IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBIN NET ORTWIST LACE
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Catford, of Chard, in the County of
Somerset, Machinist, and John Sherwood Wheatley, of Nottingham, in
the County of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, for the Invention of
DAnnex Nam on hurren
35
JAM SE
BODDIN
Nam on Trom LACT
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Catford and
John Sherwood Wheatley at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 8th October 1861.
We, WILLIAM CATFORD, of Chard, in the County, of Somerset, Machinist,
and JOHN SHERWOOD WHEATLEY, of Nottingham, in the County of Nottingham,
Lace Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBIN NET OR TWIST LACE," to be as
follows:-
Our improvements in the manufacture of bobbin net or twist lace relate to
that description known as "traverse net," in which the bobbin threads in
making the ground of the fabric are capable of traversing from selvage to
selvage, and our improvements consist in introducing ornamenting threads,
which are so governed as to twist or plait with the bottom threads of the
upper set of carriages, thus forming part of the groundwork of the fabric
when they are not working to produce figuring or ornamental, work thereon.
In carrying out our Invention we prefer to employ an arrangement of bobbin

page_text: net machinery, wherein two sets of bobbins and carriages are arranged to
work in separate sets of combs or bolts placed one above the other, as has
before been proposed in the manufacture of other descriptions of lace or net.
The bottom set of carriages are operated upon by jacks or instruments which
are actuated by jacquard or other pattern surfaces, so as to select the car-
riages from time to time, and admit of their traversing from end to end of the
machine or from selvage to selvage when required to do so, or to remain
stationary for a time in order to twist or plait with their neighbouring threads
and with the extra ornamenting threads. The upper set of bobbins and car-
riages are arranged to move to and fro from front to back of the machine
in the ordinary manner; the comb bars of this set of bobbins and carriages
being stationary. Two sets of point bars are employed, one set for taking up
the crossings and moving them so as to allow them to twist with the upper set
of bobbin threads, and an upper set of points for taking up the work from
the
upper set of bobbins and carriages. The extra ornamenting threads (one
or more to each bobbin thread) are conducted through guides carried by a
guide bar or bars supported below the upper set of combs or bolts, and a set
of jacks or similar instruments (actuated by jacquard or other pattern surface)
are employed to govern the position of the extra ornamenting threads in
relation to the bobbin threads as required by the character or pattern of the
work being produced. Suitable stump points or other instruments are
employed to govern the positions of the several sets of threads as required.
In producing some descriptions of traverse lace or net according to our.
Invention, the ornamenting threads may be employed for figuring only, and
not be allowed to enter into the groundwork of the fabric, remaining loose on
the surface in those parts of the fabric which are not required to be orna-
mented thereby, the floating portions of the threads being afterwards cut
away, as is well understood in the manufacture of other figured or ornamented
lace or net.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
CATFORD, of Chard, in the County of Somerset, Machinist, and JoHN SHERWOOD
WHEATLEY, of Nottingham, in the County of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, 3
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said William Catford and John Sherwood Wheatley, Her special licence that
we, the said William Catford and John Sherwood Wheatley, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Catford
and John Sherwood Wheatley, our executors, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBIN NET OR TWIST LACE," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Catford and John
Sherwood Wheatley, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one
of us or them, 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 we, the said William Catford and John Sherwood
Wheatley, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed; to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:―
Our improvements in the manufacture of bobbin net or twist lace relate to
that description known as "traverse net," in which the bobbin threads in
making the ground of the fabric are capable of traversing from selvage to
selvage, and our improvements consist in introducing-ornamenting threads,
which are so governed as to twist or plait with the bobbin threads of the
upper set of carriages, thus forming part of the groundwork of the fabric
when they are not working to produce figuring or ornamental work thereon.
In carrying out our Invention we prefer to employ an arrangement of bobbin
net machinery, wherein two sets of bobbins and carriages are arranged to
work in separate sets of combs or bolts placed one above the other, as has
before been proposed in the manufacture of other descriptions of lace or net.
The bottom set of carriages are operated upon by jacks or instruments which
are actuated by jacquard or other pattern surface, so as to select the carriages
from time to time, and admit of their traversing from end to end of the

