and other Metal Healds Used in Weaving.
Year: 1885

page_text: and other Metal Healds Used in Weaving.
We HENRY BERNOULLI BARLOW, Consulting Engineer, of 17 St Anns Square,
and ARTHUR BERNOULLI BARLOW, Machine Maker, of Cornbrook Heald Works,
Cornbrook, both in Manchester in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the
nature of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE SHAFTS OR
FRAMES FOR WIRE AND OTHER METAL HEALDS USED IN WEAVING, to be as follows:―
Our invention relates to improvements in the construction of the frames or
shafts employed for supporting wire healds and is particularly applicable to heald
shafts for Barlow's Patent wire healds, the chief objects of our improvements being
first, to protect the twisted ends of the wire healds and secondly, in heald shafts
with metal ends to dispense with pins, clips, or other loose pieces for securing the
metal rods in position.
In performing our Invention we make the top and bottom staves of the shaft of
wood, metal, or other material and connect them together at each end preferably
by strips or bars of metal. The wire healds are threaded or placed on metal rods
usually supported by wire hooks secured to or passed through the top and bottom
staves of the shaft and in order to pass the healds along the upper rod past a book
it is necessary if the books are screwed into the staves to raise and spring or force
the rod out of the hook and then after moving the healds to spring the rod back
into the hook; this is difficult to accomplish and the twisted ends of the healds are
frequently bent during the process and so get broken when put to work.
Now we propose to overcome this difficulty by forming the hooks so that the
metal rods can be released readily and without being raised above their normal
position.
To effect this we make each hook preferably of two pieces of wire hinged and
connected together to support the rod and so arranged that the hook can be opened
to release the rod and allow the threaded healds to be passed along it and by a simple
movement the hook can be again closed and fastened over the rod. The shanks of
our improved hooks may be screwed into the stave or secured by rivetting or
otherwise and we prefer to groove the inner edge of the said stave into which
groove the twisted ends of the healds project and are thereby thoroughly protected.
In place of making the hook of two pieces of wire hinged together it might be
made of one piece twisted and bent into the shape required or we may bend the

page_text: hook to support the rod as usual and make a hole through the shank of the hook
at the top, the shank is passed through a stave and secured by a piece of wire,
spring, or otherwise; the hook is unfastened at the top and allowed to move down-
ward far enough to release the rod in order to allow the healds to be passed along
the rod.
It will be sufficient to employ these improved hooks to support the rod or rods
on one stave only of the heald shaft, but they may be used for both staves if
desired.
In carrying the second part of our Invention into effect we form a slot in each
metal end of the heald shaft to receive the ends of the rod and we punch or cut the
rod so as to form a projection at each end preferably without removing or cutting
away any metal, we then place one end of the rod in the slot at one end of the
shaft and spring the other end of the rod into the other slot the two projections on
the rod bearing against the inner faces of the metal ends.
Improvements in or Relating to the Shafts or Frames for Wire
and other Metal Healds Used in Weaving.
We HENRY BERNOULLI BARLOW, Consulting Engineer, of 17 St Anns Square,
and ARTHUR BERNOULLI BARLOW, Machine Maker, of Cornbrook Heald Works,
Cornbrook, both in Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the
nature of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE SHAFTS OR
FRAMES FOR WIRE AND OTHER METAL HEALDS USED IN WEAVING, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
Our invention relates to improvements in the construction of the frames or
shafts employed for supporting wire healds and is particularly applicable to heald
shafts for Barlow's Patent Wire Healds, the chief objects of our improvements
being, first, to protect the twisted ends of the wire healds, and, secondly, in heald
shafts with metal ends, to dispense with pins, clips, or other loose pieces for
securing the metal rods in position.
In performing our Invention we make the top and bottom staves of the shaft of
wood, metal, or other material and connect them together at each end preferably
by strips or bars of metal. The wire healds are threaded or placed on inetal rods
usually supported by wire hooks secured to or passed through the top and bottom
staves of the shaft and in order to pass the healds along the upper rod past a hook
it is necessary if the hooks are screwed into the staves to raise and spring or force
2

