Preparing and Stamping of Jacquard Cards.
_Preparing._
The Jacquard card consists of a strong, durable pasteboard cut to the
exact size of the cylinder. For cutting or preparing the cards to
the required size, a table is used with the different sizes of cards
indicated on its surface. A sharp steel blade is adjusted to the side
of the table. A heavy knife of sufficient length, and containing a
second steel blade, is secured to a projecting bolt on the rear end of
the table, allowing enough play for the knife to be easily raised and
lowered. The blade of the knife works close against the blade fastened
to the table; and when pressed down both blades rest close together.
On the front side of the table is a long groove in which is a guide,
fastened by a bolt and nut. This guide can be set to suit any of the
marks on the table, thus regulating the size of the cards to be cut.
Two measures (the length and the width) are required to be cut for each
set of cards: 1st. The sheets of pasteboard are required to be trimmed
one way in sufficient number for the length of the cards. 2d. Each
trimmed sheet is afterwards separated in strips of the required width.
_Card Stamping._
The oldest method for stamping cards, now only occasionally used,
consists of two perforated steel plates, between which the blank
cards are placed, and the required holes stamped by hand by means of
punches. It will easily be seen that this method is not up to the
present advanced times, hence various machines have been introduced for
arranging the punches. Among those most generally used are:
[Illustration: Fig. 1.]
I.--Dobby Card Punching Machines.
II.--Piano Card Stamping Machines.
III.--Repeating Machines.