_CARD-CUTTING AND LACING_
The mountings which have been given are of two descriptions--the
Norwich, with the straight harness, and the London or twisted harness,
with the cards hanging to either side of the loom, as the machine
can be turned either way to suit. For the Norwich ties the cards are
supposed to hang to the back of the loom, but it often happens that
there is not space between the looms to admit of all the cards being
hung at the back, and it is usual for one loom to have the cards to
the back and the next one to the front. When the cards hang to the
front of the loom the mounting is tied up so that when finished it
will be the same as if mounted for the cards to hang at the back; and
afterwards turned round so that the back will be at the front. In case
the back left-hand corner twine is the first cord of the harness with
the cards at the back, the front right-hand twine would be the first
if the cards are at the front, and the drawing in of the yarn must
begin at it. If the loom is mounted in this way, and the yarn drawn in
from the opposite side, as if the cards were to hang at the back, the
result will be a toothed or broken-up appearance round the edges of the
pattern. The same cards will do for either mounting, but the pattern
and twill will be reversed on the cloth--that is, they will run from
left to right on the one, and from right to left on the other. The
effect produced on letters was mentioned when speaking of them.
It was mentioned that jacquards are usually made with 51 rows of hooks
or needles, of 8, 10, or 12 in the row, being for 4^{00}, 5^{00},
and 6^{00} machines respectively, which are those most used; 2^{00}
and 3^{00} machines are used for small mountings, but they may be
considered as half 4^{00} and 6^{00} machines. Sometimes the machines
are made of any size required--that is, with any desired number of
rows of holes in the needle boards. The objection to this is that the
cards cannot be copied on the ordinary repeating machines; but piano
card-cutting machines can be made with the index to suit for cutting
any length of card. When using 4^{00}, 5^{00}, or 6^{00} machines, or
the double sizes, 8^{00}, 10^{00}, or 12^{00}, and more than one is
required for the mounting, a second must be used, such as an 8 and a 4,
or a 12 and a 6; a 12 and a 5 would not do so well, as the 12 has 12
needles in the row and a 5 has but 10. It would be better to use a 12
and a 6 and leave 100 hooks idle, if only 1700 are required. If a 12
and a 5 is to be used it may be done by having the cumber board made 12
in the row, but made finer in the proportion of 12 to 10; then, where
the 12-row harness is to pass through it, every sixth row of holes can
be left empty, and it will be all right for the 10-row harness from the
5^{00} machine.
Designs are painted upon the point paper for the purpose of enabling
them to be transferred to the cards, which act on the needles of the
jacquard, and cause the proper warp threads to be raised. The pattern
is put upon the cards by punching holes in them, one hole being punched
for each check on the design paper that is filled in with colour, or it
may be the reverse of this, or otherwise, according to circumstances.
The common method is to cut the red, and leave the ground or unpainted
portion, and the black, which stands for ground. There is a card for
each line of the design paper for damask patterns; the holes in the
cards represent the dots on these lines, if each line was cut off and
cut into separate designs or larger squares, then these squares set up
lengthways and laid together. Take the pattern, Fig. 70, and cut the
first line from left to right. The card is shown at Fig. 89 at A. Turn
the pattern upside down and examine the first line to the right-hand
side. The two first checks are empty; two holes in the card or two
punches of the piano machine are passed over; the next three checks are
painted, for these three holes are cut in the card, and the remaining
three checks in the design being empty are passed over. The next design
has the second and seventh checks filled and these are cut on the card,
and so on with the others. The two small holes at each end of the card
are for the lacing twine, and the large one at each end for the peg on
the cylinder of the jacquard. The intersections of the fine lines on
the card show where the holes fall when required to be cut.
This card would be for a 200 machine, the empty or unused needles being
left at the first half of the card; 26 rows of 8 needles to the card.
The card B given in this figure is the first of the heavy cutting, No.
17 on the pattern. Reading from the pattern as before, pass 2, cut 2,
pass one which is black, cut 3, and so on, cutting the red and passing
the black or twilling dots whether they be white, black, blue, yellow,
or green; they are only there for convenience, to avoid the trouble of
leaving the spaces empty when painting the pattern at first, it being
simpler to dot them over afterwards.
