IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC FABRICS, AND IN MAKING ARTICLES FROM ELASTIC FABRICS, AND FOR WEAVING FABRICS FOR THE DRIVING BANDS OF MACHINERY, AND OTHER USES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
ALSOP, of No. 6, Tabernacle Walk, Middlesex, Weaver, and THOMAS FORSTER,
of Streatham, Surrey, Manufacturer of India-rubber Fabrics, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Alsop and Thomas Forster, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that we, the said William Alsop and Thomas
Forster, our exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Alsop and Thomas Forster, our exors, adññors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC
FABRICS, AND IN MAKING ARTICLES FROM ELASTIC FABRICS, AND FOR WEAVING FABRICS
FOR THE DRIVING BANDS OF MACHINERY, AND OTHER USES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said William Alsop and Thomas
Forster, or one of us, shall particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by
an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us, and cause the same to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the, said proviso, we, the said
William Alsop and Thomas Forster, do hereby declare that the nature of our
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon (that is to say):-
:-
Our Invention has for its object,―
First, to make satin-face cloth with india-rubber weft. We use the common
hand loom, or the same moved by power, and into it put put a warp of .silk,
cotton, flax, worsted, or any suitable material, having five, six, seven, or more
harness shafts for the same, according to the required quality of the work,
these shafts being moved by ten treadles or more (but we prefer ten), moving
alternately three and two; but we do not confine ourselves to this movement,
although we prefer it, as they may be moved one and two, or other numbers, as
is well understood by the weavers of satin goods. To proceed to weave, tread
down two treadles for the lining shute and three for the rubber shute. To
make a richer satin face, tread one for the lining and two for the rubber,
taking care in both cases that the rubber shute thread is laid exactly over the
lining shute thread; or when no back lining is required, we use five harness
shafts, four up and one down, and the rubber thread covered.. For a satin-
face back and front use ten harness shafts, working them by ten treadles, six
up and four down, and six down and four up. When the work is out of the
loom it is to be elasticated by heat, as is well understood by the manufacturers
of india-rubber,web.
'
To make elastic goods, say braces, we put in a warp, as above, of a sufficient
width to permit the shrinking or elastication of the rubber, and yet be suffi-
ciently wide to admit of a brace length being cut the-shute way; we then
begin weaving with a non-elastic shute for a quarter of an inch, and then,
using an elastic or rubber shute, weave a satin face, as before described, of an
inch and three eighths wide, or thereabouts; again with a non-elastic shute
another quarter of an inch, then leave a space of half an inch of warp and
proceed again a quarter of an inch, as before; an inch and three eighths satin
face a quarter of an inch repeated, and half an inch space; then, when the
piece is finished and elasticated, cut up the centre of the half inch space in the
warp,
when they will be found to be the length and width for a brace, and
fringed at the sides.
To make cuffs, garters, or--other round articles, we, weave the article in a
tube of any required size. If a garter, for instance, is to be twelve inches
in circumference when finished, we weave it as much larger as will permit the
shrinking or elastication and remain twelve inches in circumference; this

page_text: depends upon the elasticity required. If it is to be one fourth, we should:
make a tube full sixteen inches in circumference, putting in a warp of eight
inches, containing as many ends as would be required for sixteen inches of a
single cloth, as before described, and working the warp with ten harness shafts;
working six up and four down, but do not confine ourselves to this number
although we prefer them. Weaving a tube is so well known by most weavers,"
that we need not describe more...
For the non-elastic satin-face band or strap we use a loom of the usual kind,
as above, with a warp of cotton, flax, worsted, or any suitable material con-
taining sufficient ends to make the thickness required, with four, six, seven,
or more harness shafts; but we prefer six, the same being worked by ten
treadles (but we do not confine ourselves to this number) moving three and
two, or two and two, or in any other way the workman may determine,
preserving the peculiar character of the band, as herein-after explained.
The non-elastic round band or cord, with satin face; is made upon the tube
principle, with ten harness shafts; ten treadles moving, four tip and six down,
and six up and four down, which is well understood by most weavers."
*
To make satin-face bands non-elastic, with cords or strands' running parallel
with the warp, as strands secured with binders, we use one warp of flax,
cotton, worsted, or other suitable material for the body of the work, one warp
for the binders, and one warp for the strands, the said warps being of any of
the above materials, & moving the said warps with seven harness shafts and
four treadles working them, four up and three down, that is, one shaft for the
strand, two for the binders, and four for the tube, the shute being of 'any of the
materials above named..
We will now describe another part of our Invention. We take a sheet of
india rubber, or a composition of india rubber and other matters, made in tho
way specified in the Patent granted to the said Thomas: Forster on the '6th of
March 1844, and roll it round a cylinder of about twelve inches diameter.
upon which-a circular cutter is brought to act by proper bearings, &c, and of
which a Drawing' is annexed. The cutter makes one cut near the edge of the
sheet on the cylinder, then a second cut is made as far from the first cut as the
sheet is thick. Thus, if the sheet is the thirty-second part of an inch thick,
then the second cut. is the thirty-second part of an inch from the first; thus
forming a square strand. When the sheet is thus cut up, the strands or
threads are -then spun or stretched to their utmost tension, and allowed
to become rigid on reels, as is usual with india-rubber thread, and therefore
well understood; when rigid, two, three, or more of the threads are twisted
together as a cord; and when twisted are ready for the weaver, to be used in

