IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CALEB
BEDELLS, of Leicester, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of July, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Caleb Bedells, my exors, adñors, and assigns, Her especial license, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Caleb Bedells, my exors, adññiors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Caleb Bedells, my exors, adñors, or
assigns, should at any time, 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 WEAVING;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Caleb Bedells, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Caleb Bedells, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-

page_text: The first part of my Invention relates to a mode of weaving when using
twist-lace machinery, and consists of employing the traversing threads of
different colors, so that in being worked into a fabric (consisting of such
traversing colored threads and longitudinal threads, which may be of one or
more colors,) very beautiful effects are produced by the crossing of the different
colored traversing threads as they proceed in opposite directions in twist-lace
machinery, in passing from selvage to selvage of the fabric produced. And in
carrying out this part of my Invention any of the ordinary machinery suitable
for making traverse net or lace may be used; but I shall hereafter give such
description of the machinery I prefer for this purpose as will enable a
workman to carry out this part of my Invention by using the same class of
machinery, or he may vary the mode by using other classes of machinery; and
therefore it should be understood, that this part of the Invention does not
consist of machinery, but of the use of different colored traversing threads
when working in twist-lace machinery with warp and bobbin threads.
The second part of my Invention also relates to weaving peculiar fabrics in
twist-lace machines so as to form the lace portions of the fabrics in stripes, the
stripes being combined together by threads of different colors (to the stripes
of lace), which cross diagonally in the space between the two selvages of two
neighbouring portions or stripes of lace fabrics, by which the stripes of lace
fabric will be combined together with threads of a different color or colors to
what the stripes of lace fabrics are, and the connecting threads thus used will
be introduced into the fabric for the purpose of joining the neighbouring edges.
of each two stripes of lacework, and will be similar to lacing threads; but they.
will be by preference worked securely into the fabric so as not readily to draw,
as is well understood. And as the fabrics thus constituted of lace in stripes at
distances apart, joined by threads of a different color or colors to the lace.
portions of the fabric, would, at the parts where the connecting threads are
used, be too open, particularly when the stripes of lace are at a distance of a
quarter of an inch or more apart, india-rubber threads are introduced at the
selvages of the stripes of lace, so as to draw up the fabric, when the fabric is
rendered elastic by applying heat to the india rubber, as is well understood.
And I make no claim to the separate use of india-rubber threads as warp
threads in lace fabrics, that being now well understood and extensively
practised; nor do I claim the joining of stripes of lacework permanently with
threads, similar in appearance to draw threads, when separately considered;
for it is the combined use of india-rubber threads with joining threads of a
different color or colors to the lace portions of the fabric which constitutes the
peculiar character of novelty of the fabrics made according to the second
part of my Invention.

page_text: And in order that the Invention may be more fully understood, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I will proceed to describe the means
pursued by me.
The first part of my Invention relates, as above stated, to a mode of manu-
facturing colored weavings in bobbin-net or twist-lace machines, and consists in
using traversing threads of different colors, so that by being worked up into a
fabric (by crossing each other when traversing in opposite directions in going
from selvage to selvage of the fabrics), very beautiful and novel effects may be
produced. It is well known that bobbin-net or twist-lace machines usually
work with one warp thread to each bobbin thread; but in some cases two or
more warp threads have been used in bobbin-net or twist-lace machines,
wherein the warp threads constitutes the longitudinal threads of the fabrics
produced, such mode of working being to obtain ornamental twist lace or
bobbin net composed partly of meshes and partly of close woven clothwork in
pattern. I mention this circumstance in order to state that I do not claim the
using of two or more warp threads to each bobbin thread, but I prefer to use
them when working according to the first part of my Invention. It may here
be stated, that by using extra threads to each of the bobbin threads more close
woven fabrics may be produced in bobbin-net or twist-lace machines then
when only one warp thread is used for each bobbin thread, and it is for this
reason I prefer to resort to this mode.
The construction of bobbin-net or twist-lace machines being well under-
stood, and such being the case in respect to the modes of working, it will not
be necessary to enter into a particular description thereof in this Specification;
and I have used that description of machinery which works by what are
called single-bladed roller lockers for carrying out the first part of my Inven-
tion; I do not, however, confine myself thereto, as other classes of machines
may be used. And, in order that this part of my Invention may more readily
be understood by a workman, I have annexed a Drawing to this my Specifica-
tion, in which I have shewn a section of some of the parts of a bobbin-net or
twist-lace machine arranged for carrying out this part of my Invention; and I
have also shewn a cut of lace wheels used by me for producing a close woven
fabric. The Drawing also shows the points used for taking up the work,
which are flat, in order to beat up the work closely, and not to draw off too
much of the bobbin thread at each time of taking up. I have also shewn a
lead of the ordinary guides for the warp threads of cotton, silk, or other spun
fibres. a, b, c, and d, are the four guide bars for carrying the two sets of warp
threads, that is, two to each bobbin thread, which are worked independent of
each other. The guide bars a and b carry the front warp thread, each bar

