IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKERS FOR LOOMS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Nicoll Smith, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar,
North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKERS
FOR LOOMS."
Sealed the 2nd May 1879, and dated the 8th November 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Nicoll Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th November 1878.
DAVID NICOLL SMITH, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKERS FOR LOOMS."
This Invention has reference to certain improvements in the construction of and
mode and means of automatically lubricating the pickers or picking blocks of
weaving looms, and in making them of a strong tough material (not hitherto used
for this purpose) which will make them more easily driven and more durable than
they have been heretofore.
And the nature and novelty of the first improvement consist in lubricating the
parts of these pickers which slide on their guiding spindles or rods with the hard
dry metallic substance or compound known commercially as "metaline," used at
present for lubricating revolving spindles and other machinery, but not hitherto
applied to the lubrication of pickers, and especially in the mode and means of using
or applying the said material to this new purpose. One mode of effecting this
consists in moulding or making the "metaline in the form of tubes or bushes and
inserting them in the sliding eye of the picker while being constructed or after they
are made, and securing or holding them tight between the layers of or in recesses
within the bullock-hide or other material of which the pickers are made, or by end
screws or washers; or thick bushes might be inserted into the eyes formed of brass
or other metal tubing, or of hard wood, vulcanized fibre, or hard compressed papier
mache or paper pulp, closely or thickly bored throughout, and plugged with pins or
plugs made of metaline, similarly secured by screws or otherwise at their ends
within the eyes of the pickers, in either case with the holes formed through these
ID 632

page_text: bushes, so as to slide freely on their usual guiding picker spindles. Thus the
inetaline on the inner surface of these tube bushes and plugs would slide on and
automatically lubricate the working surfaces of the picker and its spindle, and slide
more smoothly with less friction by the use of this dry lubricant than by the use
of oil, which in many respects is objectionable. Or by another modification the
metaline plugs might be inserted into holes formed through the body of the eye of
the picker itself or into the outer surface of the picker spindle; and by another
mode the bushes within the eyes of the picker may be made of washers or rings
formed or punched out of a strong textile material impregnated with powered
metaline and grease or oil known as metaline packing or insertion for the lubri-
cating packing of stuffing-boxes and their working rods or spindles, and other
working parts of machinery. Another improvement consists in forming the picker
or picking body part thereof of the hard tough material or substance known as
vulcanized fibre, and formed of hard compressed fibre, such as used for the making
of paper and.papier mache, which will make pickers more durable than they have
been as heretofore constructed of layers of hide or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said David Nicoll Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
May 1879.
DAVID NICOLL SMITH, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PICKERS FOR LOOMS."
My said Invention has reference to certain improvements in the construction of
and mode and means of automatically lubricating the working surfaces of the
pickers or picking blocks and their guide spindles (as A and B in Figures 1 to 7) of
weaving looms, and in making the pickers A, A', of a strong tough material (not
hitherto used for this purpose, which will make them more easily driven and more
durable than they have been as heretofore constructed and used), and as shown in
Figures 3 to 5.
And the nature, novelty, and mode of performing this Invention in accordance
with the first improvement thereof consist in lubricating the working parts or
surfaces d, b, of these pickers A and their sliding or guiding spindles or rods B with
the hard dry metallic substance or anti-frictional compound or lubricant known
commercially as " metaline" C, used at present for the dry lubricating or coating of
the working surfaces of revolving spindles and other machinery, and their bushes or
guides (but which has not hitherto been applied to the lubrication of pickers), and
especially in and by the new or. improved: mode and means of using or applying
this said dry lubricating material or "metaline" C to this new purpose, all as shown
in the several Figures of the appended Sheet of Drawings hereinafter described in
reference thereto. Figures 1 and 2 are a sectional side elevation and a transverse section
taken on the lines ]. 1 and 22, each on the other Figure; of an ordinary form
of picker A made of buffalo or other strong hide, doubled round to form the eye A!
:

