IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING NARROW FABRICS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Christopher Nickels, of the York Road, in
the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEAVING NARROW FABRICS."
Sealed the 14th June 1853, and dated the 30th March 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Christopher Nickels
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 30th March 1853.
I, CHRISTOPHER NICKELS, of the York Road, in the County of Surrey,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN WEAVING NARROW FABRICS" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of improvements in arranging such descrip-
tions of apparatus somewhat similar to what is ordinarily used for
making twist lace, that narrow fabrics may be woven of a character
such as is produced by warps and shuttles. The first improvement
consists of employing two carriages with shuttles, or (with bobbins
therein) working in combs and acting as shuttles in each fabric, in
combination with three warps, a middle stationary warp composed

page_text: wholly or partly of india-rubber, or of non-elastic threads, and a warp
on either side of such middle warp; which outer warps are moved by
guides, bars, or harness, through and through the stationary or middle
warp, the two carriages or shuttles being caused simultaneously to
pass on opposite sides of the middle warp; and, if desired, they may in
their successive movements be caused to change sides with each other,
and thus wind their weft threads around the middle warp.
The second improvement consists of using an india-rubber or partly
india-rubber warp, with a weft guide on either side (front and back),
and several carriages moved through and through the middle warp,
the front and back weft guides throwing in their weft between the
elastic or non-elastic warp and carriage threads alternately, as the
carriages come into the front and back combs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Christopher Nickels, in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 30th September 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1,
CHRISTOPHER NICKELS, of the York Road, in the County of Surrey,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Christopher Nickels, Her special
licence, that I, the said Christopher Nickels, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Christopher Nickels, my
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, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN WEAVING NARROW FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that

page_text: I, the said Christopher Nickels, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what 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 I, the said Christopher Nickels, 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 following statement thereof (that is to say):
This Invention consists of improvements in arranging such descrip-
tions of apparatus somewhat similar to what is ordinarily used for
making twist lace, that narrow fabrics may be woven of a character
such as is produced by warps and shuttles.
The first improvement consists of employing two carriages with
shuttles, or with bobbins therein, working in combs and acting as
shuttles in cach fabric, in combination with three warps, a middle sta-
tionary warp, composed wholly or partly of india-rubber, or of non-
elastic threads, and a warp on either side of such middle warp; which
outer warps are moved by guides, bars, or harness, through and through
the stationary or middle warp, the two carriages or shuttles being caused
simultaneously to pass on opposite sides of the middle warp; and, if
desired, they may in their successive movements be caused to change
sides with each other, and thus wind their weft threads around the
middle warp.
The second improvement consists of using an india-rubber or partly
india-rubber warp, with a weft guide on either side (front and back),
and several carriages moved through and through the middle warp, the
front and back weft guides throwing in their weft between the elastic
or non-elastic warp and carriage thread alternately, as the carriages
come into the front and back combs.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner in which the same is to be performed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, shows so much of the section of a twist lace machine, full
size, as will enable me to describe some of the improvements to be

page_text: described under the first part of my Invention. The object of these
improvements is to facilitate the weaving of narrow fabrics where three
warps are used for each fabric,-two surface warps and a central warp;
the central warp being, when desired to make elastic goods, of india-
rubber thread, or partly of such thread. Figure 2, shows part of a
longitudinal view of the machine, showing the warps for two narrow
fabrics; and it will be seen that these fabrics are made at right angles
to those ordinarily made in twist lace machines. I would, however,
remark that it is not new to make fabrics in twist Ince machines by the
warps being arranged at right angles to the front and back of twist lace
machines. I do not therefore make any claim thereto, this part of my
improvements consisting only of employing three warps in fabrics when
so working. a, a, are the front and back comb or bolt bars; b, b, are
carriages with bobbins, which, in this manufacture, act as shuttles to
put in weft, which, however, is not in itself new, but the use of two
such shuttles to each fabric, in order each to lay in weft between the
central warp and one of the surface warps. is new, and constitutes the
peculiarity of these improvements. c, c, are the central or stationary
warps; d, e, are the two surface warps, according to the arrangement
shown; the headles or harness through which these surface warps pass
are fixed across rectangular frames, f, f, which run from end to end of
the machine, and they receive a to and fro motion in order to cause
them to pass through and through between the central or stationary
warp, and thereby to open two sheds, one on cither side of the central
warp of each fabric; and the two carriages or shuttles pass through
these sheds when moved in the combs or bolts; and thus will the surface
warps be caused each to open a shed, first on one side, and then on tho
other of the stationary warp; and the carriages are respectively caused
to swing to and fro from back to front, and from front to back, by
means of the bars g, and h, which are simultaneously moved to the centre
from the present position, in order to move the carriages towards the
middle of the machine; and the carriages are then moved in the front
and back combs by means of the locker bars i, j, which are split or
have openings, so as to take only one carriage opposite each fabric; and
the locker bars have an endway or shogging motion given to them, as
is well understood, in order to cause them to take first the carriage on

