An Improved Weft Catch or List Protector for Fast and Slow Tweed and other Looms.
Year: 1887

page_text: An Improved Weft Catch or List Protector for Fast and Slow Tweed
and other Looms.
I WILLIAM AITKEN of The Tweed Mills Galashields in the County of Selkirk.
North Britain, Foreman Tuner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object an improved weft catch or list protector for fast
and slow Tweed and other looms whereby the width of the cloth is made uniform and
the marking of the cloth by a tight shot as sometimes happens is avoided, the strain
upon the list and the curling thereof is entirely obviated thus saving time in the
Milling Department, it also lessens the strain upon the temple rings.
My improved weft catch or list protector is as follows:-
To the temples, now in use to stretch or keep the cloth or other material in position
during the process of manufacture in looms for Tweed and such like purposes, I attach
a weighted lever or catch of suitable form having a strip of spring or other steel of
suitable form secured thereto.
The thread from the shuttle is passed round the point of this strip and as the race in
its forward travel strikes or lifts the weighted end of the lever, according as the loom
is fast or slow, it releases its hold of the thread from the shuttle and on the race.
returning to its normal position the lever drops and the spring strip is in position
to take up another thread or shot and so on throughout the process of
manufacture.
By the use of my invention the catch leaf as now used in the Manufacture of Celtic
Cloth is done away with.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Weft Catch or List Protector for Fast and Slow Tweed
and other Looms.
I, WILLIAM AITKEN, of the Tweed Mills, Galashiels, in the County of Selkirk,
North Britain, Foreman Tuner 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 has for its object a Weft Catch or List Protector for fast and slow
Tweed and other Looms, whereby the width of the cloth is made uniform and the
making of the cloth by a tight shot as sometimes happens is avoided, the strain upon
the list is obviated and the curling thereof is less liable to occur thus saving time in
the Milling Department, it also lessens the strain upon the temple rings which
necessarily lessens the chances of temple cutting.
The Weft Catch or List Protector is as follows: To the temples now in use to
stretch or keep the cloth or other material in position during the process of manufacture
in looms for tweed and such like purposes, I attach a weighted lever or catch of
suitable form having a bent strip of spring or other steel secured thereto.
The thread from the shuttle is passed round the point of this strip and as the race
in its forward travel strikes, or lifts the weighted end of the lever according as the
loom is fast or slow, it releases its hold of the thread from the shuttle and on the
race returning to its normal position the lever drops and the bent strip is in
position to take up another thread or shot and so on throughout the process of
manufacture.
By the use of this Invention the catch leaf as now used in the manufacture of
Celtic Cloth is done away with.
In order that my Invention may be properly and readily carried into effect I will
now proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1, is a plan of an ordinary Temple for a fast loom having my Invention
attached.
Figure 2, is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3, is a side elevation of my Invention detached from the Temple and as
constructed for a slow loom.
On the annexed sheet of Drawings A, represents a Temple of ordinary con-
struction with spur rings or rollers a, upon spindle a', as applied to a fast loom ;
B, is the weighted lever pivoted to the side of the Bracket e, of the Temple by
the screw (, one end marked D, of this lever is made flat and upon the underside
of which flat part is secured the bent strip of spring E, by means of the screw d.
The said strip E, is in preference inserted in a shallow recess or groove formed
in the said flattened bottom of the lever B.
In Figure 2, a³ is the head of the spur rings spindle, a', in Figure1, repre-
senting the clamping up end of spindle.
The Lever B, and bent strip of spring E, in combination with an ordinary temple
constitutes my Invention.
During the action of the loom the race, not shown on the Drawings, strikes against
the lower part G, of the weighted Lever B, and releases the thread from the shuttle
which has been previously passed over the point e, of the fork E. The thread is
again caught up by the point e of the fork on the race returning to its normal
position.

page_text: The effect of this operation is, the thread is guided to its work in a more steady
and uniform manner than heretofore.
The action of the slow loom in regard to my Invention, is in every respect the
same as in the one just described, but, instead of the race striking the weighted
lever, referring now to Figure 3, it slides along the curved portions K, lifting the
lever and lowering the point e of the fork E, thus releasing the threads.
The fork E, may be secured to the upper or lower side of the portion D, of the
lever as may be desired; in Figure 3, the fork E, is shown attached to the upper
side by the screw d¹.
'
As a modification of my said Invention in lieu of pivoting the weft catch upon
the stud C, I may pivot it to the spindle of the temple rollers. This modification
is shown in sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings.
Figures 4, 5 and 6, are views in side elevation and plans of upper and under
sides, respectively, of the weft catch detached from the temple as applicable for a
fast loom.
Figures 7 and 8, are a side elevation and plan respectively of the same as
applicable for a slow loom.
Figure 9, is a sido elevation of the slow loom catch fitted on the spindle of the
temple rollers.
The advantage of this said method of pivoting or hanging the catch, over the
arrangement shown on sheet 1, of the Drawings, being that the point e¹, is at all
times clear of the going part of the loom, thus saving the point from liability to be
broken..
Also by the construction and mounting of the point e, in accordance with the
improved method of pivoting the catch the necessity for the screws d, or d¹, sheet 1,
is dispensed with, the point in this modification being firm instead of elastic as in
the first arrangement.
In the pivoting of the weft catch as shown on sheet 2, I fit a socket piece S, upon
the spindle a, of a temple such as that sliown at figures 1, and 3, at the part between
the side a², of the temple casting as at figure 2, and the last of the series of the spiked
or spur rollers or rings a, the side view of the said socket being shown in figure 9.
Over the said socket the Journal, of the lever L, of the catch is fitted; a stop pieces,
is formed upon the filling pieces, for the purpose of regulating the distance of the
levers travel, stops being formed on the lever for this purpose.
Different varieties of temples and different ways of mounting the same necessitate
various shapes to be given to the catches, for instance in a fast loom the lever or catch
must be so weighted that it is brought back quicker than when applied to a słow
loom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
In combination with the temples of fast or slow Tweed or other Looms, the weighted
lever B, and Steel Strip E, mounted and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown upon sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings or any modification
or equivalent such as hereinbefore described and shown on sheet 2 of the accompanying
Drawings.