IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANTRACTO CURE OR TISM LACK TD ע wיהמראה הההההזנה המת MANUFACTURE OF TWIST LACE, AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Foster, of Radford, in the County of Not-
tingham, Lace Manufacturer, Edward Herbert Bramley, and Edwin
Knutton, both of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham,
Lace Designers' Draughtsmen, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANTRACTO
CURE OR TISM LACK
TD
ע wיהמראה הההההזנה המתועד יד
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Foster, Edward
Herbert Bramley, and Edwin Knutton, at the Office of the Commis-
sioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 27th April 1861.
We, JOHN FOSTER, of Radford, in the County of Nottingham, Lace Manu-
facturer, EDWARD HERBERT BRAMLEY, and EDWIN KNUTTON, both of the Town
and County of the Town of Nottingham, Lace Designers and Draughtsmen,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF TWIST LACE, AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to making close weavings, and consists, firstly, in
reversing the positions of the warp threads, which run longitudinally in the
bands or weavings, that is to say, in the ordinary manner of working warp
threads; the said warp threads can only move from right to left, and back
again, and a front warp thread can never be at the back of the machine,
neither can a back warp thread be at the front of the machine. But by

page_text: means of our Invention we cause the warp threads used longitudinally in the
bands or weavings to occupy the same positions, and to move right and left, as
warp threads ordinarily do, and also when we desire, cause the front warp
threads to be placed at the back of the machine, and the back warp threads to
We are enabled to make close
be placed at the front of the machine.
weavings by causing figures woven to be composed of longitudinal warp
threads and transverse warp threads, but we do not confine ourselves to any
number of warp threads. We can also use bobbin threads longitudinally
when we desire to do so.
In order to make close weavings in the manner we have described we use
two or more rolling or sliding bars to work the longitudinal warp threads.
The said bars work in bearings, and are caused to slide either to the right or
to the left by the jacquard, and also to roll or to slide forward and backward
by a cam or any other suitable contrivance. In making the weavings we use
a crank guide bar to work the transverse warp thread, but we do not intend
to claim a crank guide bar by itself as of our Invention. When the rolling or
sliding bars are open, that is to say, when the front warp threads are held at the
front of the machine, and the back warp threads at the back of the machine,
the crank guide bar lies between the two rolling or sliding bars, and moves from
left to right or from right to left across the whole of the band or weaving, and
also beyond the carriage outside of the weaving; then the carriages will pass
from back to front, or from front to back; then the crank guide bar moves to its
original position, and the thread in the crank guide bar will have passed round
the carriage threads on each edge of the weaving, and will be secured across the
whole of the band. The carriages again pass through the machine, and when
in the middle the back and front rolling or sliding bars will move towards and
beyond the centre of the machine, so that the front warp threads are placed at
the back of the machine, and the back warp threads are placed at the front of
the machine, or, in other words, their positions are reversed while the carriages
complete their motion. Then the crank guide bar moves exactly as before
except that it then lies behind the back warp threads, and at the front of the
front warp threads. But we do not confine ourselves to any number of rolling
or sliding bars or warp threads. By these means we make a superior tabby or
linen weaving for imitation of Valenciennes lace, but we do not confine our-
selves to producing it in imitation of Valenciennes lace alone.
When we wish to make purl threads on the edges of the woven figures, we
make them in the ordinary way of making purls, or we use one or more extra
warp threads to traverse across and beyond the edges of the bands to form the
purls. When we wish to make the transverse threads to vandyke more obtusely

