IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TRACING AND MULTIPLYING PATTERNS, DESIGNS, AND SUCH LIKE
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Boyd, of the Firm of Herbert and
Company, Patent Agents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TRACING AND
MULTIPLYING PATTERNS, DESIGNS, AND SUCH LIKE."-A communication
Sealed the 2nd May 1871, and dated the 7th November 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Boyd at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th November 1870.
:
I, ROBERT BOYD, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Patent
Agents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
TRACING AND MULTIPLYING PATTERNS, DESIGNS, AND SUCH LIKE," a communi-
cation to me from abroad by F. Henry Langsdorff, of Hamburg, to be as
follows:-
-
The improvements have for their object the formation, ready copying,
and multiplication of designs or patterns for embroidery, and other like

page_text: purposes, or the copying plans and drawings of any kind, and consist in
the use and application of a moveable tracer furnished with a stabber or
perforator actuated by suitable rods and levers, said tracing stabber being
supported and made capable of travelling over, and on the design by
means of radial arms or rods to which it is attached and worked by means
of suitable wheelwork or gearing arranged and connected with a treadle
or handle, the actuation of which causes the stabber or perforator to work
quickly up and down, and perforate or stabb out the required design
over which the tracer and its stabber is being passed. Paper or other
suitable medium being placed under the design receives a perforated
copy similar to the one traced by the tracing stabber, or several sheets of
paper may be used, and thus several perforated copies or stencils produced.
Also in the use and application of a radial bar or bars fitted con-
veniently to the vertical tracer, and having a moveable and adjustable
centre and guide piece for the purpose of tracing circles or straight lines
with the tracing stabber when desired.
Further, the improvements consist in the application and use of
specially prepared powder as described below to be rubbed or passed
over the stencil or perforated design or pattern, and thus produce a copy
or leave an impression of such design or pattern on any required fabric
or material.
The improvements may be carried into effect by making the vertical
tracer of metal, wood, or other convenient material hollow, and the
stabber or perforator to work vertically therein. The radial arms or rods
to which the tracer is attached may also be made of metal or of other
suitable material, preferably hollow, and may have attached to them in
any convenient manner light wheelwork or pulleys for carrying the
bands by which the stabber by means of suitable eccentrics, levers, or
gearing connected therewith may be actuated. In connection with the
said pulleys and gearing may be affixed a treadle or handle for com-
municating motion. The paper for forming the stencils should be
smooth and flat and preferably thin. The radial bars with adjustable
centre for striking circles and the guide for forming straight lines may
also be of metal or of other convenient material. The powder may be
formed of gum damma with aniline or other color added, the gum
being ground to a very fine powder and well mixed with the desired
color, thus enabling the said colored powder to be used as a dry dust,

page_text: and thereby easily permeate fine holes. And further, by the application
of moderate heat the design copied with such powder is rendered
permanent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Boyd in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th May 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
BOYD, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Patent Agents, of 67,
Strand, in the City of Westminster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Robert Boyd, Her special licence that I,
the said Robert Boyd, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Robert Boyd, my executors, administrators, aud
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TRACING AND
MULTIPLYING PATTERNS, DESIGNS, AND SUCH LIKE," a communication to me
from abroad by F. Henry Langsdorff, of Hamburg, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Boyd, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, 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 immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Boyd, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, that is to say :-
The improvements have for their object the formation, ready copying,
and multiplication of designs or patterns for embroidery and other

page_text: 'like purposes, or the copying plans and drawings of any kind, and
consist in the use and application of a moveable tracer furnished with
a stabber or perforator actuated by suitable rods and levers, said tracing
stabber being supported and made capable of travelling over and on
the design by means of radial arms or rods, to which it is attached and
worked by means of suitable wheelwork or gearing arranged and
connected with a treadle or handle, the actuation of which causes the
stabber or perforator to work quickly up and down and perforate or stab
out the required design over which the tracer and its stabber is being
passed. Paper or other suitable medium being placed under the design
reccives a perforated copy similar to the one traced by the tracing
stabber, or several sheets of paper may be used, and thus several
perforated copies or stencils produced.
Also in the use and application of a radial bar or bars fitted con-
veniently to the vertical tracer and having a moveable and adjustible
centre and guide piece for the purpose of tracing circles or straight lines
with the tracing stabber when desired.
Further, the improvements consist in the application and use of
specially prepared powder as described below, to be rubbed or passed
over the stencil or perforated design or pattern, and thus produce a copy
or leave an impression of such design or pattern on any required fabric
or material.
The improvements may be carried into effect by making the vertical
tracer of metal, wood, or other convenient matterial hollow, and the stabber
or perforator to work vertically therein. The radial arms or rods to which
the tracer is attached may also be made of metal or of other suitable
material, preferably hollow, and may have attached to them in any
convenient manner light wheelwork or pulleys for carrying the bands
by which the stabber by means of suitable eccentrics, levers, or gearing
connected therewith may be actuated. In connection with the said pulleys
and gearing may be affixed a treadle or handle for communicating
motion. The paper for forming the stencils should be smooth and flat
and preferably thin. The radial bars with adjustable centre for striking
circles and the guide for forming straight lines may also be of metal or
of other convenient material. The powder may be formed of gum
damma with aniline or other color added, the gum being ground to a
very fine powder and well mixed with the desired color, thus enabling
the said colored powder to be used as a dry dust and thereby easily

