IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING LACE, PAPER, AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isaac Atkin, of the Town and County of the Town
of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, and Marmaduke Miller, of the Town
and County of the Town of Nottingham aforesaid, Steam Guage
Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING LACE, PAPER, AND
OTHER FABRICS."
Scaled the 29th May 1857, and dated the 27th December 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaac Atkin and
Marmaduke Miller at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 27th December 1856.
We, ISAAC ATKIN, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham,
Lace Manufacture, and MARMADUKE MILLER, of the Town and County of
the Town of Nottingham aforesaid, Steam Guage Maker, do hereby declare,
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING LACE, PAPER, AND
OTHER FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The machine consists, first, of a level board, rather longer than the folds are
intended to be; on this board upright pieces are fixed, as much apart in width.
as the width of the material to be folded, and in length such distance apart as
shall determine the length of the folds. Other upright pieces not essential are,
fixed in the direction of their length, so as to form practically a groove or
trough, open at the ends, and of the width of the material to be folded, and the
length of the intended folds.

page_text: This constitutes the ordinary
One of our
"carding board" for lace.
improvements consists in employing a board having two or more grooves, so as
to fold more than one length 'of fabric at the same operation.
The ordinary method in lace folding is to place the lace in the trough or
board, returning it over a wire put between the folds and across the ends of the
board; this is repeated until the desired number of folds are. made. This in
lace folding or "carding" has been hitherto done by hand..
The machine consists, secondly, of a stage traversing on a bel above the
"board," and from end to end, carrying the material and wires with it. The
material to be folded comes to the machine on a roller or drum, and is passed
through a guide in the middle of the stage, which in traversing. places the
material perfectly straight in the "board" or trough. The stage is square,
and at each corner is a vertical tube, having in it a slit the entire length of the
tube, and of such a width as to allow the folding "wires" or pins to drop
freely down the slit without passing each other. The slits in these tubes are
placed to face each other in pairs, so that the ends of the "wires "cr pins may
be put in the slits of the pair of tubes, in which position they are at-right
angles to the folds of the niaterial. The "wires" or pins being placed in each
pair of tubes form two "sets," a set on each side the stage, the material to be
folded passing through the guide in the middle of the stage, and consequently,
between the two sets of "wires." The "wires" or pins are kept from dropping
by two small pointed bolts working across the slit at the bottom of each tube,
which bolts are fixed to work one above the other so wide apart as to allow a
folding wire to lay between them, and are projected across the slit alternately
It will be seen that when the top bolt is withdrawn the "wires" will drop on
to the bottom bolt, when the top bolt is returned one "wire" has dropped
below it, the remainder of the wires being again supported by it, and as the
bottom bolt is withdrawn 'almost simultaneously a wire is allowed to fall. It
must be understood that this action takes place in the pair of tubes holding
the ends of the same wire releasing both ends of the wire at the same moment.
The stage traverses a little beyond the ends of the folding board, and the bolts
are arranged to release a wire from the set nearest the folding board and
immediately over the lace at the moment the stage has got to the end of its
motion. The wire being dropped the stage returns to the opposite end of the
hoard, where another wire is dropped from 'the other set by 'the action of
the bolts and the stage again returns, each motion producing a fold in the
material, continuing the operation till the folds are complete. The bolts
work two on the front and two on the back of the stage between the
tubes holding the ends of the wires, and are of such length as that when

page_text: one end is. withdrawn from the right-hand tube the other end is projected into
the left-hand tube.
The two bolts at the front of the stage, and also, at the back are, connected
by a lever centred between them, so as to only allow them to move in opposite
directions to each other. It will be seen that by this, arrangement when the
upper bolt is withdraw from any tube the lower bolt is inserted, and vice
versa. The front and back pair of belts, bave each an independant lever
centred at the upper, and above the bolts, to the stage. When the ends of
these levers strike against guage screws properly set they, withdraw. the bottom
bolts and insert the top bolts, thus releasing a wire on the side, required for
the fold; at the same the lower bolts are inserted in the pair of tubes on
the opposite side of the stage; and the upper bolts withdrawn, allowing the
wires to drop on to the bottom bolts, and preparing for the release of a wire
on that side. As the wires are dropped they fall into slotted tubes, similar to
the tubes on the stage, and which are fixed to the carding board, so as to be
under the stage tubes at the moment the wires are dropped. These fixed tubes
are for steadying the wires.
The machine is worked by a cam or crank motion, which causes the stage
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, fileil
by the said Isaac Atkin and Marmaduke Miller in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, ISAAC
ATKIN, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Lace Manu-
facturer, and MARMADUKE MILLER, of the Town and County of the Town of
Nottingham aforesaid, Steam Guage Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Isaac Atkin and Marmaduke Miller, Her special licence that we,
the said Isaac Atkin and Marmaduke Miller, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Isaac Atkin and Marmaduke
Miller, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should 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,

