CERTAIN MACHINERY TO BE INCORPORATED WITH, ADDED TO, AND USED WITH PARTS OF CERTAIN MACHINES THEN INVENTED AND IN USE FOR THE MAKING AND MANUFACTURING. OF LACE NET, CALLED BOBBIN OR BUCKINGHAMSHIRE LACE NET, BY THE AID OF WHICH INVENTION THE SAID LACE NET MIGHT BE MADE WITH GREATER FACILITY AND LESS MANUAL LABOUR THAN BY ANY MACHINERY OR METHOD THEN IN USE OR KNOWN
Year: 1816

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
LACY, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Lace Manu-
facturer, and JOHN LINDLEY, of Loughborough, in the County of Leicester,
Lace Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS we did, by petition, humbly represent to His. prósent. Majesty
King George the Third, that we had' invented "CERTAIN MACHINERY TO BE
INCORPORATED WITH, ADDED TO, AND USED WITH PARTS OF CERTAIN MACHINES THEN
INVENTED AND IN USE FOR THE MAKING AND MANUFACTURING. OF LACE NET, CALLED
BOBBIN OR BUCKINGHAMSHIRE LACE NET, BY THE AID OF WHICH INVENTION THE
SAID LACE NET MIGHT BE MADE WITH GREATER FACILITY AND LESS MANUAL
LABOUR THAN BY ANY MACHINERY OR METHOD THEN IN USE OR KNOWN," His
Majesty was pleased to issue His Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great
Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of September,. in the
fifty-sixth year of His reign, which Letters Patent do give and grant unto
us, Charles Lacy and John Lindley, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns,
or to our or their servants or agents, His said Majesty's especial licence to
make, use, exercise, and vend our said Invention within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and to have and enjoy the whole
profit and advantage arising by reason of our said Invention, during the term
of fourteen years from the date of the said. Letters Patent, by which His
Majesty also requires and strictly commands all His subjects whatever within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick, that during the continuance

page_text: of the said term of fourteen years they shall not, either directly or indi-
rectly, make, use, or put in practice our said Invention, or any part of it,
or in any ways counterfit, imitate, or resemble the same; the said Letters
Patent also contain a proviso obliging us, the said Charles Lacy and John
Linley, to particularly describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or the hand and seal of one of us, and
to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Charles Lacy and John Lindley, have executed this instrument, which we do
declare to be the Specification of our said Invention; and because that our
new machinery is to be incorporated with, added to, and used with parts of
certain machines already invented and in use, we divide this our Specification
into two parts.
In the first part we describe a complete machine for the making and
manufacturing of lace net, called bobbin or Buckinghamshire lace net, which
machine is composed of our new machinery when incorporated with, added to,
and used with parts of certain machines already invented and in use. But be it
observed, that we do not construe His Majesty's said Letters Patent to give
us an exclusive privilege to make, use, exercise, and vend all and every part
of the machine described in the first part of this our Specification, but we
confine our claims to such parts thereof as are new machinery of our Invention,
and which are particularly ascertained and defined in the second part of this
our Specification, and separated from such other parts which are not of our
Invention, and which are only introduced in the first part for explanation.
FIRST PART. Figure A, Sheet II. of the Drawings hereunto annexed,
represents some meshes of lace net, called bobbin or Buckinghamshire lace net,
to shew, by red and blue colours, how the same is composed of two distinct
systems of threads. The threads of one system proceed through the piece of
lace in the direction of the length thereof, as is shewn by the red colour in the
Figure, and these are called longitudinal threads. The threads of the other
system are called the diagonal threads, because they traverse the piece of lace
across the breadth in a diagonal direction from one selvage to the other, and
then return back again, as is evident by tracing any one of the blue coloured
threads in Figure A. Four sides of each hexagonal mesh are formed by
twisting a longitudinal and a diagonal thread together one turn and a half,
and these sides are called the pillars of the meshes. The top and bottom of
each mesh are formed by the crossing of two diagonal threads over each other,

page_text: and it is by thus crossing that they take the diagonal direction. The selvages
or edges of the piece of lace are produced by the return or turn again of the
diagonal threads whenever they arrive at the extreme longitudinal threads.
The texture of the lace being understood, the action of the machine will bo
more evident.
Description of the parts which operate immediately upon the threads.-Thoso
threads which will become the longitudinal threads of the lace are wound upon
bobbins marked 1, see also Sheet 2; hence those threads are called bobbin
threads, & in all the Drawings they are distinguished by a red colour.
Each thread has a separate bobbin, which will contain a sufficient length of
such thread to form the length of the intended piece of lace. Those threads
which will ultimately become the diagonal threads in the piece of laco aro
wound upon larger bobbins 2, 3, (see also Sheet II.,) which are called beams,
and hence the threads are called beam threads. Each beam contains a given
portion of the whole number of diagonal threads which are to be used in
making the piece of lace. The beam threads are coloured blue in all the
Drawings. The point where these two systems of threads are first united
together by twisting and crossing, so as to form lace, is at the upper part
of the machine, & is called the working center; it is marked in all the
Drawings, but more particularly in Sheet II. At the working center the total
number of threads are brought into a row, but are kept separate by means
of the points 4, 5. There are pointed iron wires or pins fastened into a lead
in the manner of a comb, as shewn in Sheet 1. There are two rows of these
points, a front row 4, and a back row 5. Each row contains eighteen points
in every inch, and the two rows being placed over each other and the
points interspaced, they will form thirty-six spaces per inch, and one thread is
placed in each of these spaces. If these threads are traced above the working
center, they will be found twisted and combined together, so as to form the
lace A, and which as fast as it is formed is taken upon the lace roller B. If
the threads are traced downwards beneath the working center, all the beam
threads (which are one-half of the whole number, and are denoted by the blue
colour) are found to hang down perpendicularly from the points parallel to
each other, and at such distances asunder as to be eighteen threads in every
inch. To guide and retain the beam threads in such parallel directions, they
are introduced between the points of wires 6 and 7, called the thread guides
(see also Sheet 1), and which are cast in leads eighteen per inch. If the beam
threads are traced still downwards beneath the guides 6 and 7, the whole number
are found divided into several portions, and the threads are carried through holes
in the circumference of several circular plates or wheels 8 and 9, called the

page_text: separating plates, and beneath these plates the threads are wound upon the
beanis 2 and 3, as before mentioned, in sufficient store to make the diagonal.
threads of the piece of lace. Each of the beams is contained in a separate.
frame 10, which is not attached to any part of the machinery, but is in a great
measure suspended by the threads. The beam frame consists of two upright
sides 10,.10, which at the upper ends are fastened to the separating plate 8,
and the lower ends are united together. A pin is passed through both sides, and
on this the beam 2 turns round as a center when the thread, is drawn, off from
it. To make the threads draw regularly, a piece,of, brass f is placed beneath
the beam and fitted upon a stem g, so that, it can slide, freely...up and down.
The stem g is.firmly fixed in the lower part of the frame, 10, and, a spiral.or
worm spring: is applied. 'to lift the piece fupwards, with a gentle, pressure
against the thread. which is wound upon the beam 2; the lower end of the
spring bears upon a nut h,, which is fitted upon a screw cut upon the stem g,
and by screwing this nut up or down the force of the spring..can be regulated
to make the threads draw with the desired force.. The bobbin threads, which
constitute, another half of the total number of threads, collected, at the working
center. are coloured red in the Drawings, and are regularly interspaced
between the beam threads, so that there is a bobbin thread; between every two
adjacent beam threads, and a beam thread between, every two bobbin threads..
The bobbins; which contain the bobbin threads are made of very thin brass
or iron plate, and each bobbin is composed of two circular plates. forming the
sides of the bobbin, and a smaller, circular plate, forming the centre, piece, and
which is put between the other two to keep them at their required distance
asunder; the three plates are 'held together by six: small rivets, and thus
form a small wheel or thin bobbin, with a deep. groove in the edge to receive
the thread which is wound upon it. Each bobbin is fitted into a separate
piece 11, called a brass; this is male of thin brass or iron plate cut out to the
shape shewn in Sheet 1, with a notch in each end; a cell or cavity is sunk
or depressed in the upper part of a sufficient depth to receive the bobbin 1, so
that the thickness of the bobbin .will be wholly, contained in the cell or
depression, and the bobbin is held in the cell by being fitted on a center pin
rivetted into the plate of which the brass is composed; the bobbin thread is
carried through a small eye or hole in the edge of the cell in which the bobbin
lies. A small cross or spring b is fastened on the end of the rivet, and the four
arms of this spring press upon the flat surface of the bobbin, so as to cause a slight
friction, and make the thread draw off from the bobbin with a regular tension;
this spring is contained in a cavity or cell which is sunk sufficiently deep
in the bobbin to receive the spring and avoid any projection above the surface

