IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WEAVERS' HARNESS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes
and Son, Patent Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WEAVERS' HARNESS."-A
communication from abroad by William Randal Harris, Engineer, of
13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, in the Empire of France.
ealed the 30th August 1864, and dated the 1st March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st March 1864.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent
Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WEAVERS' HARNESS,"
a communication to me from abroad by William Randal Harris, Engineer,
of 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, in the Empire of France, to be as follows:-
These improvements relate, firstly, to the manufacture of healds in con-
tinuous open lengths, without loops or foundation cords, and in order to secure
the twines composing such lengths I place them in a loom in the ordinary way
as warp yarn, and run through them a few picks of weft at proper intervals to
form requisite sheds, and if necessary the usual staves can be inserted during
the operation of weaving. When the entire length has thus been operated on
in the loom it is cut into sheds by dividing through the woven portion, and in
order that the separated parts should not unravel I either previously cover

page_text: such parts with a glutinous preparation, or I run a line of stitching close to
each separated edge.
Secondly, to the manner of attaching the eye or noose to such unlooped
harness. For this purpose I make use of either a metallic or glass eye, or an
eye formed by a single length of twine, which I sew or attach in any con-
venient or appropriate manner to each individual or each alternate heald
twine, or I unite by sewing or otherwise two heald twines, leaving a small
opening at the centre of the junction equivalent to that usually required for
the eye or noose.
This latter part of my Invention is also applicable to ordinary harness
secured to a foundation cord instead of being secured by cross weaving, but
in which the twines are run straight from staff to staff, instead of being
Jooped.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents, 123,
Chancery Lane, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Thomas Hughes, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Thomas
Hughes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Edward Thomas Hughes, 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 WEAVERS' HARNESS," a communication to me
from abroad by William Randal Harris, Engineer, of 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris,
in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Edward Thomas Hughes, 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

page_text: 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 Edward Thomas Hughes, 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 (that is to say):—
The first part of these improvements refers to the manner of manufacturing
the harness itself without reference to the eyes or other attachments for
receiving the warp threads, and is represented by Figs. 1 and 2 of accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a
lateral elevation of a heald manufactured according to this improvement.
A, A, are the heald staves; C, C, C, the heald twines; and D, a few picks
of weft woven into the twines at regular intervals and on each side of the
staves, as shewn on right-hand half of Figs. 1 and 2. This weaving is
effected by mounting the twines in an ordinary loom in the same manner as
the usual warp. The weaver first throws a few picks, and then inserts a staff
parallel with such picks, and which he secures in this position by a few passes
of the shuttle; the heald is then advanced a distance corresponding with the
shed; the weaver again throws a few more picks, inserts a second staff, which
he secures like the former; he will thus have completed one heald, and by a
repetition of these operations he will convert the entire warp into healds fit for
receiving the eyes or other analogous attachments. When the twines set in
the loom are to be converted into open sheds, that is to say, with staves which
are not secured in the healds, as shewn on left-hand half of Figs. 1 and 2, the
weaver first throws a few picks, draws the warp forward a distance equivalent
to the intended shed, and then again throws an equal number of picks, and
these operations are repeated until the whole of the warp has been operated
on, and in order to prevent the unravelling of the weft when the piece is
cut into healds, as indicated, through the line S, S, it can be previously
washed with a gummy or mucilaginous solution, and if requisite further
secured by lines of stitching through f.ff.f. For certain goods, such as
woollen cloths, calicos, &c., &c., it is often advantageous that the edges or
selvages be more compact or closely set than the central part of the tissue;
this result can be obtained according to any requisite degree of closeness by
means of my new woven healds, it being merely necessary for this purpose to.
condense the teeth of the comb or reed at those parts of the tissues corre-
sponding with the selvages.
". The second part of these improvements has reference to a heald formed of a