page_text: we cause the rolling or sliding bars and transverse bars to stand still any
required number of motions between the upper and lower ties of the transverse
thread on the edges of the bands.
Secondly, our Invention consists in producing close weavings in the following
manner: Supposing threads 1, 3, 5, 7, to be placed each in independent bars
at the back of the machine, and threads 2, 4, 6, to be placed at the front of
the machine to be used as longitudinal threads in the woven figures, and
between the back and front warp threads a bar to work a transverse thread,
which transverse thread when the carriages are at the front of the machine
passes (say, to the right, or we can reverse the positions when we desire)
across the band or figure to be woven, and also beyond the first carriage on
the edge of the band. Then the carriages pass to the back of the machine,
and the transverse thread passes back again to its original position, and at the
same time No. 7 warp thread moves to the right of the carriage. The
carriages then pass through to the front, and No. 6 moves to the right, then
back No. 5, front No. 4, back No. 3, front No. 2, back No. 1, front transverse
thread moves as before to the right, back transverse returns to its original
position, and at the same time No. 1 moves to the left of the carriage; front
No. 2 to left, back No. 3, front No. 4, back No. 5, front No. 6, back No. 7.
The warp thread twisting at the right of the band or figure must stand still
while the longitudinal threads are at the right of the carriage, we can use
more or less longitudinal warp threads, and can also cause them to work
diagonally or transversely in the ordinary way. Purls to be made as stated
under-the first head of our Invention. We can also cause the warp threads
to stand still between the figures to admit of the threads being clipped, and
while these are standing we make the net between the figures with extra warp
threads, or when the pattern is suitable we do not make net between the
figures.
The lace made by this second part of our Invention will be similar in
appearance to that described in the first.
10
5
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Foster, Edward Herbert Bramley, and Edwin
Knutton, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th October
1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN'
FOSTER, of Radford, in the County of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer,

page_text: EDWARD HERBERT BRAMLEY, and EDWIN KNUTTON, both of the Town and
County of the Town of Nottingham, Laco Designers and Draughtsmen,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Foster, Edward Herbert Bramley, and Edwin Knutton, Her
special licence that we, the said John Foster, Edward Herbert Bramley,
and Edwin Knutton, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said John Foster, Edward Herbert Bramley, and Edwin
Knutton, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF TWIST LACE, AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Foster, Edward. Herbert
Bramley, and Edwin Knutton, or one of us, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their
bands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Foster, Edward Herbert
Bramley, and Edwin Knutton, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
Our Invention relates to making close weavings, and consists, firstly, in
reversing the positions of the warp threads which run longitudinally in the
bands or weavings, that is to say, in the ordinary manner of working warp
threads they can only move from right to left and back again, and a front
warp thread can never be at the back of the machine, neither can a back warp
thread be at the front of the machine. But by means of our Invention we
cause the warp threads used longitudinally in the bands or weavings to occupy
the same positions as ordinary warp threads, and to move right and left as
warp threads ordinarily do, and also, when we desire, cause the front warp

page_text: threads to be placed at the back of the machine, and the back warp threads to
be placed at the front of the machine. We are enabled to make close weavings
by causing woven figures to be composed of longitudinal warp threads and
transverse warp threads, but we do not confine ourselves to any number of
warp threads; we can also use bobbin threads longitudinally when we desire
to do so.
In order to make close weavings in the manner we have described we use
two or more rolling or sliding bars to work the longitudinal warp threads.
The said bars work in bearings or brackets, and are caused to slide either to
the right or to the left by the jacquard, and also to roll or to slide forward and
backward by a cam or any other suitable contrivance. In making the
weavings we use a crank guide bar to work the transverse warp thread, but
we do not intend to claim a crank guide bar by itself as of our Invention.
When the rolling or sliding bars are open, that is to say, when the front
warp or roller threads are held at the front of the machine, and the back warp
or roller threads at the back of the machine, the crank guide bar lies between
the two rolling or sliding bars and moves from left to right, or from right to
left, across the whole of the band or weaving, and also beyond the carriage.
outside of the weaving; then the carriages will pass from back to front, or
from front to back, then the crank guide bar moves to its original position,
and the thread in the crank guide bar will have passed round the carriage
threads on each edge of the weaving, and will be sécured across the whole of
the band. The carriages again pass through the machine, and when in the
middle thereof the back and front rolling or sliding bars will move towards
and beyond the centre of the machine so that the front warp threads aro.
placed at the back of the machine, and the back warp threads are placed at
the front of the machine, or, in other words, their positions are reversed while
the carriages complete their motion, then the crank guide bar moves exactly
as before, except that it then lies behind the back warp threads and at the
front of the front warp threads, but we do not confine ourselves to any number
of rolling or sliding bars or warp threads. By these means we make a
superior tabby or linen weaving for imitation of Valenciennes lace, but we do
not confine ourselves to producing it in imitation of Valenciennes lace alone.
When we wish to make purl threads on the edges of the woven figures, we
make them in the ordinary way of making purls, or we use one or more extra
warp threads to traverse across and beyond the edges of the bands to form the
purls.
When we wish to make the transverse threads to vandyke more obtusely,
we cause the rolling or sliding bars and tranverse bars to stand still any

