Among the automatic motions the Bartlet
44 Loom-Fixing and Weaving.
is tlie one most frequently used. Although
rather complicated, if properly adjusted it
gives very good results. When the harness
are level, the spring rod connected with the
whip roller by a clutch lever, and the up-
right lever connecting the spring rod with
the lower rods should be as nearly perpen-
dicular as possible. The collar on the round
rod should be halfway between the ends of
the two rods, and the front lever straight out
from the ratchet gear. Care should be taken
that the two short shafts are exactly at right
angles to each other and the worm exactly
in the centre of the worm gear. When the
friction strap is off every part must work
perfectly free.
In any let-off the parts should be so ar-
ranged that the weavers cannot alter the ten-
sion. If they can do it the}^ very often will,
as by so doing, they can weave more and
have less trouble on account of broken
threads.
Teinpl6S. — Within the last few years what
is known as the ring temple has been put on
the market and is giving very good results,
but it is safe to assume that the Dutcher
temple will be used for many years to come.
In setting temples it is of great importance
to have them tight on the breast-beam. When
it is of iron there is no trouble but when it is
of wood a place must be chiseled out an
Loom-Fixing and Weaving. 45
eiprhth of an inch deep, just tbe width of the
base and an inch or more longer. With two
screws in the slot the temple will be held
perfectly firm, at the same time the length of
the mortice allowing for a slight difference
in the width of the cloth. The trough should
be as near the race-board as possible without
touching it. The heel should then be set so
that the lay touches it when the reed is about
one-eighth of an inch from the trough. There
need not be more than a quarter of an inch
vibration. More than this not only wears the
temple unnecessarily but the cloth begins to
leave the burr before it can get back to hold
it. This will cause a rough selvage which
spoils the appearance of the cloth.
Further Details.— in a new mill the
looms, or at least a part of them are ready to
run before the warps are ready, for the rea-
son that with new machinery it will take a
week or more for the cotton to get from the
picker room to the weave room. During this
time it is well to have the looms running
bare or " limbering up '' as it is expressed.
This may last a week if necessary, during
which time the loom should be frequently
oiled and the bolts tightened When a
warp is ready, if all the motions have been
properl}^ adjusted, there should be very little
trouble in weaving it. The greatest difficul-
ty will be with the shuttles. Before putting
46 Loom-Fixing and Weaving.
them in the loom they should be carefully
matched both as to size and weii^ht. Everv
fixer has noticed that a loom will sometime-s
run all right with one shuttle, while with the
other it gives no end of trouble. This is
usuallv owing to a difference in size, but
often to a difference in weight, as of course
more power is required to throw a heavy
shuttle than a light one. Where the swells
are of iron it is a good plan to scrape the
shelac off the sides of the shuttles as it not
only causes them to rebound but combines
with minute quantities of iron and forms a
kind of gum which is liable to discolor the
filling. For the first day, or perhaps longer,
the shuttle boxes will have to be very tight
and more check on the picker-stick than
would otherwise be necessary. One great
trouble about new looms is that the overseer
or fixer is so anxious to see them running
and making cloth that not enough time is
taken to properly adjust everything. It will
have to be done at one time or another and
it is much better to do it when there is noth-
ing in the way. As is said before all nuts and
screws should be as tight as possible. In anv
new machinery and especially if there is any
wood work, the bolts are more liable to work
lose than in machines that have been run
some time*
CHAPTER V.
Troubles A Loom-Fixer Encounters.
Loom Slaming Off.— in the vast majority
of cases when a ftxer is called on to fix a
loom the trouble is slaming or banging off,
i. e., the shuttle fails to reach the opposite box
in time, the protector acts, and the loom sud-
denly stops. The most frequent cause is
either the picker being worn out or a lug
strap being broken or stretched. If anything
is broken or a bolt out of place a mere novice
should see it at once and it is unnecessary to
say anything concerning it. By a little
watching, with the hand on the knock-offlever
or frog one can readily tell which end of the
loom is causing the trouble, and govern
themselves accordingly. The pick-cam may
have sliped or, if the loom has been running
some time, the wear of the gearing will have
the same effect, i. e., will cause the loom to
pick late. If the pick is all right, next ex-
amine the dagger and protecting rod and be
sure they are working properly. Some-
times the rocker-shaft box becomes loose,
48 Loom-Fixing and Weaving.
causing the lay to move up or down as the
loom picks, and will almost invariably cause
it to slam off. Some of the screws in the
shuttle-box may be loose. This would make
the box larger, and by nutralizing the bind-
ing effect of the swells cause the shuttle to
rebound after striking the picker. As the
picker connot then get a full stroke, the
shuttle fails to get in the opposite box in time
and the loom slams.