page_text: 'exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FOLDING LACE, PAPER, AND OTHER FABRICS," upou the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Isaac Atkin and Marmaduke Miller, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what the manner
the same 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 we, the said Isaac Atkin and Marmaduke
Miller, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say, the Invention
consists in the improvements hereafter explained.
The machine consists of a framing or table A, A, to the upper part of which
two bars are bolted, B, B, which form the bed on which the stage C traverses;
immediately under which stage is placed the "carding board" G, G, G, which
consists of a level board or framing, rather longer than the folds are intended
to be; on this board upright pieces are fixed, as much apart as the width of
the material to be folded, and of such length as shall determine the length
of the folds. One of our improvements consists in employing a "board"
having two or more grooves, so as to fold more than one length of fabric at
the same operation. The stage C is an oblong frame, on each long side of
which and near the ends are two vertical tubes 11, 11, having in them slits
the entire length of the tubes, which slits are of such width as to allow the
folding wires or pins L to drop freely down without passing each other.
The slits in the tubes are placed to face each other in pairs, so that the ends
of the wires or pins may be put in the slits of the two pairs of tubes, in
which position they are at right angles to the folds of the material. The
wires or pins being placed in each pair of tubes form two sets, a set on
each side the stage, and are kept from dropping by two small pointed bolts
d', d, (Figure 4,) which bolts are fixed to work one above the other as wide
apart as to allow a folding wire to lay between them, and are projected across
the slits alternately. It will be seen that when the top bolt d' is withdrawn
the wires will drop on to the bottom bolt, when the top bolt is returned one

page_text: "wire" has dropped below it, the remainder of the wires being again supported
by it, and as the bottom bolt is withdrawn almost simultaneously a wire is
allowed to fall. It must be understood that this action takes place in the pair
of tubes holding the ends of the same wire, releasing both ends of the wire at
the same moment. The stage traverses a little beyond the ends of the folding
board, and the bolts are arranged to release a wire from the set nearest the
folding board, and immediately over the lace at the moment the stage has got
to the end of its motion. The wire being dropped the stage returns to
the opposite end of the board, where another wire is dropped from the other
set by the action of the bolts and the stage again returns, each motion pro-
ducing a fold in the material, continuing the operation till the folds are
complete. The bolts and d², Figure 4, work two on the back and two on
the front of the stage between the tubes holding the ends of the ways,
and are of such length as that when one end is withdrawn from the right-
hand tulie the other end is projected into the left-hand tube. The two
bolts at the front of the stage, and also at the back, are connected by the
Jever c, Figure 4, centered between them at c', so as to only allow thein to
move in opposite directions to each other. It will be seen that by this
arrangement when the upper bolt is withdrawn from either of the tubes the
lower one is inserted, and vice versa.
The front and back pair of bolts have each an independent lever 6 centred
at at the upper end, and above the bolts, to the stage, and having a projecting
stud at their lower ends. When these studs strike against the guage
screws M, M, shewn in Figure 1, they withdraw the bottom bolts and insert
the top bolts, thus releasing a wire on the side required for the fold; at the
same time the lower bolts are inserted in the pair of tubes on the opposite side
of the stage and the upper bolts withdrawn, allowing the wires to drop on to
the bottom bolts, and preparing for the release of a wire on that side. As the
wires are dropped they fall into slotted tubes 1, 12, similar to the tubes 1', on
the stage, and which aro fixed to the table, so as to be under the stage tubes at
the moment the wires are dropped. These fixed tubes are for steadying the
wires, and for the convenient removal of the "board" they are mado to turn
on axles at their lower ends, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 2, and
when at work are kept in their position by springs. In Figure 1 the right-hand
tube is shewn as turned down horizontally, so as to allow of the "board" being
drawn out. The machine is worked by the cam or crank F, which by the
connecting rod E gives motion to the levers D, D, (see Figure 2), which cause
the stage to traverse from end to end of the bed on which it slides. II, II, are
"catch bars," so arranged as to prevent the pins or wires being drawn up by

page_text: the pull of the material; they are lifted by the stage pressing against the tail H',
and, as the stage recedes. the "catch" falls on the wire and keeps it in its
place. The material to be folded comes to the machine on rollers or "spoles."
K, K; each length. is passed through a guide in the middle, of the stage (and
consequently, between the two sets of wires), which in traversing places the
material perfectly straight, in the trough or board..
Witness;
THOMAS PENTECOST,
: Kendall St., Nottingham.
ISAAC ATKIN.
(L.S.)
MARMADUKE MILLER. (L.S.)