IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WOOLLEN AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRIS-
TOPHER NICKELS, of York Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date. at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and fifty, in the fourteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Christopher Nickels, my.exors, adññors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Christopher
Nickels, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Chris-
topher Nickels, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WOOLLEN AND OTHER FABRICS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Christopher
Nickels, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Christopher Nickels, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, 5
that is to say:-
My Invention consists,-
First, of felting or fulling fabrics woven or made with raised pile, whether
terry or cut pile.
Secondly, my Invention consists of causing double fabrics, composed wholly 1
or partly of wool or other felting fibres, to be fulled or felted.
Thirdly, my Invention consists of causing double ribbed looped fabrics,
made wholly or partly of wool or other fibres capable of felting, to be fulled
or felted.
Fourthly, my Invention consists of manufacturing Brussels carpeting and
other terry fabrics.
Fifthly, my Invention consists of a mode of manufacturing warp fabrics by
inlaying transverse threads, so as to produce a transverse corded appearance
on the face of such a fabric. And,
Sixthly, my Invention consists of making double piled fabrics by employing
printed or party-colored warp threads or yarns.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me. Hereto-
fore fabrics which are woven or made from yarn and composed wholly or partly
of wool or other felting fibres, when intended to be felted or fulled, have been
woven or made by warp and shuttle without raised loops or cut pile, or they
have been woven or made by looping several warp threads into each other,
and without producing raised loops or cut pile thereon, or they have been
woven or made by knitting without raised loops or cut pile.
Now the object of the first part of my Invention is to manufacture fabrics
composed wholly or partly of wool or other felting' fibre, with projecting, terry
loops or cut pile, and then to cause the same to be felted or fulled; by which
means not only the back will be felted (when' composed wholly or partly of
felting fibre); but also the projecting pile, whether consisting of cut or uncut
pile, thus producing novel fulled or felted fabrics of a peculiar character.
would here state, that the means of weaving or making fabrics having on the
one side projecting terry or uncut loops, or cut pile thereon, whether composed
wholly or partly of felting fibres, and whether made by warp and shuttle or by
looping warps into each other, or by knitting, are well known and under-
I

page_text: stood, and separately are not claimed by me. And I would further state, that
the process of fulling and felting fabrics composed wholly or partly of wook
or other felting fibre is well known, and is separately not claimed by me as of
my Invention.
And I wish it to be understood that this part of my Invention
consists of causing fabrics woven or made with projecting pile, cut or uncut,
to be fulled or felted, so as to cause the fibres to felt or mat, and thus to produce
new descriptions of felted fabrics, which may afterwards be raised and finished
on the piled surfaces, and finished in like manner to what wollen clothis,
woven or made without pile; have before been raised and finished.
I will now describe the second, part of my Invention, which consists of
subjecting double fabrics to the process of felting or fulling. The weaving or
making of double fabrics is well known for the manufacture of hat shag and
plush, and other fabrics, where two fabrics are made simultaneously at a
greater or less distance apart and connected together, which, on being cut
apart or severed, produce two cut-piled fabrics, and are such, amongst others
as are operated' on by felting or fulling according to the first part of my Inven-
tion. But this part of my Invention consists of subjecting such double fabrics
to the process of fulling or felting when they consist wholly or partly of wool
or other fibres capable of felting, by which means a new manufacture of
felted fabric is produced, and which on being cut present very peculiar cut
pile fabrics. In carrying out this part of my Invention the double fabrics are
to be woven or made of wool or other fibre capable of felting, in like manner
to that in which similar fabrics have heretofore been made, but, generally, I
believe of unfelting fibres, and such fabrics are then to be felted in like manner
to that beretofore practised in fulling and felting woollen fabrics. And I
would state, that I make no claim to the means of making such fabrics
ready for fulling or felting separately, nor do I claim the process of fulling or
felting separately, this part of my Invention consisting of these combined
means of producing felted fabrics.
. I will now describe the third part of my Invention, which consists of
obtaining a new manufacture of felted fabric by causing double ribbed fabrics,.
that is, fabrics made with ribs on both sides; and composed wholly or partly
of fibres capable of felting, to be fulled or felted. Double ribbed fabrics,. as is.
well understood, are either made in knitting frames or machines; or else by
looping warp threads or yarns into each other. And I make no claim to the
production of such double ribbed fabrics, the same being well known; this
part of my Invention consisting of causing such descriptions of fabrics, when
composed wholly or partly of fibres capable of felting, to be subjected to the
process of fulling or felting, by which I am enabled to produce new manu-