page_text: of the bobbin, in the same manner as the cell in the brass is sufficiently deep
to sink the thickness of the bobbin to a level with the surface of the brass.
The depression of the plate of the brass on one side to form the cell produces
a corresponding elevation on the other side; hence the brasses have a semi-
circular notch cut out just before the cell for the bobbin, and when the brasses
are put together in a row the ends' are alternately reversed with respect to
each other, as shewn in Fig. X; and then the part of one brass which is cut
away makes room for the circular projection or thicker part of its neighbouring
brass. By this means, when the brasses are placed side by side in a row, they
can be contained eighteen in every inch, and still leave a clear space between
each brass, even though the bobbins and their 'cells should be more than the
one-eighteenth part of an inch-in thickness. .12, Sheet II., the parallel bars;
they are two slight bars of iron, between which the beam threads pass for the
purpose of retaining the threads in a perpendicular direction before they bend
to go down to the back and front beams; tliese bars are only to guide the
beam threads, and do not communicate any motion to the threads. 15, 16,
are the separators, back and front; they are wires with notches in the ends,
like forks, and are cast in heads, nine per inch, see Sheet I. When the
crossing of the beam threads in to be performed, these separators approach,
and separate the beam threads into two rows, as slicwn in Figure Z, one row
being removed forwards out of a perpendicular direction by the back separators
16, and the other backwards out of the perpendicular direction by the front
separators 15. A's the front and back separators contain each only nine forks
per inch, the fork of the back and front sets are interspaced, so. that the two
sets of separators take the whole number of threads, which are eighteen per
inch but each set of separators také only one-half the total number..of beam
threads, leaving the other half for the other set of 'separators, and then, by
advancing, they separate the threads into two sets,, hence it is that. tliey are
called separators. The object of the separation will be heréin-after'set forth
in describing the operation of the machine.
T
Having now described the parts which operate immediately upon the
threads, we proceed to describe the machinery by which the said parts are
actuated and qualified to give the threads such motions as will twist and unite
the threads together to form the lace.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MACHINERY FOR TWISTING THE BOBBIN, THREADS ROUND
1.
THE BEAM THREADS TO FORM THE PILLARS OF THE MESHES.
The total number of brasses, 11, are arranged in a row, side by side, as
shewn in Sheet 1, but at the rate of eighteen per inch. The brasses being

page_text: alternately reversed, as before mentioned, the bobbins are divided into two
rows, one before the other, as seen in Figure X, and hence the brasses do not
touch each other, but leave intervals between them with which the parallel
beam threads exactly correspond, so that the row of brasses with the bobbins
in them are capable of entering between the beam threads all together, and
passing through between them, as shewn at Figure Y; in so doing the brasses
are made to move in the arch of a circle, the center of which is the working
center, and therefore the bobbin threads in their motions do not become.
slack, but preserve always a constant and equable tension to keep the threads
straight. To guide the row of brasses and keep them at their correct distance
from each other without touching, a conducting or comb bar 17 is fixed in
front of the beam threads, and another, 18, at the back of the same; both
conducting bars have parallel grooves or cells across the direction of their
length, at the rate of eighteen grooves per inch; in these grooves the lower
edges of the brasses 11 are fitted, so as to slide freely backwards and forwards
in the grooves. The two conducting bars are made exactly correspondant, so
that when the brasses are contained in a row in one of the conducting bars, as
shewn at Figure X, Sheet II., if they are all slided backwards together in the
grooves of that bar, so as to approach the whole row towards the other bar,
the ends of the brasses will pass between the beam threads and be received
into the grooves of the opposite conducting bar, as shewn in Figure Y, so as
to be entered into and steadied therein before they quit the groove of the first-
mentioned bar. The whole row of brasses are moved together in the grooves
of the conducting bars by means of rulers 19 and 20, called fetchers, and the
notches made in the ends of each brass are to receive the edge of one of the
fetchers when all the brasses are ranged in a row; by this means the brasses
are connected all together, so that the fetcher will give motion to the whole
row all at once. Only one of the fetchers is used at the same time; the front
fetcher 19 is used to move the brasses when they are in the front conducting
bar, and the back fetcher 20 when they are in the back conducting bar.
Either of the fetchers can be brought into action upon the row of brasses by
dropping it down into the notches of the row of brasses, as shewn at 19,
Figure X or Y, Sheet II., or either fetcher can be disengaged from the row
of brasses by lifting it up out of the notches, as at 20, Figure Y. To admit of
thus lifting up or letting down the fetchers, each one is supported by two
arms c proceeding from it, and at the ends of these arms are joints a, by
which the fetchers are connected with the fetcher bars 21, seen in Sheets 3, 4,
and 5, and the ends of these fetcher bars are screwed fast to the joint arms 22,
which move upon fixed enter pins, screwed to the frame 28 of the machine, in

page_text: a line exactly coincident with the working centre, where the lace is formed;
by moving with these joint arms upon the fixed center pins, the fetcher bars
and joints a always preserve the same distance from the working center, and
their motion is described by the dotted are a, d, Fig. X. The action of the
fetchers and the conducting bars is to pass the brasses between the beam
threads from front to back, or from back to front; for instance, in Figure X,
the front fetcher 19 is represented as being let down into the notches of the
brasses which are all in the front conducting bar, the front fetcher bar and
joint a being moved downwards towards d; the fetcher 19 pushes the row of
brasses backwards in the grooves of the front conducting bar 17, and the
brasses enter between the beam threads into the grooves of the back
conducting bar 18. When they arrive at the position of Figure Y, which is
called the central position, the fetchers are changed, that is, the front fetcher
19 is lifted up out of the notches of the brasses, and at the same moment the
back fetcher 20 is let down into the notches in the opposite ends of the brasses,
then, by moving the back fetcher bar and its joint a upwards on the dotted
arc, the back fetcher 20 will draw the whole row of brasses back into the
back conducting bar 18, as shewn by the dotted lines in Figure X. The
whole row of brasses has now been passed between the beam threads; and
transferred from the front conducting bar to the back, and the way in which
this action effects the twisting is thus-When the row of brasses entered
between the beam threads from the front to the back, each bobbin and bobbin
thread was in the space on the left (see the note * [p. 8]) of that beam thread
with which it is intended to be twisted, or in other words the beam thread with
which any one bobbin thread is to be twisted is to the right of the brass contain-
ing the said bobbin thread; when the brasses arrive at the central position Y,
the guides 6 and points 4, which sustain the whole row of beam threads, shog
or move sideways to the left one-eighteenth part of an inch, and this quantity
being equal to the whole interval between two adjacent bobbins, it causes
every beam thread to bear slightly against that brass which is to the left of it,
because if the threads were allowed to become quite straight, they would hang
wholly on the left sides of the brasses with which their bobbin threads are to
twist; therefore when the row of brasses are drawn through by the back
fetcher 20 into the back conducting bar 18, in the dotted position Figure X,
the instant the brasses are drawn clear beyond the perpendicular line of the
beam threads, the threads slip from between the brasses to the left of those
brasses against which they bore, resuming their straight direction. The whole
row of brasses is next brought forwards again between the beam threads, and
then each brass will enter on the right side of that thread with which its

