CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN . LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Holding, of the "Patent Heald Super-
seding Company, Limited," of Manchester, in the County of Lan-
caster, Manager, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
. LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 12th January 1872, and dated the 14th July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Holding at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th July 1871.
"
I, JOSEPH HOLDING, of the "Patent Heald Superseding Company,
Limited," of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to various parts of the loom, the whole of
which are designed to effect security and facilities in the manufacture
of the woven fabric and also durability to the acting and working parts
forming the subject of these improvements which are employed in such
manufactures.

page_text: The first part of these improvements relate to what is known as the
"shuttle guard," that is, providing a means that will prevent the
shuttle flying out of the "shed" when picking between box and box,
and the improvement consists in providing a bar or rod which is
placed parallel with the "reed" in front thereof immediately above the
shed, this parallel bar or rod is bent or connected at one end of the
"reed" to a radial arm which is actuated through the medium of a
connecting chain or band with the stop rod or nocking-off handle of the
loom to act as follows:-When the spring or "nocking off handle" is
in its position during the working of the loom the parallel bar is at its
greatest distance from 'the reed in a position over the line of race of
the shuttle, and in which position it forms a sure guard that prevents the
shuttle flying out of the "shed," but immediately the "nocking-off
handle" is actuated to stop the loom its motion during such action
comes into contact with the break lever or other suitable lever which
is connected by the aforesaid chain or band with the radial arm of the
parallel bar; the depression of such break lever instantly throws the
parallel bar back against the reed allowing thereby full freedom for
the operation of drawing in and piecing broken ends or for other purposes
required to be done in front of the reed during the time the loom is
stopped.
The second and part of these improvements relate to further improve-
ments upon a construction of picker a Patent for which was granted to
James and George Shorrocks on the Second of May, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-six, Number 1241, the peculiarity of which consisted
in constructing the " picker out of folded pieces of hide in a manner
that was designed to make such "pickers" extremely durable.
"
The novelty of the present improvement consists in constructing the
body or shell of the picker of a double thickness of buffaloo hide or
other suitable material formed of one piece folded, and inserting a
separate length or lengths of the same material therein, so as to clip
or embrace the inner thickness of such fold thus
in which
a represents a transverse section of the outer fold or body of the picker,
and. b represents a similar section of the separate pieces of the inner
fold, the object of the separate pieces so inserted gives a strength of
resistance against the blow of the shuttle that considerably increases
the effectiveness and durability of the picker. It will be evident that:

page_text: -
the novelty of construction employed in this picker is equally applicable
to the over and under pick looms.
"
Lastly. The improvements relate to the "heald' or "heddles" and
is designed for the purpose of constructing the healds of wire in
a manner that will enable them to be produced with economy and
expedition. In order to accomplish this quick and economical pro-
duction, we will take as an example the tool employed in their
manufacture to be an ordinary slide screw cutting lathe. When the
pitch or distance between the "dents" of the heald has been decided,
and the change wheels necessary for the same have been truly fixed,
there is placed between the centres of the lathe a rectangular frame-
work, the width of which corresponds to the depth of heald under
manufacture, the slide rest of the lathe at the time is provided with a
running guide through which one end of a single or double continuous
wire is passed and attached to one end of the said rectangular frame-
work, at this time the speeds are set on, which in their revolution cause
the rectangular frame to revolve and have wound upon it in a con-
tinuous length the said wire or wires in accordance with the pitch of
the change wheels giving motion to the slide rest, the permanent
position or distancing of the dents being effected by means of a key
or length of straight wire placed along the lengths of the top and
bottom of the heald wires the said length of wire being permanently
connected thereto by solder, maintaining thereby the distance and true
pitch of the dents according to the coarse or fine quality of heald
desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Holding in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
HOLDING, of the Patent Heald Superseding Company, Limited, of Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give

page_text: and grant unto me, the said Joseph Holding, Her special licence that I,
the said Joseph Holding, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Joseph Holding, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Joseph Holding, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal 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 Holding, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :—
My Invention relates to looms employed in the weaving of cotton
goods and other fabrics, and to parts of such looms, and in the first
place to the "shuttle guard," that is to say, to the rod or bar employed
to prevent the shuttle from leaving the race or from flying out of the
shed. The said guard as ordinarily applied is in the way of the operator
when "ends" have to be "drawn in," that is to say, drawn through
the reed.
According to my Invention I so mount the said guard rod and
connect it with the starting and knocking-off lever as that when the
loom is stopped the said guard rod will swivel or move into a position
close to the reed, in which position it will not interfere to any great
extent with the operation of drawing in the ends.
A second part of my Invention relates to the pickers, and more
particularly to such pickers as are formed from folded pieces or strips
of hide, and consists in inserting separate lengths of folded hide within
the said folded pieces or strips in manner as will be hercin-after set
forth, the effect of the improvements being to increase the durability of
the pickers.

