IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WEAVING AND PRINTING
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Smith, of Over Darwen, in the
County of Lancaster, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WEAVING AND PRINTING."
Sealed the 8th December 1852, and dated the 18th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Smith at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th October 1852.
I, MATTHEW SMITH, of Over Darwen, in the County of Lancaster,
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WEAVING AND PRINTING" to be as
follows:-
My improvements in weaving consist in certain machinery for
forming the loops. of terry fabrics without making use of the long
wires usually employed for that purpose. The machinery
I use
consists of a rod somewhat longer than the width of the fabric to be
woven; this rod is supported by slides on the breast bean and moved
by leyers, and to it are attached as many short bent wire hooks as there

page_text: are yarns in the pile warp; the bar with the wires is placed close
above the fabric. The wire forming the bent hook must be of the size
required to form the loop; in weaving the rod is made to advanco
towards the reed when the shed is open, and by so doing one of the
bent wires enters between each of the pile warps; the rod with the
bent wires is then moved back toward the breast beam, so that the
hooks having the pile warp on them may not be injured by the reed
when the binding weft is struck up into the fabric; when the necessary
number of binding picks have been given the rod is again made to
advance toward the reed, and by so doing the hooks are drawn out of
the loops, and again pushed in between the threads of the pile warp;
the rod must then be made to recede, so that the reed may not injure
the hooks in beating up the binding weft, and these operations are
continued so as to form terry fabric. If it is required to cut tho
terries in order. to make cut pile fabric, the hooks can be made sharp
so that the operation of pushing forward the rod shall cut all the loops
formed on the bent hooks. I wish to remark that this improved mode
of forming terry fabric may be used in looms working with one shuttle
or with two shuttles. Another improvement in weaving consists of a
double clip for unwinding a positive and uniform quantity of the pilė
warp from the warp beam. Single clips have before been used for this
purpose, but. my improvement consists in applying two, which are
placed at a little distance apart, and the requisite quantity of warp
having been drawn forward by the clip nearest the warp beam is
allowed to hang slack between the two clips until it is drawn through
the clip nearest the healds, when the shed is formed. My improve-
ments in printing are applicable to printing warps by block machinery.
It has heretofore been customary to cut the pattern in solid blocks, but
J propose making the blocks with grooves, into which adjustable pieces
are fitted; by this means the pattern to be produced can be formed
by the adjustable pieces, which may be slidden to and fro' in the
grooves and their position changed with facility.
"