page_text: bobbin thread is to be twisted, or in other words each beam thread, will be
to the left of that brass whose bobbin thread is to be twisted, with the said
beam thread. When the back fetcher 20 has pushed the row of brasses
forwards to the central position, the front fetcher. 19 is, let fall. into the front
notches of the brasses, and at the same moment the back fetcher 20 is. lifted
out of the notches, as in Figure Y. The points 4, and thread guides .6;:are
shogged to the right one-eighteenth of an inch, and this makes the beam
threads bear against those brasses which, are to the right of them. The
brasses are now drawn forwards. by the front .fetcher into the front conducting
bar in the position of Figure X, and the instant, the brasses are drawn beyond
the perpendicular line of the beam threads, they slip by, the end of the brasses
to the right hand: The brasses, are now put back, a second time, and they
will enter between the threads in the same spaces that they did. the-first
time, viz, each brass will be to the left of that 'beam; thread with which its
bobbin thread is: to be twisted; when the bobbins arrive at the central,position
the front fetcher is lifted out, and the back fetcher put in; the points and
guides are shogged to the left, and the brasses, are drawn through into the
back conducting bar, and (as before). when they are quite through, the beam
threads slip off the end of the brasses towards the left, as in the former
instance.
*Note. In using the words, to the right or to the left, we mean towards
the right
or left hand end of the machine, as they appear to an observer
stationed on that side of the machine which is in the Drawings marked
"front;" likewise, by right or left side of, each brass or of each thread, and so
forth, we mean on that side of such brass or thread which is nearest to the
right or left hand end of the machine.
By retracing this operation each bobbin thread will be found to have made
one turn and a half round its adjacent beam thread. Thus, in first going.from
front to back, each bobbin went on the left of its correspondent beam thread,
but in returning from back to front it passed on the right side of the same,,then
in going the second time from front to back each bobbin went again on the left
side of its fellow beam thread. Now, as the bobbin every time gives off a portion
of its thread, such portion of thread becomes twisted round the beam thread one
and a half times. It should be observed that it is only the ends of the brasses
that are first presented to the beam threads which enter into the spaces between
the threads without touching the same, for when the bobbins arrive between the
beam threads they are rather thicker than the spaces between the threads, and
must necessarily push or bend aside the beam threads, in order to effect their
passage; but in consequence of the brasses being reversed, and the bobbins

page_text: thus divided into two rows, the advanced row of bobbins or cells is only one
half of the number of bobbins. This bending of the beam thread can be. very
readily admitted, because, although every beam thread has a brass between
itself and its neighbour, it is only every alternate pair of neighbouring beam
threads which have a bobbin and its cell between them; hence those inter-
mediate threads which have no bobbin between them are bent aside or
approached together so as to widen the spaces in which there are bobbins, but
the said threads so approached together have still a sufficient space between
them to, admit the thin part of the brass between them. The plan of six
brasses put together in Sheet I. fully shew that where one brass is thick.to
form the cell for the bobbin, the adjacent brass is made thin at that part to
occupy but little space; but it must be observed that the six brasses in that
Figure occupy three times the space they really do when put together in the
conducting bars, eighteen in every inch. When the first row of bobbins is
thus got through, the following row is drawn through by the same nieans; but
it is evident that the pairs of threads which will in this second instance be
pushed aside to widen the spaces and let a bobbin between will be the same
pairs which in the former instance were approached together, and had only a
brass between them. To complete the explanation of the twisting operation,
it now remains to shew how the fetcher bars are moved, and the fetchers
changed, see Sheet 3, 4 and 5, also how the shogging is produced, seo
Sheet 111., IV., and VI. The whole machinery is put in motion by the power
of a mill, steam engine, or water wheel. A circular motion is given to the
vertical axis: shewn in Sheet 11I.; upon this axis is a bevilled pinion giving
motion to a bevilled wheel of sixty-eight cogs, fixed upon the main axis,
which lays horizontally beneath the machine; the pinion is fitted upon a
circular part of the vertical axis, so that the motion of that axis does not turn
the pinion round unless by the action of the clutch. When this clutch 'box is
down, it causes the pinion to turn, and it then gives motion to the machine;
but if the clutch is raised up by depressing the end of the clutch handle,
then the vertical axis slips round within the pinion and gives no motion to the
machine; a hook is provided to hold down the end of the clutch handle when
the machine is required to stand still for any length of time.
The frame of the machine which sustains and supports its moving parts
consists of several pieces; the machine ends are two frames arising up from
the floor to form the ends of the machine, and are united together by four
carcase bars, two in front and two at back. The machine ends have each an
upright bar in the middle to support the ends of the main shaft, and there are
likewise two smaller carcase bars, one in back and another in front, on the

page_text: same level with the main shaft, to unite the machine ends, but these are
omitted in the Drawings; a strong stay is carried from the right hand machine
end to steady the vertical shaft just above the pinion. On the top of the
machine ends smaller standards 28 are screwed, and in fact form a continuation
of the machine ends, but are smaller; they are called the center standards,
because the center pins for the fetcher bars are fixed in them, as before
mentioned. To unite these center standards a bar is extended between them,
which is called the center bar; this cannot be seen except in the sections,
Sheet II., where it is marked 29; and the lace A lays against it and bends
over it in going up from the working center to the lace roller A; the pivots
of the lace roller are supported in small cocks screwed to the insides of the
center standards. On the upper end of the center standards two bars are
erected called the top standards, and they are united by a cross bar; the top
standards are for the purpose of supporting the lifting spindle bars, which are
the highest part of the machine, and as there are two of these spindles, the
one in front and another at back, a horizontal bar is fixed to each top standard
at the upper end, in form of the letter T, as is shewn in Sheet IV. At the
bottom part of the center standards 28 two sole bars 30 are screwed, to
support the ends of the conducting bars 17 and 18; the sole bars are made
like troughs, and project outwards from the center of the machine, and there-
fore either of the conducting bars can be slided outwards in the manner of a
drawer, so as to remove it from the beam threads, and expose them and the
separators to view in order to repair any derangement. When the conducting
bars are slided into their places, they drop down into slight recesses made in
the bottom of the troughs of the sole bars, so as to retain them in their
positions for working. The shell or frame of the machine is thus formed; and
in Sheet III. and IV. the parts thereof (being without motion) are shaded with
Indian ink, whilst the moving parts are coloured with different tints, to
distinguish the machinery of one movement from another.
The machinery for performing the operation of twisting, which we are about
to explain, is coloured yellow in Sheet III. and IV., and is shewn separately
in Sheet V. The first motion for these parts is obtained from the mesh
director, which is a wheel or star with six arms, is fixed on the middle of the
main shaft, its form is shewn in Sheet V.; the ends of these arms operate upon
a friction wheel fixed in the director lever 26, which moves on a center pin
supported by the lower carcase bar in front. 27 are links by which the director
lever is connected with the levers 25, which are fixed on a horizontal axis
situated at the back of the machine, and supported at the ends in bearings
screwed to the machine ends; at each end of this axis is a lever 24, called the

page_text: elbow bars, and to each of these two sinking links 23, 23, are jointed and
carried up to the front and back joint arms 22, 22, before described. A
counterweight is applied at each of the elbow bars to counterbalance the
weight of the levers and links, and to draw the parts always into the situation
of of Sheet V., in which situation the arms of the director do not operate on
the friction wheel. A treadle 27 is jointed to the director lever for the con-
venience of moving the brasses gently by the foot when the machine is not in a
state for working by the machinery. The action of the mesh director is evident;
it revolves in the direction of the arrow, Sheet V., and the points of the arms
describe the dotted circle; every one when it arrives at the friction wheel of
the director lever depresses the same, and by means of the links 27, the levers
25, the elbow bars 24, and the linking link 23, causes both the joint arms 22
and the fetcher bars 21, with their joints a, to descend, and this makes the
fetchers 19 and 20 mutually approach towards the beam threads, until that
fetcher which is engaged with the row of brasses has brought the brasses to
the central position Y; the point of the arm of the mesh director will have
then arrrived at the summit of the friction wheel of the director lever, and
whilst the point is passing over the summit of the wheel it will hold down the
director lever, and keep the fetchers and brasses as nearly as possible stationary,
until the other machinery has exchanged the fetchers and shogged the threads,
and then the point of the arm of the director, having passed over the summit
of the friction wheel, will allow the fetchers to return, both at the same time,
from the beam threads by the action of the counterweight, until the arm of
the director quits the friction wheel; the brasses are by that time drawn back
clear of the beam threads, as is represented in Sheet V.; the further motion
of the fetcher bars beyond this situation is limited by stop screws fixed in the
upper ends of pieces 32, which are screwed to the sole bars 30, as shewn by
the dotted lines in Sheet IV. Every time an arm of the director passes the
wheel of the director lever, it passes the brasses through between the beam
threads; but it will be observed that the six arms of the mesh director are not
arranged at equal distances from each other, but two of the spaces are nearly
twice as great as the others; these spaces are made in order that, after the
three arms have acted and passed the brasses three times between the beam
threads, the fetchers and brasses may stand quite still whilst the other opera-
tions of crossing and taking up are performed, and then the operation of
twisting or passing the bobbins three times is repeated by the other three arms,
and again a sufficient pause ensues for making the crosses; thus, every time
the main shaft turns round, the director passes the brasses between the beam
threads six times, and the machine works two half courses, which make one

