reed in beating up the weft when sufficient resistance has been presented to it by the supply of the weft from the shuttle to produce, by means of a vibrating carrying roller, (whip-roller) supported on vibrating levers, and acted upon by the jerk of the warp with the other machinery herein described, when attached to looms for weaving various kinds of cloth, a regular corresponding, and sufficient delivery of yarn from the warp-beam, and taking up of cloth on the cloth roller, so long as the proportionate filling up of the weft continues, but which delivery and taking up will cease in case of the breaking or non-delivery of the weft, or shortly afterwards, in consequence of the reed, on being struck up, meeting with a diminished and inadequate resistance, and, therefore, causing a diminished pull, strain, or jerk." All this, as we before observed, may be effected with the modification of Mr. Stone's loom, shown at Fig. 171; and which modification was made the subject of a patent in the United States, as formerly stated, 23d November, 1837, about six months prior to the date of Mr. Mellowdew's patent.* We might here give accounts of some 50 or 60 other contrivances which have been made the subjects of patents in Great Britain, France, Belgium and America, for several years past, for governing the delivery of the warp and the taking up of the cloth in common power looms; but none of which contrivances are at all equal in point of practical utility or simplicity to those shown at Figs. 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170 and 171. For weaving delicate textures, such as gauze, light silk stuffs, &c. positive take up motions (in connexion with a motion to stop the loom when the weft thread breaks or becomes expended on the cop or bobbin) must be used instead of the vibrating reed; we shall, therefore, close this part of our subject by referring the reader to Section Twelfth. * Whenever a patentee intends fraud or concealment, he finds it most easily accomplished by drawing out a long and intricate specification; describing in a manner as minute and circumlocutory as possible hundreds of well-known parts, and summing up his claims in so ambiguous a manner as to defy all the powers of human penetration to discover their meaning. Such * specifications afford to the designing an ample pretence, and an effectual cover for private injustice and professional rapacity. We could name instances were we disposed to be personal. 49 SECTION ELEVENTH. FANCY WEAVING. "The wise and prudent conquer difficulties And make the impossibility they fear."-RowE. By the term fancy weaving we mean the weaving of those small patterns which are produced in looms mounted with leaves of headles; and of which we have already given sufficient explanation in Sections Second and Third. For a complete description of the method of weaving figured patterns of unlimited extent, by power, see next Section. In the present section we shall confine our remarks to those looms for weaving fancy textures which we consider to be of most practical utility, with such other information as has a direct bearing on the subject; and, in the outset, it may, perhaps, not be amiss to offer a few observations on fancy textures in general. The smaller mountings, with leaves of headles, produce but a very limited variety of patterns, commonly a small diamond or lozenge figure, with a dot or speck in the centre, which gives it the resemblance of an eye: hence these figures are generally denominated bird-eye patterns. When the mountings, however, extend to eight leaves and upwards, they admit of considerable diversity in flushing, tweeling, and plain texture, deviating from the formal figures of the bird-eye, and which now assume the appearance of what is called lined work. The draught of lined work patterns may be considerably diversified by dividing the leaves into two equal portions, and drawing a few sets of the diamond draught on each portion, alternately. This arrangement throws the group of small figures produced by each set of leaves, into alternate squares, somewhat resembling the damboard pattern, shown at Fig. 36, Section Second. It is customary, however, to introduce an odd leaf into these mountings, immediately between the divisions, which serves as a point leaf to both sets. Any number of concentric figures may be formed, by repeating the draught several times over the leaves in one direction, and returning in the contrary direction as often so that should the draught diverge from the centre of the cloth toward each selvage, and the treading continue to the same extent, the pattern would be one great figure, composed of concentric squares, whose dimensions and variety would depend on the number of leaves, and the arrangement of the raising cords. Tweeled and plain textures.-For patterns of this kind, the mountings will consist of one set of plain, and one set of tweeling leaves, and the raising and sinking cords of the plain mounting are tied alternately on the tweeling treadles. It must be observed, however, that in all mountings which have an odd number of tweeling leaves, double the number of treadles are requisite, in order to make the plain sheds alternate without interruption. All tweeled stripes, which have an even number of tweeling leaves, are woven with one set of tweeling treadles, as the sheds of the plain parts can then be made alternate without any interruption. Where the pattern will permit, the greater portion of the tweeling leaves should be sunk, and therefore, the weft will appear to most advantage on the upper side of the cloth while in the loom. Besides this advantage, the strain on the machinery will not be near so great, in raising the smaller portion of leaves. Sometimes the draught of a tweeled stripe is made in the diamond form, and the pattern produced is commonly called a dart stripe, or herring bone. When a web is to be tweeled across, in order to form checks or the borders of handkerchiefs, the same number of leaves must be employed for the ground that are requisite for the