IMPROVING THE EDGE OR SELVAGE OF LINEN, COTTON, WOOLLEN, SILK, OR ANY OTHER CLOTH OR FABRIC WHILE IN THE ACT OF WEAVING
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Davison, Manager, and James Lee, Over-
looker of the Lansdowne Spinning Mill and Weaving Factories, Limerick,
for the Invention of "IMPROVING THE EDGE OR SELVAGE OF LINEN, COTTON,
WOOLLEN, SILK, OR ANY OTHER CLOTH OR FABRIC WHILE IN THE ACT OF
WEAVING."
Sealed the 2nd February 1858, and dated the 3rd August 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Davison and
James Lee at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 3rd August 1857.
We, ROBERT DAVISON, Manager, and JAMES LEE, Overlooker of the
Lansdowne Spinning Mill and Weaving Factories, Limerick, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVING THE EDGE OR SELVAGE
OP LINEN, COTTON, WOOLLEN, SILK, OR ANY OTHER CLOTH OR FABRIC WHILE IN THE
ACT OF WEAVING," to be as follows, and to consist in the use and employment
of one strong thread as the outside warp thread of each of the edges or
selvages of the said cloth or fabric, which strong thread may be either single,
one, two, or more plies, twisted in the same manner as sewing thread, and may
be made from either flax, cotton, wool, silk, or any other suitable material, and
of sufficient strength to bear a greater strain than the yarn of which the rest
of the warp is composed, and which greater strain is to be given the said
outside warp thread to keep it tight and stiff, and to enable it to resist the
drag of the shuttle or any pluck or jerk which may occur while the weft

page_text: yarn is unwinding off the pirn or bobbin fixed in the shuttle. This latter
improvement, viz., throwing an increased strain on the outside warp thread,
be accomplished by any of the following arrangements, viz. :-
may
Firstly, by an apparatus consisting of a frame or stand made to hold bobbins
or spools, containing the yarn or thread to be used for the outside warp threads,
fitted with rollers, levers, spindles, washers, thumbscrews, nuts, and springs,
or any of them, or with other appropriate means to retard the unwinding of
the said bobbins or spools, by friction or otherwise, and to regulate and adjust
the delivery of thread from them, so as to put the required strain on each of
the outside warp threads; and provision is made to allow that part of the said
apparatus to vibrate or oscillate, so that the said outside warp thread may be
kept at an uniform degree of tension or strain. The said apparatus may be
bolted or fixed on one or both sides of the loom, or in any other more con-
venient position. The said strong thread wound on the bobbins or spools may
then be drawn through the heald or heddle, the dent or split of the reed, in
the same manner as the rest of the warp threads, but so placed that they will
form the outside thread of the edge or selvage of the cloth or fabric.
Secondly, a bobbin or spool containing the said yarn or thread may be fixed
up at each side or on any other more convenient part of the loom, and the
yarn or thread wound round the warp beam of the loom one or more times,
and drawn thence through the heddle, the dent or split of the reed in the
usual way as the rest of the warp threads, but, as before described, to form
the outside warp thread of the edge or selvage, and a weight, spring or springs
may be affixed or suspended to any part of the said outside warp threads, to
give them the necessary amount of strain or tension, for the purpose of
improving as before described the edge or selvage of the cloth or fabric to
be woven.
Thirdly, a strong thread may be wound on each side or end of the warp
beam inside the flanches either during the process of warping, dressing, or
beaming, and drawn into the heddle, the dent or split of the reed in the
usual way, but so placed as to form the outside warp thread of each edge or
selvage. When the warp is tied into the loom, and ready for work, a certain
strain is then put on the outside warp threads by suspending weights from or
by affixing a spring or springs to each of the outside warp threads, which will
improve the edges or selvages; and the aforesaid spring or springs may be
supported by or connected with any part of the loom most convenient.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Davison and James Lee in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd February 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
DAVISON, Manager, and JAMES LEE, Overlooker of the Lansdowne Spinning.
Mill and Weaving Factories, Limerick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Robert Davison and James Lee, Her special licence that we, the said Robert
Davison and James Lee, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Robert Davison and James Lee, our executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 "IMPROVING THE EDGE OR SELVAGE OF LINEN, COTTON, WOOLLEN,
SILK, OR ANY OTHER CLOTH OR FABRIC WHILE IN THE ACT OF WEAVING," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Robert Davison and James Lee,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Robert Davison and James Lee, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
Our Invention consists in the use and employment of one strong thread as
the outside warp thread of each of the edges or selvages of the cloth or fabric
which it is intended to weave. Said strong threads may be either single, one,
two, or more plies, twisted similar to sewing thread, and may be made either
from flax, cotton, wool, silk, or other suitable material, and of sufficient
strength to bear a greater strain than the yarn of which the rest of the warp
is composed, such greater strain being given to the said outside warp threads
for keeping them tight and rigid, to enable them to resist the drag of the

