IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Carter Ramsden, of Bradford, in the County
of York, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS
FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 30th November 1869, and dated the 7th October 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Carter Ramsden
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th October 1869.
I, JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN, of Bradford, in the County of York,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said. Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements upon an Invention for which
Letters Patent were granted to me, bearing date the Eighteenth day of
March One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, No. 823, and consists
in the better adaptation, arrangement, and shape of certain parts of the
said Invention to accomplish the desired results.

page_text: These improvements refer more particularly to the making of a perfect
and fast plain selvage.
To accomplish this in the most effectual manner I find, firstly, that
the weft needles instead of feeding in the weft alternately from each
side must both feed in at one and the same time, therefore the cams
which operate upon the said needles (by means of levers and racks) will
either have to revolve at double the speed, and to be made with broader
noses, or else they will have to revolve at the same speed, and be made
with double noses. The last method I prefer.
Secondly. I find that in inserting the weft needles it is advisable to
get as far into the open shed as possible; thereby I secure the said
needles from picking any stray threads from either the top or bottom of
the warp. Yet on the other hand I find that the nearer I can lay my
weft threads to the last pick the less they will be disturbed by the reed,
consequently the better will be the selvage produced. To accomplish
this I make the points of my needles broad, something of the shape of
an elongated triangle, and have two or more holes in each needle. The
outer point of the needles (that is, the one furthest from the cloth and
nearest the reed) takes into the warp first, and goes well into the open
shed, and the other, that is, the inside point, necessarily follows, yet
sweeps close round the last pick, and on coming out leaves the weft
perfectly straight and close to the cloth.
Thirdly. I find in weaving a good plain edge it is necessary to have a
perfect command over the drag or tension of the weft. To accomplish
this I find it necessary to have a stationary bobbin or cop, and to pull
yarn from it endways; I then pass it through "tensions" to put on
the proper drag, which does not vary as the bobbin or cop empties.
the
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Carter Ramsden in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CARTER RAMSDEN, of Bradford, in the County of York, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
3
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of October, in the year of 3

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Carter Ramsden, Her special licence that
I, the said John Carter Ramsden, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Carter Ramsden, my exc-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Carter Ramsden, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Carter Ramsden, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings.
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon:-
This Invention relates to improvements upon an Invention for which
Letters Patent were granted to me, bearing date the 18th day of March
1869, No. 823, and consists in the better adaption, arrangement, and
shape of certain parts of the said Invention to accomplish the desired
results.
These improvements refer more particularly to the making of a perfect,
and fast plain selvage.
To accomplish this in the most effectual manner I find, firstly, that
the weft needles, of whatever form they may be made, instead of feeding.
in the weft alternately from each side or edge of the fabric, as described in
the Specification of my Patent before referred to, must both feed in their.
weft at one and the same time. For this purpose the cams which operate
the said needles or weft carriers through the intervention of levers and
racks or other suitable means will either have to revolve at double tho

page_text: speed, and to be made with broader noses in order to afford time for
their action, whilst they would have to be placed in an exactly similar
position on their shafts or axes instead of opposite to each other, as will
be well understood; or else they will have to revolve at the same speed
as when inserting weft alternately from each edge or selvage of the
fabric, and be made with double noses a, a, as shown at Figure 1 of the
accompanying Drawings. This last method of operating is the one which
I prefer, and which I have found to answer in carrying this part of my
Invention into effect.
I would here remark that other means for causing the weft needles
simultaneously to insert the weft from each selvage of the fabric may be
adopted without departing from this part of my Invention.
Secondly. I find that in inserting the weft needles into the shed it is
advisable to cause them to enter as far into the open shed and away
from the last pick as possible, by which means I avoid the danger of the
said needles picking any stray threads from either the top or bottom of
the warp. Yet on the other hand I find that the nearer I can lay the
weft threads to the last pick the less they will be disturbed by the reed
in the act of beating up, consequently the better will be the selvage
produced. To accomplish these objects I make the points or ends of my
needles broad, as shown at Figure 2, and somewhat of the shape of a
triangle, and have two or more holes b, c, in each needle a. The outer
point 6 of the triangular or broad end of the needles a (that is, the end
furthest from the cloth, or the last pick and nearest to the reed) takes
into the open shed first, and goes into a comparatively wide part thereof, :
and the other point c, that is, the inside point of the triangular or broad
end of the needle a, necessarily follows, yet sweeps or travels close round
the last pick, and on coming out of the shed leaves the weft perfectly
straight and close to the cloth. It is evident that the shape of the ends
of these needles may be varied considerably without departing from the 3
nature of this part of my Invention.
Thirdly. I find in weaving a good plain edge it is necessary to have a
perfect command over the drag or tension of the weft. To accomplish
this object I find it desirable to employ a stationary bobbin or cop to
hold the weft and to pull the yarn from it endways; I then pass it
through suitable tension apparatus to put on the proper or necessary
drag, which does not vary as the bobbin or cop empties. This part of
my Invention is shown at Figure 3, which represents a section full.

page_text: size through parts of a loom having this part of my Invention applied
thereto. a are needles or instruments for inserting the weft into the
shed, and d is the reed; e, e, are the weft threads, which in their passage
from the stationary cops or bobbins (not shown), from which they
are pulled off endwise as before described, are passed through tension
discs ff. and thence through eyes or loops g', g¹, formed on or fixed to
weights g, which are capable of sliding up and down on suitable pins h.
The weft threads thence pass through eyes or guides i to the cycs of the
needles or instruments a. Each pair of the tension discs ff, it will bo
scen is acted upon by a spring f, the pressure of which is regulated by
a nut f working on the screw f³. When the weft needles or instru-
ments a move towards the cloth to insert the weft there is a little slack,
which the weights g take up; then as the weft needles a procced into
the shed they draw the weights up into a straight line, or nearly so,
between the tension discs ff, and the eyes or guides i, then as the weft
needles retire, after having deposited their weft in the shed, the weights
descend and take up all the slack as it is made, and thereby ensure good
selvages.
I would here remark that I make no claim to the tension discs herein
described when separately considered, as such are commonly employed
in many descriptions of sewing machines, and are now well understood.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
mode in which I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood
that what I claim is,―
Firstly. The feeding in of weft simultaneously from both edges or
selvages of the cloth for obtaining good and fast solvages when needles
or instruments are employed in lieu of shuttles for inscrting the weft,
whatever may be the particular form of such needles or instruments, or
whether they rotate upon a fixed centre or are attached to sliding bars.
Secondly. I claim the peculiar form of needle end by means of which
I am enabled to cause the needles to enter into a wide part of the shed
and yet deposit the weft close to the last pick, and this I claim whether
the needles rotate upon a fixed centre or are attached to sliding bars.
Thirdly. I claim passing the weft through suitable tension apparatus,
substantially as herein shown and described, for putting on the necessary
drag and for taking up the slack, thereby ensuring the weft being drawn
tight at the selvages when instruments or needles are employed in licu
of shuttles for inserting the weft.

page_text: Fourthly. I claim the general arrangement and combination of the
different parts, substantially as herein shown and described, for the better
production of narrow fabrics when needles or instruments are employed
in lieu of shuttles for inserting the weft.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Carter Ramsden, have hereunto 5
set my hand and seal, this First day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN. (L.S.)