downward direction through the leather, and has formed a loop for
the passage of the shuttle therein. This shuttle is represented separately in

page_text: Figs. 8 and 9. The ball of thread or bobbin being placed in its interior the
tension of the thread is regulated by a spring 34 acting on pulley 35, to
prevent snapping of the thread or the formation of knots. In this position of
the pressing foot the leather is shifted a given distance in making the next
stitch. A small sliding plate 12, adjusted in guides on the principal plate a,
terminates at one end in a small tail-piece 13, on which acts a spring 14, for
the purpose of moving the plate 12 forwards after each backward movement
of the pressing foot, the leather being thus pressed between plate 12, and the
foot is shifted instead of merely slipping over the metal surface as in the
generality of sewing machines. The formation of the stitch is regulated by
means of screw 15.
Fig. 7 represents a feed arrangement consisting of grippers made in two
parts in the form of jaws furnished with teeth for holding the leather in
position; one of these arms is formed on the end of.a bent arm 16, hinged at
17 to a bar 18, which is also bent at that point. The other end of this bar
has three branches 19 of suitable form, two of which slide in guides under
table a; 20, upright arm, at the upper end of which is: fixed the teeth 21;
said arm is of peculiar form, having a flat bearing surface at foot, in which is
formed a socket serving for the reception of a fixed guide 22 of cylindrical
form fixed at right angles to arm 19. Another guide 23, also of cylindrical
form, is fixed to the base of the upright arm 20, which guides serve to raise
said arm by the action of a small cam mounted on the end of shaft k,
whereby to produce a gripping effect on the leather, the jaw 21 being brought
up to the upper jaw and the latter pressed in a downward direction by a
spring 24 and presser 25 sliding in fixed guides 26, 26. After this operation
is effected the small cam being in contact with the regulating screw at
point 28, moves bar 18 and arms 19 in a longitudinal direction, the slot 291
and stud 30 having arrived at that point where the presser is in contact with
arm 16, and so permitting of this motion being effected. At this moment the
leather is moved in a direction transversely to the machine, and when the
shuttle bas entered the loop a similar gripping action takes place to that
above described, and by the same parts but in an opposite direction, which
motion is facilitated by the hinge 17. In Fig. 1 the thread stretcher is
formed of a small jointed arm 31, oscillating on a point 32, which arm is
terminated at the upper part by a small fork having two eyes for the passage
of each thread. This arm 31 is set in motion by a stud 33 formed on the
needle carrier, which in its vertical up-and-down movement causes the
stretcher 31 to oscillate, and by this means to regulate the tension of the
thread after forming each stitch..

page_text: Having described the nature of this Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the various
improvements in sewing machines herein-before described and represented
in the accompanying Drawings, it being understood that the form and dimen-
sions of the parts may be varied according to the purpose for which the
apparatus is to be applied.
I also claim the production of the lateral motion for forming a cross whip
stitch to be used in the manufacture of gloves, and as represented in
Figs. 4 and 7; also the employment of a lateral movement with two needles
for the production of designs on the backs of leather gloves or other seams,
as herein-before described, which arrangement, by increasing the size of the
stitch and other proportions, will serve for making ships' sails, awnings, sacks,
and other similar articles, which result may be readily attained with either
of the machines before described.
Lastly, I claim the various arrangements of feed apparatus herein-before
described and represented in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)