IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING FABRICS OF IRREGULAR WIDTHS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME, PART OF WHICH INVENTION IS ALSO
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lee of Rochdale in the County of Lancaster for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING FABRICS OF IRREGULAR WIDTHS
AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME, PART OF WHICH INVENTION IS ALSO
ร
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lee at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th October 1883.
"
JOHN LEE of Rochdale in the County of Lancaster "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEAVING FABRICS OF IRREGULAR WIDTHS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME, PART
OF WHICH INVENTION IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO WEAVING CERTAIN OTHER FABRICS
The principal object of this invention is to weave in one piece, by power, a
garment' known as a "Bournous" which is a sort of cloak worn by Eastern
nations. This consists of a piece of light woollen or worsted cloth (say for example)
about one hundred and fifty two inches long by fifty seven inches in breadth, but
with a central of (say) about thirty nine inches long made about twenty
inches wider, projecting at one side only. This portion forms the hood of the
garment when worn the ends being crossed over the chest and then thrown one
over each shoulder.
The difficulty to be overcome in weaving a garment of this nature in one piece
(without waste of yarn) is that it is necessary that it should have a perfect selvage
along both sides not only of the long narrow width piece but also on the central
wide part which forms the hood, and that the ends of the portion which forms the
hood as well as the two ends of the piece should not be capable of being
unravelled..
To weave this garment I use a worsted warp which I wind upon a double beam
constructed as follows.
The beam is of sufficient length to carry a warp wide enough to weave the
widest part of the garment (say seventy seven inches) of this the principal
portion of the warp (say fifty seven inches from one side) which I will call the
"main warp" is wound upon the bare beam in the ordinary way, whilst the
remaining twenty inches (to form the hood) which I will call the "hood warp"
are wound on a loose tube or sleeve fitted on one end of the warp beam, and capable
of revolving loosely thereon but also capable of being temporarily fastened thereto
by means of thumb screws during the winding-on of the warp. The tube or
leeve on which the "hood warp "is wound is (during the weaving) entirely
ndependent of the main warp beam and its working is regulated by a separate
(Prive 6d1

page_text: lever rope and weight, being however weighted to the same tension so that the
two warps can come off at the same speed.
Both warps are drawn in through the reed and healds in the usual manner.
The healds however are each divided into two lengths, one corresponding to the
"main warp" and the other to the "hood warp." The "main warp" healds are
actuated by the ordinary tappets and treadles, and the "hood warp
"healds are
worked by an additional set of tappets and treadles the latter being so arranged
that by moving a lever the healds can be lowered so as to throw the treadles out
of reach of the tappets when the "hood warp" is not required to be shed.
"
In weaving the garment I commence as follows: Both warps are started or 1
gated" at the same time, and I first weave with a woollen or worsted weft a
narrow strip or garter of about three inches wide, across the whole width of both
warps, after which it is necessary that the "hood warp" should stop weaving
and be disposed of out of the way whilst about fifty six inches of the "main
warp" are woven until that portion is arrived at where it becomes necessary to
commence forming the "hood."
I therefore cut through the weft threads of the strip or garter woven as above
mentioned at the point where the two warps join, so as to divide the two warps
and I take up the "hood warp" and hook its portion of the woven strip or garter
onto tenter hooks or pins on the top of the reed or slay, and at the same time I
allow the "hood warp" to slacken about a foot so that this warp may hang loose
and not be injured by the friction of the reed during the weaving of the first
portion of the "main warp."
Having thus disposed of the "hood warp " I lower the "hood warp" healds so
as to let their treadles fall out of the reach of their tappets, so that the "hood
warp" merely swings backwards and forwards with the reed without either being
"shed" or taken up.
