IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL LACE IN TWIST LACE MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Selby, of Nottingham, Draughtsman, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL
LACE IN TWIST LACE MACHINES."
Sealed the 26th February 1867, and dated the 6th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Selby at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th September 1866.
I, WILLIAM SELBY, of Nottingham, Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
naturo of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OP
ORNAMENTAL LACE IN TWIST LACE MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
ornamental lace in twist lace machines. For these purposes ordinary
warp threads and extra warp threads are used, and different meshings and
weavings are formed; one sort of meshing or weaving is produced by the
twisting and weaving of the ordinary warp threads with their bobbin or
carriage threads; and another sort of meshing or weaving is produced in
other parts or localities in the same laces by the twisting and weaving of the
extra warp threads with the bobbin or carriage threads. All these extra

page_text: warp threads it is generally preferred should be thicker than the ordinary
warp threads, but this is not always essential. These extra warp threads
may be of different colors from or of the same color as the ordinary warp
threads.
In working according to the present Invention the ordinary warp threads
are caused from time to time to discontinuo twisting with their carriage or
bobbin thread, and the extra warp threads are made to work with the bobbin
or carriage threads thus disengaged from working with their ordinary warp
threads until the desired meshes, figures, or weavings have been produced by
the combined working of the extra warp threads and the carriage or bobbin
threads. When the carriage or bobbin threads are again caused to work
with their ordinary warp threads the extra threads are carried over the face
of the fabric and are afterwards clipped off, or they are made to work into
and ornament the work produced by the ordinary warp threads with their
carriage or bobbin threads. The ordinary warp threads in those parts or
localities where the extra warp threads for a time work with their bobbin or
carriage threads are clipped off.
This Invention is applicable in the manufacture of laces in twist lace
machines, whether one or moro ordinary warp threads be used with each
carriage or bobbin thread. These extra warp threads are to be on different
beams or bobbins or spools and to be actuated by different bars to those
employed for the ordinary warp threads. Other extra and ornamenting
warp threads may as heretofore be used when working according to this
Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 2
by the said William Selby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SELBY, of Nottingham, Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Selby, Her special licence that I, the said William
Selby, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, 3
the said William Selby, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should

page_text: 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL LACE IN TWIST LACE
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Selby, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or either of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the samo
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
the said William Selby, 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 fol
lowing statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
ornamental lace in twist lace machines. For these purposes ordinary warp.
threads and extra warp threads are used, and different meshings and weavings
are formed; one sort of meshing or weaving is produced by the twisting and
weaving of the ordinary warp threads with their bobbin or carriage threads,
and another, sort of meshing or weaving is produced in other parts or localities
in the samo laces by the twisting of the extra warp threads with the bobbin'
or carriage threads. All these extra warp threads it is generally preferred.
should be thicker than the ordinary warp threads, but this is not always
essential. These extra warp threads may be of different colors from or of
the same colors as the ordinary warp threads.
In working according to the present Invention the ordinary warp threads
are caused from time to time to discontinue twisting with their carriage or
bobbin threads, and the extra warp threads are made to work with the bobbin,
or carriage threads thus disengaged from working with their ordinary warp.
threads until the desired meshes, figures, or weavings have been produced by
the combined working of the extra warp threads and the carriage or bobbin
threads. When the ordinary warp threads are again caused to twist with
their bobbin threads the extra threads are carried over the face of the fabric,
and are afterwards clipped off, or they are made to work into and ornament
the work produced by the ordinary warp threads with their carriage or bobbin
threads. The ordinary warp threads in those parts or localities where the extra
warp threads for a time work with their bobbin or carriage threads are clipped