page_text: row of meshes of the lace. Note.-The conducting bars are composed of
a number of iron plates, cast in lead to fix them in the bars, side by side, at
the rate of eighteen per inch, but with a space between each of the pieces
of plate, which spaces form the grooves that the brasses work in. A piece of
iron plate is screwed on the outside of each conducting bar to form a lodgment
for the brasses when they are drawn out to their fullest extent, as shewn in
Sheet II.
The machinery for changing the fetchers is shewn in Sheet V. A star, with
six arms exactly corresponding to the six arms of the director, is fixed upon the
the left-hand end of the main shaft, it is called the brass releaser; it has a
projecting pin in each arm l, m, n, o, p. q, by means of which it operates upon
two double levers 33 and 34, called the front and back releaser levers; these
levers are fitted upon center pins, which are fixed in the machine ends and
project therefrom, and each lever is double or composed of two levers, and the
releaser is situated between the two, as shewn in Sheet III. From the ends of
each of these four levers four iron wires 35, 35, 36, 36, are carried up to the
ends of small levers 37 and 38, called front and back lifters, which are move-
able upon center pins fixed to the center standard 28. The oppose or right hand
ends of these lifters are so situated that pieces of metal 39, Sheet V., which
are fastened to the lifters and project from the ends thereof, will come over
the ends of the lifters whenever the fetchers are approached towards the
central position, and the releaser lever 33 and 34 being then depressed by the
pins of the brass releaser, the lifter 38 will lift up one of the fetchers, while
the lifter 37 lets down the other fetcher. Three of the pins at the ends of
the arms of the brass releaser are made to project on the right-hand side," viz*,
those marked l, m, and n, Sheet V., and the other three pins o, p, q, project from
the left-hand side of the arms. The front and back releaser levers being double,
there is a pair of levers 33 and 34, shewn in Sheet V., which are on the left
of the releaser, and are therefore operated upon by the three pins o, p, and q.
There are also two other similar levers behind, 33 and 34, (and moveable on
the same centre pins,) which cannot be seen in Sheet V., but they are on the
right side of the releaser, and are actuated by the right pins l, m, n, see Sheet III:
The rod 35, 35, which ascends from the end of the releaser lever 33, and from
that releaser lever which is concealed behind the lever 33, are both joined to
the end of the front lever 38, as is shewn in Sheet III. In the same manner
the lever 34, and that lever which is concealed behind it, are both connected
by wires 36, 36, to the back lifter 37; now, by pressing down either the
lever 33 or that one which is concealed behind it, the same effect will be
produced, (viz, the elevation of the front lifter 38,) and the intention of

page_text: making a double lever for each lifter is, that the lifter may one time be
operated upon by one of the pins o, p, q, in the left of the releaser, and the
next time by one of the pins l, m, m, in the right of the releaser. The releaser
is so fixed on the main shaft with respect to the mesh director, that the left
pins o, p, 1, will actuate the lifters when the brasses are to be carried through
from the back to the front conducting bar, and the right pins l, m, n, will operate
when the brasses are to be carried from the front to the back. The pieces of
metal 39, Sheet V., which are fixed to each fetcher, and beneath which the
lifters operate, are of such length that the lifters can be made to operate
upon the fetchers some time before the fetchers arrive at the situation for
changing.
Action of the brass releasers.-Suppose brasses all in the front conducting
bar, and that the mesh director, by means of the front fetcher 19, is moving
the brasses forwards between the beam threads, the back fetcher 20 will be
approaching the beam threads also, as before described. When the back
fetcher 20 has advanced so far that the piece 39, which is fixed to it, will
come over the back lifter 37, the pin o presses down the lever 34, and by the
wire 36 and the back lifter 37 raises up the back fetcher 20, in the manner
represented in Figure Y, Sheet II., and by the time that the brasses are
brought quite to the central position ready for exchanging, the sharp angle r
of the lever 34 drops from the pin o, and thus lets fall the back lifter 37 and
the back fetcher into the back notches of the brasses. The instant this has
taken place, the same pin takes the inclined parts of the lever 33, and this by
the wire 35, and front lifter 38, lifts the front fetcher 19 out of the notches of
the brasses. The fetchers are now exchanged, and when they resume their
motion the back fetcher will draw the brasses into the back conducting bars.
The next time when the brasses are to be passed between the beam threads
from the back conducting bar, and are to be taken into the front, the action of
exchanging the fetchers will be performed by the pin m on the right of the
releaser, which pin operates upon those levers behind 33 and 34, which
cannot be seen in Sheet V. Thus, as soon as the fetchers are approached near
to the central position, the pin m takes the piece which is behind 34, (but
which is fixed to the right front lever which is behind 33, and is theref re
connected by the wire 35 to the front lifter 38,) and draws the wire 35 of the
front lifter 38, and lifts up the front fetcher, ready to drop into the brasses when
they come under the said lifter. The brasses continue to come forward until
they arrive at the central position, and then the part corresponding with r
drops from the pin m, and releases the front lifter 38, so as to let fall the front
fetcher 19 into the notches of the brasses. Immediately after this, the pin m

page_text: takes the parts of the piece behind 33, (but which is fixed to the lever behind
34, and is therefore connected by the wire 36 to the back lifter 37,) and by the
wire 36 of the back lifter lifts the back fetcher out of the notches of the
brasses. The fetchers are now exchanged a second time, and the brasses are
ready to be drawn through into the front conducting bars. The succeeding
time, when the brasses are to be carried again from the front to the back, the
exhange of the fetchers will be made by one the pins on the left of the
releaser, and so on.
Machinery for shogging the points and thread guides at the same time, see
Sheet VI., & the parts coloured brown in Sheets III. and IV.-These parts
are actuated by the mesh regulator, which is a star with six arms fixed on the
main shaft, near to the right-hand machine end; each of the arms has a screw
fixed in it parallel to the shaft, and the heads of these screws act sideways
against the heads of two similar screws which are fixed in the branches of a
forked lever, called the regulator lever. This lever is mounted on a center pin
fixed to the inside of the front carcase bar of the frame, and the upper end of
the lever is connected with the cradle which carries the thread guides, and
which also governs the points. Therefore, as the meshes regulator turns round,
the screws of its arms act in succession against the screws within the fork of the
regulating lever, to force the lever sideways, and the upper end of the lever
gives an opposite motion to the cradle. Thus, if one of the arms act against
the screw in the left branch of the fork, it forces the cradle to the right, then
the next succeeding arm will act against the screw in the right branch of the
fork, and carry the cradle to the left, and so on.
The cradle 40, 41, 42, and 44, coloured brown in the Sheet III. and IV., is
a frame consisting of two parallel bars 40, which are united at the ends; the
cradle is supported by two pins 41 at each end, which enter into bearings in
the machine ends, so that the cradle can be slided or shogged endways on
these pins when the regulator lever acts upon it. The cradle has four arms
42 screwed to it, which hang down, and at the lower ends have center screws
44 to support the thread guide frames 43, by the screws entering holes in the
lower parts of the frames. These frames have pivot holes at the upper parts
to receive the pivots 45, at the ends of the thread guide bars upon which the
rows of thread guides leads 6 and 7 are screwed. The thread guide bars are
thus supported on their own pivots 45, and these are supported on the center
44 of the thread guide frame, which centers are a part of the cradle; hence
the two rows of thread guides 6 and 7 will be moved endways, or shogged
both together by the motion given to the cradle. In order to make the points
4 and 5 shog at the same time with the guides, two perpendicular stems 46,

