IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC FABRICS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Archibald Turner, of Leicester,Elastic Web Manu-
facturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
ELASTIC FABRICS."
Sealed the 13th February 1857, and dated the 13th December 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Archibald Turner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
December 1856.
I, ARCHIBALD TURNER, of Leicester, Elastic Web Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU.
FACTURE OF ELASTIC FABRICS," to be as follows :-
My Invention of improvements in the manufacture of elastic fabrics relates,
first, to the ornamentation of elastic cords, by forming round them a helical
coil, similar in appearance to the thread of a screw; and, second, to orna-
menting flat elastic bands or fabrics, such as are used for braces, waistbelts,
and other purposes, by producing a watered appearance on the surface
thereof, something like that which is produced on watered silk fabrics.
The formation of a raised helical or spiral coil in the form of the thread of
a screw round elastic cords may be effected in various ways, and the result
may be produced without materially interfering with the ordinary braiding
machine in which the fabric is made. For making these ornamental cords
one strand only of india-rubber is required, and one mode of producing the
[Price 8d.1

page_text: desired effect consists simply in twisting the india-rubber strand, either pre-
viously to its introduction into the machine, or it may be twisted in the
braiding machine itself just before the covering threads are braided round it.
If this latter plan be adopted, the bobbin or reel containing the india-rubber
strand must be rotated, so as to put in the requisite amount of twist while the
rubber is being drawn off during the braiding operation. The upper part of
the braiding machine requires little or no alteration to carry out the present
improvements, as the covering threads are made to travel round the central
india-rubber strand in the usual manner. The covered strand when delivered
from the travelling bobbin will have very much the appearance of an ordinary
flat elastic band, and may in this state be wound in the usual manner on to a
reel or bobbin, which is then to be removed to another machine somewhat
resembling a throstle or spinning frame, in which the elastic cord is drawn
gradually and regularly off the wheels by means of drawing rollers or other
convenient and suitable contrivances, and is conveyed to a spindle and flyer,
which will wind the elastic cord on to another bobbin, allowing it at the same
time to twist itself into the form that will be given to it by the tendency of
the india-rubber strand to untwist itself. The elastic cord with its helical or
spiral coil round it will then be complete.
I would observe that the spinning machinery is only employed to regulate
the twisting operation, or to cause the india-rubber strand when resuming its
normal state to twist thecord with regularity, the said spinning machinery not
being intended to impart any twist to the cord, the twisted india-rubber strand
alone being the agent which produces the desired effect.
Another method of producing an helical thread round an elastic strand con-
sists in substituting a thick thread or yarn for one or more of the ordinary
threads, and as the thick thread or yarn travels round in the braiding opera-
tion it will form a helical coil round the central strand. It will be evident to
any practical man acquainted with braiding machinery that two or more thick
threads or yarus may be introduced in this way, and so arranged in the
machine as to cross each other, and thus produce diamond or lozenge-shaped
appearances on the cord, and that a beautiful effect may be produced by this
means if different brilliant colors are employed.
Another method of forming a helical thread round an elasticstrand consists
in winding a thick thread or yarn of some suitable fibrous substance in a
helical coil, like the thread of a screw, round the central india-rubber strand
previous to its introduction into the braiding machine, and then braiding
round the latter with the covering threads, in the ordinary manner. 'The
covering threads will sink into the interstiees between the coils of the thick

page_text: yarn round the central india-rubber strand, and will of course be raised at all
the se points where they pass over the thick thread or yarn.
The ornamentation of flat elastic bauds or fabrics, which forms the second
part of my Invention, relates to a means of producing a watere! appearance
on the surface of the fabric, and consists in submitting the fabric, when made,
to a considerable pressure, whereby portions of the ribbed surface will be
flattened, and the well-known watered appearance of silk will be thereby
produced.
In order inore effectually to attain the desired object, I find it necessary to
make the fabric more solid than heretofore, so as to form a bed to resist the
pressure. The fabric so made will not yield so much to the pressure as would
be the case with a more open fabric, and the pressure will therefore more
effectually flatten or crush down the ribbed surface, and thereby produce the
required watered appearance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Archibald Turner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARCHIBALD
TURNER, of Leicester, Elastic Web Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth 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 me,
thesaid Archibald Turner, Herspecial license that I, the said Archibald Turner,
myexecutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, thesaid Archibald
Turner, 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 Chaunel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU.
FACTURE OF ELASTIC FABRICS," upou the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Archibald Turner, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven
tion, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Archibald Turner, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to tho Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
My Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture of Elastic Fabrics
relates, first, to the ornamentation of elastic cords, by formning round them a
helical coil, similar in appearance to the thread of a screw; and, second, to
ornamenting flat elastic bands or fabrics, such as are used for braces waist-
bands, and other purposes, by producing a watered appearance on the surface
thereof, something like that which is produced on watered silk fabrics.
The formation of a raised helical or spiral coil in the form of the thread of
a screw round elastic cords may be effected in various ways, and the result
may be produced without materially interfering with the ordinary braiding
machine in which the fabric is made. For making these ornamented cords
one straud only of india-rubber is required, and one mode of producing the
desired effect consists simply in twisting the india-rubber strand either pre-
viously to its introducion into the machine, or it may be twisted in the
braiding machine itself before the covering theads are braided round it. If
this letter plan be adopted, the bobbin or reel containing the india-rubber
strand must be rotated, so as to put on the requisite amount of twist while
the rubber is being drawn off during the braiding operation. The upper part
of the braiding machine requires little or no alteration to carry out the present
improvements, as the covering threads are made to travel round the central
india-rubber strand in the usual manner.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawing is a diagram upon an enla 'ged scale
of a piece of cord inade with a helical coil round it, in the manner just
described. The part a represents a portion of the india-rubber strand un-
covered and twisted, ready to receive the braiding threads, which when braided
round the said twisted india-1 ubber strand present the appearance shewnatb,b.
The covered strand when delivered from the travelling braiding bobbins will
have very much the appearance of an ordinary flat elastic band, as shewn at
b, b, and may in this state be wound in the usual manner on to a reel or
bobbin, which is then to be removed to another machine somewhat resembling
a throstle or spinning frame, in which the elastic cord is drawn gradually and
regularly off the reels by means of drawing rollers, or other convenient and
suitable contrivances, and is conveyed to a spindle and flyer, which will wind
the elastic cord on to another bobbin, allowing it at the same time to twist
itself into the form that will be given to it by the tendency of the india-rubber

