IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR BOBBIN NET MACHINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Beck of 139 Cannon Street in the City
of London, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent for an invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR BOBBIN NET MACHINES." A communication
from abroad by William Dawson of St Pierre les Calais, Civil Engineer.
(Void by reason of the Patentee having neglected to file a Specification in
pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Beck at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th March 1882.
WILLIAM HENRY BECK of 139 Cannon Street in the City of London, Consulting
Engineer and Patent Agent "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR BOBBIN NET
MACHINES A communication from abroad by William Dawson of St. Pierre les
Calais, Civil Engineer
"
Two systems of bobbin net machines are at present in use on which are
produced the numerous imitations of lace sold in commerce.
The first and oldest is the circular machine, the second is the machine known
as Leaver's. These systems are distinguished by the arrangement of the carriages
or shuttles containing the weft threads. In the first (that is the circular) system
these carriages are two in number in the same comb or boltz, and have a movement
of translation from right to left for the front carriage and from left to right for
the back one (or vice versa). This movement of progression causes all the carriages
of the front row to pass successively into the back row and vice versa. This
movement of translation has for effect the formation of the cross of the circular
bobbin net by the aid of a weft thread which goes from the right selvage of
the tissue to the left selvage and vice versa; and this work is the exact and
mathematical reproduction of the work of the spindle of the lace (du fusean de la
dentellerie) The ground work (le fond) of the bobbin net manufactured on these
machines is identically the same as that of true lace of the same kind.
On the contrary Leaver's system has all the carriages arranged side by side and
in the same row. This arrangement which offers great advantages, from a point
of view entirely different from that of this present invention, constitutes that
system. From this arrangement, it results, that the carriages or the weft threads
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page_text: always work in the same gratings, that is to say in the same place, and that the
crosses of the bobbin net are closed by the warp threads, the effect of which is to
constitute an imitation of lace ground.
It should be remarked however that on this machine the circular ground is more
nearly imitated, by carrying along the warp tbreads from right to left and vice
versa; but this effect can only be obtained for small heights of band; it is limited
by the number of gates or carriages that the Jacquard can make. Breadths (laizes)
cannot be made in this way besides which the crosses are not interlaced as in the
circular machine.
But the arrangement of the carriages in a single row renders it possible to
embroider by the aid of supplementary threads. This embroidery consists merely
in the interlacing of these supplementary threads between the warp and weft.
This system having a carriage for each grating (treille) and each carriage having
its seat by the side of its neighbour the place where the thread is to be attached
is perfectly determined and that it is only necessary to raise or lower an embroidery
thread as far the carriage or gate necessary for attaching or sewing it at that
place. Let the numbers 1. 2. 3. 4. and 5 represent the carriages corresponding
to four gratings (treilles) of bobbin net. At the time of forming the tissue, the
embroidery thread having risen as far as say the third gate situated between the
carriages 3 and 4 when these said carriages insert it between them and the warp
threads, this thread is taken between the twistings of the weft and of the warp
and remains there, until it is caused to fall say to the left of the carriage 1. this
fall imprisons it again between the twistings of certain of the weft threads with
their respective warp threads. This interlacing constitutes the embroidery on the
machine and allows all kinds of imitation embroidered lace to be made on this
kind of machine. This is what constitutes the immense advantage of Leaver's
system over the circular system and which has caused the abandonment of the
latter to a very large extent.
The object of the present invention is to remedy this state of things and to
allow of embroidering on the circular machine, as on the Leaver's machine and it
may be remarked that the products resulting from these improvements are tissues
having true lace grounds, whilst those produced in the Leaver machines are only
imitations.
It has been stated above that in the circular machine the carriages are situated
in two rows this renders it impossible to raise or lower an embroidery thread
between certain carriages or gates and prevents embroidering, because it only
allows of fastening the thread at every second grating which is insufficient for
that purpose.
