Improvements in the Manufacture of Lace in Twist Lace Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 29th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 15th May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Lace in Twist Lace Machines.
We, RICHARD LESLIE BIRKIN, and CHARLES WILFRED BIRKIN of the Firm
of Birkin and Co. of New Basford, in the Town and County of Nottingham, and
ALLEN Fox of New Basford, aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
According to our invention we produce an apparently round ground on a bobbin
fining set out with the fining full gauge and the net half gauge. We provide two
warp threads for each bobbin thread and we work in the manner illustrated by the
annexed sketch.
In the sketch the four straight lines represent bobbin threads, right twist warps
are indicated by full lines, and reverse twist warps are shown by dots.
By this means an imitation of a Valenciennes may be produced and other
like fabrics.
Dated this 14th day of December 1896
RICHARD LESLIE BIRKIN.
CHAS. WILFRED BIRKIN.
COMPLETE SE
CIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Lace in Twist Lace Machines.
We, RICHARD LESLIE BIRKIN, and CHARLES WILFRED BIRKIN, of the Firm
of Birkin and Co., of New Basford, in the Town and County of Nottingham, and
ALLEN Fox, of New Basford aforesaid, 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 :-
This invention relates to the manufacture of lace upon a twist lace machine in
such manner as to secure a new product having an approximately round mesh or
net. By its means and by combining with the ground net a pattern composed with
bobbin tinings a close imitation of a well known type of real Valenciennes lace
may be produced. The twist lace machine is prepared with an ordinary double
warp bobbin fining set cut and a half gauge net is made in combination with full
gauge bobbin fining.
Figure 1 of the annexed drawing shows in a manner well understood in the lace
trade the arrangement of the threads to produce the new mesh or net and the
times and the order of the movements. The straight lines from top to bottom of
the figure represent bobbin threads, the remaining strong lines both full and dotted
represent warp threads. The bobbin threads are marked A B, C D, and D' and A'
respectively which two last are a repetition of D and A, and the warp threads
are numbered 1 to 6 which numbers indicate also the order in which the warp
threads stand in the machine from back to front.
We produce the mesh in the following manner. Four threads from the warp
beam or beams are combined with two bobbin threads to form each pillar or braid
of the mesh. The warp threads move across the bobbin threads as follows:-
Nos. 1 and 2 warp threads always move while the carriages are in the back
except when to connect two pillars or braids they pass around a bobbin thread in
another pillar or braid to the left or to the right as the case may be.

page_text: Thus with the carriages in the back. These warp threads pass first in one
motion across two bobbin threads, then when the carriages are next in the back
they return across one bobbin thread and afterwards in another motion they pass
across the other bobbin thread thereby completing the return.
In forming the cross or connection between two pillars or braids these warp
threads 1 and 2 pass at one motion across two bobbin threads; and at the next
motion when the carriages are in the front they pass across a third bobbin thread;
they return when the carriages are in the back in two steps first across two bobbin
threads and at another motion across the third bobbin threal.
Nos. 3 and 4 warp threads move to the right when the carriages are in the back,
then to the left when the carriages are in the front.
Nos. 5 and 6 warp threads always move while the carriages are in the front except
when they pass around a bobbin thread to connect with the next pillar or braid..
Their movements are clearly indicated by the figure and are similar to those of
the warp threads Nos. 1 and 2.
We prefer to complete the mesh in 24 motions but more or less motions may
be used.
It will thus be seen that in each pillar or braid there are two bobbin threads
interlaced with two pair of warp threads and that the warp threads of one pair
pass continuously around their respective bobbin threads and serve to connect with
them the warp threads forming the other pair.
Each crossing or connection between the pillars or braids, it will also be seen,
is formed by two warp threads one from each pillar or braid which warp threads
then traverse over three bobbin threads.
Figure 2 shows as an example a piece of imitation Valenciennes lace produced
in accordance with our invention. The figure represents both the ground net and
a pattern composed of what are technically known as "bobbin finings" that is to
say weavings in which the bobbin threads serve as weft.
This lace was made on a 12 point Leavers machine, but machines of a coarser
gauge or a finer gauge might be employed.
The way in which the warp threads should move to produce the pattern consisting
of bobbin finings is well known in the trade as is also the means for imparting such
movements by jacquard operating in conjunction with the warp bars.
By the hereinbefore described method, a new product is produced which has an
approximately round net or mesh and which is an imitation of the Valenciennes
lace herein before referred to, there is, as in the real lace, the appearance of traverse
in the ground net, the lines which catch the eye being diagonal rather than
longitudinal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The new half gauge round ground net herein described, in each of the pillars or
braids of which, two bobbin threads weave with four warp threads, two of which
twist with their respective bobbin threads, whilst the other two warp threads do
not so twist but are interlocked as shown in Figure 1 with the other threads in the
pillar or braid; these pillars or braids being connected by crossings, each consisting
of two warp threads which traverse over three bobbin threads.
2. Imitation Valenciennes lace in which a pattern consisting of full gauge bobbin
finings is combined with our new round ground net.
Dated this 27th day of March 1897.
R. L. BIRKIN.
C. W. BIRKIN.
A. FOX.