CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING LACE OR NET COMMONLY CALLED BOBBIN NET
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HENSON, and WILLIAM JACKSON, both of Worcester, Lace Manufacturers,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Eleventh day of January, in the fifth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Henson and William Jackson, His especial licence that we, the said
William Henson and William Jackson, our exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said William Henson and William Jackson, our
exors, admors, 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,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in His said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MAKING LACE OR NET COMMONLY CALLED BOBBIN NET;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging us, the said William
Henson and William Jackson, by an instrument in writing under our hands
and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, particularly' to describe and
ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after.

page_text: 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
William Henson and William Jackson, do hereby declare that the nature of
our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained by the following description thereof in writing,
reference at the same time being had to the annexed Sheet of Drawings (that
is to say):-
Before commencing the description of our Invention it is necessary to
remark that the circular comb machines now in common use take from ten to
twelve motions to make a hole, which motions are a compound of locking and
driving motions. That in consequence of one tier or row of carriages in such
machines being driven or set in motion by the other tier alternately it is
necessary to have their edges square and of the same thickness (or nearly so)
as the middle of the carriages, and it is found that such a form, namely, the
square edge, is detrimental to the process of net making by breaking or
tearing down the warp threads. That in order to remedy in some degree
such inconvenience it is very desirable to have the said carriages feathered or
beviled off to a sharp edge from the top to the bottom thereof, and it is also
desirable that the bottoms or those parts of the said carriages which coincide
with the outer circle of the combs should first lead into or enter between the
warp threads. It is also very desirable to make a whole hole by six passes of
the carriage from side to side, in order that the same may be effected in less
time, all of which we have accomplished in the machines made with our
improvements.
Fig. 1 upon the annexed Sheet of Drawings represents part of a circular
comb machine supposed to be cut through between the standards, the new
parts being coloured yellow that they may the more easily be distinguished.
Figs. 1 & 2 are drawn to a scale of about one quarter of the real size, and
Figs. 3, 4, and 5, to a scale of one half of the real size. The dotted lines at
W, W, W, W, W, is a cast metal frame on which the standard X, X, X, X, X,
is mounted, on which said standard the work roller Z and the driving or point
machinery are fixed. Y represents the warp roller. F1 and F 2 are the two
tiers or rows of bobbins and carriages as placed in the combs. Q1 and Q2
are the combs, and the said carriages have teeth formed on the bottoms thereof
which take into the teeth of the fluted bars or pinions D 1, D2, D3, & D 4, as
seen in the Fig. 1. The said bars or pinions are of a length corresponding to
the width of the machine, and are employed to perform the same offices as are
performed by the locking and driving bars in the lace machines in common

page_text: use. The combs are cast in leads and screwed on to the bars T, T, and pieces
of a proper shape are screwed or fastened to the ends of the said comb bars T, T,
so as that the ends of the said pieces may rest upon the friction rollers 4, 4,
as shewn in Fig. 2, where the said friction rollers are mounted in the jointed
pieces A 5 and A 6. It will be seen by an inspection of the said Fig. 1 that the
the combs are made of such a shape and so placed as to admit of the applica-
tion of the said fluted bars or pinions. In the said last-mentioned Fig. 2 is
also represented a pair of jointed pieces A 5 and A 6, which are made to.support
the comb bars and fluted rollers. The said jointed pieces have their center of
action in a line with the axis of the segment B, as shewn at S in Fig. 1. There
are two pairs of such jointed pieces, that is, one pair at each end of the
lace machine on the inside of the standards. These jointed pieces are shewn
by the dotted lines marked A 5 and A 6, in Fig. 1, A 5 being on one side of the
central line of the machine, and A 6 on the opposite side thereof, so that there
are two of the said jointed pieces on each side of the said central line, and we
connect the lower ends of each of the said pieces which are on the same side
together by a cross bar affixed to the same by screws or otherwise. The said
jointed pieces being free to move round or swing backwards and forwards by
means of the joint at S, allow when necessary of the combs and fluted rollers
being moved outwards towards either side of the machine, so as to allow of
putting in the warp threads or replacing the same. When the machine is at
work we cause the said jointed pieces to be held in the position relatively with
each other and with the central line of the machine, as is represented in Fig. 2,
and by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, by placing them or letting them rest upon
or against stop screws fixed in a proper part of the frame of the machine for that
purpose. The pinions or fluted bars D1, D2, D 8, and D 4, are also mounted
on the said jointed pieces, as shewn at Fig. 2, at 2-2 & 3-3; on the axes of
the pinions or fluted bars D1, D2, D3, and D 4, are fixed four small toothed
wheels shewn in Fig. 1, C 1, C2, C 8, and C 4. as also at C, Fig. 4. B is a
segment placed on the inside of the standard with its axle passing through the
standard X at S. It has a projecting segment H, the teeth of which engage
in the teeth of the before described small wheels C 1, C2, C3, & C 4..
E1 and E2 are two levers which move upon two studs or round pins at 1 and 2
on the outside of the cast metal frame W, &c., with a friction roller on each,
as shewn at 3 and 4, and the said levers are connected together by the bar R.
at 5 and 6. K is a connecting rod from the lever E 2, attached to the
axle of segment B by the arm V. On the outside of the standard X. I is a:
shaft on which the cam wheel G is mounted, acting upon the lovers E 1 and
E2 at the friction wheels 3 and 4. By turning the cam wheel round the

