IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS AND APPARATUS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Bullough, of Accrington, in the County of
Lancaster, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
AND APPARATUS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 18th May 1855, and dated the 9th March 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Bullough at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
March 1855.
I,. JAMES BULLOUGH, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS AND APPARATUS FOR WEAVING" to be as follows:-
Firstly, I propose to prevent what are technically called "floats," being
made in the goods during the process of weaving by making a communication
from the slay or other convenient part of the loom to a fork or any similar
instrument fixed in any convenient position to stop the loom when "floats"
are made.
Secondly, to prevent the warp threads becoming entangled in the shed when
any of them break, by having an extra leaf of healds, without eyes, to move
backwards and forwards on the warp threads, not vertically, as the other healds
do; also, an arrangement by mirror to enable the weaver to see better the
yarn behind the healds whilst shedding.
Thirdly, to an improved letting back motion for the purpose of weaving
thick and thin stripes transversely on the cloth as may be required, and also
for letting back when the weft thread breaks by fixing a lever or bar between

page_text: the breast beam and the cloth beam with an eccentric or cam motion, so
that in the process of weaving, this motion will let back the warp threads
and take them up again, as required to make the variation in the transverse
stripes.
Fourthly, to an improved method of refilling the shuttle by means of a self-
acting partial vacuum formed by any of the well-known processes, and applied
to this purpose to prevent the necessity of the operative baving to draw the
weft thread through the eye of the shuttle by the breath, which is found very
detrimental to delicate constitutions.
Fifthly, to an improved stop rod, to dispense with the necessity of a swell
in the shuttle box to work the stop rod, the same being worked by the presence
of the shuttle in the yarn. Also, for a mode of forming a lease after the warp
has left the sizing machine, and previous to the looming or twisting in or
drawing to the weavers, healds, and reed. The lease is formed as follows:-
Two pointed wires or rods are barbed or otherwise prepared to receive and
retain the ends as the ends are placed upon them, and by a second barb at a
small distance behind the first in order to receive the ends from the first barb
when it (the first barb) has got a sufficient quantity, which when pressed back
into the second or other barb will force forward the wires or rods as the work
progresses by the tension of the yarn. The wires or rods will be alternately
raised, and for each successive end or ends alternately raised or depressed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Bullough in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BULLOUGH, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Bullough, Her special licence that I, the said James Bullough,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Bullough, my 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

page_text: vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS AND
APPARATUS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
James Bullough, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Bullough, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates, firstly, to an improved method of preventing what are
technically called "floats," being made in the cloth during the process of
weaving, which I accomplish by placing a coarse reed divider or leaf of healds
without eyes in front of the ordinary healds, and cause it to move backwards
and forwards between the warp threads whilst there is no obstruction; but if
a float is in the course of formation, it will prevent the forward motion of the
said coarse reed or divider, and by means of an apparatus hereafter described
will stop the loom.
Secondly, to a method of preventing the warp threads becoming entangled
in the shed when any of them break, which I accomplish by having an extra
leaf of healds or divider moving backwards and forwards between the yarn
and placed behind the ordinary healds, which motion combs or throws back
an end or ends which may stick in the yarn, thereby preventing any obstruction
to its proper shedding. One or both of these coarse reeds may be used as
desired. I also place a mirror in such a position as to enable the weaver to
see distinctly the condition of the yarn behind the healds whilst shedding.
I make this mirror sufficiently narrow to prevent the reflection of the image
of the weaver, its only object being to reflect that portion of the work as afore-
said to enable the weaver to examine it without the trouble and inconvenience
of bending over the healds and front part of the loom, and also to prevent
much bad work being made.
Thirdly, to an improved letting-back motion to slacken the warp when the
weft thread breaks, and also to weave the cloth with thick and thin stripes of
an indefinite variety of patterns, which I accomplish by causing the cloth to
pass over a bar or rod placed between the breast beam and the sand roller,
which bar or rod is either cranked or connected at each end to a lever or.
eccentric turning on bearings.in the main frames of the loom. In the ordinary

