IM- PROVEMENTS WHEREBY LACE AND BOBBIN NET MACHINES ARE ADAPTED TO THE MANUFACTURE OF FABRICS HERETOFORE ONLY MANUFACTURED BY HAND OR ON ORDINARY WEAVING LOOMS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, &
Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of " IM-
PROVEMENTS WHEREBY LACE AND BOBBIN NET MACHINES ARE ADAPTED TO THE
MANUFACTURE OF FABRICS HERETOFORE ONLY MANUFACTURED BY HAND OR
ON ORDINARY WEAVING LOOMS." A communication from abroad by Léon
Sival La Serve, of Lyons, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th November 1876.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS WHEREBY LACE AND BOBBIN
NET MACHINES ARE ADAPTED TO THE MANUFACTURE OF FABRICS HERETOFORE
ONLY MANUFACTURED BY HAND OR ON ORDINARY WEAVING LOOMS."
For effecting the manufacture upon bobbin net (tulle) and lace machines of figured
stuffs, ribbons, India shawls, Gobelin or Aubusson stuffs, or any desired fabrics, we
adopt the following means, namely:
:-
First. All the threads of the warp are stretched and straight as in ordinary looms
for weaving. All these warp threads are controlled by bars actuated by a jacquard
apparatus, and from any desired draught and cording.
Second. The bobbin or carriage threads form the weft, that is to say, they serve
the same office as the shuttle thread in ordinary looms; they serve more particularly
to tie between them the weft threads, being free to pass from one extremity to the
other of the web.
To obtain the above results it is arranged that one weft thread always covers the
fastening (retenui) of the adjacent threads; therefore it will be impossible in
examining the web by a microscope on the right or even on the wrong side to detect
any solution of continuity of the weft; therefore it will be impossible to say
whether the fabric has been made on a bobbin net machine or upon an ordinary
weaving loom.
By means of the above described combination it will be possible to obtain any
desired draught and cording.
It will even be possible to produce fabrics which hitherto could not be produced
except by hand. I can produce fabrics with open work in separate bands, or the
Price 6d1

page_text: entire width of the loom. The open work can be small or large, and I may produce
in them any desired effect, as for instance, lace or net or any other kinds of work,
especially such as have not hitherto been obtainable except by hand.
By supplying the bobbins with threads of different colours I can produce an
altogether novel effect with the weft.
The weft thread may be worked upon a warp of uniform colour or upon a warp
of different colours or shades.
A great variety of effects is thus produced, either shaded, clouded, striped, or
otherwise.
I may also make the warp oblique, either in figures or chains, and by the
adaptation of my principle of fixing the thread and holding them I obtain with
certainty fabrics of great durability of any character or style of manufacture.
From the above description it will be readily understood that no bobbin net
machines, and particularly upon the "Leaver" machine, that is to say, a machine
which has a great number of bars, I can obtain an almost unlimited variety of
colours, as I may have as many colours as bars; it is therefore practicable to leave
the designer perfect liberty with regard to the combination, the number, and arrange-
ment of his colours.
I may figure the entire width of the machine, and as this width may be from
three to four yards or thereabouts the amount of work produced will be considerable.
I can also easily make stuffs which have an equally good appearance on both sides,
and can also produce by the tying up or by the design "floatings" of the warp
and of the weft, and may have either a single or a double warp or weft as
desired.
In certain heavy stuffs I may have thick shooting warp threads, but always
adjacent to a weft carrier for tying the web. For securing the weft threads
upon the warp threads I can by the aid of this method of holding for certain tyings
up dispense with throws of weft upon the holdings.
I may embroider over the entire width of the stuff, and thereby shoot in the
warp, or to produce the appearance of having done so, but it will always be the
carrier threads which form really the weft and tie the warp, thereby giving solidity
to the fabric.
I may arrange singly all of the warp threads, and obtain easily by the distribu-
tion of the colours Indian shawls and the like.
I can, as above stated, embroider or figure in all directions, as in hand-made
fabrics, and can therefore produce all kinds of fabrics.
Whatever may be the number of the colours, either of warp or weft figures, or
otherwise, the production is not delayed, as they can be worked at the same time as
the weft of the ground.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
May 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS WHEREBY LACE AND BOBBIN
NET MACHINES ARE ADAPTED TO THE MANUFACTURE OF FABRICS HERETOFORE
ONLY MANUFACTURED BY HAND OR ON ORDINARY WEAVING LOOMS." A commu-
nication from abroad by Léon Sival La Serve, of Lyons, France.
For effecting the manufacture upon bobbin net, tulle, and lace machines of figured
stuffs, ribbons, India shawls, Gobelin or Aubusson stuffs, or any desired fabrics, I
adopt the following means, namely
First. All the threads of the warp are stretched as in ordinary looms for weaving.
All these warp threads are controlled by bars or rods actuated by a jacquard

