IMPROVEMENTS IN TWIST LACE MACHINERY
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Westby, of Nottingham, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TWIST LACE MACHINERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Westby at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th October 1852.
I, JOSEPH WESTBY, of Nottingham, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TWIST LACE MACHINERY
be as follows:-
This Invention consists of the application of an endless band, to give
a traversing motion to the warp threads from selvage to selvage.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Westby in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 6th April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOSEPH WESTBY, of Nottingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Westby, Her special
licence that I, the said Joseph Westby, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Westby, 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 TWIST
LACE MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Joseph Westby, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 Joseph Westby, 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 the application of an endless band to give
à traversing motion to the warp threads from selvage to selvage. And
in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued
by me. Heretofore traverse warp twist lace machinery has only been
capable of producing comparatively narrow breadths, by reason of the
difficulties which would follow any attempt to use rotating wheels or

page_text: apparatus (such as have heretofore been employed) of a large diameter,
such as would be necessary if the old plan of construction were adhered
to; but by using an endless band for moving the warp threads, the
space occupied is comparatively small, and the warp threads of twist
lace machinery may be most readily and advantageously made to
traverse when making wide fabrics.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, shows so much of a transverse section of a twist lace
machine having my improvements supplied thereto, as will, together
with the detached parts shown by the other Figures of the Drawings,
enable me to describe my Invention. Figure 2, shows part of a transverse
section, and Figure 3, part of an elevation of the endless band by which
the warp threads are caused to traverse from selvage to selvage, these
parts being shewn full size. Figure 4, shows the successive motions of
the stump point bars into and the warp. Figure 5, shows the instruments,
full size, which divide the threads, and keep the back from the front
row of warp threads at the selvages. Figure 6, shews the hook and fork
by which the warp threads are passed from one row to the other as they
successively arrive at the two selvages. Figures 7, and 8, shew cuts of
wheels; and Figure 9, shews part of a transverse section of the machine,
full size.
a, a,
The machine is arranged for causing the carriages to swing through
and through between the warp threads. The work is taken upwards,
and is wound on a beam, as is well understood, and there are several
guide bars in front of the machine to introduce extra threads.
are the combs; b, b, the carriages; c, c, the catch bars by which
the carriages are moved through between the warp threads, as is well
understood; and it should be stated, that the step by step working of the
warp threads for the passage of the carriages in this machine is similar
to the working of the warp threads in ordinary traverse warp machines,
though the arrangement of the mechanical parts is different. No. 1, No. 2,
are the two stump point bars, the manner of working of which will
readily be understood by reference to the cuts of wheels, used therefor,
together with the successive positions they are caused to take. These two

page_text: stump point bars are moved by means of levers d, e, acted on by the cut
of wheels shown; such levers being connected to the stump point bars,
as shown. In order to keep the threads separate at the two selvages,
the two instruments f, g, are used opposite cach selvage, and at each
selvage either the instrument f, or g, will be constantly dividing the
back row of threads from the front row of threads. These instruments
f, g, are attached to the lever h, and they are supported and guided at
the two ends of the machine near the selvages of the fabric; these in-
struments are conical at their ends, so that the points will enter a narrow
space between the two rows of warp threads, and will open them out
further. The separate views of these instruments full size, shewn by
the Drawing, represents one of the instruments between the warp
threads at that selvage. i, is the hook which is at the right hand end of
the machine, against which the warp threads successively come, and by
which they are in succession carried back into the back row of warp
threads. j, is a fork which works at the left hand end of the machine,
and against which the warp threads in the back row successively 'come,
and by which they are pushed across from the back row of warp threads
into the front row; the instruments are carried by levers k, and are
actuated by their cut of wheels; at the back of the machine these in-
struments i, j, work between the instruments f, g; and they, in taking
the warp threads across from the front to the back at one selvage, and
from the back row to the front row of warps at the other selvage, will
bend those threads over the instrument which is dividing the warp
threads in the selvage, and so soon as the transfer has taken place, the
instruments f, g, will be reversed, one going out, and the other coming
in, to separate the back from the front row of warp threads. I would
remark that the above movements form no part of my Invention, and
may be greatly varied; but I have called attention to them because
they somewhat differ from the arrangements of parts which perform
like operations in ordinary traverse warp twist lace machinery.
I will now proceed to point out and describe the improvements, the
construction and combination of which constitute the peculiarity of my
Invention. A, A, are two endless bands of thin steel or brass, or other
suitable material, having holes therein, in order that they may be worked

page_text: by points on barrels B, one at each end of the machine; on to these bands
are fixed a number of angular blocks of wood A¹, by which the two bands
A, are connected, and they work as one endless band. On the angular
wood blocks A', are a number of fixed axes, on which are placed bobbins
carrying the warp threads, and the bobbins are caused to move on their
axes with sufficient friction, as is well understood, to prevent the warps
unwinding too freely. The endless band A, is caused to move by a step by
step motion a distance equal to one space of the combs, by means of the
screw wheel C, on the axis of one of the barrels B, which is put in motion
by the screw D, on the axis E, which receives motion by means of the
ratchet wheel F, and clawker G, as is indicated by the Drawings. By
thus employing an endless band to traverse the warp threads, wide
traverse warp fabrics may be made in twist lace machines, and the
nature of such fabrics will depend on the shogging of the stump points
and the extra threads introduced.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood, that I make no
claim to the separate parts herein described; nor do I confine myself to
the several details herein shewn, as the same may be varied without
departing from my Invention, so long as the peculiar character of the
improvements be retained. But what I claim is, the mode herein de-
scribed of combining apparatus for traversing warp threads of twist
lace machinery, whereby an endless band is used, as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Westby, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE.
JOSEPH WESTBY. (L.S.)