page_text: the rod out of the hook and then after moving the healds to spring the rod back
into the hook; this is difficult to accomplish and the twisted ends of the healds
are frequently bent during the process and so get broken when put to work.
Now, we propose to overcome this difficulty by forming the hooks so that the
metal rods can be released readily and without being raised above their normal
position.
To effect this we make each hook preferably of two pieces. of wire hinged and
connected together to support the rod and so arranged that the book can be opened
to release the rod and allow the threaded healds to be passed along it and by a
simple movement the hook can be again closed and fastened over the rod. The
shanks of our improved hooks may be screwed into the stave or secured by rivet-
ting or otherwise and we prefer to groove the inner edge of the said stave into
which groove the twisted ends of the healds project and are thereby thoroughly
protected. In place of making the hook of two pieces of wire hinged together it
might be made of one piece twisted and bent into the shape required.
It will be sufficient to employ these improved hooks to support the rod or rods
on one stave only of the heald shaft, but they may be used for both staves if
desired.
In carrying the second part of our Invention into effect we form a slot in each
metal end of the heald shaft to receive the ends of the rod and we punch or cut
the rod so as to form a projection at each end preferably without removing or
cutting away any metal; we then place one end of the rod in the slot at one end
of the shaft and spring the other end of the rod into the other alot the two
projections on the rod bearing against the inner faces of the metal ends.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect we will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference being
had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a front view. Fig. 2 a vertical section on the line A A, Fig. 1, and
Fig. 3 a plan in section on the line B B, Fig. 1, of a heald shaft to which our
improvements are applied. Fig. 4 represents front and side views open and closed
and Fig. 4 a plan of our improved hook. Fig. 5 represents front and side views
of another form of hook made according to our Invention for supporting the rods
in a heald shaft.
In Figs. 1, 2 and 3-a is the top stave of the heald shaft grooved at a¹ and 6 is
the lower stave; the staves a and b being connected together by metal bars c
secured by screws d; e el are metal rods the ends of which pass through slots in
the bars c; the rods e e¹ are shown with tongues e cut or punched near each end
by which they are held in the shafts; ffare wire healds supported on the rods e el
the twisted ends f¹ of the heads f project into and are protected by the groove a¹
in the top stave a; the upper rode is supported by hinged hooks the construction
of which is plainly shown in Figs. 4 and 4 in which g is the shank to which is
hinged a piece of wire h preferably spring tempered and bent to clip the shank g
when closed and so support and hold the rod in its position; the lower rod e¹ is
supported by the ordinary hooks i screwed into the stave b.
To move the healds along the rods past any one of the hooks, the rod e is
slightly twisted so as to bear with its upper edge against the wire h and release it
from its shank g, thus liberating the rod; the lower rod e¹ can then be easily
unhooked out of the hook i when the healds f can be readily moved along the
rods e e¹, the twisted ends f' being protected at all times by the groove in the
stave a.
To close and fasten the hinged hook it is necessary to raise the wire h and press
its forked ends, see Fig. 4, over the shank g.
In Fig. 5.- is the screwed shank of a hook made according to our Invention;
the lower part of the shank is flattened and has two vertical slits cut in it which
form a tongue that acts as a spring for the front piece hinged to k at ²; the
front piece has a tail or projection which bearing upon the tongue k¹ holds the
front of the hook in its position when closed.
-

page_text: We have shown two constructions of hinged hooks only to illustrate this part of
our Invention; it is obvious that other forms of spring hooks or fastenings which
will open to permit the release of the rods may be used; the hooks may be secured
to the staves which may be grooved or not by rivetting or in any convenient
manner.
Hooks made according to our Invention may be used to support either round,
oval or flat rods, and they may be used with metal staves or with wooden ones
as shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is―
1. In a shaft or frame for wire or metal healds, the use and application of one
or more hinged or spring hooks or fastenings for supporting the metal rods upon
which the said healds are threaded.
2. In a shaft for wire or metal healds, the combination with a hinged or spring
hook or fastening of a grooved heald stave substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
3. In a heald shaft, the method of securing the metal rods by means of tongues
such as e² or their equivalents.
4. Securing the metal rods at the ends of a heald shaft without any loose
pieces and without removing any metal from the rods, substantially in the manner
berein set forth.
Dat
1000