page_text: permeate fine holes. And further by the application of moderate heat
the design copied with such powder is rendered permanent.
The accompanying Drawings will serve as an illustration of the
stabbing or perforating machine.
Figure 1 represents a general elevation of the whole machine showing
all the different parts, though it is evident that the apparatus for making
circles and that for making straight lines cannot be used at the same
time.
the
a is the treadle, which works by means of crank and crank rod a¹,
fly wheel b; c is the box or frame in which the fly wheel works and
which carries d in which works the upright shaft d; d, d, are two
short tubes to which the radial arm e and its stay are attached, and
which allow them to move freely round on the upright shaft d¹ which
carries the two pulleys hand i; g, g, are pulleys connected to fly wheel
by band passing over them and round pulley h; e is the first joint of
radial arm made hollow and in which slides rod et kept in its place by
a screw; o³ is a boss attached to rod e¹ and carrying spring e for sup-
porting second radial arm; o is a collar working on rod e¹ and carrying
upright shaft o on which works second radial arm f; j and k are two
pulleys, k connected to pulley i by means of band, and j connected to /
the pulley for working eccentric; f is second arm made hollow and
in which slides rod f¹ kept in its place by a screw, and to which is
attached the tracer q in which works the stabber or perforator. Attached
to the tracer q are shown the two different apparatus for making circles
and straight lines; z is a rod which is attached by means of screw
with head t passing through a forked end or jaws of rod z; on this-rod z
is attached, when it is required to draw circles, an apparatus v, secured
by a screw and carrying rod with a point or pin w which becomes the
centre of the circle required to be formed. When it is desired to draw
straight lines the apparatus is removed, and the apparatus y is attached
carrying a straight piece of metal x, x, which is placed against a rule
or straightedge and acts as a guide. In both these cases, and in all
cases when the machine is used, the head t of the screw serves as a
rest or guide to regulate the depth to which the stabber shall be allowed
to perforate. Figure 2 gives a side view of upright or main shaft; m is
the support of shaft on which run the pulleys h and i, and kept firm in
its place by screw nut m¹; n is the support which carries the pulley 9,9,
over which passes band connecting pulley h with fly wheel b, and kept

page_text: in its place by screw; d³ is the standard or boss secured to box or frame-
work, in which works d³, kept in its place by screw d³. Figure 3 is a
sectional view of tracer showing eccentric motion for working stabber;
f is the second radial arm, in which slides rod f¹ connected to tracer q;
1 is the pulley attached to the eccentric and connected by rod ♫ to
stabber p, and thus giving the up and down or stabbing motion to
stabber; u are two arms through which pass the screw r, with head t,
support or guide 8, forked end of z, attached by screw when it is
desired to draw straight lines or circles. Figure 4 is a sectional view of
arm joint showing the way in which the arms are connected; e is first
joint of radial arm in which slides e³, kept in its place by a screw; o³ is
boss attached to rod e¹ and carrying spring &²; Figure 5 is a side view
of centre upright shaft; o¹ is the support of shaft o³ on which run
pulleys j and attached at its lower end to o, and at the top kept in its
place by a screw nut. The different parts of the machine may be made
of wood, brass, iron, or steel, as found most convenient.
Having thus described the apparatus or machine for tracing, the way
in which it is to be used is as follows:-The tracer and its stabber is
passed over the pattern it is desired to stab out, paper or other sùitable
medium being placed under or over the design it is required to re-copy
receives a perforated copy of the design, and becomes in fact a stencil
plate. If desired several sheets of paper may be placed under or over
the design, so that several copies may be obtained. These perforated
designs or stencil plates are intended to be placed over the fabric or
material on which it is desired that the pattern should be re-produced,
à fine powder formed of gum damma with aniline or other desired color
added is thrown or dusted over, a moderate amount of heat is then
applied, and the pattern is reproduced permanently on the cloth or
other fabric. The gum should be ground to a very fine powder and well
mixed with the desired color so as to allow the said colored powder
easily to go through or permeate the fine holes which have been pierced
out by the stabber in the paper or other medium that has been employed.
The following have been found convenient proportions of which the
powder may be composed. If blue powder is desired two parts of gum
damma are mixed with one part of Berlin blue, for every pound of this
mixture about one-eighth of an ounce of indigo is required, but this
must vary according as to whether the color is required to be dark or
light. In forming other colored powder different proportions must be

page_text: observed. The gum damma after it has been crushed to a very fine powder
must be passed through a piece of gauze stuff; this process may be
repeated twice or more times, after which this powder or dust must be
mixed with the required color, when they must again be put through
a similar process till no gum damma whatever is left on the gauze.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Boyd, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.