CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES NOW IN USE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE COMMONLY CALLED BOBBIN NET, AND A NEW METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CERTAIN PARTS OF SUCH MACHINES
Year: 1824

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HEATHCOAT, of Tiverton, in the County of Devon, Lace Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland called England, bearing date at Westminster, the Ninth day of
March, in the fifth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said John Heathcoat, His especial license
that I, the said John Heathcoat, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Heathcoat, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein specified, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES NOW IN USE FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE COMMONLY CALLED BOBBIN NET, AND A NEW METHOD OF
MANUFACTURING CERTAIN PARTS OF SUCH MACHINES;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Heathcoat, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be. performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said recited Letters Patent, as 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, I, the said
John Heathcoat, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and by the following
description thereof, that is to say:—
The first object of my said Invention consists in the application and com-
bination of apparatus or machinery for the purpose of giving off the warp
and of taking up the lace in a manner so equable as to secure an invariable
form and size of mesh throughout the piece of lace.
Sheet 1, Fig. 1, represents an end view of the frame of a rotatory lace
machine (such of its parts only being shewn as are necessary to explain my
improvement thereon); and Fig. 2, part of a front view of the same, the same
lotters of reference being used to denote the same parts in all the Figures.
A, A, A, the end frame; B, the warp or lower roller, having a toothed wheel
C fixed to its end; D, the winding or upper roller which receives the lace as
fast as it is made; E, a pinion working into the wheel C, by which it com-
municates motion to the warp roller B; F, a wide pulley fixed on the axis of
the pinion E; G, G, a string secured at its end H, which passes quite "round
the pulley F, and then proceeds over a pulley I to its weight J. The use of
the string G, G, is to prevent the pulley F from turning round to the left, and
yet allow it to be turned to the right. K is an arm moving on the axis L.
M, an adjusting picce screwed on the arm K, to which another string N
is secured, which also passes quite round the pulley F, but in a contrary
direction to the string G. It then goes over the pulley O, and down to
its weight P. Q, Q, is a sliding bar which carries up the points resting
on the arm R, and rising and falling with it, as shewn by the dotted lines
R. A pin S is fixed on the sliding bar Q to support the arm K. Now,
when this sliding bar Q descends, it suffers the arm K to fall; but it cannot
fall lower than the place shewn by dotted lines m, because the adjusting screw
in the top of the standard n comes in contact with the piece o, and stops it.
The arm K. having fallen thus far, has slackened the string N and let down
the weight P just as much (which is also shewn by dotted lines) without
moving the pulley F, because the tight or check string G prevents it; but
when the sliding bar Qrises, the pin S lifts up the arm K, which, pulling the
string N after it, causes the pulley F to revolve that small portion; so that as
often as the arm K falls, the string N slides round the pulley, and as regu-
larly gives motion to it when rising, whilst the pinion E, acting on the wheel
C, a certain determinate quantity of warp is regularly given off by the roller
B. As the lace is produced, it is usually wound round the upper roller D,
which, by its gradual increase of circumference, takes up the lace quicker at
the latter end of a piece than at the beginning of it, thereby altering and

page_text: Another
elongating the form of the mesh; to correct which defect I add an apparatus,
which, by gradually retarding the motion of roller D, causes a certain determi-
nate quantity of lace to be regularly wound up. This apparatus is shewn in
Figures 2 and 3. T and U are two conical barrels placed the reverse way to
each other. The barrel T at the commencement of a piece is fixed on the
axis of the winding or upper roller D, and has a piece of wire (of a length pro-
portionate to the intended piece of lace) commencing from its largest end and
coiled round it to the smallest end, from whence it is transferred, and the
end of it fastened to the largest end of the upper barrel U, which moves on the
same axis with the toothed wheel V, and is kept in gear with it by two project-
ing pins which intersect its arms. This wheel V is driven by a pinion W
attached to a ratchet wheel which is held by a spring catch X.
springing piece Y, on the sliding plate Z, receives precisely sufficient motion
from the vertical action of the sliding bar Q to enable it to move the ratchet
wheel one tooth each time. The barrel U having thus acquired a slow
motion, it gradually winds off the wire from the barrel T, and as it first takes
the wire from the smaller end of T, and proceeds gradually to the largest end,
the motion communicated thereby to the winding or upper roller D decreases
in speed exactly in proportion to the increase of its circumference, so that the
lace is in reality wound up by the roller D at an equal rate from the com-
mencement of a piece to its completion. By the combination and use of these
two sets of apparatus, viz. of that for giving off the warp with that for winding
up the lace, the important object of perfect regularity in the form and size of
the mesh is thus effectually accomplished.
Notwithstanding that this apparatus has been described with reference only
to rotatory machines, it is also equally applicable to machines moved by hand.
The second object of this Invention is particularly ascertained in the Drawings,
Sheet 2, hereunto annexed, and by the following description thereof. Figures 1,
2, 3, 4, represent lathes for the purpose of cutting or sawing out the circular
segments of brass or other metal represented in Figure 7, upon which those
parts of lace machines commonly called carriages slide. The plate of metal
from which the segments are intended to be cut is attached to the standard
a, a, by the staples b, b, and screw c, and is so placed as to enable the cutter
or saw nearest to the centre or axis of the lathe mandril, which must project
a little more than the other cutter or saw, to remove a small quantity from the
lower edge of the segment, whilst the cutter or saw most distant from the axis
is separating it from the plate. The mandril which carries these cutters or
saws is caused to advance by a weight e, or other contrivance, in proportion as
the metal is cut away, which action is regulated by withdrawing the screws,

page_text: and when the segment is separated from the plate, the mandril is forced back
by advancing the screw f. The plate of brass or other metal is then liberated
by loosening the staples b, b, by means of the screw c, and, being allowed to
descend sufficiently below the bottom staple for the formation of another
segment, is again tightened, and the mandril is advanced as before. The
screw c, with its cross bar, is represented separately in Figure 8, and the
annular saws in their frame at Figures 5 and 6.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Heathcoat, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.