CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WIREWORK FOR THE MANU- FACTURING OF PAPER, AND THE APPLICATION THEREOF TO SUCH PURPOSES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANK
FIELDER, of No. 141, Old Street, in the Parish of St. Luke, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS I did, by petition, represent to Her most Excellent Majesty
Queen Victoria, that I had had communicated to me from a Foreigner residing
abroad, an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WIREWORK FOR THE MANU-
FACTURING OF PAPER, AND THE APPLICATION THEREOF TO SUCH PURPOSES ;" and Her
said Majesty being willing to encourage all useful Inventions, did issue Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-ninth day of August, in the eighth year of Her reign,
whereby Her said Majesty did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Frank Fielder, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her especial licence that I, the said Frank Fielder, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, and every of them, or such others as I, the said
Frank Fielder, my executors, administrators, 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,
the said Invention; in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Frank Fielder, by an instrument in writing under my
band and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said

page_text: i
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause
the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Frank Fielder, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention
consists,―
First, in certain improvements in the formation or mode of weaving what I
call singled warped wirework for the manufacturing of paper, thereby pro-
ducing more effective waterways for the water to drain from the pulp.
Secondly, in making water marks by the introduction of threads of cotton,
silk, hemp, and the like materials.
Thirdly, in an improved fabric of what I call double warped wirework, pre-
senting a surface of laid wires for the manufacturing of laid and other papers.
And, lastly, the application of the said double warped wirework in the form
of endless bands for the making of laid papers by machinery.
And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Frank Fielder,
do hereby describe the manner in which the said Invention is to be performed
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
annexed, and the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say: -
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 at A gives a representation of a piece of my improved single
warped wirework, made in an ordinary loom, and having the warps set up in
the ordinary manner, but instead of each wire of the warp being taken up and
depressed alternately by the harness in the ordinary way, in order to introduce
the woof or weft wire, I so arrange the warps in the harness that two or
more adjoining or contiguous wires of the warp may, be alternately taken up
and depressed, in order to insert the weft wire of such wirework, and which weft
wires, it will be seen, I make double the thickness of the warp wires. This Figure
shews two adjoining or contiguous warp. wires a, a, b, b, c, c, to be alternately
taken up and depressed in the same row, in order to admit of the weft wire d, d, d,
being introduced. These weft wires are either ordinary wire thrown in by the
shuttle in the ordinary way, or are laid wires previously cut to equal lengths,
after having been drawn, stiffened, and straightened, and put in by hand with
the assistance of a steel grooved guide, as hereafter mentioned, at each opening
of the warps by the harness; and they are of a larger size than the warp wires,
in order to give additional strength to the wirework, and to render the work

page_text: more open, and give a more free passage for the water to pass off laterally
from the pulp. This improved wirework is applicable also to the making laid
papers when the laid wires for the weft are of sufficiently large dimensions to
produce the requisite water mark on the paper; and when used for that purpose.
I also make longitudinal seams or water marks in the wirework, by intro-
ducing, at regular distances amongst the warp, (say about an inch asunder),
wires of greater thickness than the ordinary warp wires, to form a seam, and
give the required perpendicular water mark to the paper; or, in lieu of such
thicker wire, I use sometimes a cord or thread of silk, cotton, hemp, flax, or
other vegatable matter, for that purpose, in preference to a thicker wire,
inasmuch as, though thicker, it is more easily compressed between the wires.
than a thick wire, and the regularity of the wirework is thereby the better
preserved. The mode of making the seam is shown at B, Fig. 1, the harness
applicable to that portion of the warp being arranged accordingly.
I now proceed to describe my improved fabric of double warped wirework, or
laid wirework upon woven wirework, which is shewn at Figure 5, and in section
at Figure 2, and presents an upper surface of laid wires based upon and inter-
woven with an under surface of woven wirework, on which the laid wires are
secured by seam wires, as herein-before described. I weave this improved
wirework in an ordinary loom, but, for this purpose, I provide such loom with
an additional set of harness, as shewn at e, e, in Figure 4, to act exclusively on
those particular wires, which I have called seam wires, and which I use at the
same time for weaving or tying down the laid wires of the surface upon the
weft of the wove wirework beneath, and forming the perpendicular seam or
water mark upon the paper. I also provide the loom with two additional
cylinders or rollers h and k, to carry and to supply those seam wires distinct
from the other warp wires of the under woven wirework, in consequence of those
seams taking up the wire of which they are formed at different speeds from
that at which the warp wires of the woven wirework are taken up for
that purpose.
In setting up the warps for the under woven wirework,
which is done in the ordinary manner, I leave out, at equal distances,
(say about an inch apart) one or two wires, to make room for the seam
wires above mentioned, which answer the purpose of warp wires, both
for the laid and the woven wirework, and in lieu of such warp wires
left out, I set up the seam wires, two in number, on such additional cylinders,
in order that such seam wires may be separately supplied therefrom. These
additional cylinders, as well as the ordinary cylinder on which the warps of the
woven wirework are set up, I need hardly say are retained by springs,
weights, or other means to regulate the supply and tension of the wires.

