Improvements in the Manufacture of Loom Shuttles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 2nd July, 1891-Accepted, 5th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Loom Shuttles.
I, WILLIAM COURTENAY, of 14 Dey Street, in the City, County, and State of
New-York, in the United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object, primarily, the manufacture of a shuttle wholly
or partially of vulcanized fibre, leatheroid, kartavert, celluvert, or of similar
materials, and has for its object the cheapening of their manufacture, and making
them lighter and stronger, as well as the production of larger shuttles than have
been heretofore made of such materials.
Shuttles of vulcanized fibre have been heretofore made from blocks of solid
fibre cut from sheets of the material manufactured in the usual way. In shuttles
so made there is much waste of material in hollowing them out and otherwise
shaping them, the process is expensive, and the material is liable to warp, besides
which they are limited in size, consequent upon the comparatively small thickness
of the sheet of "fibre" from which they are cut.
The class of materials to which I refer, have the common characteristic of being
composed of vegetable fibre, condensed and strengthened by chemical treatment,
and for the purpose of my invention, I regard such materials as similar to the ones
specified, and in this Specification use the word "fibre" as including that class and
as limited to it in meaning.
"9
According to my present invention, I use "fibre" of the thickness required to
form the walls of the shuttle, and this may be effected by the use of sheet "fibre
of the necessary substance, or of "fibre" tubing of the required size and substance
to form the body of the shuttle.
In carrying out the first of such methods of working, I proceed as follows:-
I manufacture my shuttles in three or more pieces, by which means I am enabled
to make shuttles of the largest size from sheets of thickness only sufficient to give
the requisite strength and rigidity to the shuttle.
Two strips of fibre are cut to suitable shape to form the entire sides of the
shuttle, so that when viewed from one side nothing is seen but one of these strips.
The sides are bent down upon and cemented to suitably shaped blocks or fillers, to
form that part of the shuttle which is usually solid. These parts are further
secured by metallic ferrules and by transverse screw bolts and the usual metal tips
cemented on. Instead of the tips and ferrules, a screw cap shaped to form a metal
tip might be screwed over the ends of the sides and blocks or fillers.
The transverse bolts are preferably made of fibre or wood, and have a screw
thread passing from end to end of the bolt and they may pass entirely through the
shuttle or may be made in two parts, one on each side of the shuttle. The filler
may be made of wood or of fibre, when the latter material is used it will not be
necessary to bend the sides, or even that they should extend to the tips, as portions
of the filler may be exposed at the sides which will still show nothing but fibre.
**fibre" of
When the filler is so large that it is impossible or undesirable to use
sufficient thickness in one piece, it may be made of several.
Through the transverse bolt at one end of the shuttle, from the inside of the
shuttle to the outside, passes the thread hole, and when the shuttle is so made, the
bushing or grommet of bone or other material, which is ordinarily used in shuttles,
may be dispensed with as the fibre itself is an excellent material for the purpose,.
and should the hole become worn, the bolt can be removed and another substituted.
Through the transverse bolt, at the other end of the shuttle, a metallic bolt passes,

page_text: which forms a pivot for the skewer or spindle. This transverse bolt therefore
forms a bushing for the pivot, and when the latter becomes loose, the bolt can be
replaced,
In most shuttles there is a hole or slit cut in the bottom, both for the purpose of
lightness and for the operator to pass the fingers to push up the skewer or spindle.
This open space is formed naturally in my method of making shuttles, but in order
that it may be possible to use thinner sides than it otherwise would, I give rigidity
to the sides by means of a brace or stretcher at the bottom of the shuttle and at or
about the middle of the opening, this brace being secured in position by means of
pins passing through it and the sides and upset at their ends.
In carrying out the second method of working I adopt the following plan.
22
I use mandrels of size suited to the desired shuttle, and when the fibre has been
wound upon them in the usual form, instead of cutting the tube as usual, I remove
the mandrel, and the tube can then be washed as usual. While in the wet state it
is then placed upon another mandrel of the shape of the interior of the proposed
shuttle, and also subjected to pressure between its mandrel and exterior "formers
having interior concavities shaped to conform exactly or approximately to the
desired shape of the exterior of the shuttle. Where it is not practicable to give
the exact shape to the mandrel or to the formers, the shuttle can be cut slightly
afterwards to the desired form, but this is not desirable, and as the material is in a
plastic condition at this stage, it can usually be almost entirely avoided. The shape
can be secured by passing it through properly shaped grooves on revolving
cylinders, or in any other way in which semi-plastic tubes are shaped under
pressure. Such pressure should however be limited to pressure on the sides and
interior of the tube. I prefer to use two mandrels as described, but it might be
practicable to form the shuttle by winding the paper in the first instance upon the
mandrel of proper shape. It is best however that the tube should be washed
before being placed upon the final mandrel.
