IMPROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE HEALD SHAFTS OF LOOMS to be as follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ROBERT FIELD of Folly Hall Huddersfield, Weaver do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE HEALD SHAFTS
OF LOOMS to be as follows:-
"
This invention has reference to the heald shafts employed in looms for weaving.
The healds so called are composed of a number of strings attached at top and
bottom to flat pieces of wood termed heald shafts, such strings having eyelets in
the centre through which the warp is threaded.
These healds are raised and lowered according to the construction or pattern of
cloth being woven by the ordinary mechanism; such raising and lowering of the
healds forming a "shed" through which the shuttle is sent as is well understood.
The heald shafts being placed close together side by side it often happens that
when one is raised and another lowered, that one shaft catches on the underside of
the other shaft doing damage thereto and if one of the cords, wires, or streamers
arranged above the healds and employed for raising such healds should happen to
break the upper half of the heald falls, and the strings forming the healds entangle
themselves with the warp, preventing the shed from opening clear, so that when
the shuttle is sent across the loon, it breaks or cuts the threads of warp, thereby
damaging the piece.
It also often happens that the cords for drawing down the healds break, and
instead of the lower half of the heald being drawn down to its proper position it
remains above the "shed" and the shuttle instead of passing through the "shed"
passes under, putting on an unwoven back and damaging the piece thereby, and
this is sometimes done to a large extent, as the piece prevents the weaver from at
once detecting the broken cord, and a whole piece may sometimes be woven in this
manner without the weaver's knowledge.
In order to prevent damages to the piece by breakage of one of the heald shafts,
or by breakage of any of the cords, wires, or streamers for raising the healds, or of
the cords for lowering the healds I employ two pieces of thin flat metal rivetted
or otherwise fastened together, and having each end formed like a pair of pincers,
one end fitting onto the end of the top shaft and the other end fitting onto the
end of the bottom shaft, the opposite side of the heald having another supplied
thereto in like manner. By this means the heald sbafts are always kept at the

page_text: same distance from each other thus preventing one half of the heald from falling,
and the strings forming such heald entangling themselves with the warp, and also
allowing the weaver at once to know immediately when one of the cords for
drawing down the healds is broken.
The shafts are also prevented from catching one with the other, and the wear
and tear of the ends of the healds is reduced to a minimum.
It is not necessary that the two pieces of flat metal previously described should
be used, as any other material may be employed to keep the heald shafts rigidly
together, the object of my invention being to provide light but solid supports
between the upper and lower shafts of the heald.
Dated this 1st day of December 1885.

page_text: I, ROBERT FIELD of Folly Hall, Huddersfield, Yorkshire Weaver do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for “IMPROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE
HEALD SHAFTS OF LOOMS" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This invention has reference to the heald shafts employed in looms for weaving.
The healds so called are composed of a number of strings attached at top and
bottom to flat pieces of wood termed heald shafts, such strings having eyelets in
the centre through which the warp is threaded. These healds are raised and
lowered according to the pattern of cloth being woven, by the ordinary mechanism,
such raising and lowering of the healds forming a "shed" through which the
shuttle is sent as is well understood. As the heald shafts are placed close together,
side by side, it often happens that when one is raised and another lowered, that
one shaft catches on the underside of the other shaft, doing damage thereto;
and if one of the cords, wires, or streamers arranged above the healds, and
employed for raising such healds, should happen to break, the upper half of
the heald falls, and the strings forming the heald entangle themselves with the
warp, preventing the "shed" from opening clear, so that when the shuttle is
sent across the loom, it breaks or cuts the threads of warp, thereby damaging
the piece.
It also often happens that the cords for drawing down the healds, break, and,
instead of the lower half of the heald being drawn down to its proper position, it
remains above the "shed" and the shuttle, instead of passing through the "shed,"
passes under, putting on an unwoven back and damaging the piece thereby, and
this is sometimes done to a large extent, as the woven piece prevents the weaver
from at once detecting the broken cord, and a whole piece may sometimes be woven
in this manner without the weaver's knowledge.
In order to prevent damages to the piece by breakage of one of the heald shafts,
or by breakage of any of the cords, wires, or streamers, for raising the healds, or of
the cords for lowering the healds, I employ two pieces of thin flat metal rivetted,
or otherwise fastened together, each end of which is bent or formed like a pair of
pincers for clasping the top and bottom shafts of the heald, thus forming a rigid
support between the said heald shafts.
In order that my invention may be more fully understood, I herein make
reference to the accompanying sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof.
Fig. 1 is front elevation of the metal plates, Fig. 2 side elevation of same, Fig.
same elevation shewing the plates attached to the heald shafts, and Fig. 4 is
perspective view of a heald having my improvements applied thereto.
A are the two metal plates rivetted together at a, and having their extremities
bent or formed like a pair of pincers.
When these plates are fixed to the heald shafts B and C, the bent ends are forced
open and the shafts placed between them, the elasticity or spring of the metal
closing the ends upon the shafts so as to securely hold the parts together.

page_text: To prevent any possibility of the plates becoming detached from the shafts,
I may place one or more spikes b in one or both of the plates, such spikes being
pressed or forced into the heald shafts as shewn in the Drawings.
By the means described and shewn, the heald shafts are always kept at the same
distance from each other, thus preventing one half of the heald falling, and the
strings forming such beald entangling themselves with the warp; and also allowing
the weaver to see immediately when one of the cords, for drawing down the healds,
is broken. The shafts are also prevented from catching one with the other, and
the wear and tear of the ends of the healds is reduced to a minimum.
It is not necessary that the two flat pieces A should be composed of metal as any
other material may be employed to keep the heald shafts rigidly together, the
object of my invention being to provide light but strong supports between the
upper and lower shafts of the healds for the purposes mentioned herein.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The plates A forming rigid supports for the heald shafts, and attached thereto in
the manner and for the purposes substantially as shewn and described..