page_text: one side of the fabric, and then the other carriage on the other side of
the fabric. I would state that, although I have spoken of the surface
warps being all similarly and simultaneously acted on, but it will be
evident that the warp threads at either surface may, if desired, be
worked differently to other of the warps on the same surface, in order
to vary the pattern of weaving; and other variations may be made in
the details, without departing from the peculiar character of the working
of such descriptions of machines whereby three warps are employed
in making narrow fabrics in twist lace machines, using two carriages
moving in combs or bolts to each such narrow fabric.
I have in the above description explained how narrow fabrics are
made with three warps by the aid of lace machines, and, according to
the above arrangement, each carriage with its weft passes constantly to
and fro on the same side of the central warp. I will now proceed to
describe means by which such carriages may in their successive move-
ments be caused to change sides with each other, and thus wind their
weft threads around the middle warp.
Figure 3, is a side view, Figure 4, a section, Figure 5, a back view
of a machine constructed according to my Invention; and Figures
6, and 7, show a front view and section of parts of machinery, full size,
for accomplishing this change of position of the carriages carrying the
bobbins and weft. In each of these figures the same letters are used
to indicate the same parts. a, a, is the framing of the machine; b, is
the crank axis by which the machine is worked, having at one end a
toothed wheel c, which takes into and drives a toothed wheel d, on the
stud d', which wheel d, takes into and drives another toothed wheel e,
keyed on the cam shaft or axis f, and by the various cams on which the
requisite motions of the various instruments are obtained in the manner
herein-after explained. 9, 9, 9', g', are guides or headdles, which have a
to and fro movement communicated to them in opposite directions, so
as to cause them to open sheds in the warps for the passage through of
the shuttles or carriages h, h. The headdles or guides g, g, and g', g',
receive their motions from cams in the following manner; they are
attached to bars b, b', as shewn in section, Figure 7 :-
On the shaft or axis f, are affixed two cams i, and j, which act

page_text: upon the trucks i, j, on the levers i, j, which vibrate on an
axis ; the other ends of the levers, being connected by rods
and chains,, to the guide bars ; the chains
passing
over pulleys, ", on the axis; the other ends of the guide bars
,, being connected by chains ",, passing over pulleys, j
to springs attached to the ground or flooring of the building.
The trucks i, j, are kept up against their respective cams by the
action of the springs i, j, which are attached to the levers, and
to the ground, as shewn in section, Figure 4, and back view, Figure 5.
The sheds being thus opened, as represented by front views, Figure 6,
the shuttles or carriages h, h, are caused to passed through such sheds in
opposite directions by the action of the pushers k, k, which receive their
motion in manner hereafter described. The instruments or guides in
which the carriages or shuttles h, h, travel to and fro are formed cach
with two channels or passages for the shuttle carriages h, h; the one
for them to travel in one direction, and the other for their return in an
opposite direction, which will be more clearly understood on referring to
the detailed views of these parts. On the cam shaft or axis f, are two
cams,, which act upon the trucks 1, 2, on the levers k, k
which are connected to the upper of the pusher bars or frames ', k',
by the connecting links 1, 1, see Figures 3, and 7; the other or front
end of the pusher bar or frame being connected by chains º,, passing
over pulleys k,, to the lower of the pusher bars or frames, . The
pusher bars or frames k, k, have at all times a tendency to fall back
out of operation by the action of the spring, ", one on each side,
attached to the ground, and by chains P, k, passing over pulleys 10, 40,
to the lower pusher bar or frame 1, as shown in Figure 7, so that the
pusher bars or frames, k, with their pushers k, k, both advance
together, and cause the shuttles or carriage h, h, to travel in their
guides or channels in opposite directions; and they afterwards recedo
by the action of the springs, just described, leaving the carriages or
shuttles h, h, to be acted on by the shogging of the bars 1, 1, side-
ways, and the pushers 1', ', connected thereto.
A cam, on the cam shaft f, gives motion to the lever 1, (on the
axis ) by acting on the truck 1, and is connected by a rod 2º, and