page_text: off. This Invention is applicable in the manufacture of laces in twist lace
machines, whether one or more ordinary warp threads be used with each
carriage or bobbin thread. These extra warp threads are to be on different
beams or spools and to be actuated by different bars to those employed for
the ordinary warp threads. Other extra and ornamenting warp threads may,
as heretofore, be used when working according to this Invention.
In carrying out the Invention it is preferred in each case to employ two
ordinary warp threads to each carriage or bobbin thread, but the Invention
is applicable when making laces in twist lace machines where only one
ordinary warp is used to each carriage or bobbin thread or where more than
two ordinary warp threads are used to each carriage or bobbin thread. All the
extra warp threads are usually thicker threads than the ordinary warp thread,
whether they be of the same or different color, whilst the ordinary warp threads
opposite the carriages where the extra warp threads are to be used correspond
in thickness with the other warp threads which are opposite the other carriages
where extra threads are not to be used. Supposing then a twist lace machine
to be arranged to produce lace with two ordinary warp threads to each bobbin
or carriage thread, extra warp threads are to be applied opposite any of the
carriages according to the description of fabric intended to be produced by
the working of such extra threads with such carriage threads, whilst for a time
the ordinary warp threads opposite such carriages are kept from twisting or
working with the threads of those carriages. The extra warp threads are to
be on separate warp beams or spools, and they are to be worked by their own
separate bars. The extra warp threads are arranged to be cut off between
the points where they work with the carriage threads to produce fabric, or a
workman will readily understand that occasionally some of these extra warp
threads when they are not making fabric may be used to ornament other parts
of the ordinary fabric. The other set or ordinary warp threads opposite the
same carriages when they are for a time idle or out of work are to be carried
on the face of the fabric, and are to be cut off after the fabric has been
taken from the machine at those parts where they have been idle or out of
work. These warp threads, to admit of their being thus carried over the
face of the fabric, are worked by bars of their own separate from the bars
which work such ordinary warp threads as remain constantly at work. The
extra warp threads when brought into work at intervals with the threads of
the carriages opposite to them whilst the other or ordinary warp threads are
idle or out of use may together with the carriage threads be caused to
produce weavings or meshings or mixtures thercof of very different character
to what is produced when the same carriage threads are working with their

page_text: ordinary warp threads, and also of very different character from those parts
of the lace which at the same time are being produced by the other carriage
threads working with their ordinary warp threads. Supposing it be desired
to produce an ornamental spot of wicker weaving by means of a number
of carriage threads, say, for instance, the threads of four carriages working
with one warp thread only, the ordinary warp threads of those carriages are
kept idle or out of use and an extra thread suitably weighted, either of the
same or different color from the other or ordinary warp threads, is used with
these four carriages, and it is caused to act as a weft thread to the four
carriage threads which act as warp or straight-down threads in the spot, and
the extra warp thread caused to pass alternately around the outer bobbin
threads flushes over the two intermediate bobbin threads on the front and the
back of the spot alternately. The length of the spot so produced may be
greater or less as desired; or again, if it is desired to produce a band of five
or six or other number of warp threads working with one bobbin thread, the
regular warp threads opposite that bobbin thread are kept idle or out of use, and
the extra threads are made to work as warp threads, the bobbin acting as a
weft thread in the making of tabby and other weavings;. or in place of simple
weaving other classes of fabrics may be produced by the conjoint working or
twisting of any desired number of carriage threads with extra warp threads,
whilst the ordinary warp threads of such carriages are for a time kept from
twisting or working with the carriage threads, and in each case the extra
warp threads between those places where they at intervals work with the
carriage threads may, or some of them may, be worked into the fabric as
ornamenting threads, or be arranged to be cut off, as before stated, whilst the
ordinary warp threads at those places where the carriage threads at intervals
work with the extra tbreads are kept on the surface of the fabric and are to
bo cut off after the fabric has been removed from the machine. In addition
to the class of extra warp threads used in carrying out my Invention, other
ornamenting warp threads may, as heretofore, be employed for gymping or
otherwise ornamenting laces made according to my Invention, also extra warp
threads may be used for lacing of breadths of lace to each other, and also in
lacing the parts of a fabric one to another in order to retain them in the forms
and positions in which they are made or otherwise as has heretofore been the
practice and as is well understood in making of laces in twist lace machines,
and which consequently forms no part of my Invention. I would remark
that it is by no means new in lace produced in twist lace machines to employ
warp threads which at intervals stand idle so as not to twist with the bobbin
threads, but the threads so treated have usually been ornamenting warp

page_text: threads, or warp threads which are not essential to the production of a fabric,
but which for ornament or effect are worked into the fabric produced by
other warp threads and the bobbin or carriage threads, so that whether these
ornamenting threads work or stand idle a fabric continues to be produced
opposite the carriage threads, and the ornamenting warp threads pass from
point to point over the surface of such fabric until they are clipped off after
the fabric comes out of the machine, but in such cases no substitution of other
or extra warp threads for such ornamenting warp threads is thus required
when they go out of work.
According to my Invention, however, the warp threads which at intervals
stand idle so as not to twist or work with the bobbin or carriage threads are
warp threads essential to the production of a fabric, so that if a substitute
were not provided at the time when these warp threads cease to work or twist
by the bringing into action another set of warp threads, as herein-before
mentioned, no fabric would be produced, but the bobbin or carriage threads
and warp threads in these places would run side by side from the point
where the warp threads ceased to work to the point where they again
commenced working..
In witness whereof, I, the said William Selby, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
said William Selby, in the
presence of
ARTHUR A. WELLS, L.L.D.,
Sol., Nottingham.
WILLIAM SELBY. (L.S.)