IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING.
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Walmsley, of New Accrington, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING.'
Sealed the 29th April 1862, and dated the 7th November 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Walmsley at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th November
1861.
I, JOHN WALMSLEY, of New Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOM
FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in an improved arrangement of the working parts of
the loom so as to be able to weave two pieces of fabric at the same time;
both pieces will have a proper selvedge and can be woven as wide as the reed
space will admit. For this purpose I employ two warp beams, two taking-up
motions, two shuttles, one or two sets of healds, two weft detectors, and two
temples. The pièces are one above the other and pass through the same
reed and the picking sticks and other ordinary parts of the loom are arranged
to suit the requirements.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,filed by
the said John Walmsley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
May 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WALMSLEY, of New Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, 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 me, the
said John Walmsley, Her special licence that I, the said John Walmsley, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Walmsley, myexecutors, 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 LOOMS
FOR WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Walmsley, 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 manuer
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 John Walmsley, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists in an improved arrangement of the working parts of
the loom, so as to be able to weave two pieces of fabric at the same time in
such a manner that each piece will have a proper selvage and may be woven
as wide as the reed space will admit. For this purpose I employ two warp
beams, two cloth beams, two taking-up motions, two shuttles, one or two sets
of healds, two temples, and two weft detectors. The pieces of fabric are one
above the other, the two warp threads passing through the same reed, and the
other ordinary parts of the loom are arranged to suit the requirements.
This Invention will be clearly understood by referring to the figures and
letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a transverse

page_text: section of the principal parts of my improved loom for weaving two pieces of
fabric at the same time; Fig. 2, a longitudinal elevation of part of the same;
and Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are detached views of some of the parts.
a represents the end frames of the loom; b the crank shaft; c the tappet
shaft; d the tappets; e the treddles; f the ordinary sand roller; g the sword
arms; h the slay or lathe; i the pickers, and the picking sticks. The two
warp beams are shewn at . They are weighted by causing the ordinary
weighting levers 7 to tighten ropes m, encircling the ends of the beams and
attached at their ends to strong springs n. The warp threads o, p, pass over
the necessary guides and lease rods to the two sets of healds q, which are
moved up and down by the ordinary tappets & and treddles e. The lamms
are slotted as shewn at r; Figs. 1 and 3, in order to tie up the parts of each
pair of healds independent of each other. When only one set of healds is
employed there are two rows of eyes in the harness one above the other.
From the healds the two sets of warp threads pass between the dents of the
reed s to the two temples t, u, from whence the upper fabric passes to the
upper cloth beam v, and the lower fabric to the sand roller f, and then to the
lower cloth beam w. The two picks of weft threads are delivered by the
two shuttles a, y, Figs. 1, 2, and 4, one resting on the top of the other, both
being propelled at the same time by one or other of the picking sticks j,
which are alternately put in motion in any desired manner. Thus it will be
seen that there are two distinct sheds of warp threads, and that the pick from
the
upper shuttle passes through the upper shed, and the pick from the lower
shuttle through the lower shed, and when the two picks are beaten up by the
reed, two pieces of fabric will be woven. As there are two picks of weft I
employ two weft detectors, and two weft levers, but it is only necessary to use
one hammer vibrating to and fro in the usual manner. The two weft levers
are shewn at a¹, 61, Fig. 2, and the two weft forks at c¹, d, Fig. 5; and in
order to prevent any entanglement of the weft threads, and to ensure their
proper positions on the weft forks, I place on the temple head opposite the
wett grid aweft splitter or divider as shown at e¹, Fig. 6. The said splitter
is made of thin metal or other material and formed at the front end of a
wedge shape so as to guide the top and bottom weft threads to their right
positions. The splitter is guided by a slot and pin and is forced to its forward
position by the spring, of such strength that it may yield and allow the
splitter to be forced back when the shuttles come in contact with it. The
pickers are formed of any desired material, but the slots through which the
tops of the picking sticks pass are made longer than usual as shewn at g¹,

page_text: Fig. 7 for the purpose of checking the shuttle when it enters the box, and
thereby dispense with the necessity of a check strap. The taking-up motions
of the sand roller and upper cloth beam may be worked in any desired manner,
but they are represented in the figures of the ordinary simple arrangement.
One of the sword arms gives motion by the rod h¹ to the lever k¹, having at
the top the ratchet working in the teeth of the ratchet wheel m³, com-
municating by the change gearing n' with the sand roller f, there being a
catci o to prevent the swinging of the wheel m¹ and ensure its rotation.
At the bottom of the lever there is a bowl q' working the lever jointed
to the rod or rods s', having at the top a ratchet t' working in the teeth of
the ratchet wheel u¹ communicating by change gearing with the shaft w¹
carrying a pulleyx and drivery for giving simultaneous motion to the upper
cloth beam v, the ratchet wheel being provided with the catch z' to ensure its
motion. At the bottom of the rod or rods s¹ there is a lever and weight to
keep the top ratchet up to its work. Thus, when the sword arm moves to
and fro it gives motion to the levers k, 1, and also the rod or rods s³, so as to
act first on the ratchet wheels and then through the medium of the gearing
on the sand roller and cloth beams. In order to maintain the uniform motion
of the two cloth beams I pass a friction band a², Fig. 2, over the pulley a¹,
and over another pulley 62 fixed to the shaft of the lower cloth beam, and
cause the band to be tightened by a spring c², or by a weight, and one of the
pulleys may be made to expand or contract so as to increase or diminish its
diameter as may be required. When the lower cloth requires unweaving the
upper beam and temple must be taken from their bearings and supported in
brackets placed in any suitable position, such as at d2, Fig. 1, in which the
cloth beam and temple (supposed to have been removed) are shewn by dotted
lines.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood
that I claim in looms for weaving two pieces of fabric at the same time:-
First, the employment of two shuttles riding one upon the other as shewn
at Figs. 1, 2, and 4, and driving both at the same time by a picking stick at
each side of the loom.
Secondly, the weft splitter or divider, shewn at Fig. 6 for placing the weft
threads on the weft forks.
Thirdly, the employment of two weft forks in combination with one weft
hammer, and
Fourthly, the general arrangement of the working parts of the loom for

page_text: weaving two pieces of fabric at the same time, as all such improvements are
herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Walmsley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named John Walmsley, in
the presence of,
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
JOHN WALMSLEY. (L.S.
Manchester.