IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING LACE CURTAINS AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1886

page_text: Owner Fabrics.
I WILLIAM ROUTLEDGE junior of 10 Chiswick Street Carlisle in the County of
Cumberland, Clothier do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING LACE CURTAINS AND OTHER FABRICS to be
as follows:
I use a frame made in parts and put together in such way that opposite sides
can be moved nearer to or further from one another. The sides of the frame are
furnished with hooks, pins, or other means of securing the material to be stretched
upon the frame.
My improvements consist in making some or all of the sides broader in the
middle than at their ends, thereby providing extra strength where it is most
required. The sides may be made either of one piece, or built up like a truss;
which latter method combines lightness, strength, and economy of material. Some
or all of the sides of the frame may be made to fold in such a manner that the
hooks or pins aforesaid are protected from injury when the side is folded up & the
frame is out of use. This folding also permits of the frame being packed into
smaller compass.
One method of forming the joint of a folding side is by securing a hinge or
hinges upon the two parts of the side upon one face thereof and by forming upon
one of the two parts a prolongation or prolongations which overlaps or overlap the
other of the two parts when the jointed side is unfolded. The said prolongation or™
prolongations of the one part can be secured to the other part of the said side by
means of a turn-buckle or a thumb-screw or in any suitable way.
!
I use any suitable hook, loop, or pin for attaching the material to be stretched
to the frame, but prefer a hook made of the following form. A piece of suitable
material is taken and pointed at both ends. About one-fourth of an inch of one
end is then bent till it makes an angle of about 80° with the rest of the partly
formed hook. At about one fourth of an inch, from the said bend, another bend is
made in the material of the said book, in the opposite direction and to an angle of
about 90%. This end of the material of the book forms the shank to be driven
into the material of the frame. The hook when finished will lie wholly upon
a plane surface. The part between the two bends forms a head to the shank part,
& by this head the hook can be driven into the material of the frame,

page_text: I construct the adjacent ends of two sides of the frame so that these sides
can be readily attached to each other to form a rigid connection, the two sides
being at a right-angle. One method of doing this is by making the adjacent ends
broader and thicker than the other ends of their respective sides; and by forming
a jaw or mortice on one of these side rails, and a tongue or tenon on the other, at
the said adjacent ends. The two ends are secured together by means of a wedge,
cotter, pin, or screw.
I make upon similar faces of the aforesaid two sides of the frame and for
about half their length' from their ends furthest from the said rigid connection,
a projection in or upon the material of the said sides; and on that side of the
respective projections nearest those edges of the sides of the frame that contain the
aforesaid right angle, I form a groove: or I make a slot quite through the said
projection. I make the two other sides of the frame of such form that one end of
each of these said sides has a projection fitting into the said groove or slot; and
these ends can be secured by pins, cotters, or wedges passing through these last
mentioned projections and through the material of the respective sides first
mentioned of the said frame to which the said last named projections are to be
secured. A series of holes is made in each of the two sides first named to receive
the said pins, cotters, or wedges. Hence the frame can be made up of any required
area within the limit of about half the length of the sides.
Another method of securing the two sides last named to the two sides first
named is as follows:-the projections first mentioned as being formed respectively
upon about half the length of the two sides first named are omitted; and the ends
of the two sides last named, instead of being formed with a tongue-like projection
to fit a groove or slot, are made with a jaw or slot into which the material of the
rail forming one portion of the two sides first named can be inserted; the two
sides last named being respectively secured to the two sides first named by means
of pins, cotters, wedges, or screws.
To secure the ends of the sides which form the angle of the frame opposite to
the aforesaid right angle, I form upon one of the said sides, and upon the same face
of the frame as the said first mentioned projections containing a groove or slot are
to be formed, and also for about half the length of this third side, a somewhat
similar slotted projection to those first mentioned: and through the slot the end of
the fourth side is passed. A series of holes is provided in both the third and
fourth sides of the frame for about half their length,.at the ends of them which are
to be connected; and, by means of a pin or screw passed through suitable holes of
these series, these sides of the frame are connected where they cross, opposite the
first named right angle.
Upon the fourth side of the frame I make, if desired, upon its outer edge, a
rebate on the opposite face of the frame to that on which first aforesaid projections
were made. I, then, also form upon the inner edge of the aforesaid third side of
the frame for about half its length, and at the same end as the aforesaid slot, a
rebate on the same face of the frame as the rebate on the said fourth side. By
means of the said rebates I keep in position a loose piece, bearing books or pins,
which piece slopes off from the face of the third side of the frame to the face of
the fourth side; the two faces not being in the same plane when the sides are joined
as described.
The hooks used by preference on the three first named sides of the frame are
those herein before described; and they are fixed in such way that their hooked
ends are as nearly as possible at the inner edges of the said sides. On the afore-
said fourth side, hooks are fixed, either of the same kind as just referred to; or
hooks with only one bend in them :-viz. made as herein before described save that
the second bend, to an angle of 90°, is omitted:-or pins may be used. The hooks
or pins are fixed along the edge of the said fourth side which is the outer edge
with respect to the frame.
When a frame much longer than it is wide is required, it is often needless to
make all four sides jointed to fold. In this case the aforesaid fourth side forms

page_text: one end of an oblong frame; and both it and the opposite side are made without a
folding joint.
To save expense, especially in small frames, the folding joint may be omitted
from all four sides.
The joint of a jointed side is formed in such way that by means of a suitable
stop, or stops, the hooks are protected when the side is folded and out of use. In
the case of sides not made to fold I make suitable provision for fixing opposite
sides one upon the other so as to protect the hooks when the frame is taken apart
and out of use.
To facilitate the correct adjustment of the frame I prefer to number or otherwise
mark the pin-holes in the sides.
1000

