IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAID MACHINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ashton, of Commercial Street, Knot Mill, in the
City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAID MACHINES."
Sealed the 12th March 1880, and dated the 16th September 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ashton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th September 1879.
WILLIAM ASHTON, of Commercial Street, Knot Mill, in the City of Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Machinist. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAID MACHINES."
My improvements in machines for the manufacture of braid and similar goods
are of three parts.
Firstly. When using an ordinary braid making machine made for a certain number
of threads, and desiring to make more than one braid upon that machine or
head with a smaller number of threads in each braid, it is usual to take off say a
rose of four groves, and to replace it by one of five, and in order to keep the right
time the speed of the latter is altered proportionately; this change causes incon-
venience in consequence of the space being only prepared for a rose of four groves.
My improvements consist in making the machine with roses of five groves, the
roses having a proportionately larger diameter, or with roses of any other odd
number of groves above four, such roses having a diameter proportionate to the
number of groves in them, the divisions of the table and plates carrying the roses
or the spindles upon which the latter are fixed are of course made larger also. If now
it is desired to make a change in the machine, and to prepare it for making more than
one smaller braid upon it simultaneously, the roses originally placed in the machine
are substituted by four groove roses, or roses of any other even number of groves
less than the number of groves originally contained in the roses, the speeds being
altered to correspond. Thus by the substitution of roses of a less number of groves
in the same space instead of a larger number of groves as hitherto practiced,
difficulty and uncertainty in working are obviated and crowding is avoided, more
room having been obtained.
Secondly. At present each machine is usually provided with only one draw-off-
iron, so that only one braid however narrow can conveniently be drawn off one

page_text: machine or head however large the number of threads may be for which it is made.
My improvements consist in providing a bar of circular or other shape, and of any
suitable section which is fixed all round the machine, and to which may be attached
as many draw-off-irons with their necessary callender and other gear as may be
desired, so that on a machine or head more than one narrow braid may be
conveniently drawn off.
Thirdly. In some kinds of braid, longitudinal or straight, threads are often put
into the fabric, and these are fed through tubes in the centre of the roses or their
carriers. For this purpose it is necessary to have bobbins outside the machine, the
threads passing from the bobbins down and enter the aforesaid tubes, but the
threads from the bobbins are liable to run loose and irregularly, and thus cause
imperfections in the braid. My improvements consist in running the threads of
the aforesaid bobbins through callender rollers or to coil them round single taking
up, or delivery rollers which regulate their speed as may be desired. By using
callender or other rollers of different diameters each thread may be delivered at a
different speed. Stepped conerollers made in one piece or in sections of different
diameters may be used either as single rollers for coiling or in callender form.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Ashton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th March
1880.
WILLIAM ASHTON, of Commercial Street, Knot Mill, in the City of Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Machinist. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAID MACHINES."
Firstly. When using an ordinary braid making machine made for a certain
number of threads, and desiring to make more than one braid upon that machine
or head with a smaller number of threads in each braid, it is usual to take off say a
rose of four grooves, and to replace it by one of five, and in order to keep the right
time the speed of the latter is altered proportionately; this change causes incon-
venience in consequence of the space being only prepared for a rose of four grooves.
My improvements consist in making the machine with roses of five grooves, the
roses having a proportionately larger diameter, or with roses of any other odd
number of grooves above four, such roses having a diameter proportionate to the
number of grooves in them, the divisions of the table and plates carrying the roses
or the spindles upon which the latter are fixed are of course also made larger. If
now it is desired to make a change in the machine, and so prepare it for making
more than one smaller braid upon it simultaneously, the roses originally placed in
the machine are substituted by four groove roses, or roses of any other even number
of grooves less than the number of grooves originally contained in the roses, the
speed being altered to correspond. Thus by the substitution of roses of a less
number of grooves in the same space instead of a larger number of grooves as
hitherto practised, difficulty and uncertainty in working are obviated, and crowding
is avoided, more room having been obtained.
Secondly. At present each machine is usually provided with only one draw off
iron, so that only one braid, however narrow, may be conveniently drawn off one
machine or head however large the number of threads may be for which it is made.
My improvements consists in providing a bar of circular or other shape, and of
any suitable section which is fixed all round the machine, and to which as many
draw off irons with their necessary callendar and other gear may be attached as
may be desired, so that on a machine or head with a large number of threads a
number of narrow braids may be conveniently drawn off.
Thirdly. In some kinds of braids longitudinal or straight threads are often put
into the fabric, and these are fed through tubes in the centre of the roses or their
carriers. For this purpose it is necessary to have bobbins outside the machine, the
threads passing from the bobbins down and enter the aforesaid tubes, but the
threads from these bobbins are liable to run loose and irregularly, and thus cause
imperfections in the braid.
My improvements consist in running the threads of the
aforesaid bobbins through callendar rollers, or to coil them round plain taking up
or delivery rollers, which regulate their speed as may be desired. By using
callendar or other rollers of different diameters, each thread may be delivered at a
different speed. Stepped cone rollers made in one piece or in sections of different
diameters may be used either as single rollers for coiling or in calendar form.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
For the purpose of further explanation of my Invention, I anex a Drawing
which I will now proceed to explain. Fig. 1 and 2 represent a plate P of a
braid machine having 18 roses so arranged that one, two, or three braids may be
made simultaneously. Fig. 1 shows the arrangement for making all the threads
into one braid, and Fig. 2 shows the arrangement for making three distinct smaller
braids of equal width. Each group has two five groove roses R, and four four
groove roses, but in Fig. 1 all the large roses R, except two, to form the selvage
are replaced by four groove roses R¹ of the same diameter as the fives R, and being

page_text: speeded quicker. Fig. 1 shews one draw off iron D with a callendar C, while three
are shown in Fig. 2. B is the circular bar to which the draw off iron D and
callendar C is fixed, being attached by brackets m, or any other suitable means to
the framing, either in sections as shown or in one piece, and it may be of any
convenient cross section. Figs. 3 and 4 show two half elevations, and Fig. 5 a part
plan of the plate of a so called alliance machine illustrating the third part of my
Invention. The longitudinal or straight thread t that are put in some braids are
fed through the tube T in the centre of the roses from the bobbins b, containing
these threads. From the latter they run over a rod d, and thence through a wire
loop between a pair of callendar or regulating feed rollers f. f¹, over another rod
d and the roller in the tubes T, the desired speed being imparted to f by short
shafts 8, and bevil wheels wand w¹, driven from the draw off callendars by chain
wheels or in any other suitable manner. Instead of the plain callender rollers f, f¹,
stepped cones may be used or the rollers may be of different diameters to feed or
regulate the threads t at different rates.
Having now described my Invention, and ascertained in what manner the same
may be carried into practice, I declare that I do not limit myself to the exact
details and proportions shown or described for the purpose of explanation, but I
claim as my Invention substantially,―
1. The arrangement of braid machines having some or all the roses of diameters
proportionate to contain one groove more than the number they are ordinarily
intended to work with for the purpose and in the manner set forth and described.
2. The use of a circular or other continuous or nearly continuous bar for the
purpose of carrying the draw off irons and callenders in any desired position on
the machine, substantially as shewn and described.
3. The application of callender rollers, cones or other means of regulating the
feed of longitudinal or straight threads, substantially as described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Ashton, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord 1880.
WM ASHTON