I now weave about one inch with woollen weft across the main warp which
weft has after finishing to be removed to form a fringe at the end of the piece, I
then change the shuttle and weave about fourteen picks of fine silk holding the
cloth beam tight so as to prevent its taking up, and thus the silk weft is so closely
woven and tightly driven up as to be almost imperceptible, but it acts as a cross
selvage and prevents unravelling, forming a fast heading to the fringe. I now,
with the woollen shuttle, weave about fifty two inches of plain cloth with the main
warp in the ordinary way. I then unhook the "hood warp" off the tenter hooks,
and fastening the strip or garter to the cloth beam by means of strings and raising
up the hood warp healds into working position I weave about an inch with the
woollen shuttle across the whole width of the two warps so as to get a fringe at
the first edge of the hood. I then change the shuttle and weave about fourteen
close tight picks of fine silk so as to form a cross selvage as at first, and then with
the woollen shuttle I go on to weave the full width of plain cloth until the hood is
completed after which I put in the silk selvage picks, then weave about an inch
of woollen weft for the fringe at the other side of the hood, and after tentering up
the "hood warp" and throwing the " hood warp" healds out of action I proceed
as before to weave the other fifty two inches of main warp only, finishing off with
the silk cross selvage and inch of fringe as at first. The garment or "Bournous
is now complete, woven in one piece, and is to be bleached and finished in the
usual manner, after which the inch of weft outside the silk cross selvage or heading
is to be pulled out so as to form a fringe at each end of the main warp and at each
end of the hood.
"
It will be evident that the method of weaving the close cross heading of fine
silk so as to form a kind of cross selvage and prevent unravelling is also applicable
to weaving blankets and other goods requiring to be cut across the warp after
weaving in lengths so as to save the necessity for sewing over the ends as usual.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Lee in the Patent Office on the 3rd April 1884.
JOHN LEE of Rochdale in the County of Lancaster "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEAVING FABRICS OF IRREGULAR WIDTHS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME PART
OF WHICH INVENTION IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR WEAVING CERTAIN OTHER FABRICS
"
The principal object of this invention is to weave in one piece by power a
garment known as a "Bournous" which is a sort of cloak worn by Eastern nations.
This consists of a piece of light woollen or worsted cloth (say for example) about
one hundred and fifty two inches long by fifty seven inches in breadth, but with a
central portion of (say) thirty nine inches long made about twenty inches wider
projecting at one side only see Fig 1. on the annexed drawing A, A being the ends
forming the garment and B B the central portion forming the hood.
This portion
BB forms the hood of the garment when worn the ends A, A being crossed over
the chest and then thrown one over each shoulder.
The difficulty to be overcome in weaving a garment of this nature in one piece
(without waste of yarn) is that it is necessary that it should have a perfect selvage
along both sides not only of the long narrow width piece A. A, from a, to b and
from c to d and e to ƒ but also from g to h on the central wide part B, B, which
forms the hood, and that the ends g-d and he of the portion which forms the
hood as well as the two ends a,-c and b,-f of the piece A, A should not be
capable of being unravelled.
To weave this garment I use a worsted warp which I wind upon a double beam
constructed as illustrated at Fig 2 on the drawing. The beam is of sufficient
length to carry a warp wide enough to weave the widest part of the garment (say
seventy seven inches); of this the principal portion of the warp (say fifty seven
inches from one side) which I will call the "main warp" is wound upon the bare
beam in the ordinary way, whilst the remaining twenty inches (to form the hood)
which I will call the "hood warp" are wound on a loose tube or sleeve k, k fitted
on one end of the warp beam, and capable of revolving loosely thereon but also
capable of being temporarily fastened thereto by means of thumb screws 7, during
the winding-on of the warp. The tube or sleeve k, k on which the "hood warp
wound is (during the weaving) entirely independent of the main warp beam i, i
and its working is regulated by a separate lever rope and weight, being however
weighted to the same tension so that the two warps can come off at the same
speed.
"
18
Both warps are drawn in through the reed and the healds in the usual manner.
The healds however are each divided into two lengths, one corresponding to the
"main warp" and the other to the "hood warp." The "main warp" healds are
actuated by the ordinary tappets and treadles, and the "hood warp" healds are
worked by an additional set of tappets and treadles the latter being so arranged
that by moving a lever the healds can be lowered so as to throw the treadles out of
reach of the tappets when the "hood warp" is not required to be shed.
