Ax IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEVERING OR DIVIDING DOUBLE PILED FABRIOS."
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Carter Ramsden, of Smith House, Light-
cliffe, in the Parish of Halifax, in the County of York, Manufacturer,
for the Invention of "Ax IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS OF AND
APPARATUS FOR SEVERING OR DIVIDING DOUBLE PILED FABRIOS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Carter Ramsden
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 23rd November 1872.
I, JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN, of Smith House, Lightcliffe, in the
Parish of Halifax, in the County of York, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OR
PROCESS, OF, AND APPARATUS FOR SEVERING OR DIVIDING DOUBLE PIZED FABRICS,”
to be as follows:
This Invention relates to an improved method or process of and
apparatus for severing asunder or separating double piled fabrics or that
class of goods where two pieces, say either of velvet or other pile fabric,
are wove face to face at one operation, the said pieces or the ground-
work thereof being connected together by means of the pile threads,
upon severing which two separate and distinct pieces of pile fabric are
produced.
This peculiar method of manufacturing double pile fabrics for which
Letters Patent were granted to Stephen Wilson, and dated 7th October

page_text: 1824, No. 5010, the Specification of which Patent recites that the double
cloth is to be cut asunder by knives, and since the date of the Letters
Patent above referred to other Patents have been obtained for producing
particular class of fabric, and short knives, long knives, sliding knives,
and revolving knives have all been tried along with a variety of methods
for sharpening them, but as yet this peculiar process or method of
weaving these classes of goods has not come into successful and general
use because it has been found in practice that the difficulty and expence
of sharpening the knives is one great obstacle. Practically speaking it is
impossible to produce the same cutting edge twice alike, and the conse-
quence is (referring now more particularly to silk velvets) that the
pieces when so cut on being brought to the light present different shades
of the same colour caused by the different degrees of sharpness imparted
to the knife by which the said pieces were severed.
This obstacle and serious defect I purpose to overcome as follows:-I
sever or divide the pile of fabrics of this class by means of heat, I dispense
entirely with the knives and sever the pile warp by means of heat, and
thereby invariably producing an even shade; there is no sharpening
required, and the severing or dividing process is always operating alike,
thus insuring uniformity on the face of the piece.
⚫ The method and apparatus employed to accomplish this object is as
follows:-Across the loom in front of the lathe I stretch a length of fine
wire, this wire is placed between the two pieces to be operated upon and
is held in proper position for severing or dividing the pile warp by rollers
or guides, I then attach suitable apparatus to the said wire for passing
a current of electricity through it, and so causing it to become
sufficiently hot, and to maintain the said wire at that heat so as to sever
the pile warp on its being pulled towards and against the said wire by
suitable mechanism or by hand. The wire can be stiffened or supported
if found necessary by a suitable backing, which said back can be made
hollow so that a jet of steam or hot air be passed through sufficient
to make it hot and thereby prevent it abstracting heat from the wire.
This apparatus can be either affixed to the looms and the pile warp
severed during the process of weaving, or it may form a separate
machine and the pieces severed or divided after they are taken from the
loom.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Carter Ramsden in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd May 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CARTER RAMSDEN, of Smith House, Lightcliffe, in the Parish of Halifax,
in the County of York, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors;
give and grant unto me, the said John Carter Ramsden, Her special
licence that I, the said John Carter Ramsden, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Carter
Ramsden, 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
" AN IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEVERING OR
) DIVIDING DOUBLE PILED FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Carter Ramsden, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
3 formed, 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 John Carter Ramsden, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
O is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to an improved method or process of and
apparatus for severing asunder or separating double piled fabrics, or that
class of goods where two pieces, say either of velvet or other pile fabric
3 are wove face to face at one operation, the said pieces or the ground-
work thereof being connected together by means of the pile threads,

page_text: upon severing which two separate or distinct pieces of pile fabric are
produced.
This peculiar method of manufacturing double pile fabrics for which
Letters Patent were granted to Stephen Wilson, and dated 7th October
1824, No. 5010, the Specification of which Patent recites that the double
cloth is to be cut asunder by knives, and since the date of the Letters
Patent above referred to other Patents have been obtained for producing
this particular class of fabric, and short knives, long knives, sliding
knives, and revolving knives, have all been tried along with a variety of
methods for sharpening them, but as yet this peculiar process or method
of weaving these classes of goods has not come into successful and
general use because it has been found in practice that the difficulty and
expense of sharpening the knives is one great obstacle; practically
speaking it is impossible to produce the same cutting edge twice alike,
and the consequence is (referring now more particularly to silk velvets)
that the pieces when so cut, on being brought to the light, present
different shades of the same colour caused by the different degrees of
sharpness imparted to the knife by which the said pieces were severed.
This obstacle and serious defect I purpose to overcome as follows :—I
sever or divide the pile of fabrics of this class by means of heat. I dis-
pense entirely with the knives and sever the pile warp by means of heat,
and thereby invariably producing an even shade. There is no sharpening
required, and the severing or dividing process is always operating alike,
thus ensuring uniformity on the face of the piece.
The method and apparatus employed to accomplish this object is as
follows:-Across the loom in front of the lathe I stretch a length of fine
wire ;
this wire is placed between the two pieces to be operated upon, and
is held in proper position for severing or dividing the pile warp by
rollers or guides; I then attach suitable apparatus to the said wire for
passing a current of electricity through it, and so causing it to become
sufficiently hot, and to maintain the said wire at that heat so as to sever
the pile warp on its being pulled towards and against the said wire by
suitable mechanism or by hand. The wire can be stiffened or supported
if found necessary by a suitable backing, which said back can be made
hollow so that a jet of steam or hot air can be passed through sufficient
to make it hot and thereby prevent it abstracting heat from the wire.
This apparatus can either be affixed to the looms and the pile warp
severed during the process of weaving, or it may form a separate

page_text: machine, and the pieces severed or divided after they are taken from the
loom.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention it will be
evident to those acquainted with the construction and working of
ordinary batteries or electro-magneto machines that on a wire being
arranged as described and a battery or magneto machine attached and
operated in connection, therewith heat will be transmitted to such wire
so long as the connection between the two is maintained, and it will be
obvious that any of the ordinary piece "taking-up" apparatus will be
suitable to work in connection therewith, and that in lieu of a wire
extended across the piece as described such wire may be connected to a
severing or separating instrument operated by mechanism, such as is
employed for working the traversing knives (heretofore employed) to
traverse "to and fro” in guides across and between the pile.
I have described the apparatus above as being suitable for the purpose
intended, but I lay no claim thereto separated or distinct from the
application of heat thereto obtained from the sources explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Carter Ramsden, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the.
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named John Carter Ramsden,
in the presence of
WALTER BRIERLEY,
Tasker & Brierley,
Patent Agents,
Halifax, Bradford, & Blackburn.