IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR WARPING OD PRODADING WARDS BAD WEAVING Warping or Preparing Warps for Weaving
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Archibald Turner, of Leicester, Elastic Fabric
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR WARPING
OD PRODADING WARDS BAD WEAVING"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Archibald Turner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th
April 1866.
I, ARCHIBALD TURNER, of Leicester, Elastic Fabric Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR WARPING OR PREPARING WARPS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
My Invention of "Improved Machinery for Warping or Preparing Warps
for Weaving" relates to a novel construction or arrangement of machinery
for preparing warps for weaving narrow fabrics, for which purpose the warps
are usually wound on short rollers which are placed in bearings in the loom,
so that the warp may be drawn off therefrom as the weaving operation
proceeds. The operation of winding the warps ou to these short rollers has
been heretofore done by hand, and as the attendant has not only to com-
municate rotary motion to the roller on which the warp has to be wound, but
also to traverse the warp by hand from end to end of the roller in order that
it may be distributed over the surface of the same, the warping operation is
frequently performed with more or less irregularity, as it depends entirely
upon the skill of the workman.

page_text: warp
The object of the present Invention is to effect the warping operation by
mechanical means, leaving the attendant nothing to do but to watch the
operations of the machine and to mend broken threads, or place in the frame
full bobbins of yarn when those already in the machine have been emptied.
In my improved machine the wooden or other roller or beam ou which the
is to be wound is placed on a spindle or shaft, on which is mounted a
long cone pulley, to which rotary motion is communicated by means of aband
or strap passing over another cone pulley on the main driving shaft of the
machine. The main driving shaft is, of course, always driven at one uniform
speed, but as it is necessary or advisable for the surface speed of the warp
roller or beam to be always the same, provision must be made for reducing
the speed of the shaft on which the warp roller is placed, as the diameter of
the latter increases by the winding on the warp. This is effected by means of
a traversing fork or belt shifter, which gradually shifts or moves the driving
band along the coue pullies, and thereby reduces the speed of the warp roller
cone pulley which actuates the winding on. This traversing fork or belt
shifter is fixed on a horizontal arm or bar which moves along guide rods fixed
across the machine. A screwed rod mounted in suitable bearings and placed
parallel to the guide rods passes through a temale screw tapped in a hub
formed near the middle of this horizontal bar, which carries the traversing
fork or band shifter. On one end of this screwed rod is keyed a ratchet wheel,
to which an intermittent rotary motion is given by means of a click attached
to a vibrating arm or lever actuated by a crank or excentric on the main
driving shaft or other convenient working part of the machine. It will there-
fore be evident that as the screwed shaft is rotated by means of the click
acting on its ratchet wheel the horizontal arm will be traversed across the
machine, and will move the driving band along the cone pullies, and thereby
alter the speed of the warp roller or beam. The screwed rod is also provided
at one end with a winch handle, whereby it may be turned, so as to admit of
moving the band shifter or guide quickly to any part, and thereby regulate or
adjust the machine to wind on the warp at any speed required. The warp
threads are conducted from their bobbins through a perforated guide plate, or
through aleashing or crossing apparatus, such as that hereafter referred to, and
over and under two elastic tension bars provided with india-rubber or other
springs to give the requisite tersion to the warps. From these bars the warp
passes to an eye or guide at the upper end of a vibrating double-armed lever
mounted loosely on a reciprocating bar or rod, to which a to-and-fro motion
in its guides or supports is communicated by means of a heart wheel, cam,
excentric, crank, or other suitable contrivance, which will cause the guide rod

page_text: and traversing guide to move to and fro in front of the warp roller or beam as
the latter rotates. The warp will thus be laid or wound on to the roller or
beam in a zig-zag manner with perfect regularity. In order to ensure
uniformity in guiding the warp it is advisable to keep the eye or guide at the
end of the traversing lever as close as possible to the surface of the warp
roller or beam, and always the same distance therefrom. To this end a
pressing roller mounted on a pin or stud fixed in a moveable bar which works
in guides attached to the framework is made to bear against the surface of
the warp roller, and as the diameter of the latter increases this pressing roller,
together with the moveable bar to which it is connected, is forced back. Along
pin or stud also fixed in the moveable bar takes into a slot made in the tail or
lower arm of the traversing guide lever, so that as the pressing roller and
moveable bar are forced back by the increase in the diameter of the warp
roller or beam the long pin by acting on the tail or lower arm of the, tra-
versing guide lever will cause the same to turn on its axis, and thus draw