In damp weather the same effect is brought
about by a different cause. The damp air
causes a kind of gum to form on the shuttles
and shuttle boxes and by increasing the fric-
tion prevents the shuttle entering the box far
enough. • If the shuttles are wiped with oily
waste and afterwards with clean waste the
trouble is often evercome. If this does not
remedy it, sand-papering the shuttles will
have a good effect. They are often scraped
with a knife, but this is a bad practice, as it
tends to make the shuttles of unequal sizes.
The check on the picker-stick may not be
sufficient to deaden the momentum of the
shuttle, and it will rebound. Again it may
be too much and prevent the shuttle entering
freely.
As the parallel block is worn the check is
increased, while the power is diminished.
Loom-fixers keeping this in mind can often
Loom-Fixing and Weaving. 40
save themselves much trouble. Sometimes
the heeKspring is wound so tight, that so
much power is absorbed in overcoming it
that not enough is left to throw the shuttle.
The constant picking of the loom will
gradually knock the pick-lever boxes up
from their true position. A very little dis-
placement will cause a large loss of power.
As is stated elsewhere the boxes should be
even with the flange or feather on the loom
frame.
When a loom picks, bjr watching closely,
the lug strap may often be seen to jump up
an inch or more on the picker stick. As the
power is greater the lower the strap works
on the stick, it is desirable to keep it where
it is put. Several devices have been invent-
ed for this purpose but as yet nothing satis-
factory has been done- About the best way
is to loosen the bolt on the short strap and
incline the strap upward. This has the de-
sired effect but shortens the life of the strap.
If it could be worked perfectly straight there
is no doubt that it would last twice as long.
Occasionally the key in one of the gears
becomes loose, and the lost motion is commu-
nicated to the pick-lever and causes trouble.
Generally when the key becomes loose it
comes out and the trouble is readily located, but
7
50 Loom-Fixing and Weaving,
sometimes it stays in place, especially where
tin has been used to pack it, and a careful
examination is necessary to discover the dif-
ficulty. The key may. also be loose in the
driving pulley, but when this is the case it
can usually be detected by an uneven, jerking
motion in the running of the loom.
The belt very often causes a loom to run
badly. A slack belt will not exert sufficient
power and a tight one, if too tight, will make
friction in the crank-shaft and cause more
trouble than a slack one. If the belts are
kept clean and a good dressing applied every
Saturday afternoon, it will help matters won-
derfully. The shipper sometimes fails to
keep the whole width of the belt on the tight
pulley, and of course does not give satisfac-
tory results.
As a loom runs, the gears gradually wear
out, especially where the pick comes. As
the teeth become thin the motions act later
with reference to the crank, and from time
to time have to be moved up. This wear is
most excessive where the gear is small in
diameter. Where large gears are used there
are more teeth in contact at one time and
consequently less wear. Before the teeth
become thin enough to be in danger of
breaking, the pick should be changed. This
Loom-Fixing and Weaving. 51
is done by loosening the box of the crank-
shaft, raising the shaft until the gears are
out of pitch, and then turning the lower one
four or five teeth. Of course the pick-cams,
harness cams, etc., will have to be moved in
proportion. If the top gear has to be changed
it must be removed from the shaft and turned
to another key- way of which there are usually
three already cut. When the gear is com-
pletely worn out and is replaced by a new
one, the edges of both should come in the
same line. Beside looking much better, it
will cause them to wear longer. Very often
the new gear has a larger bore than the old
one, and when the key is driven in it throws
one edge farther over than the other and
causes the gear to " run out" as a machinist
w^ould say. This can be avoided by using a
bushing of tin.
There is a collar on the end of the cam-
shaft which should be kept tight. Nothing
wears out a gear faster than to run with a
quarter inch or more end play in the shaft.