page_text: course of the cloth the bar or rod presses tightly against it; but when
slackening is required, the bar or rod is moved a little back from the cloth by
means of a handle or lever, acted upon either by the hand or the weft lever,
and it is evident that by governing the movement of the rod or bar to tighten
and slacken the warp I can produce cloth with thick and thin stripes of an
indefinite variety of patterns. I can govern or regulate the motions of the
said rod or bar by the action of cams or eccentrics of various shapes, which
will cause a great variety of patterns to be made. I also produce the same
kinds of cloth by causing the lever of the ratchet wheel of the ordinary taking-
up motion to be acted upon by an eccentric or cam.
Fourthly, to an improved method of re-filling the shuttle by the action of a
partial vacuum formed by any of the well-known processes, and applied to this
purpose to prevent the necessity of the operative drawing the weft thread
through the eye of the shuttle by a deep inspiration of the breath, a practice
found to be very detrimental to the health of delicate persons, the process
having so often to be repeated. I place the eye of the shuttle in connection
with a vessel, in which the air is rarified or expanded. The external atmo-
sphere will then drive the end of the weft thread through the eye with ease
and rapidity. A sufficient vacuum may be instantly obtained by manual power,
but it will be more convenient to employ the action of the loom for that
purpose.
Fifthly, to an improved stop rod to dispense with the necessity of a swell
in the shuttle box to work the stop rod, the same being worked by the presence
of the shuttle in the yarn. Also, an improved arrangement of stop rod,
in which a swell in the shuttle box is used, but placed above instead of
at the side of the shuttle, so as not to thwart the shuttle in its direct
action.
Sixthly, to a mode of forming a lease after the warp has left the sizing
machine, and previous to the looming or twisting in or drawing to the weavers
healds and reeds, which I accomplish by using two pointed wires or flat rods
on each side with two or more barbs or hooks, to receive and retain the ends
as they are placed upon them. When the first barb is sufficiently full, the
ends are pressed upon the second barb, when the tension of the
yarn forces
the wires or rods forwards, which will be alternately raised and depressed so as
to be able easily to slide the ends over them.
Another arrangement for effecting this pressure consists in employing two
rods with points crooked in a line with the outer diameter of the rods. As
the rods are made to turn, they present during their revolution one point up
and the other down. At that instant an end is pushed on the rods, going over

page_text: one and under the other. As the rods revolve the points are reversed again,
an end is picked on, the ends being thus placed in reverse positions forming
the lease. I also accomplish the same object with one rod, either barbed or
bent, by having the warp from the sizing machine with one lease band, which
band I exchange for a transparent or glass rod, which enables the picker to see
that his ends are in pairs, and to place them correctly over and under the bent
rod alternately, for the purpose of forming the other half of the lease, the first
half having been formed in the sizing machine. These my said improve-
ments will be clearly understood by reference to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, in which the letters of reference refer to each Figure separately.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of part of a loom with some of my improvements
attached; Figs. 2 and 3, transverse elevations of the same. Figs. 4 and 5,
detached views of my improved letting-back motion. Figs. 6 and 7, detached
views of my apparatus for re-filling the shuttle. Figs. 8 and 9, detached
views of my improved stop rod. Figs. 10, 11, 12, and 13, views of a modifi-
cation of the same. Figs. 14 and 15 are views of the improved arrangement
in which a swell in the shuttle box is used, which swell is acted upon by the
upper surface of the shuttle. Fig. 16 is a detached view of an arrangement
of apparatus to prevent floats and to keep the yarn clear of ends. Fig. 17,
a front elevation of the apparatus in which my pointed or barbed rods or wires
are used to form a lease; Fig. 18, a plan of the same. Fig. 19 shows the
glass or transparent rod when one barbed or pointed rod is used. Fig. 20
shews part of barbed rods. Fig. 21 shews part of pointed rods.
& 23, the formation of a lease.
Figs. 22
The first part of my said improvements, namely, the prevention of floats,
being made by giving a to and fro motion to a coarse reed, is shewn in Figs. 1,
3, and 15. a represents the coarse recd, which is suspended at 6, and con-
nected at the lower end to cranked levers, one of which is shewn at c, made
fast to the rod k, turning in bearings fixed to the slay; also upon the rod d
is a lever or trigger e.
When there is no obstruction, the reed or divider is
brought forward by the action of the slay. If a float should be forming, the
reed a cannot go forward, and thereby raises the lever e which comes in con-
tact with the handle f, and stops the loom. The backward action of the reed
is caused by springs, one of which is shewn at g, being a strip of india-rubber.
The reed or divider for combing or throwing back ends in the yarn is shewn
at h; it has a simple to and fro motion by being connected to the slay, and
having springs to pull it back. The frame of the mirror to enable the weaver
to see the yarn behind the healds turns on bearings, and is shewn at i, Fig. 1 ;
the glass is represented by the dotted lines, and is adjusted to the desired

