Iм- PROVEMENTS IN WEAVING OR INTERLACING WIRE TO FORM GUARDS, AVIARIES,ICCURE IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Rowat, of Glasgow, in thc County of
Lanark, North Britain, Wire Worker, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN WEAVING OR INTERLACING WIRE TO FORM GUARDS, AVIARIES,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Rowat at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th May 1873.
I, ROBERT ROWAT, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Wire Worker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING OR INTERLACING WIRE TO FORM GUARDS,
AVIARIES, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES OR ENCLOSURES, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR,"
to be as follows, that is to say: :—

page_text: accomplished for the purpose of making guards, aviaries, and similar
articles or enclosures.
In carrying out the Invention three different kinds of wire are by
preference used, namely, common round wire for the transverse lines or
wefts, half-round wire for the longitudinal bars or main warp wires, and
a fine wire for lacing the other two together. The main warp wires are
drawn off one or more reels or beams, and through a number of adjust-
able guides on a block or plate so as to be straightened, and their front
ends are attached to a movable frame which is moved forward step by
step as each weft wire is laid in by pinions acting on racks on the
movable frame or by screw or equivalent mechanism, the movement at
each step being adjusted to the distance that the weft wires are to be
apart.
When the fabric is sufficiently flexible and made in long lengths it
may be wound up on a roller as it is formed. The weft wires are applied
to the same flat sides of all the main warp wires, and are tied to them
by the fine lacing wires, which last are drawn off reels or beams longi-
tudinally like the main warp wires. There are two lacing wires to cach
main warp wire, and the two are in each case made to cross each other
round the round part of the main warp wire between every two weft
wires. After such crossing the two lacing wires go round the weft wire
on each side to the warp wire, and then crossing again round the latter
bind the weft wire firmly to it. The crossing is effected by two bars
which are moved transversely in opposite directions, there being a
number of small pulleys on each bar which guide the wires, and push
them from side to side as required.
A kind of compound reed is used for beating or working up the
lacing wires and weft wires to their proper positions, one part of such
reed consisting of a series of forks which descending after each crossing
of the lacing wires, and entering one prong on each side of the main
warp wire, and between it and the lacing wire on each side cause the
crossed part to be run forward and tightened. The reed also has broad
teeth to move forward the weft wire which is held by a series of catches
depressed by it, and engaging with it as it moves forward.
The weft wires are inserted by hand or by mechanism of the kind used
in weaving carpet and other pile fabrics, and the sheds are formed for
their insertion by a set of heddles which act on the lacing wires.

page_text: The various movements are effected by cams, wipers, or cranks on one
or more revolving shafts, or partly by the direct application of hand
levers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Rowat in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
ROWAT, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Wire
Worker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Rowat, Her special licence
that I, the said Robert Rowat, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Rowat, my exccutors,
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
WEAVING OR INTERLACING WIRE TO FORM GUARDS, AVIARIES, AND SIMILAR
ARTICLES OR ENCLOSURES, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Rowat, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their; or one
of their hands 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 I, the said Robert Rowat, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is

page_text: by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :—
My said Invention has for its object the weaving or interlacing of
wire in a superior and more economical manner than has hitherto been
accomplished, for the purpose of making guards, aviaries, and similar
articles or enclosures.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to and representing
apparatus as made with my improvements. In these Drawings the
same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts
wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a plan of the apparatus, and Figures 2
and 3 are elevations of the opposite sides.
In carrying out my Invention I use three different kinds of wire by
preference, namely, common round wire for the transverse lines or
wefts 1 shown in blue in Figure 1, half-round wire for the longitudinal
bars or main warp wires 2, and a fine wire 3 for lacing the other two
together. The main warp wires 2 are drawn off one or more reels or
beams 63, situated at the back of the loom, which is represented as
made with a strong wooden framing 4 but which may be made with a
cast-iron frame. On their way towards the front of the loom the main
warp wires 2 are straightened by being passed through a number of
guides on a block or plate 5, arranged as shown in the enlarged plan
Figure 4 and in the corresponding back clevation Figure 5 (Figure 4 1
being reversed in position as compared with Figure 1). The straighten-
ing guides consist of bottom bars or ribs 6 fixed or formed across the
plate 5 and grooved for cach wire 2, but with the
grooves shallow
enough for the top of cach wire to be slightly above the surface of the
bars. Upper transverse bars 7 are adjusted by means of thumbscrews 83
down upon the wires to confine them sufficiently in the guide grooves.
In some cases the front ends of the main warp wires 2 may be fixed to
a frame which is moved forward step by step as each weft wire 1 is laid
in by pinions acting on racks on such movable frame or by screw or
equivalent mechanism, the movement at cach step being adjusted to
the distance that the weft wires 1 are to be apart. When, however, the
fabric formed is sufficiently flexible and is made in long lengths it

