Chapter VIII.

Chapter VIII.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

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.

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.

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.

Fig. 1Fig. 2Fig. 3Fig. 4

Fig. 6.—Formation of Abdominal Belt

In the assembling and making up of narrow elastic fabrics, particularly suspenders, it is often necessary to use buttonholes in the finished products. Sometimes the buttonholes are cut and worked on the ordinary buttonhole sewing machines, but on account of the difficulty arising in the controlling of the strands of rubber when it is cut for working, a very unsightly buttonhole often results. It has therefore been found advisable to weave the buttonholes, particularly for what is known as the “Guyot” suspender, where elastic pieces having buttonholes are used for the back ends, and non-elastic straps, also having buttonholes, are used for the front straps.

The loom will automatically weave the buttonholes at any desired place, and at the same rate of speed at which the plain part is woven. This is accomplished by the use of two banks of shuttles, both of which are running in the same direction at every pick of the loom, but only one of which, (the upper) is engaged with the cloth while the plain part of the goods is being woven, the other bank running “dead” underneath the goods during the operation. When the buttonhole is about to be made, two distinct sheds are formed and then the two banks of shuttles are engaged, the upper bank on one half of the strap and the lower bank on the other half, until the completion of the buttonhole. Then one shed is again formed in place of the two, and the upper bank resumes the operation of weaving the plain part of the strap.

Fig. 5—Jacquard Suspender Loom With Two Machines and Fancy Head

This process of changing from the single to the double shed is accomplished by the use of a specially designed cam jack made in two sections, to which are attached two harness frames, in each of which one side of the strap is drawn. While weaving the plain part of the strap both sections of the cam jack operate in unison, running side by side from thesame cam, but when the buttonhole is “called on” a device for spreading apart each pair of cam jacks is operated, and the two sheds are then formed. At the same time a lever movement changes the position of the lay, so that the two banks of shuttles take new positions and properly engage the two sheds.

Facilities are provided for governing the length of the straps and the position and length of the buttonholes. When the lower shuttle is not engaged in the buttonhole shed, the filling may run loosely beneath the goods, and require trimming off between the buttonholes. This trimming may be avoided by operating the center binder thread, putting the same in a skeleton harness and giving it an extended shedding so that this particular thread may be dropped below the main shed and allow the lower shuttle to engage it. By this process the thread is bound in the goods at every pick of the loom and does not need trimming.

The elastic back end, having a buttonhole in it, is also made on a special loom, which has a “rise and fall” movement of the lay. It has a chain fancy head with what is known as a Gem multiplier on it for regulating the length of the plain part, so that one repeat of the plain weave can be multiplied indefinitely and the buttonhole chain called on as desired.

In making up sections of elastic webs for various purposes, particularly when required to be attached to garments, it is often found that the joinings are bulky and unsightly on account of their thickness. A web is made on the special loom just described of such character that it does away with this objection. A section of plain web may be woven of any desired length, and then another section made in which the upper and lower cloth are woven separately for a given distance. After being taken from the loom this double section is cut in the middle, so that the non-elastic part may be used for attaching to the garment. When thus made the rubber and binder lie “dead” between the two cloths, and are trimmed off after the non-elastic part is cut in two.

There is a growing demand for webs of various characters for surgical and orthopedic purposes. One of these which calls for special attention is a web used in the manufacture of abdominal belts. The width varies from about four inches, where it is used to support the back, to about six inches at the part which is used for the support of the abdomen.

Such a web is constructed in the regular manner employed on plain webs, except that it is woven in a deep front reed made to taper from top to bottom, from fine to coarse. This reed is arranged in a reed pocket attached to the lay bed, and is designed to slide up and down behind it. Underneath the lay is an adjustable screw mechanism, which is so operated that it can be made to remain stationary for a given length of time, and then gradually work up and down in a given period. This allows a web to be produced with a formation similar to that shown at Fig. 6.

The rubber cords lie close together while weaving the first narrow part, and gradually spread while operating at the wide part, returning to their original position for the other narrow end. If properly constructed the goods will lie perfectly flat at the narrow ends, and the opening up of the cords by the spreading of the reed dents at the wide center will give more freedom to the individual strands of rubber in this section, which will cause the goods to “belly” at this point. This rounding formation especially adapts them for the purposes for which they are intended. Various modifications of the taper web may be made in this manner, but the same general plan is applicable to all.

The printing of designs on elastic web is a form of embellishment which opens up large possibilities for variety of effect, and adds much to the selling quality of many webs at slight additional cost. Moreover it gives an opportunity for changing the character of many woven patterns which may not have proved good sellers, but when printed will often become the most popular patterns offered. A woven striped effect with a few crossbars printed on, transforming it into a plaid, changes its character entirely. Or a few dots distributed over a pattern hitherto undesirable may make big changes in its selling qualities.

But apart from this the field of original design is practically unlimited. The work is most satisfactorily accomplished by using oil inks of various colors, making proper arrangements for the drying so that the colors are absolutely fast. Colors should not be used which are more or less fugitive and liable to spread in the process of finishing.

The goods, when printed, are run loosely in cans and allowed to stand a reasonable time for proper absorption of the ink. They are then run slowly through a heated chamber to set the colors, a number of strips being put through the drying chamber at one time. The pattern rolls are best made with the design raised on the face of the pattern, and the ink uniformly distributed on the raised part. Care should be used to have the set of the rolls so adjusted that the part where the figure does not appear will not come in contact with the ink roll.

This method has proved better than using engraved rolls, besides being less expensive. After the design is drawn it is photo-engraved on a plate of a given length so that it may be shaped and fitted around the printing roll, great care being taken to have the repeat properly connected, particularly where the pattern is a continuous one without any break in the design.

Fig. 7.—Diagram of Machine for Printing Elastic Fabrics

Fig. 7 is a sketch of a printing machine. The design roll A is five inches in diameter and constructed of a number of thicknesses of maple wood, glued and screwed firmly together, with the grain well crossed to prevent shrinkage and warping. The design plate is carefully fitted around and pinned securely to this roll. The rubber covered rolls B and C carry the ink and are positively driven. The small roll D, while revolving by frictional contact with roll C, is also vibrated sidewise by a cam-driven lever E, so as to distribute the ink uniformly. The rolls are run on steel centers and can be so adjusted as to center any given pattern on the goods.

All the roll carriers are fitted in a taper groove which is planed to the full length of the frame bed, so that the pressure of the different rolls can be accurately adjusted. The machines are easily operated and print 12,000 to 15,000 yards of web a day.

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