page_text: angle, and made fast by a set screw. The arrangement of apparatus for
letting back when a weft thread breaks is seen at Figs. 3, 4, and 5, and shews
the cloth passing over the breast beam 7 and under the bar or rod m, attached
to the two cranks or levers n, fixed to the shafts o, working in the bearings p
on the frames q. To one of the shafts is fixed the handle 2, which when
pushed inwards presses downwards and inwards the rod or bar m against the
cloth, thus either simply tightening or giving an additional take-up; letting:
back or reversing the operation takes place when the handle is pulled outwards;
it is also effected by the loom itself, by placing pin or projection on the
handler, so that it may come in contact with the weft lever, when the latter
operates for the stopping of the loom. To weave thick and thin stripes, I
place upon one of the shafts o the bent lever s, which is operated upon by the
eccentric t, which causes a gradual letting-back and taking-up, thus producing
the thick and thin stripes required.
Another method of producing the said cloth is by causing the lever u,
Figs. 1 and 2, of the ordinary taking-up motion, to be acted upon by the
eccentric v, the throw of which can be varied by adjusting it on the shaft w.
Motion is given to the eccentric by the bevil wheels a, the shaft Y, the worm
wheel, and the worm a' on the tappet shaft . The lever u can be actuated
by cams or tappets of various shapes, and thus produce an indefinite variety
of patterns.
My improved mode of re-filling the shuttle is shewn in the Figs. 1, 3,
6, and 7. c. represents the vessel in which the air is expanded, and
consists of caoutchouc, oiled silk, leather, or other material impermeable
to air, which material is made fast to. blocks of any desired form. In the
Figures they are round; one of the blocks is firmly connected to one of the
frames of the loom. Connected to the vessel c¹, is an air-tight pipe d',
furnished with projections or lips made of vulcanized india-rubber or other
slightly yielding material, against which the part of the shuttle surrounding
the eye is pressed. The lower part of the vessel c¹ can be drawn away from
its other part in order to expand the air by the foot, by means of the stirrup
shewn at Figs. 6 and 7, or the act of placing the shuttle against the lips of the
vacuum pipe may cause a lever to be moved by the sword arm of the loom, as
shewn in Figs. 1 and 3, in which the shuttle presses the small rod e¹ downwards,
and raises the weighted end of the lever f¹, attached to the L or bell-crank
lever g. The weighted end of the lever f¹ comes in contact with a lug or
projection ' on the sword arm j³, and the motion given to the lower part of
the lever expands the vacuum vessel c', and draws the thread through the eye
of the shuttle. If, instead of enlarging or expanding the vacuum vessel, it is