page_text: any way required. We twist them right and left in the machine commonly
used for covering india-rubber thread spirally with cotton. The advantage of
twisting the thread is this, six inches of thread uncovered, when elasticated,
yields about one inch; six inches of twisted thread yields, when elasticated,
about two inches, which will be of great advantage when a strong resisting
power is wanted in a small space, for instance, a brace end; none of the rubber
brace ends are at present equal to the old French elastic wire ends, from this
defect.
We will now describe another part of our Invention, which consists in
cementing the said twisted threads between leather and woven and other
fabrics, in the way above described, using one grooved roller E only in addition
to the usual calendar rollers for doubling or uniting the cloth, of which the
annexed is a Drawing, see Figure 1. A, A, wood rollers to wind the solu-
tioned cloth on. B, B, wood friction rollers. C and C+, iron cylinders. (The
cylinder C+ is covered with a piece of blanket, sewn edge to edge by its
selvage round the roller). D, D, set screws. E, grooved roller. 2 and 3,
solutioned.fabric wound on A, A, and passing over B, B. G, rubber thread,.
passing from bobbins over grooved rollers E, and coming in contact with solu-
tioned face of cloth or fabric 3, and by it carried down between roller C, C+,
then coming in contact with solutioned face of 2, being thus united into one
cloth as it passes the roller; it is then ready for elastication and use.
We are aware that putting strips or threads of india rubber between leather,
or woven or other fabric, is not new, as we have manufactured the same to a
considerable extent for several years; but it is new, and our Invention, to put
between fabrics two, three, or more threads, twisted together as a cord for
weaving, and cementing the same between leather or woven or other fabrics.
We will now describe the method of cutting india rubber, or a preparation
of india-rubber, such as was described in the said Thomas Forster's Patent.
A (Fig. 2), iron frame, with V sides and racks for pinions B to work in to
move roller C. C, wood roller, about thirteen inches diameter. D, india
rubber to be cut. E, the knife. G, the knife frame. H, the knife spindle.
K, centre screws for frame G to work upon, that the kntfe may be brought to
or from the work on roller C by means of the handle L. M, a spring to keep
the knife E in contact with the work. N, a set screw to prevent the kuife E
cutting the roller C. P, the sliding brackets to support roller C. Q, square
guide rod of roller C. R, end of iron frame A. S, guiding wheel, notched
finely at the edge, to agree with the size of thread required. To move the
machine press up the spring T and turn the wheel S one notch, and it will
move the pinions B working on the rack, and thus propel the roller C, No. 1,

page_text: first motion, dead and moving riggers giving motion to the pair of riggers 2, 2,
and they communicate it to 3 and 4; No. 3+ giving motion to 5; No. 5
giving motion to spindle H, with knife E; No. 4 giving motion to roller C.
Having thus described our Invention, and the best means we are acquainted
with for performing the same, we would wish it to be understood that we do
not confine ourselves to the precise details, so long as the peculiar character
of either part of our Invention be retained. But what we claim is,―
First, the weaving a single or double-faced satin cloth with india-rubber
applied as weft.
Secondly, we claim the cementing twisted strands of india rubber, or other
composition of india rubber as above mentioned, between fabrics or leather, or
combinations of them, as herein described.
Thirdly, we claim the making of woven elastic fabrics by applying india-
rubber thread, or compositions of india rubber as above mentioned, twisted
as a twine or cord in two, three, or more strands.
Fourthly, we claim as our Invention the cutting india-rubber sheets (or a
composition thereof, as herein described.) by a circular knife cutting against
a cylinder or drum.
And fifthly, we claim for a satin-face non-elastic band made of cotton, flax,
worsted, or any suitable material, our improvement being the protection of the
shute from friction, by bringing the utmost quantity of the warp in contact with
the work.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Forster, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.