page_text: shuttle, or any pluck or jerk which may occur while the weft yarn is unwinding
off the pirn or bobbin in the shuttle. The straining of the said outside warp
threads may be effected by either of the following arrangements :-
Firstly, by an apparatus consisting of a frame or stand made to hold bobbins
or spools containing the yarn or thread to be used for the outside warp threads,
fitted with rollers, levers, spindles, washers, thumbscrews, nuts, and screws, or
springs, or any of them, or other appropriate means for the purpose of retarding
the unwinding of the said bobbins or spools by friction, and to regulate and
adjust the delivery of thread from them, so as to put the required strain on
each of the outside warp threads, and provision is made to allow that part of
the said apparatus to vibrate or oscillate, so that the said outside threads
may be kept at an uniform degree of tension or strain. The said apparatus
may be bolted or fixed on one or both sides of the loom or other convenient
position. The said strong threads wound on the bobbins or spools may then
be drawn through the healds and the dent or split of the reed in the same
manner as the rest of the warp threads, but so placed that they will form the
outside threads of the edges or selvages of the cloth.
warp
Secondly, bobbins or spools containing the said yarn or thread may be fixed
up at each side of the loom or other convenient part thereof, and the yarn or
thread wound around the warp beam of the loom one or more times, and
drawn from thence through the heald and the dent or split of the reed in the
usual way as the rest of the warp threads, but, as before described, to form
the outside warp threads of the edges or selvages, and a weight spring or
springs may be affixed to or suspended from, any part of the outside warp
threads, to give them the necessary amount of strain or tension, for the pur-
pose of improving, as before described, the edges or selvages of the cloth or
fabric to be woven.
Thirdly, strong threads may be wound on each side or end of the warp
beam either during the process of warping, dressing, or beaming, and drawn
into the heald and the dent or split of the reed in the usual way, but so placed
as to form the outside warp threads of each edge or selvage when the warp is
tied into the loom and ready for work. A certain strain is then put on the
outside warp threads by suspending weights from or affixing a spring or springs
to each of the outside warp threads, which will improve the edges or selvages;
and the aforesaid spring or springs may be supported by or connected with
any part of the loom most convenient.
In order to explain our said Invention as completely as possible, we now
proceed to describe the best means we are acquainted with for carrying the
samé into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Drawing

page_text: marked thereon respectively as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a top plan view of our apparatus or selvage machine,
with a bobbin or spool for containing yarn or thread. Figure 2 is a horizontal
section of same, shewing the spindle passing through the barrel of the spool or
bobbin, with friction and vibrating levers and vibrating roller and spindle.
Figure 3 is a side elevation shewing the rod or spindle to which the friction
and vibrating springs are affixed, also the manner in which the spindle or rod
is screwed into the stand or frame. Figure 4 is a vertical section through the
line A, B, at Figure 3. Figure 5 is a sectional end view of a loom, shewing
our selvage mechanism adapted thereto. At each of the foregoing Figures we
employ similar letters of reference to denote corresponding parts, in so far as
such parts appear or can be seen at each of such said Figures respectively.
A is the frame of the machine or apparatus; B; a full bobbin or spool.
Figure 2 represents the bobbin empty; C, a spindle passing through the
frame A and centre of the bobbin; D, pin passing through said spindle to keep
same in proper position; E, stud fixed in frame A, and employed for keeping
the friction lever G in proper position, while pressing against the bobbin B;
G, friction lever for retarding or regulating the unwinding of the yarn or
thread from the bobbin B; H, oscillating lever, which vibrates with the
crossing of the shed, and gives an uniform strain or tension to the strong
threads applied in the edges or the selvages as above stated, and exhibited at
Figure 5; I, spindle fixed to the lever H; J, tube roller loose thereon.
to prevent unnecessary friction; L, rod or spindle passing through the bracket
M, and screwed and adjusted in the centre of the frame or stand A by the
nut N. The bracket M may be of any desired form, and with the apparatus
be bolted to any convenient part of the loom, for example, as exhibited
at Figure 5. O is a bracket through which the screwed rods or spindles Q, T,
pass for holding the helical springs P and S; R, R, are thumbscrews for
regulating or adjusting the springs P and S, for retarding the unwinding of
the yarn or thread from the spool or bobbin B, and to give the proper friction
required; R and U shew thumbscrews for regulating and adjusting the
springs P and S, also for keeping the lever H in proper position, and for
giving the required strain or tension to the outside strong threads of the edges
or selvages of the material to be woven while the sheds are crossing or open,
and likewise to remain firm against any sudden pluck or jerk which might
occur during the unwinding of the yarn from the pirn, or bobbin, or cop; in

page_text: the shuttle, W denotes the strong thread unwinding of the bobbin or spool B,
as exhibited at Figures 1 and 3, and passing around the tube or roller J, and
drawn into the heald and dent or split of the reed, as the outside warp thread
of each edge or selvage. By the use of this Invention the quality of the cloth
woven in looms to which it is adapted will be greatly improved, and a larger
quantity can be produced in a given time than heretofore.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of our said
Invention of "Improving the Edge or Selvage of Linen, Cotton, Woollen, Silk,
or any other Cloth or Fabric while. in the Act of Weaving," together with
the best means we are acquainted with for carrying the same into practical
effect, we would remark in conclusion, that we hereby declare our Invention
to consist in, and we claim the mechanical arrangement or apparatus above
particularly described, set forth, and represented by the illustrative Drawing
hereunto annexed, in combination with strong threads for improving the edge.
or selvage of the material to be woven, as above stated.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Davison and James Lee
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-first day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty eight
Witness,
ANDREW WILSON,
North Strand, Limerick.
ROBERT DAVISON (L.S.)
JAMES LEE.
(L.S.)