page_text: called the point conductors, are erected upon the cradle, one at each end; they
stand up in the center of the machine in a line with the beam threads, and
high enough to reach up to the points 4 and 5 (see Sheet III). The points are
so suspended that they can be drawn out clear from the beam threads and
lowered down, as shewn in Figure Z, Sheet II., to take up the crossing, as
will be fully explained when we come to that part. But it should here
be observed that each of the point bars has a projecting piece which is
made to bear against the upright edge of one of the point conductors by a
spring, shewn in Sheet X, by which means the point conductor completely
governs the shogging motion of the row of points, (that is, the motion in a
direction from right to left,) although the conductor makes no impediment to
the other motions of the points. Also, when the points descend, the edge of
the conductor serves as a ruler to guide the motion in a perpendicular line,
without any deviation therefrom to right or left. The point conductor at
the right-hand end of the cradle is the guide for the front points 4, and the
left-hand point conductor is to guide the back points 5. It has been before
mentioned that the row of beam threads are extended in a perpendicular
direction from the points down to the thread guides, hence the shogging
motion given to the cradle will shog all the threads, as herein-before described,
and the motion is regulated by means of the screws in the fork of the regulator
lever, so as to be equal to one-eighteenth part of an inch. The six arms of
the mesh regulator are made correspondent with the six arms of the mesh
director and releaser, because they are to produce their action at the same
time that the mesh director and releaser operate. Three of its arms have the
screws projecting on the right, and the other three project on the left side, the
same as before explained of the brass releaser.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MACHINERY FOR CROSSING EACH BEAM THREAD OVER ITS
ADJACENT BEAM THREAD, TO GIVE THEM THE DIAGONAL DIRECTION, AND
UNITE THE TWISTS OR PILLARS OF THE MESHES, WHICH PILLARS ARE
PRODUCED BY THE FOREGOING MACHINERY.
Before the crossing can be performed, the beam threads must be separated
by the separators, into two rows, one of which rows will be nearer to the front
of the machine than the other. The crossing is then effected by the front and
back thread guides, which shog one of the said separated rows, with respect to
the other row.
Machinery which moves the separators, see Sheet VII. and the parts coloured
light red in Sheet III. and IV.-The separator leads 15 and 16 are screwed side
by side in rows upon the separator bars; these bars are supported at their ends

page_text: on the points of center screws 55, in the upper parts of the separator frames
53, and the separator frames are supported on other centers or pivots 54,
which are fixed to the upper carcase bars. By this means of supporting the
separator bars, they are capable of moving, backwards. and, forwards, but the
rows of separators always preserve a parallelism to the row of beam threads:
The separators are not capable of any other motion. To prevent the points of
the separators from falling down on their centers 55, a small .arm is fixed to
cach separator bar, and projects from the ends thereof towards the beam
threads; and through the ends of these projecting arms regulating screws are
fitted, the point of which bear upon the solid part of the cradle, and keep up
the points of the separators to the proper height. (These regulating screws are
not shewn in any of the Drawings, but the similar parts which belong to the
thread guide bars are fully shewn in Sheet VI.) The back and front separator
frames are connected together by the connecting joints 57, which are two links,
one proceeding from the front separating frame and jointed to the upper end of
a lever 56; the other link proceeds for the back separator frame, and is jointed
to the lower end of the lever 56. In consequence of this mode of connection,
the two rows of separators 15 and 16 will always mutually advance to and
recede from the beam threads in an equal degree. The motion of the
separator is derived from the crossing director, which is. fixed on the main
shaft, and has two arms, and with a pin projecting from each arm; when it
turns round, these pins act in succession upon the separating lever, which, by a
link, is connected with a lever 58, screwed to the back separating frame;
when the pin of the crossing director takes the separator lever, it causes both
separators to approach the beam threads, and then the back separators 16
will take one-half of the number of beam threads, viz, those which belong
to the front beam 2, (see Figure Z, Sheet II.,) and push them forwards
between the teeth of the front guides; at the same time the front separators 16
approach the beam threads also, and take the other half of the threads, viz,
those which belong to the back beams 3, and push them backwards out of the
front thread guide 6 into the back guide 7. The separation is now effected,
and the threads are prepared for crossing. (Note.-The distance to which the
separators will remove the two rows of beam threads is regulated and limited
by two stop screws, the points of which stop against the cradle bars). Also the
distance to which the separators will recede from each other is limited by stop
screws at the lower ends of the pieces 32, Sheet III. and IV., before described;
a counterweight may be applied, as shewn in Sheet VII., to make the separators
recede, when the pin of the crossing director has passed the director lever.
Machinery which shogs the front guides to produce the crossing of the beam

page_text: threads, see Sheet VIII., and the parts coloured orange in Sheets III. and
IV. The thread guides, back and front, are supported in the thread guide
frames 43 in a similar manner to the separators, and the centers 44 are part of
the cradle, as before mentioned. By the motion of the frames 48 upon their
center 44, the guides can be moved backwards or forwards, as will be herein-
after described. The guides have likewise a power of shogging independantly
of the shogging motion of the cradle or of the guide frames; for this purpose
the pivots 45, at the ends of the thread guide bars, are fitted into the pivot
holes at the top of the frames, so as to allow the thread guide bars a liberty
of shogging a quantity equal to two spaces of one-eighteenth each, and this
is limited by stop screws tapped into the ends of the pivot holes, so that the
points of the screws stop the ends of the pivots; a spring 60 is applied to
draw the thread guides always to the left, except when they are shogged to the
right by the crossing director. To effect this shogging, a lever, called the
diagonal leader, is placed by the side of the separator lever, and upon the
same center pin; it has a wire 61, ascending from it to a bent lever 62, which
is connected with the front thread guide bar. Both the separator lever
and the diagonal leader have pieces of plate screwed against them, and on
these the pins of the crossing director operate; but by examining either
Sheet VII. or VIII., it will be seen that the pin first comes in contact with
the separator lever, and by depressing it effects the separation, and gives
one-half of the beam threads to the front guides, and the other half to the
back as before described. This being done, the pin in the crossing director
next comes in contact with the diagonal leader, and shogs the front thread
guides to the right 2 spaces; this carrics that half of the beam threads which
are, by the separation, thrown into the front guides (and which belong to the
front beams) 2 spaces to the right, whilst the other half of the beam threads,
which by the operation are thrown into the back guides (and which belong to
the back beams), remain stationary. Each of the beam threads in the front
guides is now crossed over the others in the back guides. The separators
having now effected their office, return from the beam threads in consequence
of the pin of the crossing director passing off from the separator lever, and
allowing it to rise up; when the separators retire, all the beam threads return
again into one row, and fall into the front thread guides; but those threads
belonging to the back beams fall into the same space of the front guides that
they occupied before, whilst each of those threads belonging to the front beams
is crossed to the right over its neighbouring thread. The intention of shogging
of the front guides is now finished, and they return back to the left 2 spaces,
by the pin of the mesh director quitting the diagonal leader.

page_text: Machinery for taking up the twists and crosses formed by the preceding
machinery, so as to draw them close and form the meshes, also to retain and
preserve the figure of the meshes whilst succeeding meshes are formed; see
Sheet IX. and X.; also the parts coloured blue and purple in Sheet III. and IV.
-The front points 4 are similar to the back points 5, and we shall therefore
describe only the front points. The leads of points are screwed to the point bar
to form a row of points. The point bar is suspended in a frame composed of the
carrying bar, and the standards 63 screwed to it at each end; these standards
support the head centers; against the inside of each standard a small horizontal
ruler is fixed, and a socket 64 is fastened to the point bar at each end, which
sockets fit upon these rulers and suspend the point bar, but at the same time
allow the point bar to draw out horizontally from the meshes of the lace by the
socket 64 sliding upon the rulers, and there is a stop screw in each socket 64
which meets the end of the ruler, to regulate the distance to which the points
shall penetrate into the lace. In order to draw the points out from the work
or to return them in again, the spindle bar is extended between the two
standards 63, and supported by the head center. The spindle bar has three
short levers 65, fixed into it, and from the ends of these small links are carried
to the point bar, so that they will draw out the point bar from the lace equally
at each end or return it. The requisite motions to be given to the points are,
first, to draw out the points horizontally from the work or meshes of the lace;
secondly, to lower down the points perpendicularly to the position of Figure Z,
Sheet II.; thirdly, to push the points in horizontally between the beam threads
beneath the crosses; fourthly, to raise up the points perpendicularly and take
up the work. The movement for drawing out the points horizontally is pro-
duced by the horizontal leader, see Sheet IX. and the parts coloured blue in
Sheet III. and IV. It is fixed on the main shaft near to the bevelled wheel,
and has two arms with pins t, v, which operate on the two horizontal levers 66
and 67. One of these pins t projects from the horizontal leader on the left
side, and the other pin v projects on the right side, and as the horizontal
leader is situated between the two horizontal levers, the pins t and v will
operate alternately upon the two levers; from each of the two levers a wire is
carried up and jointed to the opposite ends of a lever 69, which is fixed on the
extremity of the major spindle. On the opposite end of the major spindle is
fixed a lever 70, 71, which is situated exactly over two curved levers 72, that
are fixed on the upper side of the spindle bars, one of them on the back
spindle bar, and the other on the front spindle bar. The lever 70, 71, has a
screw in each end, and is placed in such a position that when both the back
and front points are put in the work, as is shewn in the section, Sheet IV., if the

