IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE."
- A communication.
Sealed the 4th February 1859, and dated the 5th August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th August 1858.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
LACE," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in so acting upon the bars of bobbin net and
other lace machines, through the agency of jacquard cards or wheels, that the
threads of the said bars are made to tie in with the bobbin threads in such
a manner that two or more independent webs or fabrics of figured and
embroidered nets or laces overlaying each other, and each the width of the
frame, or even more, are simultaneously produced.
The Invention consists, secondly, in making pearl work by the aid of
metallic wires, which serve to hold the noses of the pearls, until drawn off by
the progressive motion of the net beam.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE," being a communication from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being bad to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
-consists, firstly, in so acting upon the bars of bobbin net and other lace
machines, through the agency of jacquard-cards-or-pattern_wheels, that the
threads of the said bars will tie in with the bobbin threads in a suitable
manner, so as to form simultaneously two or more independent webs or
fabrics overlaying each other, and each equal or even of superior width to
that of the frame.
Secondly, the Invention consists in making the purl work by the aid of
metallic wires or rigid substances, which serve to hold the noses of the purls
until drawn off by the progressive motion of the net beam.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a portion of net or lace
composed of four bands of lace, two of which form the upper fabric, and are
laid above the two other bands, which form a second fabric perfectly inde-
pendent of the other.
The ground warp threads A, binding figuring warps and others, which
together form the upper fabric, receive from the jacquard cards, or from the
wheels or cylinders which perform the same office, the movement necessary
for causing them to vary, so as only to unite with the bobbin threads a, and
consequently to avoid being tied with the bobbin threads b, of which they
remain perfectly independent. On the other hand, the ground warps B,
figuring and other warps which form the lower fabric, receive also at. the
same time from the jacquard cards, or from the cylinders performing the same
office, the movement requisite for causing them to vary, so as only to unite
with the bobbin threads b, to the absolute exclusion of the threads a, of
which they remain perfectly independent. c represents the "insertion" thread
of the upper fabric, and D that of the lower fabric.
The movements of the different warp and other threads do not differ in
any way from those already in use, and which are combined according to the
patterns to be produced. The bands of Fig. 1 may be purled in the manner
represented in Fig. 2.
In order the more readily to control the movement of the fabrics as they
are produced, a fixed metallic bar is inserted between the fabrics extending
the whole width of the machine and at a short distance from the needle bar,
for the purpose of obtaining and maintaining between the two fabrics a
suitable space or separation which will allow the workman to follow with
facility the progress of his work.
Fig. 2 represents the improved mode of producing purl work, either upon
the borders of the lace or net or any other part of the fabrics. a is the bobbin
thread; b, the warp thread forming the purl loops, which thread has been
previously strongly twisted in a direction contrary to that usually practised;
c is the warp, serving to tie the. thread b with the bobbin thread a; d is a
wire, from two to three inches in length, soldered or otherwise attached to one
of the carriages, and serving to hold the loops produced by the thread b, until
by the drag of the work roller the said loops are cach in succession disengaged
from the wire guide. The warp thread may, if requisite, be made to pass
over a greater number of bobbin threads a, as in Fig. 1, instead of one only,
as in the present Figure.
Fig. 3 represents the improved method of producing purl work intended
as a border for net, lace, blonde, or other fabrics. a, a, are the bobbin threads;

page_text: b, the warp threads forming the purl loops; and c, c, the binding warp threads,
serving to tie the warp thread 6 to the bobbin threads a, a; d is a wire, the
use of which has been above explained with reference to Fig. 2. In the
present case the purl loops are coupled together front to front without "insertion"
threads between them. It will be understood, that as the loops are freed from
their wire guide by the action of the work roller, the purls will be completely
disengaged from each other, and ready to put upon the cards as soon as they
are unwound from the work roller, thus saving the expense of unravelling.
As Fig. 1 principally represents the manufacture of figured lace, another
arrangement is shewn at Fig. 4, specially adapted for the production of plain
net. Two fabrics only are represented, but three, four, or even a greater
number of plain fabrics may be laid one over the other.
In Fig. 4, the warp threads A are employed exclusively for the production
of the upper fabric, and are consequently only tied with the bobbin threads a,
and the warp threads B, on the other hand, are only tied with the bobbin
threads b, and form with them the lower fabric.
It should be remarked, that in carrying out this Invention no change is
made in the mechanical arrangements of the lace machinery ordinarily
employed, the addition of the wires for carrying the purl edging in no way
interfering with the moving mechanism.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in
the Manufacture of Lace," as communicated to me by my correspondent,
and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim the
means herein described for improving the manufacture of bobbin net and
other lace.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane..
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)