page_text: Figure 1 shows a transverse section of so much of a bobbin net or twist
lace machine as will enable us to describe our improvements in the manu-
facture of bobbin net or twist lace: Before entering into a description of the
arrangement of machinery which we have employed and found most suitable
for inanufacturing traverse bobbin net or twist lace according to our Invention,
we would first remark that we make no claim to any of the parts separately
of such machinery, nor to any arrangement or combination of machinery for
this purpose; our Invention having for its object the production by any
suitable arrangement of mechanism of ornainental traverse twist or traverse
plait net or lace of the peculiar character herein-after described, such orna

page_text: mental traverse or plaited bobbin net or lace never having been produced by
any of the previous arrangements of bobbin net or twist lace machinery to
the best of our knowledge and belief, and the accompanying Drawings are
simply intended to illustrate the best arrangement of mechanism with which
we are acquainted for producing or manufacturing ornamental traverse or
plaited bobbin net or twist lace according to our Invention.
The nature and working of the various parts of lace machinery, similar in
character to that represented in the accompanying Drawings, being well
understood, it will not be necessary for us to enter into a minute description
of the same, as a competent workman acquainted with this class of machinery,
aided by the following description, will readily construct and give suitable
motions to the several bars and instruments in order to produce lace or net
according to our Invention.
a', a, are a set of fixed or stationary combs or bolts in which the bobbins
and carriages a simply move to and fro from front to back and from back to
front of the machine, as is well understood; b, b', are front and back point
bars, which receive motion in the ordinary manner, for the purpose of taking
up the crossings of the threads from above the carriages a; c, c', are front and
back catch bars for actuating the bobbin and carriages a; and d is a row of
guides carried by the guide bar d', which is capable of shogging or moving
endways a distance equal to two or more gaits or spaces of the combs or bolts
a, a. The guides d, d, are threaded with a series of threads D, one or more
to each bobbin a, which are conducted thereto through perforated plates or
guides from a series of spools, reels, or beams, arranged in any convenient
manner, as is well understood. e, e, are jacks or instruments (actuated by
jacquard or other pattern surface), the points of which, after a selection bas
taken place, are interposed between the series of ornamenting threads carried
by the guide bar d, in order to govern the position of those threads during the
passage of the bobbins and carriage a through the spaces formed between
them. The jacks or instruments e, e, are supported at each end and slide in
slots or spaces formed in the sley or bar e¹, which is capable of moving end-
ways a distance equal to one or more gaits or spaces of the combs or bolts a¹, a³,
as required.
The independent jacks or instruments e, after a selection by the jacquard
has taken place, are moved forward by the blade of the driving bar e* entering
the recess e, cut in the under side of the jacks e, to cause the points of the
unselected jacks e to enter between the threads D.
It may be desirable to remark here that the arrangement and working of
the several parts previously described, together with the bobbin threads A and

page_text: ornamenting threads D, is the same as is well known and practised in the
arrangement and working of corresponding parts and threads in ordinary single
tier bobbin net or twist lace machinery, in which a series of warp threads
carried by a warp beam or roller are employed to work in combination there-
with, and for which in this arrangement we substitute a series of independent
bobbins and carriages f, which are carried by and move to and fro in the lower
set of combs or bolts f', f.
The combs or bolts f¹ are capable of shogging endways two or more gaits or
spaces of the combs or bolts, in order to cause the bobbins and carriages ƒ to
traverse from one end of the machine to the other, or from selvage to selvage,
or to remain stationary when required to do so. g and gl are the bottom pair
of point bars which take up the crossings and space the threads F of the lower
set of bobbins and carriages f. These lower point bars g and g' are both
arranged to work or operate upon the bobbin threads F from the front of the
machine, in order to leave room at the back for the introduction of the orna-
menting jacks e, e, and threads D. The lower point bar g¹ has to-and-fro and
up-and-down movements imparted thereto in any convenient manner, and is
capable of shogging endways a distance equal to one or more gaits or spaces
of the combs or bolts. The points of this bar g' are thus caused to enter
between the bobbin threads F just above the carriages f, then to rise with the
crossing and shog the threads F into position for the points 9 to enter between
them, to twist or plait with the upper set of bobbin threads A, and with the
ornamenting threads D. The point bar g simply moves to and fro, and is also
capable of being shogged endways a distance equal to one or more gaits or
spaces of the combs or bolts, so as to cause the points to enter between the
bobbin threads F, in order to shog and retain those threads in position for the
bobbins and carriages a to pass through.
The bobbins and carriages are capable of being selected from time to time,
whilst they are in the back set of bolts or combs f; after each motion from
front to back of the machine, by means of the independent selectors or instru-
ments h, the tails of which are lifted or operated upon by the cords h¹ from a
jacquard or other pattern surface. The independent selectors or instruments h,
(separate views of which are shown at Figure 2,) are carried by and are
capable of sliding to and fro in the spaces of the fixed sley bar h², and they are
each connected by a pin joint to a plate or driver h³, which fits into and travels
to and fro in the groove formed in the bolts or combs, in like manner to the
carriage. This jointed plate by working in the same groove as the carriage,
in its movement acts thereon, and when selected it acts upon the carriage as a
driver, to move it towards the front of the machine into a position to be taken

