CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SIZEING AND OTHERWISE PREPARING COTTON, WOOL, FLAX, AND OTHER WARPS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HENRY HORNBY and WILLIAM KENWORTHY, both of Blackburn, in the County
of Lancaster, Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the third year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said William
Henry Hornby and William Kenworthy, Her especial license, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that we, the said William Henry Hornby and William
Kenworthy, our executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as we,
the said William Henry Hornby and William Kenworthy, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should agree with, and no other, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SIZEING AND OTHERWISE PREPARING
COTTON, WOOL, FLAX, AND OTHER WARPS FOR WEAVING," in which Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said William Henry Hornby and
William Kenworthy, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled
in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as

page_text: in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
William Henry Hornby and William Kenworthy, do hereby declare that the
nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, is particularly described and ascertained in and by the Drawings
hereto annexed, and the following explanation thereof (that is to say):-
Our improvements in the machinery or apparatus for sizeing and otherwise
preparing cotton, wool, flax, and other warps for weaving, consists in a novel
and particular arrangement of mechanism or apparatus for sizeing and pre-
paring warps from "beam or machine warping."
The principal feature of novelty and improvement in such operations
is the peculiar mode of distributing or laying out of the warp threads,
so that they shall be dressed or sized in parallel strips, bands, or
breadths, laid in even and close contact side by side, and usually termed
"beers or half beers" in the ordinary warping mill. This new method
of dividing and laying out the warp threads into strip bands, or "beers
and half beers," during the process of sizcing and preparing them for the
loom, possesses many advantages which will be evident to persons conversant
with the ordinary method of conducting such operations, as the threads are
divided into certain numbers, forming a "beer or half beer," and in. that
breadth passed through the sough or sizeing material; they retain the form
of bands or strips, and are slightly attached to each other, side by side, by the
adhesion of the size, thus forming narrow tapes or breadths of warp threads, and
consequently rendering them more tenacious, and of greater strength than they
would have if passing through the sizeing and preparing processes in single
threads as commonly done; therefore the warps are not so liable to be broken,
and may be much more easily conducted through the machinery. The warps
may be thus extended to a much greater length than usual, and the process of
taking the "lease" and winding on to the warp beam ready for "looming" can
be effected by the arrangement of one and the same, machine with such
expedition, order, and regularity in the warp, which cannot be effected under
any other method now in use. We would here remark that we are perfectly
aware that the operations of dressing and sizeing have hitherto been performed
from beam warping, yet such process, has hitherto been so conducted as to
require the yarns to be subdivided into single or double threads by means of
various gratings, or combs and rods, thereby causing considerable breaking of
the warp threads, and rendering the operation tedious and difficult to per-
form, besides requiring much skill and attention from the operator to replace

page_text: such broken threads in their proper situations; to obviate which difficulties is
the object of this improved mode of forming the warps into tapes or bands
throughout the operations of the machine. Another of our improvements in the
sizcing. and dressing or preparing warps, and connected with the working of
the whole, is a new arrangement of the healds in such machinery for obtaining
"the lease" or cross shed of the warps previously to the dressing, sizeing, or
drying of the same, that is, placing the healds for dividing the shed of the
warps at the entrance end of the machine, or at the commencement of the
operation. Our further improvements in the machinery for sizcing and pre-
paring warps consist in a novel form of "wreath" or comb bar, for allowing
the "lease band" or cross band, to pass through the warps without the
necessity of having the whole of the "half beers or breadths to be relaid in
at each time of taking such "lease "or cross shed, and also in the application o
a revolving self-acting marker, for marking off any required length of warps as
they are wound on to the warp beam ready for "looming." But in order that
these improvements may be better explained and perfectly understood, we have
attached to these Presents a Sheet of Drawings representing our improvements,
and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference, similar letters
being placed upon corresponding parts of the mechanism in the several
Figures, wherein Figure 1 represents a plan or horizontal view of the
machinery in which our improvements are shewn; Figure 2 is a side eleva-
tion, and Figure 3 is a vertical section of the same, taken longitudinally
through about the middle of the machine. The main and side framings of the
machinery are shewn at a, a, a, a, which supports the beams, or warp, or
yarn b, b, b, b, previously wound and prepared by the warping machine. These
main side frames also support the various "wreaths" or comb bars healds,
soughing, sizeing, or dressing troughs or boxes, the drying cylinders, tension
and guide rollers, and also the driving apparatus for giving motion to the
mechanism. It will be perceived that as the unsized warps proceed from
their respective beams b, b, b, b, they are guided on to and passed through
an ordinary comb bar c, c, and thus divided equally prior to their being
passed through the healds d, d, which, in our improved machinery, are thus
situated at this end of the machinery for the purpose of effecting the cross
shed, and thereby "taking the lease" previously to the yarns being submitted
to the sizeing process. The "lease "now being taken, and the cross band or
threads being introduced for the purpose of "looming" or drawing in of the
weavers' beam, as is well understood, the yarns or warps are passed over a
"wreath" or comb bar e, formed by a rack of teeth or pins, and intervening
spaces for the purpose of dividing and laying the warps in parallel breadths