The tube is now dried upon the mandrel, shrinking so as to take still more
exactly the shape of the latter, and can then be removed and undergo further
seasoning if necessary. This shrinkage renders it difficult to make the outer
shapers of the exact size which it is desired to give to the shuttle, and they should
be made a little larger rather than smaller than the size which would give the
desired size to the tube, as the latter can be cut down to the proper size when
completed. I thus secure the body or hollow portion of the shuttle.
The solid portion or end or ends can be made of solid fibre, wood, or any other
material suitable to the proposed shuttle. This end piece has the usual metal tip
secured to it in the usual manner, and a dowel fitting tightly in the end of the
tube, to which it is secured by cement, or pins, or both, or in any way that two
parts of such material renders desirable. The surfaces of the end pieces and of
the central part of the shuttle must usually be flush with each other.
Another way of forming the ends of the shuttle is to notch out the ends of the
tube, so that the remaining projections can be bent in and meet at a point, forming
the pointed end of shape according to the shape of the notches. Inside is a solid
piece of wood or vulcanized fibre or other material, to which they can be secured
by cements or rivets, and on which they are firmly held by ferrules.
I have spoken of materials similar to vulcanized fibre which might be used in
the production of these shuttles, such as parchment, kartavert, celluvert, and
leatheroid. They consist essentially of cellulose in sheet form treated with certain
well known astringent solutions, and have for the most part the same general
characteristics as the "fibre," and can be subjected to the foregoing method of
manufacture.
As I am at present informed, I believe the form of construction above described
to be the best, but I do not desire to confine myself to any particular method of
constructing the solid part of the shuttle. For instance, the inner end of the solid
part can project into the tube as far as may be desired, and can be given any
shape which the kind of shuttle may require. When made as described, the grain

page_text: " to
or fibre of the tube runs continuously in a spiral from the interior of the tube to
its exterior, which, aside from cheapness, gives many properties advantageous for
use in shuttles, and I believe this method of so adapting this material to use in
shuttles has never been discovered. Such material I term tubular "fibre
distinguish it from tubes of "fibre" which have been cut open in the process of
manufacture and pressed into sheets. The two forms are easily distinguishable by
those familiar with the material.
I also according to my invention so construct and apply the metal rings or
ferrules adjoining the points or tips of the shuttle, that the edges thereof shall be
secured against catching against the fibres of the weaving material. For this
purpose, instead of forming the face adjoining the shuttle body in a vertical plane
across its axis, I form it with curved or inclined sided ears or projections extending
some little distance up the nose of the shuttle, and I form slight indents in the
material of the nose of the shuttle and depress the points or extreme ends of such
rings or ferrules into such indents, by which means, even if the surfaces of such
parts should not be exactly flush with each other, any description of yarn would
naturally slide over the same without catching.
This method of constructing and applying the rings or ferrules is also applicable
to shuttles made of materials other than those herein referred to.
1300
WILLIAM COURTENAY.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
WILLIAM COURTENAY.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Loom Shuttles.
I, WILLIAM COURTENAY, of 14 Dey Street, in the City, County, and State
of New York, in the United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has for its object, primarily, the manufacture of a shuttle wholly
or partially of vulcanized fibre, leatheroid, kartavert, celluvert, or of similar
materials, and has for its object the cheapening of their manufacture and making
them lighter and stronger, as well as the production of larger shuttles than have
been heretofore made of such materials.
The class of materials to which I refer have the common characteristics of being
composed of vegetable fibre condensed and strengthened by chemical treatment,
and, for the purpose of this invention, I regard such materials as similar to the ones
specified, and in this Specification use the term “fibre ” as ineluding that class and
as limited to it in meaning.
"
Shuttles of vulcanized "fibre" have been heretofore made from blocks of solid
"fibre" cut from sheets of the material manufactured in the usual way. This is
by reeling chemically treated paper on to cylinders or mandrels till the desired
thickness is obtained, when the tube thus formed is usually cut from the mandrel
and, after undergoing a washing and seasoning process, is pressed into sheets and
cut up and sold in desired sizes. Sheets thus made, and articles made from them,
have a tendency to warp owing to their original circular form, and the grain of the
"fibre" appears in the completed articles in different directions, but always broken
at the edges or sides of the articles as the sheets have been cut.
The thickness of the sheets is limited, none being made as thick as an inch and
a half, both the washing and seasoning processes being lengthened by the thickness
of the sheet, so that with sheets exceeding an inch in thickness, a year of seasoning
is sometimes required.
Shuttles made from "fibre" are, in the ordinary method of manufacture, made
from blocks of the required dimensions cut from the sheets, which are then turned

page_text: or cut into shape and the interior cut out for the reception of the spool and spindle
In this way there is much waste of material and the diameter of the shuttle i
limited to the thickness of the sheet. Also the cost of manufacture of the sheets
increases with their thickness, and the "fibre" cut from thick sheets has defects
when used for this purpose, not existing in thinner ones.