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Stretching Lace Curtains
and other Fabrics.
r
I WILLIAM ROUTLEDGE junior of 10 Chiswick Street Carlisle in the County of
Cumberland, Clothier, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
'I use a frame made in parts and put together in such way that opposite sides
can be moved nearer to or further from one another. The sides of the frame are
furnished with hooks, pins, or other means of securing the material to be stretched
upon the frame.
My improvements consist first in making some or all of the sides broader in the
middle than at their ends; thereby providing extra strength where it is most
required The sides may be made either of one piece or built up like a truss,
which latter method combines lightness, strength & economy of material. Some
or all of the sides of the frame may be made to fold in such a manner that the
hooks or pins aforesaid are protected from injury when the side is folded up and the
frame is out of use. This folding also permits of the frame being packed into smaller
compass. I use stops to keep the sides, or parts of the sides sufficiently far apart
for the hooks not to be damaged, when out of use, and I secure the sides or parts
of sides in suitable position to prevent damage to the hooks when out of use:-
tying or otherwise attaching the said sides or parts of sides to one another.
One method of forming the joint of a folding side is by securing a hinge or
hinges upon the two parts of the side upon one face thereof and by forming upon
one of the two parts a prolongation or prolongations which overlaps or overlap the
other of the two parts when the jointed side is unfolded. The said prolongations
or prolongation of the one part can be secured to the other part of the said side by
means of a turn-buckle or a thumbscrew, or in any suitable way.
I use any suitable hook, loop or pin, for attaching the material to be stretched
to the frame but prefer an improved hook made of the following form A piece of
suitable material is taken and pointed at both ends. About one fourth of an inch
of one end is then bent till it makes an angle of about 80° with the rest of the
partly formed book. At about one fourth of an inch from the said bend another bend
is made in the material of the said hook in the opposite direction and to an angle
of about 90° This end of the material of the hook forms the shank to be driven
into the material of the frame The hook when finished will lie wholly upon a
plane surface The part between the two bends forms a head to the shank part;
and by this head the hook can be driven into the material of the frame These
improved hooks may be stamped to the required form at one operation out of sheet
metal or other suitable material instead of being formed by bending as described.
I construct the adjacent ends of two sides of the frame so that these sides can be
readily attached to each other to form a rigid connection, the two sides being at a
right angle. There are various ways of doing this but I prefer the following
improved methods. One method is by making the adjacent ends broader and

page_text: thicker than their respective sides and by forming a jaw or mortice on one of these
side rails and a tongue or tenon on the other, at the said adjacent ends. The two
ends are secured together by means of a wedge, cotter, pin, or screw.
Another
method is to form or fix on one of the sides near the end a broad portion to form
a guide to the adjacent side which may be left of the normal width but is
thickened at the point where the said guide touches the ends being halved
together above the guide.
My improved methods of connecting the third and fourth sides to the two before
named sides are as follows:-I make upon similar faces of the two first name sides
of the frame and for about half their lengths from their ends furthest from the
said rigid connection a projection in or upon the material of the said sides; and
upon that side of the respective projections nearest those edges of the sides of
the frame that contain the aforesaid right angle I form a groove; or I make
a slot quite through the said projections I make the two other sides of the
frame of such form that one end of each of these said sides has a projection fitting
into the said groove or slot, and these projecting ends can be secured by pins
cotters or wedges passing through these last mention projections and through the
material of the respective sides first mentioned of the said frame to which the said
last named projections are to be secured. A series of holes is made in each of the
two sides first named to receive the said pins, cotters, or wedges. Hence the frame
can be made of any required area within the limit of about half the length of the
sides. Another method of securing the two sides first named to the two sides last
named is as follows:-The projections first mentioned as being formed respectively
upon about half the length of the two sides first named are omitted, and the ends
of the two sides to be attached to them, instead of being formed with a tongue
like projection to fit a groove or slot are made with a jaw or slot into which the
material of the rail forming portion of the two sides first named can be inserted:
the two sides last named being respectively secured to the two sides first named
by means of pins, cotters, wedges or screws.
To secure the ends of the sides which form the angle of the frame opposite to
the aforesaid right angle I adopt the following improvements: I form upon one of
the said sides and upon the same face of the frame that the said first mentioned
projections containing a groove or slot are to be formed, and also for about half the
length of this third side a somewhat similar slotted projection to those first named
and through the slot the end of the fourth side is passed A series of holes is
provided in both the third and fourth sides of the frame for about half their length
at the ends of them which are to be connected; and by means of a pin or screw
passed through suitable holes of these series these sides of the frame are connected
where they cross opposite the first-named right angle. Upon the fourth side of
the frame I make if desired upon its outer edge a rebate on the opposite face of the
frame to that on which the first aforesaid projections are made I then also form
upon the inner edge of the aforesaid third side of the frame for about half its
length and at the same end as the aforesaid slot a rebate on the same face of the
frame as the rebate on the said fourth side By means of the said rebate I keep in
position a loose piece bearing hooks or pins which piece slopes off from the face of
the third side to the face of the fourth side the two faces not being in the same
plane when the sides are joined as described. By making the loose piece in such
way that it slides like a collar upon the fourth side, and by forming its end to fit
into the rebate on the third side the slotted projection on the third side may be
omitted.
The hooks used by preference on the three first named sides of the frame are
those herein before described, and they are fixed in such way that their hooked
ends are as nearly as possible at the inner edges of the said sides. On the aforesaid
fourth side hooks are fixed either of the same kind just referred to, or hooks with
only one bend in them viz. made as hereinbefore mentioned but with one bend
omitted; or pins may be used. The hooks or pins are fixed along that edge of the
said fourth side which is the outer edge with respect to the frame.