page_text: required number of motions between the upper and lower ties of the transverse
thread on the edges of the bands....
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings shows in end elevation so much of
a machine for the manufacture of twist lace as will be necessary to illustrate
one method of carrying our Invention into effect.
a is the bobbin and carriage free to travel in the comb bars b, b; c is the
front, and the back rolling bar; two only of these bars are shown, but any
number may be employed. They are cranked, as shewn, and form guides for
the longitudinal threads; they are placed opposite one another and work to
and fro, as will be hereafter more clearly explained;, these bars c, c', are bolted
to brackets or bars d, d, one only of which is fully shewn. The bar d is jointed
to the bar e extending across the machine, and motion is communicated to it by
the cam facting against a truck 9 on an arm h extending from the bar e. The
bar c has motion communicated to it in a similar manner to that of the bar c
through the agency of another cam, but we do not think it necessary to show
this arrangement more particularly, as other means than that shown may be
adopted for producing the required motion; i, i, are the ordinary guide bars;
k is another guide bar, a detached view of which in front elevation is given at
Figure 2; the bar ke is cranked, as shown at k', and as many as may be required
are inserted at intervals between the bars i, i, according to the work to be
performed, they work from right to left and from left to right, as will be more
clearly described hereafter; Figure 3 is a front view of an ordinary straight
guide bar which we sometimes use in combination with the cranked guide bar
just described.
To illustrate more clearly the action of the machinery we will describe the
method in which we proceed to work a band the width of two gates. Take
one carriage out of the comb, whereby a gap will be produced two gates in
width, as shewn by the Diagram, Figure 4, which is intended to represent
four bobbin threads, numbered respectively 1, 2, 3, 4. Two of the guides c, c,
in the front roller bar, and three of the guides c', c, c, in the back roller bar,
now occupy the space between No. 2 and 3 in the Diagram, Figure 4, so
that when the guides move forward or towards one another they overlap or fit
into and between one another, as clearly shown in Figure 5. Now, on motion.
being communicated to the machine, supposing the carriages a, a, to be at the
front thereof, one of the straight guide bars marked in Figure 3, which is at
the left of No, 1, moves to the right of No. 4, at the same time the cranked guide
bar k, the thread of which is to the left of No. 2, moves to the right of No. 2.
The carriages now pass to the back of the machine; the thread from the guide
becomes secured to that proceeding from No. 4 carriage by one of the threads

page_text: from the ordinary bars twisting therewith while the cranked guide k returns
to its original position. The carriages now return to the front, the cranked
roller bars c, c¹, move towards and beyond the centre, as shown in Figure 5,
whereby the front roller threads are placed at the back of the machine, and
the back roller threads at the front of the. machine, in a similar manner to
the crossing of warp threads in loom weaving; the crank guide bar k now
again rises carrying its thread to the right of No. 3 carriage, after which the
carriages move to the back of the machine and permit the bar k to return to
its original position. The carriages now move from the back to the front of
the machine, and during their passage the cranked bars c, c', open ready:
for the operation being repeated in the manner before described, with the.
exception of the straight guide bar l moving in the next course from right to
left instead of from left, to right, and being secured to No. 1: carriage, instead
of to No. 4, and so on alternately for each course. The fabric now made will.
present the appearance represented on an enlarged scale in Figure 6.
Figure 7 shows in end elevation another arrangement for producing a
similar fabric to the other in. which only one rolling bar is employed. 'In
this Figure the same letters of reference refer to similar parts as those
indicated in the former, with this exception, that the back rolling bars c¹, c¹, c¹,
or what correspond to them, occupy à different position, and they are
mounted on a pin m inserted in a. bracket n bolted to the machine. These
bars c, c, c, are placed below the bars i, i, which in this case are perforated
instead of guide bars, and are mounted on a pin o inserted in the bracket n,
their distance apart being regulated according to the work to be done.
Threads are led from the bars c³, c, c, corresponding to the threads led from
the back rolling bar c', and the cranked guide bar k is placed behind the
threads in the bottom tier, the positions of the threads being similar in relation:
to the carriage as in the former case. The action is as follows:-Supposing.
the carriages to be at, the frout of the machine as shown in Figure 7, the
straight guide bar moves to the right placing its thread to the right of
the thread indicated by No. 4, in the 'diagram, Figure 4, and the cranked
guide bar moves to the right of No. 2, the carriages now pass to the
back of the machine, and the thread of the straight guide is secured to No. 4
thread in the diagram as before stated, and the crank guide bar returns to its
original position, placing its thread to the left of No. 2 in the diagram as
herein-before described. The carriages next go to the front, and in their
passage the roller bar simultaneously moves towards the centre of the.
machine while the two roller guides c, c, pass alternately between the three
threads proceeding from the bars c¹, c', c, as shown in Figure 8, and the:

