IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR. THE MANUFACTURE OF CHENILLE
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Fletcher, of Nottingham; Chenille Manu-
facturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR.
THE MANUFACTURE OF CHENILLE."
Sealed the 3rd October 1861, and dated the 16th April 1861...
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Fletcher at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
April 1861.
I, CHARLES FLETCHER, of Nottingham, Chenille Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPA-
RATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CHENILLE," to be as follows:-
'
My Invention of improved machinery or apparatus for the manufacture of
chenille, consists of a frame of iron in which is mounted any given number of
spindles, upon each of which is placed a bobbin and flyer for the purpose
of twisting the chenille threads. These parts are driven either by friction
pulleys or bands. These spindles are the chenille spindles. On the upper
part of the frame is a corresponding number of spindles provided: with bobbins
for containing the silk of which the chenille is to be made. These may be
called the silk spindles. This part is provided with an apparatus for filling
the bobbin on the silk spindle. A steel wire passes down the silk spindle, and
therefore prevents the bobbin from being taken off the spindle, and as the

page_text: silk bobbin cannot be removed in order to be filled, an apparatus or contri-
vance is adapted to this part for the purpose of facilitating this operation.
The filling spindle is worked by a friction pulley by means of a small handle
or lever, which may be stopped or started at pleasure. This spindle is driven
by means of two bevil friction pulleys, one of which is mounted on a shaft
running parallel-to-the-perpendicular spindle. The driving spindle has a
friction pulley upon it, which is brought in contact with a pulley on the shaft
of the silk bobbin, and causes the same to rotate when required to fill it.
When the bobbin is full, the driving pulley is lifted up away from the friction
pulley belonging to the silk spindle, and the driving pulley is brought in con-
tact with a pulley for driving the flyer, and by putting this latter in motion,
the silk is unwound from off the bobbin, and wrapped round the chenille
thread, and round the steel wire over a fence to the half size required for the
chenille. The silk is held fast between two or more chenille threads of silk,
cotton, or fine wire, and the silk wound round the thread and steel wire is-
passed-between a pair of plain flint or steel rollers, by means of which the.
silk is cut, and therefore neither knife nor sharp cutting, instrument is re-
quired, nor is there any shuttle for wrapping the silk round the chenille
thread.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Fletcher in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th October 1861.
i t.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
FLETCHER,, of Nottingham, Chenille Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen, Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth 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 me, the
said. Charles Fletcher, Her special license that I, the said Charles Fletcher,.
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charles Fletcher, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should, at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,.
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MACHI-
NERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CHENILLE," upon the condition

page_text: (ainongst others) that I, the said Charles Fletcher, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, 'the said Charles Fletcher, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :—
My Invention of "Improved Machinery or Apparatus for the Manufacture
of Chenille," has for its object to produce this article in an easier and more
expeditious manner than heretofore. My improved machine consists of a
frame of iron in which is mounted any convenient number of spindles, upón
each of which is placed a bobbin and flyer for the purpose of twisting the
chenille threads when they are covered with the silk of which the chenille is
to be formed. These spindles, bobbins, and flyers which form the chenille
spindles, are driven either by toothed gearing, or by friction pullies or bands.
On the upper part of this frame is a corresponding number of spindles pro-
vided with bobbins for containing the silk of which the chenille. is to be
made, and also flyers for lapping the silk round the twisting or chenille threads.
These may be called the silk spindles, and each of these spindles is provided
with an apparatus for filling the bobbin on the silk spindle. A steel or other
hard metal wire, the use of which will be hereafter explained, passes down
through the silk spindle and bobbin, and prevents the latter from being taken
off the spindle, and; therefore as the silk bobbin, cannot be removed from the
machine to be filled, an apparatus or contrivance is adapted to this part of
the machine for the purpose of facilitating this operation. The filling spindle
is worked by a friction pulley which is brought into action by means of a
small handle or lever which may be stopped or started at pleasure. This
spindle is driven by means of a friction pulley mounted on a vertical shaft
running parallel to the perpendicular spindle. The driving spindle has a
friction pulley upon it, which is brought in contact with a pulley on the
shaft of the silk bobbin, and causes the same to rotate when required to fill
it. When the bobbin is full, the driving pulley is lifted up away from the
friction pulley belonging to the silk spindle, and the driving pulley is brought
into contact with a pulley for driving the flyer. By putting the silk flyer in
motion the silk will be unwound from off the bobbin, and wrapped round the