page_text: "
for working on its guide spindle B, and secured by rivets A" through the thickness
of the hide down the side with the usual hole A² through the centre for attaching
it to the picking lever or arm, all so far of an ordinary construction, but having the
eye A¹ formed and fitted with an internal brass or other inetal tube or bush D,
shown in sectional side elevation and transverse section in Figures 1 D and 2 D
respectively, for being fitted in the centre with the "metaline" dry lubricating
bushes C, one of which is shown in side and end section detached at Figures 1 Č
and 2 C respectively, which bushes C are held within their tube D, and these within
the eyes A¹ of the picker A by the flanged securing collars or caps D' or DH,
screwed into or over the ends of the tubes D, as seen in Figures 1 and 3 respectively.
One mode of effecting this consists in moulding or making the "metaline" into the
form of short tubes or bushes C shown in Figures 1 C, 2 C, as is understood and
practiced by makers and users of "metaline," and then fitting them into the sliding
eye A' of the reciprocating picker A while being constructed, or preferably after the
body part A of each has been made much as usual, but with the eye A' large
enough to fit the metal tube bushes D into, shown in Figures 1 and 2, in them and
into which the "metaline" bushes C are inserted and renewed when required, and
all secured or held tight within the eyes between the layers of the bullock-hide or
other material of which the body of the pickers are made, by the end securing
metal bushes or washer caps D', D", as before stated. In Figure 1 there are threo
metaline" bushes C secured in the centre, but in Figure 3 there are only one C
shown secured at each end of the tube D. by the screw caps D₁, but instead of these
end bushes C, or in combination therewith, the sliding brass tube D might be made
thick in the centre or throughout its whole length, as seen at D² in Figure 3, and
made either of brass or other metal, hard wood, vulcanized, or hard compressed
paper mache or paper pulp, and bored with numerous holes c¹ through its thickness,
which would all be filled by the small plugs or pins c, shown detached in side and
end views, Figure 1 C, made of dry "metaline," all in either case so that the
picker A slides by the inner working surface d of its tube D on the surface b of the
guide rod B, and lubricates these surfaces .d, b, either by the rubbing of these
bushes C or the numerous small plugs c of "metaline," so as to slide more smoothly
with less friction by the use of this dry lubricant than by the use of oil or grease,
which in many respects is objectionable in this knocking part of looms. Or by
another modification of the improvements the "inetaline" plugs c might be inserted
into similar holes c' formed through the body of the eye A¹ of the picker A itself,
or when the picker A is made in two halves these holes c' and plugs c might be
formed and inserted only from the inside, as shown rivetted together in Figures 4
and 5, and not right through from the outside as last described.
Or otherwise these holes c' and plugs c might be formed and inserted in the outer
surface b of the guide rod B, on which the picker A slides, as shown in Figures 8
and 9, so as to lubricate the working surfaces d and in an equivalent manner to
the former arrangement.
Or instead of holes c¹ and plugs c in these round guiding bars B, spiral or longi-
tudinal grooves may be formed or cut into their outer surface, and afterwards filled
with metaline," and these guide spindles B of pickers might be made of a square,
triangular, or other polygonal shape in cross section, as seen in Figures 8 to 13, and
they might have straight or angled grooves 6" cut some depth into their surfaces or
sides as 6¹ in these Figures, and have these grooves b filled with strips c" of
metaline," or "metaline" filled into them in a plastic state and afterwards dried,
all as shown particularly in the end section and side views, Figures 10, 11, and 12,
13, respectively. And by another improvement or modification, as shown in
sectional elevation and end view in Figures 6 and 7, the lubricating bushes fitted
in the metal tubes D within the eyes A of the pickers A may be made in the form
of washers or rings C₁, as seen detached in edge view section and face view in
Figure 3, C¹ formed or punched by circular cutters out of a strong textile material C³,
impregnated with powdered metaline and grease or oil, known as "metaline
packing or insertion (for the lubricating packing of stuffing boxes and their working
"
"

page_text: rods or spindles, and other working parts of machinery), as seen in end and side
views in Figure 14, the washers or rings C so cut being screwed up by the end.
caps D, as in a stuffing box in the tubular eye D of the picker A, as seen in
Figures 6 and 7.
A further important improvement consists, as shown in two sectional side views
and transverse section, Figures 3, 4, and 5, in forming the picker A, or picking body
part as A thereof, of the hard tough material or substance known commercially as
vulcanized fibre, and formed of Esparto grass or other paper pulp fibre made into
webs or sheets of paper and compressed very hard by hydraulic or other presses
into this most durable material, very tough and hard, and not so brittle as papier
mache or hard wood, and out of which these pickers A, A*, are made by sharp
tools, such as used for working hard woods, and which make such pickers much
more lasting and durable in their wear and use than they have been as heretofore
made.
Those shown in Figures 3 to 5 are formed in two halves secured together by
rivets A above and below the eye A', and are shown formed with two small
holes A2 for securing the driving thong or leather of the picking lever, but it is to
be understood they might be compressed or made in other forms or shapes and in
one piece when the material was compressed in pieces or blocks of sufficient thickness
for that purpose.
of
Having now described the nature and mode of performing or putting my said
Invention into effect or practice, I would observe in conclusion that I do not restrict
myself to the precise form or mode of constructing the pickers A, A¹, A, A*,
looms for weaving, which I have had occasion to describe and show in the accom-
panying Drawings, as many variations may be made therefrom without departing
from the main or essential features of my said Invention, but what I consider
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The lubricating of the working sliding surfaces of pickers A, A', of looms
for weaving by "metaline" bushes C or plugs c, or equivalent strips c¹ or insertion
and grease
or their guiding
packing rings C, impregnated with "metaline"
metaline" inserted in
spindles B by plugs or spiral, angular, or straight bars of
them, all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accom-
panying Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
"
Second. The construction and use of central tubes D, D¹, for securing the
"metaline" bushes C or packing rings c¹ impregnated with "metaline" in the
eyes A¹ of the pickers A of looms for weaving, for lubricating the working surfaces
thereof, all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the
accompanying Drawings or any mere modification thereof.
Third. The forming the body parts A, A¹, or A* of pickers for looms for weaving
out of "
vulcanized fibre," whether lubricated with "metaline" or not, all substan-
tially as herein described in reference to and shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5 of the
accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Nicoll Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
DAVID NICOLL SMITH. (L.S.)