JACQUARD
WEAVING AND DESIGNING
JACQUARD
WEAVING AND DESIGNING
BY
T. F. BELL
NATIONAL SCHOLAR IN DESIGN (1875-8) AND
THIRD GRADE CERTIFICATED ART MASTER,
SCIENCE AND ART DEPARTMENT, S. K.: MEDALLIST IN HONOURS AND
CERTIFICATED TEACHER IN ‘LINEN MANUFACTURING,’ AND IN
‘WEAVING AND PATTERN DESIGNING,’ CITY AND GUILDS OF LONDON INSTITUTE
LONDON
LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
AND NEW YORK: 15 EAST 16^{th} STREET
1895
_All rights reserved_
PREFACE
The contents of the following pages have been derived from a long
course of art and technical training, together with a lengthened
practical experience in textile manufacturing and designing; during
which time I received much valuable assistance from many kind
friends--especially Mr. B. Ashenhurst, when master of the Belfast
Technical School, and his brother, of Bradford; also Mr. John Mitchell,
of Belfast and Glasgow--which I thankfully acknowledge.
To supply a treatise that would be alike suitable to the manufacturer,
the workman, and the student would be a difficult matter. To explain
each point so fully that it would be clear to every person would
make it wearisome to those having a knowledge of the subject. I
have therefore endeavoured to keep the descriptions as concise as
is compatible with a fairly clear explanation, which I hope will be
considered the wisest plan to adopt; and, while quite aware of the
many shortcomings of the work, I venture to hope that it will prove
a valuable assistance to those wishing to improve their knowledge of
jacquard weaving and designing.
T. F. BELL.
Belfast, 1894.
It affords me much satisfaction to add a few words of introduction to
this work of my friend Mr. Bell. I cannot pretend to criticise his
explanation of technical processes, but, from an examination of the
proof-sheets, I am convinced that the book will be found an invaluable
aid to students of both art and technical schools. We already possess
numerous text-books on designing as an art, as also on the technical
processes of weaving, &c., and on the materials of manufacture. Mr.
Bell has aimed at bringing the technical and artistic sides of the
subject together in a practical form, and has thus provided us with a
valuable handbook.
Though we have a Government Department of Science and Art, a knowledge
of both branches is seldom united in the same individual. The artist
is too often deficient in the science of his craft; while the man of
science not unfrequently shows contempt for art. The author of this
volume is peculiarly qualified for the task he has set himself, being
a practical manufacturer as well as a designer of long experience, and
thoroughly learned in the science of his subject. His book will supply
a long-felt need.
GEORGE TROWBRIDGE,
_Head-Master Government School of Art, Belfast_.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION 1
II. JACQUARD MACHINES 27
III. FULL-HARNESS MOUNTINGS 69
IV. DESIGNING AND DRAUGHTING 110
V. CARD-CUTTING AND LACING 139
VI. SPECIAL JACQUARDS AND HARNESSES 155
VII. GAUZE 196
VIII. DOUBLE CLOTH 233
IX. TAPESTRY AND PILE WORK 255
X. CARPETS 264
XI. LAPPETS AND SWIVELS 294
INDEX 301
JACQUARD WEAVING AND DESIGNING
CHAPTER I
_INTRODUCTION_
Though the term ‘jacquard weaving’ is properly applied to work done by
the jacquard machine, it will here be taken to apply to all harness
weaving, or work that extends beyond the range of shafts, or leaves of
heddles.
The question arises, When is the limit to the number of shafts that
ought to be used reached? It apparently used to be when no more could
be got into the loom, as up to ninety-six shafts were used; and this
seems to be quite enough for any weaver to get the yarn through, or
for any loom to hold, but it must be remembered that at present the
appliances are much more suited to the work than they formerly were;
and now, except in woollen or worsted goods, where it is desirable to
use shafts on account of their firmness in comparison with that of a
harness, from twelve to sixteen shafts are as many as it is generally
thought desirable to have in a power loom. I have seen thirty-five
shafts, all in one tier or set, working diaper very conveniently in a
hand loom, and more than double that number of leaves working worsted
in a power loom; but whether the latter was desirable, or not, I must
leave to the judgment of the manufacturer who possessed it.
Many ingenious inventions have been made for the purpose of simplifying
the working of a large number of shafts, but as a description of them
would be out of place here, we may pass on to the draw loom, which
appears to be the first form of harness of which we have an accurate
description. How the cloths of Babylon were woven, in which
Men’s figured counterfeits so like have been
That if the party’s self had been in place,
Yet Art would vie with Nature for the grace--
is not known, though in Gilroy’s report of Arphaxad’s description of
his loom to Deioces, king of the Medes, it is stated to have been
accomplished by means of carved blocks of wood acting on needles,
which wrought the harness or heddles and thus formed the pattern; but
as Gilroy has admitted that the introduction to his work on weaving
is a pure invention of his own, for the purpose of making it appear
that the Ancients were acquainted with motions similar to those on our
modern looms, or as a ‘take-off on those who angle hourly to surprise,
and bait their hooks with prejudice and lies,’ we need not dwell
further on the subject. In any case, figured cloths must have attained
considerable excellence in very early ages. The curtains of the
Tabernacle were embroidered with figures, and the veil of the Temple
was, according to Josephus, embroidered with all sorts of flowers, and
interwoven with various ornamental figures, the door curtain being
embroidered with blue and purple and scarlet. The ephod of the High
Priest was similarly embroidered.