In weaving the garment I commence as follows. Both warps are started or
"gated" at the same time and I first weave with a woollen or worsted weft a
narrow strip or garter of about three inches wide across the whole width of both
warps as shown by dotted lines at am after which it is necessary that the "hood
warp" should stop weaving and be disposed of out of the way whilst about fifty

page_text: six inches of the "main warp" are woven until that portion is arrived at where it
becomes necessary to commence forming the "hood" from d, to g.
I therefore cut through the weft threads of the strip or garter woven as above
mentioned at the point c where the two warps join, so as to divide the two warps,
and I take up the "hood warp" and hook its portion m of the woven strip or
garter onto tenter hooks or pins on the top rail of the reed or slay and at the same
time I allow the "hood warp" to slacken about a foot so that this warp may hang
loose and not be injured by the friction of the reed during the weaving of the first
portion from c to d of the "main warp."
"
Having thus disposed of the "hood warp" I lower the "hood warp" healds so
as to let their treadles fall out of reach of their tappets so that the "hood warp
merely swings backwards and forwards with the reed without either being shed or
broken up.
I now weave about one inch with woollen weft across the main warp as at n
which weft has after finishing to be removed to form a fringe at the end of the
piece, I then change the shuttle and weave about fourteen picks of fine silk
holding the cloth beam tight so as to prevent its taking up, and thus the silk weft
is so closely woven and tightly driven up as to be almost imperceptible, but it acts
as a cross selvage and prevents unravelling, forming a fast heading to the fringe.
I now with the woollen shuttle, weave about fifty two inches of plain cloth with
the main warp in the ordinary way until the point d is arrived at. I then unhook
the "hood warp" off the tenter hooks, and fastening the strip or garter m to the
cloth beam by means of strings and raising up the hood warp healds into working
position I weave about an inch with the woollen shuttle across the whole width of
the two warps so as to get a fringe at the first edge of the hood at d―g I then
change the shuttle and weave about fourteen close tight picks of fine silk so as to
form a cross selvage as at first, and then with the woollen shuttle I go on to weave
the full width of plain cloth until the hood is completed from g to h after which I
put in the silk selvage picks, then weave about an inch of woollen weft for the
fringe at the other side of the hood, and after weaving a three inch garter as at m
and cutting it off as before, I tenter up the "hood warp" and throwing the "hood
warp" healds out of action I proceed as before to weave the other fifty two inches
of main warp only from e to f finishing off with the silk cross selvage and inch of
fringe as at first. The garment or Bournous" is now complete, woven in one
piece, and is to be bleached and finished in the usual manner, after which the
inch of weft outside the silk cross selvage or heading is to be pulled out so as to
form a fringe at each end of the main warp at a-c and b-f and at each end of
the hood dg and e,—h
It being important that the diameter of the whole width of the cloth beam
should always remain the same, notwithstanding that during the greater portion of
the weaving the "hood warp" is not being taken up at all, I compensate for this
irregularity by attaching to the sleeve k, k of the cloth beam one end of a piece of
soft cotton cloth or other suitable fabric, about twenty inches wide (i,e the width of
the hood) which is being constantly taken up by the beam, whether the "hood warp
is in or out of action and as the diameter of the cloth beam is thus kept uniform
throughout its whole width, the "hood warp" when thrown into action is taken up
at the same speed as the "main warp" and consequently the weaving and taking
up are kept regular throughout the whole piece.
It will be evident that the method of weaving the close cross heading of fine silk
so as to form a kind of cross selvage and prevent unravelling is also applicable to
weaving blankets and other goods requiring to be cut across the warp after
weaving in lengths so as to save the necessity for sewing over the ends as usual.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of my
Baid invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed I wish it to
he understood that I claim as my invention the weaving of "Bournous" and other

page_text: fabrics of irregular widths in the manner hereinbefore more particularly described
and
Secondly I claim the construction and use for that purpose of the loose sleeve on
the warp beam and the divided healds substantially as hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof I the said John Lee have hereunto set my hand and seal this
Thirty First day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
eighty four