[Illustration: Fig. 89]
The cards are numbered at the selvage end, which goes to the sneck
side of the jacquard when working. The design may be read from left to
right, but the usual method is to turn it upside down, and read from
right to left, which comes to the same thing, beginning to cut from
the numbered end of the card. Some begin to cut at the other end of
the card, and read from right to left on the design without turning
it, which is still the same. If the loom is mounted or the yarn drawn
in, beginning with the front row of the harness instead of with the
back row to the left-hand side, the cards should be read the reverse
way from the design paper; or, what would be the same, turn them over
after cutting them. This changes the top row of holes in the cards to
the bottom, or from the back to the front of the cumber board. In case
of the loom being mounted from back to front, and the yarn being drawn
into the harness beginning with the front row in the cumber board, the
cards, if cut in the ordinary way, would give the pattern a broken or
toothed appearance. Turning the cards upside down would remedy this,
but would only answer if each part of the mounting consisted of full
rows of needles, for, if any part began or ended on a broken row,
turning the card would take the holes in it for this part row away
from the needles: that is, say if the harness was connected with four
needles at the top of the row and the card cut for these, the holes
would fall on the four needles at the bottom of the row, if the card
was turned upside down. The cards should be numbered on the side which
is uppermost when they are being cut, and this side should come against
the needles if the work is properly carried out.
[Illustration: Fig. 90]
The old method of cutting cards was for one to take the pattern and
call out the holes to be punched, and they were punched out by a second
person, a perforated plate over the card being sometimes used as a
guide to place the holes in their correct positions. A better method
was found in the punching plates shown in Fig. 90. A and B are two
plates hinged together. B No. 2 shows the full upper plate. The card is
placed on the lower plate, and the upper one closed down on it. Punches
are then filled by hand into the holes in the upper plate according as
the pattern is read from the design; then the plates are passed through
a roller press, which pushes the punches through the card. With small
machines this suited very well; but the filling in of the punches was
tedious for larger machines, and shortly after the introduction of the
jacquard by Mr. S. Wilson, in 1821, he introduced a method for filling
the plate with punches to correspond with each line of the design
paper, as follows:--Over, or in front of, the design a set of upright
cords is placed, as in reading the patterns on the simple of the
draw-loom. On these cords the pattern is picked, and weft threads drawn
in, one for each line of the design paper, for plain damask. When all
the design is finished the threads compose one repeat of the pattern
in a loosely-woven cloth. The upright cords or leashes pass through
eyes in a set of needles, arranged like those in a jacquard machine and
each weft thread put in, when picking the pattern, shows which of the
leashes are to be drawn. As each set of leashes is drawn the needles
connected with them come into contact with a set of punches arranged in
a frame or plate, and push them into a punching plate, which is then
placed over the card, as in Fig. 90, and passed through a roller press.
This method of picking the pattern for card-cutting is still in use,
and an improved method of using the plates and rollers is still found
very convenient for many purposes, such as copying cards and small
patterns, &c. (See Copying Machines.)
[Illustration: Fig. 91]
Card cutting is now almost entirely done by ‘piano machines.’ They take
the name of piano from the pins or keys which are arranged for the
cutter’s fingers, and to distinguish them from an older machine, which
is similar in make, but in it the pins or keys which act as locks on
the punches are wrought with cords instead of by the fingers. The cord
machine is similar in make to the piano machine; but the cutter usually
sits at one side, and has the board or stand for the pattern facing
him. The treadles are also turned sideways; but the cord is put in
at the end, as in the piano machine. Fig. 91 shows how the cords are
arranged. AA are the cords, 12 in number, which the cutter draws. BB
are another set from the former ones to the keys, passing under pulleys
at C. D is the punch-box. The keys have springs on them, which press
them in over the heads of the punches; but at the top of the cords are
indiarubber springs, fastened to the crossbar E on the frame which
supports the cords, and these springs are strong enough to draw out the
keys. When any of the cords AA are drawn down the cords BB connected
with them are slackened, and the keys spring in over the punches,
locking them, and punching holes when the treadle is pressed down.
The cords BB can be connected from the right-hand side of AA to the
right-hand side of the punch keys, and run from right to left, or they
may be the reverse of this, according to the way the cutter reads the
pattern. Sometimes piano machines are fitted to work with cords to suit
the cutter. In this case there is only one set of cords, as AA, set
behind the punch block, and the cutter sits at the end of the machine.
Instead of springs, weighted levers, or tumblers, may be used at the
top of the cords on the bar E. When springs are used the bar should be
lowered when the cutter is not working, by slackening the set screws
at GG, so as to relieve the strain on the springs. When working the
cord machine the cutter uses only one hand to draw the cords; but on
the piano machine he uses both hands, and can proceed quicker with the
cutting.