page_text: These scam wires I pass through the second or additional set of harness above
described, which are so arranged as to act upon these seam wires, separately
from the other harness, for the purpose of raising and depressing these wires
in due course, so as with them to weave or lace the laid wires of the upper
surface on to the weft wires of the woven wirework bencatli, at such intervals
corresponding with the movement of the other set of harness as will best
effect that object; for, accomplishing which, I in due course throw in the weft
of the woven wirework beneath by means of a shuttle in the ordinary manner,
and while the warps are separated I introduce the laid wires to form the upper
surface, as after described. By the action of the loom, and the due arrange-
ment of the separate sets of harness, and introduction of the laid wires and
weft at the proper intervals, each laid wire introduced is interwoven by the
scam wires with each of the weft wires of the woven wirework beneath, and
each row when completed is knocked up together by the batten and secured.
The next row is then made in a similar manner, and so on to any required
length, and the wirework thus completed is wound round a cylinder (a)
placed to receive it, and is ready for use. It is desirable, previously to intro-
ducing the laid wires, that they be first drawn, stiffened, and cut to their
required lengths. The mode in which I introduce them into the several
descriptions of wirework above mentioned is by hand, with the assistance of a
steel grooved guide, an instrument shewn by Figure 3, which, by a turn of the
hand, drops or lays the wire in its place, and after the instrument is with-
drawn, and the warp and scam wires crossed by the harness, they are then
knocked up into their places by the batten, as in ordinary cases, by which the
small warp and seam wires are bent into their proper position, and the work
made good. In order the better to explain the making of this double fabric,
I have drawn the Figure No. 4, which I will now explain. This Figure
represents the warps open, or as it is more technically expressed, the sheds
open, for their being four sets of warp wires shown in this position, there are
of course three sheds open, though only two are used for weft, as will be here-
after explained. The upper set of warp wires (g) are seam wires of a long
length, wound upon one roller (/), and the lower set of warp wires (i) are like-
wise scam wires, but of a shorter length, and wound upon another and inde-
pendent roller (), while the two centre sets of warp wires (l, m,) are smaller
in size, and are wound upon a third roller (n). The loom being arranged for
work, with the proper warps and seam wires, I begin, by throwing across a
few shoots of ordinary weft, to get the work straight. I then (the whole warps
being level) open the shed of the seam wire warp, and at (r) I pass a laid
wire across with the instrument, Figure 3, and cross the seam wire-warp upon

page_text: it; I then open the shed of the wove wire-warp and throw an ordinary weft
shoot s, crossing the scam wire-warp upon it, and strike the shoot gently into
its place. I then cross the ordinary warp wires over it, and strike the whole
smartly together with the batten, and by repeating this process the double
warped fabric is manufactured, as shown in Figure 5, isometrically exhibiting
the woven and the laid weft. This description of wirework enables me to
make endless bands on which to make paper by machinery of a very perfect
nature, and so as to avoid the ordinary damage occasioned by the traverse
scam or joint of ordinary endless bands. To effect this junction (having first
cut off a sufficient length for the purpose) I remove a few of the surface laid
wires at each end, I then lace or weave together, by hand, the two ends of the
woven wirework beneath, and having so done, I replace the few laid wires,
one by one, by hand, likewise, and seam them down to the woven wirework
beneath, thus perfecting the surface of the laid wirework so that the joint of
the band becomes externally almost imperceptible. I need hardly state that.
wirework made in this manner is of much greater strength and substance
than the ordinary laid wirework now employed in the making of laid paper by
hand, and at the same time that it affords sufficient strength for its application
as an endless band to making paper by machinery, it also provides a better
waterway for the escape of the water from the pulp, and is therefore appli-
cable to the making of thick papers for packing and other purposes, and card
and other paper boards by machinery. In order to make more effective seams,
water marks, or designs upon the paper made on my said wirework, I weave,
or work in by hand, silk, cotton, hemp, and flax cords, or twist of other such
matters of a durable and vegetable nature for that purpose, which I find of
great advantage from the facility with which such matters may be interwoven
therein.
Now, I claim as my Invention, first, the improvements herein-before
described in weaving wirework for the making of paper, so far as relates;
first, to the taking up and depressing of two or more adjoining contiguous warp
wires alternately; and, secondly, the application of straight laid or unbent wires
herein-before mentioned for forming the weft of woven wirework, the weft
wires in both cases, whether wove or laid, being at least one fourth thicker
than the warp wires, in order to give an increased waterway. And here I
would observe, that some of the comparative numbers or sizes I generally use
are: for laid paper weft, twenty-two wires to the inch, and warp, fifty to the inch;
and for wove paper weft, forty-eight wires to the inch, and warp, seventy-two.
All varieties, of course, will be made to suit the requirements of the manufac-

page_text: turers, but in no case must the difference between the size of the warp and the
weft wire be less than one fourth.
Secondly, I claim the interweaving or application of silk, cotton, flax, hemp,
or other cords or twist of such like durable vegetable matters, to wirework, for
the making of seams therein, and obtaining water marks or other designs in
the paper to be made thercon.
Thirdly, the improved double-warped fabric of laid upon woven wirework,
herein-before described.
And, lastly, the formation of endless bands of such wirework, and the
application thereof to the purpose of making paper by machinery.
And such Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
entirely new, and never before used within that part of Her Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her said Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare this to be my
Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my Specification doth
comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or disguise, with the proviso
in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained; whereupon
I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to the said Invention.
In witness whereof, the said Frank Fielder hath hereunto set his hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.