Woolen and worsted loomfixing; a book for loomfixers and all who are interested in the production of plain and fancy worsteds and woolens
• 1 1 -v ** *' v^^ ^^/s^ o>Kr==^iA- 'j-^v-J^ ^'j^s^^^\ '-^^.^^ ^^0^ ; A q. -^^ %<» ^o WOOLEN AND WORSTED LOOMFIXING A BOOK FOR LOOMFIXERS AND ALL WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE PRODUCTION OF PLAIN AND FANCY WORSTEDS AND WOOLENS ^V r V ALBEIRT AINLEY Lawrence, Massachusetts 1900 1 ^ A^^ ^'=''V 61631 0^ Copyright 1900 TWOCOPlKSH*:CEiV*.^. Library of CODgrif% Office of tbf my 9 -mo Reg|it«r of Copyrljfcii^ SECOND COPY, /<y^ Q , r\ ^ PREFACE. The particular subject on which this work treats is "The Knowles Heavy Woolen Loom " but the subject matter in general, with the ex- ception of certain specific points is applicable to almost any woolen loom. The troubles, causes, and treatment being very much the same in general on one loom as on another. It is not intended in this book to explain how the different looms are made nor what the different parts are for, as that is unnecessary to a loomfixer, and furthermore would require too large a volume to suit the author's purpose ; but to discuss as much as possible, the various problems with which a fixer has to grapple. The author's first intention in this line was simply to make notes of all the various reme- dies, little tricks etc., valuable to a loomfixer, that should come to his knowledge, either through instruction, experience, observation or in any other way while in the prime of life so that in future years, when his memory begins to fail him, as it has done to many men who were good fixers in their day, he will have something to refer to. And it may be said here, after having made up his mind to pub- II PREFACE lish the work in book form, that he would have given a good deal, earlier in life to have known some of the things herein contained. It will no doubt be worth its cost many a time over to young fixers who have not yet ac- quired the experience of an older hand, and it may be used at least as a reminder to an old fixer. Of course if a man is not a loomfixer, all the books ever published would not make him one. If he cannot fix looms without a book, he can- not do so with one. But any one who has not had the experience, or whose 'mind is too occu- pied with something else, some trouble with another loom for instance, so that at the time being, he does not think of things of vital im- portance, may find a discourse on the sub- ject to save him a great amount of experiment- ing. Or it may bring to mind some remedy which he had used successfully on former sim- ilar occasions. There are two things that are absolutely necessary to the making of a good loomfixer : they are gumption and experience. The latter, though a necessary assistant to the former can never be sufficiently acquired to take its place altogether. The work of a loomfixer may be classed into two parts, viz : Mental and physical ; a large PREFACE III proportion of the fancy loomfixer's work being of the former kind ; comprising principally, such things as hunting for the causes of the different things that will occur on a section of looms. Trying to get a good smooth pick on a loom, which by the way is sometimes a very difficult thing to do. Trying to remedy a case of filling cutting ; having trouble with the head motion, harness skips, for instance. Loom- banging through uneven picking power ; un- steady box-motion ; shuttle going crooked etc. These things at times will tax the ingenuity of the best fixer that ever attempted to learn the language of a loom. It is this part of the loom- fixer's work which the author has herein at- tempted to discuss. The manual part of a loomfixer's work, com- prising such things as replacing broken picker- sticks, pickers, and other parts are things on which it is not necessary to dwell to any great extent, though at times it requires considerable skill to do even that part of his work to the best advantage ; in fact there is skill in every- thing. Even the man who uses the pick and shovel may become so skillful at it that he can do perhaps twice the amount of work with the same exertion that another man would have to use who was not accustomed to that kind of work. He would know just where to dig in IV PREFACE with his pickaxe and at what angle, etc. which the unskilled would not have learned. Generally speaking (but not always by any means), it is an easy matter to fix a loom after the cause of the trouble has been located ; but whenever it is thought advisable, not only is the probable cause pointed out, but suggestions are offered as to the best way to go about fix- ing it. While there