IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANU- FACTURE OF KNITTED FABRICS FOR MAKING SCOTCH BONNETS AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Wild and Thomas Wild
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th August 1881.
WILLIAM WILD and THOMAS WILD, both of Stewarton, in the County of Ayr,
North Britain, Machinists. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANU-
FACTURE OF KNITTED FABRICS FOR MAKING SCOTCH BONNETS AND OTHER
ARTICLES."
This Invention has for its object to simplify and otherwise improve the
construction and action of machinery employed to knit fabrics of the kind used
for making Scotch bonnets, and which may also be adopted for making other
articles.
In carrying out the Invention according to one modification, a single horizontal
needle bar is used, which is by preference straight, as seen in plan, but which
might be more or less curved if found desirable. The bar consists of an iron
plate of considerable depth, and has fixed to its inner side a plate of brass or other
suitable metal having vertical grooves formed in its inner face for the needles and
their holders or carriers. The needles, which are of a kind already in use and
known as latch needles, are placed vertically with their hook points and latches
directed inwards, and their carriers are also like what are in use and are made to
operate in a similar way when being depressed in succession as the knitting action
takes place along the row of needles. The needles are raised at the proper time
by a horizontal raising bar or plate acting on the bottom ends of the needle
carriers, but less vertical movement is given to them than in previous machines,
whilst the needle bar, instead of being stationary as heretofore, has a vertical
movement, being lowered when the needles are raised, and vice versa, which gives
the necessary distance to allow of the loops of yarn getting under the latches.
For starting a piece of knitting, a thread or yarn distinct from the yarn to be
knitted is employed, and when about to place it, only half the needles, that is,
every second one, are first, raised, and the thread being laid behind them a hooked
comb is applied by hand to enter between the needles and catch the thread at each
interval. The comb is next drawn forward a little and the remaining needles are
then raised and get behind the thread, whilst the other needles are in front of it,
1
13

page_text: and the knitting is then proceeded with. The comb is connected to the roller or
other detail which draws down the fabric as it is formed; and after the fabric is
completed the comb is unhooked, and then by means of the starting thread the
end of the fabric can be drawn more or less together; and finally, the thread can
be drawn altogether out. In order to raise only half of the needles the body of
the raising bar is made with notches corresponding to every alternate needle, and
a thin plate is fitted on the top of the bar, this plate being generally in a position
in which it may be kept by a spring to cover the notches and cause all the
needles to be raised. The plate is by means of a convenient connection moved so
as to uncover the notches whenever it is wished to raise only half of the needles.
For narrowing the fabric a series of blocks armed with downwardly projecting
covering points are used, being fitted on a bar above the needle bar, and situated a
little in the rear when not in use, but which is moved forward when narrowing.
These narrowing blocks and covering points are arranged and act to some extent
in the same way as those described in the Specification of Letters Patent obtained
by William Russell and Alexander Wyllie, No. 83, of 1878, but the parts are
fitted in connection with the other machinery in a different manner, and are not
worked by hand, but by means of cams on the main or cam shaft of the machine,
the movements for bringing the blocks together being transmitted to them by rods
extending to one side of the machine, and there connected to two opposite arms of
a three-armed lever, the third arm of which has jointed to it a rod passing down
to the cam. The yarn carrier or leader has a rocking motion imparted to it at each
end of its traverse to move its point forward out of the way of the narrowing
blocks when these come forward to the needles. The ratchet bars for moving the
stops which limit the motions of the yarn carrier are actuated by mechanism in
which an improved arrangement of pattern wheel is employed. The extent of each
action of the propelling pawls on the ratchet bars is determined, not as heretofore
whilst the propelling action takes place, but whilst the pawls are being drawn
back for each stroke; the pawls are consequently always moved, when acting, to
precisely the same points, so that perfect accuracy is easily secured. A rod through
which the action is transmitted to the pawl lever has centered on a stud fixed in
it a pattern disc, generally of a stepped spiral form, and this disc has fixed to it a
ratchet wheel which by encountering a fixed catch at each stroke turns the disc to
bring its different parts successively into action. When the rod moves down or
returns after each stroke it is brought to rest by the edge of the disc encountering
a stationary piece, and according to the radius of the part of the disc then acting,
so will be the extent of lift or movement that will be next imparted to the rod
and through it and the pawl lever to the ratchet bars.
The various movements are obtained for the most part as in existing machines
from a main or cam shaft which has on it cams for effecting the regular knitting
operations, and other cams for effecting the narrowing operations; and the shaft
is moved on end to bring the proper cams into operation when changing to and
from the narrowing action.
The parts for narrowing the fabric may be manipulated or arranged to produce
widening, and also so as to narrow or widen at parts only of the width of the
fabric, instead of doing so equally over the spaces from the centre outwards.
Instead of narrowing in the ordinary way, in the width of the fabric, the
machinery may be modified so as to narrow in the depth. For this purpose the
narrowing mechanism herein before described is dispensed with or not used, but
the raising bar for lifting the needles is fitted with one or more movable plates_or
pieces which are acted on by the pattern, mechanism, so as to leave some needles
unlifted at some of the raising movements, the yarn loops remaining however on
the unlifted needles. If, for example, after the first course, the end needle is thus
left unlifted, and after the second course two needles, after the third course three
needles, and so on, are left unlifted, the fabric will have gradually fewer loops in
depth from the inward part to which this action is extended to the edge. After-
wards the neodles which have been thus left unlifted may be lifted again either

page_text: all at once or more and more of them at each successive course, and their loops
will be taken up in the knitting action, and the fabric will be continuous. In this
way a flat, circular, or conical, or similar form may be produced in which the
courses of stitches will radiate from the centre, and a bonnet or cap may be
knitted, all of one color or with sectors of different colors. The number of needles
left temporarily idle at the various courses may be varied according to different
patterns, and various forms and effects can be produced under the system.