WEAVING. 



the thread is taken thrrugh a loop or eye in the 

 middle of the heddle, represented by the medial 

 line />. It will be seen then that these heddles 

 are in two halves or parts, called leaves; and if one 

 half is lifted up, the web will be divided into equal 

 portions, one thread up and one down alternately 

 all the web over. This is the shedding for plain 

 work. The heddles are hung upon levers or jacks 

 M, o, to admit of the rising and sinking motion of 

 the leaves, that shedding may take place. This 

 is accomplished by the weaver's feet, by cords 

 attached from the lower side of the heddles to 

 levers called treadles t t, one cord to each trea- 

 dle. The weaver places bis feet upon these 

 treadles, and pressing down one, raises all the 

 warp that is attached to it, and in this manner 

 the shed is formed for the introduction of the 

 weft shot. The weft shot is introduced or carried 

 through the shed by an instrument called the 

 shuttle, seen at d, figs. 3, and 4. This is a kind of 

 wooden carriage, tapering at each end. The size 

 of the shuttle varies according to the work for 

 which it is intended. For the medium fabrics of 

 cotton, it is about 12 inches long, I broad, and | 

 thick. It is hollowed out in the middle for the re- 

 ception of the weft, which is wound on a bit of 

 turned wood called a pirn or bobbin. The weft un- 

 winds from this pirn as the shuttle runs from the one 

 side of the web to theother. The weaver then taking 

 the shuttle between his finger and thumb, throws 

 it into the shed and receives it on the point of the 

 fore finger, at the other side of the web. He must 

 now have some means for driving home the shot. 

 This is done by what it is called the reed, which 

 is like a fine comb formed of flattened pieces of 

 fine wire. There are two threads of the warp 

 through each of the teeth, or dents, and to give 

 etfect or strength to the reed to drive home the 

 shot with any required force, it is fastened in a 

 frame called the lay, lathe, or batten. The 

 lay, represented in fig. 3, is supported from its 

 Fig. 3. 



n 



centre by the two swords, C C, it vibrates like a 

 pendulum, and the weaver taking hold of the cap 

 of the reed H with his left hand, moves the lay 

 back towards the heddles; and having formed 

 the shed, throws the shuttle through it to the 

 other side of the web. He then rapidly brings the 

 lathe forward to the verge of the cloth, or fell,* 

 and strikes home the shot. 



* The fell is that part of the web which is being rande into 

 cloth, where the last shot was thrown in the verge of the 

 clotli. 



This is weaving by what is called the hand shut- 

 tie, and weaving in its most improved state as 

 practised in England and in Europe generally, till 

 the year 1738, when the method of weaving by the 

 fly shuttle was invented by a mechanic of the name 

 of John Kay, belonging to Bury in Lancashire. 

 This invention was a great improvement, the 

 greatest that has been made in the mode of weav- 

 ing by the hand loom, since the invention of the 

 method of shedding the web by heddles, and yet 

 it is very simple. Fig. 4, is a representation of 

 this lay, with the fly-pin c, and fly-cord shown. 



Fig. 4. 



In weaving by the hand shuttle, both of the 

 hands are employed in turn, in throwing the shuttle 

 from side to side ; or as it is called in Scotland, 

 shuttling, and in England, picking. The hand that 

 is disengaged alternately seizes the lay, and drives 

 home the shot. There is here therefore a constant 

 shifting of hands, and a great deal of time lost ; 

 besides unnecessary labour. All these incon- 

 veniences are wholly removed in weaving by the 

 fly shuttle. The weaver has one hand exclusively 

 for shuttling, and the other for working the lay. 

 He gains therefore ease in working, with greatly 

 increased speed. 



The old hand lay before it was improved by Kay, 

 is shown at fig. 3. And in referring to the repre- 

 sentation of the fly shuttle lay, at fig. 4, the 

 difference will be obvious. It will be seen that 

 there is a projection on each side of the lay be- 

 yond the swords, which is merely a continuation 

 of the race on which the shuttle runs. This is 

 called the box a, and is made for the purpose of 

 receiving the shuttle, as it comes through the shed, 

 when the weaver drives home the shot, that it may 

 be in immediate readiness to be projected back 

 again. There is in the box a little piece of wood 

 called the driver b, or in England the picker, which 

 slides freely from end to end of the box on a 

 spindle, and is kept steady by a tenor or tongue, 

 working in a slit in the race below. Tbis is the 

 apparatus for propelling the shuttle, with which, 

 of course, each side of the lay is furnished ; and 

 they are connected together by a cord called the 

 fly cord. The weaver then has a handle called the fly 

 pin, c fixed to this cord, with which, by a sudden 

 jerk, he throws the shuttle from the one side to the 

 other, as fast as his art and strength enable him. 

 In order to diminish its friction, the shuttle, 

 is generally mounted on two rollers. He may 

 by this method project the shuttle in a yard wide 