page_text: factures of felted fabrics, and which may have nap or pile raised thereon, in
like manner to raising nap or pile on woollen or other fabrics.
:
I will now describe the fourth part of my Invention, which consists of
improvements in the manufacture of Brussels carpeting and other terry
weavings. Heretofore it has been usual for the most part in weaving Brussels
carpeting and other terry weavings, to introduce wires to produce and uphold
the terry loops, such wires being afterwards withdrawn from such fabrics, by
which means the terry loops are left hollow and vacant. Now the object of
this part of my Invention is to employ an additional weft thread of a size
suitable for raising, filling, and upholding the terry loops, such additional weft
remaining permanently part of the fabric. In carrying out this part of my
Invention, the warps will be as heretofore when weaving like terry fabrics;
and the looms will be worked as formerly, the only difference necessary to be
observed in carrying out this part of my Invention being, the throwing in of
the additional weft into the sheds opened for producing the terry loops, in
place of introducing the wires; and for this purpose I prefer to use looms
with two sets of shuttle boxes, and two shuttles, one carrying the ordinary
weft for making the back of the fabric, and the other additional or terry
producing weft; and it is the producing of terry weavings, by means of a'
permanent weft, which constitutes this part of my Invention. And I would
remark, that figured or ornamental terry surfaces may be produced when
using additional weft, by the application of Jacquard or other apparatus for
producing ornamental or figured fabrics, in which cases those portions of the
terry making additional weft which do not make the pattern would pass to
the back of the fabrics.
I will now describe the fifth part of my Invention, which consists of a mode
of introducing transverse yarns or threads into warp fabrics, and so as to produce
a corded or terry appearance on the face of such a fabric. The manufacture.
of warp fabrics being well understood, it will not be necessary to describe the
same here further than is necessary to explain my present improvements.
The Drawing annexed shews a section of so much of a warp frame as will
enable me to describe my present improvements for introducing transverse
threads or yarns, and the peculiarity of this mode of working consists of
causing the transverse threads to be introduced in between the upper and
lower warp threads or yarns of which warp fabrics are composed. a, b, are
the upper and lower row of guides, and between them is the traversing guide
or thread layer c, which is capable of sliding wholly or partly across the
machine, and it is to be caused to slide across or partly across and lay in
its thread of a greater or less thickness, according as it is desired to produce

page_text: more or less of a corded appearance. The Drawing shows the position of
the parts at the commencement of a course, when the guide or thread carrier c
moves to the right and lays its thread in front of the needles; the bottom
guide bar 6 then laps over two needles to the right, the top guide bar a laps.
over one needle to the left; the sinker and presser bars act to knock over the
work; the thread carrier ċ moves to the left and lays its thread in front of
the needles. The guide bar 6 laps, over two needles, to the left; the guide
bar a laps over one needle to the right; the sinker and presser bars again act
and knock over the work, and the thread carrier c again moves to the right,
and the course of working will proceed as before. I would here remark, that
although I have only shewn two guide bars other numbers may be used; and
in producing ornamental fabrics of this character, two or more threads to each
needle may be applied, and the warp and transverse threads employed may be
colored or plain without departing from my Invention.
.:
3
I will now describe the sixth part of my Invention, which consists of
improvements in manufacturing piled fabrics when printed or party-colored
yarns are used. And this part of my Invention consists of weaving double
fabrics, using printed or partly-colored yarns, so as simultaneously to produce
two printed piled fabrics when separated or cut apart. The weaving of double
fabrics combined together by the parts of the warps which are, when cut, to
form the pile on the two fabrics is well known; but heretofore imprinted
warps have been used for producing the pile; and this part of my Invention
consists in employing printed or party-colored warps when weaving double
fabrics. The printing or rendering warps party colored is well understood,
and separately is not claimed by me; and the workman in setting out his
pattern will color each warp thread with its several colors, according to the
requireinent of the particular pattern, as heretofore, and as is well understood;
and according as the two fabrics are to be made more or less distant from one
another, with a view to produce a greater or shorter length of pile on each of
the two fabrics when they are cut apart, he will color the same in portions of
a greater or less length.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would remark that what I claim is,―
First, the felting or fulling fabrics woven or made with raised pile, whether
terry or cut pile.
'
Secondly, I claim the causing of double fabrics to be felted.
Thirdly, I claim the causing of double ribbed looped fabrics to be felted.
Fourthly, I claim the manufacture of Brussels carpeting and other terry