Throwing Out the Shuttle*— The picker
may be too low, either at the beginning or
end of the stroke. The harness may be too
low or not timed exactly right. The w4re
brackets holding the lease rods in place may
be bent. The rocker-shaft boxes may be
52 Loom-Fixing and Weaving.
loose letting the lay down too low. The bot-
tom of the shuttle may be worn in a curve,
or the temple may be too high off the race-
board. Very often one shuttle will be thrown
out while there is no trouble with the other.
This may often be caused by the points not
being the same height from the base. The
base may be square but one end wearing a
little more than the other will throw that
point too low. The shuttle box being too
loose will ca-use the shuttle to be thrown out
especially where the loom is a fast one.
Where the race-board is iron, the screws
holding it to the lay sometimes work out,
allowing the board to bulge up.
It is the custom in most mills to have the
weavers thoroughly clean the loom when the
warp runs out. Occasionally in their zeal to
do it well they take off the harness rod and
when they put it back, get it on backward.
The shuttle will be thrown out at every pick
and the average fixer who has never seen
anything of the kind, will work several hours
before he discovers the trouble.
Tliin Places When the Loom is Started . -
This is often caused by bad spinning. When
the filling runs out there is sometimes a
thread left long enough to lift the fork several
times before the loom, stops. Sometimes the
Loom-Fixing and Weaving. 53
prongs of the fork become bent and strike
the rack, lifting the fork after the filling is
exhausted. Again the fork may appear all
right when the loom is stopped, but the bear-
ings of the roker-shaft having become worn
the lay goes down a little. When the loom
picks it rises again and the points of the
prongs catch on the bottom of the slot which
is cut in the lay. The finger on the breast
beam rod may be too far from the fork slide.
This will prevent the slack motion from
working properly. The sliding dog may not
be free to slide far enough. This motion can
be set so as to let off three notches every
time the loom stops. This is enough for all
ordinary cases, and in fact for fine cloth is
too much.
TMn Places When the Loom is Eimiimg.
— This is a trouble which will worry a fixer
about as much as anything he encounters.
While he is watching it the loom may run
all right, and he can see nothing the matter,
but if he leaves, it is not long before he is
called back. The case is further aggravated
when the loom runs all right for several
hours, makes a thin place, and runs several
hours more. The trouble is sometimes
caused by the filling being cut at the off
box with a sufficient end to catch as the shut-
54 Loom-Fixing and Weaving.
tie goes back, lifting the fork and keeping
the loom running. If this is not the
cause it is nearly always a set screw being
loose. It may be in one of the gears or worm
on the let-off motion, or in the piece which
connects the lower rod with the upright
lever. If all the set-screws are well tighten-
ed, the parts oiled and the take up gears
cleaned out, there is not likely to be any
further trouble.
Knocking Off Fillmg.— This trouble is
very often caused in the spinning room,
where the filling is either not wound on the
bobbins sufficiently tight or the taper is too
short. Where this is not the case something
is the matter with the loom. The shuttle is
driven with such force against the picker
that when its momentum is suddenly checked
the filling will leave the bobbin on the same
principal that the passengers are thrown for-
ward when a train is suddenly stopped.
To economize floor space manufacturers
sometimes order looms with short shuttl e box-
es. This is poor economy, as such looms are
much more likely to knock the filling off than
those with longer boxes. It will take but a
short time for the waste bill to counterbalance
any saving in space. If a loom is fitted with
shuttles of the right hand, the bobbin will
Loom-Fixing and Weaving. 55
always point from the pulley end of the loom,
and it is in the opposite box that the filling
is knocked off. To remedy the trouble the
shuttle must be stopped as gently as possible.
This is done, 1st, by springs connected with
the swells and 2nd by the check on the pick-
er-stick. If it can be avoided the shuttle-
boxes should not be tightened, but if it is
necessary the spring on the protecting rod
should be used rather than the swell spring.
