IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING. AND CUTTING VELVETS AND OTHER SIMILAR PILED FABRICS, AND IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Farran, of Bolton, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING. AND
CUTTING VELVETS AND OTHER SIMILAR PILED FABRICS, AND IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE.”
Sealed the 1st May 1874, and dated the 12th March 1874.

page_text: My method of effecting these objects is, firstly, by a peculiar manner
of weaving the double cloth; and secondly, by a peculiar method of
splitting the two cloths by the severance of the pile threads which
connect them together. This latter process can be carried on in the
loom simultaneously with the weaving, or it may be performed by a
separate machine after the entire piece has been woven, the said machine
consisting of the same cutting apparatus as in the loom in combination
with the requisite beams or rollers and suitable gearing for actuating the
same

page_text: the other.
The pile warp passes over a vibrating bearer at the back of the loom,
which vibrator is connected by a lever and rod with the slay sword in
such a manner that as the slay beats up it eases or slackens the yarn and
prevents the pile warp from drawing the two cloths close together.
The pile yarn may be let off from its beam by means of a worm and
wheel operated by a ratchet motion actuated by the movement of the
slay, and so regulated by means of a small roller running in contact
with the circumference of the yarn on the beam that it shall always let
off the same length of yarn, notwithstanding the gradually diminishing
diameter of the yarn beam as the weaving progresses; or the pile warp
beam may rest on two rollers, one of which is actuated by a star wheel
driven by spur gearing from the crank shaft. The cloth yarn.beams are
merely provided with friction cords and weights, one shuttle only need.
be employed, but if preferred the cloth may be woven with two shuttles
in what is well known to weavers as a "pick and pick " loom, in which
case cach cloth will have a perfect selvedge.
The cloth is taken up as it is woven by means of a catch connected by
a rod to the slay sword, and acting upon a ratchet wheel, to which is
attached a pinion in gear with a spur wheel on the end of the cloth
beam, or by a reciprocating taking-up motion, such as is ordinarily
employed in fustian looms.
When the two cloths are to be split or severed in the loom two cloth
beams are used, the second cloth beam being driven by a strap or cord
from the first, or in any other convenient manner.
The cloth after passing over the breast beam of the loom is carried
down under a roller, which takes it up in the usual manner, and it then
passes up again and over the cutting rail, upon the front edge of which
it is cut or split, and the under cloth passes down between the cutting
rail and the knife rail to the first cloth beam, whilst the upper cloth
passes backwards to the second cloth beam. The knife rail is placed
close in front of the cutting rail, and is provided with a groove in which
runs a metal plate fixed to an endless strap, to which the cutting knives
are attached, the said knives projecting slightly over the front edge of
the cutting rail and being guided in their passage between the two cloths

page_text: by running between the top of the knife rail and the lower edge of an
upper rail which is fixed just above it.
I also employ a rail above the double cloth above the cutting rail, and
the top cloth after being cut is drawn back over this rail so as to ensure
greater regularity in the cutting.
The endless strap carrying the knives passes round two flanged pulleys
(one at each side of the loom) which may be provided with teeth or pegs
taking into holes in the strap to ensure regularity of movement and
prevent slipping.
The knives cut only in one direction, and return over the top of the
upper rail, where I employ two revolving Turkey stones, or any other
simple arrangement for sharpening their edges may be employed. Onc
of the flanged pulleys round which the strap passes is driven by a band
from a pulley on a transverse shaft actuated by a pair of bevil wheels
on the tappet shaft, the said band pulley being connected to the axle of
the flanged pulley by means of a ratchet wheel and catch so as to allow
'the weaver to turn the loom back when requisite without reversing the
action of the knives, but I would here remark that if preferred this
motion as well as the various arrangements before described may be
driven in any other convenient manner, and from any other part of the
loom if preferred, so long as the construction and operation of the
various acting portions are substantially the same as those above
described.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Farran in the Great Seal Patent Office 2
on the 11th September 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
FARRAN, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year 3
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, 'Her heirs and
successors, give and grant. unto me, the said John Farran, Her
.special license that I, the said John Farran, my executors, admi-
'

