IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Singleton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
June 1875.
I, THOMAS SINGLETON, of Over Darwen, in the County of Lancaster,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of tho said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention relates to a fast reed loom, and is a
means of rendering the force of the concussion less violent when the stop
rod strikes the frog. On the crank is placed, as is customary, two
driving pulleys, but instead of one of them being fast and the other loose
they are both loose. The boss of the inner pulley is made with teeth as
a clutch box, and gears into a clutch box sliding on a key on the crank
shaft, or the pulley and the clutch box are formed without teeth, and
are fitted together as a friction. The clutch box is kept in gear with the
pulley by a L lever, one end of which is attached to the frog. When
the frog is struck the L lever moves the clutch box out of gear with the
pulley, which is then free to turn without moving the crank and urging
the slay onward. The frog of course at the same time throws off the

page_text: knocking-off handle, which moves the strap on the outer pulley, and
A handle
applies the brake and stops the loom in the ordinary manner.
is attached to the frog, by which the operative presses it and throws the
clutch box into gear or contact with the pulley before setting the loom
to work. The two pullies before-named serve all the purposes of the
ordinary fast and loose pullies, and it is only when the stop rod strikes
the frog, that the inner pulley turns without the crank shaft.
The next part of this Invention is an improvement in the loose reed
loom, and is a means of making the reed fast at one time and loose at
another. For this purpose the winged rod attached to the reed case
carries at one end a lever, in which is fixed a stud carrying a bowl and a
tumbler or paul. When the loom is working and the shuttle is
travelling across the reed, and in order that the reed may be firm tho
bowl before-named works in contact with and on the inside of a bow
spring attached to a bracket fixed to tho breast beam of the loom.
When the slay comes nearly to the front the reed is made fast and firm
to beat up the weft, by the tumbler working in contact with and against
the under side of an incline carried by the breast beam of the loom.
Either the tumbler or the incline is fitted with a spring, and made
capable of swivelling or receding if struck. At that point where the
reed is usually thrown out if the shuttle should be caught in the shed
the bowl has left the bow spring and the tumbler has not come under
the incline, the only pressure then upon the reed is from a small
independent spring which acts upon the winged rod. If the shuttle is
caught in the shed the pressure of the small spring before-named is
overcome and the reed is thrown out, at the same time the tumbler is so
lifted that it cannot possibly get under the incline, but as some part of
it may come in contact with the incline, cither the tumbler or the
incline swivels or recedes when struck. For actuating the stopping of
the loom when the reed may be thrown out, there is on the winged rod
a notched finger, which at each beat of the slay comes in close proximity
to a stud on a lever carried by the finger rod or breast beam; the upper
end of the said lever clips a slide coming from and clipping the spring
handle, a notch on the slide fits on a stud on the breast beam of the
loom. When the reed is thrown out the notched finger is raised so as
to strike the stud and move the lever, which in turn moves the slide,
so that the notch escapes from the stud when the slide and spring
handle at once flies forward, the latter stopping the loom in the usual

page_text: manner.
An incline on the slide acts on the holding finger, and presses
it back each time the slide moves forward. The weft fork is carried by
a bow spring attached to the breast beam, a bracket on the said spring
clips the slide, so that when the weft fork is drawn backward the notch
in the slide is pulled from off the stud, and the slide and spring handle
flies forward, the latter stopping the loom in the usual manner.
The next part of this Invention is an improved weft fork and grate.
The weft fork I make with one prong by which I economise reed space,
and the weft grate to work in connection with the said fork I make of a
single wire of tempered steel curled round many times at the bottom,
and then standing upright, so that it will give way in any direction and
spring back to its original position. In connection with the above I
prefer to use also a weft holder, in the form of a small spring attached
to the breast beam. As the slay comes forward one end of the spring
passes along a small groove in the slay, and finally presses the thread of
weft against the shuttle box back, thus holding it, and making it firmer
and surer to act on the weft fork.
The next part of this Invention is an improved brake. Near the
back of the loom is fixed a stud upon which the stud piece swivels, ono
end of the stud piece is formed for pressing upon the wheel, being
covered with leather for that purpose, or the part that is covered with
leather may be a separate piece, but attached to the stud piece, and
capable of being moved nearer to or further from the stud. The other
end of the stud piece is formed to receive a long shank or handle, which
may either swivel horizontally in the stud piece or be fixed firmly
thereto, but made so as to spring or bend at the other extremity, which
is received in a slot in a bracket attached to the spring handle of the
loom. An inclined bracket is attached to the loom side, or to the strap
fork, or to the strap fork bracket, and the said bracket acts upon the
shank of the brake in such a manner that when the spring handle moves
the shank outward the inclined bracket raises the shank upward, and so
takes the brake off the wheel. When the spring handle moves inward
the inclination of the bracket allows the shank to fall, and the brake is
put on the wheel. A weight is placed on the shank to give the necessary
pressure on the wheel. A notch is formed in the slot of the bracket
attached to the spring handle, so that the shank of the brake may be
lifted up by the operative and placed in the said notch, by which means

page_text: the brake is taken off the wheel while the loom is stopped, so that the
crank may be turned to any position with case.
The next part of this Invention relates to the treading of the healds
for plain cloth. I use two heald rollers, four healds, four treddles, and
four tappets. The tappets are so formed, that when the shed is wide i
open there are two sheets of warp as is usual, but as the top sheet
descends and the bottom sheet ascends they each divide into two sheets,
so that at the time of crossing there are four sheets of warp instead of
two. When that part of the warp that was at the top has arrived at the
bottom, and that part that was at the bottom has arrived at the top, the 1
warp is in two sheets as before; this is effected by forming the tappets
so that the curve of one rises faster than the other, after which it rises
slower than the other. The object of the above is that by dividing the
sheets of warp as explained, any loose threads or broken ends that might
be among the threads of the warp, and might be holding two or more 1
threads of the warp together, might be the more likely to get opened
out and separated, than with the ordinary system of treading.
The next part of this Invention is a means of weighting the yarn
beam by friction. On the yarn beam is placed a ruffle, one edge of
which is formed as a ratchet wheel, and fitting loose upon this ruffle is :
another ruffle carrying a catch, which gears in the said ratchet wheel.
Pressing upon the outer ruffle is one or more blocks of wood, in each of
which is inserted a block of plumbago. The said piece or pieces of
wood are carried in a suitable frame and pressed by a spring or springs
actuated by a screw or screws. The pressure of the piece or pieces of
wood on the outer ruffle gives the amount of drag or friction required,
and the catch and ratchet wheel allows the operative to release the catch
and turn the yarn beam with ease.
The next part of this Invention is an improved spindle stud. It is
made in two parts, each of which is recessed for the head of the bolt.
The bolt is made with a slot large enough for the spindle to pass through,
and is screwed at both ends, one end serving to screw the stud in its
place, and the other end serving to fasten the spindle. Half of the hole
for the spindle is formed in each part of the stud, and one end of the
bolt serves to screw one part of the stud to the other, by which means
the spindle is made fast. In connection with the above I use a slotted
plate placed at the box end, and capable of being so adjusted as to
prevent the hole in the box end from wearing.

page_text: !
The next part of this Invention is an improved check strap arrange-
ment. At the back of each shuttle box is placed a spring, one part of
which is in contact with the swell; at the end of the spring is attached
a strap, which is brought through a hole in the box back, and fastened
5 at the front of the slay, or fastened to the same kind of spring in
connection with the other shuttle box. When the shuttle enters the box
and while receiving the pressure of the swell proceeds to strike the picker,
the picker strikes the strap and causes the spring to press the swell
more forcibly against the shuttle, thus acting as a check.