tweeled stripe. Thus, to convert a four leafed tweel stripe into a check, the common mounting of four leaves, will produce a similar tweel across the web. But should the stripe be woven in a six or eight leafed tweel mounting, the plain parts must also be drawn on six or eight leaves, and each leaf is corded so as to rise and sink alternately in the plain parts, but to produce the tweel in the check. Hence it will appear, that a stripe with an odd number of tweeling leaves will not admit of a similar tweel for the crossing or check, as the ground leaves must always be divided into equal portions in weaving the plain parts. Any tweel of an even number of leaves may be converted into stripes and checks; and if the stripe be formed into a dart or herring bone, the plain may be woven by a single over and over draught, and converted into a check the same as the stripe, by working over the treadles in one direction for half of the cross stripe, and reversing the order of treading for the other. Gauze, veining, purles, spidering, &c. are also variously combined with several of the other branches of fancy weaving, and produce some of the most beautiful and delicate patterns in the silk and cotton manufactures. To obtain a knowledge of gauze, veining, spidering, &c. the reader must consult Section Fourth. It must be observed, however, that when gauze and plain are woven in alternate stripes, those parts of the reed which are occupied by the plains will be full; but in the gauze spaces, a dentful of the warp passes through every second interval only; consequently, the set of reed in the former, will, in general, be double of that in the latter. And hence, when additional weft is thrown in, the plain texture will make a pretty bold contrast to the light transparent fabric of the gauze. As the warp of gauze, when converted into plain texture, produces but a very thin or flimsy fabric, it is necessary to introduce additional warp as well as weft into those parts which are woven plain, which, one being flushed above, and the other below, the gauze spaces, are afterwards cut away. A dentful of this additional warp is taken into the reed alternately with a dentful of the gauze; so that the former, as noticed above, is exactly double the set of the latter. This method of forming patterns with gauze and cambric, like some of the other branches of fancy weaving, may be extended to all the varieties of a diaper mounting (see Dornic and Diaper, page 112, Section Second :) for any draught of the latter may be adapted to the former, merely by substituting one set of gauze, and one of plain leaves, for each set of the tweel, and varying the succession of the draught and treading accordingly. It is not customary for the manufacturer to annex the plans of cording to these compound draughts; neither is it always necessary, particularly in extensive business, to represent in the draught every leaf which is requisite in the mounting. All that is commonly required in the draught is, to point out to the headle-maker, the quantity and arrangement of each kind of the warp in one set of the pattern, with the number of times the pattern is to be repeated; and to the weaver, the order of succession in which these several warps are to be drawn into their respective mountings; each being supposed to understand his own department of the business. The first loom to which we shall turn our attention in this Sec tion, is the invention of Mr. Charles Fletcher, an ingenious mechanic, of Stroud, county of Gloucester; and for which he obtained a patent in March, 1838. This loom, being of vertical construction, differs very much from those described in Section Tenth; and although it is not, in some respects, calculated for weaving fancy textures, we think it may, without impropriety, be explained in the present section. The invention consists, firstly, in a peculiar arrangement or disposition of mechanism, for the purpose of weaving woollen goods; and secondly, in the introduction of certain new parts or pieces of mechanism into looms in general, by means of which considerable advantage, as to speed and uniformity of work, is obtained, especially as regards the weaving of woollen cloths. By these improvements, Mr. Fletcher assures us he is enabled to weave better cloth by power than has hitherto been accomplished by hand, the cloth being much firmer, and the mechanism affording the capability of making more " picks" per minute, and causing less breaking of the warp threads, thereby producing a fabric of better quality, and in greater quantity, in a given time. In this loom the yarn beam is situated at the bottom of the framing, and the cloth roller is placed at the top (as in E. K. Arphaxad's great weaving engine, pages 20 to 37, of the Introduction.) The warp threads proceed through the headles in vertical positions, while the headles are moved to and fro horizontally. The lay is made to rise and fall vertically by the action of suitable cams and levers, and is impelled upwards by the momentum of a falling weight, or weights, which can be so regulated and adjusted as to increase or diminish the blow, as may, under circumstances, be found desirable. This part of the mechanism is also furnished with suitable elastic regulating stops for the rising lay to strike against at the moment that the reed is beating up the weft, and by the elasticity of these regulating stops, the sudden concussion of the lay, and consequent strain upon the warp threads, is immediately relieved; whilst the blow being caused by a descending weight mounted upon the end of a lever attached to the cam shaft, any degree of impulse can be given to the lay without causing an undue strain upon the warp threads, and with much greater effect upon the cloth than can be obtained by the best hand weaving. In order to illustrate Mr. Fletcher's improvements in the construction of looms, and that they may be more definitely explained, we have drawn the figures on an enlarged scale, which will enable the reader better to comprehend the novel features of the machine. |