page_text: pressed or squeezed so as to expel the air, the suction consequent upon the
re-admission of air will also give the necessary means to re-fill the shuttle.
My iniproved stop rod is shewn at Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and also detached-at
Figs. 8 and 9; the light rod or tube is shewn at ¹; its motion is kept parallel
by the pinions and racks m. The motion of the tube is transmitted to the
trigger n by means of the rod o and lever pl: When the shuttle is lodged
in the shed, the trigger is in the way of the frog, and the loom is stopped as
seen at Fig. 9; but when the shuttle is boxed as usual, no stoppage takes
place, as is shewn at Fig. 8. Figs. 10, 11, 12, and 13 are views of another
modification of the stop rod; q' shews part of the rod or tube which rests upon
the yarn, as in the former example. One of the ends of the tube presses
upon the lever r¹, which raises the rod s' and the hooked or bent lever t', seen
detached at Fig. 12, connected to another small arm or lever u¹, which
works the stop.rod to which the trigger v₁ is attached, and is only moved
when the bent end of the lever t' catches the projection w¹ on the plate x¹,
guided on the break rod y, and checked by a spring sufficiently strong to
depress the trigger or stop finger v¹ when the hooked lever t' has hold of the
projection w, thereby stopping the loom as the slay advances. It is evident
that when the hooked lever is away from the projection w³, that the trigger or
stop finger v is quiescent, and the loom is in a working state. The hooked
or bent lever t' can also be acted upon by the shuttle operating upon the swells
in the shuttle boxes, which swells are placed so that the upper surface of
the shuttle acts upon them. This arrangement is illustrated in' the Figs. 14
and 15, in which the hooked or bent lever is shewn at t¹, and performs the
same part as in the modification of stop rod last described, but it is raised by
the L lever a², operated upon by the shuttle 62, which acts- alternately upon
the swells c and d². To the spindles of the swells are levers e² and f. The
raising of the swell c² causes the lever to pull the connecting rod g², and
raise the leg of the L lever, upon which the hooked lever rests. The raising
of the swell de pushes the rigid rod h² against the L lever a², and also raises
the hooked or bent lever t; thereby preventing the loom from stopping,
which otherwise would inevitably take place if the hooked lever t¹ was in its
lowest position and had hold of the projection w¹, as before described.
My improved modes of forming a lease are shewn at Figs. 20, 21, 22, &
23; Fig. 17 is an elevation, and Fig. 18 a plan, of the frame or apparatus
for conveniently applying the barbed or pointed. rods; k shews the yarn
beam, the yarn being carried over a beam and stretched by a weight; m²
shews the rods in position. Fig. 20 shews part of the barbed rods which inust
have a slight up and down motion imparted to them, so that the ends may be

page_text: easily picked on; Fig. 21 shews part of the pointed rods as they appear during
a part of their revolution, which rods are screwed their entire lengths, except
near the points. The rods are either fed onwards by the threads of the screws
coming in contact with the ends, or by giving motion to the two nuts n
in Figs. 17 and 18, which encircle the rods, and also by giving a separate
motion to the rods at the same time. The points of the rods are alternately
presented, one up and one down, and a lease formed by having ends picked on,
as before described. In Fig. 19, p shews the glass or transparent rod when
one barbed or pointed rod is used; Fig. 22 shews the straight end as it is
picked on the rods; Fig. 23 shews the lease as it is formed.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I desire it
to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the exact details
herein set forth, as such may be varied or modified without departing from the
principle thereof; but I claim,-
Firstly, an improved method of preventing floats being made in the cloth
during the process of weaving.
Secondly, an improved method of preventing the warp threads becoming
entangled in the shed.
Thirdly, an improved letting back motion when the weft thread breaks,
and for improved modes of making thick and thin cloth in transverse stripes.
Fourthly, an improved method of re-filling the shuttle by the action of a
partial vacuum.
Fifthly, improvements in stop rod.
And, sixthly, an improved mode of forming a lease, as all such improve-
ments are herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Bullough, have hereunto set my.
hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, One thousand eight.
hundred and fifty-five.
JAMES BULLOUGH. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, & delivered by the within-named
James Bullough, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester...