IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRAIDED OR PLAITED FABRICS, AND IN FINISHING THE SAME, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSE."
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Birtwistle, Braid Manufacturer, and Richard
Furnival, Machinist, both of the City of Manchester and County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF BRAIDED OR PLAITED FABRICS, AND IN FINISHING THE SAME,
AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Birtwistle and
Richard Furnival at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 27th February 1864.
We, GEORGE BIRTWISTLE, Braid Manufacturer, and RICHARD FURNIVAL,
Machinists, both of the City of Manchester and County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF BRAIDED OR PLAITED FABRICS, AND IN FINISHING THE SAME,
AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSE," to be as follows:-
Firstly, our Invention relates to machines for braiding or plaiting yarns
or threads, and its object is to dispense with the fingers used for guiding the
threads when forming the selvage of the braid, and other connected apparatus
in machines having a large number of spindles, and to prevent the crowding
of the threads together at the selvage, which tends to form imperfect edges in
the braid, especially in machines having a large number of spindles; and

page_text: our improvements consist in constructing braiding or plaiting machines so
that instead of the "rose spindles" being arranged in the ordinary circular
form, they are arranged in a spiral form, in which those "rose spindles" at
the ends overlap each other. In the ordinary machine the spindles carrying
the yarn or thread meet and then turn back, but in our improved machine
they pass each other to any required extent before turning back. By this
means the angle between the threads is enlarged at the selvage, and the
threads are consequently much less crowded together.
Secondly, our Invention relates to a process of finishing braided or plaited
yarn or thread fabrics, and in machinery or apparatus for the purpose by
which the irregularities of such fabrics are in great measure removed, and by
means of which coarse wide braid can be reduced in width, while its appear-
ance as to fineness and straightness of texture is very greatly improved; and
our improved process for finishing braided or plaited yarn or thread fabrics
consists in subjecting such fabrics to heat while held in a state of tension, or
in subjecting them to heat and friction while in a state of tension in the
direction of their length, avoiding such pressure upon them as will tend to
produce a calendering effect. The fabrics are subjected to our improved
finishing process after having passed through the process of dyeing.
The machinery or apparatus by which we carry out our finishing process
consists of apparatus which will be sufficiently understood by describing the
progress of the fabric through the machine. The braid is drawn from a
suitable receptacle or from a roll which may be unrolled on centres or upon
the surface of drums or rollers, it then passes under and over several fixed
bars to obtain sufficient friction to give the required amount of tension, then it
passes over a roller, then under and over several fixed hollow cylinders which
are heated by steam or by other means, then under or over another roller,
and then under and over several rollers geared together, which take sufficient
hold of the fabric to draw it over the heated cylinders without putting any
considerable pressure upon it, from which drawing rollers the fabric is
delivered properly finished and ready to be made up for the market. The
tension is put upon the fabric by the pull of the drawing rollers, and the
holding back friction and the fabric receives a certain amount of smoothing
friction in the act of passing over the hollow heated cylinders; but where this
smoothing friction is not required the hollow heated cylinders may be mounted
upon pivots and allowed to rotate by the adhesion of the passing fabrics. The
friction to give tension may be obtained by weights resting upon the passing
fabrics, and the amount of the friction may be regulated by varying the
weights. Any convenient number of pieces of braid may be operated upon at

page_text: the same time when placed side by side, according to the width of the
machine.
The machinery or apparatus may be modified without departing from the
peculiarity of our Invention, as other heated surfaces may be substituted in
place of the cylinders, and additional smoothing friction may be given by
making the heated cylinders move in a direction opposite to that of the
passing fabric; and in some cases the fabrics may be exposed to heat while
held in tension without contact with heated surfaces when smoothing friction
is not required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Birtwistle and Richard Furnival in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
BIRTWISTLE, Braid Manufacturer, and RICHARD FURNIVAL, Machinist, both of
the City of Manchester and County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said George Birtwistle and Richard Furnival, Her special license that
we, the said George Birtwistle and Richard Furnival, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said George Birtwistle and
Richard Furnival, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRAIDED OR PLAITED FABRICS, AND IN
FINISHING THE SAME, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSE," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Birtwistle and
Richard Furnival, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals
(or under the hand and seal of one of us), 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Birtwistle and Richard
Furnival, do hereby declare the nature-of-our-said-Invention, and iniwhat
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is
to say):
Firstly, our Invention relates to machines for braiding or plaiting yarns or
threads, and its object is to dispense with the "fingers" used for guiding the
threads when forming the selvage of the braid, and other connected apparatus
in machines having a large number of spindles, and to prevent the crowding
of the threads together at the selvage, which tends to form imperfect edges in
the braid, especially in machines having a large number of spindles; and our
improvements consist in constructing braiding or plaiting machines so that
instead of the "rose spindles" being arranged in the ordinary circular form
they are arranged in a spiral form, in which those "rose spindles" at the ends
-pass or overlap-cach-other In-the-ordinary-machines-the-spindles_carrying
the yarn or thread meet and then turn back, but in our improved machine
-they-pass-each-other-to-any-required_extent before turning back; by this
means the angle-between the threads is enlarged at the selvage, and the
threads are consequently much less crowded together.
This part of our Invention is illustrated by Fig. 1 of the accompanying
Drawings, which is a plan view showing the form in which the "rose'spin-
dles"
6
are arranged. a, rose spindles ;" a¹, the "roses." The threads from
the spindles (6) are collected in the eye (c) and the-fully-formed -braid passes
in the direction of the part marked (c). The rose spindles (a) are geered
together, the machine is stopped when a thread breaks, and the braid is
delivered same as in the ordinary machine, except that the stop plate and
other parts are shaped and modified to suit our improved arrangement of the
"rose spindles." We do not confine ourselves to the scroll arrangement of
the "rose spindles "so long as the end spindles pass or overlap as shown.
The "rose spindles" may be arranged in the arcs of circles, as shown by the
centre line, Diagram Fig. 2, the braid in each case being drawn away in a.
line (f) about mid-way between the line (d and e) drawn from the centre of
the last "rose-spindle" at each end to the centre of the arcs of the circles in
which the "rose spindles" are placed, as shown..
:
Secondly, our Invention relates to a process of, finishing braided or plaited
yarn or thread fabrics, and in machinery or apparatus for the purpose by which.
the irregularities of such fabrics are in great measure removed, and by means
of which coarse wide braid can be reduced in width, while its appearance as
to fineness and straightness of texture is very greatly improved; and our.