page_text: nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Farran,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-..
after 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 WEAVING AND CUTTING VELVETS AND
OTHER SIMILAR PILED FABRICS, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Farran, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Farran, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):
The object of this Invention is to weave a double clotli, that is, two
distinct cloths connected by pile threads, and to split or sever the said
pile threads so as to produce two perfect piled fabrics.
My method of effecting these objects is, firstly, by a peculiar manner
of weaving the double cloth; and secondly, by a peculiar method of
splitting the two cloths by the severance of the pile threads which
connect them together. This latter process can be carried on in the
loom simultaneously with the weaving, or it may be performed by a
separate machine after the entire piece has been woven, the said machine
consisting of the same cutting apparatus as in the loom in combination
with the requisite beams or rollers and suitable gearing for actuating the
same.
The velvet also may be woven with either a plain or a twilled back or
cloth.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the como in to

page_text: be or may be performed or carried into practical-effect ; and in order
that the same may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a
Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with
figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof:-
be or may be performed or carried into practical effect; and in order
that the same may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a
Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with
figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof :-
For the sake of illustration I will hero describe the apparatus and
method of cutting in the loom.
In the annexed' Drawing Fig. 1 represents a partial sectional' elevation
of an ordinary loom with my Invention shown as applied thereto;
Fig. 2 is a front elevation; Fig. 3 a plan view; and Fig. 4 an end
elevation of the cutting apparatus.
In weaving with a plain back I employ three warp beams a, a; b, b,
and c, c; one a, a, for the top, and one b, b, for the bottom cloth, and
one c, c, for the pile, the latter being in the middle; and five or more
healds d, d, d³, d³, d³, two or more for each cloth, and one for the pile.
The pile warp c¹, c¹, may be drawn in either through the front or the
middle heald, but I prefer the former. Supposing the front heald d to
be for the pile warp, c¹, c¹, the second and third, d¹ and d² for 'the top
cloth warp a¹, a¹, and the fourth and fifth d³ and d' the bottom cloth
warp 6, 6. The first pick raises 1 and 2, depresses 3, 4, and 5; the
second pick raises 2, 3, and 4 and depresses 1 and 5; the third pick
raises 1 and 3 and depresses 2, 4, and 5; the fourth pick raises 2, 3, and
5 and depresses 1 and 4; and so on, from which it will be seen that cach
top ground warp thread is raised three times, and each bottom ground
warp once in every four picks, whilst the pile warp is raised every
alternate pick and depressed every other pick, so that while the ground
warps thus. form two distinct cloths the pile warp is interwoven with
both, and the result is that when these pile warps are severed two
separate piled fabrics are produced.
The opening or shedding of the healds is caused by means of jacks or
treadles and revolving plates or tappets so arranged as to effect the
necessary changes in the order above indicated. if a plain cloth be desired,
but if a twilled cloth back is to be woven then there must be three or
more shafts for each cloth.
Fig. 5 shows one of the two revolving tappets for working the top
cloth healds; and: Fig. 6 one of the two revolving tappets for working

page_text: the Dotton cloth neatus, Fig. being the capped 10
or pile heald.
UTC
It will be seen that by these the top cloth healds in shedding work
downwards and the bottom cloth healds work upwards, and that the two
top cloth healds aro both raised and the two bottom cloth healds
depressed whilst the weft is beaten up, so that the two cloths are held
asunder and cannot be drawn close together by the pile warp.
In some cases I make a "three pick pile," that is to say, I cause the
pile warp to be interwoven with three (or five or more) of the binding
or ground warp threads before crossing over from one set of warps to
the other.
.
The pile warp c¹, c¹, passes over a vibrating bearer ff, at the back of
the loom, which vibrator is connected by a lever g, g, and rod h, h, with
the slay sword i, i, in such a manner that as the slay beats up it cases or
slackens the yarn c¹, c', and prevents the pile warp from drawing the two
cloths close together.
The pile yarn c¹, c¹, may be let off from its beam c, c, by means of a
worm and wheel operated by a ratchet motion actuated by the move-
ment of the slay, and so regulated by means of a small roller running in
contact with the circumference of the yarn on the beam that it shall
always let off the same length of yarn, notwithstanding the gradually
diminishing diameter of the yarn beam as the weaving progresses; or
the pile warp beàm c, c, may rest on two rollers h, h, one of which is
actuated by a star wheel m driven by spur gearing e, e, from the crank
shaft, as shown at Fig. 1. This arrangement is also applicable to other
looms. The cloth yarn beams a and b are merely provided with friction
cords and weights; one shuttle only need be employed, but if preferred
the cloth may be woven with two shuttles in what is well known to
weavers as a "pick and pick" loom, in which case cach cloth will have
a perfect selvedge.
The cloth may be taken up as it is woven by means of a catch con-
nected by a rod to the slay sword, and acting upon a ratchet wheel, to
which is attached a pinion in gear with a spur wheel on the end of the
cloth beam, or by a reciprocating taking up motion, such as is ordinarily
employed in fustian looms, or in any other suitable manner.
When the two cloths are to be split or severed in the loom two cloths

