IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF SILK
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF SILK."-A
communication from Charles Louis Alexander Williot, of St. Quentin,
in the Empire of France, Merchant.
Sealed the 9th January 1855, and dated the 24th July 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th July 1854.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of Glasgow,, North Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF SILK,"
communicated to me by Charles Louis Alexander. Williot, of St. Quentin, in
the Empire of France, Merchant, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the warping and winding of silk, and consists,-
First, in the winding of the warp direct from the cocoons.
Second, of an improved construction of warping machinery.
Third, in the subsidiary employment of bobbins or reels in the process of
warping.
Fourth, in the application of this improved system of warping to the warping

page_text: The warping mill is carried by a vertical shaft, and is fitted internally with
a number of vanes or pallets, for the purpose of creating a current of air to
effect the drying of the threads as they arrive at the mill, each thread being
separate and distinct from its neighbour when being wound, in place of some
of them being united or fast together, in the form of a cord. To effect this, a
complete alteration is made in the combs or guides, which are constructed in
two halves, the teeth of which are arranged in a vertical plane, instead of a
horizontal plane, as is usually the case.
The two halves of the comb are fitted to slide in the supporting frame, so
that they may be brought nearer to or farther from each other. The frame
carrying the combs is moveable, or capable of sliding vertically in a fixed frame,
by a weight and cord, in the ordinary manner. When this frame has arrived
at the top of its travel, the two halves of the comb are brought together for a
moment, so that their teeth shall interlace each other. The silk threads are
unwound and proceed directly from the cocoons, which float in suitable vessels
of water to the teeth of the combs, and thence direct to the warping mill. In
certain cases, when the temperature is variable, or when other circumstances
require it, the silk is previously wound on to bobbins or reels of a peculiar
forin, to be afterwards wound on to the warping mill, in the manner herein-
before described.
The peculiarity in the reels or bobbins consists in forming them of a number
of thin short rods of wood, extending from the end discs of the bobbin, and
on to or over these thin rods the silk is wound, in place of being wound on the
solid surface of the bobbin.
In applying the process to the warping of artificially thrown silk, a double
but united thread of raw silk is wound on to one of the reels herein-before
described, being traversed backwards and forwards during the winding.
When once wound, the silk may be submitted to the ungumming or pre-
paring process, or even to the operation of dyeing, before being warped..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, and
of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 THE PREPARA-
TION OF SILK," communicated to me by Charles Louis Alexander Williot, of
St. Quentin, in the Empire of France, Merchant, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The said Invention relates to the warping and winding of silk, and consists,-
First, in the winding of the warp direct from the cocoons.
Second, of an improved construction of warping machinery.
Third, in the subsidiary employment of bobbins or spools of a peculiar con-
struction in the process of warping.
Fourth, to the warping and formation of artificial thrown silk or imitation
organzine.
The warping mill is carried by a vertical shaft, and is fitted internally with
a number of rotating vanes or blades, for the purpose of creating a current of
air to effect the drying of the threads as they arrive at the warping mill, each
thread being separate and distinct from its neighbour when being wound, in
place of being united. To effect this, a complete alteration is made in the
hecks, which are constructed in two halves, the teeth being arranged in a
vertical instead of a horizontal plane, as is usually the case. The two halves
of the heck are fitted to slide in a suitable supporting frame or heck box, so
that they may be brought nearer to or further from each other. The frame-

