CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
ROSTRON, of Edenfield, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, and
THOMAS WELCH, of Manchester, in the same County, Manufacturer, 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-second day of April, One thousand eight hundred and
forty-one, in the fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said John Rostron and Thomas
Welch, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
we, the said John Rostron and Thomas Welch, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, and such others as we, the said John Rostron and Thomas
Welch, our executors, administrators, and 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 and Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that we, the said John Rostron
and Thomas Welch, should cause a particular description of the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
enrolled in Her 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
John Rostrou and Thomas Welch, do hereby declare that the nature of tho

page_text: said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, i
particularly described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed
and the following explanation thereof (that is to say) :-
Our improvements in looms for weaving apply, firstly, to the lathe or slay
commonly used in power looms for beating up the cloth as it is woven, and
consists in a very simple alteration in the construction thereof, but which
effects a considerable improvement in the operation of the pickers and shuttle.
Instead of the shuttle and picker boxes of the slay being furnished with a wire
spindle or guide for the pickers to travel along when the impelling power is
imparted to them by the picking sticks, our improved slay is merely pro-
vided with a slight wooden rail, or guide piece, which sufficiently secures the
pickers from flying out of their boxes, and by which improvement we are
enabled to use pickers of a far more simple and economical form than has
hitherto been employed for looms.
Secondly, our improvements apply to the simple, cheap, and peculiar form of
picker which we are enabled to use in consequence of the alteration in the slay,
and consist in a common hide or leather picker being made simply by bending
the hide or leather double, and forming a straight piece, with a small projecting
neb or pin beneath, for the purpose of running in a slot or groove formed in
the slay to assist the upper and side rails in guiding the pickers in a perfectly
straight line whilst impelling the shuttle across its race.
Thirdly, our improvements apply to the letting off or giving out of the yarn
or warps as the weaving proceeds, and consists in a simple combination and
arrangement of mechanism for producing a regular variable motion for this
purpose. We would here remark, that a Patent was granted to the within-
named Thomas Welch by His late Majesty William the Fourth, bearing
date at Westminster, the Fifth day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and thirty-three, the Specification of which was duly inrolled, for an improve-
ment in looms, whereby a regular variable motion was imparted to the cloth
beam in looms, and that our present improvement consists in producing pre-
cisely the same effect with reference to the yarn or warp beam, and with as
nearly as possible the same means; the object there being to effect the taking
up of the cloth, and here the letting off of the yarn, with the required regular
variable motion.
Fourthly, our improvements apply to the cloth beam, and consists in the
application of a heliacal or spiral spring to the axis thereof, in order to give
elasticity to its action and allow the cloth to be taken up and wound upon the
cloth beam without injuring or straining the yarn or warp threads.
But in order that theso several improvements may be more fully explained,

page_text: we have attached to these 'resents two Sheets of Drawings, in which Sheet I
represents the first and second parts of the improvements with reference to the
slay and pickers; and Sheet 2, the third and fourth parts of the improvements
as applied to the yarn and cloth beam, and in which the ordinary parts of the
loom are represented in outline for the purpose of exhibiting more clearly the
application of our present improvements.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
In Sheet 1, Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the vibrating slay or lathe
of an ordinary power loom; Figure 2, a side or end view; and Figure 3, a plan
or horizontal view of the same, as seen from above. a, a, a, is the swinging
frame or lathe sword; b, b, the main rail, or shuttle race; c, c, the reed; and
d, d, the picking sticks, which may be actuated by any ordinary contrivance.
Our improvement consists particularly in the application of the top guide rail,
or piece e, e, for the purpose of forming a box for the pickers, instead of the
picker being held in its place by the iron spindle or wire, as commonly used in
this situation; thus the picker runs loose and freely, and with considerably less
friction that when running upon the common guide spindle, and is not so
subject to heating and wear; there is also a groove f cut in the slay in order
to assist the direct course of the picker. The improved form of picker to be
used in conjunction with the lathe is shewn in side and end views at Figure 4;
the projecting piece g being designed to run in the groove f of the slay. An
clastic spring or bed h, h, is attached to each side of the framing of the reed,
for the purpose of receiving the picking stick, and softening the blow after it
has struck the picker. A modification of the form of picker which may be
used is shewn in side and end views at Figure 5, where the projecting piece i,
underneath the picker is dovetailed, which may be used in some instances, and
thereby dispense with the top guide rail c, e.
In Sheet 2, Fig. I represents a transverse sectional view of the loom ;
and Figure 2, a plan or horizontal view of the same. a, a, is the framing
of the loom; b, the yarn beam; c, c, the healds; d, the slay; e, the breast
beam; and f, the cloth or work beam; g is the driving pulley; and h, the
crank shaft as usually employed. Now, in order to produce a regular variable
letting off or giving out motion to the yarn beam, the following apparatus
is employed:-A worm wheel h is fastened on to the end of the yarn beam,
into which the worm i gears, being fixed at one end of the shaft ; on the
other end of this shaft a handle is fixed to wind the yarn back on the
beam when the loom has been working without weft; there is a small pulley
22 on the crank shaft to drive the cone n by means of the strap o passed

page_text: round them, and the two pulleys p, p, which regulate the tightness of the
strap when it is on the larger or smaller diameter of the cone n being kept
distended by the weight s. The cone drum n is intended to give a variable
motion, increasing the speed of the yarn beam as it diminishes in diameter in
consequence of the yarn being woven off, being regulated by the presser roller
bearing against the yarn beam, thus moving the strap towards the smaller
end of the cone in exact proportion as the yarn decreases on the beam, the
roller or presser r constantly bearing against the yarn by means of the weight
and chain t; u is a slide piece, on which is the presser at one end, and at
the other is the rack v, working into the spur pinion w, connected with the
spur wheel x, thereby actuating the revolving rack y, connected with the cone
n, and thus shifting the cone along the shaft, in exact proportion as the yarn
is worked off the beam, and by so doing giving out the yarn so as to produce
an equal number of picks to the inch during the weaving of the whole warp.
At one end of the shaft is the small pinion 1, giving motion to the crown or
index wheel 2, on the shaft k, conveying the motion by the worm i to the worm
wheel * on the yarn beam. The index wheel 2 is a change wheel, by altering
which any number of picks to the inch may be produced. A small crank
lever 3 is used to disconnect the small pinion 1 from the index wheel 2, whilst
any warp is wound back which may have come off the beam during the time
that the loom has been working without weft, which is done by turning the
handle, as before mentioned.
It will be seen from the above description by persons conversant with
weaving, that the yarn beam cannot move or yield during the formation
of the sheds in the usual way, which is most important. We have, there-
fore, to effect this, applied heliacal or spiral spring to the axis of the cloth
beam, which affords a vibrating or elastic motion, or allows the cloth to yield
or be pulled off the cloth beam whilst the sheds are being formed, and then
tightens up the yarn again after the sheds are completed. The application of
this improvement will be best seen by reference to the detached Figure 3,
a being the cloth beam; b, the heliacal spring, one end of which is attached to
the
wheel c,
and the other to the shaft or axis of the cloth beam, around
spur
which the wheel c slips loosely.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Rostron and Thomas Welch,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Ninth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
JOHN
(L.S.)
ROSTRON.
THOMAS (L.s.) WELCI.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on. the same Ninth day of October,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John Rostron came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And that on the Thirteenth day of the same month of October, the aforesaid
Thomas Welch came before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery in Ireland,
and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Twenty-second day of October, in the year above written.