IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF KNITTED ELASTIC FABRICS, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Wilkinson at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd September
1862.
I, WILLIAM WILKINSON, of Colville Place, Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, Mechanical Draftsman, and Frame-
work Knitter,. do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF KNITTED ELASTIC FABRICS, AND IN THE
MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of an improved manufacture of knitted elastic
fabrics from strands of lapped, plaited, or otherwise plaited india-rubber
threads or strands, and in the framework knitting machinery or stocking warp
or other knitting frames for manufacturing the same. The mode at present
adopted for manufacturing elastic webs or fabrics from caoutchouc strands is
by placing these threads between the loops of the fabric by a well known
apparatus placed in front of the frame called a "jack" or fast point machine
or tickler machine. These machines are placed in front of the needles fixed
to two arms on each side of the needle bar, so that a backward and forward
motion may be imparted to them by hand power. The machines in question
must be half filled with points, so as to correspond with half the number of
Deedles, so that when the machine is introduced into the needles it is capable
with its ticklers or points or coverers to take off every alternate loop from the
beard of the needle, and so bring the stitches on to the ticklers or points by

page_text: slightly bringing forward the frame. The sinkers are made to pass between
the tickler exactly over the needle; the frame is then brought back to admit
room to pass the india-rubber or caoutchouc thread between the loops, one
half of them being placed upon the ticklers and the other half upon the
needles, and at this particular interval the caoutchouc or india-rubber thread
is passed between the loops. The machine. containing the other half of the
loops is then shogged and brought into the next sinker gate the frame is then
brought forward, and the loop being placed, that is, on the point or tickler,
so as to correspond with the next needle, the frame is then brought down
while the stitches and points are placed over the needles, or ticklers are
placed over the needle; the frame is then brought down while the points
or ticklers contain half the loops, and the other half are upon their adjoining
needles, but when the frame is brought down and pushed back the stitches
that are upon the ticklers or points are placed upon the next adjoining needle,
and by this means a straight thread of elastic character (namely caoutchouc
or india-rubber) is brought between the loops; the frame is. then prepared
for the next row of loops, and by this, means india-rubber thread is at present
introduced into loop fabrics, which renders the process of manufacture very
tedious and slow, and the fabric itself, even when manufactured from a very
fine, machine, is, of a very coarse, thick, and unsightly nature, and is also a
very imperfect article, as the india-rubber thread' is governed by one balf the
-number of loops, and only-by being placed between them.
Now, I propose to improve the stocking or other knitting frame, and to
make a new caoutchouc or india-rubber fabric, either plain or ornamental;
from a lapped, plaited, or other plaited-india-rubber thread. I entirely dispense
with the use of the jack or tickler or point machine in the manufacture of
looped elastic caoutchouc web, except when fancy. elastic net caoutchouc
fabric is required; in which case the common jack or fast machine tuck or
knot may be brought into action, as, for instance, in making elastic stockings
and other fabrics where fancy work may be required, but in no case are the
elastic strands to. be placed between the loops, but the elastic thread itself is
brought into the manufacture of the entire fabric, and not merely placed
between the loops, thus affording a very great facility in the manufacture of
the fabric, which will present a beautiful flat and fine texture and surface,
the web being manufactured direct from the strands of caoutchouc previously
covered with filamentous or fibrous materials such as silk, or cotton, or other
fibrous materials. The web when made plain will have the appearance of a
fine ordinary knitted fabric, which when looped from its own particular stretch

