IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF WORKING TWIST LACE MACHINERY FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRODUCING FABRICS AND ARTICLES NOT HITHERTO PRODUCED ON SUCH CLASS OF MACHINERY
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Sulley, Lace Manufacturer, and Frederick
Radford, Factory Manager, both of the Town and County of the Town of
Nottingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF WORKING
TWIST LACE MACHINERY FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRODUCING FABRICS AND
ARTICLES NOT HITHERTO PRODUCED ON SUCH CLASS OF MACHINERY."
Sealed the 20th October 1877, and dated the 18th August 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Sulley and Frederick
Radford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th August
1877.
"IM-
WILLIAM SULLEY, Lace Manufacturer, and FREDERICK RADFORD, Factory:
Manager, both of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham.
PROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF WORKING TWIST LACE MACHINERY FOR THE
PURPOSE OF PRODUCING FABRICS AND ARTICLES NOT HITHERTO PRODUCED ON
SUCH CLASS OF MACHINERY."
The Invention has for its object improvements in the mode of working twist lace
machinery for the purpose of producing fabrics and articles not hitherto produced-
on such class of machinery, and relates to the manufacture of seamless double or
tubular lace fabrics with or without pattern or ornamentation, such pattern or
ornamentation being produced simultaneously with the production of the fabric.
This class of fabric is suitable to the production of lace gloves, mits or mittens, hair
nets, neck ties, and other seamless tubular lace articles.
The mode in which we carry our Invention into effect is somewhat as follows:
A tubular or number of tubular lace fabrics of any desired breadth with or without
pattern or ornamentation thereon may be produced by using one half of the bobbin
threads and warp threads required to produce the complete tubular lace fabric or

page_text: fabrics for the under side, and the other half of the bobbin threads and warp threads
for the upper side; the two lace fabrics thus produced are formed at the same time
into a complete tubular fabric in the following manner:-At the parts or edges of
the two fabrics where they are to be united so as to form a tube the warp thread or
threads used in making the under fabric are made to work on the bobbin thread or
threads used in the upper fabric, and the warp thread or threads used in making the
upper fabric are made to work on the bobbin thread or threads used in the under
fabric, as may be desired.
The seamless tubular lace fabric or fabrics thus produced may be of any desired
breadth, and may be increased or contracted in width while being made on the
machine by the action of the jacquard on the bars carrying the warp threads. By
these means a breadth of tubular fabric can be divided into a number of smaller
tubular breadths, and can be again made into a single tubular breadth, as may be
desired, as, for example, in making mits or mittens.
Seamless tubular fabrics and articles produced as above described may be orna-
mented either by the warp threads used to produce the fabric or by other and
independent or extra threads, or by both combined; the independent or extra
threads may be worked in the fabric from end to end, or in portions only, as may
be desired.
...
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Sulley and Frederick Radford in. the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th February 1878.
WILLIAM SULLEY, Lace Manufacturer, and FREDERICK RADFORD, Factory
Manager, both of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham..
"IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF WORKING TWIST LACE MACHINERY FOR THE
PURPOSE OF PRODUCING FABRICS AND ARTICLES NOT HITHERTO PRODUCED ON
SUCH CLASS OF MACHINERY."
The Invention has for its object improvements in the mode of working twist lace
machinery for the purpose of producing fabrics and articles not hitherto produced
on such class of machinery, and relates to the manufacture of seamless, double or
tubular lace fabrics with or without pattern or ornamentation, such pattern or
ornamentation being produced simultaneously with the production of the fabric.
This class of fabric is suitable to the production of lace gloves, mittens, hair nets,
neck ties, and other seamless tubular lace articles.
The mode in which we carry our Invention into effect is somewhat as follows :-
A tubular or number of tubular lace fabrics of any desired breadth or breadths, with
or without pattern or ornamentation thereon, may be produced by using one half of
the bobbin threads and warp threads required to produce the complete tubular lace
fabric or fabrics for the one side, and the other half of the bobbin threads and warp
threads for the other side; the two lace fabrics thus produced are formed at the same
time into a complete tubular fabric in the following manner :-At the parts or edges
of the two fabrics where they are to be united so as to form a seamless tube the

page_text: warp thread or threads used in making the front fabric are made to work also on
the bobbin thread or threads used in the back fabric, and the warp thread or threads
used in making the back fabric are made to work also on the bobbin thread or
threads used in the front fabric in such order as may be desired.
The seamless tubular fabric thus produced may be of any desired breadth, and
may be increased or contracted in width while being made on the machine by the
action of the jacquard apparatus on the bars carrying and operating the warp
threads. By these means a seamless tubular fabric can be produced of any desired
length, and if desired it can at any required points be divided and woven in the
machine into a number of smaller tubular breadths, and can again when required
be made into a single tubular breadth, as, for example, when making gloves or
mittens.
Seamless tubular fabrics and articles produced in the manner above described
may be ornamented either by the warp threads used to produce the body of the
fabric or by other and independent or extra threads, or by both combined, and the
independent or extra threads may between the patterning or ornamentation be
worked into the body of the fabric from end to end thereof, or they may be so
combined in portions only, as may be desired, and the intervening portions may be
removed therefrom, as is well understood, in the manufacture of other ornamented
lace fabrics.
And in order that our said Invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed, aided by the accompanying diagram, more fully
to describe the same.
The diagram annexed illustrates the method in which square net is manufactured
in a tubular form according to our Invention. It represents a portion of the fabric
highly magnified and before it has been finished by removing the draw threads.
The red lines a and b represent the back web or back half of the tube, a repre-
senting the bobbin threads and b the warp threads. The black lines c and d
represent the front web or front half of the tube, c representing the bobbin
threads, and d the warp threads; g, g, are draw threads, and are taken out
after the fabric is removed from the machine. The warp threads b are made
to pass behind the bobbin threads c, and the warp threads d are made to pass
in front of the bobbin threads a, as will be readily understood. The bars
carrying the warp threads b are behind those carrying the warp threads d,
and the bars carrying the draw threads g are between the bars carrying the
threads band d.
The letters f, f, show where the two webs are joined together so as to form
a tube. We prefer to take every alternate bobbin thread for the back web, and
every other alternate bobbin thread for the front web, but we wish it to be under-
stood that we do not confine ourselves to that or any other method of selecting the
bobbin threads, nor to any number of warp threads, or manner of selecting and
arranging them, nor to any particular kind of net, or pattern, or method of making
the pattern.
It will be understood that our Invention is applicable both when the fabric is
made in a single tube extending the full width of the machine and when it is made
with draw threads, by removing which the fabric may be divided into a number of
tubes, also when the front and back webs of the tube are united at intervals, either
wholly or in part, and when the tubular lace is made in conjunction with single
web lace, both being produced in the machine at the same time, the tubular lace
being permanently united to the single web lace or not, as desired.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the mode in
which we carry the same into effect, we would have it understood that what wo
claim is, working twist lace machines so as to produce lace in a tubular form with or
without ornamentation, and if ornamented such ornamentation to be produced
simultaneously with the web either by using the threads required to make the web

page_text: or additional threads, in manner and for the purpose substantially as herein shown
and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Sulley and Frederick Radford,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WILLIAM SULLEY.
(L.S.)
FREDERICK RADFORD. (L.S.)