page_text: side by side, and forming each division, strip, or band of warps (of any required
number) into separate and distinct tapes or sheets (of any desired width), cach
thread being laid parallel side by side, and thus in close lateral contact, the
"wreath" or comb bare either being allowed to vibrate or oscillate freely as
the warps proceed over it, or it may be caused to revolve if found more
desirable. The continuous warps now being thus made or separated into
breadths or bands A, of certain number or parallel threads, are now passed
over a conducting roller and immersed into the trough or vessel f, which con-
tains the sough or sizcing material, which is hero to be kept in a heated state
by steam passing through the pipe g, or otherwise, and thus boiled into the
warps as they pass through it and under the adjustable tension rollers h, h.
It will be observed that these rollers h, k, may be adjusted to any degree of
tension, or raised up entirely out of the troughs to be cleaned or otherwise, by
turning the winch handle 11, which by means of the worms and wheels 12, 12,
and pinions 13, 13, taking into the racks 14, 14, in connection with which the
pivots of the rollers h, h, are mounted. The warps are then to be passed
forwards through a pair of squeesing rollers i, i, and again similarly immersed
in the trough or vessel j. j, containing a similar sough or sizeing preparation
to finish the yarns; from thence they are passed around the drying cylinder k, k,
also heated by steam through the pipe 9, and discharged by the pipes 1, or by
any other convenient means. The yarn or warps as they pass around these
drying cylinders will now be found to assume the form of tapes or bands, as
the sizeing material will cause the parallel threads, as they lay side by side, to
adhere slightly together, and thus proceed in a tape-like form, being, of course,
much stronger, more regular, and even, and less likely to be broken or dis-
arranged than in the ordinary mode of sizcing. A brush 15 is placed over the
yarns as they proceed over the cylinder, for the purpose of dressing and
laying the fibres of the threads, and making the tapes or bands more compact
and even, and caused to revolve very slowly, by means of the small band 16,
proceeding upon the pivot of the guide roller m. The warps now proceed in a
sized, dried, and finished state, conducted by the rollers m, m, through a similar
"wreath" or comb bar 2, n, but of a much finer rake or pitch than "the wreath" e,e,
and by passing through or over which the strips or bands are passed edgewise,
and again similarly divided by the oscillating or vibratory action of this comb
bar n. n. and laid over the tension roller o, o, in a proper state to be received
and wound upon the warp beam p, p, ready to be removed and taken to the
loomer or drawer in. The continuous operation of the machinery is effected
by means of a strap passing around the driving pulley q, upon the end of the
transverse shaft r, being traversed from the loose pulley by the setting on

page_text: rods, s; upon the shaft is also a conical drum t, having a driving strap passing
around it, and the corresponding cone u, mounted also upon a transverse
shaft v, at one end of which there is a toothed pinion w, driving the train of
spur wheels a, y, z, and thus giving rotary motion to the warp beam p, p, and
cause it to wind on the yarn or warps as required. The yarn is kept distended
and even by means of weighted friction bands 1, 1, being passed around the ends
of the warp beams b, b, and the pressure of the squeezers or presser roller is
similarly adjusted by means of the weighted lever 2. Our improved self-acting
marking apparatus, as attached to sizeing and preparing machinery, is also shown
in these Figures. Upon the end of the revolving guide roller o, o, is a small
worm 3, taking into a worm wheel upon the end of the shaft 4, at the reverse
end of which is the mitre wheel 5, driving a corresponding wheel 6, upon the
small shaft 7, which carries at the other end the revolving marker 8, alter-
nately dipping in a color box 9, and marking the warp threads with a patch of
colour as it revolves; thus marking any length of warp for the pieces intended
to be woven, and allowing the warp beams to contain accurate lengths without
waste in the looming. We have shewn in the detached Figures 4, 5, and 6,
three varieties of our improved "wreath" or comb bar (upon a larger scale),
for dividing or separating the warps as they pass through the machine.
Figure 4 shews one description, being that which we prefer to be used with a
pendulous or oscillating motion. Figure 5, another which we prefer to be
used as a rotary comb bar, and it will be perceived that one set or rake of
teeth will always be entering and dividing the warps as those on the opposite
side leave them. Figure 6 shews another modification of the same, which
may either be used with a rotary or any other required motion.
Having now described our improvements in the machinery or apparatus for
sizeing and otherwise preparing cotton, wool, flax, and other warps for weav-
ing, we desire it to be distinctly understood that we claim as our Invention, the
novel arrangement and construction of the mechanism for performing such or
similar operations or processes as are represented in the Drawings attached
and herein set forth, most particularly and distinctly the dividing or forming
the warps into strips, bands, breadths, or tapes, or even combining the whole
side by side in a single broad sheet if desired, or in divisions consisting of any
number of threads, and retaining them in such combinations during the opera-
tion of sizcing, drying, and preparing warps for weaving.
Also, the novel arrangement or situation of the healds in the machinery for
obtaining the cross shed of the whole warps, in taking the lease previously to
dressing, sizeing, and preparing the same.
Also, the new forms of "wreath" or comb bar, as described, being open at the
top, and thus allowing the cross or "lessbands" to pass them.

page_text: And, lastly, the application of the self-acting revolving marker, for marking
the warps in any required length. We would further remark, in conclusion,
the machinery, as above described, may very readily be divided into two sets,
having the warping beams placed or arranged at each end, and the winding-on
beam in the centre, as in ordinary dressing machinery.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Henry Hornby and William
Kenworthy, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-third day of
March, One thousand eight hundred and forty.
Inrolled the Twenty-fifth day of March, One thousand eight hundred
and forty.