IMPROVEMENTS IN NETTING MACHINERY.
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Low, Manufacturer, and Robert Houston,
Mechanic, both of Kilbirnic, in the County of Ayr, North Britain,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN NETTING MACHINERY.'
"
i
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Low and Robert
Houston at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 29th October 1874.
We, JOHN Low, Manufacturer, and ROBERT HOUSTON, Mechanic,
both of Kilbirnie, in the County of Ayr, North Britain, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN NETTING
MACHINERY," to be as follows, that is to say:-
--
This Invention has for its object the making of nets for fishing and
other purposes in a better and more economical manner than can be.
done by the netting machinery bitherto in use.
In a kind of net for making which the present improvements have
been more especially designed, the mesh is five inches or upwards, and.
much larger than that of the nets ordinarily made by machinery, and..

page_text: the width of net required is such that the web of netting as made on. a
machine of the usual width requires to be subdivided longitudinally into
several strips.
In the ordinary netting machines two of the various treadles or foot
levers are arranged for lifting the faller bar, that is, the bar which raises
the hooked fallers, and down on which they drop when thrown off. Onc
of these treadles raises the fallers a short distance for the purpose of
taking off the needles the knots just previously made, and it then
ordinarily allows them to descend again. Subsequently the other
treadle raises them to their full height for the passage under their
hooks of the shuttle needle and thread for forming the next scries of
loops.
By the present Invention the first treadle is, by means of a transverse
bar or lever, made to also depress the second treadle to the same extent
as itself (but which is only part of the second treadle's stroke), and on
being thus depressed the treadles are prevented from rising again by a
spring stop. The fallers are consequently not as before unnecessarily
allowed to drop after their first lift, and it follows that when it is time
to raise the fallers to their full height the second treadle has not to be
moved through its entire stroke, but only through a portion of it. The
first treadle rises when the second is depressed through the action of a
spring or guide on the transverse bar.
The size of mesh depends on the extent of fall of the fallers, and it
follows that with the improved arrangement of the treadles herein-
before described a much larger mesh can be obtained with a given final
movement of the second treadle. The movement this treadle has in the
ordinary machine is about as much as the worker can manage, so that
without a modification of the treadle action, such as is herein-before
described, the worker could not manage the handle of the machine and
treadles, and the production of the larger mesh would be practically
impossible.
When the web of netting is to be subdivided it is by this Invention
first passed partly round a freely revolving spindle or roller of small
diameter, and thence upon the usual take-up cylinder, which last may be
mounted in any convenient position instead of having a special position,
as in existing machines. Adjustable bosses are fixed on the revolving
spindle to separate the portions into which the web of netting is to be

page_text: subdivided, and at a short distance below the spindle there are fixed a
series of cutters, against which the web is pressed at proper periods by
a front horizontal bar acted on by springs. At the time when the web
is being drawn up by the action of the take-up cylinder it is drawn
forward a little clear of the cutters by the action of the hook bar.
:
Instead of using the revolving spindle with its bosses the take-up
cylinder may have projecting parts formed or fixed on it corresponding
to the bosses, but such an arrangement has some inconveniences which
the separate revolving spindle avoids.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Low and Robert Houston in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 28th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
Low, Manufacturer, and ROBERT HOUSTON, Mechanic, both of Kilbirnie,
in the County of Ayr, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said John Low and Robert Houston, Her
special licence that we, the said John Low and Robert Houston,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
John Low and Robert Houston, 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, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN NETTING MACHINERY," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Low and Robert
Houston, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly

page_text: inside elevation showing one treadle 1 and the parts it acts on. The
treadle 1 is connected by two adjustable links 6, 6, to two levers 7, 7,
centred on the framing, and having their outer ends bearing up against
the under side of the faller bar 3, so that the depressing of the treadle 1
causes the raising of this bar 3. The other treadle 2' is used to raise the
fallers 4 a short distance for the purpose of taking from off the needles 8
the knots just previously made, and it then, in the ordinary machines,
allows them to descend again. Subsequently the other treadle 1 raises
the fallers 4 to their full height for the passage under their hooks of the
shuttle needle and thread for forming the next series of loops.
By our present Invention the treadle 2 is, by means of a transversc
bar or lever 9 (best seen in Figure 2), made to also depress the main
treadle 1 to nearly the same extent as itself (but which is only part of
the main treadle's stroke), and on being thus depressed the treadles are
prevented from immediately rising again by a spring stop. Tho
transverse lever 9 is connected by a link 10 to the treadle 2, and is
centred on a bracket 11 fixed to the framing. When depressed tho
transverse lever 9 engages under a shoulder or notch 12 formed in a
fixed guide bar 13, the upward strain on the treadle 1 keeping it in the
notch. In consequence of these arrangements the fallers 4 are not as
formerly unnecessarily allowed to drop after their first partial lift, and it
follows that when it is time to raise the fallers to their full height the
main treadle 1 is not to be moved through its entire stroke, but only
through a portion of it. The treadle 2 rises when the main treadle 1 iş
depressed through the action of a blade spring 14, which pushes the
transverse levor 9 out of its notch 12 as soon as the descent of the main
treadle 1 allows it to do.so.
The size of mesh of the net depends on the extent of fall of the hooked
fallers 4, and it follows that with our improved arrangement of the
treadles 1, 2, herein-before described a much larger mesh can be obtained
with a given final movement of the main treadle 1. The movement this
treadle 1 has in the ordinary machine is about as much as the worker
can manage, so that without a modification of the treadle action, such
as is described, the worker could not manage the handle of the machine
and the treadles, and the production of the larger mesh would be
practically impossible.

page_text: 3. The subdividing and separating of the netting by means of the
fixed cutters (18), the pressing bar (21), and the bosses (17) on the
spindle (15), substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Low, on behalf of myself and
the said Robert Houston, have hereunto set my hand and seal,
this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN LOW. (L.S.)