IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE IN TWIST LACE MACHINES.
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin William, Selby, of Parliament Street,
Nottingham, Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF LACE IN TWIST LACE MACHINES.'"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin William Selby
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
. the 15th March 1866.
I, BENJAMIN WILLIAM SELBY, of Parliament Street, Nottingham, Draughts-
man, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE IN TWIST LACE MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of lace with plaited pillars in the
nature of the ground of Valenciennes lace, on which lace or ground figures
may be produced when desired. I employ in the production of each pillar
two warp threads and a carriage thread, and these threads by the motions
given to the warp bars are caused to plait together, and the crossings
from pillar to pillar are made by the warp threads, the carriage threads
dominating them. The warp threads need not plait constantly with the same
carriage thread but may traverse over and work with several carriage
threads.
When it is desired to produce a figure, warp threads which in the ground.
of the fabric plait into pillars may be taken and traversed to and fro to pro-

page_text: duce the figure required. Usually one warp thread is thus taken from each
of two pillars, whilst the other warp thread remains with its carriage thread,
and may tie in the figuring warp at the end of each traverse.
I would remark that plaited pillars have before been made with three
threads, two warps, and one carriage thread, but heretofore when this has
been done the carriage thread has made the crossings from pillar to pillar, it
having been a slack thread dominated by its warps. On this system the
warps could not practically be made to traverse over several carriages, but
must work straight down, and besides the carriage threads are rapidly used
up, which in practice is very inconvenient and adds considerably to the cost of
manufacture.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin William Selby in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, BENJAMIN
WILLIAM SELBY, of Parliament Street, Nottingham, Draughtsman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Benjamin William Selby, Her special licence that I, the said Benjamin
William Selby, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Benjamin William Selby, my 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 LACE IN TWIST LACE
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin
William Selby, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Benjamin William Selby, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of lace with plaited pillars in the
nature of the ground of Valenciennes lace, on which lace or ground figures
are produced where desired. I employ in the production of each pillar two
warp threads and a carriage thread, and these threads by the motions given to
the warp bars are caused to plait together, and the crossings from pillar to
pillar are made by the warp threads, the carriage threads dominating them.
Where it is desired to produce a figure, warp threads which in the ground
of the fabric plait into pillars are taken and traversed to and fro to produce
the figure required. Usually one warp thread is thus taken from each of two
pillars, whilst the other warp thread remains with its carriage thread and ties
in the figuring warp at the end of each traverse.
I would remark that plaited pillars have before been made with three
threads, two warps, and one carriage thread, but heretofore when this has
been done the carriage thread has made the crossings from pillar to pillar, it
having been a slack thread dominated by its warps. On this system the
warps could not practically be made to traverse over several carriages, but
must work straight down, and besides the carriage threads aro rapidly used
up, which in practice is very inconvenient and adds considerably to the cost
of manufacture.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawing indicates the movements of the warp
threads in two adjacent pillars of the fabric; the threads numbered 1 and 2
are in one pillar, and those marked 8 and 4 are in the next, and in this way
the warp threads are arranged in the alternate pillars.
It will be seen that at each movement of the carriages from front to back,
or back to front, the warp threads in each pillar cross from one side of the
carriage to the other, but they cross in opposite directions, thus interlocking
and plaiting the threads of the pillar in the manner shown at Figure 2; only
in this Figure, for clearness of illustration, the bobbin thread (which is drawn
in red) is represented as a slack thread, and the warp threads (which are
drawn in black) are represented as tighter or more heavily weighted threads;
whereas in reality the contrary is the fact. The working goes on in this way
until a crossing is to be made, and then both the warp threads of a pillar go
and catch the next carriage or bobbin thread on one side or the other as the
case may be; whilst the warp threads belonging to the carriage so caught
come and catch the first carriage thread; or one warp thread only of each

page_text: carriage may go to produce the crossings. In this way the ground of the
fabric, which consists of meshes of a diamond form, is produced. When a
point is arrived at where the pattern requires a weaving or fining to be made,
then one or more of the warp threads is taken and is caused to traverse to
and fro across the space to be filled with the fining or weaving. The warp
threads then working in the manner indicated at the centre part of Figure 3.
The warp threads need not necessarily plait constantly with the same carriago
thread, but may, if the pattern renders it desirable, traverse over and work
with several carriage threads.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the exact details described; but what I claim is, the manufacture of
lace in twist lace machines with plaited pillars, each consisting of a bobbin
thread and two warp threads, such warp threads also making the crossings
and the weavings or finings of the figure or pattern.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin William Selby, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
צת זם' אמר אדז
BENJ