Under ordinary conditions if the picker-
stick is three inches from the end of the box
when the shuttle strikes it will be sufficient,
but for some inexplicable reason some looms
require more power to run them than others,
and a four and even five inch check is nec-
essary. Sometimes the check is increased
by tightening the heel-spring and sometimes
by loosening it, owing largely to the condi-
tion of the parallel-block and the length of
the picker-stick below the rocker. On the
Whitin loom the best results are obtained by
having the point of the stick a trifle lower
than the parallel tongue. As a last resort
the heel strap can be put betv^een the tongue
and the picker-stick. Tightening the spring
will then almost invariably give all the check
desired. The only objection to this is that the
picker-sticks are worn out or at least cut off
at the bottom sooner than they otherwise
56 Loom-Fixing and Weaving .
would be. Springs of various shapes are
sometimes placed on the under side of the
lay to check the picker, but they usually
damage the stick and cause more trouble
than they are worth.
A short or stiff loop-strap will sometimes
prevent the picker-stick having as much
check as it otherwise would and a lonerer one
can be used to advantagfe. Sometimes the
plate on the swell of the off shuttle-box
has worn more than the other and is not
pressed as tightly against it. When this is
the case the swell does not bind the shuttle
as quickly and part of its checking effect is
lost. A new plate may remedy the trouble,
but if not, the fingers on the protecting rod
will have to be moved.
Cutting Filling. — ^This is a trouble that
does not occur very often, but when it does,
it is sometimes hard to stop. A bruised
place on one of the steel rolls of a spinning
frame some times causes it. Every time the
back traverse brings the yarn to the place it
is cut, not enough perhaps to cause the end
to go down, but enough to break it in weav-
ing. A splinter in the thread tube (of new
shuttles) or a bruised place in the shuttle
box will often cause it. The shuttle may be
so worn that the grove is not deep enough or
Loom-Fixing and Weaving. 57
the picker may throw the shuttle in a zigzag
motion, catching the filling between the shut-
tle and mouth of the box. Often the temple
is set too far forward, and when the loom is
at front center, the filling is caught between
it and the reed. There may not be sufficient
check, and the shuttle rebounding forms a
kink which is caught between the swell spring
and shuttle. Where filling-forks having
square prongs are used, the sharp corners
will occasionally catch the filling in the rack
and cut it. Sometimes the rivet in the shut-
tle will work out and cut the filling by catch-
ing it against the swell spring.
Filling Fork Catching the Filling— This
trouble can usually be traced either to the
shuttle or the fork. When the shuttle strikes
the picker and rebounds the loom does not
always slam off'. If the power from that
end is sufficiently great the loom will run
even though the shuttle rebound two inches
or more. When this is the case it can readily
be seen that the filling will loop or kink,
and as the space between the reed and shutle-
box is the only place where the kink can form,
it forms there and the fork catches it as the
shuttle goes back. Sometimes the fork is
so set that the prongs project from an eighth
to a quarter of an inch beyond the rack. Of
8
5 8 LOOM-P^IXING AND Weaving-
course it carries the filling with it and when
the motion of the lay reverses, a kink is
formed w-hich is caught by the ever ready
fork. If the prongs are too high, or if one
is longer or farther forward than the others ^
trouble is likely to result.
SelyageBreakingOut— A bad picker,
rough shuttle or the harness or temple being
improperly set usually cause this trouble ,
but more obscure causes are the ones that
bother the fixer. In the process of sizing, a
heavily weighted roll is used to press the
warp tightly on the loom beams. All beams
are not exactly of the same length, conse-
quently the roll does not always fit. When
the beam is longer than the roll the warp
piles up on the selvage and that part of the
beam being of a greater diameter than the
rest, the yarn is of course strained, and more
likely to break in weaving.
As several selvage threads can be left out
without aftecting the appearance of the cloth,
the weavers sometimes throw them back un-
til they become long enough to draw in
without tying. When they are drawn in
they are often so crossed and tangled that
all the size is worn off before they get past
the lease rods, and the chafing of the harness
and reed break them. The harness may be
L'ODM-FlXING AND WEAVING. 59
fso timed or the pick so set that the shuttle
rubs against the selvage threads not only
rubbing off the size, but taking out the twist
causing the tiireads to break readily.
In what is known as a well balance cloth,
the filling is a trifle iiner than the warp, but
in certain kinds of goods the filling is the
coarser. When this is the case a very little
tension in the shuttle will make the cloth
narrower than the reed and as the reed
beats against it in trying to make the cloth
as wide as it is, the selvage is cut out as if
by a knife. If the warp were stronger than
the filling, the filling would be cut making
what is known as button holes.