Fig. 92 is a view of Devoge’s piano cutting machine. In these machines
one cross row of the card is punched at each tread; the cutter sits
in front of the machine, with the design fastened on the frame before
him, as shown in the figure. The straight-edge, or ruler, across the
design is for the purpose of guiding the cutter’s eye along the line
of the design paper that he is cutting from, and he screws it up or
down a line, as the case may be, for every card he cuts. He keeps one
foot on each treadle and his fingers on the keys in the punch block,
the arrangement of which is shown in Fig. 93, and presses in a key to
correspond with each dot on the line of the design paper on one design,
or large square, for each tramp.
The numbered end of the card is put into the clip on the index
carriage, and the guide for the card set to suit the width of the card
used, so that the punch will cut the holes in the centre of the card.
The lacing and cylinder peg holes are first cut, by pressing in the
keys E for the peg hole, and for the lacing 2 and 7 for an 8-row card,
1 and 8 for a 10-row, and _a_ and _c_ for a 12-row. Any blank designs,
or rows of the card, are now passed over, by running back the index
carriage, if the design does not occupy the full length of the card,
it being the usual custom to leave all empty rows to the selvage or
numbered end of the card, though it may in some cases be advisable to
be otherwise. The selvage, if any, is usually cut first, and then the
pattern.
[Illustration: Fig. 92]
Pressing down the right foot treadle, when any of the keys are pushed
in, punches holes in the card with the punches locked, and the left
foot treadle, which works alternately with the other, is for moving the
index carriage, which shifts the card from one row of holes that have
been punched to the next one, so as to place it in position for the
punches. In Fig. 93 the black dots represent the heads of the punches,
12 in number. The keys 1 to 8 are used for cutting an 8-row card; when
any key is pressed in it passes over the head of its corresponding
punch, and locks it, so that when the cutter presses down the treadle
and the punch block is brought down on the card, the locked punch is
pressed through it, while those not locked rise up. The keys _a_ and
_c_ added to the 8 suit for cutting 10-row cards, and _b_ and _d_ added
to these suit for 12-row cards. The four keys _a b_ and _c d_ can be
pressed in with the two thumbs. E is the key for the peg hole.
A good cutter can cut from 100 to 150 cards per hour, but this is
laborious for constant work. Sometimes the cutting machines are driven
by power, but as yet (1894) this is not general.
[Illustration: Fig. 93]
Messrs. Devoge & Co. can attach an arrangement to their machines so
that they can be driven with a belt. The punch block is wrought by
a lever driven by an eccentric, and is kept constantly rising and
falling; the cutter fingers the pins so as to keep time with the punch
block, and should he wish to stop, or should anything go wrong, he can
stop the card at once by raising one treadle and pressing down the
other, which throws the motion for shifting the index carriage out of
gear, and the card stands stationary, and although the punch block
continues to work it takes no effect when the punches are not locked
by the keys. The machine works very smoothly, with very little noise,
and with a little practice any boy or girl accustomed to card cutting
can easily become acquainted with working it. The index of the piano
machine is generally made for 51 rows of holes in the cards, 400, 500,
and 600 machines being those generally employed: 51 rows of 8 = 408
needles; 51 rows of 10 = 510 needles; and 51 rows of 12 = 612 needles,
which, with a few odd needles on the 25-row side, represent the number
of needles in a 4^{00}, 5^{00}, and 6^{00} machine. If larger machines
with longer cords are required, the index of the cutting machine must
be altered to suit them.
Card paper should be of such a quality as will not be easily affected
by the atmosphere. When cards are for small machines, and are only
required to work for a short time, an inferior paper will do for
them, and save expense; but for large patterns which are intended
to work for years it will come cheaper in the end to get a good
quality of paper--in fact, the best that can be made. Specially
prepared oil-saturated paper is made for the purpose of preventing the
atmosphere taking too much effect on it. For hand looms, sometimes the
cards are painted with red lead, and sometimes with shellac varnish, or
shellac (best red) dissolved in methylated spirits.
Cards are made of different weights of paper; some prefer them thin,
and others thick. A moderately thin, tough paper is the best. About 16
to 18 cards to 1 lb., for 400 cards, is a good medium weight.
After the cards are cut they have to be laced into a chain to revolve
round the jacquard cylinder on the loom. The usual method of lacing is
to have a frame with pegs or studs set in it at a distance apart to
suit the size of the jacquard cylinder. The cards are spread on this
frame as shown at A, Fig. 94, and laced with a steel needle, thicker in
the centre than at the ends; it is about 2-1/2 in. long, and has an eye
in the centre, through which a piece of fine twine is tied in a loop,
and the lacing tape can easily be drawn through this. The cards at A
are numbered 1, 3, 5, but all the numbers would follow in rotation if
the jacquard had only one cylinder; if a double-cylinder machine, half
the cards would be laced forward, as at A, and the other half (the even
numbers) backward, as at B. The odd numbers usually go to the back of
the loom, and the even ones to the front.
