IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Bullough and Christopher
Catlow at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 19th June 1869.
We, JouN BULLOUGH, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, and CHRISTOPHER CATLOW, of Burnley, in the same County,
Overlooker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to an improved form or forms of dents
or pins, which are constructed and arranged in the manner of a comb,
and are used for detecting "floats" in weaving. These have heretofore
been simply pins or tapered wire, as described and illustrated in the
Specification of Letters Patent, No. 709, A.D. 1859, granted to William
Hudson, and one of the present applicants Christopher Catlow. The
objections to round or conical wire dents are, that in order to obtain
the necessary degree of strength wire of such thickness was necessary;
that the dents occupied much of the space required for the yarn, con-
sequently the yarn between the dents was crowded or forced together,
and great friction thereby occasioned; the projecting ends of the dents.

page_text: required grinding or reducing to a fine point in order to ensure their
passage between the yarn. The dents so pointed were apt to pierce and
damage the yarn, and the "weaver" or attendant on passing his finger
through the yarn to "take the ends up" often received injury.
To obviate these defects we construct the said dents of rolled or
flattened wire, or the upper portion of the length of each dent is
flattened, that is, the dent is flat on two opposite sides, and its pro-
jecting end is convex or rounded, or the angles or arris removed so as
to present a smooth or even point to the yarn. The dent so formed
may be made very thin so as to occupy the least possible space between
the yarn, and yet be of the necessary strongth, because its breadth may
be much greater than its thickness. The convex or rounded form of
the projecting end of the dent prevents damage to the yarn or injury to
the weaver.
The dents so formed are held in holes punched in a metal
tube parallel to the axis thereof, forming a comb or reed, which is
attached to the slay beam, as described in the Specification abovo
referred to; or instead of the flat wire dent, as above described, we employ
dents formed of round wire bent in the form of a staple, and the ends of
the wire so formed are driven into holes in tubes, as described. The
form of this dent admits of the use of very fine wire and yet secures
the necessary strength. In applying the dents to "loose reed looms"
the tube carrying them is attached to the "swivel," so that when the
. shuttle does not cross the race and the reed is forced back, the tube
carrying the dents will move along with the swivel clear of the reed and
prevent damage.
Secondly. To an improved arrangement, construction, and com-
bination of apparatus in connection with the weft fork so as to stop the
loom when a "float" or imperfection in the weaving occurs, for which
Letters Patent were granted to James Bullough, A.D. 1855, No. 529,
and to William Hudson and Christopher Catlow, A.D. 1859, No. 709, we
employ apparatus as follows:-In the space between the healds and the
reed an additional heald (which for the sake of distinction we term a
"float heald ") is suspended from the heald roller bearings, and tho
lower end is attached by a spiral or blade spring to the cross rail or
other convenient part of the loom; the said float heald also being con-
nected to the sley beam by a cord or chain between the "float heald "
and the reed; we place a coarse or "float reed," to which is attached
and working in connection therewith a finger resting on a catch having

page_text: one or more notches therein; this finger acts on a projection on a stem
of the weft fork when a float occurs and stops the loom. The action of
the apparatus is as follows:-Whon the shed is not properly formed for
the passage of the shuttle by reason of one or more warp threads
becoming entangled, the yarn so entangled is by the "float heald "
moved forward in the direction of the "float recd" on the return of the
sley, the entangled yarn is struck or impinged by the "float reed,"
and as this reed is suspended by or works on pins attached to the sley cap
or swords, it is caused to swing or move on such pins whilst the finger,
herein-before mentioned, (as connected with the float reed) is liberated
and caused to tilt up or rise, and is thus brought in contact or collision
with the projection on the stem of the weft fork, and the ordinary
apparatus in connection with the weft fork for stopping the loom is
brought into operation, and the weaving of damaged cloth prevented.
Instead of employing a "float reed," as above described, in some
cases an ordinary reed may be used, the upper end thereof being
received in a groove and held in position for the beat up by a spring; but
should a "float" occur the reed on coming in contact therewith will
rebound or move in its groove, and a finger in connection therewith is
thus caused to act on the projection on the weft fork, and the motion
of the loom is arrested.
And, thirdly. We construct the upper portion of the prongs of the
weft fork square or flat, and a hole is bored through the same so that
when a prong is broken another may replace it, secured by a pin passed
through a hole in the prongs,