back the eye or guide at the upper end in precise proportion to the in-
crease in the diameter of the warp roller or beam. The pressing roller has
other important functions to perform, namely, holding the warp in its place on
the roller or beam while the winding-on operation is proceeding, and also
causing the warp to lie on the roller or beam in a slightly curved form. To
this end the pressing roller is made a little longer thau it is intended to lay
the warp on the roller or beam, so that it may extend beyond and overlap the
warp on the roller or beam. The periphery of the pressing roller moreover
is slightly hollowed out towards the middle, and as it bears against the surface
of the warp on the roller or beam it nips or holds the warp securely and pre-
vents it from shifting, overlapping, or being displaced while it is being wound
on to the beam. At the same time by making the pressing roller hollow the
warp will be laid on in a slightly curved form. Without such an arrangement
as this for holding the warp at every point while it is being wound on the
roller or beam the angular direction in which it is laid by the traversing guide
would have a tendency to drag it out of place, but the pressing roller by
always nipping the warp at the proper point effectually prevents this displace-
meut of the threads, and consequently any irregularity in the warping. In
order to stop the machine when any of the warp threads break, or any of the
bobbins become empty during the warping operation, every separate warp
thread is passed through an eye attached to the end of a weighted rod or
lever, which while the thread is unbroken will be held up thereby, but imme-
diately a thread breaks or runs off from an empty bobbin the weight belonging
to or supported by such thread will drop, and by acting on a lever catch bar

page_text: or other analogous contrivance will throw the driving band off the fast pulley
and stop the machine.
My improved leashing or crossing apparatus, before referred to, has for its
object to form the leash or cross in warps with greater facility and in much
less time than by the ordinary plan of crossing by hand. It is well known to
weavers that in order to divide the warp threads so as to keep them straight,
and to facilitate the putting the warp in a loom, the warper is obliged to take
one end of the warp and separate it thread by thread into two parts, which
are then crossed and tied up by a string called a "leash." This separation or
division of the threads by hand is a tedious operation, whereas by means of
my improved apparatus 1 am enabled to effect this object at once by merely
depressing a lever. To this end every alternate thread of the warp is passed
through the eyes of a series of vertical needles or guides which are attached
to a rising and falling bar. The remainder of the threads may either be
passed through the eyes of a similar arrangement of vertical needles, or
simply through holes made in a perforated plate, as above mentioned. It will
now be understood that if the needle bar with its threads be lifted up one-half
(that is, every alternate thread) of the warp will be raised above the level of
the other half; the leashing thread or string may then be introduced between
the upper and lower set of warp threads. The needle bar with its threads is
then depressed below the stationary warp threads, so that the two sets are
crossed. The leashing thread is then introduced below the stationary warp
threads, and when it is tied the cross in the warp will be secured until the
latter is required to be placed in a loom. This leashing apparatus may be
adapted to any of the hand-warping machines now used, as well as to my
improved warping machine above described, and as the leashing or crossing
of the warps can be effected with such great facility it will be found advanta-
geous to put in a leash and cross the warps three, four, or more times,
especially if the warp be a long one, as such an arrangement will greatly
facilitate the clearing of the warp should it by any means become entangled,
as is frequently the case.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Archibald Turner, Her special licence that I, the said Archibald
Turner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Archibald Turner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others. from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed. should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Chanuel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR WARPING OR PREPARING WARPS FOR WEAVING," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Archibald Turner, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Archibald Turner, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "Improved Machinery for Warping or Preparing Warps
for Weaving" relates to a novel construction or arrangement of machinery
for preparing warps for weaving narrow fabrics, for which purpose the warps
are usually wound on short rollers or beams which are placed in bearings
in the loom, so that the warp may be drawn off therefrom as the weaving
operation proceeds. The operation of winding the warps on to these short
rollers or beams has been heretofore done by hand, and as the attendant
has not only to communicate rotary motion to the roller or beam on which
the warp has to be wound, but also to traverse the warp by hand from end
to end of, the roller or beam in order that it may be distributed over the
surface of the same, the warping operation is frequently performed with more
or less irregularity, as the accuracy of the operation depends entirely upon
the care and skill of the workman.