page_text: carrying the hecks is moveable or capable of sliding vertically between fixed
standards, by the aid of a cord connected with the warping mill, in the ordinary
manner. When this frame has arrived at the top of its travel, the two halves
of the hecks are brought together for a moment, so that their teeth shall
interlace each other, and, so form the lease. The silk threads are unwound
direct from the cocoons, which float in suitable vessels of water, and proceed
therefrom to the hecks, and thence direct to the warping mill. In certain
cases, when the temperature is variable, or when other circumstances require
it, the silk is previously wound on to bobbins or reels of a peculiar form, to be
afterwards wound on to the warping mill, in the manner herein-before described.
The pecutiarity in the construction of the spools or bobbins consists in forming
them of a number of thin short rods of wood or metal, extending from the
end discs of the spool, and on to or over these thin rods the silk is wound, in,
place of on to the solid surface of the bobbin. In the formation of artificial
thrown silk or imitation organzine, a double but united thread of raw silk is
wound on to one of the reels herein-before described, being traversed backwards
and forwards during the winding, and both threads being made to cross each
other before being united. When once wound, the silk may be submitted to
the ungumming or preparing process, or even to the operation of dyeing, before
being warped.
And in order that the said Invention may be more readily understood, I
shall now proceed to describe and refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed. An ordinary warping mill might be employed
in the warping of silk, but such employment would entail numerous disadvan-
tages and inconveniences, which will be entirely obviated by the employment
of an arrangement similar to that represented at Figure 1 of the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings. As the silk proceeds from the reservoir A in a wet state,
it is necessary that the threads of the warp shall arrive at the warping mill
separate or detached from each other, and there be wound in the form of a
band or ribbon B, and not in the form of a cord or in a united state. The
bands or ribbons having been wound on to the warping mill, are readily dried
by the assistance of the vanes C, which are fitted on to the shaft.D of the mill.
In order to ensure that the threads shall be wound singly, in the form of a
band or ribbon on the warping mill, an improved form of "heck" is employed,
which is composed of two sets of eyes, E, E, arranged vertically instead of
horizontally, and made to slide towards or from each. other on the frame F.
This frame is made to rise or fall during the winding, by the aid of a cord G,
in the ordinary manner. When the heck frame F has arrived at the top of, its
traverse, the two series of heck needles or guides E, E,. are brought together

page_text: and made to interlock, for the purpose of forming the lease. It will be seen,
on referring to Figure 1 of the Drawings, that the silk 6 proceeds direct from
the cocoons a to the heck needles or guides E, and from thence to the warping
mill, without any intermediate mechanism or apparatus.
If the operation of warping were continued without any change in the
position of the warped silk after a half gang had been warped, the succeeding
half gang would be wound in a wet state over the first half gangs and become
united thereto, and consequently greatly impede the subsequent operation of
beaming, by the entanglement and breakage of the threads. This disadvantage,
however, will be avoided by adopting the peculiar arrangement of warping
mill, illustrated in Figure 1 of the Drawings, which enables each half gang
when quite dry to be drawn down, the threads being all brought together, as
shewn in Figure 1 by the red lines, instead of being left in the form of a band
or ribbon, as when first wound on to the mill, the yarn when warped presenting
the appearance of a warp formed on an ordinary warping mill.
Figure of the Drawings represents an external side elevation of the
improved warping mill; Figures 2 and 3 are enlarged details of the upper
and lower portions of one of the bars of the warping mill, all the bars being
made alike; and Figure 4 is a transverse section of the bar, taken along the
line 1, 2, in Figure 2; and Figure 5 is another transverse section of the same
bar, taken along the line 3, 4, in Figure 3. The bars of the warping mill, in
place of being merely single strips of wood, as in the ordinary warping mill,
are composed each of two strips, the one fixed and the other moveable, the
moveable strip d sliding in a longitudinal groove or slot formed in the face of
the fixed strip or bar c; the the bar d is suspended in the groove of the bar c
by a spiral spring e, which tends constantly to draw the bar from below
upwards. A number of pius i aro fitted into the face of the sliding bar d,
and situated at intervals corresponding to the distance between one turn of
the warp and the next,the distance being measured from the centre of the
ribbon or band. The ribbon of warp threads will be wound round the warping
nill in the spaces intervening between the pins i. In order to obtain the
necessary division of the pins with exactitude, a half "gang" may be first
warped, and then the pins may be fitted into their bars at the spaces left
between each turn of the ribbon or band of threads. These threads rest upon
the fixed bars c, and are not in contact with the moveable bar d, which is sunk
into the face of the fixed bar, as shewn in Figures 4 and 5, in order that it
may not damage the silk by rubbing against it when drawn downwards. Each
time a half gang has been warped, and immediately after having made the
lease, the warper lays hold of the handle f, fixed on to the bar d, and draws