[Illustration: Fig. 1]
The Egyptians worked coloured patterns in the loom so rich that they
vied with the Babylonian cloths, which were embroidered with the
needle. The method of working is unknown, but cloths taken from the
tombs in Egypt, which may be seen in South Kensington Museum and in the
Gobelins tapestry manufactory, Paris, appear to be made on a principle
similar to that of the Gobelins tapestry; the warp is of flax and the
weft of coloured wool: and the looms depicted on the catacombs in Egypt
are very similar in appearance to tapestry looms.
Embroidering was practised in Egypt prior to the Exodus of the
Israelites; and gold and silver threads or wires were used both for
embroidering and weaving, being known nearly 4,000 years.
The Babylonish garment taken by Achan, whose sin brought much woe upon
the Israelites, is said, by Josephus, to have been a Royal garment
woven entirely of gold; but it might only have been embroidered with
gold, and was probably wrought in the plain of Shinar, as it was not
till long after that Babylon was celebrated for its manufactures.
Pliny says that weaving cloth with gold thread was invented by Attalus,
an Asiatic king, and that the Babylonians were most noted for their
skill in weaving coloured cloths. This was in Homer’s time, about 900
B.C., when weaving and embroidering appear to have attained great
excellence, and to have been very gorgeous. At that time the labour
of the loom was considered an accomplishment, which ladies and even
princesses tried to excel in.
As before stated, the draw loom is the first form of machine for
figured weaving of which we have any record. It is not known where it
was invented, but it probably passed from China to Western Asia with
the silk manufacture. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans do not
appear to have known it. The Chinese have still in use a draw loom in
which the drawboy stands on the top and draws up the parcels of twines
which have been previously arranged for him. After being established in
Damascus (hence the name damask), the draw loom passed on to Europe,
where the Chinese method of working was used till 1604, when M.
Simblot, in France, connected to the neck a separate series of cords,
called the ‘Simple’ (perhaps a corruption of his name), so that the
drawboy could work when standing at the side of the loom. It is said
to have been introduced into England in 1567. The next improvement was
to dispense with the drawboy’s services, and for this purpose a patent
was taken out in 1687, by Joseph Mason, for ‘a draw boy engine by which
a weaver may performe the whole worke of weaving such stuffe as the
greatest weaving trade in Norwich doth now depend upon without the help
of a draught boy.’ In 1779 William Cheape patented a plan to dispense
with the drawboy by having the ‘simple’ above his head, and drawing it
down with knots which were held in notches, as described in Fig. 2.
Before beginning to describe the draw loom it may be better first to
describe what it is required to do.
Its principal use appears to have been for the weaving of damask,
which is one of the simplest forms of figured weaving. Reduce a damask
texture to its elementary form, and it consists of twilling, or, more
correctly, turned or reversed twilling. If we take a common dice
pattern woven with shafts, it will easily be seen that one dice is
formed by a warp twill, and the next one by a weft twill, or that the
dices are formed by warp and weft twills alternately.
[Illustration: Fig. 2]
Now, what forms the pattern? The yarn may be all of one colour, the
threads may be so closely set together as to make them individually
invisible, or to appear as a plain surface, and yet the dices come
out distinctly in two shades of colour. The play of light on the
longitudinal and latitudinal threads produces this effect. The dices
formed by the latitudinal or horizontal threads will always appear
darker than the yarn in the cloth when the latter is placed between
the observer and the light, whether these threads be warp or weft, as
there is a certain amount of shade on each of them, and of shadow cast
by them, whereas the longitudinal or vertical threads are illuminated,
without any shade or shadow, and appear lighter than the yarn did
before being woven; and this is the reason why a good side light is
the best for showing up the pattern on damask, it developing the above
to the utmost. In a good material the difference of shade between the
ground and figure is very considerable, but in some thin, coarse goods
it is hardly visible, requiring them to be held in a favourable light
to show the distinction: the pattern will appear light on a darker
ground, or the reverse of this, according as the surface threads
forming it run across the light or in the direction of it.
This is the reason of the pattern appearing on the cloth; then it is
the business of the designer to regulate what form it is to partake of,
by preparing a suitable design; and according to instructions furnished
to him by the design, it is the duty of the drawboy to raise the warp
by regulating the cording of his harness, and drawing it so as to
reverse the twill from a weft one to a warp one wherever the figure is
to be formed on the cloth, and to do so in such order as to produce the
pattern required.