page_text: beams and o are used, the second cloth beam being driven by a strap
or cord from the first, or in any other convenient manner.
The cloth after passing over the breast beam p, p, of the loom (see
Figs. 3 and 4) is carried down under a roller q, q, which takes it up in
the usual manner, and it then passes up again and over the cutting
rail r, r, upon the front edge of which it is cut or split, and the under
cloth passes down between the cutting rail and the knife rails, s, to the
first cloth beam n, whilst the upper cloth passes backwards over the top
rail t, t, to the second cloth beam o, o. The knife rails, s, is placed
close in front of the cutting rail r, r, is provided with a groove, in which
runs a metal plate fixed to an endless strap u, u, to which the cutting
knives v, v, are attached, the said knives projecting slightly over the
front edge of the cutting rail, and being guided in their
passage between
the two cloths by running between the top of the knife rails, s, and the
lower edge of an upper rail t, t, which is fixed just above it..
'
I also employ a rail w, w, above the double cloth over the cutting
rail r, r, to ensure greater regularity in the cutting.
The endless strap u, u, carrying the knives v, v, passes round two
flanged pulleys x, x (one at each side of the loom), which may be.
provided with teeth or pegs taking into holes in the strap to ensure
regularity of movement and prevent slipping.
The knives (one of which is shown detached at Fig. 8) cut only in
one direction and return over the top of the upper rail, where two
revolving Turkey stones or any other simple arrangement for sharpening
their edges may be employed. One of the flanged pulleys round which.
the strap passes is driven by a band from a pulley on a transverse shaft
actuated by a pair of bevil wheels on the tappet shaft passing round the
band pulley y, y, the said band pulley being connected to the axle of the
flanged pulley by means of a ratchet wheel z, z, and catch (see also
Fig. 9) so as to allow the weaver to turn the loom back when requisite
without reversing the action of the knives; but I would here remark
that if preferred this motion as well as the various arrangements before
described may be driven in any other convenient manner, and from any
other part of the loom if preferred, so long as the construction and
operation of the various acting portions are substantially the same as
those above described..

page_text: A slight modification of the arrangement above described (which I
prefer on account of its greater stability) is shown attached to the loom
at Fig. 1, the alteration. consisting in substituting the strong trough-
shaped rail, ¹, for the separate breast beam and cutting rail. By this
arrangement there is more rigidity in the cutting rail, and hence the
pile is cut more evenly and regular.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim
as my Invention,―
Firstly. The peculiar method of and apparatus for weaving, above
described, whereby the two cloths are held 'apart whilst the blow of the
lathe is given, so that they cannot be drawn too close together by the
pile warp, the tappets being so arranged and constructed that the top
cloth warp forms the shed by being drawn downwards, and the bottom
cloth warp forms its shed by opening upwards, as herein-before
described.
Secondly. The apparatus shown and described for shedding the warps
and letting off the yarn.
And, Thirdly. The peculiar apparatus for cutting or severing the two
cloths as above described and illustrated by the Drawings annexed,
whether the same is fixed upon the loom itself or used as a separate
machine for dividing the two fabrics after the removal of the double
cloth from the loom.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Farran, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Eighth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witnessed by
GEORGE DAVIES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester. 、
JOHN FARRAN. (L.S.)