IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nahum Salamon, of Ludgate Hill, in the
City of London, Sewing Machine Factor, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."-A communication from
abroad by Benjamin Porter Howe, of the City of New York, in
TTCNT Amoxico
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Nahum Salamon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 7th August 1868, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NAHUM
SALAMON, of Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, Sewing Machine
Factor, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEWING MACHINES," which Invention has been communicated to me
from abroad by Benjamin Porter Howe, of the City of New York, in the
United States of North America, and have petitioned Her Majesty to

page_text: grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal
Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that
the same is not in use by any other person or persons to the best of my
knowledge and belief.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Nahum Salamon, do hereby declaro
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement: -
My Invention consists, firstly, in certain improvements in sewing
machines; and, secondly, sewing machine frames for the machine proper
to stand upon.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the front of the machine, into
which works the needle bar or slide, and also the pressure foot slide;
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same shewing the pressure foot on the
cloth; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the reverse side to Fig. 2 shewing
the position of the pressure foot when raised to its position off the cloth
and passed at right angles in its ascent, as shown by the dotted lines;
Fig. 4 is another elevation shewing the pressure foot raised to its
position off the cloth and at right angles to the position of the pressure
foot in Figs. 1 and 2.
Chapter 1.-It is usual in ordinary sewing machines previously
constructed to lift the pressure foot off the cloth by means of a lever at
the top of the pressure foot slide, and then turn the pressure foot off the
work at right angles with the hand. In the present improvements the
pressure foot slide is operated on by the lever A, which works on the
pin or axis a. On the other side of the axis the lever has an arm bent
at right angles passing around the front of the machine, into which is
cut a rectangular slot B forming a part of the lever, so that when the
lever A. is brought down to the position of A', as shewn by the dotted
portion, then the pressure foot is raised off the cloth to the height shewn
in Figs. 3 and 4; but in its passing to the height in a vertical direction
it turns at the same time at right angles by means of the pin or stud E
which is affixed to the slide C working in the slot B, and in passing the
lever back again from the position of A¹ to A the slide and pressure foot
is brought back again to its original position and turned again 90°, and
the pin E is brought back again into the slot e, when the pressure foot
is in a position ready to protect the work to be sewn, as shewn in Fig. I,

page_text: thus enabling the operator to effect the raising up and turning around
.the pressure foot at right angles at the same time by merely moving the
lever A to A', and (visi versi) without the necessity of turning the
pressure foot slide around by a second operation.
Chapter 2. Another important improvement is in giving any
necessary amount of pressure to the pressure foot, which is shewn in
Figs. 1 and 3. It will be seen that the pressure foot slide C enters a
tubular stop D which presses on the top of the spiral or helical spring
c, c, c, so that by the set screw d the tubular stop D is held at any
position required, giving such tension to the helical spring and pressure
to the slide C as the work requires. By this means an adjustment is
effected in the pressure given to the pressure foot to any degree on the
material to be sewn.
Chapter 3. Another important improvement is shewn in Figs. 1, 2,
and 5. In the operation of sewing on braid or cord by the sewing
machine in the ordinary way a positive guide is fastened across the toe of
the pressure foot only enabling the operator to sew on a braid or cord of
a defined thickness equal to the space left in the slot. In the present
improvement we have a guide wire F radiating from a centre g and made
fast by a set screw f, so that a braid of any ordinary thickness can pass
under the guide at h, as it can be regulated by the set screw f to any
distance.
Chapter 4. Another improvement relating to the construction of
sewing machine frames for the sewing machines proper to stand on is
shewn in Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 represents a view of the cast-iron
framing. A, A, the two ends; B, the cross bracing, which is
attached to the two ends by locking (at the points C and C¹) in dovetail
recesses in the sides; the dovetail forms to fit in the cross bracing.
The top ends d and d are also "sprung" into recesses, and the wood
top is screwed on to the iron framing by the holes in the top edges,
thus doing away with the many drillings and fastenings as in all
previously constructed frames, so that the only drilling required is for
the ends of the "treadle" at 9 and g¹, and the axis of the fly wheel D
and the screw holes for fastening on the top, which is fastened at h,
and also for the hole for the winder. Fig. 7 represents enlarged views
of the manner of locking the cross bracing to the sides.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of carrying out the same, I wish it to be understood that I do

page_text: not confine myself to the precise details or the general arrangements
herein set forth as long as I confine myself to the main elements of
these improvements, as they may be adapted to any other sewing
machine and varied to suit circumstances, as the case may be; I would
have it understood that what I claim is, substantially the arrangements
herein set forth and described in this Specification in the several
Chapters, and also shewn in the various Drawings referred to, for lifting
the pressure foot slide, and also giving pressure to the pressure foot, and
also in the manner of combining the various parts of the frame
together.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nahum Salamon, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
N. SALAMON. (L.S.)