The draw-loom mounting consists of two parts--the drawboy mounting, or
the harness with its tail and simples, to be wrought by the drawboy;
and the shaft mounting, which is required to form the texture of the
cloth, or to interlace the warp and weft through both ground and
figures; the harness only interlaces them at the edges of the pattern,
or causes either warp or weft to be above, to form the figure _en
bloc_, but without interlacing them together.
It is therefore a ‘compound mounting,’ and is known as a ‘presser’ or
‘pressure’ harness. For simplicity’s sake let us suppose the principle
of the drawboy to be applied to shafts or healds, and take a simple
figure, as Fig. 1.
For it there are 5 parts, or it could be wrought with 5 leaves of
heddles with a straight draught. Fig. 2 shows the mounting; A A is the
back mounting, which in this case is a shaft mounting, but would be a
harness for a more extensive pattern. B, B are the pressure heddles
or front mounting. These are 5 in number, as the ground or texture is
taken as a 5-end satin or twill, C is the pulley box with the tail
cords, D, D, passing over the pulleys, and tied to the wall or to the
loom framing as at E. The knobs F hang over the weaver’s head, and are
attached by cords H, passing through a hole board G, to the tail cords,
D, D. There are heads on the cords H, and the holes in the hole board
are made thus [Illustration: keyhole]; so that when the weaver pulls
down a knob the bead can pass through the round hole, and the shaft
or shafts of the back mounting attached to it will be raised, and can
be kept in this position by drawing the cord into the notch or narrow
part of the hole, which the bead will not pass through. Any number of
shafts can be raised that are required to form the pattern, either by
pulling down the knob for each shaft, or by having the knots corded to
the shafts, so that each one will raise the proper number of shafts.
Thus, in the figure, each knob is only tied to one of the tail cords;
therefore a knob must be pulled down for each leaf of heddles to be
raised, but each knob might be attached to any number of the tail cords
according to the number of leaves of heddles it is required to raise,
so that pulling down each knob in succession will complete the pattern.
It might require too many knobs to do this, and then the former method
would have to be adopted. When the weaver begins to work he draws the
first figure shed with the back mounting by pulling down one or more
of the knobs as is required; he then works over the ground treadles,
b, b, till a change of pattern is required. Next he releases the drawn
shed by pulling the cord out of the notch in the hole board; draws
another shed, and works over the ground treadles as before. This gives
the principle of how the draw loom works, but the principle of forming
the texture with the back and front mountings combined will be fully
explained under ‘Pressure Harness.’
Fig. 3 gives the draw-loom harness; A, A is the carriage, or the rails
that support the harness, which rests on the capes or side rails of the
loom. Supported by the carriage is the pulley box P, which is a frame
fitted with small pulleys, and must be sloped at such an angle as will
allow the tail cords to sink when opening the sheds without obstructing
the pulleys underneath them. The neck twines extend from the figures
1 to 8 to the knots above the hole board D D. The cords which connect
the neck twines to the mails E, E are called sleepers, and those which
connect the mails with the leads F, F are called hangers. The hole
board is made of hardwood perforated with holes, which run from front
to back in diagonal rows from right to left; it should be a little
finer than the set of the reed, to allow for empty holes that are
sometimes caused by the tie of the harness ending with broken rows of
hooks in some or all of the repeats. In Scotland, for this reason,
when the reed is set on 37 in., the cumber board, or hole board, is set
on 36 in.
[Illustration: Fig. 3]
B, B are the tail cords, attached to the neck of the harness at one
end, and at the other end all of them are fastened to the tail stick
M, by means of which they are secured to the roof of the house. There
must be a tail cord for each part of the harness; here only eight are
shown for the front row of the harness, and if there were eights rows
of harness in the hole board, 64 tail cords would be required, and the
complete harness would be made up of several repetitions of the 64 neck
twines; four of these repetitions are here given for the first row of
the hole board. Of course there might be 400 to 600 tail cords in a
full mounting.
From each tail cord descends a vertical cord to the ground, as shown
at G, G. These are the simple cords, which, taken collectively, are
termed the ‘Simple.’ It is on these cords that the pattern is read, or,
rather, tied up. The simple cords are gathered together, according to
the pattern, by passing twines round them and forming the twines into
lashes or leashes, as shown at I, I. Heads of stronger cord, to which
the lashes are attached, are shown at N, N. The leashes or lashes are
made of cotton yarn No. 48, from six to eighteen plies of which are
moderately twisted together so that the twine will not curl; the heavy
twine is used for coarse work, where only a small number of lashes is
necessary. The length of the lashes is from 8 to 12 in., according to
the breadth of the simple. The heads are about 4-1/2 in. long, of good
cord, as foot twine, which is used finer or coarser according as more
or less heads are required. The heads are made with a noose on them
that will run up or down on the gut cord L, which is a strong cord,
generally extending from the ground to the roof of the house. K, K are
the bridles connected with the lashes, and used to draw them down in
succession as they are wanted by the drawboy. When there are a great
number of lashes, two gut cords are used, as shown at No. 1 (Fig. 3),
and the lashes are looped alternately on each and bridled accordingly.
