IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS AND RUGS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Albert Webb, of Copenhagen St., Worcester, in the
County of Worcester, Hair Cloth Manufacturer, for an Invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Albert Webb at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd May 1881.
ALBERT WEBB, of Copenhagen Street, Worcester, in the County of Worcester,
Hair Cloth Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS
AND RUGS."
""
In the manufacture of carpets and rugs with a horsehair surface or pile, which
carpets and rugs have usually been woven with a natural grey centre or " body
and coloured borders, it has been found that a very limited variety of patterns was
open to the designer, and that the colouring was not sufficiently bright and effective
owing to the nature of the material employed to form the face of the carpets or
rugs, the supply of white hair which would give the best results being limited in
quantity.
Now the object of the present Invention is to provide more scope for the designer
by the use in combination with spun horse hair, of materials capable of receiving
brighter and more effective colours, and which are susceptible of being woven in
any desired pattern without detracting materially from the durability of the carpet
or rug, which is the chief merit of this class of fabric.
In place of using horsehair yarn to form the coloured part of the carpet, we
propose to make the coloured yarns by combining spun horsehair with spun wool
or mohair in a doubling or twisting machine. The two kinds of yarn are dyed
separately of the required colour, each being in a single or "folded" condition, as
may be desired, and are afterwards doubled or twisted together as before
mentioned. As the wool or mohair is well adapted to take any colour a far more
brilliant effect than heretofore may be introduced into horsehair carpets and rugs
by the use of such doubled yarns, and with a diminution of cost. Or in place of
D

page_text: this arrangement coloured yarns of wool or mohair may be introduced side by side
with the spun horsehair.
It will be readily understood that wool or mohair yarn may be used to produce
patterns throughout the width of the carpets or rugs as well as in the borders, care
being taken that the patterns shall be so arranged that the woollen or mohair pile
shall be supported by adjacent loops or tufts of horsehair yarns, as otherwise the
less enduring material would be worn away before the other part of the carpet or
rug give evidence of deterioration. In the borders of stair carpets coloured wool
or mohair yarns may be used unsupported by horsehair yarn if desired, as this
part of the carpet is not so much used as the centre or body, and is therefore not
liable to be worn out before the horsehair yarn of which the body is made.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Albert Webb in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd November 1881.
ALBERT WEBB, of Copenhagen Street, Worcester, in the County of Worcester,
Hair Cloth Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS
AND RUGS."
55
"
In the manufacture of carpets and rugs with a horse hair surface or pile, which
carpets have usually been woven with a natural grey centre or body and
coloured borders, it has been found that a very limited variety of patterns was
open to the designer, and that the colouring was not sufficiently bright and effective
owing to the nature of the material employed to form the face of the carpets and rugs,
the supply of white hair which would give the best results being limited in quantity.
Now the object of the present Invention is to provide more scope for the
designer by the use in combination with spun horse hair of materials capable of
receiving brighter and more effective colours, and which are susceptible of being
woven in any desired pattern without detracting materially from the durability
of the carpet or rug which is the chief merit of this class of fabric.
In place of using horse hair yarn alone to form the colored part of the carpet, I
make the colored yarns by combining spun horse hair with spun wool or mohair in
a doubling or twisting machine. The two kinds of yarn I make as nearly as
possible of equal substance, as otherwise the compound yarn produced by the
twisting or doubling of the yarns together would be uneven. These yarns previous
to doubling are dyed separately of the required color, each being in a single or
"folded" condition, as may be desired, and when doubled or twisted together, as
before mentioned, will produce a yarn of uniform or nearly uniform color. The
two kinds of yarn may if desired be dyed different colors, thus forming a mottled
thread when doubled together. Or the yarns may be doubled or twisted before
dyeing, but the method first described gives the best results. Yarns which are
to be used for making carpets or rugs, the colored designs of which have to be
printed on the threads, must be doubled together previous to undergoing the process
of printing.
As the wool or mohair is well adapted to take any colour a far more brilliant
effect than heretofore may be introduced into horse hair carpets and rugs, and at a
diminished cost by the use of doubled yarns prepared as above described.
In place of using the compound yarns coloured yarns of wool or mohair may be
introduced side by side with the spun horse hair in the carpet.
The wool or mohair yarns it will be understood may be used to produce patterns
throughout the widths of the carpets or rugs, care being taken that the wool or
mohair pile shall be supported by adjacent loops or tufts of horse hair yarns in
carpets which are to be subjected to uniform wear over their whole surface, as
otherwise the less enduring material would be worn away before the horse hair
pile gave evidence of deterioration. In the borders of carpets colored woollen or
mohair yarns may be used unsupported by horse hair yarn if desired, as this part
of the carpet is not so much used as the centre or body, and is therefore not liable
to be worn out before the horse hair yarn of which the body is made.
In weaving carpets or rugs of spun horse hair and wool or mohair in combination,
I have found by experience the same processes are applicable as are used in the
manufacture of carpets or rugs of wool only, with the exception of such carpets or
rugs as are woven off a beam or roll, to which the following remarks apply.
As yarn composed of wool or mohair only, or of wool or mohair twisted together
with horse hair, is softer and more yielding under the pressure or strain of beaming
than yarn composed of spun horse hair only, it is necessary to make such arrange-
ment of the various kinds of yarn as will prevent them becoming uneven or of

page_text: unequal strain as the beam or roll is being filled; or otherwise the pile will be
uneven and the pattern on the printed threads irregular owing to the unequal
strain on the yarns.
In manufacturing a carpet or rug in which the yarns throughout the entire
width are of the compound kind, namely horse hair and woo! or mohair yarn
twisted together, or in which horse hair yarns and wool or mohair yarns are placed
alternately side by side. I find that the two kinds of spun fibres will accommodate
each other, the softer giving to the stronger; but if it be desired to make a carpet
or rug having the "body" or middle composed of horse hair yarn only, and the
borders of wool or mohair yarn only, or of the compound yarn before mentioned, it
will be necessary to contract the spaces allotted on the beam or roll to the yarns
which are to form the borders, the contraction being to such an extent as will
ensure the wool, mohair, or_compound yarn being wound on to the beam level
with the horse hair yarn. The amount of this contraction cannot be accurately
stated, as it will depend on the relative thickness of the wool, mohair, or compound
yarn to the horse hair yarn. This crowding of the woollen mohair or compound
yarns I accomplish by placing a greater number of threads of wool, mohair, or
compound yarn in the "dents or divisions of the reed or slay used for guiding
the yarns on to the beam than are in the "dents" allotted to the horse hair yarns
which are to form the pile of the body or middle of the fabric.
"
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in the
Manufacture of Carpets and Rugs," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I do not claim the combination of spun fibres with spun horse-hair for
producing the pile of carpets and rugs however such combination may be effected,
but what I claim is,-
The means above described for the production of horse hair carpets, whereby a
brilliancy of colour corresponding to carpets having a woollen pile is obtained in
such carpets without detriment to the quality of the fabric.
In witness whereof, I, the said Albert Webb, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
ALDERT WEDD. (L.S.)