Jacquard Weaving and Designing

by T. F. Bell

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.)

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.