page_text: will possess three times the elasticity of any other fabric manufactured from
caoutchouc, as it will consist of its own elastic meshes and be five times as
fine as the fabric hitherto produced, the loops of the fabric themselves being
formed of the covered india-rubber strands, as already stated. This web will
be made with as great facility as though it were made of ordinary yarns
instead of the thread of caoutchouc, which could never be made to enter the
beard of the needle, but by my Invention it will always enter the beard or
beards of the needles, and thus be worked in one continuous succession of
loops. I improve the frame or knitting machine or stocking frame by fixing
additional levers to the sinker bar that contains the lead sinkers; these
sinkers have always worked in sinker bars in a fixed position in order to
divide the loop from the jack sinker at the time the lock is imparted to the
jacks, so as to bring the jack head in contact with the verge; such fixed sinker
bar would not enable the covered caoutchouc thread to be worked with
facility according to this Invention; I therefore fix the sinker bar in upright
levers so that when the caoutchouc thread is laid upon the needles, and brought
underneath the jack sinker nibs, these jack sinker nibs are raised by the
locker so as to lock and give sufficient supply of loop to the lead sinker that
is not in a fixed position, but which acts upon and stretches the caoutchouc
thread placed upon the needles. An inclined spring is provided to let down the
sinker bar and sinkers upon the caoutchouc thread placed on the needles
and underneath the nibs of the jack sinkers during the interval. The lock is
placed upon the jacks, and the sinker bar is forced down, whereby the
caoutchouc thread becomes sufficiently stretched to such a degree of fineness
that it is easily and accurately placed underneath the beard or beards of the
needles and pressed into one level row of loops. In order to regulate the
power of the lead sinker bar and sinkers they are placed under the control of
stars and star levers, that is to say, orie star being on each side of the sinker bår
or more stär levers if the bar be of more than ordinary width, in which case the
stars are placed at suitable intervals so as to regulate the pressure of the pall
springs, which in turn regulate the pressure of the sinkers upon the caoutchouc
thread, and thus prevent the sinker bar from à movement and keep it in a
firm position at the time the locker bar is driven upon the tail of the jacks.
When the thread is equally stretched and divided it will be easily brought
forward and underneath the beards of the needles, and by these means wide
rotary frames may be brought into use for making a plain fabric of india-rubber
thread, whether covered previously with fibrous materials, as before stated, or
not covered at all, of a beautifully level, fine, and lasting character, being a new

page_text: manufacture. This web is to manufactured into useful articles entirely.
composed thereof, as well as for more elasticating other elastic fabrics. The
way in which I make a stocking, half hose, or glove by adding a top made of
the new fabric or web, so as to cause the stocking, half hose, or gloove to fit
more completely when a top of this kind is introduced to the article, is either
by running such top on to the needles to give a more complete and sightly
appearance to the article by adding these elastic tops to the tops of half-hose
or whole stockings in order that they will retain a more complete fit. I also
put wristbands to the sleeves of shirts by running them on to the needles, and
I also form tops to drawers and pantaloon bottoms; or I sew the tops or
bottoms on to the goods. I also form gussets or bands for kid and elastic
gloves, or for other purposes.
I also apply the fabric or web to form the tops or side springs of boots,
as well as to the manufacture of stays and boddices, braces, bandings for
crinolines, sashes for soldiers, for surgical stockings, knee caps, head dresses,
and other useful purposes to which elastic web may be applied. I also
propose to ornament kid gloves with my elastic web gusset applied to the
wrist thereof, by stretching them on boards, and then by gilding them and
embossing them by means of an engraved roller or stamp or die, gold or silver
leaf and size, whereby with the aid of pressure the gold and silver leaf is made
to adhere in any required design upon the surface of the glove; I also perforate
the gloves in various places so as to form an ornamental or lace-looking
pattern upon the glove, or upon the skins to be cut into gloves, by means of an
ornamental punch or stamp with the requisite pattern cut on the surface
thereof. I also tie and dye loop elastic fabrics, when manufactured and
finished, into stockings, shirts, and drawers, dresses or pantaloons. This
part of the Invention consists in tieing the stocking or other article with
certain measured spaces of string or other suitable equivalent, so as to
prevent the dye from coming in contact with the whole of the web or stocking
or other article that is made of a looped and elastic character, and by so tieing
the stockings with string or its equivalents it leaves open a sufficient space
to receive the color, and so produce a striped ornamented stocking or other
elastic article made in framework knitting machinery.
myself to only making them of two colors, but of as many colors as
may be deemed requisite for the article, so by this means complete fashion
striped ornamented stockings, shirts, drawers, dresses, pantaloons, and
other articles become ornamented. Instead of the stripes being introduced
by the various colored threads into the articles, I ornament this fabric by
I do not confine

page_text: dyeing the spaces required for the purpose. I also paint with mineral or
vegetable dyes or coloring matter all elastic and loop fabrics, and provide
holders to pass them into the stocking or other article, so as to hold them in
form and ensure a complete and level stripe when the fabric is in a stretched
position. I also print and ornament the same articles by blocks when the
goods are stretched on frames or boards covered with sponge or soft leather,
so that when the blocks are applied to the fabric, a proper and equal design
is ensured over the whole surface of the fabric.