IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS, MACHINERY, OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE FINISHING OF MOHAIR AND OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Weiss, of the firm of Schwann, Kell, & Co.,
of Huddersfield, in the County of York, Commission Merchants, and
Henry Lister, of the same Place, Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS, MACHINERY, OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE
FINISHING OF MOHAIR AND OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS."
ealed the 3rd July 1857, and dated the 20th March 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Weiss and Henry
Lister at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 20th March 1857.
We, CHARLES WEISS, of the firm of Schwann, Kell, & Co., of Hudders-
field, in the County of York, Commission Merchants, and HENRY LISTER, of
the same Place, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS, MACHINERY, OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN
THE FINISHING OF MOHAIR AND OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to the finishing of mohair and other textile fabrics
in a peculiar style, known as the "whirpool" finish, which has heretofore
been produced by means of a series of rotating card spindles, Letters Patent
for which process were obtained by Isaac Beardsell, of Huddersfield, dated
Dec 12th, 1855, No. 2807.
Our improvements consist in the employment of a board or table of suit-
able dimensions, in which we fix pins or points at intervals, and in relative

page_text: positions to suit the design required. We also employ another board of
similar dimensions, on which we affix circular pieces of wire cards, or clusters
of points, in corresponding positions to the points on the other board, so that
cach of the points on the first-named board or table would meet the centre
of each card or cluster of points on the other board, when the two boards are
placed one upon the other.
We then place the cardboard with the cards or clusters of points between
the pins, or in the spaces of the other, and by means of a crank, eccentric,
or tappet motion, cause it to move in such a manner that each piece of card
will move round each pin or point on the other board. The motion of the
said cardboard is similar to the motion of the "frizing board."
The fabric to be finished is first passed through hot water, and then a
portion equal in size of the pin board is pressed down on the said pins which
hold it secure, whilst the cards or clusters of points operate upon the surface
of the said fabric, carding or "raising" the wool or nap in circles or curls
round the pins which form centres to each of the circles. The boards are
then separated to allow the fabric to be raised off the pins, and passed
forwards a certain distance for another portion to be operated upon in like
manner; and this process is continued until the whole length of the piece or
fabric is finished or curled. Such fabrics are then dried, cut, or "cropped"
and pressed, by any ordinary means or method.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Weiss and Henry Lister in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
WEISS, of the firm of Schwann & Co., of Huddersfield, in the County of York,
Commission Merchants, and HENRY LISTER, of the same place, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patcut, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Charles Weiss and Henry Lister, Her special license that we, the
said Charles Weiss and Henry Lister, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Charles Weiss and Henry Lister,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,

page_text: 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 Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS,
5 MACHINERY, OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE FINISHING OF MOHAIR AND OTHER
TEXTILE FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Charles Weiss and Henry Lister, by an instrument in writing under our
hands and seals, or the hand and seal of one of us, 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 Henry Lister, for and on behalf of
myself and the said Charles Weiss, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
(that is to say):
Our Invention relates to improvements in combining machinery or appa-
ratus for producing what is known as the "whirpool finish" on mohair and
other textile fabrics, and sucli improvements consist in the use of a board or
table of suitable dimensions, in which are fixed pins or points at intervals,
according to the design intended to be produced; also another board of
similar dimensions, on which are affixed circular pieces of wire card cr-clusters
of points, corresponding in positions with the points before-mentioned, and
so that, when the two boards are one over the other with the mohair or textile
fabric between them, and motion is given to the one with the wire cards
thereon, in the manner of "frizing boards," by cranks, excentrics, or tappets,
the nap or face of the fabric will be laid around the points in numerous
lines (according to the number of points in a cluster), excentric to the centre
of the pattern which is produced around each point.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is a vertical section, taken through the
line A, B, in Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is a plan of the combined machinery or
apparatus.
a is a board or table with pins or points fixed thereon, and mounted upon
suitable framework, and capable of being raised or lowered by means of the
lever b, which is attached to the shaft c, on which is fixed a spur wheel d,
which tolon