According to my present invention I use "fibre" of the thickness required to
form the walls of the shuttle, and this may be effected by the use of sheet" fibre
of the necessary substance, or of "fibre" tubing of the required size and substance
to form the body of the shuttle.
My invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a horizontal section and Figure 2 is a side elevation of a shuttle
made from sheet "fibre" of thickness to form the walls of the shuttle ;
Figure 3 is the body of a shuttle made from "tubular fibre."
Figure 4 is an end piece for the same, and
Figure 5 is a view of the body of the said shuttle having one end applied thereto
and one end detached, and
Figure 6 is a shuttle of a different form made from "tubular fibre," and
Figure 7 is one end of the latter showing its construction.
I will first describe the shuttle represented at Figures 1 and 2.
وو
A, A are two strips of fibre cut to suitable shape to form the entire sides of the
shuttle, so that when viewed from one side, nothing is seen but one of these strips.
The sides A are bent down upon, and cemented to, suitably shaped blocks or
fillers B to form that part of the shuttle which is usually solid. These parts are
further secured by metallic ferrules C C, and by screw bolts E E¹ and the usual
metal tips D cemented thereon. Instead of the tips and ferrules a screw cap shaped
to form a metal tip might be screwed over the ends of A and B.
The bolts E E are preferably made of "fibre or wood and have a screwthread
passing from end to end of the bolt, and they may pass entirely through the shuttle,
or may be made in two parts, one on each side of the shuttle. The filler B may
be made of wood or of "fibre;" when the latter material is used, it will not be
necessary to bend the sides A, or even that they should extend to the tips D, as
portions of the filler may be exposed at the sides, which will still show nothing but
"fibre." When the filler is so large that it is impossible or undesirable to use
"fibre" of sufficient thickness in one piece, it may be made of several. Through
the bolt E at one end of the shuttle, from the inside of the shuttle to the outside,
passes the thread hole F, and when the shuttle is so made, the bushing or grommet
of bone or other material which is ordinarily used in shuttles, may be dispensed
with, as the "fibre" itself is an excellent material for the purpose, and should the
hole become worn, the bolt can be removed and another substituted. Through the
bolt E', at the other end of the shuttle, a metallic bolt I passes, which forms a
pivot for the spindle. This screw bolt E¹ therefore forms a bushing for the pivot
and when the latter becomes loose, the bolt can be replaced. The spindle is not
shown in the drawings as my invention does not relate to it.
In most shuttles there is a hole or slit cut in the bottom, both for the purpose of
lightness and for the operator to pass the fingers to push up the spindle. This open
space is formed naturally in my method of making shuttles, but in order that it
may be possible to use thinner sides than it otherwise would, I give rigidity to the
sides by means of a brace or stretcher G at the bottom of the shuttle and at or
about the middle of the opening, this brace being secured in position by means of
pins H H passing through it and the sides and upset at their ends.
Wooden shuttles have been made having small portions of their exposed surfaces
armed or protected with small strips or pieces of "fibre," and I therefore do not
claim the combination of wood and "fibre " in a shuttle.
I will now describe the shuttles represented at Figures 3 to 7.
In constructing the said shuttles I use mandrels of size suited to the desired
shuttle, and when the "fibre" has been wound upon them in the usual form, instead
of cutting the tube as usual, I remove the mandrel, and the tube can then be washed

page_text: as usual. While in the wet state it is then placed upon another mandrel of the shape
of the interior of the proposed shuttle, and also subjected to pressure between its
mandrel and exterior "formers" having interior concavities shaped to conform
exactly or approximately to the desired shape of the exterior of the shuttle.
Where it is not practicable to give the exact shape to the mandrel or to the formers,
the shuttle can be cut slightly afterwards to the desired form, but this is not
desirable, and, as the material is in a plastic condition at this stage, it can usually
be almost entirely avoided. The shape can be secured by passing it through
properly shaped grooves on revolving cylinders, or in any other way in which semi-
plastic tubes are shaped under pressure. Such pressure should however be limited
to pressure on the sides and interior of the tube and I expressly disclaim any
method of pressure from the ends of the tube producing a longitudinal compression
throughout its length. I prefer to use two mandrels as described, but it might be
practicable to form the shuttle by winding the paper in the first instance upon the
mandrel of proper shape. It is best however that the tube should be washed before
being placed upon the final mandrel.
The tube is now dried upon the mandrel, shrinking so as to take still more
exactly the shape of the latter, and can then be removed and undergo further
seasoning if necessary. This shrinkage reuders it difficult to make the outer shapers
of the exact size which it is desired to give to the shuttle, and they should be made
a little larger rather than smaller than the size which would give the desired size
to the tube, as the latter can be cut down to the proper size when completed. I
thus secure the body or hollow portion A of the shuttle.
