A SELF-ACTING TEMPLE, APPLICABLE TO LOOMS FOR WORKING FABRICS, WHETHER MOVED BY HAND OR POWER
Year: 1839

page_text: SMITH'S SPECIFICATION.....
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
SMITH, of Deanston Works, in the Parish of Kilmadock, in the County of
Perth, Cotton. Spinner, 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 Tenth day of. October, in. the third year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her, heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Smith, my exors, adñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said James, Smith, my exors, adñors, and
assigns, and every of us, by myself or ourselves, or by my and our deputy or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said James Smith, my.
exors, adñiors; or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all. times thereafter during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my (my)
Invention of "A SELF-ACTING TEMPLE, APPLICABLE TO LOOMS FOR WORKING
FABRICS, WHETHER MOVED BY HAND OR POWER," within that part of Her United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said
James Smith, my exors, aditiors, and assigns, or any of us, should in my or our
discretion seem meet; and that I, the said James Smith, my exors, admors,
and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit,
commodity, and advantage from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and
arising by reason of the said Invention for and during the term of
years
therein mentioned; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that

page_text: I, the said James Smith, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Letters Patent, in
and to which Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, it is hereby
declared that the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the
following description thereof (that is to say) :-
The description of the construction and the mode of the application of my
self-acting temple to fabrics in the loom will be given with reference to the
various Figures and letters shewn in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Figure first represents a bird's-eye view of such parts of a loom as are neces-
sary to shew the position and application of the temple, with a temple
attached to each margin of the fabric in a working position. Figure second
exhibits a transverse section of those parts shewn in Figure first, on the line
A, B. The same numbers of notation refer to the different views of the same
parts shewn in the respective Figures. 1, part of the side framing of the
loon; 2, the breast beam and breast rail of the loom; 3, the sole piece of the
lay; 4, the top piece or shell of the lay; 5, the reed or slay; 6, the line of
the warp threads of the fabric passing to be woven; 7, the line of cloth or
woven fabric passing from the slay towards the cloth beam 8; 9, temples formed
right and left to fit to the opposite margins of the fabrics; 10, a bracket piece,
by which the temple is made fast to the breast rail by a bolt passing through a
hole in the feather of the breast rail, and a horizontal slit in the bracket to
admit of its adjustment to suit the width of the fabric. As the fabrics which
may be woven in the same loom from time to time may be of very various
widths, it will be necessary to have a series of bolt holes in the breast rail to
admit of an extensive shifting of the bracket piece.
bracket, fitted to slide horizontally in the direction to and from the slay by
means of a slit, through which the fastening screw bolt 12 passes into a screwed
hole in the under bracket piece. In the point of the upper bracket piece
there is a horizontal socket fitted to receive the stem or arm of the temple,
which is also adjustible to suit the width of the fabric by a movement in the
socket, and when properly placed it is made fast by a pincing screw 13.
14, the stem or arm of the temple, which may be of iron, steel, brass, wood,
whalebone, or any other suitable material which will admit of its elastic move-
11, an upper piece of the

page_text: ment laterally, yet being sufficiently stiff to resist effectually the strain end-
ways, caused by the contracting pull of the fabric. 15, the head piece of the
temple attached to tlie outer end of the arm, but being capable of an outward
and inward movement on the arm, adjustible by a setting screw 16, passing
through a hole in the palm of the arm and into a screwed hole in the head
piece of the temple. By the movement of the screw it is evident that a very
nice adjustment of the position of the temple head towards the margin of the
fabric can be effected; and when that adjustment has been properly accom-
plished its alteration in the time of working is prevented by screwing up
tightly the fastening nut 17 on the setting screw 16. 18, a revolveable wheel,
having one or more rows of sharp needle-pointed teeth projecting about one-
sixteenth of an inch radially from its periphery, the teeth having a slight
angular set or bevel in a direction outwards from the fabric, so as to prevent
the hold of the fabric from slipping; this wheel is fitted to revolve on its axle
in a bearing or hole in the head piece of the temple, and is kept in its place
by a collar fitted and made fast by a pin cr otherwise to the outer end of the
axle. 19, a directing finger or guide, dovetailed or otherwise fixed into the
front of the head piece in such a position as to guide the margin of the fabric
close to the teeth at that part of the circle where they approach nearest to the
slay or reed; the finger may be of any suitable breadth, but should not exceed
one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness, and it should be placed as near to the
points of the teeth as possible, but so as not to touch them. The finger, while
it serves to direct the fabric to be laid hold of by the teeth, serves also as
a guard to prevent the slay under any circumstances from coming in contact
with the teeth; and it will be observed that the general outline of the head
piece projects beyond the points of the teeth all round the circle of the wheel,
so that the teeth are effectually guarded from injury that might arise were
they exposed to come in contact with any contiguous part of the loom, or with
the shuttle or other unattached instrument. In placing the temple in working
order it is necessary that the finger or guard be placed as near to the face of
the reed or slay as possible, and even if there should be casually a slight con-
tact no injury will arise either to the temple or to the slay, as the arm of stem
will, by its elasticity and radial movement, permit the temple head to yield its
position to the slay, whilst it will resume again as soon as the slay receeds
after each successive beat. The temples, when placed in working order, should
be so set that the line of the circle of teeth in each shall fall from one-sixteenth
to one-eighth part of an inch within the extreme margin of the selvage at each
side of the fabric, so that they shall lay hold of the cloth amongst or immediately
within the doubled threads usually placed in the selvages. The cloth must be

