CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN "PICKERS" FOR POWER LOOMS
Year: 1848

page_text: LONGWORTH'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LONGWORTH, of Newton Heath, in the County of Lancaster, Skinner and
Farmer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Tenth day of April, in the eleventh year of Her reign, and
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Longworth, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Longworth, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said John Longworth, my executors, administrators,
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 and Wales and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN "PICKERS" FOR POWER LOOMS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said John Longworth, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be enrolled in Her 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Longworth, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following
explanation thereof (that is to say):-
My Improvements in Pickers for Power Looms relate to certain well-
known parts of power looms which are employed for impelling the shuttle
from one end of its race to the other, across the slay or shuttle board.
Pickers are commonly employed on each side of power looms, and run
upon guides or spindles, and are worked or driven by impelling arms
called picking rods or lovers, being connected to the ends of such "picking
rods" by means of strong leather or other bands called picking bands. The
ordinary pickers are made of buffalo hide in general, and from their form as
commonly constructed are subject to considerable destruction, and conse-
quently require to be continually renewed in the loom. Now my improve-
ments consist in a novel and particular form or configuration of "pickers,"
whereby such continual wear and tear is materially decreased, and a con-
sequent economy in power-loom weaving is effected. My improved pickers
are to be made of buffalo hide, or other strong substitute of which they aro
usually composed, or they may be made of india rubber, gutta percha, or
some descriptions of leather, if desired, and will be more clearly described
and better understood by referring to the Drawing attached to these Presents;
the principal novelty consisting:
=
First, in the peculiarity of their form or shape;
Secondly, in so folding or wrapping buffalo hide or other article of which
they may be composed in such a manner as to form a solid picker, with two
good fronts or striking parts, thus capable of being used upon either side of
the loom, or of being alternately reversed when worn by their action upon
the shuttle;
Thirdly, in forming or constructing the picker in such a manner that the
shuttle is prevented from being struck, or coming in contact with the edges of
the buffalo hide or other article from which it is made; and,
6
Fourthly, in forming or constructing pickers in such a manner, and of such
a shape, as will enable them to be used or employed with or without the
'spindles" upon which they commonly slide or work, and also to prevent them
being broken up before they are entirely worn out by the action of the points
of the shuttle.
Fig. 1 shews a side view (full size) and Fig. 2 a top view of the first
description of my improved pickers, and is made as follows:-It will be seen
that this picker is solid, and is formed by folding or wrapping the buffalo hide
as shewn clearly in Fig. 2. It is made by taking one or more pieces or strips
of hide, and folding it on a mandril, thereby forming the outer part or casing

page_text: a, a, of the picker, and thus forming the two fronts or striking parts, or those
opposed to the points of the shuttle. Into this outer casing I place an inner
strip or closely folded piece of hide b, b, the lower or projecting end of which
runs in the guides or groove in the slay or lathe. They are then to be pressed
or squeezed together, and screwed or fastened by rivets, screws, or staples c, c;
and d is a
staple wire, placed on one side, for attaching the picker to the
picking band. An aperture is formed at e, for the purpose of lessening the
surface exposed to friction, whilst the picker is running on the spindle, which
passes through the opening or hole f in the upper part of the picker. Another
and lighter description of picker is shewn at Figs. 3 and 4, which is made
much in the same manner as the former, but having the sides depressed for
the sake of lightness, and still preserving a solid picker with two fronts or
striking surfaces. The pricking band may either be attached by a staple, or
placed through the hole in the upper part of the picker. Another slight
modification of picker is represented in Figs. 5 and 6.
this instance is made exactly in a similar manner to that shewn in Fig. 1,
with the exception of the inside piece or folds of the hide; in this picker
the inside folds are larger and extend through the outer casing, both above
and below, and thus form a guide piece or "leg" at both ends of the picker,
which will enable pickers to be worked without the friction caused by their
sliding upon the spindles as usual, as the picker may thus be guided in its
direct course by means of the projections or ends running in grooves suitably
formed in the lathe or slay.
The picker in
In witness whereof, I, the said John Longworth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of October, One thousand eight hundred