IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MOHAIR PLUSH
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Collier, of Halifax, in the County of York,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MOHAIR
PLUSH"
Sealed the 16th January 1855, and dated the 23rd November 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Collier at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd November 1854.
L
..
I, GEORGE COLLIER, of Halifax, in the County of York, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
MOHAIR PLUSH " to be as follows:-
Heretofore in the manufacture of mohair plush the mohair warp 'has been
woven as spun, or it has been sized before being woven; but I find that the
loose hairs are so long (owing to the raw material being grown upon goats and
not upon sheep), that it has been exceedingly difficult to make the warp clear
sufficiently well in the shed to insert the wires, which produce the terry- on the
fabric, as the loose hairs have entangled the warp in the shed...
My improvements consist in singeing the mohair yarn that is used for the
warp, and by this means the long loose hairs (which are so detrimental to
the weaving, and especially when woven by power,) are burnt off the thread
without injury to the yarn, and the weaving proceeds with perfect ease, as
though fine worsted and not mobair yarns were employed

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Collier in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd May 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, GEORGE
COLLIER, of Halifax, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Collier, Her special licence that I, the said George
Collier, my executors, administrators, and, assigns, or such others as I, the
said George Collier, my executors, administrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF MOHAIR PLUSH," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said George Collier, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 George Collier, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
Heretofore in the manufacture of mohair plush the mohair yarn employed
for the warp has been woven as spun except when size has been used, and then
-the-sizing-has-been-effected before the weaving. In thus using the yarns
have found that the loose hairs_projecting from them render it-exceedingly-
difficult to make warps composed of them clear sufficiently well in the shed.
readily to insert the wires, by which the terries are produced, as such loose hairs
have a great tendency to become entangled with the warp in the shed, and thus
to obstruct the passage of the wires. This difficulty in the use of mohair; yarns
over other yarns of a similar character arises from the nature of the raw
material.

page_text: hairs (which are, as already stated, so detrimental in the weaving of mohair
plush, especially when power is employed for that purpose,) are burnt off the
thread without injury being sustained to the yarn, and the weaving is found to
proceed with perfect ease, as though the fibre of sheep or fine worsted in place
of mohair were employed.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I would have it
understood that I do not confine myself to any particular mode of singeing the
warp yarns employed, as various methods are adopted in the singeing of yarns;
but what I do claim is, the employment of singed yarns as the warp yarns in
the manufacture of mohair plush.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Collier, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
5 Witness,
THO PALETHORPE,
Halifax.
GEORGE COLLIER. (L.S.)