page_text: chain ', to a pin 18, on one of the shogging bars 1, 1, the chain 1, pass-
ing around a pulley 12, on the axis 710, fixed to the bar a', by which one
of the bars 1, receives motion, as will be seen by Figures 3, and 5.
111, is a lever which vibrates on a fixed centre at a², the lever 11, being
connected at one end to one of the shogging bars 7, and at its other end
to the other of the shogging bars ; so that the motion imparted to the
one bar is thus communicated to the other by the action of the cam l²,
such bars 1, 1, returning to their former positions by the action of the
spring 2, shown in Fig. 6, by which the shuttles or carriages h, h, will
be shogged by the instruments ', l, into the position shown by dotted
lines, in the details of the carriages or shuttles, and the guides or in-
struments in which they travel.
The beating up of the slay then takes place by the change of posi-
tion of the cam m, which then allows of the springs m', m', to draw
down the levers m, m2, to which the sley beater is attached, more par-
ticularly described hereafter. The cam m, then again raises the slay
or beater sufficiently high to allow of the return of the shuttles or car-
riages by acting on the truck m³, of the lever m, attached to the rock-
ing bar m, to which is attached the levers or arms m², m², which are
connected by the links m', m', to the slides m³, me, which carry the sley
bar m, and reed guides connected thereto. The shuttles or carriages
then return, they each having exchanged positions, and return by dif-
ferent channels to the ones in which they advance; the shogging again
takes place, and a fresh shoot is made with the shuttles or carriages by
the action of the pushers as before; the beating up again takes place, as
before, and so on, continuing the lapping of weft around the central
warps.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention,
which consists of using an india-rubber, or partly india-rubber, warp,
with a weft guide on either side, and several carriages moved through
and through the middle warp, the front and back weft guides throwing
in their weft between the elastic and non-elastic warp and carriage
threads alternately as the carriages come into the front and back combs.
Figure 8, shows so much of a transverse section of a bobbin net
twist lace machine, full size, as will enable me to explain this part of

page_text: my Invention. In this arrangement the carriages are simply caused to
swing to and fro from back to front of the machine, and a carriage may
be introduced into cach space of the combs, or only at intervals, accord-
ing as it is desired to tie in the weft more or less closely. a, b, are the
two weft guide bars, carrying a guide for each breadth of fabric made
in the machine; and it should be stated that in this part of my Inven-
tion the fabrics are made parallel to the front and back of the machine,
as is the more general practice in making fabrics in twist lace machines,
whether the threads employed are caused to twist with each other to
make meshes, or to be simply combined, as in ordinary weaving, with
warp and weft: these two weft guide bars are moved to and fro a
distance equal to the width of the separate fabrics made in the machine,
and the work is taken up by points, as is well understood, the points
taking up after the traversing of the weft guides. It may here be stated
that the peculiarity of this part of my Invention consists in employing a
weft guide on each side of a central warp in such manner as to lay the
weft threads on either side thereof, and between the central warp and
the surface warp carried by the carriages and the guides. The drawing
shows two guide bars, one for carrying the central warp, and the other
is for carrying another warp of silk or other material, which, by having
a shogging motion given to it, can vary the pattern; and it will be
evident that several warp guide bars may be used for such purposes.
The carriage threads also act as warp threads; and according as the
carriages are in the back or front combs or bolds, so does the back or
front weft guide move between the carriage threads and those carried
by the warp guide bars, and the order of shogging of part of such warp
guide bars will determine the pattern produced.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I
make no claim to any of the parts of the machinery herein described,
as they separately are well known; nor do I confine myself to the details
thereof as shown and described, so long as the peculiar character of
either part of my Invention be retained. But what I claim is,
First, the manufacture of narrow fabrics by employing two carriages
working in combs, and acting as shuttles for each narrow fabric, in com-

page_text: bination with three warps placed transversely of the machine, as herein
explained, whether such two carriages working in combs continue to
pass continually on the same sides of the central warp, or change sides
as described: And,
Secondly, I claim the manufacture of narrow fabrics in twist lace
machines by employing a central warp in combination with two weft
guides, one on either side of the central warp.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Nickels, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
CHRISTOPHER NICKELS. (L.S.)
Witness, FRED HARRIS.