CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1839

page_text: LUMAAS
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
LOMAX, of Bolton le Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Weaver, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Nineteenth day of June, in the 1st year of Her reign, did;
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Peter
Lomax, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I;
the said Peter Lomax, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Peter Lomax, my exécutors, administrators, and assigns, should.
at any timé agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, 'should' and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Peter
Lomax, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as
in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Peter Lomax, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following
explanation thereof, that is to say:-
My improvements in looms for weaving apply, firstly, to those looms usually
employed for the purpose of weaving counterpanes, or such other figured goods
or fabrics as may be woven by such machinery, where the device or figure is
raised in loops or knops from the weft to compose the pattern upon the
surface. This improved operation of the loom is effected by the employment
of a series of instruments, which I call dents or hooks, for the purpose of
acting upon the weft, and which by operating upwards prepare the weft, pro-
ject it to a suitable height to form the loops or knops, and again retire, leaving
the knops or loops to form the pattern: I apply also the ordinary jacquard
machine to the above description of looms in such a manner by stringing or
tying up, that the dents or hooks for lifting up the knops may be acted upon
at the proper intervals, in order to effect the suitable working of the pattern or
device to be produced upon the surface of the fabric.
Secondly, my improvements in looms for weaving consist in the application
of an improvement in the ordinary jacquard apparatus to those looms and to
that description of weaving of fabric called "quilting," which improvement is
effected by constructing the ordinary jacquard needle with two eyes (instead
of only one as usual), one being near each end, so that as the needles enter
the perforations in the pattern card they may thus throw out two sets of
hooked wires (in connexion with the stringing) instead one to the action of
the "graff" or grate, and consequently dispense with half the number of
pattern cards, as each quilting stitch will thus follow immediately in the hollow
of the former, which will be perfectly evident to practical weavers and those
conversant with the common jacquard machine. But that in order that my
improvements may be better explained and perfectly understood, I have attached
to these presents a Sheet of Drawings, containing several views of a loom
adapted to weave knotted counterpanes by way of illustration, and to which
the first part of my improvements are shewn applied, in which Fig. 1 is a
front elevation, Fig. 2 a back view, Fig. 3 a side view or end elevation, and
Fig. 4 a transverse section of the loom, taken vertically through about the
middle of the same. The side and cross framing of the loom is represented at
a, a, a, a, supporting the warp beam b, b, the vibrating lathe c, c, with its reed
d, d, for beating up the cloth, the breast beam e, e, and also the cloth or
work beam ff. This loom is provided with two shuttle boxes g, g, with their
respective shuttles, one containing the fine weft or shute to form the binding
thread or ground of the cloth, and the other containing the loose or coarse
weft to form the floating shute, and which is to be thrown up in knops or

page_text: loops to work the figure. The shuttle boxes are raised and lowered by means
of the feet of the weaver working the treadles g, h, i, connected by cords to
the vibrating levers j, j, which are also connected by cords to the shuttle boxes
9, 9; and thus the required weft is presented to the action of the picking cords
K, K, as the weaver proceeds with his work. The treadles g, h, i, at the same
time effect the requisite shedding of the warp threads, by being connected in the
ordinary manner to the heddles or healds 1, 1. The jacquard apparatus m, m,
with the pattern cards n, n, for working the figure is connected by means of
stringing or tying up to the vibrating levers o, o, which carry at their jointed
end the dents or hooks p, p, for throwing up the knops to form the pattern.
As the application of these dents or hooks to looms for this particular purpose
forms the principle feature of novelty, I have represented one detached, and
about half the real size, at Fig. 5. It will be understood that they extend in a
continuous series the whole width of the piece to be woven, being ranged side
by side and composed of very thin metal, so that they may rise freely between
the warp threads. They are provided with several hooks or bearings for
various purposes connected with their operation, the upper recess or indentation
1 being for the purpose of holding the weft in a suitable position for throwing
up the bearing; 2 being for the purpose of a rest or guide, by which they are
all held or suspended in a suitable position prior to their coming into operation..
The stop or bearing 3 is for the purpose of further adjusting and keeping the
dents at a proper level during the operation; and the stop or bearing 4 is for
the purpose of regulating the height of the knop or loop to be thrown up in.
the fabric in working the figure. As by an inspection of the Drawings the
general features of these improvements will be readily perceived by the
practical weaver, we will proceed to describe their operation as applied to a
hand-loom for weaving counterpanes. As the weaver treads with his left
foot upon the treadles 9 and h, and dividing the shed, he lowers the upper
shuttle box with its shuttle of fine or binding weft, which takes two courses
backwards and forwards in order to form the ground or cloth; then treading
with his right foot upon the treadle i, he produces another shedding of the
warps, and also lifts the lower shuttle box with the loose or coarse weft, which
he drives once across preparatory to working the figure. Now, by depressing
the hand lever q, he, by means of the compound levers r, r, r, r, rods 8, s,
levers t, t, and horizontal rail u, u, raises the whole series of dents or hooks
p, p, up through the warps, and at the same time the rod v causing the
jacquard machine to come into operation, thus expanding that portion of the
helical springs w, w, which are in connection by means of the stringing or
tying up with such levers and dents pas are required to work the figure.