page_text: pin v of the horizontal leader presses down the horizontal lever 67, it will
incline the lever 69 of the major spindle so as to depress the end 70 of the
lever, and the screw thereof will press against the curved lever 72 so as to
draw back the front points out of the meshes of the lace, or when the main
shaft has turned half round, the pin t of the horizontal leader will depress
the horizontal lever 66, and incline the lever 69 in the opposite direction, so as
to draw out the back points by the end 71 of the lever. When the points aro
thus drawn out from the lace, they are lowered down, as shewn in Figure Z,
Sheet II., and are again introduced between the beam threads beneath the
crosses produced by the action of the thread guides. The descending motion
of the points is produced by the perpendicular leader which is fixed on the
main shaft near the left-hand end thereof, see Sheet X., and the parts coloured
purple in Sheet III. and IV. The perpendicular leader has two arms V, W,
situate in different planes, and therefore each arm operates upon the friction
wheel of a different point lever, R and S. That point lever R which is farthest
to the left belongs to the arm W, and gives the perpendicular motion to the front
points, and the other lever S, which is actuated by the arm V, belongs to the
back points. From each of the points levers R and S, a link is carried up to
the levers P, Q, and T, which are fitted upon a center pin supported in the
frame. From these levers two long links proceed upwards through the center
of the machine, and are screwed fast to the carrying bars back and front;
that link which is for the front points is marked 73, and the other is shown
broken off. The weight of the carrying bar and points is sustained by the
lifting weights; these are hung to the levers of the lifting spindle bars, as
shown in Sheet IV.; from the opposite side of the same lifting spindle bars
shorter levers procced, and have links 74 descending from them to the lifting
spindles, which are made fast to the carrying bar. The lifting spindles are
guided by passing through bosses screwed to the top part of the center standards,
in order keep the carrying bar steady in rising and falling. There are also
two other guides, which are called the taking-up standards; they are fixed to
the frame, and the carrying bars have pieces projecting backwards to embrace
the taking-up standards, which therefore serve as rulers to guide the carrying
bar in its perpendicular motion. Likewise the point bars are guided in their
ascent and descent by the point conductors 46, which form part of the cradle,
as before explained. The points are made to enter between the threads when
they have descended as low as they can (as is shown in Figure Z, Sheet II.);
for this purpose a small lever 78 is fixed on the spindle bar, and projects
inwards. To the end of this lever a small rod 79 is jointed, which, at the
upper end, slides freely through a socket fixed to the cross bar of the frame.

page_text: On the top of the rod 79 is a nut, which nut comes to bear on the socket
a little before the carrying bar, spindle bar, and points have descended to
their lowest situation. The effect of detaining the rod 79 whilst the spindle
bar still continues to descend, is that the points are pushed in between
the beam threads so as to enter beneath the crossings. By the machinery
of the perpendicular leader, each time the main shaft turns round the
arm V takes the friction wheel S of the point lever, and by the double
lever P, Q, draws down the back carrying bar, and the points enter between
the threads. When the arm has passed the summit of the friction wheel, the
lifting weights and lifting spindle draw it up again. At the next half turn of
of the main shaft, the arm W takes the wheel R, and draws down the front
carrying bar and points; the points then enter between the threads, and the
lifting weights raise them up again.
The shogging motion of the back guides, see Sheet VIII.-This is an
action which does not produce any effect upon the lace, but is a necessary
preparation to enable the thread guides to repeat their operation of crossing;
because, in crossing, the threads belonging to the front beams have advanced
two spaces to the right by the shog of the front guides, whilst the threads
of the back beams did not advance at all, but then the subsequent return
of the front guides carried all the beam threads to the left two spaces;
the threads of both beams must, therefore, be carried back one space to
the right. It is for this purpose that the thread guides are capable of
being moved backwards and forwards both together by the motion of thread
guide frames 43 upon their centers 44, so that the whole row of beam threads
can be transferred from the front guides to the back guides, whereas in the
operations heretofore described the beam threads have been considered as being
always held in the front guides, except in the act of crossing, when one-half
of the threads is in the front guides, and the other half in the back. As both
back and front guides are intended to move in the same direction, (and not in
opposite directions, like the separator,) the two frames are united by a link 47,
and the points of the back and front guides are regulated to lay over each
other, so that the beam threads shall be certainly entered between the teeth of
one guide before they quit the teeth of the other guide; the proper motion
of the guide frames is limitted by stop screws. The thread guide frames are
brought forwards by the retort, which is fixed upon the main shaft, and has
two arms to act in succession upon the retort lever, see Sheet VI. This lever
communicates by a link 80 with a lever 80, which is supported by the back
carcase bar, and is connected with the back thread guide frame 43. The
action of the retort upon the retort lever causes both the guide frames 43, 43,

page_text: to come forwards together, so that the front guides 6 will quit the beam threads
and the back guides 7 will take the threads. In thus coming forward the back
guides shog by means of the tumbler which is at the back of the machine, see
Sheet VIII. The back thread guide bar is mounted on pivots 45, just the
same as the front, so as to be capable of shogging. The tumbler is fitted in a
frame which is screwed to the back bar 40 of the cradle; it has a small hook
or projecting part 81, and against this a stop 82 (which is screwed to the back
thread guide bar) acts with an inclined edge, so as to shog the back guide
frame to the left. Thus, suppose the thread guides back, as in the plan, the
back thread guide bar is drawn by a spring as far to the right as it can go;
now, if the guide bars are moved forwards by the retort, the stop 82 advances
against the inclined edge of the tumbler 81, and shogs the thread guide frame
one space to the left, as is shewn by the dotted lines; but this shog is performed
before the back guides take the beam threads. In this state (shogged to the
left) the back thread guides advance and take the threads, and as soon as the
threads are completely received between the teeth of the back guides, the stop
82 has advanced so far that it drops off from the part 81 of the tumbler, and
thus the back guides return to the right one-eighteenth, carrying all the beam
threads with them. The desired effect of the operation of crossing is now
produced, viz, that the threads of the front beams have been carried one space
to the right, and the threads of the back beams have been carried one space to
the left. When the thread guides return back again, in order to restore the
threads to the front guides, the stop 82 acts with its back edge against the
front edge of the tumbler 81, and these two edges being made inclined, the
stop 82 lifts up the tumbler 81 upon its center of motion 83, so that the
tumbler does not produce any shogging motion in the return of the guides;
when the back guides are gone fully back, the tumbler falls down before the
stop, ready to act next time. The turn-again motion is the means by which
cach diagonal thread is returned into the piece of lace every time that it
arrives at the extreme longitudinal thread, and this produces the selvage.
If the whole row of threads which belong to the front beams continually
advanced to the right, and the whole row of threads belonging to the back
beams continually advanced to the left, it is plain that the threads would spread
from the center till they reached the limits of the machine, and the operation
could then proceed no farther. To prevent this, as soon as any one thread
belonging to the front row of beams arrives at the right-hand edge of the piece
of lace (by the gradual working of the front beams to the right), it must be trans-
ferred from the front row of beams to the back row, and then it will be gradually
returned towards the left by the traversing motion of the back beams, and when