page_text: "
chenille thread and the steel endless wire...The silk is held fast between two
or more chenille threads of silk, cotton, or fine wire, and the silk when wound
round the thread and steel wire is passed between a pair of plain flint or steel
rollers, and by the pressure of the rollers against the steel wire, the silk will
be cut or divided, and will be carried down by the chenille and binding
threads to the twisting bobbin. One of the distinctive features of my Inven
tion is that neither. knife nor sharp cutting instrument will be required to
divide the silk, nor is there any shuttle employed for wrapping the silk round
the chenille thread, this operation being effected by my improved apparatus
by means of a flyer as will be hereafter. explained.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a machine
for manufacturing chenille constructed according to my improvements; Fig. 2
is a partial front view of the same, but shewing only one set of chenille and
twisting bobbins, of which, however, there may be any convenient number, say
eight, ten, or a dozen, ranged side by side; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the
principal working parts connected with one silk or chenille bobbin, spindle, and
flyer, detached and drawn upon an enlarged scale.
The framework of the machine is seen at a, a, Figures 1 and 2; b, b, is the
main driving shaft, provided at one end with fast and loose pullies c, c, whereby
it is actuated by means of a belt coming from any prime mover. The main
driving, shaft b, b, carries a number of spur wheels d, d, with inclined teeth,
whereby motion is communicated to the twisting spindles e, e, of which there
may be any convenient number; but, if preferred, the twisting spindles may be
driven by bands and pullies, as in ordinary doubling machines. These spindles
are provided with flyers of the ordinary construction, and carry bobbins e¹, e¹,
upon which the chenille, when properly twisted and finished, is wound. The
bobbins e rest on a copping rail f, f, which is supported by the vertical rods
ff, and is raised and lowered (as may be required) by means of the heart
wheels or cams f, f, on the lower shaft g. Slow rotary motion is communi-
cated to this shaft 9 from the main shaft 6 by means of screw gearing or the
worm and wheel h, h, h, as is clearly shewn in Figures 1 and 2. The silk of
which the chenille is made is contained on a bobbin i, i, which is mounted on
a hollow or tubular spindle , as shewn in the enlarged sectional view, Fig. 3.
Through the tubular spindle (which is rotated by friction gearing above)
passés a solid fixed spindle 2, in the sides of which are cut two semicircular
grooves for the purpose of receiving on one side one of the chenille threads 1,
and on the other side the endless wire 2, as seen best in the sectional plan
view, Fig. 4, of the spindles and . The chenille threads 1, 1, and also the
binding threads 3, 3, are contained on the bobbins j, j, and k, k, (Fig. 1);

page_text: which are properly weighted to ensure the requisite tension on the threads.
The chenille threads 1, 1, pass from their bobbins j,j, under the rollers 7, 1
and over the small guide rollers m, m, to the top of the spindles . The
endless wire, 2, 2, passes from the large roller n (Fig. 1), up over the guide
roller.m, and down the grooves of the spindle and inside the hollow spindle 2:
It will be seen that one of the chenille threads 1, 1, and one of the endless
wires 2, pass down the grooves cut on the sides of the inner spindle ³, and
consequently the thread and wire pass through the silk bobbin i, the silk: from
which is, by means of the flyer o, o, lapped round the chenille thread 1 and
endless wire 2, when these latter emerge from the lower end of the spindle *.
The threads 3, 3, on the bobbins k, k, are the binding threads, and instead of
passing down the inside of the spindle and silk bobbin with the chenille
threads 1, 1, they are conducted from under the roller to a small guide
pulley p, over which it passes to the outside of the chenille and down between
the pair of hard nipping rollers q, q, which are driven at a suitable speed by
means of bands which pass from pullies on the shaft of the roller l.round
grooved pullies q', 9, on the shafts of the nipping rollers, as shewn by dots in'
Fig. 1. As the silk fabric passes down between the nipping rollers q, q, these
latter will press with considerable force on the wire 2, and by thus nipping the
silk between the two hard surfaces it will be divided, and the wire 2 will then
be released and allowed to return to the large roller n. It will be seen, on
referring to Fig. 3, that at the lower end of the fixed spindle there is a
peculiarly shaped nut 4, shewn also in front elevation in the detached view
Fig. 5. One half of the lower part of this nut is cut away so as to leave a flat
face as a support to the chenille thread 1 and wire 2, when they emerge from
the hollow spindle . The flyer o, whereby the silk 6 is lapped round the
chenille threads, is secured to a collar 5 on the lower end of the tubular or
hollow spindle , and consequently rotates therewith. The silk bobbin:i rests
on the collar 5 of the flyer o, and also on two flat springs r, r, which are
screwed or attached to the arm of the flyer. The bobbin i is free to turn on
the hollow spindle , but a proper amount of tension is given to the silk. by
means of the springs r. On the upper part of the hollow spindle, above the
bobbin, are fixed two friction wheels s and s¹, whereby rotary motion is com
municated to the spindle ¹, flyer o, and bobbin.i, from a friction wheel.t¹ on
the end of the vertical shaft t. A bevil pinion t' on the upper end of the
shaft t gears into and is driven by a bevil wheel u on the horizontal shaft u¹;
which is actuated by any suitable gearing connected with the driving shaft b...
The several parts being in the position shewn in the Drawings, their opera-
tion will be as follows:-Upon imparting motion to the main shaft b,.the