page_text: single heald twine running from staff to staff, and consolidated at its extremities
by means of a foundation cord. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, and Figs. 4 and 5
lateral elevations of this description of manufacture.
A, A, are the staves; G, G, the foundation cords; and L, L, the lacing twine
connecting the heald twines with the said foundation cords; the said lacing
twines may be laced twice or oftener in the heald twine instead of once, as
shewn in the above-mentioned Figures.
The third improvement consists in the formation of the requisite eye for the
passage of the warp thread, either by means of a flexible thread attached to a
single twine, or by uniting two twines in such a manner as to leave the
required space between the two said twines; Numbers 1 to 7 inclusively,
Fig. 1, serve to illustrate this mode of attachment; Numbers 1 to 3 represent
the eye or noose formed of a thread sewn to and looped round a single heald
twine; Numbers 4 to 6, the same thread simply sewn through the twine; and
Number 7, the manner of forming an eye by stitching two threads together,
leaving between them the requisite space corresponding with the eye.
The fourth improvement consists in the use of metallic, glass, or porcelain
eyes attached to a single thread by insertion either between the strands of a
round twine or through tape or braid, as the case may be. The ten Figures,
6 to 15, serve to illustrate three different arrangements in accordance with
this principle. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are three different views of a single heald twine
provided with a metallic eye of a form commonly used, but with open holes at
its extremities instead of circular holes: It will be seen that the metallic eye
or plate is inserted in the strands of the twine, this being effected by slightly
untwisting the same, and allowing it to resume its shape after the insertion of
the eye. Fig. 9 represents in section a series of such healds arranged
diagonally, in which position they not only offer less resistance to the passage
of the warp indicated by the dotted lines, but are also capable of being laid
closer together, which are advantages appreciated by weavers; Fig. 10 is an
elevation, and Fig. 11 a sectional plan, of the said description of heald,
where the metallic eye or plate is bent in a peculiar manner, thereby still
further augmenting the advantages above mentioned, a being the heald twine;
b, the twine when opened; c, the metal plate; and d, the eye.
Figs. 12, 13, 14, and 15 illustrate the application I make to the healds of
the common metallic eyelet; in the two first views I apply these eyelets in a
their ordinary circular shape by first untwisting the twine and allowing the
same to resume its shape after the insertion of the eyelet, which eyelet is
afterwards upset in the twine, by means of a punch or pincers, as most con-
venient, or a large number may be upset at once by a press bar or other

page_text: convenient means. The two latter views,. Figs. 14 and 15, represent the same
eyelet ovalised, which form is made after insertion, either by means of an oval
punch or drift, or by lateral pressure, or the eyes may be made oval before
insertion. Glass or porcelain eyes, either flat, round, or oval, can be employed
in the manner above stated, except that they are merely held by the twist of
the thread, and if requisite all the above-mentioned eyes or eyelets can be
inserted in a braid, tape, or other flat material where these shaped articles are
preferred for the formation of the healds. In order to unite more firmly the
metallic eyes to the healds I make use, if requisite, of a drop of solder
composed of an alloy of metals, the melting point of which is not so high as
to burn or injure the twine or tape, as the case may be, or I hold any of the
eyes more firmly by sizing and varnishing, similar to the treatment of ordinary
healds.
The fifth improvement consists in the formation of a metallic eye united to
a round twine by pressure only. Fig. 16 is an elevation, and Fig. 17 a plan,
of this formation where a metallic band h, provided with an eye, is caused to
embrace firmly the twine a by being bent round the same with pliers or other
convenient tools. I do not confine myself to the form shewn, as various other
forms can be easily adopted, but in any case the sizing and varnishing is or may
be employed for holding the eyes more firmly.
The sixth improvement has reference to a heald formed of a single heald
twine running from staff to staff, and held fast at its extremities in the
following manner :-I apply on each staff a flat braid or tape or strip of
paper e; I then lay the healds f (any given number to the inch) and cover
the latter with a second braid or tape or strip of paper i, and unite this
structure either by means of glue or by stitching.
I may here remark, that the eyes before described may be inserted in heald
twine made of any suitable number of strands, and cabled in any suitable
number of folds, and the positions of all the eyes can be diagonal, similar to
those shewn in Fig. 9, the sizing and varnishing processes causing the
position to be steadily maintained.
Having now described the nature and particulars of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I desire it to be understood that I claim,―
Firstly, the manufacture of weavers' harness as described in the first
improvement.
Secondly, the manufacture of harness as specified in the second improve-
ment.

page_text: Thirdly, the formation of the eyes by means of thread, as described in the
third improvement.
Fourthly, the different modes described in the fourth improvement for
applying metallic, glass, or porcelain eyes to harness inserted in the body
of same.
Fifthly, the application of metallic eyes to the healds by means of
pressure.
And, sixthly, the manner of manufacturing a harness as described in the
last improvement.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
E. T. HUGHES. (L.D.)