page_text: by the blade of the front locker bar i, which carries the carriages thus selected
and retains them in the front combs. When a' selection of the independent
selectors or instruments h has taken place, the back driving bar j is moved
forward, so as to come against their tail ends, and drive or force them forward
to select the carriages f, the unselected carriages being retained in the back
combs by the curved ends or fingers h* of the selectors h, and by the fixed bar
or blade acting against the step or projection h* on the under side of each of the
selectors h. The forward movement of the plate or driver h³ in the groove of
the back combs f2 causes the curved ends or fingers h to descend and be
withdrawn from in front of the projection f*, formed on the bottom of each of
the carriages f, to permit the selected carriages to move into the front combs,
and when they are again moved by the front driving bar into the back combs
the curved ends or fingers * are caused to rise up by the backward movement
of the selectors h (which are driven backward by the movement of the carriages
into the back combs). k is a fixed blade or bar, over or at the back of which
the step or projection * on the under side of each selector h drops when moved
backwards, in order to lock and retain the selectors h and carriages f in the
back combs in a position ready for a fresh selection by the jacquard or other
pattern surface.
From the foregoing description, together with the accompanying cuts of
wheels for shogging the several bars, and aided by the magnified diagrams of
portions of ornamental traverse twist lace or net manufactured according to
our Invention, it will be readily understood by a competent workman
acquainted with this class of machinery, how to arrange the same so as to
cause the threads D to produce the ornamental portions of the lace or net
when required, and when not required for this purpose such threads may be
caused to twist or plait with the upper and lower sets of bobbin threads. It
will also be seen that the lower set of bobbin threads may be caused to tra-
verse from end to end of the machine, or from selvage to selvage of each
breadth of lace, so as to twist or plait with the other threads, in order to pro-
duce the traverse ground of the fabric; but when such threads are not
required to traverse, they may be allowed to remain stationary and be worked
straight down into the fabric by twisting or plaiting in combination with the
other threads; it will thus be seen that we are able to manufacture ornamental
traverse twist bobbin net or ornamental traverse plaited net wherein fining or
clothing is produced, as herein described; the ornamenting threads when not
required for producing such fining or clothwork being caused to enter into the
groundwork of the net.
Additional ornamenting threads may be employed in combination with the

page_text: arrangements previously described, if required. The ornamenting threads D,
when not working to produce the ornamental portions of the lace, may, if
desired, be allowed to float over the surface of the lace or net, until again
required to enter into the fabric to produce other ornamental portions of the
lace or net, the floating portions of such threads being clipped off or cut away,
as is well understood in the manufacture of other descriptions of ornamental
lace or net.
The ornamenting and other threads employed in the manufacture of lace or
net, according to our Invention, may be of varied colors, according to the effect
which it is desired to obtain in the production of such lace or net.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Catford and John Sherwood
Wheatley, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighth day of
April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-two.
Witness,
G. H. BIRKBECK,
WILLIAM CATFORD.
(L.S.)
JOHN SHERWOOD WHEATLEY. (L.S.)
Patent Agent,
34,'Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, London.