page_text: indentations upon it cause the levers E 1 and E 2 to oscillate; the segment B
being connected therewith, as before stated, would oscillate also, consequently
the pinions or fluted bars would be made to revolve backward and forward by
means of the wheels C1, C2, C 3, and C 4, working or taking into the
aforesaid segment H. Hence it is evident that the said carriages would be
male to pass out at the combs Q2 into the combs Q 1. The carriages F 1
and F 2 are shewn in the Drawing Fig. 1 as being on cach side of the warp
threads. If the cam wheel G is turned from 2, 2, the position as shewn in
the Drawing, until the line 3, 3, is opposite or in a line with the friction wheels
3 and 4, the carriages F 1 and F 2 would both be moved forward and placed
in the combs Q1, the same distance being still maintained between the said
carriages. If the cam G was then turned till the line 4, 4, came to the
friction wheels 3 and 4, the carriages F1 and F 2 would be brought back
into the position as shewn in the Drawing Fig. 1, and by turning the cam to
5, 5, the carriages F 1 and F 2 would be in the combs Q2, and so on till the
carriages had passed from side to side three times, when the cam wheel G
would have performed one half of a revolution and half a hole of the lace
would be made, and by turning the cam wheel G the other half round, another
half hole would be made, making one whole hole. The shaft I can be driven
by straps or wheelwork, or the segment B could be moved backward and
forward by treadles or by the hand by a lever in front of the machine to
make it what is called a hand machine. The methods of driving or taking
up and raching as in common use, both in hand machines and rotary machines,
are not herein described, because they are well known, but they may be used
in conjunction with our Invention. The traversing of the carriages may be
effected by shogging the pinion or fluted bars endways, but the way we effect
it is by having a loose wheel or friction pinion put on the axle of the pinion
or fluted bar D 3 on the floor side, that is, if a man face the front of the
machine it is at his right hand, and another friction pinion on the pinion bar
D2 on the window side, or to his left hand, which pieces must be fitted on the
axles of the pinions or fluted bars with a socket, as shewn at d, Fig. 3 and 4,
and correspond with them exactly in circumference and in the number of their
teeth. Fig. 4 represents part of a pinion or fluted bar. a is the rim or
toothed part of the friction pinion or traversing piece projecting from the
socket d; on this socket is lapped a spiral spring b, which is held up to the
rim a of this traversing piece, and keeps the said rim or toothed part up to
the teeth of the fluted bar by the other end of the said spring pressing against
the washer c, which washer is held up to the spring by a pin put through the
axle . Now in order to effect the traversing of the carriages the fluted bars

page_text: must be set under the combs, so as that the line of junction between the ends
of the said fluted bars and the friction pinion shall fall between the outside
carriage and the one next to it; this friction pinion being of the same size and
having the same number of teeth as the pinion bars, is so held to it by the
5 before-described spring as to be capable of drawing the carriages when no other
resistance is offered to it. In the outer carriage way or gait of the combs Q2nt
the floor or right-hand side of the machine, and also at the outer carriage way or
carriage gate of the combs Q1 at the window or left-hand side of the machine. is
a bit of iron guageed and rivetted in between the first and second combs, leaving
a space just the length of a carriage, as shewn by Fig. 5 by the dark line at e,
or a bit may be screwed on the side of the combs to come over to serve the
same purpose. The carriages F1 and F2 are put into the front comb bar Q2 in
two equal tiers or rows, leaving one gait or carriage way unoccupied on each
end of the comb bars, and when the front comb bar Q2 shogs to the window
or left-band side of the machine it causes the outside carriage in the row or
tier F 2 to go into the traversing gait of the back comb bar Q1, and would be
taken back with that row or tier of carriages were it not that the bit that is
revetted an this gait, as shewn by Fig. 5 at e, stops it, the traversing piece or
friction pinion on the fluted bar standing still also till the other row or tier
of carriages F1 is brought into the back combs Q 1, and is ready to return
when the passing or traversing carriage at the window or left-hand side of the
machine is brought back with the front row of carriages F1 by the power of the
spiral spring causing the friction pinion or traversing piece to revolve with the
pinion or fluted bar. Thus the outside carriage of the row or tier of carriages
F2 is traversed into the row or tier of carriages F 1, the front row or tier of
carriages F2 being shogged to the floor or right hand before they enter the
back combs Q1. The front combs Q2 are shogged towards the window or left-
hand side of the machine, whilst the carriages F1 are in the back combs Q 1,
and on the return of the front row or tier of carriages F 1 into the combs Q2
the end carriage on the floor or right-hand side of the machine is brought
into the traversing gaitway of the combs Q2 and is stopped there by the bit
rivetted in the combs Q 2, on the right hand or floor side of the machine (as
before described) till the carriages F 2 are arrived into the combs Q 2 and aro
ready to return into the combs Q 1, when the traversing carriage thus detained
is taken back with the carriages F 2 in the same manner as above described,
and thus the traversing is effected. We make the pinions or fluted bars of
iron or brass or other proper material. We lastly declare that our Invention
consists in the application of fluted rullers, or fluted bars, or [inions, such as
or similar to those we bave terein-before described, to and in conjunction with

page_text: a lace machine similar to that kind of lace machines now in common use for
making bobbon net or twist net lace, and known by the name of the circular
comb machine, or to and in conjunction with such machines, in which are
employed circular combs, when the aforesaid fluted rollers or fluted bars or
pinions, with any number of teeth revolving round their axes, are employed to
move the bobbin carriages in the said machines.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Henson and William Jackson,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eleventh day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.