Several kinds of cord and tape are used for lacing cards, but two
plies of round cotton cord, well soaped or waxed, is usually the most
satisfactory for wear.
When lacing cards, the lacings should be crossed over, each one passing
from left to right of the other in turn, at each hole and between the
cards. This is important, to keep the cards straight.
The cards should be tightly laced, as the lacing is almost certain
to stretch a little; so that they are better for being rather tight
for the cylinder at first, otherwise they are liable to become too
slack after a little wear, and if such is the case they will not fall
properly on the cylinder pegs. This and other causes--such as irregular
expansion or contraction of the cards, badly cut cards, and a long draw
on the cards--occasion considerable wear on the peg holes, and now
eyelets are being tried in them to avoid the breaking-up of the holes;
but it is probable that good paper and careful work will prove a more
suitable remedy. The card should not be deeper than the face of the
cylinder; better a trifle less, to allow for the lacing to pass between
them, and then if laced as tightly as possible they will still be
pliable and work freely. Cards are usually numbered with pen and ink,
but the numbers may be stamped on with an indiarubber stamping machine
similar to that used for paging books.
[Illustration: Fig. 94]
_Lacing Machines._--The Singer Sewing Machine Company brought out a
machine some years ago for lacing cards, and it performs its work very
well, though many object to it, as it stitches a lacing tape along the
cards, instead of lacing them in the usual way. The machine is a 3-or
4-head sewing machine, according as three or four rows of lacing are to
be used on the cards. The lacing is a tape; one tape is laid below the
cards at each row of lacing, and another above, and both are stitched
together through the cards.
Another machine was invented by Count Sparre more recently which laced
or sewed the cards through the ordinary lacing holes, much in the same
manner as hand lacing, except that the lacings are looped on each other
through the holes instead of passing up and down through alternate
holes.
A still later one, by Messrs. Reid & Fisher, of Dunfermline, and Mr.
Parkinson, of Bradford, has further improvements; this machine is now
working very satisfactorily. Other machines have since followed.
_Copying or Repeating Machines._--There are several varieties of
machines for copying or repeating a set of cards after they have been
cut by the piano machine, and it often happens that this is required in
case of several looms being put on the same pattern; or it may be that
a set of cards for one loom is made up of two or three parts repeated
several times.
One of the simplest of the repeaters is a small treadle machine in
which the card is repeated by rows, the holes of the cut card acting
upon needles that push in the pins above the punches, which are
similar to those in the piano machine; and each row is punched by
depressing a treadle. This is a slow method of repeating, but suits for
small factories where it is not worth while having a more expensive
machine. Any boy or girl can repeat the cards, instead of requiring a
card-cutter to read them.
A more useful machine is the railway press repeater; it is taken
from the old method of cutting described on page 142. The cards to
be repeated are placed on a cylinder the same as that used in the
jacquard, and pass down over the ends of long needles similar to the
jacquard needles, but arranged in a box, and with long helical springs
on them. In a thick plate, or box, in front of the needles is a set
of punches, and the stamping plate rests in front of the punch box,
close up against it. By means of a treadle the needle box can be drawn
forward, and where there are holes in the card to be copied the needles
pass through them, and, pressing on the punches, push them from the box
into the stamping plate. The punches have heads on them that will not
pass through the stamping plate, but will go into the holes in the
box or frame, and when they are pushed into the plate it can be drawn
away and turned over so as to prevent them from falling out. The plate
is then placed on a box-plate made to hold the card to be cut, and
somewhat similar to that shown in Fig 90. The box or hinged plates are
set on a slide frame with rollers to travel on, and at the end of the
frame is a strong roller press. The plates can easily be run forward to
the press, and the card punched by running them under the roller; it
may then be taken out, and as many impressions from the plate cut as
are required. When finished, the stamping plate is taken back to the
punch box and placed against it as before; then, with a comb, or block
of wood, set with pins, all the needles are pushed out of the plate
into the punch box. Another card can be brought before the needles, and
the plate filled as before.
[Illustration: Fig. 95]
[Illustration: Fig. 96]
This machine is very useful for copying damaged cards, even when a
repeater as those about to be described is at hand. A damaged card can
be held between the needles and punches, and the plate filled, same as
when copying a set.