In coloured work, where three or four draws are required for each weft
line of the pattern--that is, one draw for each colour--it is usual to
have two gut cords with cross bridles from the one to the other which
will slide up and down on them. On these, cross bridles the heads of
the lashes are fastened, about 1 in. apart, so that the drawboy can
take them in succession and draw the shed for each colour.
The method of preparing and mounting the draw-loom harness is much the
same as that now in use for jacquard harnesses, and, as it is entirely
out of use, it is unnecessary to describe it.
In order to make the neck twines draw evenly, rollers are placed
between each set of cords at the points 1, 2, 3, &c.; these rollers
keep the cords straight and make them all rise the same height at the
mails, which they would not do unless they all sloped to the hole board
at the same angle.
READING OR LASHING THE PATTERN
[Illustration: Fig. 4]
The pattern, painted on design paper, same as for pressure-harness
damask, is fixed upon a lashing frame, as shown in Fig. 4, and the
lower ends of the simples are passed over it and fastened to the
crossbar B. The simple cords are held in position over the design by
the comb C, C, which must be of such a fineness as to make each simple
cord stand directly opposite that space of the pattern to which it
corresponds, one simple cord being placed between each pair of teeth
of the comb. It will thus be seen that there must be a simple cord
for each vertical line on the pattern, or rather for each vertical
space between the black lines. In the same way, there must be a
head of lashes for each horizontal space, or line, as it is usually
called, and which would answer to a card for the jacquard or dobby.
The straight-edge E E is made so that it will slide up and down in
the frame, to mark the line on the design paper that is to be next
read by the lasher. Now refer to the line of the pattern above the
straight-edge, and it will be seen that the first square or check to
the left is blank, and it is accordingly passed over by the lasher;
the second and third checks are painted, and as the simple cords
corresponding to them have to be drawn to form the pattern, the lasher
twists one end of his lash over the pin G, and takes a turn of it round
the second and third simples, again passing it round the pin G. The
fourth check, being blank, is passed over, and a turn or tack of the
lash twine is taken round the fifth, sixth, and seventh simples, as the
checks on the design paper opposite these are painted. The reading and
lashing proceeds in this way till the line is finished, as shown in the
figure; then the two ends of the lash twine are tied together round
the pin G, which is then taken out, and the loop made round it by the
lash twine is twisted round and formed into a snitch for the purpose
of fastening it to the head. The lash is now pushed down behind the
board H, to make room for another; the straight-edge is then shifted to
the next line, and the lashing proceeded with as before. If too many
painted squares of the design paper come together, all the simple cords
corresponding to them must not be looped or lashed together, but can
be taken in two or more loops or tacks, never taking more than six or
seven simple cords into one tack of the lash twine.
It will be observed that the board H is rounded at the back; this is
for the purpose of having all the simples at an equal distance from the
pin G when they are tacked up by the lash twine, and consequently a
more regular shed will be produced when they are drawn in the process
of weaving.
The method of fastening the head to the lash is to loop the cord for
the head, which should be double, round the gut cord, then knot the
two ends of it together, and take this knot through the snitch formed
on the end of the lash, and when the snitch is drawn tight the knot
prevents the head from slipping out.
In weaving with the draw loom two persons are required--the weaver,
who works over the ground treadles, throws the shuttle, beats up the
weft, &c.; and the drawboy, who takes the lashes in succession as he
draws them down by the bridle, and by pulling out the simples raises
the harness and holds it in this position till the weaver has worked as
many shots as are required to be given to each draught.
When some thousands of twines were required for the harness, and with a
simple of three or four hundred cords, the weight and friction made it
very severe work for the drawboy. To assist him a fork, as shown at V,
No. 2, Fig. 3, was used. It was made to run to and fro on a carriage,
so that when the simples were drawn forward by the lashes, one spike of
the fork could be run in behind those drawn forward, while the other
spike was in front of them. When the fork was depressed, till the
handle T came to the position shown by the dotted lines, it drew down
the simple cords, and they could easily be held in that position till a
change of draught was required.
