CROSS-BORDER JACQUARDS
A difficulty has always existed in working cross borders on handkerchiefs, cloths, &c., so as to avoid having to shift or change the cards, and also to do without the expense of getting a complete set of cards cut for the whole cloth. It may be also that different patterns are required on the cloth, such as cross bands of small figures, and if, say, twenty cards would make a repeat of one figure, and it was required to weave, say, 100 repeats of this, and then change to, say, fifty repeats of some other figure, the same difficulty would arise as with cross borders. When there is only a short distance between the changes of pattern, it will generally be found more profitable, all things considered, to have the complete set of cards cut, so as to require no changing, particularly if the pattern will run for a length of time; but when the patterns or cloths are long, the cards become very expensive, and even if it would be desirable to get a complete set for the full cloth, it may be that there would not be space on the looms to hold them, over 15,000 cards being sometimes required to weave a complete tablecloth.
Many methods have been adopted to remedy the inconvenience and to save expense. A few of them will be given, but it must be left to manufacturers to judge whether they would prove an advantage to them or not.
For weaving cloths or curtains it is a common practice to have the cross-border cards and one repeat of the centre pattern cut. The card rack is made as in No. 2 (Fig. 99).
When either the border or centre cards are working, they are put into the hollow part of the rack or card frame, as at F, and the other set is hung on the flat rest of the frame, at either D or E. When a change is to be made, a card-shifter has to go up and change from one set to the other, lifting the set that had been working out of the hollow of the frame, and putting it back or forward on the rest D or E, and bringing the set which is to work down into the place of those removed. This, of course, is expensive, gives a great deal of trouble, and is severe on the cards; at the same time, in many cases it is found to answer as well as any method yet adopted, particularly where space is a consideration, and when two or more sets of cards are used, in case of two or more machines.
A better plan is to have a sliding-card frame, as shown in No. 1 of the same figure. A is the frame for the rollers over which the cards travel, B, B are two bars on which the card frame C, with the roller frame A attached, travels. The card frame is only shown in end view. Two of these must be for each set of cards, and the whole frame must be fastened together complete for all the cards required, so that it will all slide on the bars B, B. Suppose there are two machines working there must be four card racks; on two of these the centre cards are hung, and on the other two the border cards. Either set can be placed opposite the cylinders of the jacquard, and wrought as long as is required; then they must be taken off the cylinders, the card frame shifted till the other set of cards comes into their place, when they can be put on the cylinders and wrought over. This is a very good plan for working long cloths, but takes up a good deal of space, and for more than two machines might in many cases be unsuitable.
Fig. 100
Another method is to have two sets of card irons, one above the other; the border cards are hung on the lower frame, and the centre cards on the upper one. The centre cards will work in the usual way, and when the border is to be wrought the cards for it are taken round the centre set, which, of course, are taken off the cylinder. The rollers must be made to shift so as to direct the cards properly into their respective frames; the top frame is smaller than the bottom one, and farther out from the machine. If hooks and eyes are sewn on the first and last cards of these sets, the weaver can hook them together when a fresh pattern is required, so that the one set will carry the other round the cylinder. Then, by drawing a cord, the rollers should change position so as to direct the falling cards into the proper frame. The card irons are of the usual shape, and the distance between the upper and lower ones may be regulated by circumstances.
Another simple method is to have the card frame made with a double curve in it, as shown in [Fig. 100]. One set of cards hang in each of these curves, as at A and B. The set in the curve A can be wrought over as long as required; then these cards can be taken off the cylinder and the set at B put over it. One thing must be observed: that the frame and rollers be so placed that the cards can be guided into the receptacle B, and to do this there must be a considerable fall for the cards, so that for a loom with a low framing this might not be feasible. Otherwise, it is a simple method of arranging two small lots of cards, and if one lot is much larger than the other, let A be a narrow curve, and the small lot of cards hang in it, which will lessen the slant of the cards falling to B.