page_text: by the traversing motion to the left, the same thread has reached the left-hand
border of the piece of lace, it must be transferred into the front row of beams,
in order to carry it back to the right. The same may be said of every one of
the threads, and so they keep a constant circulation. The turn again or transfer
of the end thread from one row into the other is produced by bending out a
tooth in the row of front thread guides at each of the limits of the width of
the piece of lace, so that there will not be any greater number of teeth in a
connected row than there are diagonal threads in the piece of lace which is to
be made. By this means, when the threads have arrived at the selvage, they
will not meet with any teeth in the thread guides to carry them farther; hence
such threads will continue stationary with respect to the crossing shog, and
then the next time the separation is made, they will be operated upon by a
different separator, viz, if they were before moved by a front separator, they
will afterwards be moved by a back separator, so that if they are one time
arranged with the threads of the back row of beams, they will be arranged with
the threads of the front row of beams the next time. If each beam thread had
a separate beam or bobbin hanging freely down from it, such beam would evi-
dently travel or circulate round a fixed ruler without any other action than that
action upon the threads which has been before explained; and it is equally true,
though less evident, that the same effect will take place when several threads
are accumulated upon each beam, and brought the separating plates 8 and 9,
provided that the frames containing the said beams are left freely at liberty to
turn round upon their own axis during the time that the threads contained on
each beam are performing the turn again at the edges of the piece of lace, see
Figure T, Sheet II. The manner in which this is accomplished is by a ruler
fixed in the center of the machine to keep the front and back rows of beams
quite separate from each other, and the length of this ruler being nearly equal
to the breadth of the piece of lace, it no longer forms a separation when the
beams arrive at the edges of the selvage. There is also an iron plate with an
oblong groove or channel formed in it, as shewn in Figure T, and each beam
has a round pin or stem formed on the lower end of it, which stem is adapted
to the groove, and the beams circulate round the ruler in this groove when any
one beam arrives at the end, and its threads perform the turn again; such
beam will not proceed in the channel, but will turn round upon its own axis,
whilst its threads one by one perform the turn; but when all its threads have
returned into the back or front row, and then the beam will proceed straight
forwards in the groove by the side of the ruler until it again arrives at the
opposite end of the same. The manner in which the threads are applied on the
beams and carried through the separating plates is clearly shown in the Draw..

page_text: ings, but a different plan of applying the threads in the beams is shewn in Sheet
VIII, which is a crescent L, M, formed of brass plate, and screwed to the
side of the beam frame 10, so that the crescent will stand over the separating
plate; the threads from the beam are carried up through the separating plate,
and then through holes in the crescent, the use of which is to spread the
threads in a greater degree than they are spread by the separating plate 9
alone, and in consequence the threads proceed up to the thread guides with a
smaller degree of divergence. When the machine is to be employed to make
several narrow breadths of lace, instead of one wide piece, the number of
threads which is required for the diagonal threads of one of the intended
breadths is wound upon one beam, and as many such beans as there are
different breadths of lace to be made are put into the machine, but such
beams will have no circulating motion; each one will revolve upon its own
axis. The central ruler is therefore removed, and pieces of plate are fixed to
the carcase bars, with a hole in each to receive the stems at the lower ends of
the beam frames, and in these holes they can turn round freely. The row of
front guides must have as many teeth removed as the number of selvages the
machine is required to make, because, as before mentioned, there must be a
vacancy left in order to produce the turn again and form the selvage. The
threads in that case are carried up from the beam, and through the separating
plate to the thread guides, but the adjacent thread in the spaces thereof will
be alternately obtained from a hole in the front side of the separating plate,
and from a hole in the back thereof.
Note. In describing the construction of the brasses 11, Sheet I., it was
omitted to be mentioned that the brasses which are alternately reversed to put
them together in a row, are also made reversed to one another, so that when
they are put together in a row, all the bobbins of both rows of bobbins will
face the same side, as is shewn in Figures X, Y, Z; hence the two Figures in
Sheet I. are a right and left view of the same brass, but the appearance of one
of the other or reversed brasses will be obtained by holding the Drawing up to
the light, and viewing it from the back of the skin.
Having now described all the parts of the machine, we shall proceed to
recapitulate the most important particulars, and also to shew the order in
which the different movements succeed each other, so as to enable a competent
mechanic to regulate the machine and put it in order for working. The points
are eighteen per inch, and the back and front points are interspaced, so as to
make thirty-six per inch. The points shog one-eighteenth at the same time
with the guides. The points have also the motion of drawing out horizontally,
descending perpendicularly, entering in horizontally, and taking up perpeu-

page_text: dicularly. The guides are eighteen per inch back, and eighteen per inch front, but
the two are not interspaced. The guides have three different kinds of shogging.
First, the shog for producing the twist of the bobbin threads round the
beam threads; in this the back and front guides both shog together one space,
and the points shog at the same time. Note. This shog takes place at the
moment of exchanging fetchers, and all the while the twisting is going on, the
beam threads are held between the front thread guides, and the back guides
are out of action.
Secondly, the shog for crossing is by the front guides shogging two-
eighteenths to the right independantly of the back guides or points. Note.-
This shog is performed whilst the threads are separated.
The third shog is of the back guides alone, and has no action on the lace,
but prepares the guides to repeat the crossing; for this, both back and front
guides can move backwards and forwards, and they both move together, so as
to bring the beam threads either into the back or front guides; the shog is
produced when the guides move forwards.
Note. The row of front guides has a tooth taken out or bent at the termi-
nation of each breadth of lace to produce the turn again. The beam threads
are extended parallel to each other from the points to the thread guides, at
eighteen per inch, and every alternate beam thread is carried to a back beam
and a front beam. The beams each contain about eighteen threads, which
will ultimately become the diagonal threads."
Note. As fast as the threads assume the diagonal direction by the crossing,
the front beams travel round the ruler to the right, and the back beams travel
to the left. The bobbins are 18 per inch, and contain those threads which will
be the longitudinal threads of the lace. The motion of the bobbin is in the
arc of a circle, to pass between the beam threads from the front to the back,
and vice versa. When the bobbins are coming through from the back to the
front, the points and guides shog, and carry the threads one-eighteenth to the
right. When the bobbins are going from the front to the back, the threads
are shogged to the left. In either case the shog takes place at the moment of
exchanging the fetchers. The separators are 9 per inch back and front, and
are interspaced to make 18 spaces per inch, one for each beam thread. The
separators never shog, but their motions are to advance mutually towards the
beam threads; the back and front separators take the beam threads alter-
nately; thus the front separators take that half of the threads which go down to
the beams at the back, and the back separators take those threads which go
down to the front beams. The main axis, from the rotation of which all the
motions are obtained, revolves two and a half times per minute, and at

page_text: each revolution works two courses. The bevilled wheel on the end of the
axis has 68 cogs, and it is counting the number of these cogs which pass
during the different movements of the machine, that the maker may regu-
late the positions of the several arms on the main shaft, so as to produce the
required effect. The 68 cogs of the bevilled wheel are to be regularly num-
bered from 0 to 68, and some index must be fixed up to count them by as the
wheel turns round.
State of the machine at the commencement.-A front close has been just
taken up by the front points and finished; the points are both up and in the
meshes of the work; they are shogged to left. The bobbins are all in the
back conducting bar. The thread guides are both shogged to the left; all
the beam threads are held between the teeth of the front guides, the back
guides being out of action. The separators are withdrawn from the threads,
and out of action.
First operation of twisting each bobbin thread around its adjacent beam.
thread, to form the pillars of the meshes.-This is performed by the parts
coloured yellow and brown. Teeth of the wheel; o, the bobbins begin to
come forwards; 3, the bobbins arrivo at the center and the thread shog to
right; 5, the back fetcher is lifted up and the front one falls; 9, the bobbins
arrive all in front and begin to return; 12, the bobbins arrive at the center
and the threads shog to the left; 14, the front fetcher is lifted and the back
one falls; 18, the bobbins arrive behind and begin to go back; 21, the bobbins
arrive at the center and the threads shog to the right; 23, the back fetcher is
lifted and the front falls; 27, the bobbins come all in front and remain there.
The back points draw out from the meshes already made and begin to descend,
but this is only preparatory to the third operation. Second operation of cross-
ing each beam thread over its adjacent beam thread, to give them a diagonal
direction, and unite the pillars formed by the first operation. Note.-The
crossing is performed by the parts coloured red and orange.
29, the separators approach the beam threads, both back and front, at the
same time. The front separators take that half of the beam threads which go
down to the back row of beams, and push them backwards out of the front
guides into the back guides. The back separators take the other half of the
beam threads which go down to the front row of beams, and push them
forwards further into the front guides; the beam threads are thus divided into
two setts, one belonging to the front beams and the other to the back beams..
30, the front guides shog to the right two spaces, and carry that half of the
threads which belong to the front beam to the right two spaces, so as to cross
them over the other half which belong to the back beams, and which remain.