page_text: may be wound up on a roller 9 as it is formed, and as shown in the
Drawings. The main warp wires 2 after passing through the straighten-
ing guides, pass through guide eyes in metal bars 10 projecting up
from a transverse horizontal frame bar 11 as shown enlarged in Figure 6
which is a front elevation, and in Figure 7 which is a vertical section
as at right angles to Figure 6. The weft wires 1 are applied to the
under sides of all the main warp wires 2, and when these wires 2 are
half round they are placed with their flat sides downwards, and the
weft wires 1 are tied to them by the fine lacing wires 3, which last are
drawn longitudinally forwards from two grooved beams 12. The beams
12 are carried upon the framing 4 and the wires 3 from them pass round
a guide roller 13 and thence forwards. There are two lacing wires 3
to each main warp wire 2, the right hand wires 3 of cach pair being
drawn all off one beam 12, and the left-hand wires all off the other
beam 12, and the two wires 3 of cach pair are made to cross each other
round the upper part of the main warp wire 2 between every two weft
wires 1. After such crossing the two lacing wires 3 go round under the
weft wire 1 on cach side of the warp wire 2, and then crossing again
over the latter bind the weft wire 1 firmly to it. The crossing of the
lacing wires 3 is effected by two transverse horizontal bars 14, 15 (shown
enlarged in Figures 4 and 5) which are moved transversely in opposite
directions, there being a number of small pulleys 16 carried by cach
bar which guide the lacing wires 3 and push them from side to side as
required. The pulleys 16 are held between thin metal strips fixed to
the under and upper sides of the two bars 14, 15, respectively.
These crossing bars 14, 15, are moved by means of a vertically guided
cam frame 17, at the side of the loom, which cam frame is acted on by
an antifriction roller indicated by dotted lines at 18, in Figure 3, and
carried by a spur wheel 19 on a shaft 20. This wheel 19 is in gear with
a pinion of one-fourth its size indicated by a red circle, and which is
fast on the first motion shaft 21, this shaft 21 being also the crank shaft
for working the lathe 22, as in ordinary looms, and having on it a fly
wheel and fast and loose pulleys 23, for a driving belt, as also a handle
24 for manual power. The cam frame 17 moves a bar 25 (shown'
separately in back elevation in Figure 8), and this bar by means of two
pins acts on one arm 26 of a bell crank lever, the other arm 27 of
which is weighted so as to fall over of itself when turned beyond the
centre, and is connected by a link 28 to one 14 of the crossing bars.

