Shuttle (textile)

“ The shuttle race is made of hard wood laid on the beam, and in addition to the depression at the centre is also rather wider at the middle of the race—at that point bulging out slightly against the reed, which is kept in contact with it by the slay cap at the top and the reed case at the bottom. Care must be taken to keep the ends of the reed from projecting in front of backboard, or the shuttle will be thrown out. ”

“ The proper shaping of a shuttle was as important as the shaping of a boat’s hull. When the shuttle was carefully whittled out, smoothed off with glass, lightly shod with steel, and marked by burnt-in letters with the maker’s initials, it was a proper piece of work, one for a craftsman to be distinctly proud of. Spools could be turned on a lathe but were marked by hand. No wonder our weaver loved his old worn-out rubbish; every piece had been made and used by his kinsfolk and neighbors, who had put into every spool, shuttle, and loom good, faithful hand-work ”

“ No man knew when the Shuttle began its slow and heavy weaving from shore to shore, that it was held and guided by the great hand of Fate. Fate alone saw the meaning of the web it wove, the might of it, and its place in the making of a world's history. Men thought but little of either web or weaving, calling them by other names and lighter ones, for the time unconscious of the strength of the thread thrown across thousands of miles of leaping, heaving, grey or blue ocean. ”

“ If more than one shuttle is used it may be necessary' to feel for each, instead of alternate threads of weft. In such cases a fork is placed beneath the centre of the cloth and lifted above a moving shuttle' if in falling it meets with weft it is arrested, and the loom continues in motion, but if the weft is absent the prongs fall far enough beneath the shuttle race for a stop to act upon a lever and bring the loom to a stand. To prevent a complete wreck of the warp it is essential to arrest the loom when a shuttle fails to reach its appointed box. ”

“ The yarn for the woof was then wound on little bobbins or tubes; and in weaving, one of these is placed in the middle of the shuttle, on a pin, round which it easily turns, so as to let the thread run off through a hole called the eye of the shuttle, as it travels from side to side of the loom. ”

“ A good shuttle contributes materially to the rapid and perfect execution of the work and attention should be paid in its selection to the following particulars: that it be not more than 7 c/m. long and 2 or 3 c/m. wide: that the two ends be close enough to prevent the thread from protruding; this is more especially important in tatting with two shuttles and lastly, that the centre piece that joins the two oval blades together should have a hole bored in it, large enough for the thread to pass through. ”

“ William B. Willard, New York city.—This invention, relating to looms for weaving narrow ware, consists in the arrangement of a spur wheel traveling on a fixed rack, and actuating a movable rack attached to the shuttle carrier. Motion is given to the spur wheel by a cam on the main shaft of the machine, which acts through a slotted lever and a connecting rod. The object is to provide mechanism for throwing the shuttle in such looms. In the loom the shuttlerace is divided at its center, leaving a space of sufficient width to admit of the passage and shedding of the warp. ”

“ In 1733 Kay took out a patent (No. 542) for the fly-shuttle, which was perhaps the most important improvement ever made in the loom. Up to that time the shuttle had been thrown through the alternate threads of the warp from side to side by one of the weaver's hands, and was caught at the opposite side by the other hand. In weaving broad pieces two men were employed, who threw the shuttle from one side to the other. The weft was beat or closed up after each pick or throw of the shuttle by a ‘layer’ extending across the piece in process of being woven. ”

“ This wonderful machine was invented by a Frenchman, Joseph Marie Jacquard, in 1801. The cards are cut in tiny holes which regulate the pattern and make beautiful designs. The cards control the warp threads and regulate which threads are to be up and which down, as the shuttle passes over and under. The shuttle is lined with soft seal skin to protect the silk fibers of the filling thread on the bobbin as they unroll. ”

“ But the long beak in this description of shuttle serves an important purpose other than that of seizing the upper thread loops, otherwise a very short beak would be preferable. It adds so much to the efficiency of the machine that a little further explanation of it appears essential. In the old fashioned machines the thread required to envelop the shuttle was dragged downward through the cloth, while the needle still remained in the fabric. ”

“ The loose reed is a better way of preventing damage to the warp by the shuttle being caught. If the shuttle is caught in the shed it throws out the reed and stops the loom. Its action will be understood from Fig. 68. A rod, C, runs underneath the shuttle-race at the back of the slay, and the finger B is fastened to it. The reed is held in position by a board, A, which is also connected to the rod C, as shown in the diagram. ”

“ 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. ”

“ But it is evident that the border must have been woven by taking up a single [246] warp-thread at a time, with a wire needle, not by passing a shuttle, as it is far too complicated and varied for any treadle-harness to be able to make a shed for a shuttle.
Hand-weaving in Weaver Rose's loom-room to-day is much simplified in many of its preparatory details by the employment of machine-made materials. The shuttles and spools are made by machinery; and more important still, both warp and weft is purchased ready-spun from mills. ”

“ At each stroke of the shuttle the swinging beam, or batten, beat up the weft to make a close, firm, even weave. The shuttle, made of boxwood and shaped like a little boat, held in its hollow the “quill” or bobbin carrying the weft. When all the “yarn,” as thread for weaving was always called, was wound off, the weaver fastened on the end of the next thread with what is even now called a “weaver’s knot.” As the side of the web toward him was the wrong side of the cloth, no knot was allowed to show on the right side. ”

“ Thus, I know an old Somersetshire woman whose hand-loom dates from the time before the introduction of the ‘flying shuttle,’ which new-fangled appliance she has never even learnt to use, and I have seen her throw her shuttle from hand to hand in true classic fashion; this old woman is not a century behind her times, but she is a case of survival. ”

