AN IMPROVED MACHINE CALLED THE STOCKING FRAME (OTHERWISE THE GIGGER STOCKING FRAME);
Year: 1792

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
BARBER, of Bilborough, in the County of Nottingham, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty, by His Royal Letters Patent bearing date
on or about the Eighth day of December now last past, in the thirty-third
year of His reign, was graciously pleased to grant unto me, the said Robert
Barber, my executors, administrators, and assigns, the sole making, exercising,
and vending, and use, benefit, & advantage, of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE CALLED
THE STOCKING FRAME (OTHERWISE THE GIGGER STOCKING FRAME);" which said
improved machine is particularly applicable for the fabricating and manu-
factoring of hard-twisted Jersey thread, cotton, silk, and any kind of hard-
twisted thread or materials into double-looped stocking frame work, exclusivo
of many other kinds of manufacture for which the said Machine, and
the particular mode of using the same, may be applied to, within that part
of His Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, for the term of fourteen years; in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, for me, the said Robert
Barber, to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately after the

page_text: date of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto
had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with and performance of the said
proviso, I, the said Robert Barber, do hereby describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, in manner following, that is to say :-
A, sole barr and main standard. a, a discharging plate. b, the same plate
when cast in metal. c, a single dividing plate, a double dividing plate with
two edges appearing at the front for lances to pass in to cut the loops, a
double ditto with cavity to cut the threads across. d, a plato cast in metal of
the single kind. e, the pressure spindle barr. f, the dividing spindle barr.
B, the discharging plate barr, with the plates affixed to it. 9, 9, the pressure
arms. h, hanging pressure joint. i, pressure screwed upon the pressure
hanging joints. k, the pressure tripping barr, with nutts (1, 1,) fixed. L, the
pressure spindle barr (c) with the pressure arms (9. 9.) screwed thereon, and
the tripping barr (k); also the back bar screwed thereto, and made rendy
to receive the hanging joints and pressure. 7, a pressure standard. m, the
dividing plate standard, with a spring catch affixed thereto, placed upon the
back rail of the woodwork for the purpose of holding the dividing plates in
their alternate proper positions. n, n, two of these needle bar holders and
joints screwed at the end (2) to the needle barr, and the end (8) screwed to
the main spindle bar. o, o, driving cocks to be screwed upon the top of the
needle bar holders, for the purpose of raising the pressure behind to press clown
before. P, the main spindle barr affixed by the ends in thimble bolster, (7, 7.)
screwed to the woodwork. r, the main lever cottered to the main spindle
bar by the end (4), with a hole at (5) at the other end, to receive a cord from
the traddle. 8, 8, the dividing plate barr arms. t. the dividing plate back barr.
Q, the dividing plate barr, with the plates single, for making loops of one
equal length. R, the needle bar with the needles, with trucks at the ends and
a spring behind to return it. u. pulley, to convey a cord from (7), the main
lever, to the traddle. w, a swivell nutt, for forcing back the spring catch,
for the purpose of letting the dividing plates drop down below the needles,
to be fixed upon (n, u.) a needle barr holder. X. a needle, with the eye
curved deep, and suitable to receive the curve of the board without injury
when it is pressed down, and would work soft wire. S, a saving barr with
thread layers, made with single eyes, for common plain work, having a two-
needle shift, moveable in doggs. T, an upper serving barr, worked with a
rack and tumbler, occasionally for cross stitch work, or for laying two threads
of different colour, one appearing in front and the other on the back part of

page_text: the work. y, y, a server or thread layer, with a grove or eye, to bury the
curve point which opens at pleasure to receive the thread. E, E, two double
dividing plates, for the making long loops and short ones; one of these has the
frontage of the plate brought round, to make a narrow cavity, to cut the long
loops in, by lances fixed in a gaged bar for that purpose; the other has a cavity.
in it to cut the threads crossways at pleasure. U, a barr, with lances casti
and fixed to the same gage as the double dividing plate bar is, having arms.
and joints to fix to two standards, to be occasionally fixed upon the front of
the frame woodwork. u, u, a small lance for cutting, a knife for cutting..
W, a frame, with axles, and a returning spring, moveable in two thimbles,.
screwed upon the upper part of bars, Figure (L), and the two fore ends of the
arms are tapped and screwed, to fix the single or double dividing plate bars
upon (Q). The back single arm is to fix a cord from a small traddle, for
raising up this dividing bar without moving the rest of the pressure frame, for
various purposes, with a spring underneath, to press it down for the general
position. There is a roller to lap the warp threads upon for single plain work,
and there are two used for cross stitch work or work with different appearances
on front or back.
There is also another roller to take the work up, but as rollers are common
to warp work frames they need not be described.
To erect and set up this frame for working, observe as follows:-
First, having a common frame woodwork, with the back rail fixed about
four inches higher than usual, with the pulley (Figure U) fastened to the
middle of the said rail by the pulley iron, then screw your sole barrs on the
caps of the woodwork; the pressure spindle bar (Figure L) and dividing
spindle bar (f) must have their ends fitted into the holes or pipes
of the main standards, marked with (e and f, Figure A), the barr.
(e) into the top hole (e) and the bar (f) into hole (f); screw the dis-
charging plate barr down on the sole bars by the holes marked (a) in each
barr, so as that the said plates may stand upright; you may now fasten the
thimble bolsters (Figure Q, Q.) just under the caps of the woodwork and erect
of the back rail, with the main spindle bar (Figure P) ends affixed to turn easy
therein;
fasten or cotter the main lever by the end (4) to the hole (4) in the
said barr, in such manner that the lever may hang down behind the middle of.
the back rail; then put your needle bar on close behind the discharging plates,"
with each needle lying between two plates, then screw your needle bar holders
by the ends (2,2.) to the holes (2,2,) in the needle bar (,,) Figure R, with a
returning spring fixed on, which goes under the needle barr holders, and the
ends press against two pins (6. 6.) screwed in the sole bars; screw the other
ends off the needle bar holders (3) to the main spindle bar by the holes (3,3,)