page_text: threads occupy the same positions as when two roller bars are used. The
cranked guide bar k now moves to the right carrying its thread to the right
of No. 3 in the diagram, Figure 4, to accomplish which its crank passes
over the guides c, c, to the front of its threads and to the rear of the threads
proceeding from the bars c¹, c, c'. The carriages again pass to the back
of the machine, and the cranked guide k returns to the left of No. 2 in
the diagram. This done the carriages move to the front, and the bar c
returns to its original position, as shown in Figure 7, ready for another
course, with this exception that the guide 7 moves to the left instead of to
the right, and is secured to No. 1 carriage, instead of to No. 4, and so on
alternately for each course.
Secondly, our Invention consists in producing close weavings in the
following manner :-Suppose we wish to make a band spread over the space
of two carriages we place threads No. 1 and 3, each in independent bars at
the back of the machine, and a thread No. 2 at the front of the machine to
be used as longitudinal threads in the woven Figures, and between the
back and front warp threads we place a bar to work a transverse thread,
which when the carriages are at the front of the machine passes (say to
the right or we can reverse the positions when we desire) from the left of
No. 1 carriage across the band or Figure to be woven, and also beyond No. 2
carriage on the right hand edge of the band. The three longitudinal warp
threads now stand between No. 1 and 2 carriage. Then the carriages pass
to the back of the machine, and the transverse thread passes back again to its
original position, and at the same time No. 3 warp thread moves to the
right of No. 2 carriage. The carriage now moves to the front, and No. 2
warp thread moves to the right of No. 2 carriage, and the transverse thread
moves to the right of No. 1 carriage. The carriages now pass to the back,
and No. 1 warp thread moves to the right of No. 2 carriage, and the
transverse thread moves to the left of No. 1 carriage. The three warp or
longitudinal threads now stand to the right of No. 2 carriage at the right
hand edge of the band.. The carriages now pass to the front, and the
transverse thread moves to the right of No. 2 carriage. The carriages now
pass to the back and the transverse thread moves to the left of No. 1 carriage.
and at the same time No. 1 warp thread moves to the left of No. 2 carriage.
The carriages now pass to the front, and No. 2 warp thread moves to the
left of No. 2 carriage, and at the same time the transverse thread moves to
the right of No. 1 carriage. The carriages now pass to the back, and No. 3
warp thread moves to the left of No. 2 carriage, and the transverse thread
moves to the left of No. 1 carriage. The warp thread twisting at the right

page_text: of the band or Figure must stand still while the longitudinal threads are at
the right of No. 2 carriage. We can use more or less longitudinal warp
threads, and can also cause them to work diagonally or transversely in the
ordinary way; purls are made as stated under the first head of our Invention.
We can also cause the warp threads to stand still between the Figures to
admit of the threads being clipped, and while these are standing we make
the net between the Figures with extra warp threads, or when the patterns
is suitable we do not make net between the Figures. The lace made by
this second part of our Invention is similar in appearance to that described in
the first.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we do not limit ourselves
to the employment of four carriages with one gap, for the number must
necessarily be increased or diminished according to the design or breadth
of the fabric under manufacture, the preceding description merely indicating
the method in which we prefer to carry our Invention into effect, but we
claim as- our "Improvements in the Manufacture of Twist Lace and in
Machinery employed therein."
First, the improved twist lace or close woven fabric herein-before described
and illustrated at Figure 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the construction and method of action of machinery for the pro-
duction of twist lace or close weavings, whereby the front warp threads are
placed at the back of the machine, and the back warp threads at the front
of the machine substantially in the manner herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Third, the production of a twist lace or a closely woven fabric, similar in
appearance to that shown at Figure 6, substantially in manner herein-
before described under the second part of our Invention.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Foster, Edward Herbert
Bramley and Edwin Knutton, have hereunto set our hands and seals,
this Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-one
JOHN FOSTER. (L.8.)
EDN. KNUTTON.
(L.S.)
E. H. BRAMLEY. (L.S.)
JOHN FOSTER.
(L.8.)
EDN. KNUTTON.
(L.S.)
E. H. BRAMLEY. (L.S.)