The solid portion or end or ends can be made of solid "fibre," wood, or any
other material suitable to the proposed shuttle. This end piece is shown at B. It
has the usual metal tip secured to it in the usual manner, and a dowel c fitting
tightly in the end of the tube A, to which it is secured by cement or pins, or both,
or in any way that two parts of such material renders desirable. The surfaces of
A and B must usually be flush with each other.
Figures 6 and 7 show another way of forming the ends of the shuttle. The ends
of the tube A are notched out, as shown in Figure 7, so that the remaining
projections can be bent in and meet at a point, forming the pointed end, of shape
according to the shape of the notches. Inside is a solid piece of wood or vulcanized
fibre," or other material, f, to which they can be secured by cement or rivets, and
on which they are firmly held by ferrules d.
66
As I am at present informed I believe the form of construction shown in
Figures 3, 4 and to be the best, but I have shown another, and I do not desire to
confine myself to any particular method of constructing the solid part of the shuttle.
The inner end of the solid part B, Figure 5, and of Figure 6, can project into the tube A
as far as may be desired, and can be given any shape which the kind of shuttle may
require. When made as described, the grain or fibre of the tube runs continuously
in a spiral from the interior of the tube to its exterior, which, aside from cheapness,
gives many properties advantageous for use in shuttles, and I believe this method
of so adapting this material to use in shuttles has never before been discovered.
Such material I term "tubular fibre" to distinguish it from tubes of "fibre" which
have been cut open in the process of manufacture and pressed into sheets. The two
forms are easily distinguishable by those familiar with the material.
I also, according to my invention, and as represented at Figures 1 and 2, so
construct and apply the metal rings or ferrules Ċ adjoining the points or tips D of
the shuttle, that the edges thereof shall be secured against catching against the
fibres of the weaving material. For this purpose, instead of forming the face of
the ferrule C adjoining the shuttle body, in a vertical plane across its axis, I form
it with curved or inclined sided ears or projections C extending some little distance
up the nose of the shuttle, and I form slight indents C2 in the material of the nose
of the shuttle and depress the points or extreme ends of the ears or projections C
of such rings or ferrules C into such indents C², by which means, even if the surfaces

page_text: of such parts should not be exactly flush with each other, any description of yarn
would naturally slide over the same without catching.
This method of constructing and applying the rings or ferrules is also applicable
to shuttles made of materials other than those herein referred to.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
"
1. A shuttle having its hollow portion formed of two strips A of "fibre
secured to separate end pieces or fillers B, substantially as specified with respect to
Figures 1 and 2.
2. A shuttle having its sides formed of two strips A of "fibre" secured to
separate end pieces or fillers B and extending to the ends of the same, substantially
as specified with respect to Figures 1 and 2.
3. In a shuttle, the combination of the two strips of "fibre" A, the end
pieces B, and ferrules C, substantially as specified with respect to Figures 1 and 2.
4. In a shuttle, the combination of the two strips of "fibre A, the end
pieces B, and screw bolts E, substantially as specified with respect to Figures 1
and 2.
5. In a shuttle having sides A of "fibre" and separate ond pieces B, the com-
bined bolt and thread hole bushing E, substantially as specified with respect to
Figures 1 and 2.
6. In a shuttle having separate sides and end pieces B secured by bolts E E',
the pivot I when bushed by the bolt E', substantially as specified with respect to
Figures 1 and 2.
7. In a shuttle having separate sides and end pieces, the brace G, substantially
as specified with respect to Figures 1 and 2.
8. The method of manufacturing the hollow bodies of shuttles of vulcanized
"fibre
or similar materials, which consists of forming them of uncut tubes of the
"fibre" after removal from the original mandrel, and then giving them the desired
shape by lateral pressure on their exterior and interior surfaces after washing and
while still in a plastic condition, substantially as specified.
9. The method of manufacturing the hollow bodies of shuttles of vulcanized
"fibre" and similar materials, which consists in forming them of uncut tubes of the
"fibre" and giving them the desired shape by lateral pressure on their exterior
and interior surfaces while in a plastic condition, substantially as specified.
10. A shuttle having a separate hollow body composed of tubular vulcanized
"fibre" or similar material, substantially as specified.
or similar
11. A shuttle having a hollow portion A of vulcanized "fibre"
material with its grain or fibre running around the tube and in a spiral from the
interior to the exterior of the tube, substantially as specified.
12. The combination with shuttles, of rings or ferrules C having curved or
inclined sided ears or projections C¹ extending some little distance up the nose of
the shuttle and having the points or extreme ends of such projections C¹ depressed
into slight indents made in the material of the shuttle, substantially as herein
described and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 2nd day of July 1901
WM. COURTENAY.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.