“ Work a sufficient length of ovals; 3 D (L, 3 D twice) not drawn up quite close, and leaving 1⁄2 an inch of cotton, or more, between each.
Fill the figured shuttle with Evan's Boar's-head No. 20, and refil the plain shuttle; tie the cottons together.
2nd Row. With the plain shuttle thread round the little finger; L, 2 D, L, 1 D tie to the 1st L of 1st oval; 1 D (L, 2 D twice) ; L, 1 D tie to the 2nd L of the 1st oval; 1 D, L, 2 D tie to the thread between the ovals. Repeat till all the ovals are finished. ”

“ The simplest and probably the most antient of looms, now to be seen in action, is that of the Hindu tanty, shown in fig. 1160. It consists of two bamboo rollers; one for the warp, and another for the woven cloth; with a pair of heddles, for parting the warp, to permit the weft to be drawn across between its upper and under threads. The shuttle is a slender rod, like a large netting needle, rather longer than the web is broad, and is made use of as a batten or lay, to strike home or condense each successive thread of weft, against the closed fabric. ”

“ Old grievances having had time to fade away and take on less poignant colour, the stirring of the blood stirred also imaginations, and wakened something akin to homesickness, though no man called the feeling by its name. And this, perhaps, was the strongest cord the Shuttle wove and was the true meaning of its power. Being drawn by it, Americans in increasing numbers turned their faces towards the older land. ”

“ This is a form of weaving which largely increases the output and has in it the further element of economy, inasmuch as by this method the rubber warp can be worked at a much higher tension than by the single shuttle method.
In the construction of single shuttle webs, the rubber harness rises and falls at each passage of the shuttle across the shed. This movement creates a friction on the rubber thread at the harness eye and an added friction at the front reed by its passing up and down in the dent. ”

“ The batten naturally falls towards the weaver by its own gravity, being usually worked a little out of a vertical line for that purpose. In this method the shed forms its own shuttle-race, or bed upon which the shuttle slides. When two or more shuttles are used, they are laid on the woven piece of carpet before the weaver, and he selects them as required. If a solid shuttle-race is connected to the batten, the warp-threads are pressed down upon it and the shuttle slides upon the ridge of the warp-threads. ”

“ Hold the shuttle steadily, with the thread stretched tightly out, whilst with the second finger of the left hand, you slip the loop thus made under the thumb.
I may here remark that when Tatting will not draw up, it is because the operation is reversed; and instead of the loop being formed by the thread round the fingers, it is formed by that connected with the shuttle. This is usually caused by the worker letting the thread from the shuttle hang loosely instead of drawing it out, and holding it at full stretch. ”

“ It is for the working weaver to decide whether the shuttle given to him is well or ill made. To have a good ship and rudder, it must be made by a professional builder, and appreciated by a professional pilot or steersman. ”

“ When the weaving begins, a short web is generally woven at the lower end to protect the knots from wear. After the first row has been tied, the shuttle carrying the thread of weft is passed between the front and back threads of warp; the heald rod attached to these back threads is then pulled forward, so that they are now in front of the others, and the shuttle is passed back. If the rug is narrow, only one shuttle is used; but if the rug is wide, or if the weft consists of two threads of unequal thickness, a shuttle is passed across from each side. ”

“ If the shuttle for any reason does not enter the box, the swell is not pressed back, and as the slay moves forward in beating up, the lever B catches the frog F, which is moved a little and applies the brake G, and also knocks off the loom handle H, which removes the belt on to the loose pulley. ”

“ They are confined to no particular character of design, and may range from the simplest effect produced on the fancy harness loom or dobby to the more elaborate jacquard design. The ground or body may be either plain or twill, or any other acceptable weave suitable as a base for figuring, while the filling may be of a contrasting color, either of silk or cotton as desired. The figure or design may be made from the same shuttle used for the ground or it may be made by an auxiliary shuttle, either used as an overshot or rise and fall, according to the character of web desired. ”

“ The shop of the weavers consists of a kind of framework, at which the workmen sit on a wooden bench. Two persons are employed on the plainest shawls, and the number is sometimes doubled. The shuttle made use of is long, narrow, and heavy. ”

“ Death is frequently instantaneous.
One class of accidents arises from the shuttle in power-loom weaving. In large rooms where there may be upwards of 1000 shuttles flying to and fro at one time, the accidents from this cause are numerous. The shuttles are tipped with steel, and travel with great velocity, and if anything turns them out of their proper course, they in many cases pounce right upon the head of the opposite weaver, and not unfrequently turns the eye completely out of its socket on to the cheek. ”

“ In weaving, an accident which not infrequently occurs is the stoppage of the shuttle when it has only traversed a portion of the distance across the warp. A case of this shuttle trapping causes the breakage of more or fewer ends, and consequently arrangements are made for preventing much damage, either by arresting the motion of the loom suddenly, in case of a fast reed, or by having a reed hanging loosely behind the shuttle so as to give way in case of a “mash.” ”

“ The intermittent grasp and feed of the cloth were hardly perceptible, and yet it permitted the cloth to be turned to make a curved seam. Wilson also invented the rotating hook which catches the loop of the upper thread, and drops a disk bobbin through it to form the stitch. The shuttle was thus dispensed with, and an entirely new departure was made in the art. These with other improvements made up the celebrated “Wheeler and Wilson” machine. ”