page_text: tappets g, g, by which the board or table a is raised or lowered as required;
h is another board, on which are affixed circular pieces of wire cards, or it
may be other clusters of points, which correspond or are in relative positions
with the pins or points on the board a. The board is also capable of being
raised or lowered by means of the lever b and the tappets i, i, acting upon the
slides *. The one board is raised at the same time the other is lowered.
.The reciprocating motion is communicated to the board by the adjustable
.stud plates or cranks j, j, which are actuated by or receive motion from the
shaft through the medium of the bevil gear 1, l. The shaft k may be driven
by steam or other power by the wheel and pinion m, n, in this illustration,
to which pinion a winch handle may be attached, when working the machine
by band.
Fig. 4 is the cardboard h, shewing the arrangement of the picees of wire
cards or clusters of points. There is a hole in each end of said board to
receive the crank pins j, j. Fig. 5 is a portion of the said cardboard drawn
full size, and intended to shew how the pieces of wire cards or clusters of
points o of the board h are moved around the, pins p on the board a by the
action of the cranks to produce the circles shewn in dotted lines at q, q, each
pin p forming a centre, around which the wool or nap is raised and laid, thus
forming numerous excentric circles or "curls."
Figs. 6 and 7 are full size views of the stud plate or crank, which is
capable of being adjusted to the size of pattern required, as will be readily
understood. The cloth or fabric to be finished is wound upon the roller r, ou
the end of which is a pulleys, around which is a cord with a weight attached
to act as a break; the end of the fabric is then passed over the rail t, and
under the roller u in a trough containing hot water, and over the roller v,
across the board or table a, and over the rollers w, w, to the roller x. It
will be perceived, that when the boards a and are brought into contact with
the cloth or fabric, as shewn at Figs. 1 and 2, the pins on the board a will
penetrate through and hold the fabric in position, whilst the wire cards or
other formed clusters of points on the board operate upon the fabric to
produce as many clusters of excentric circles or curls thereon as there are
pieces of wire cards or other clusters of points on the board h. The boards a
and h are then separated to allow of the fabric being drawn forward a certain
distance for another length of fabric to be similarly held and operated upon,
which is regulated by a catch falling into a notch on the wheel y, fixed on the
end of the roller w. The peculiar action or motion of these wire cards or
clusters of points will be understood by reference to Fig. 10, in Sheet 2,
where it will be seen that every point in a cluster of points moves eccentrically

page_text: around the pin p in the board a, which pin may be said to form the centre
to the figure or pattern; consequently the lines traced by the several points of
a cluster of points are continually crossing each other's course, whereby the
raised wool, nap, or pile, is caused to cross, and thus cover the warp and weft
threads better than when laid concentrically, by which a better class of whir
pool finish is produced than heretofore.
Figure 8 is part of a plan of the framework, with the pin and cardboards
and other apparatus applied, which enables us to move the cardboard so as to
produce designs formed with oval figures on such fabrics. A is the pin board,
and H, the cardboard, as in Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet 1. Two bars or rails 1, 2,
are fixed across the frame, to the middle of which is attached a cross bar 3,
a rod 4 with points at each end passing through and capable of sliding in a
boss in the cross bar; connecting rods 5 and 6 are attached to each end of the
rod, and to the cranks j, j; studs 7 and 8 are fixed (but capable of adjust-
ment) in the connecting rods, and holes are made in a line along the centre
of the back or upper side of the cardboard II to receive the studs 7 and 8.
By reference to Fig. 9 it will be seen that as the crank pin moves in the
circle through the points 1 to 12, the stud fixed in the connecting rod will
move through the points marked with similar figures, and the cards or
points will form the oval or eliptical figure there deliniated, the pins being
arranged or placed in the foci, the cards or clusters of points moving around
them.
We also produce designs formed of portions of circular figures by affixing
a tappet on the stud plate. or crank, and another on the board h, so that at
each revolution of the crank shaft, the two tappets may come in contact with
and pass over each other, by which means the cardboard will be lifted off the
fabric during the period of the passing of the tappets.
Figs. 11 and 12 are elevation and plan of the stud plate with the tappet 9
affixed thereon; Figs. 11 and 15 are plan and section of a plate with a
tappet 10 thereon to affix to the underside of the cardboard; and Fig. 13 is
another view of the stud plate and tappet 9 with a portion of the cardboard
and tappet plate.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, we would have it understood, that we make no claim
to any of the mechanical parts separately, nor do we confine ourselves to the
precise details herein described; and we would also bave it understood, that
we are aware that it is not new to produce what is now known as the "whirlpool
finish" to mohair and other fabrics, such finish having been published by a
registered design, Number 99,895, April the Twentieth, Eighteen hundred

page_text: and fifty-five, and Letters Patent have also been granted to Isaac Beardsall for
producing a description of such finish by means of machinery working with
card spindles; we therefore make no claim thereto, but what we claim is
the combining machinery, herein-described,. for producing "whirlpool finish"
by surfaces a and h; arranged. with points and clusters of points, and worked
as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Lister, for and on behalf of
myself and the said Charles Weiss, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred, and fifty-seven.
Witness,.
WALTER BRIERLEY,
Clerk to W Tasker, Patent Agent,
Halifax..
HENRY LISTER (L.S.)