page_text: This bar is connected to a similar weighted lever 29 at the other side of
the loom, and the latter is connected by a link to the other crossing
bar 15, in such a way that the two bars always move in opposite
directions. A kind of compound reed is fitted to the lathe 22, for
beating or working up the lacing wires 3 and weft wires 1 to their
proper positions, one part of such reed consisting of a series of forks 30,
which being fixed on a horizontal spindle 31 are turned down after cach
crossing of the lacing wires 3, and entering one prong on each side of
the main warp wire 2 and between it and the lacing wire 3 on cach side
cause the crossed part to be run forward and be tightened when the
lathe 22 beats up. The fork spindle 31 has a bell crank lever 32 fixed
on one end, and which is acted on by an antifriction pulley on a slide 33
The slide 33
moving vertically in guides at the side of the loom.
is connected by a link 34 to an eccentric pin on a wheel 35 which
revolves at half the speed of the crank shaft 21. There are two beats
up of the lathe 22 for every weft wire 1, one beat being to move for-
ward the crossings of the lacing wires 3 prior to the insertion of the
weft wire 1, and the other to move forward the weft wire, during which
latter movement the forks 30 are turned up behind out of the way. One
of the arms of the bell-crank lever 32, on the fork spindle 31 is for
putting a strain on the forks when they are moved forwards, and to
resist in this a similar arm 36 (Figure 3) is fixed on the other end of the
spindle 31, and these two arms ride upon curved guides 37 fixed at the
sides of the loom close to the front, when the lathe carries them forward,
and thereby hold the forks 30 in the proper positions whilst forcing
forwards the crossings of the lacing wires 3. The reed has in addition
to the forks 30 a scries of broad teeth 38 to move forward the weft wire
1, which is held by a series of curved catches 39 that are depressed by it
as it moves forward, so that the wire may get in front of their catching
parts. These catches 39 are fixed to a horizontal bar 40, connected by
arms to a shaft 60, which has on one end a lever 61 that is acted on at
the time of beating up the weft wire 1 by an antifriction roller 62
on the wheel 47¹ so as to move the bar 40 and catches 39 a little back-
wards and thereby insure the engaging of the catches with the weft wire.
The weft wires 1 are inserted by hand by means of a leading rod, such
as is shown in Figure 9, and which is formed with a pair of springs 41,
to hold the point of the wire until it is entered, the wire being released
therefrom by being drawn back a little after having been passed through
the shed. When the length of the weft wires 1 is not too great they may.

page_text: .
be inserted automatically by mechanism of the kind used in weaving
carpet or other pile fabrics. The sheds are formed for the insertion of
the weft wires 1 by a depresser 42 corresponding to the heddles of an
ordinary loom, and which is shown enlarged in transverse vertical section
in Figure 7. This depresser is a frame with a plate 43 fixed to its
upper bar, and formed with slots 44, Figure 6, to admit of its being
depressed between the main warp wires 2, and when it is depressed it
bears down the lacing wires 3, so that the weft wire 1 can be entered
above them and under the main warp wires 2. The depresser is
suspended by cords passing over pulleys 45 to counterweights, and it is
connected below to a pair of levers indicated by dotted lines at 46, in
Figure 3, these levers lying transversely and being connected to a
lever 47 in the middle, and which last is centered at the front of the
loom. The last-mentioned lever 47 is acted on by a cam 48 on a shaft 49
geared by wheel 47', and pinion to the crank shaft 21, so as to revolve
at one half the speed of the latter. On the other end of the shaft 49,
there is a small spur wheel in gear with the wheel 35 of equal size,
hercin-before referred to as acting through a slide 33 on the recd
forks 30. The take-up roller 9 on which the woven wirework or fabric
is wound is turned by means of a train of wheels indicated by red pitch
circles in Figure 2, and connecting it with a ratchet wheel 50, which is
loose on the shaft 49. A two-armed lever 51 is also set loosely on the
shaft 49, and turns the ratchet wheel by means of pawls on one of its
arms, the same arm being connected by a link 52 to a lever 53 which is
acted on by antifriction rollers on a wheel 54 fast on a shaft 20 that
revolves at a suitable speed. The two-armed lever 51 moves back by
the action of a weight on its lower arm, and the extent to which it moves
back and consequent amount of take-up at each stroke is determined by
a ratchet wheel 55, an eccentric pin on which is connected by a link 56
to a two-armed lever 57, the upper arm of which is formed with an
elbow entering behind the lever 51. A pawl catch 58 serves to hold
the wheel 55 in any required position, which position can be easily
changed as the fabric on the roller 9 increases in diameter. Pawl
catches 59 prevent the take-up ratchet wheel 50 from moving backwards.
The weft wires 1 may be fixed in undulating or zig-zag lines if desired,
all that is necessary to obtain that result being the constructing of the
acting parts of the reed so as to project differently at different parts,
an din accordance with the desired contour.

page_text: Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that
what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured
to me by the hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1. The weaving or interlacing of wire substantially in the improved
manner herein-before described.
2. The arranging or combining together of parts to form apparatus for
weaving or interlacing wire substantially in the improved manner herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Rowat, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
ROBERT ROWAT. (L.S.)