The object of the present Invention is to effect the warping operation by
mechanical means, leaving the attendant nothing to do but to watch the

page_text: operations of the machine, and to piece broken threads, or place in the frame
full bobbins of yarn when those already in the machine have been emptied.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn various views of the mecha-
nism whereby I am enabled to effect the warping operation by mechanical
means.
Fig. 1, Sheet I, is a side elevation of the machine complete, and Fig. 2 is
a plan view of the same as seen from above. The wooden or other roller or
beam a on which the warp is to be wound is placed on a spindle or shaft b,
on which is mounted a long cone pulley b', to which rotary motion is com-
municated by means of a band or strap e passing over another cone pulley c¹
on the main driving shaft c of the machine. The main shaft c is of course
always driven at one uniform speed, but as it is necessary or advisable for the
surface speed of the warp roller or beam a to be always the same, provision
must be made for reducing the speed of the shaft 6 (on which the warp roller
or beam is placed), as the diameter of the latter increases by the winding on
of the warp. This is effected by means of a traversing fork or belt shifter d, d,
which gradually shifts or moves the driving band e alone the cone pulleys 6',c',
and thereby reduces the speed of the warp roller cone pulley b', which regu-
lates the winding on. This traversing fork or belt shifter d is fixed on a
transverse horizontal arm or bar d¹, which moves along guide rods f, f, fixed
across the machine. A screwed rod g mounted in suitable bearings, and
placed parallel to the guide rods f,, passes through a female screw tapped in
a hub d² formed near the middle of this horizontal bar d¹, which carries the
traversing fork or band shifter d. On one end of this screwed rod is keyed a
ratchet wheel h, to which an intermittent rotary motion is given by means of
a click h¹ attached to a vibrating arm or lever i actuated by a crank or
excentric on the main driving shaft, as shewn at ¹ in the Figures, or it may
be actuated by any other convenient working part of the machine. It will
therefore be evident that as the screwed shaft g is rotated by means of the
click h' acting on its ratchet wheel h the horizontal arm d¹ will be traversed
across the machine, and by means of the belt shifter d will move the driving
band e along the cone pullies b¹, c¹, and thereby alter the speed of the warp
roller or beam a. . The screwed rod g is made with a square end, or it may be
provided at one end with a winch handle, whereby it may be turned so as to
admit of moving the band shifter or guide d quickly to any part, and thereby
regulate or adjust the machine to wind on the warp at any speed required.
The warp threads are conducted from their bobbins i, j, j, j through a per-
forated guide plate k, or through a leashing or crossing apparatus such as that
hereafter referred to, and over and under tension bars 7, which may be pro-

page_text: vided with india-rubber or other springs, or with weighted bars, as shewn at 2¹
in the Drawing, in order to give the requisite tension to the warps.