page_text: chenille threads 1, 1, and endless wire 2 will be drawn down through the silk
bobbin and spindle, as shewn in Figures 3, 4, and 5, and the flyer o will by its
rotation lap the silk round the chenille thread and wire, as shewn in Fig. 5.
The outer or binding thread 3 will then by means of the guide 7 be laid
alongside of the chenille thread, and the fabric arranged in this manner, that
-is-to say, with the silk between two straight threads 1 and 3, will pass down
between the hard nipping rollers q, q, which by their pressure on the steel
wire will cut the silk and release the wire 2, which will then return to its
roller n, as before mentioned. The chenille and binding threads 1 and 3 will
then pass down to the twisting spindle e, where the threads will be twisted
together in order to secure the silk between them; after which the finished
chenille will be wound on to the bobbin e¹; and in order to ensure that the
chenille shall be laid on the bobbin with regularity, a rising and falling motion
is communicated to the copping rail, as in ordinary spinning or doubling
machines, and as indicated by the dots in Fig. 1.
It will be seen that as the. endless wire 2 passes down through the silk
bobbin and its hollow spindle 2, the silk bobbin cannot be conveniently
removed from the machine for the purpose of being filled with fresh silk.
The recharging of the silk bobbin i must therefore be effected while the
bobbin is in its place in the machine; to this end the friction pulley t¹ on the
lower end of the vertical shaft t is made moveable thereon in a vertical
direction, so that by raising or lowering the friction pulley t' it may be brought
'to bear against either of the friction wheels s or s¹, one of which (the upper
pulleys) is made fast to the hollow spindle i, whereas the other pulley s¹ is
pinned or otherwise secured to the silk bobbin i. When therefore the bobbin i
requires to be filled with silk, the driving friction wheel. is brought to bear
against the friction pulley s', as shewn in the Drawing; and then by imparting
motion to the bobbin i through the pulley s¹ (without driving the spindle )
the silk from another bobbin or reel may be wound on to the bobbin i, while
the latter is in its place in the machine. Upon raising the pulley t¹ on its
shaft so as to bring it in contáct with the upper friction pulley s, and con-
tinuing the rotation of the shaft t, the hollow spindle and flyer o will be set
in motion, and the lapping of the silk round the thread 1 and wire 2 will be
effected, as already explained. The driving pulley t¹ is secured in its elevated
position by means of a set screw, as will be well understood. The lower end
of the shaft t passes through a hole or socket in a plate t, which is mounted
on a horizontal stud 8, and is provided with a handle 9. This plate is shewn
detached in plan at Fig. 6, and in order to stop the rotation of the spindle
and flyer o, it will only be necessary to draw, back the pulley t from contact

page_text: with the friction wheels, by pressing back the handle q, contact between the
pulleys t' and s will then be destroyed, and the spindle and flyer will A
very slight motion of the plate t will be sufficient to effect this.
stop.
Fig. 7 is a detached view of a modification of the plan just described for
manufacturing chenille. In the former Figures there is but one chenille thread
and one binding thread, together with one endless cutting wire to each chenille
spindle and flyer, but in Fig. 8 I employ two chenille 'threads 1, 1, with one
cutting wire 2, which is placed equidistant between them. The silk is lapped
round the two chenille threads, which in this case act as selvage cords, and
after the silk has been lapped round these chenille threads, the binding cords
3, 3, are conducted down parallel to and alongside of the chenille threads, as
shewn in the Figure. The fabric is then passed between the nipping rollers q, q,
one only of which is shewn in the Figure, and the silk by being pressed
between the two hard surfaces will be divided as in the former instance, but
at a point equidistant between the chenille threads 1, 1, and two widths of -
chenille will be produced. These two widths upon being freed from the nip of
the rollers 9, will be twisted by two separate spindles and flyers, which will be
mounted in the framing below for the purpose, and will be driven in the
manner shown in Figures 1 and 2, or in any other convenient manner.
I would observe that in the foregoing description of my improved machinery
or apparatus for manufacturing chenille, I have not considered it necessary to
explain in detail the manner in which all the several parts are actuated, as the
gearing whereby these parts are driven does not materially differ from that
employed in ordinary spinning and doubling machines for effecting similar
motions; I have, however, shewn in the Drawing nearly all the gearing that
is required to effect the desired motions.
Having now described my Invention of "Improved Machinery or Appa-
ratus for the Manufacture of Chenille," and having explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid,-
First, lapping the silk round a chenille thread, cord, or fine wire, and an
endless wire, which, in combination with two hard rollers as herein set forth,
will act as a cutting instrument to divide the silk of which the chenille is
composed.
Second, I claim lapping the silk round two chenille threads or cords in
combination with a central wire, which,-in combination with two hard rollers,
will act as the cutting instrument to divide the silk; I claim particularly
arranging these chenille threads, as shewn, so as to cause them to act as
selvage cords, whereby the use of separate selvage cords may be avoided.

page_text: Third, I claim mounting the silk bobbin and flyer on a hollow spindle
through which the cutting, wire and one of the twisting threads of each piece
of chenille passes, as herein set forth.
Fourth, I claim-the-mode of and apparatus-herein-set forth for winding the
silk on to its bobbin without removing the same from the machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Fletcher, have hereunto set my
hand fand seal, the Fourteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord. One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,.
JOSH. BARBER HAXBY,
Solicitor, Leicester.
CHARLES FLETCHER. (L.S.)