page_text: having as many warp threads as there are carriages in the front row; hence
the front row of bobbins will have a double compliment of warp threads.
The guide bars c and d carry the warp threads for the back row of carriages,
each guide bar having as many guides and warp threads as there are carriages
in the back row, by which means the back row of carriages will have a
double compliment of threads, and each guide bar is capable of independent
movement. The machine is worked in the ordinary manner, and the lace
wheels will cause the guide bars and the front comb bar to be shogged, so as
to produce the fabric desired, which, according to the arrangement shewn, will
be a close woven fabric, but the cut of wheels may be varied if a different
working of the threads be desired. The front comb or bolt bar is to be shogged,
and the machine is to be worked so as to cause the bobbin threads to traverse
from selvage to selvage, as is well understood, and at the same time the guide
bars (when a close weaving is to be made) are to be worked so that the
bobbin threads shall not twist around the warp threads so as to produce
meshes, but simply act as weft threads, as is well understood; but, when
desired, the cut of wheels used in the machine may be capable of producing
other constructions of fabrics. In place of all the bobbins being filled with
the same colour different colours are to be used. Supposing the first twenty
carriages in the front had blue yarn or thread, the second twenty carriages in
the front had white, and the third twenty black, and so on across the machine,
and that the first twenty carriages at the same end of the machine had
black, the next twenty white, and the third blue, the fabric produced would
consist of diagonal stripes of each of these colors, producing very peculiar
effects of crossing of such different colors in different diagonal directions. I
wish it to be understood, that I have chosen the above instance of a use of
different colored traversing threads simply to make the Invention better
understood; but the order in which different colored traversing threads are
to be used will depend on the taste and judgment of the workman, and by
varying the colors of the threads in different fabrics, or varying the order in
which the same colored threads are used in different fabrics, very different
effects will be produced. In carrying out the second part of the Invention the
bobbin-net or twist-lace machine used is to be arranged as if about to make a
series of breadths of lace, the breadths being more or less wide apart,
according to the judgment of the workman, and these breadths are to be laced
together by threads of different colors to those, or some of those, of which the
stripes of lace fabric are made; and they may also be of different materials,
each of such joining threads being crossed to and fro from the edges of two
neighbouring breadths or stripes of lace fabric; and as such joining threads

page_text: are not to be drawn, but to remain permanent, I prefer them to be so worked
into the selvages as to secure them from being easily withdrawn, though that
is not essential, and I apply a warp thread of india rubber at each selvage of
each breadth of lace, so as to draw up the selvages when the india rubber is
rendered elastic; by this means the otherwise open work produced by the
diagonal crossing from selvage to selvage of the lacing threads will be closed.
And I introduce such warp threads of india rubber as extra warp threads, so
that they may not bear the cross strain of the fabric, but simply act as the
means of giving elasticity to the fabric. The fabrics thus made will offer a
very peculiar character, owing to the joining threads being of a different color
or colors to the lace, and the strips of lace may also be of different colors to
each other.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,―
First, the mode of weaving fabrics in twist-lace machines (working with
bobbin threads and warp threads) by causing the traversing threads to be of
different colors, as herein described; and,
Secondly, I claim the mode of weaving fabrics in twist-lace machines
whereby breadths of lace having india rubber therein are combined together
by diagonal joining threads of a different color or colors to the lace portions of
the fabrics, as herein mentioned.
In witness whereof, I, the said Caleb Bedells, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.