From
these bars the warp passes to an eye or guidem at the upper end of a vibrating
double-armed lever m¹ mounted loosely on a reciprocating bar or rod n, to
which a to-and-fro motion in its guides or supports n¹, n¹, is communicated
by means of a heart wheel o, or by a cam, excentric, crank, or other suitable
contrivance. The heart wheel and the parts connected therewith are shewn
detached in front elevation at Fig. 3, Sheet II. The heat wheel o is mounted
on a short shaft o¹, which is actuated by bevil gearing from the shaft 6 of the
cone pulley 61. The heart wheel bears against and vibrates a vertical arm or
lever which is connected by a rod r¹ to the reciprocating rod or bar n, which
carries the traversing guide. The guide rod n and traversing guide m will
thus be caused to move to and fro in front of the warp roller or beam a as the
latter rotates, and by this means the warp will be laid or wound on to the
roller or beam a in a zig-zag manner with perfect regularity, as shewn in
the plan view, Fig. 2, Sheet I., and more clearly on an enlarged scale in
the detached view, Fig. 5, Sheet III. In order to ensure uniformity in
guiding the warp as it is wound on to the warp roller or beam it is advisable
to keep the eye or guide m at the end of the traversing lever m¹ as closely as
possible to the surface of the warp roller or beam a, and always the same
distance therefrom. To this end a pressing roller p is mounted on a pin or
stud fixed in a vibrating arm or lever p¹ attached or connected to a horizontal
moveable bar q, which works in guides attached to the framework. This
pressing roller p is made to bear against the surface of the warp roller a, and
as the diameter of the latter increases the pressing roller p, together with the
vibrating arm or lever pl and the moveable bar q (to which it is connected)
will be forced back. A long pin or stud q' also fixed in the horizontal move-
able bar 9 takes into a slot made in the tail or lower arm of the traversing
guide lever m¹, so that as the pressing roller p and moveable bar q are forced
back by the increase in the diameter of the warp roller or beam a the long
pin or arm q' by acting on the tail or lower arm of the traversing guide
lever m¹ will cause the same to turn on its axis, and thus draw back the eye or
guide m at the upper end in precise proportion to the increase in the diameter
of the warp roller or beam a. The pressing roller p has other important
functions to perform, namely, holding the warp in its place on the roller or
beam a while the winding-on operation is proceeding, and also causing the
warp to lie on the roller or beam in a slightly curved or convex form. To
this end the pressing roller p is made a little longer than it is intended to
lay the warp on the roller or beam a, so that it may extend beyond and

page_text: overlap the warp on the roller or beam. The surface of the pressing roller P
moreover is slightly hollowed out towards the middle, as seen in Figures 2 and 5,
and as it bears against the surface of the warp on the roller or beam a it
nips or holds the warp securely, and prevents it from slipping, shifting, over-
lapping, or being displaced while it is being wound on to the beam. At the
same time by making the pressing roller p with a hollowed surface the warp
will be laid on in a slightly curved or convex form, as seen best in the enlarged
detached view Fig. 5. Without such an arrangement as this for holding the
warp at every point while it is being wound on the roller or beam a the
angular direction in which it is laid by the traversing guide m would have a
tendency to drag it out of place, but the pressing roller p by always nipping
the warp at the proper point effectually prevents the displacement of the
threads, which would produce different lengths of warp threads on the beam.
By thus preventing the slipping of the threads on the beam or roller a any
irregularity in the warping is prevented. In order to stop the machine auto-
matically when any of the warp threads break, or any of the bobbins j,
become empty during the warping operation, every separate warp thread is
passed through an eye attached to the end of a weighted rod, which while
the thread is unbroken will be held up thereby, but immediately a thread
breaks or runs off from an empty bobbin the weight belonging to or supported
by such thread will drop in front of the reciprocating catch bar or other
analogous contrivance, and by acting on suitable mechanism will throw the
driving band off the fast pulley, and stop the machine. This stopping appa-
ratus is shewn detached at Fig. 6, Sheet III. i, j, are the warp threads
coming direct from the bobbin frame or creel, and passing through the
forated plate k, as already described. The threads pass from thence through
eyes at the upper end of the vertical weighted rods s, s, which are mounted
and allowed to move freely in guide bars s', sl. When any of the threads j
break (as shewn by dots) the weighted rod s belonging to such thread will
drop down as shewn in Fig. 6, in front of the horizontal reciprocating catch
bar t¹ at the end of the long bar or rod t.
per-
It will be seen, on referring to Fig. 1, that one end of the bar t is provided
with a bowl or antifriction wheel, which by means of the weighted cord u is
kept up against the face or edge of an excentric which is driven by a band
or cord v¹ from a pulley on the shaft of the cone pulley b', as seen in Fig. 4.