page_text: -placed under the finger and then brought over the wheel, giving the teeth the
proper hold. The relative positions of the slay, the margin of the fabric, and
the temple wheel, are clearly shewn at 20. By these relative positions the
temple wheel tooth immediately opposite to the lower edge of the finger
penetrates the cloth when the slay beats close up, and as the cloth is then
stretched to the utmost by the reed, the tooth so retains it. The teeth taking
into the cloth in this manner in succession as the wheel is drawn in rotation
by the. progressive movement of the cloth onwards, the margin of the selvage
is held uniformly to one line of width. The strain or pull towards the middle
of the fabric is considerable, especially in heavy or close wefted fabrics, but as
from twelve to fifteen teeth are always in hold of the cloth at a time, as appears
at 21, they have sufficient power to retain the cloth without throwing so much
strain on any one part as to cause it to tear.. As the cloth reaches that point
of the circle of the wheel where it passes off in a straight line (nearly a
tangent) in its progress to pass over the breast beam, the teeth are gradually
and successively withdrawn, as shewn at 22, Figures first and second, and the
fabric contracts a little in width, as in the usual manner, when the hand
temples are withdrawn. In order to exhibit more clearly the various parts, I
have given views separately of such as appears to be necessary. Figure third:
23 is a front view of the lower bracket piece; 24, side view of the same.
Figure fourth: 25, a front view of the upper bracket piece; 26, a side view
of the same. Figure fifth: 27, a view of the stem or arm, shewing the
palm through which the adjusting screw passes; 28, a view of the palm,
as seen looking towards the end of the arm; 29, the adjusting screw;
30, edge view of the fastening nut; 31, front view of the same. Figure sixth.:
horizontal sections on the line C, D, of the temple heads, with one and
two rows of teeth, shewing the axle of the wheel as it passes through the
temple head, and the collar with its pin, which retains the axle in its place
and resists the pull of the fabric towards the middle. The Figure 19 is
also shewn with its lower edge crossing in front of the wheel in a line
parallel to the axis, and nearly in the same horizontal plane. Figure
seven: two views of the temple head apart from the apparatus; 32, a view
shewing the hole for receiving the axle of the wheel at 33; 34, the hole through
which the neck or stem of the arm presses, and 35, the hole-for receiving the
adjusting screw; 36, the point of fixture of the directing finger; 37, an end
view of the head piece, with the finger or guard projecting; 38, part of the
wheel, with the axle in one piece; 39, a view of the same, looking towards the
end; 40, a serrated disc of steel, brass, or other suitable material, with a hole
to fit that part of the axle which projects from the end to receive it at 41, so

page_text: that when the disc is placed on this projecting piece, and close up to that of
the wheel which is formed on the axle, the teeth round its edge from the teeth
of the wheel; 42 and 43, two views of a washer, which screws upon the point
of the projecting piece 41, thereby retaining the serrated disc in its place, and
forming at the same time the outer part of the body of the wheel; 44, an edge
view of the disc, shewing the angular set or bevel of the teeth; 45 and 46;
views of the collar, which fits upon the outer end of the axle at 47, to retain it
in its place on the head. piece. It may here be noticed, that when the weft to
be used in forming any fabric requires to be worked in a wet state, the wheel
teeth and finger, and it may be the head piece, should be of brass or other
suitable material, which will not corrode from the contact of the wet.
Having thus described the various parts of my self-acting temple, their com-
bination, and the mode of application to looms for weaving fabrics, with the
manner of its action, in a way which must be easily understood by persons
versant in looms for weaving fabrics and in mechanism generally, I shall now
describe whereon I rest my claims.
First, I claim the general combination and arrangement of the various
parts, whereby I effectuate an instrument for retaining fabrics during the
progress of weaving at a proper and uniform width, preventing the undue and
hurtful pressure of the selvage threads on the slay or reed during its traverse
motion, and entirely substituting and rendering unnecessary the various
hand temples or stretchers which have been hitherto used, thereby dispensing
with much of the attention and labour of the person or persons tending the
loom.
Secondly, the application of a toothed wheel in a vertical position at the
margin of the fabric, so near to the limit of the approach of the reed or slay
towards the fell or face of the fabric as shall admit of the teeth of the wheel
laying hold of the cloth near to the fell or face, while it is stretched to the
utinost by the slay. And I further claim, the peculiar position of the direct-
ing finger,, whereby the cloth is guided and kept close to the points of the
teeth of the wheel at that part of the periphery which is nearest to the face of
the slay or reed, whilst the teeth are guarded from the contact of the slay.
Thirdly, I claim the yielding and elastic attachment of the temple head,
whether by a radial arm or otherwise, whereby it is permitted to play freely
when assailed by any undue lateral pressure, which might cause injury to the
parts or derangement of the adjustment were it attached by a dead or unyield-
ing fixture, and having at same time the elastic power of resuming its proper
position when the undue pressure is removed, whilst in the direction of the
strain of the fabric to contract it is held sufficiently stiff and resisting.