[Illustration: Fig. 5]
When the mounting of the draw loom was very extensive, it was necessary
to employ from two to ten pulley-boxes and as many drawboys, so that
it is not surprising that many endeavours were made to work without
the aid of a drawboy. One of these machines, known as the ‘Parrot’ or
‘Pecker,’ is shown in Fig. 5. It is wrought by the treadles T, which
are attached to the marches M, and these are connected by the pulley P,
on the rocking shaft R, by a cord which passes over and is fastened to
it. When one of the treadles is pressed down the pulley rocks and turns
the shaft to one side, and when the other treadle is pressed down the
shaft will rock to the other side. The parrot or pecker K is movable
on the rocking shaft--that is, it can slide along it--but it must rock
from one side to the other with the shaft. The cords C, C are passed
through holes in the boards B, B, for the purpose of keeping them in
position, and they have knots or beads on them at _m, m_, and weights,
W, W, at their ends to keep them in tension. Fastened to the cords
C, C is another set of cords, S, connected with the tail cords of the
draw-loom harness, and so corded or arranged as to draw those tail
cords required to be sunk to raise the harness to form the pattern. As
the shaft R is rocked from side to side by depressing the treadles in
succession, it carries with it the pecker K, and the groove or notch
at the point of the pecker, shown clearly in Nos. 2 and 6, coming
into contact with the knots or beads on the cords, draws them down
alternately, first at one side of the machine and then at the other,
until the pecker, as it slides along the rocking shaft, has passed
over all the cords; it is then released and drawn back to its original
position by means of the weight D, attached to it by the cord _e_. At
the end of the rocking shaft is a ratchet wheel, N. The cord _e_ passes
from the pecker through the segmental hole in the pulley P, as shown in
No. 4, and is fastened to a boss, O, on the inner side of the ratchet
wheel. This wheel receives its motion from a catch, as shown at E, No.
5, which is simply a pin fixed in a slotted piece of wood. The pin _y_
forms the catch, and the slot acts as a guide, which passes over the
edge of the ratchet wheel, and keeps the catch in position. The catch
is attached to the marches and works vertically. It is raised by the
treadles, and when released is drawn down by the weight attached to
it, the wire _y_ catching one of the teeth of the ratchet and moving
it round. There are two pins, _z_ and _t_, in the ratchet, as shown
in No. 3, and it is according to their distance apart that the length
of traverse of the pecker is determined. The bar _q_, shown in No. 3
attached to the pulley V, which is loose on the axle, is raised by the
stud _t_, as the ratchet wheel is advanced tooth by tooth, till it
comes into contact with the catch S, and raises it; this allows the
ratchet wheel to be reversed by the weight D on the end of the cord
_e_ till the stud _z_ comes round and draws away the bar, which allows
the catch to fall into position again and stops the pecker where the
pattern is to begin. Thus, the distance between the studs _z_ and _t_
must be arranged to suit the number of cords the pecker has to pass, or
to give the number of threads in the pattern. The teeth of the ratchet
wheel and traverse of the catch must be of such a pitch that as each
tooth is moved round the pulley will be turned the exact distance
required to move the pecker from one cord to the next one. No. 2, Fig.
5, is an elevation of a ‘parrot’ arranged for a single row of cords,
as these machines were first made. There was only one treadle, as
shown in section at M, No. 2, and the pecker only rocked to one side.
Either this or the double machine could be used for a shaft mounting
where a large number of treads are necessary. The cords C pass over
pulleys, and are fastened to long coupers or levers with their fulcrum
at the side of the loom, and to these the shafts are hung from jacks or
otherwise. These machines were made to work very exactly. In the double
machine the pecker would travel over three or four hundred cords in
consecutive order.
To avoid confusion the beads are not shown on the front cords in No. 1.
CROSS’S COUNTERPOISE HARNESS
About the year 1816 Mr. James Cross, of Paisley, invented a machine to
do away with the drawboys.
[Illustration: Fig. 6]
This machine is fully described by Murphy and Gilroy in their works
on weaving. Only the general principle of it will be given here, as
an introduction to the jacquard. The detail of drawing the lashes and
treading, though ingenious, is not of any practical importance now, and
it requires rather a lengthy description to explain it. The harness F
is the same as in the common draw loom till it reaches the tail cords,
where the counterpoise apparatus commences. The framing B B (Fig. 6)
of this machine is supported by the carriage A A, which rests on the
capes or top rails of the loom. In this frame are two boards, C and
D, perforated with holes corresponding in number with the tie of the
harness or cords in the simple. The top board is called the suspension
board, and is mortised into the bar E. From this board the harness
hangs, the neck being taken up through the holes in it, and fastened
above them. The lower board, D, which is mortised into the bar G, is
called the neck board, or directing board, as it keeps the harness in
its proper place. H and K are two other boards, perforated as shown
in Fig. 7, mortised into the sliding bars I and L respectively; these
are called the trap boards, M, M and N, M are four bars, called
pushers, which are fastened to the sliding bars I and L as well as
to the pulleys P, P, and when the pulleys are oscillated by means of
a treadle the sliding bars will be moved up and down. The knot cords
or tail cords O, O are fastened to the suspension board C, and pass
through the two trap boards, then through the neck board, and are tied
to the harness. Only two of these cords are shown tied to the harness,
to avoid confusion. These knot cords have knots or beads on them as
shown, and the round holes in the trap boards H and K, as shown in Fig.