Figs. 95, 97, and 98 show the principle of working three of the
best-known repeating machines, which will copy a set of cards at the
rate of from 40 to 60 per minute. Fig. 95 shows the arrangement of the
punches in Nuttall’s patent repeater. The punches are shown at A, and
the stoppers or keys at B; the cards to be punched pass in between
the blocks C and D. B^1 shows the shape of one of the stoppers which,
when over a punch, locks it, and causes a hole to be cut in the card.
The stoppers all stand over the punches when at rest; the cards to be
copied are hung on a cylinder, and act on a set of horizontal needles,
_g_ (Fig. 96); these needles have upright wires, _m_, _n_, passing
through eyes in them, and also through eyes in the stoppers _b_. The
upright wires act as levers, working on centres, _m_; and when one of
the horizontal needles _g_ is pushed back by the card to be copied,
the corresponding stopper _b_ is drawn from above the punch _a_, which
allows it to rise when the card to be cut is raised up against it by
the block D (Fig. 95), between which and the punch block _c_ the cards
to be cut pass, so that no hole is punched in the card; but where there
are holes in the card to be copied, the needles _g_ are not pressed
back, and the stoppers are allowed to remain over the punches, locking
them, and causing holes to be cut in the card pressed up against them.
[Illustration: Fig. 97]
This machine has been superseded by one in which upright rods act as
stays on the punches. These rods stand on the punches, which have
concave tops on them; the upper ends of the rods rest under the bars
of a grid, or rebated plate, shown in section at P (Fig. 95). When
in this position the punches are all locked. A set of needles are
connected with these rods, and when the card to be copied presses on
them, those that are pushed back move the top of the rods connected
with them from under the bars to the spaces between them, which allows
the rods to rise up with the punches when the card to be cut is pressed
up.
[Illustration: Fig. 98]
The principle of a repeating machine made by Mr. McMurdo, of
Manchester, is shown in Fig. 97. The cards to be copied hang on the
card frame of a jacquard, as shown at C. From the hooks of the jacquard
to the punches A are wires in the form of a single harness. The blank
cards D pass in over the block B, which is stationary. Enlarged front
and side views of a punch are given at G and H. At 1, 2, and 3 are
shown the notches cut in the punch, through which the slide bars E
and F pass. These slides are also shown at E^1 and F^1. The bar E is
stationary, acting as a stay for keeping the punches in the box, and
the notches in them, at 1, are long enough to let them slide up and
down on the bar. The slide F is drawn out before the jacquard is drawn,
and pushed in again afterwards; if any of the punches are raised by the
jacquard, the notch 3 will be raised to the position of the notch 2,
and the slide bar will pass through the lower notch, thus holding the
punch up, and when the punch block is pressed down, holes will be cut
in the card where the punches are locked in the upper notch. When the
punch block is being sunk to punch the cards, it is necessary to have
a spring in the wires that connect the punches to the jacquard hooks,
and this is effected by having the wires made with a sliding joint and
a small spiral spring on them, as shown at L.
The principle of Devoge’s repeater is shown in Fig. 98. This is one of
the oldest machines in the market, and there are various opinions as
to whether it is excelled by any of the others, or not. It is somewhat
on the principle of the French repeating machines, being wrought by a
jacquard and harness, E, to which a second harness or set of cards, F,
is attached, and passes over pulleys to the punches A. When the harness
E is drawn by the jacquard, the cords F are slackened, allowing the
punches to drop, and they are locked in the punch box by the slide bar,
H. The cards to be copied are shown at D, and those to be cut pass
through at C. The punch block is stationary, and the block B rises
against the punches with the card on it.
The blank cards require to be laced to make them ready for the
repeaters, and also to have the peg holes cut in them; blocks are
provided for the purpose of cutting the lace and peg holes. An enlarged
view of a punch is shown at P.
WIRING CARDS
After the cards are laced, if intended to be wrought on power looms in
the usual way, they require to be ‘wired’--that is, to have pieces of
straight stiff wire, about 2 in. longer than the cards, tied across
them to the lacing, so that they may be hung on the racks or frames
prepared for them on the looms. The wires should project 1 in., or
rather more, at each end of the cards; they should be tied to the under
side of the cards, so as not to come against the jacquard cylinder, and
it also bears them better, being under the lacing. A piece of waxed
twine is mostly used for tying them on.
The distance between the wires depends upon the number of cards, and
the height they are when on the loom. For a small set, a wire to
every fourteen or sixteen cards is a very good distance apart, but
for a large set a wire to every twenty or twenty-four cards will be
sufficient in order to give a longer drop and take up less lateral
space.