Designs Produced by Use of Jacquard in Connection with Cams or Head Motion—Weaving Buttonholes in Webs—Manufacture of Surgical Belts and Bandages—Combination Woven and Printed Designs—Method of Printing
In previous articles we have confined our remarks to the production of elastic fabrics on plain and fancy looms. These machines are more or less limited in capacity, and the stock must be operated in groups of threads. Considerable care is necessary in the selection of patterns best adapted to these looms. In jacquard weaving each separate thread is controllable, and the scope of pattern and design is limited only by the space available on the face of the fabric.
Of course certain general rules, which have been laid down for the production of designs on fancy looms, are applicable to the making of jacquard designs. For example, where sunken effects are aimed at it is necessary to uniformly distribute the buried stock, just as it is in the fancy loom method; otherwise uneven or “cockled” web will result on account of there being too much buried stock at some particular point, which prevents uniform contraction.
Designs in Sunken Effects
Fig. 1 is an illustration of a pattern where the sunken effect is well distributed. This pattern also shows the operation of two sets of figure threads brought up alternately. Both warps are buried to allow the back filling to appear in relief. This indicates the wide scope of design possible on a single shuttle, which is almost unlimited.
Fig. 2 illustrates a double shuttle design which has a sunken warp effect in connection with a silk figure. It also serves to illustrate the effect of skein dyed silk for decorative purposes. Fig. 3 shows still another type of double shuttle design, in which a parti-colored face warp lends an entirely different effect to a design. Fig. 4 is an example of three shuttle work where one shuttle is used for the ground, and two shuttles for the silk figure.
It would be easy materially to enlarge on the various types of design possible in jacquard weaving of elastic webs but this is not necessary. If a straight tie-up is used the scope of design is almost unlimited. The custom generally adopted is to operate the back, rubber and gut from chain or cam harness, as the same movement of all these threads is maintained continuously, and to operate the face and binder from the jacquard. Fig. 5 is an illustration of a fully rigged jacquard suspender loom, having two machines mounted on it, and with the back and rubber harness operated by the fancy head.
Jacquard Tie-Up
Too much emphasis cannot be laid on the necessity for exercising the greatest care in the jacquard tie-up and the leveling of the strings. As already stated in a previous article, any failure in the initial arrangements will result in constant trouble and faulty work. Mispicks and floats may not be serious in many types of non-elastic fabrics, but in elastic webs a float will so pearl up on construction that the goods will be ruined. Once again, and of the greatest importance, measures should surely be taken to have some form of screw adjustment for the raising and lowering of the jacquard machines to compensate for expansion and contraction of the strings, caused by changing atmospheric conditions.