7, must be sufficiently large (about 1/4 in. in diameter) to allow the
knots or beads to pass freely through. There are notches or saw-cuts at
the sides of the holes to admit the cords, but support the knots. T,
T^1 is the simple, extending horizontally through the knot cords. It
is fastened to the ceiling beyond T, and to the frame of the machine
beyond T^1. S is a half-leaf of heddles for the purpose of supporting
the simple cords. Each simple cord is tied to a knot cord, and beyond
T^1 the simple is lashed according to the pattern. In working the
machine the lashes are drawn by means of hooked levers, wrought by a
treadle connected with the pulley V, and those simple cords that are
drawn down pull the knot cords into the notches or saw-cuts in the trap
boards, so that when the trap board is raised the harness fastened to
those knot cords that are drawn into the saw-cuts will also be raised.
R is a set of cords with weights on their ends for the purpose of
drawing the knot cords out of the saw-cuts as soon as the simple is
released by the lashes. The two trap boards rise and fall alternately,
and this is why the machine is called a counterpoise.
[Illustration: Fig. 7]
Some time after an improvement was made upon this machine which was
known as
THE COMB DRAW LOOM
[Illustration: Fig. 8]
This machine appears to have been invented in both Scotland and
Ireland, as Gilroy describes it as an invention of Dr. McLaughlin, of
Ballyshannon, County Donegal; and Murphy describes a similar machine
invented by Mr. Bonnar, of Dunfermline. The machine is shown in Fig.
8. A, A are the posts of the loom, and B B the top rail; C C is
the framing of the machine. The harness G, G is suspended from the
suspension board D, and passes through the guide board E and the cumber
board F. The upper portion of the harness is composed of tail or knot
cords, as in Cross’s machine. From each of the tail cords a simple
cord, H, extends horizontally over the weaver’s head, and is fastened
to the board I. The lashes K hang from the simples over the weaver’s
head, and have a knob on the end of each, so that the weaver can catch
them and draw his own draught.
[Illustration: Fig. 9]
The lash cords have a knot or bead on them, so that when drawn they can
be held in the cuts of the board L, also shown in plan at L (Fig. 9).
M, N (Fig. 8) is a side view of the comb and handle, or lever, shown in
plan at M, N (Fig. 9). S is a cord or chain attached to the end of the
lever M, and passing down to a treadle. When the weaver draws one of
the knobs, the tail cords connected with the simples in this lash are
drawn between the teeth of the comb, as shown by the dotted lines in
Fig. 8. He then depresses the treadle, which raises the comb, and the
harness along with it; he holds the treadle down with his left foot,
and works over the ground treadles with his right one. The comb is
recovered or counterbalanced by the cord O, which passes from the comb
through the board P, and has a weight, R, suspended on it. D (Fig. 9)
is a plan of the boards D, E, F and I (Fig. 8).
THE BARREL OR CYLINDER LOOM
This machine was introduced by Mr. Thomas Morton, of Kilmarnock. The
harness and tail or knot cords are arranged similarly to those in the
comb draw loom; but instead of the simple cords for drawing out the
tail cords, each tail cord in the barrel loom passes through a slide,
or horizontal wire. The points of these slides are acted upon by the
pattern cylinder or barrel, and those held back press out their tail
cords from the others, and the knots on these tail cords are caught by
the teeth on the comb or roller, and the harness raised.
The pattern is arranged upon the barrel much in the same way as a
tune is arranged on the cylinder of a barrel organ or musical box. A
section of the barrel is shown at A (Fig. 10), with wire staples driven
into it to form the pattern.
[Illustration: Fig. 10]
Each of these staples represents so many lines of the design paper, or
so many lashes or draughts. The pattern is ruled out and painted on
the barrel, and staples are driven into it so as to cover the painted
squares of the pattern. The barrel is so arranged on the loom that
exactly the space of one line of the design paper is turned round for
each draught, and the slides are drawn back by cords attached from
their ends to a roller when the shift of the barrel is being made. B is
a section of the comb; it is a cylinder with teeth, C, like a parrot’s
beak fixed to it. The teeth are made of this shape to hold the knot
cords when they are caught by them, and they rise or fall as the roller
is rocked upwards or downwards by a treadle.
Whilst these improvements on the draw loom were being made in this
country for the purpose of producing a convenient method of harness
weaving, the French were endeavouring to obtain the same result, but on
a different principle, and their method has proved successful.
In 1725 M. Bouchon employed a band of pierced paper, pressed by hand
against a row of horizontal needles, so as to push back those which
were opposite the blank spaces, and thus bring loops on the extremities
of vertical wires into connection with a comb-like rack below, which,
being depressed, drew down the wires, pushed on the pins in it, and
raised the harness.
[Illustration: Fig. 11]
Fig. 11 is a sketch of a model of this loom in the Conservatoire des
Arts, Paris. A is the pulley-box with two rows of pulleys in it; B the
tail cords; C the simples, tied to rings on their upper ends, which run
on the tail cords at B; the other ends of the simples pass over a small
roller at D to prevent them rubbing against the side of the loom, then
down through the hole board F, under which they are tied to wire hooks
or loops, as shown under A (Fig. 11A). Next these wires pass through
the needle box G, also shown at B, Fig. 11A, and down to the comb H
(Fig. 11), and C (Fig. 11A). The perforated paper is rolled on the
roller E, and passing downwards, is pressed against the needles with a
hand bar, as shown at L, Fig. 11B. The roller K is for rolling up the
paper as it passes down from the upper roller.