page_text: in cach; from a traddle pass or cord through the pulley (u) to the main lever
as aforesaid; then a pressure on the traddle will draw the needles back and the
spring will return them; next screw the arms Figuro (S.S.) upon the (Figure f)
with the bar (4) by the holes (7,7,7,) in cach; now screw the dividing plate
bar (Q) in the holes (8,8,) to the said arms, fasten (Figure m) as aforesaid, so
that the spring catch may hold the dividing plate arm, while the plate ends
stand about a quarter of an inch above the needles; screw the driving cocks
(Figure o, o,) upon the needles bar holders (see n, n,) and on the sido thereof
affix the swivel nutt (w) as aforesaid; screw the prossing motion upon the barr
(see in Figure L) with the nutts (9,9); join the pressure thereto, which
must press near the discharging plates, and behind the dividing plates affix a
pair of doggs unto the discharging plate barr at the holes (5, 5, Figure B), to
hold the axles of the bar (S); the warp is as common, but the shift or
shove side of the barr (S) must be for plain double-looped work, made with
equal division by single dividers over two needles. If the bar (T) is to be used
for cross stitch or net work, by lifting the said bar over the bar (S) the loops
or stitches may be crossed at pleasure by moving the upper serving plate bar
with a rack.
To work with the above machinery, observe:- Having laid your warp threads
each over two needles, press the traddle, which will draw the needles back and
bury their heads in the dividing sinker, at which time the swivel nutts will
force the spring catch from off the dividing plate arm, and thereby let the
dividing plates fall below the needles, also at the same time the driving cocks
will strike the nutts of the tripping barr and force the pressure motion up
behind and down before, and then the work will be brought over by the s
discharging plates; at this time, by the help of cord or string tied from the
bend () off the main lever from the middle of the dividing plato back barr, the
same will be pulled down behind, and the plates rise to resume their place in
front, and there remain by the spring catch. When the course is wrought let
the traddle rise, and the needle barr spring will replace the moveable part to :
their first station; take notice that the driving cocks in returning will lift up
the tripping barr by turning on its axles that way will fall to a proper position
by the weight (10), and resting on the pressure spindle barr (see Figure L),
and also the swivel nutt, will escape by an horizantal motion on its pin, in
like manner.
To Manufacture Rough Drawn Materials.-The dividing barr (Q), having
either single or double dividers affixed to it, must be placed as described (W).
For the making short and long-looped work for cutting, the frame (W) must
be raised up by the bye traddle, whilst the thread layers place the threads upon
the needles, then take off your foot and the spring will force down the double
1

page_text: dividing plates, one part of which holds back the foremost loop, and the other
part of the divider holds back the thread for the long loops to be cut.
e, the dividing plate (e) presents a cavity or upright apperture, and the thread
passes across this; the lances, after a sufficient loop is made by drawing the
needles back, are pressed upon the threads into the cavities, which make the
threads certain to cut clear and well. l, another divider is described: a single
plate in front, but has a cavity and curve; the thread laps rounds the place
where curved, and the cavity gives opportunity to cut the long loops crossway's
therein, the particular shape of the needle for working any kind of stubborn
thread (even soft wire) the favoring motion of the pressure, and saveing the
threads across the needles, makes (tho' elastic) a most beautiful and durable
manufacture, and found a basis for a great variety of work to be hereafter
improved upon.
And which said improved machine, and the manner in which the same are to
be used, are more particularly described in and by the Drawings and Figures on
the Plan drawn in the margin of these Presents. And I, the said Robert Barber,
do hereby declare and affirm, that the particulars above set forth, and in the Plan
hereunto annexed, do contain a full, true, and perfect desrciption of the nature
of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Barber, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and ninety-three.
Scaled and delivered, being first duly
stamped, in the presence of
N. W. BROMLEY,
JOHN BELL,
Grey's Inn.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of January, in the
year of our Lord 1793, the aforesaid Robert Barber came before our said Lord
the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of the Statutes
made for that purpose.