"
According to the present invention this objection is overcome by causing the
embroidery thread to reach one carriage higher than it is to be fastened at and
by avoiding by means of a fall made at the proper time the fastening of such
thread at that place. An exactly reverse process takes place in the fall. Thus for
example in a ground of twelve motions which is the ground called "Point d'
Angleterre "the first motion being in the back, the second in the middle, the third
in the front; the front comb bar (boltz barre) which alone is moveable, and
rising for the first time to the second motion, the ground being made according to
the section of wheel, there occur four different modes of fixing at the rising and
as many at the falling 1st if the thread comes to be fastened naturally on the
2nd if it comes to
warp thread of the 1st bar with the bobbin of the front row.
be fastened on the thread of the same bar with the bobbin of the back row; 3rd if
it comes to be fastened on the thread of the 2nd bar with the bobbin of the front
row, and lastly 4th if it comes to be fastened with the same bar on the bobbin of
the back row. Of these four cases two are natural, that is to say the threads are
conducted and fixed there (in the gate) where they are brought. They would
remain at that place naturally, if the carriage (charriage) of the comb bar (boltz
barre) did not prevent it.
In the two other cases it is important that the falling or rising of the thread

page_text: should only take place in the motions where it is inserted between the bobbins on
which it is wished to fix their respective warp threads. All these means however
would be perfectly ineffectual if the machine retained the points (pointes) usually
employed in it. In the circular machine these points are the same in number as
the comb that is to say that there is on the same bar one point for two carriages.
This point serves to relieve (relever) the twists (torsions) put on the threads, and
to open the gratings that they thread through successively in proportion as they
are made. It will be understood that in the passage (passe) of the embroidery
threads these means would be insufficient because on the one hand they do not
relieve the twists often enough, but especially because the point at the time of its
working only relieves one grating out of two. And if it is supposed that this
point only relieves the gratings 1, 3, 5, 7 etcetera it will be seen that the threads
which are fixed to the gratings 2, 4, 6 etcetera are not relieved and that
consequently work is impossible. This difficulty has been overcome by means of
three points (more or less) for each comb, say about 14 per carriage, which relieve
not only the gratings which they are intended to relieve but also their neighbours.
By these means all the gratings and all the twistings are relieved at every stroke
of the points. A stroke of the points is given for every two motions. This stroke
of the points is given before the crossing takes place in such manner as to relieve
one part of the slope (pente) which the gymps and embroidery threads have: this
renders the passage easier. All this is entirely different from the ordinary work,
in which the points are always carried along (charrieés) laterally to take the warp
and weft in a particular manner; and when a deranged point does not execute the
work under these conditions the bobbin net is immediately and completely deformed,
in fact it is no longer bobbin net.
On the contrary with points of larger number than the quantity of gratings
they work absolutely free, that is to say without lateral movement, and in the
middle of the threads.
Delicacy being thus completely suppressed, it follows that as the point cannot
miss, the tissue produced is perfect. This is one of the chief features of the
invention as these means are not at present in use in the manufacture of circular
bobbin nets where the taking (prise) of the points is a difficult though an essential
matter since bobbin net cannot be produced without it. By the novel means
above described any required design can be made on the circular machine as also
breadths (laizes) heretofore made complete exclusively on the Leaver's machines
and a product is obtained infinitely superior to that of the general manufacture.
These improvements are not only applicable to the production of breadths
(laizes) veils (voilettes) etcetera but also of every design, and every size of band
manufactured on the circular machine. They are likewise equally applicable to every
other circular ground whether of simple or double twist between each cross, whether
point d'Angleterre ground, Brussels, or other ground, as it is obvious that the
principles above enunciated can be applied to the attainment of the same end in
various ways.
It may also be remarked as a further improvement resulting from
these arrangements that the cuttings are behind the tissue, at the reverse of the
embroidered side. This offers the advantage of an easier and more perfect finish
while the ends of these cuttings are hidden from the eye. This effect is obtained
quite naturally by leaving the bottom embroiderers at rest, at the time of changing
the comb bar (boltz barre). The reverse effect is obtained by causing these bars
to work at the same time as the comb bar (boltz barre). In the first case the
crosses are formed above the threads. In the second case they are formed on the
side, which allows the threads to pass over.