Fig. 11B is a back view of the mounting. A shows where the simples are
connected with the tail cords P; B shows the connection of the tail
cords with the harness; C is the cumber board; D the mails and E the
leads. F and K are the two rollers for the paper, H the needle box, and
I the comb. This was the first attempt at forming the pattern by means
of perforated paper acting upon needles and wires.
In 1728 M. Falcon adopted a chain of perforated cards in lieu of the
perforated paper, and placed his horizontal wires or needles in several
rows or ranks, thereby admitting the use of a greater number of them
in a moderate space. He also used a square prism or cylinder, as it is
called, for the cards to pass over.
[Illustration: Fig. 11A]
[Illustration: Fig. 11B]
Fig. 12 is a sketch from a model of his loom, also in the Conservatoire
des Arts. The principle of it is much the same as the preceding. A is
the pulley box for four rows of pulleys, B the connection of the simple
with the tail cords, C the hole board for the simple to pass through
and also the support for the cylinder H, D is the needle box, E the
comb or griffe, F the levers for drawing down the griffe, and G the
treadle. The cards are laced in a chain and pass over the cylinders I
and H, but they are pressed against the needles by a hand bar, similar
to that used by Bouchon. There are two racks or receptacles for holding
the cards, as shown. The cylinders H and I are simply used as rollers
to support the cards, and not for pressing them against the needles, as
in the jacquard.
[Illustration: Fig. 12]
Figs. 12A and 12B give detailed views of the hooks, etc., for drawing
the harness: the letters in both refer to the same parts as are marked
with similar letters in Fig. 12. The simples B are tied to loops on
the hooks under the hole board C. In Fig. 12B it will be clearly seen
how the needles in four rows act upon the hooks. The griffe consists
of four round iron rods or wires set in the frame E, Fig. 12A, which
can be drawn down by the treadle G, connected with the levers F by the
cords 3 and 4. One of the levers has its fulcrum at one side and the
other has it at the opposite side, and the points of the levers are
tied to the griffe frame by the cords 1 and 2. The griffe, when sunk,
is brought back to its place again by weights hanging on cords running
over pulleys. It may be seen that the hooks hang in front of the rods
or bars of the griffe; therefore, those hooks will be pushed on the
griffe whose needles come against the solid portions of the cards, thus
acting similarly to Bouchon’s machine. The hand bar for pressing the
cards against the needles is shown at F. The needles can pass through
the slot in it, and, when a card is pressed against the needles, the
bar can be fastened with hooks for the purpose, so that the operator is
free to depress the treadle. There are no springs on the needles, but
a clap board comes behind them, which is pressed in by means of a cord
passing over each end of it and fastened to a spiral spring. There are
ten leaves of heddles in front of the harness. They are plain clasped
heddles, and apparently act as five, the front five being raised by the
top levers connected with the treadles, as shown in Fig. 11, and the
back five are held up by a set of levers at each side, with weights on
the ends of them, similarly to those now used for hand-loom damasks,
and tied to the treadles below, so that sinking a treadle would cause
one of the back leaves to sink and one of the front ones to rise. Only
the harness mechanism of Falcon’s loom is given in Fig. 12, the front
portion being similar to that of Bouchon, or to any hand loom.
[Illustration: Fig. 12A]
[Illustration: Fig. 12B]
In 1746 the accomplished mechanician, Vaucanson, altogether dispensed
with the cumbrous tail cords and simple of the draw loom, and made the
draw-boy machine completely self-acting by placing the hooks upright
on the top of the loom, and hanging the harness from them. This loom
may be seen in the Conservatoire des Arts, as well as a model of it on
the same scale as those already mentioned--viz., one-third the size.
The machine for drawing the harness is exactly like a small jacquard,
with two rows of hooks and two rows of needles, as shown in Fig. 13.
Instead of a square cylinder and cards, the pattern is punched on
a band of paper, which passes over a round or true cylinder. This
cylinder is fitted with a rack wheel, so that a tooth can be passed for
each change of pattern, the cylinder moving out and turning one tooth,
then pressing in against the cards again. The diameter of the cylinder
is about twelve inches. The hooks are raised with a griffe, similar
to that in a jacquard, which is fastened to a lever connected to a
treadle below. This treadle, and four others for working the heddles,
is wrought by tappets, made of wood, on a shaft running along the side
of the loom and turned by a wince handle in front. Altogether, the loom
is a nice mechanical contrivance, and a great step in advance of its
predecessors.