page_text: stationary in the back guides. 31, the separators return, and all the threads
fall again into the spaces of the front guides, but in their crossed state. The
instant the separators have gone back, the front threads shog back again their
two spaces. Third operation of closing or taking up the meshes with the
points this operation draws tight the twists or pillars formed in the first ope-
ration, and the crossings formed in the second operation, so as to give them
the form of the meshes; the points will also keep the meshes extended, whilst a
succeeding row of meshes are formed by a repetition of the above operations.
Note. This is called a back 'close, because it is formed by the back points,
which were drawn out of the work at 27, and began then to descend.
31, the back points having descended fully down, they enter between the
beam threads beneath the crosses formed by the second operation. 32, the
points having now secured the crossing, two thread guides come forwards, in
advancing the back guide shog one-eighteenth to the left, but this is before the
back guides touch the threads; and when they have so shogged, the back guides
advance still farther forwards and take the threads, at the same time the front
guides coming forward leave the threads, so that they will be all taken into the
back guides. When this is the case, the back guides return one-eighteenth to
the right, and carry all the beam threads with them; both guides then return
backwards, which makes the back guides leave the threads and the front
guides take them.
Note. All the parts will now be in the same situation that they were
before the crossing began; but all those beam threads which belong to the
front beams are removed one space to the right of the spaces they before
occupied, and all those beam threads which belong to the back row of beams
are moved one space to the left of the spaces they before occupied.
34, the back points will have got fully up, and have finished the first course.
Twisting for the second course.-34, the bobbins begin to go back; 37, the
bobbins arrive at the center, and the threads shog to the left; 39, the front
fetcher is lifted and the back one falls; 43, the bobbins all arrive at the
back; 46, the bobbins arrive at the center and the threads shog to the right;
48, the back fetcher is lifted and the front one falls; 52, the bobbins are all
in front and begin to return; 55, the bobbins arrive at the centre and the
threads shog to the left; 57, the front fetcher is lifted and the back one falls;
61, the bobbins arrive at the back and stay there; the front points draw out of
the work.
Crossing for the second course.-63, the separators approach, and give one
half of the beam threads to the back guides, and the other half to the front
guides; 64, the front guides shog two spaces to the right, and cross the

page_text: threads so separated; 65, the separators return and restore all the threads to
the front guides in their crossed state. The front points enter between the
threads beneath the crossings. 66, the thread guides come forwards to transfer
all the threads from the front to the back guides, then the back guides carry
them one space to the right; 68, the back points get fully up, and carry up the
work so as to compleat the second course. The main shaft has now made a
complete revolution, and has made a row of meshes. The parts are again in
the first-mentioned situation, and as the main shaft continues to turn round
regularly, it works succeeding courses.
SECOND PART. We have now described our machinery, and, for the sake
of explanation, we have also described a machine comprising parts of certain
machines before invented and in use for the making and manufacturing of lace
net, called bobbin or Buckinghamshire lace net. The said description explains
our said machinery when incorporated with, added to, and used with the said
parts already invented, in such manner that the said lace net may be made
with greater facility and less manual labour than by any machinery or method
now use or known. And we have in the aforesaid description endeavoured to
render the explanation sufficiently clear to enable all persons, competent to the
construction of complicated and intricate machines, to make and practice our
said Invention, at the expiration of the term of our Patent, in every respect
with the same advantage as we do at this time make and practice the same;
but we wish to be understood that we make no claim to such parts already
invented. And to the end that all persons who read this Specification may bo
fully informed of the particular machinery which is of our Invention, and
which they are, by His Majesty's said Letters Patent, forbidden to use or
practice during the term thereof, as before recited, we do hereby declare that
our new invented machinery forms the following parts of the complete machine
herein-before described.
First, our brasses, which have been herein-before described, are different
from any machinery heretofore used, inasmuch as our brasses are made with
a bobbin in each near to one end, so that the brasses being put together side
by side, in a row, with the ends alternately reversed, the bobbins will be sepa-
rated into two rows, one of which rows will be before the other, and the
shogging motion is performed whilst the brasses are in the act of passing
between the beam threads. The properties of this machinery are that one
row of bobbins will be passed and drawn through between the beam threads,
and then that the shog will be performed before the other row of bobbins
enter between the said threads. The advantages of these properties are that
the bobbins will pass with facility, because they bend or push aside very.

page_text: slightly the beam threads whilst passing between them. On this head of our
Invention it is necessary to distinguish our brasses from the brasses invented
by Mr John Brown, which brasses are alternately reversed, or rather inverted,
so as to form two rows of bobbins, one above the other; but as both those
rows of bobbius must pass between the threads at the same moment, they bend
or push aside the beam threads in a much greater degree than our new brasses,
in which the two rows of bobbins are passed successively, and the shogging
takes place in the interval between the two passings. Also, our brasses are
different from those invented by Mr John Heathcoat, in which the bobbins
are also passed in two rows successively, and a species of shogging also takes
place between the two passings; but then the two rows of bobbins are con-
tained in two distinct rows of brasses, which make it necessary to have two
distinct apparatus of fetchers or shifting bars, in order to move each row of
brasses successively; whereas, in our present Invention, the brasses are all in
one row, and move altogether by one apparatus, but the bobbins are in two
rows, one of which rows is passed before the other.
Secondly, the beams in our new machinery are so incorporated with and
used with the other parts of our new machinery as to produce the turn again
or return of each of the diagonal threads, when each such thread arrives at
the selvage of the breadth of the piece of lace, with more facility than is
acquired by the present use of beams, thereby producing an effect of great
importance to the manufacturer when width of the lace is an object; and this
operation is performed thus:-The number of threads which are required to
traverse the piece of lace diagonally are wound or stored, in our Invention,
upon several distinct beams, which are caused to circulate round a fixed ruler,
in the manner herein-before described, and which is very different from the
former applications of turning beams or spools invented by Mr John Brown,
in which the whole number of threads which are intended to traverse the piece
of lace diagonally are wound or stored upon a single beam, which is made to
revolve upon a fixed centre of motion, near the middle of its length, a method
which answers very well for making narrow breadths of lace; and when we
use our new machinery for making narrow breadths, for instance, breadths of
less than nine inches broad, we adopt the said method of the beam revolving
on a fixed centre of motion, and then we make no claim to originality; but
when the piece is of such breadth as to require a beam of inconvenient length,
we distribute those threads which subsequently form the diagonal threads of
the piece of lace upon as many separate beams as is requisite, and make all.
those beams travel or circulate round a fixed ruler with a turn-again motion,
in the manner herein-before described.

page_text: Thirdly, the points for taking up the work or closing the meshes in our new
machinery are like the points in the machines already in use; but our machinery,
which supports and gives motion to these points, is new in construction, and
this new construction gives it the properties of lowering down and raising up
the point bar, so that the pins or points always preserve an horizontal position.
In former machines the points incline from the horizontal position as they
are let down, and when they are introduced between the threads to take up
the crossings, they enter obliquely, or in an inclined position, between such
threads, whereas, in our new machinery (by means of a carrying bar and its
standards, which support the spindle bar), all those parts are made to descend
perpendicularly, and the points, when they enter between the threads, are
in a direction at right angles thereto, and carry up the crossings and twist in a
more even and regular manner. And be it observed that it is by means of the
aforesaid pieces of our new machinery, and by incorporating them with, and
adding them to, and using them with the necessary and requisite parts of
machines already invented and in use (in the manner herein-before described),
that we are enabled to make bobbin lace net with greater facility, because our
said new machinery will perform the requisite operations with greater certainty,
and be less liable to deviation or error, than any machinery or methods now
in use or known; hence, our said new machinery, being thus incorporated with
the parts of machines already in use, will render them capable of being worked
by water or steam, and thereby require less manual labour.
Lastly, our machinery which gives by the rotary motion of one single axle
the requisite movements to those parts of the machine herein-before described,
which operate upon the threads, is new in its combination and movements, and
being incorporated with, added to, and used with those parts of the lace machine
which operate upon the threads, produce effects which such parts never did
before produce.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Lacy and John Lindley, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-ninth day of March,
One thousand eight hundred and seventeen.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-ninth day of
March, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Charles Lacy and John
Lindley came before our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according 5
to the tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year above written.