page_text: apparatus, and forming any desired "draught and cording," or
tie-up."
draught and
Second. The bobbin threads form the weft, that is to say, they serve the same
office as the shuttle in ordinary looms; they serve more particularly to tie between
them the warp threads. The figuring or embroidering threads of any colours are
mounted on independent bars, and embroider the stuff by passing according to the
requirements of the design or pattern over one or a number of threads, and pass
finally over the stuff between and under certain threads of the warp in accordance
with the figure, and fasten to the threads of the weft carriages, sometimes at the
right and sometimes at the left of the moment of the stoppage of the latter.
In some instances I can figure and hold back upon the stuff over the weft threads,
but the work is often limited, and it is necessary to seek to discover for rich and
fine stuff's the application of the method of figuring above described.
The above are the fundamental principles upon which this Invention is based.
It now remains to explain the difficulties which have to be overcome to obtain all
varieties of draught and cording as regular as those obtained in the weaver's loom.
The accompanying Drawing shows the position of the warp and weft in a fabric
manufactured upon a loom according to this Invention.
In order to prevent raw edges or selvedges in the fabric it is necessary to avoid
all tying up or supplementary threads, and to unite the warp and weft threads
by themselves, thereby permitting the obtention of a stuff very smooth to the touch,
very light, and possessing great strength.
To imitate exactly the fabrics made on ordinary looms it is necessary that the
weft threads should be free to pass from one extremity to the other of the web.
To obtain the above results it is arranged that one weft thread always covers
the fastening (retenue) of the adjacent thread; therefore it will be impossible in
examining the web by a microcope on the right or even on the wrong side to
detect any solution of continuity of the weft; therefore it will be impossible to say
whether the fabric has been made on a bobbin net machine or upon an ordinary
weaving loom.
By means of the above described combination it will be possible to obtain any
desired draught and cording.
It will even be possible to produce fabrics which hitherto could not be produced
except by hand. I can produce fabrics with open work in separate bands on the
entire width of the loom. The open work can be small or large, and I may
produce in these fabrics any desired effect, as for instance, lace or net or any other
kind of work, especially such as have not hitherto been obtainable except by
hand.
By supplying the bobbins with threads of different colours I can produce an
altogether novel effect with the weft.
The weft thread may be worked upon a warp of uniform color or upon a warp of
different colors or shades.
A great variety of effects is thus produced, either shaded, clouded, striped, or
otherwise. I may also make the warp oblique either in figures or chains, and by
the adaptation of my principle of fixing the threads and holding them I obtain with
certainty fabrics of great durability of any character or style of manufacture.
From the above description it will be readily understood that on bobbin net
machines, and particularly upon the "Leaver" machine, that is to say, a machine
which has a great number of bars, I can obtain an almost unlimited variety of
colors, as I may have as many colors as bars; it is therefore practicable to leave the
designer perfect liberty with regard to the combination, the number, and the arrange-
ment of his colors.
I may figure the entire width of the machine, and as this width may be from
three to four yards or thereabouts the amount of work produced will be considerable.
I can also easily make stuffs which have an equally good appearance on both sides,
and can also produce by the tying up or by the design "floatings" of the warp and
of the weft, and may have either a single or double warp or weft, as desired.

page_text: In certain heavy stuffs I may have thick shooting warp threads, but always
adjacent to a weft carrier for tying the web. For securing the weft threads upon
the warp threads I can by the aid of this method of holding for certain tyings-up
dispense with throws of weft upon the holdings.
I may embroider over the entire width of the stuff, and may shoot in the warp,
or produce the appearance of having done so. It must be borne in mind that
however the fabric may be considered as woven it will always be the carriage
threads which form readily the weft and tie the warp, thereby giving solidity to
the fabric.
I may arrange singly all of the warp threads, and obtain easily by distribution of
the colors Indian shawls and the like.
I can, as above stated, embroider or figure in all directions, as in hand made
fabrics, and can therefore produce all kinds of fabrics.
It will be seen that by this method of manufacture I avoid cutting or otherwise
injuring the threads, and the consequent loss of time and material, which are often
very great. I also secure greater independence and convenience than is obtainable
even with the damask loom, whatever may be the richness of the pattern.
Whatever may be the number of the colors, either of warp or weft, figures or
otherwise, the production is not delayed, as they can be worked at the same time as
the weft of the ground, that is to say, I proceed always, whatever may be the
number of colors, in the same way as with one plain color, and I can without any
delay change at will the place of the warp or weft, and consequently vary the shades
to any extent. This result is new in principle and in practice, and is highly impor-
tant to manufacturers.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim, the manufacture of fabrics or stuffs, other than tulle or lace, upon
bobbin net or tulle and lace machines or looms in the manner above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.