page_text: it downwards. The pins, by being brought against the upper edge of the
ribbon or band of threads by the downward movement of the bar d, force all
the threads of each ribbon together, in the form of an ordinary warp, as shewn
by the red lines in Figure 1, and this occurs throughout the entire series from
the bottom to the top of the mill, each and all of the bars d being depressed
in succession or simultaneously, as the case may be. On the bars being
released, they are drawn up again into their original position by the aid of the
spiral spring e, the threads of the warp, having been previously dryed, being
left as on an ordinary warping mill. The next half gang is now warped, and
the bars d again depressed, and so on throughout the operation. This arrange-
ment of warping mill may obviously be modified, but the main principle or
feature in it is the employment of double bars, one bar holding the warp
threads, whilst the other is merely for the purpose of bringing those threads
together. In certain cases, such as great variations of temperature, or when.
warps composed of ungummed silk, dyed silk, or of organzine, or of silk and
wool mixed, are to be operated upon, a peculiar form of spool is employed.
This spool is represented in Figures 6 and 7, which are respectively a transverse
section and side elevation of the improved form of spool drawn half size. The
shape of this spool is in miniature somewhat similar to the warping mill; it
is composed of an axis g, having a disc h fitted at each end. These discs are
connected by a number of short lengths of wood or wire i, fitted into them at
each extremity. In the intervening spaces between the small wires i, and
parallel to them, are situated other stronger wires j; but in placed of being
fixed they are made moveable, and rest solely in notches made round the
peripherys of the discs h, being retained therein by a band of india-rubber 7,
the elasticity of which admits of the removal of the wires when requisite.
Figure 8 represents the mode in which a thread of raw silk m is wound on
to this spool 2, the silk being wound direct from the cocoons in the basin or
reservoir A. Figure 9 represents this same spoo! applied to the production
of a peculiar twisted raw silk or fictitious organzine, which is susceptible of
various applications. This organzine n is formed by the union of two threads
of raw silk m, wound direct from the cocoons, which, crossing at the points
1, 2, present when reunited a crossed or twisted appearance, in place of being
really twisted, as in genuine organzine. For this reason the name of fictitious
organzine has been given to this thread. This organzine may be converted
into genuine organzine in the manner shewn at Figure 10, by placing the
spool on a spindle, the flyer p of which twists while it unwinds the thread
and forms it into genuine organzine, which is wound on to the second spool R.
Figure 11 represents a mode of forming genuine organzine from the raw silk