Through the carelessness of the slasher-
tenders a warp sometimes has very little or no
size on it, and the fixer is at his wits end to
know liow to weave it. Lowering the whip-
roller will help matters, and if the principle
trouble is at or near the selvage the picK
motion should be set a little later so as to
have the shed fully open when the shuttle
enters it.
Filling Pork Coming Off.— A piece of
wire driven in the breast beam and bent
over the slide will prevent this but it is not
6o Loom-Fixing and Weaving.
mechanical. In this as in everything else
there is a cause for every effect, and in this
case the cause is the snake-heads being too
high. If it is lowered so that the fork is
level when resting on it, there will be no
more trouble.
CHAPTER VI.
Defects in Cotton Cloth and how to
Eemedy Them,
RoLLY Cloth. Button-Holes and Bad
Places in the Selvage. Kink in the
Filling. Reedy Cloth. Rough
Selvage. Varying Widths.
CocKLY Cloth. Black Oil.
Eolly Olotll. — This is sometimes known
as wavey or uneven cloth. It is usually
caused by the friction-strap on the let-oif
motion becoming oily and slick. The set-
screws in some of the gears or worms may
be loose, or the bolts holding the let-ofF
frame to the frame of loom may be
loose. Some of the working parts may lack
oil or be clogged with waste. The spring
holding the pawl to the ratchet gear may be
broken or worn so as to become weak. A
filling box may have been run against the
worm shaft bending it so that it binds in its
bearings. The upright lever may be so low
62 Loom-Fixing and Weaving.
or so high as to cause the spring rod to bind.
The gudgeons on the warp beams may be
loose or bent.
When a new warp is put on having a di-
ameter of say eighteen inches there is a
leverage of nine inches tending to turn the
beam. It sometimes happens that the fric-
tion-strap is not sufficient to hold it tight
enough to let-off evenly. More friction can
be had by putting a piece of leather back of
the gudgeon and bolting the locks tight.
Loose locks will allow the weight of the
beam to rest on the let-off shaft preventing
it from working freely. The set screws in
the worm or gears may be so short that
the head will strike the casting before the
point strikes the shaft. The spiral springs
may be so choked with waste as to lose
their elasticity.
Button-Holes; Bad Places in the Selyage.
— Button-holes are caused by there being
too much tension in the shuttle. This will
make the cloth narrower than the reed, and
the reed in trying to distend it will cut the
filling.
If the bobbin is neither too low nor too
high. The tension is caused by waste on
the bobbin or by a lump of it in the thread
Loom-Fixing and Weaving. 63
tube. There are a number of causes for bad
places in the selvage. The picker may be
too low. The harness or harness cams may
not be set right. The harness ma}^ be too
loose or a few eyes lower than the rest The
bottom of the shuttle may be worn in a
curve or the temple may be too high off the
race board. It may be too high on account
of the bearing of the rocker shaft being
loose or badly worn. If it is simply worn
the temple may be lowered by packing with
a piece of paste-board. The spindle in the
temple may be rusty preventing the burr
from working freely.
Kinks in the Filling.— The loom may be
all right and the kinks caused by there being
too much twist in the filling. All such should
be steamed but if not, a piece of leather may
be tacked on the lay at the mouth of the
shuttle-box or flannel tacked in the shuttle
in front of the thread tube. -If the shuttle
has an adjustable tube the tension may be
regulated to suit the filling.
The filling fork may protrude too far
through the rack, taking the filling with it
and causing it to kink when the tension is re-
moved. The shuttle rebounding will have
the same eflfect. The writer has known fix-
ers to work on shuttles for several hours
64 Loom-Fixing and Weaving.
when a minutes work on the fork or a few
seconds taken in tightening the shuttle box
stopped the trouble at once. The rolls in
, the spinning-frame may be too close togeth-
er for the length of the staple. When this
is the case, however the kinks may be seen
id the filling before it is woven.
Eeedy Cloth, — This term is sometimes
applied to defects caused by defective reeds,
but in a general way it is applied to cloth
where the warp threads seem to be separated
from each other, or in other words where the
cloth does not have a good cover. The
whip roller or strip on the breast beam may