page_text: strand to untwis'. itself. The elastic cord with its helical or spiral coil round
it will then be complete, and will present the appearance shewn at c, c, in
Fig. 1, the central india-rubber strand having entirely untwisted itself so as
to present the appearance of a flat straight strand, as shown at d, d.
I would observe, that the spinning machinery is only employed to regulate
the twisting operation, or to cause the india-rubber strand when resuming its
normal state to twist the cord with regularity; the said spinning machinery
not being intended to impart any twist to the cord, the twisted india-rubber
strand alone being the agent which produces the desired effect while un-
twisting itself in order to resume its normal state, as shewn at d, d, Fig. 1.
Another method of producing a helical thread round an elastic strand
consists in substituting a thick thread or yarn for one or more of the ordinary
threads, and as the thick thread or yarn travels round in the braiding
operation it will form a helical coil round the central strand. It will be
evident to any practical man acquainted with braiding machinery that two or
more thick threads or yarns may be introduced in this way, and so arranged
in the machine as to cross each other, and thus produce diamond or lozenge-
shaped appearances on the cord, and that a beautiful effect may be produced
by this means if different brilliant colours are employed.
Fig. 2 is a diagram of a piece of cord ornamented in this manner. In
this Figure the cord is represented as being stretched while the braiding
operation is proceeding. a is the central elustic or india-rubber strand; f, h
are the thick braiding threads which are made to traverse across the fabric,
and in so doing cross each other, and produce the lozenge-shaped appearance
shewn in the Figure. Fig. 3 represents the cord collapsed.
Another method of forming a helical thread round an elastic strand consists
in winding a thick thread or yarn of some suitable fibrous substance in a
helical coil, like the thread of a screw, round the central india-rubber strand'
either previous to its introduction into the bruiding machine or while it is
being operated upon in the braiding machine. An elastic strand with this
thick thread wound or coiled round it ready for the braiding operation is
shewn at Fig 4. The braiding operation is carried on in the ordinary manner,
and the covering threads will sink into the interstices between the coils of the
thick yarn that is wound round the central india-rubber strand, and will of
course be raised at all those points where they pass over the thick thread or
yaru. The finished cord will present the appearance represented in Fig. 5.
The ornamentation of flat elastic bands or fabrics, which forms the second
part of my Invention, relates to a means of producing a watered appearance

page_text: on the surface of the fabric, and consists in submitting the fabric when made
to a considerable pressure, whereby portions of the ribbed surface will be
flattened, and the well-known appearance of watered silk will be thereby
produced.
In order more effectually to attain the desired object, I find it necessary to
make the fabric more solid than heretofore, so as to form a bed to resist the
pressure to which it will be submitted in the subsequent operation of watering.
The fabric so made will not yield so much to the pressure as would be the
case with a more open fabric, and the pressure will therefore more effectually
flatten or crush down the ribbed surface, and thereby produce the required
watered appearance.
In one of the methods of carrying out this part of my improvements. I
employ a series of non-elastic strands, which I will call filling strands, in
combination with the ordinary elastic strands. These non-elastic strands are
placed in the tubes along with the elastic strands, and are employed for the
purpose of forming a firm and solid foundation to the fabric, and as these
filling strands do not appear on the face of the fabric they may be composed
of cotton or other cheap material, while silk may be employed for the warp
threads that form the surface. The fabric is made somewhat in the ordinary
way of weaving clastic fabrics, the principal difference in the weaving operation
being that the weft (which may be of cotton) must be beaten up harder than
usual, so as to form a solid and firm fabric. A very compact and solid fabric
may also be produced by employing an additional number of longitudinal
elastic strands in place of the additional filling strands above mentioned; the
weft must also in this case be beaten up very hard, but whatever be the
process employed for producing the fabric, it is essential that a very firm and
solid fabric capable of resisting the pressure to which it will be subjected in
the watering operation bo produced. A compact and solid fabric having been
obtained in either of the ways above mentioned, or in any other convenient
manner, it must then be watered by folding the ribbed face of the fabric
together and submitting it to considerable pressure with the addition of an
increase of temperature; the consequence of this operation will be, that some
of the horizontal ribs produced during the weaving will be crushed down by
the two surfaces being pressed together, and the ornamental appearance
known as "watering" will be produced.
Having now described my Invention of improvements in the manufacture
of elastic fabrics," and the means of carrying the same into effect, I claim
as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid,-

page_text: First, the ornamentation of elastic cords, by forming round them a helical
coil or coils, similar in appearance to the thread of a screw, as above shewn
and described.
Second, I claim ornamenting flat elastic bands or fabrics, such as are used
for braces, waistbands, and other purposes, by producing a watered appearance
on the surface thereof something like that which is produced on watered silk
fabrics, as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Archibald Turner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
THOMAS WILLIS,
of Leicester.
A. TURNER. (L.B.)