page_text: proceeding direct from the cocoons in the reservoir. It is merely requisite to
place the spool r on a spindle fitted with a flyer, and to cause the two raw
threads m to pass through the flyer after leaving the cocoons and before being
wound on to the spool. In place of an inverted spindle and flyer they may be
used in the ordinary position. I am aware that silk has previously been
wound direct from the cocoons on to bobbins, but those bobbins have hitherto
been plain or solid, and as the silk becomes tightly wound on to them the
threads get united and stick together. The principal advantages to be derived
from the improved form of spool, herein-before described, are that the silk
while on this spool may be subjected to the ungumming process, by steeping it
in a bath of soap; or it may be dyed either by the ordinary or the vacuum
process, which would be quite impossible with the ordinary solid or plain
bobbins, as the silk would become quite agglomerated and formed into a com-
pact mass, which it would be impossible to make use of. To dye the silk on
the improved spool by the vacuum process, it is first plunged into the dyeing
mixture and afterwards subjected to the action of a vacuum; or it may be
placed in a closed vessel which is afterwards exhausted, and the dye liquid
introduced while the vessel is in an exhausted state. For this process the
larger or moveable wires j are removed from the spool, and the silk left quite
loose on the wires i; in this state it is subjected to the dyeing process, but as
those parts of the silk which are in contact with the wires i may sometimes
not take the color perfectly, it is occasionally turned round on the spool with
a pair of small tongs, or nippers, or other suitable instrument, so as to bring
those parts previously in contact with the wires out of contact with them, or
in the intervening spaces between the wires, when the silk is again submitted
to the action of the dye liquid. The raw silk or raw or ungummed organzine,
whether dyed or not, may be warped in the manner herein-before described
with reference to the warping of raw silk direct from the cocoon. If the silk
on the spools be quite dry, an ordinary warping mill may be employed, but if
moist, the arrangement of warping mill herein-before described should be used.
These spools may also be used for silk threads in combination with any other
fibrous material. The construction and arrangement of apparatus and the mode
of operating, hercin-before described, simplifies to a great extent the formation
of threads and also the warping of silk, since the operation of throwing is dis-
pensed with entirely; also that of winding the raw silk, whether to form organ-
zine or for the purpose of using the silk in the simple state. The operation of
winding the organzine on to bobbins is also dispensed with, and a great saving
of material is effected by obviating the waste attendant on these operations,
which are now rendered superfluous. By this system of manufacture, .the

page_text: various operations may be so expedited that the silk may be wound from the
cocoons, warped, woven, and made up in one day.
When the improved spool, herein-before described, is employed for warping,
the warping mill itself may be entirely dispensed with, each gang of 20, 30, or
40 threads being warped on to a spool of its own, the lease being formed at the
commencement and at the end of the gang. When all the gangs are warped
their spools are arranged in a suitable frame, from whence the several gangs
are wound on to the weaver's beam, each gang being first passed between the
teeth or pins of a comb or "ravel," which guides it on to the beam. During
the warping, a fan or ventilator keeps up a constant circulation of air, which
serves to dry the silk. The silk may be warped on to ordinary bobbins or on
to the improved spool herein-before described, but the latter is always requisite
for ungumming or dyeing the warp. The gangs may also be warped without
the aid of bobbins or spools, by simply drawing out the gangs by hand and
laying them side by side over suitable combs or ravels, or on a dry floor, after
which they may be wound on to the beam. This operation is only applicable
to unbleached silk and requires a very dry atmosphere.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
leviating from the principles or inain features of the said Invention; but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general construction, arrangement, and combination of apparatus
for effecting the warping and preparation of silk, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode, herein-before described, of warping silk from
the cocoons direct.
Third, the peculiar construction and arrangements of "heck," composed of
two sliding bars and guiding the threads in a vertical instead of a horizontal
plane, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the warping of the silk threads, either in gangs or half gangs, guided
on to the warping mill in the form of bands or ribbons, each single thread being
separate and distinct from the rest when wound on the warping mill.
Fifth, the application and use of revolving vanes or blades situated inside
the warping mill for the purpose of drying the silk threads.
Sixth, the peculiar construction and arrangement of spool, as herein-before
described.

page_text: Seventh, the application and use of the improved spool, herein-before
described, in the ungumming or dyeing of silk threads.
Eighth, the application and use of the improved form of spool, herein-before
described and illustrated in the Drawings, for the formation of threads of raw
untwisted silk or organzine obtained direct from the cocoons.
Ninth, the application and use of the imitation organzine, herein-before
described.
Tenth, the application of the improved form of spool to the formation of silk
and wool or silk and cachemire threads, or threads composed of silk and com-
bined with any other fibrous material.
Eleventh, the application of the imitation organzine to the formation of silk
and wool threads combined.
Twelfth, the system or mode of dyeing or ungumming the silk whilst on the
improved spool herein-before described, whether such operations be effected
with or without the aid of a vacuum.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of January, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.B.)