By this means the bar t and the cross bar t¹ at its end will be caused to move
to and fro under the weighted rods 3, s, and therefore when one of the rods s
falls down (either through the breaking of a thread or otherwise) the cross
bar t' will come against it and will be stopped; the periphery of the excentric

page_text: in its further rotation will press on the now stationary bar t, and the bearings
of the excentric shaft v* will be forced back in their slotted guides from the
position shewn at Fig. 6* to that shewn at Fig. 6, and will thus force back
the vertical arm w; this latter is connected at its upper end by a cord to the
end of the catch lever x, which by means of a shoulder a supports a pin or
arm y on the shaft y¹. At its opposite end this shaft carries an arın y² pro-
jecting through the table of the machine, and connected by a pin to the
ordinary belt shifter 73; when, therefore, the bar t and with it the lever w
are forced back, the pin or arm y of the shaft y' will be released, and the
spring y will cause the shaft y' to turn on its axis and move the belt shifter,
and thus stop the machine. When the defective thread has been repaired or
replaced the machine may be set in motion again by simply lifting the pin or
arm y on to the shoulder r' of the lever, thereby bringing the parts into
their original position.
My improved leashing or crossing apparatus, before referred to, has for its
object to form the leash or cross in warps with greater facility and in much
less time than by the ordinary plan of crossing by hand. It is well known to
weavers that in order to divide the warp threads so as to keep them straight,
and to facilitate the putting the warp in a loom, the warper is obliged to take
one end of the warp and separate it thread by thread into two parts, which
are then crossed and tied up by a string called a "leash." This separation or
division of the threads by hand is a tedious operation, whereas by means of
my improved apparatus I am enabled to effect this object at once by merely
depressing a lever, which will lift one half of the warp above the other.
My arrangement for effecting this object is shewn at Figs. 8 and 9,
Sheet III. Every alternate thread of the warp is passed through the eyes
of a series of vertical needles or weighted rods which are capable of being
acted on by a rising and falling bar z. The remainder of the threads may
either be passed through the eyes of a similar arrangement of vertical needles
or weighted rods which are to be acted on by a similar rising and falling bar z¹.
or they may be passed simply through holes made in a perforated plate, as
above mentioned. It will now be understood that if the bar z or z¹ with its
threads be lifted up one half (that is, every alternate thread) of the warp
will be raised above the level of the other half; the leashing thread or
string z may then be introduced between the upper and lower set of warp
threads. The bar z with its threads is then depressed below the other or
stationary warp threads, or if both bars are made to move in opposite direc-
tions the two sets of warp threads will be crossed. The leashing thread z² is
then to be introduced below the other or stationary warp threads, as shewn in

page_text: Fig. 10, and when it is tied the cross in the warp will be secured until the
latter is required to be placed in a loom.
This leashing apparatus may be adapted to any of the hand warping
machines now used, as well as to my improved warping machine, above
described, and as the leashing or crossing of the warps can be effected with
such great facility it will be found advantageous to put in a leash and cross
the warps three, four, or more times, especially if the warp be a long one, as
such an arrangement will greatly facilitate the clearing of the warp should it
by any means become entangled or broken, as is frequently the case.
Having now described my Invention of "Improved Machinery for Warping
or Preparing Warps for Weaving," and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid,-
First, the general construction and arrangement of parts herein set forth,
whereby the warping operation or the preparation of warps for weaving may
be performed by mechanical means, as above shewn and described.
I claim particularly the use of a self-regulating traversing guide (for guiding
the threads on to the roller or beam ) and so arranged and applied that the
traversing guide may be always kept at the same distance from the surface of
warp roller or beam whatever may be the increasing diameter of such roller
or beam.
I also claim the combination of a pressing roller, as above shewn and
described, with the warp roller or beam and the traversing guide, as and for
the purpose herein set forth.
I further claim the mode herein set forth of stopping the machine automa-
tically whenever a warp thread breaks or fails by running off the bobbin or
otherwise.
Lastly, I claim the mode of and apparatus herein set forth for leashing or
crossing warps preparatory to placing them in the loom for weaving.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Archibald Turner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.