[Illustration: Fig. 13]
Joseph Marie Jacquard, a working mechanic of Lyons, having invented
a fishing net loom, turned his attention to improving the means of
drawing the harness in looms for figured weaving, about 1790. A model
of a machine by him, dated 1790, to dispense with the drawing of the
harness, is in the Conservatoire des Arts. It is made with cords and
rollers, and has no resemblance to the machine bearing his name. He was
brought to Paris to repair Vaucanson’s loom about 1804, and it appears
to be then that he combined the best qualities of the machines of his
predecessors, and produced the jacquard, a model of which, dated 1804,
is in the Conservatoire des Arts. This is very much like our present
jacquard, but with four rows of hooks and needles made similar to those
of Vaucanson, Fig. 13. He dispensed with Vaucanson’s cylinder and band
of paper, and used instead a square prism with a chain of cards passing
over it. The cylinder (or prism) he set in a frame or carriage, made to
run on four wheels or pulleys on the top of the frame of the loom. The
carriage is drawn out by depressing a treadle, and brought back again
to press the cylinder against the needles, by means of weights tied
to cords running over pulleys. The griffe is raised by means of two
levers, one at each side; one end of each is connected with the griffe,
and the others to a crossbar at the bottom of the loom, and this
crossbar is fastened from its centre to a treadle. In all these looms
the cards or paper hang at the side of the loom, the mounting being on
the principle known as the London tie. Jacquard was born in 1752, and
died in 1834. Vaucanson died in 1782.
FRENCH DRAW LOOM
Shortly after the introduction of Cross’s counterpoise harness, a
machine was imported from France, which is shown in Fig. 14, and
described in Murphy’s ‘Art of Weaving’ as a French draw loom. This
machine far surpassed any attempts at the improvements at the draw
loom that had hitherto appeared, in simplicity of construction and
operation. From the neck upwards the harness is similar in construction
to Cross’s counterpoise, having the knot cords arranged in the same
manner, but with only one trap board. Instead of the cumbrous tail, the
knot cords are acted upon by wires or needles, on each of which is a
loop, through which one of the knot cords passes. D is the cylinder or
barrel, perforated with holes, as in the common jacquard cylinder, and
C, C shows the chain of cards for forming the pattern; E is the lever
for raising the trap board, to which it is connected by means of pieces
of iron at each side, with a bar across between them, to the centre of
which the lever is connected with a piece of wire. O O are crossbars of
wood, with holes in their centres, through which run pieces of strong
iron wire, which are fixed into the trap board at each end to keep it
steady while in operation. There is no spring box for the needles as is
now used in the jacquard, but into the crossbar or frame F is inserted
a flat piece of wood moving on springs, which yields to the pressure
of the needles that are forced back by the barrel, and recovers them
again when the barrel is withdrawn. The lever E is drawn down by the
cord H, attached to a treadle, when the trap board is to be raised, and
the barrel is drawn back by the cord G, which is attached to another
treadle. The barrel is pressed against the needles by springs, and when
it is relieved by the treadle and is moving inwards, it is turned by
one of the catches shown in Fig. 14A. Either of these catches can be
brought into action, so as to turn the barrel either way, by raising
or lowering them with a cord. When at rest the knot cords stand in the
notches or saw cuts of the trap board, but when the cards are pressed
against the needles, except where there are holes in the cards, the
needles are pressed back and the cords are pushed out of the notches
so that the knots stand above the holes in the trap board, and pass
through them when the board is raised by depressing the treadle
connected with the lever E. The trap board is shown in Fig. 7.
[Illustration: Fig. 14]
[Illustration: Fig. 14A]
Whether this machine was Jacquard’s invention or not, I have not been
able to ascertain; but Gilroy states that Jacquard’s first machines
were made with cords and trap boards, like Cross’s counterpoise
machine. It is also recorded that William Jennings, of Bethnal Green,
invented a machine, similar to the above, about 1830, as an improvement
on the jacquard, on account of its simplicity, as the latter appears
to have given the weavers some trouble, and notice was taken of his
machine by the Society of Arts.
[Illustration: Fig. 15]
Machines similar to the above are still in use for hand-loom work, and
answer very well. They have also been used for power looms, but the
cords do not stand the friction long. As at present made about Glasgow,
the cylinders of these machines work on slide rods, and receive their
motion from the rising of the trap board, same as the cylinders in
jacquards are sometimes wrought by the rising of the griffe with what
is known as the ‘swan neck’ motion. The spring board at the ends of the
needles is held back by a spring and drawn in by the cylinder frame
as it moves outwards, which brings all the needles forward, and the
cords into the saw cuts in the trap board, or comb as it is frequently
called. The knots on the cords for these machines are made as at B,
Fig. 15, which, when drawn tight, are as shown at A. The cord is a
good twisted cord, such as whipcord, and the holes in the trapboard
are about 3/16 in. in diameter, which the knots on the cords must pass
freely through. The upper ends of the cords pass through a perforated
board on the top of the machine, and another cord is drawn through
loops on their ends, which prevents them from being drawn through the
holes.