page_text: improved process for finishing braided or plaited yarn or thread fabrics consists
in subjecting such fabrics to heat while hell in a state of tension, or in sub-
jecting them to heat and friction while in a state of tension in the direction of
their length, avoiding such pressure upon them as will tend to produce a
calendering effect. The fabrics are subjected to our improved finishing process
after having passed through the process of dyeing.
The machinery.or apparatus by which we carry our finishing 'process into
effect consists of apparatus which will be understood by the following descrip-
tion of the progress of the fabric through the machine. The braid to bo
finished is drawn from a suitable receptacle or from a roll, which may
be unrolled from centres or from the surface of drums or rollers; it then
passes over a rod and roller, then under a second roller, and then over a third
roller, and then under and over several fixed hollow cylinders heated by steam
or other suitable means, according to the degree of tension and finish required,
and then under and over several rollers geered together, which take suflicient
hold of the fabric to draw it over the heated cylinders without putting any
considerable pressure upon it; from which drawing rollers the fabric ascends
and passes over a roller and drops into a suitable receptacle properly finished
and ready to be made up for the market. The tension is put upon the fabric
by the pull of the drawing rollers and the holding-back friction of the hollow
cylinders, and the fabric receives a certain amount of smoothing friction in
the act of passing over the hollow heated cylinders; but where this smoothing
friction is not required the hollow heated cylinders may be mounted upon
pivots and allowed to rotate by the adhesion of the passing fabrics. Additional
holding-back friction may be obtained by passing the fabric over one or more
fixed bars or weighted rollers, and this friction may be varied by placing
weights upon the passing fabrics, and the amount of friction may be regulated
by varying the weights. Any convenient number of pieces of braid may bo
operated upon at the same time when placed side by side, according to the
width of the machine.
The machinery or apparatus may be modified without departing from the
peculiarity of our Invention, as other heated surfaces may be substituted in
place of the cylinders, and additional smoothing friction may be given by
making the heated cylinders move in a direction opposite to that of the passing
fabrics; and in some cases the fabrics may be exposed to heat while held in
tension without contract with heated surfaces when smoothing friction is not
required.
The machinery by which we prefer to carry out this part of our Invention is
illustrated by Fig. 3. a side elevation and Fig & a ulan view Ai tho

page_text: framing, formed by two sides, held together by cross stays; A¹, stands, the
upper ends of which are connected with a frame A carrying a series of rollers.
The fabrics are drawn from suitable receptacles and pass to separating rods (a)
suspended from the frame (A), then over a roller (a') free to rotate in bear-
ings on the frame (A2), then under a rod or roller (a), also free to rotate in
bearings on the framing (A), then over another similar roller (), then over
and under as many of the hollow cylinders (6) as are necessary to give the
requisite tension and finish. These hollow cylinders (6) are made of tinned
plate or other suitable material, and their ends are soldered to a flanged part
(b) which can be bolted, as shown, to the framing (A), the flanged ends of
the cylinders and the framing having passages, so that the steam, when
admitted into the first cylinder, will pass through it, then descend through a
hole in the flanged part and into a cavity in the side frame and up into the
next cylinder, and so on to the last cylinder, where the condensed steam is
taken away. After the fabrics have passed over the hollow heated cylinders
they pass under a roller (³), and then under and over the drawing rollers (c),
which have their bearings in slotts formed in vertical brackets (c'). A sufficient
pressure may be placed on the top roller by hook or slotted rods (*) jointed
with weighted levers (c), there being one on each side. These drawing
rollers (c) are geered together by suitable toothed wheels, and the bottom
roller has motion from a suitable handle (c), or by a belt and pulleys from
any convenient driving power. From the driving rollers the fabrics ascend
and are made to pass over different rollers (a') to separate them and leave
space between so that cans or other receptacles may be placed to receive each
separate piece. These rollers (a') are driven at suitable speed by endless
bands (as shown) so as to pull the fabrics forward as delivered by the drawing
rollers.
We have now particularly described the nature of our Invention, and the
mode in which it may be carried into effect, aud claim as our Invention,―
Firstly, the arrangement of the "rose spindles" of braiding machines, as
herein-before described under the first head of our Invention.
Secondly, the finishing of braided yarn or thread fabrics by subjecting then
to heat while held in a state of tension, as described under the second head of
our Invention.
Thirdly, the finishing of braided yarn or thread fabrics by subjecting them
to heat and friction while in a state of tension, as herein-before described
under the second head of our Invention.
Fourthly, the combination and arrangement of machinery or apparatus for
finishing braided yarn or thread fabrics by subjecting them to heat and friction

page_text: while held in tension, as herein-before described under the second head of our
Invention.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Birtwistle and Richard Furnival,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-third day of
August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-four
GEORGE BIRTWISTLE. (L.S.)
RICHARD FURNIVAL. (L.S.)