Fabrics.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Apr., 1889
Specification Accepted, 11th May, 1889
Fabrics.
I JOHN PLATT of The Mount, Walton, near Warrington, in the County of Chester,
Master Fustian Cutter 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 :-
This invention relates to cutting the pile of velvets, velveteens, and other piled
fabrics wherein loops are woven in the cloth, and the pile is formed by cutting these
loops by means of suitable instruments by the process commonly known as
22 Fustian
Cutting."
The chief objects of the invention are:-
1st. To reduce the size of the "holes" or tears made by the cutting instrument
when it pierces the cloth and
2nd. To cause the pile threads to be cut of one uniform length so as to produce
an even and level "face" of pile.
First. In cutting by hand as now ordinarily performed the "knife and guide"
or cutting instrument is firmly fixed in a "haft" which is held in the hand of the
operator.
Whenever the knife goes through the cloth-owing to the imperfections in the
cloth or from other causes-it is often forced some distance by the momentum of
the hand of the operator and consequently makes a large hole unless the operator
be very skilful and alert, and large holes thus made, often render the cloth unmer-
chantable.
:
I effect the first object of my invention by means of releasing mechanism acting
independently of the will of the operator so that when the knife pierces the cloth
and makes a hole it is instantly released from its normal or cutting position. I
prefer to use a short knife and short knife holder say altogether about six inches long
or more or less and for hand cutting I connect the same to an elongated "haft" of
convenient form.
Secondly. In cutting by hand unless the operator keeps the
haft" containing"

page_text: the knife and guide constantly in the same relative position with respect to the cloth
to be cut the pile is cut unevenly or as it is termed. "racy" or." shady" and, the
value of the cloth is consequently materially reduced.
The second object of my invention is to ensure that the knife and guide shall be
maintained independently of the will or action of the operator constantly in the same
relative position with respect to the cloth. In order to effect this object I so arrange
the knife and guide that it is free within reasonable limits from the uncertain and
varying action of the hand of the operator.
"
Piled cloth may be cut "racy or "shady" by the ordinary process of "fustian
cutting" and by using the ordinary cutting instrument in the following ways:-
(a) By the operator "turning" or "twisting" the haft when the knife and guide
is firmly fixed to it.
(6) By the varying vertical movement of the haft or by the varying vertical
pressure upon the haft being communicated to the point of the knife and guide.
(c) By the pile cloth not being stretched level when beamed up for cutting whereby
longitudinal ridges and depressions in the cloth are caused.
To remedy these evils I use in all cases in addition to the haft held in the hand of
the operator a
"holder" to which I firmly secure the knife and guide. I prefer
to use a short knife and guide and short holder and an elongated haft for hand
cutting as previously described.
56
In ordinary fustian cutting" a level" is usually fixed upon the haft at right
angles to it and near the hand of the operator. A "level" is a piece of wood or
metal say from three to six inches long having a smooth under surface which should
rest level upon the cloth when cutting.
I now propose to use either, instead of, or in addition to, the ordinary level near
the hand of the operator, a level fixed either to the knife holder or to the haft near
the knife.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings reference being had to
the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a plan view Fig. 2 a side elevation and Fig. 3 a 'front end elevation
of a cutting instrument made according to my improvements. Fig. 2ª is a similar
view to Fig. 2 but shows the parts in different relative positions. Figs. 4, 5, and 6
are similar views respectively to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 showing an alternative construction
of my improved cutting instrument.
Similar letters refers to similar parts throughout the several views,
Referring first to Figures 1, 2, and 3-a designates the haft o handle which is
held in the hand of the operator and a¹ the level thereon; is the elongated portion
of the haft which may be forked or divided as shown or may be of other suitable
form: c designates the "knife and guide" which is fitted in the knife holder. d and
held there firmly by the thumb screw d¹ and e is the extra level which is secured to
the underside of the knife holder d. The knife holder dis hinged to the forked
ends of the elongated haft 6 the said ends being sprung into recesses formed in the
projections and the holder d is retained in the position shown in full lines on
Fig. 2 so as to keep the knife in its normal or true cutting position by means of a
suitable arrangement of self-acting releasing mechanism. In this case the knife
holder d is held in position by a light catch lever f which is pivoted at to the
holder d; one end of the catch lever f engages a notch in a catch piece which is
screwed so as to be capable of adjustment into the elongated haft b and the other
end lies in a recess on the upper side of the holder d and is normally retained, there
by a trigger or catch lever which is piyoted to the holder at g' and is normally
held over the end of the catch lever and against a pin d³ on the holder d by an
indiarubber or other light spring h. The trigger 9 has a projecting prong the
lower part of which is slightly above the underside of the knife and guide e so as.to
be clear of the cloth when cutting.
The action of the self acting releasing mechanism is as follows:-When the knife
pierces the cloth and makes a hole the pointed, prong 2 tches the cloth and the