page_text: "
.
"
or
A remaining part of my Invention relates to the "hcalds '
'heddles," and consists in a method of forming the said healds by
winding wire around and upon a rectangular frame, the eyes being
formed by soldering together the contiguous wires, or the contiguous
coils of the wire, and the relative positions of the healds or coils being
maintained by soldering the said coils to top and bottom wires which
extend in the direction of the length of the said rectangular frame..
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I will
in this place refer to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings wherein the
several parts of the said Invention are illustrated.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a loom represented as being fitted only
with the parts necessary for illustration of the first part of my Invention,
the said Figure being curtailed in length as will be understood; Fig. 2
is a cross sectional clevation of the parts represented in Fig. 1; and
Fig. 3. is an enlarged section of the sley.
In the said Figures a is the shuttle guard consisting of a rod or bar
which is carried by the arms or levers 6, 61, which are fixed on or formed
with spindles or gudgeons which are mounted in brackets c, c¹, which
are fixed to the reed case d. On the spindle ẹ is also fixed or formed
an arm or lever f, which is jointed to the rod g, which extends to a
point near the centre of oscillation of the sley in order that the
connection of the said rod with the parts next to be mentioned may not
be interfered with by the movements of the said sley. A second rod h
is jointed by the lower end to a block fixed on the rod 9 and by the
upper end to a lever arm i, which is fixed or formed on a rocking
spindle which is mounted in a bracket j fixed to the loom side. On
the said spindle is fixed a second lever arm k, in which is formed a
slot, and a pin or stud carried by the starting and knocking-off lever
enters the said slot, so that the movement of the said lever to and fro
would cause the rod g to be raised and lowered.
The action of the parts are as follows, viz. :-During the working
of the loom the guard rod a is sustained in the position as represented
in Fig. 2, and by the full lines in Fig. 3, and will act to prevent the
shuttle from leaving the race, as herein aforesaid, but on the loom
being stopped the lever when "shifting" the driving strap on to the
loose pulley makes a movement in the direction towards the right
hand in the example illustrated, and the said lever acting on the lever,

page_text: arm / causes the rod to be lowered, and the said rod being jointed to
or connected with the lower end of the rod g the said rod is drawn
downwards and acting on the arm f causes the spindle e to rock in its
bearings, the guard rod a being thereby moved towards the reed and
into the position represented by dotted lines in Fig. 3. When in
the said position the said guard rod does not materially interfere with
the operation of drawing in the ends as herein-before mentioned. The
details of this portion of my Invention may be varied to some extent,
the important feature being the connexion of the guard rod a with the
lever l.
Figures 4 to 12, both inclusive, are illustrative of the second part of
my Invention. In Figs. 4, 5, and 6, m is a folded strip of hide and n
is an additional folded strip, the two strips being inserted one within
the other in manner as indicated by Fig. 6, which is a cross section on
the line A, B, in Fig. 5. The strips so combined are formed into a
picker by ordinary or suitable means, the finished picker suitable for
"over-pick looms" appearing somewhat as represented by Fig. 9,
n representing the fold of the additional strip. The picker so formed
retains its form better than the ordinary picker and being much
stronger than the said ordinary picker is better fitted to sustain the
blow of the shuttle, and is consequently more durable. In Figs. 7
and 8 the additional strip is shorter than in the case of the example
just described, the said additional strip serving to strengthen and stiffen
one side of the picker, as for example, the side which is to the right
hand in Fig. 1, which represents a picker formed from the said strips.
In Figures 9 and 10 the tongue or foot o is represented as having
been formed by folding one end of the strip m in manner as indicated
by Figs. 11 and 12, and by thrusting the said folded end through
a slot or perforation formed near the other end of the said strip. The
foot when so formed is very durable.
Although the pickers illustrated are such as are used in " over-pick
looms," it must be understood that my Invention is applicable to pickers
for "under-pick looms."
1
The remaining Figures are illustrative of the third and last part of my
Invention.
3
Fig. 13 represents a front view of the aforesaid rectangular frame, the
said frame consisting of two end pieces p, p, which are connected
together by the central shaft r and by the top and bottom bars 8, 8, the

page_text: said shaft and bars being made of a length suitable to the required length
of heald or to the length of the longest heald which is to be formed. The
shaft is centered so that it may be mounted in or on the centres of
a lathe. When forming healds upon the said frame I mount the said
frame on the centres of a sliding or screw cutting lathe, and I apply or
temporarily attach a flat wire & on the outer edge of each of the bars 8, 8.
The end of a wire, or as in the case of the example illustrated, the ends
of two wires are brought from a reel or from reels and are passed
through a guide carried by the sliding carriage of the lathe and are
attached to the frame. The lathe spindle being now set in motion so as
to cause the said frame to revolve and the sliding carriage to traverse
the said wire or wires is or are wound upon the said frame in manner
as indicated at Fig. 13. It will be readily understood that the pitch
of the healds, that is to say, the distance between the centres of any
two contiguous eyes, and consequently the number of healds or eyes in
each shaft of healds may be regulated by employing suitable change
wheels to impart the necessary speed of traverse to the sliding carriage.
When a sufficient number of coils of wire have been wound upon the
frame the said coils are soldered to the wires t, t, in order that the
partly formed healds may be removed from the frame, and either before
or after having been so removed the contiguous wires in each coil are
soldered together at points extending a short distance from cach end of
the intended eye of the heald, and the portions of wire extending
between the points so soldered together are separated or opened out so
as to form an eye as in the portion of a complete heald, illustrated by
Figs. 14 and 15, wherein u, u, are the eyes and v, v, are the points
where the wires are soldered together. The healds so formed are
mounted on shafts, as is usual.
Having now fully described and illustrated the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which I carry the same into practical
effect, I would in conclusion have it to be distinctly understood that
I claim,―
First. The connexion of the shuttle guard or guard rod a with the
starting and knocking-off lever, substantially as and for the purpose
herein-before set forth and described.
Secondly. The formation of pickers from combined folded pieces of
hide, substantially as described, set forth, and illustrated herein, and by
D

page_text: And, lastly. The method of forming healds, substantially as herein-
before set forth, described, and indicated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Holding, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
JOSEPH HOLDING. (L.s.)