page_text: Upon releasing the handle of the lever q, those dents p which are not engaged
by the action of the jacquard machine, fall out of the cloth by their own
gravity, and by turning the winch handle x he throws up those dents which
were engaged by the jacquard a certain height, and as the weft lies in the
notches 1 at the upper end, it is thrown up, when the dents p, p, retire and
leave the loop or knop thus formed to compose the pattern. The apparatus
for throwing up these knops will be better explained by referring also to the
detached Figures 6 and 7; Fig. 6 being a cross section, and Fig. 7 a plan
view. It will be seen that by turning the winch handle x, it drives, by means
of the small wheel and pinion y, the two pullies z, z, around which the strap
5, 5, passes, and the handle is to be kept turning until a small throwing out
apparatus 6, 6, attached to each end of the strap, has travelled across the
breath of the fabric, in order that the indented roller 7 may, as it passes each
dent, throw the dent off its stop or bearing 3, and thus allow those helical
springs w, which have been extended by the action of the jacquard machine,
to collapse and draw up the dents or hooks p, p, and thus form the knops by
drawing the weft up into a loop, the length of which is adjusted by the stop
4 on the dents coming against the under side of the bar 8; of course, in the
next shute, the winch handle is to be turned the reverse way, and thus the
throwing up apparatus worked alternately with the shedding of the warp, all
th se motions being successively repeated as the work proceeds. It will be
seen that the loom is provided with a stationary reed 9 below, for the purpose
of securing the dent levers in their proper situation, and it must also be
observed that the dent rail u, u, is indented or cut like a rack for the purpose
of securing the ascent of the dents in their relative situations between the warps,
and thus prevent them breaking or disturbing the warp threads. There is also
a holding bar or rail 10, 10, extending in front of the reed, in order to hold
down and secure the warp threads while the knops are being projected or raised
by the series of dents. This bar is caused to ascend by suitable levers at every
beat of the lathe, in order to make room for the advance of the reed to beat up
the work as the weaver proceeds.
Having now particularly described my improvements in the construction of
looms and the manner of carrying the same into practical operation, I would
remark in conclusion, that I am perfectly aware that I have herein described
and shewn in the Drawing attached many parts which are common to looms
in general, yet such has only been done for the sake of illustration, and in order
to shew the practical application of my improvements, and to which old parts
of course I make no claim; but I claim as my Invention, firstly, such improve-
ments in the construction of looms as are herein particularly set forth for the

page_text: purpose of throwing up the knops or loops in the weft or shute, in order to
form the figure or pattern upon the surface of counterpanes and all other
similar fabrics wherein the figure or pattern is capable of being thus formed
by knops or loops, such, for instance, as carpets, coach lace, &c. &c.; and also
the application of the ordinary jacquard apparatus or machine to such looms
for the purpose of assisting the dents or hooks to form the pattern.
And, secondly, the application of the ordinary jacquard needle with two
eyes to quilting looms, in the manner and for the purposes above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Lomax, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.