page_text: trigger is thereby caused to move on its pivot gland away from the end of the
catch lever which is thereby released; the effect of releasing the catch lever f is to
allow the knife holder d with the knife and guide c to turn about their centre of
movement, i.e. the ends of the forked haft b, until from the position indicated by
dotted lines Fig. 2 they, by the continued forward movement of the operator's hand,
are turned into the position shown in Fig. 2 and the knife and guide c is withdrawn
backwards and upwards out of the hole of the cloth.
In the alternative construction illustrated by Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the elongated haft b
is shown of slightly different form, the end only being forked, and the releasing
mechanism is also differently arranged the intention in this case being to detach the
cutting instrument from the haft and leave it behind instead of withdrawing it from
the cloth as soon as the knife pierces the cloth and makes a hole as in the previous
instance.
The knife holder d is in this construction provided with a lever d' which projects
horizontally forward parallel or thereabouts with the knife and guide c. To the
forward end of this lever d is pivoted the combined trigger and prong g³ which prong
rests upon the knife and guide just behind the cutting portion and clear of the cloth
and is held normally in the position shown in full lines by means of the spring hand
when in this position it bears upon and holds down the end of a "T"lever i which
is hinged to two projections d³ on the knife holder d; the ends of the short arms of
the lever i are bent and recessed and serve to confine the forked ends of the haft b
between them and the level e so long as the lever i is caught and held by the
trigger g².
When however the knife pierces the cloth and makes a hole therein and the prong g²,
catching in the cloth is moved and releases the T lever i the momentum of the
operator's hand moves the T lever on its hinge and disconnects the forked ends
of the haft from the recessed ends of said lever as indicated by the dotted lines
Figs. 4 and 5.
There is preferably a wire guard k attached to the level e to prevent the cutting
instrument when detached as described from falling off the cloth when cutting near
the edge. The ends of the haft in front of where the pivots for the holder are placed
are shaped so as to bear upon the top of the level e by which means when the haft is
raised, the extra level is lifted, which facilitates the "setting in."
It is obvious that various arrangements for retaining the knife holder with the
knife and guide in the horizontal or cutting position and releasing them when the
trigger prong or an equivalent, catches in the cloth may be employed without departing
from the essential feature of this part of my invention which in the arrangement
illustrated by Figs. 1 to 3 consists, broadly stated, in so mounting the knife that when
the knife pierces the cloth and the knife holder is released the knife will turn about
its centre of movement and by the momentum of the operator's hand will be withdrawn
from the hole in the cloth, or, as in the arrangement illustrated by Figs. 4 to 6 the
knife holder will be released and the knife will remain stationary in the cloth whence
it can be withdrawn without further damage.
The second object of my invention is accomplished by the use of the level e on the
knife holder combined in the preferred form of cutting instrument with a short knife
and short knife holder connected to an elongated haft. The forked portions of the
elongated haft bare preferably made of steel having spring or. elasticity and the
recesses into which the ends of the haft b are sprung are counter sunk or shaped so as
to allow a certain amount of play. This construction not only prevents, within certain
limits, any turn or twist of the haft which may be caused by the varying action of the
hand of the operator from being communicated to the knife holder but it also prevents
any varying vertical movement of the haft or any varying pressure upon it from
being communicated to the said holder as such irregularities or variations are trans-
ferred to the level e and thence to the cloth and not to the knife which is thus allowed
to freely follow the race to be cut. The "weight of the hand" and the weight of the
haft transferred to the level e as described also serve to level any ridges or depressions
in the cloth caused by its being imperfectly stretched. Owing to the extra level e

page_text: being fixed so much nearer to the point of the knife than the ordinary level a¹ this
pressure is much more effectual in levelling that portion of the cloth which is being
cut and further after "setting in" the extra level immediately comes into contact
with the cloth and fulfils the object much sooner and more effectually than the ordinary
level.
It will be readily understood that the extra level might be attached to and form part
of the knife haft instead of being secured to the knife holder d as herein shown and
described, and as preferred by me.
In fixing the knife and guide c in the holder d I prefer to fix the guide firmly in a
tube or cylinder by means of a set screw d¹ acting upon a key m placed upon the top
of the guide as shown so as to permit easy adjustment and so that the knife may be
drawn out at the back without displacing or disturbing the guide.
My improvements may be applied either to hand cutting as described or to machine
cutting if found advantageous or desirable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is —
1. The combination with an elongated knife haft, of a short knife holder with knife
and guide and an arrangement of self acting mechanism to maintain the knife in its
true cutting position until by reason of the knife piercing the cloth said mechanism is
released and the knife holder and knife withdrawn or liberated substantially as herein
set forth.
2. The combination with the elongated haft b, and the knife and guide c supported
in the knife holder d hinged to said haft, of the prong g² or its equivalent arranged
to catch in the cloth and operate the mechanism shown or equivalent releasing
mechanism substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth...
3. The use and application of an extra level instead of or in addition to the ordinary
level on the knife haft, said extra level being either attached to the knife holder or fixed
on the haft at the end nearest the knife holder substantially in the manner and for
the purposes specified.
4. The combination with an elongated knife haft, a short knife and guide
supported in a short knife holder hinged to said haft, and an arrangement of self
acting releasing mechanism to liberate the knife holder when the knife pierces the
cloth, of the level e substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
5. The several constructions and combined arrangements of parts embodying my
improvements in apparatus used for cutting the pile of piled fabrics substantially as
and for the purposes herein described and as illustrated by the accompanying
Drawings.
Dated this Fifth day of April 1880