page_text: in Down sheets simmar letters refer to simmat palvo
Sheet 1.-Fig. 1 shows a frame having two trussed folding sides, and two plain
sides without folding joints: the method of securing sides C. D. to one another, to
protect the pins or looks, is also shown. Figs. 2. 3. 4. 5. and 6 show details of
method of connecting the third and fourth sides, respectively marked B, and D,
to the second and first sides respectively, marked respectively C and D. Figs. 7
and 8 show one form of the sloping sliding piece upon side D. Figs. 9. 10. 11
and 12 show different forms and positions of hooks and pins.
Fig. 28 is
Sheet 2-Figs. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 show a frame:-each of the
four sides being shown broken in two places, for the sake of employing a larger
scale than in Fig. 1-which has two plain jointed sides, and two plain not jointed
sides. Fig. 21 is an edge view of the rigid joint between sides A and C. Fig. 22
is a side view, and Fig. 23 is a plan of the reverse side, of the joint shown in
Fig. 17. Fig. 24 is an edge view of the joint between sides B and C. Figs. 25 & 26
show an edge view of the jointed side A. folded:-the side is shown broken as
before: Fig. 27 is an edge view of the joint between sides D and A.
an end view, and Fig. 29 a side view of the sliding loose piece on side D.
The hinges of the folding joints are marked a. The prolongation upon one part
of a folding side which prolongation overlaps the other part of the said side is
marked b; and is secured by the turn buckle c.
The hook with two bends is
marked d. The hook with one bend, as used in the rebate on side D, is marked e.
Pins used instead of hook d are marked f. The broad portion fixed or formed on
side A is marked g; h is the thickened portion of side C, and touches g; while
and are the portions of sides A, C, halved together above this guide. In Fig. 2.
shows a projection upon a side as suggested in one form of sides A. and C. In
this projection is the groove l. A slot might be made quite through the projection
if preferred. The projection at the end of a side B or D fitting into the groove is
marked m.
The pin for securing a projection into a groove, slot, or rebate is
marked n. In Figs. 5 and 6 an alternative method is shown of forming this
joint one of the rails or sides is made thicker at that portion of its length which
is prepared to receive the projection of the end of an adjacent side. Figs. 3 and 4
show another alternative method in which a rebate is made on that face of the
side on which the hooks project; the end of the side to be attached having a
projection o fitted into the rebate, the projection marked m in Figs. 2. and 5.
simply fitting on to the under surface of the rail marked C in Fig. 4. This is the
method I prefer to use and it is shown in Figs. 1. 13. 19. 24. and 27. Fig. 8 shows
the slotted projection p sometimes adopted on the third side B, as an alternative
arrangement to that shown in Fig. 29. The end of the fourth side D is passed
through the slot p. The rebate in side D is marked q. and receives hooks e
arranged so that the loose piece r slides freely upon D. The rebate in the third
side B is marked´s and is formed to take the projection t of the loose piece. The
:

page_text: sloping face of the loose piece is marked u. The holes or dots w. represent the
holes for pins wedges or screws used in adjusting and securing the frame to
required size The dots represent hooks The stops to protect the hooks are
marked x. The fastenings to secure the parts of frame when out of use are
marked y.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
In frames for stretching lace curtains and other fabrics:
1. Making the rails broader in the middle than at the ends substantially as and
for the purposes herein before described.
2. Making long rails to fold so as to protect the pins or hooks; and making
short rails to fit together with stops and fastenings for the same purpose;
substantially as described.
3. Stiffening the joints of the folding rails substantially as described.
4. The hook with two bends substantially as described.
5. The method of attaching rail A to rail C, substantially as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described.
6. The various methods of attaching the rails to one another at the other angles
of the frame substantially as herein-before described.
7. The sliding sloping piece at the angle of rails B. D. for the purposes of
preventing a sudden break in the surface of the frame and of binding the said
rails more firmly together.
8. The combination of parts forming frames substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated this 29th day of November 1886.
"