Although such arrangements as the foregoing are required where there is much machinery used, it is evident that for frequent changes they would take up quite too much time. Several machines have been made for the purpose of changing from one set of cards to another without having to move the cards. The principle of these machines is to have two cylinders, one at each side; one set of cards is placed on one cylinder, and the other set on the other cylinder, so that by working one or other cylinder, as required, either border or centre may be woven. No. 1 ([Fig. 101]) shows a plan that was tried some time ago, but did not work satisfactorily. The needles passed through a needle board at each side of the machine, as at A and B, and had small spiral springs fastened on them inside the needle boards. The border cards could be put on the cylinder at A, and the centre cards on that at B. The cylinder at A could be wrought as a single-acting machine till a change of pattern was required; then the cylinder at B could be brought into action, and that at A remain stationary and clear of the needles. The heads of the hooks were made heart-shape, as shown, and the blades of the griffe could revolve into the position shown by the dotted lines, so as to suit the working of the cylinder at B; this was effected by the weaver pulling a cord. This machine was given up, as it was difficult to keep it in order.
Another method is shown at No. 2 ([Fig. 101]), where there are two griffes—one at F, and the other at G; one cylinder works at E, and the other at D. Only one set of springs is required on the needles—behind the needle board E—as the spring of the hooks is sufficient to act in the opposite direction. When the cylinder D is working the lower griffe is stationary, and when the cylinder E is working the upper griffe is stationary. The cylinders and griffes are brought into action as required by suitable mechanism. This machine has not been considered sufficiently successful to make it worthy of being persevered with.
Fig. 101
Fig. 102
The principle of Davenport & Crossley’s border jacquard is shown in [Fig. 102]. The upright hooks are as in an ordinary machine. Four of the needles are shown at b, and are made in the ordinary way, with the exception of the eyes in them for the small upright needles d to pass through. These needles d are connected with a set of horizontal ones, as shown at a, and act as levers between them and the needles b, the bars behind them serving as fulcrums; so that when the needles a are pressed back by the cards, the needles b are also drawn back through the medium of the uprights d. The cards least in action are put on the cylinder for the needles a, and the others act on the needles b. The cylinders can be brought in or out of action by the motion shown at A, B, C, D, E, F, G. A and B are the cylinders, working on swing motions; C A, D B, are connecting-rods for giving motion to the cylinders; either of these can be brought into action as required. G is a rocking lever carrying a stud on each end, which work in the slots C and D; these slots are shown at D1 where the notch at one side of them will be clearly seen. When the stud on the bar G gets into this notch, the cylinder will be driven out and in, but when not in the notch the stud can slide along the slot, allowing the cylinder to remain stationary. By pulling the cord H either cylinder can be wrought as required through the connections shown, one of the connecting-rods being raised and the other lowered. F, E are the levers for driving the rocking bar G. This machine works very well, though the principle of its construction is not all that could be desired, and it requires a considerable space. It can be made a double-lift machine by having two hooks to each needle and two griffes as in the ordinary double-lift, single-cylinder machine.
Fig. 103
The principle of Devoge’s border jacquard is shown in [Fig. 103]. C C is the rocking bar, for driving the cylinders, working on the centre D. It is driven by the levers F, G, and the connecting-rod E. The notches A and B fall over the studs on the cylinder frame, and can either be let down or raised, as required, by the cords K, L and the levers H, I. The machine is an ordinary double-cylinder one, and either griffe can be wrought to suit the cylinder that is in action. This machine can be used as an ordinary double-acting one, as a single-acting one raising both griffes together and bringing in both cylinders together, or as a border machine working one griffe and one cylinder at the same time.
Another method, similar to the above, is to have a double-cylinder machine with the cylinders wrought by the griffes, then have a stud on the crank-shaft wheel for raising one griffe, as for an ordinary single-acting jacquard, and the two connecting-rods from the griffes made so that either will work on it. A hook or catch can be put in any convenient place, so that when one connecting-rod is on the stud the other can be hooked out of the way. The rods can be made to slide on to the stud easily, and be fastened with a pin, so that the weaver can readily change from one to the other.