may be some important points in loomfixing omitted through oversight, there are a great many things left out purposely. Things which all loomfixers must necessarily know about, consequently there is no need to take up the space in this book with them. Someone has said that a loom talks, but alas ! how difficult is its language to learn ! A young fixer may think he understands it thoroughly but as he grows older and begins to see a little deeper into things, he finds out that he does not understand it as well as he thought he did, and bye and bye he sometimes begins to think he does not understand it at all. Of the origin or history of weaving the au- thor has got nothing to say, but the progress that has been made in the art of manufacturing in general during the last thirty or forty years is such, that now we find machinery almost en- tirely automatic. Cotton looms are made at PREFACE V the present day that will run for more than an hour without the attention of a weaver and pro- duce perfect cloth. One cannot think seriously of these things without the thought suggesting itself that the time has come when women and children, yes and even men, should not be required to work and be confined in the mill ten hours a day to earn a scanty living. If anyone thinks that that is not too long, let him look into the weary, careworn faces of the mill operatives as they come out at night or before they get out into the open air, and if he is a man who tries to live up to the divine law he will alter his opinion. This book, to be used to the best advan- tage, should be kept with you at your work where it will be handy and whenever you have any trouble with anything for which at the time you do not think of a remedy, just turn to that subject and see what is said on it. The chances are that if you do not find any satis- factory solution in it, there will be something suggested that will help you to invent one. A. AINLEY, Lawrence, Mass. CONTENTS, Chapter I. The Belt 7 Tight Belts. Belt Dressing. ... 8 The Friction Pulley, .... J> Chapter II. The Picking Motion ... 12 The Cause of Occasional Weak Picks . 20 Chapter III. The Shuttle Binder. ... 22 Chapter IV. Banging Off. . . . . 2f> Chapter V. Filling Kinking 31 Warp Kinking. ..... 35 Chapter VI. Filling Cutting 30 Chapter VII. The Filling Stopmotion . . 41 Chapter VIII. Crooked and Flying Shuttles . 40 Packing Out the Picker-Rod Stand . . 48 Shuttle Flying Out 49 Chapter IX, Box Jumping. .... 50 Bending the Box- Rod .... 53 Chapter X. Bobbin Splitting 54 Filling Slipping off the Bobbin . . 55 The Temple 56 Chapter XI. The Headmotion .... 59 Setting the Reverse Gears ... 64 Setting the Box Motion .... 65 Chaj-'TER XII. Putting Warps In . . .  Start a New Loom 75 Position of the Whip Roll ... 75 How to Handle Bad Warps ... 76 Tender and Twitty Yarn .... 78 Chafing and Buttoning Behind the Reed 79 Chapter XIV. Chain Building .... 80 The Chain Multiplier .... 82 Picker-Sticks SpHtting .... 83 Picking Arms Breaking . • . . 84 Box-Rod and Spring .... 86 Chapter XV. Shuttles 87 Failing to Hold the Bobbin ... 88 The Sand Roller 89 Two Holes in the Picker ... 90 FiUing Catching around the Picker . . 90 Oihng Up 91 Chapter XVI. Points on Loom Selection . . 93 The Take-Up Motion .... 95 The Sino^le Picking^ Motion ... 95 Chapter XVII. Getting and Keeping a Section of Looms in Good Condition ... 96 Chapter XVIII. Miscellany. . . .101 CHAPTER I. THE BELT. Belts should not be put on to a loom in any manner, whichever end comes first ; they should be put on so that the splicings on the outside will follow. This is contrary to the teachings of some writers on this subject. They claim that the lap on the inside of the belt should go with the pulley ; if so, the end of the lap on the outside would lead, and that is wrong, for the simple reason that, on account of the out- side of the belt where it is passing around the pulley being considerably tighter than the inside, the laps whenever they do start at all do so on the outside, consequently the laps on the out side should not lead, but follow, so as to avoid contact with the air, which of itself is sufficient to open out the splice after it has once started. The statement that the slipping of the belt would cause the lap to roll is all nonsense, be- cause if such a thing was possible in one direc- tion it would be in the other. The driving pulley would do it in one direction ^nd the driven pulley would do it in the other. 8 AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. The question has often been asked "Which is the best side of a belt to run to the pulley ?" There is no doubt that the smooth side has a little greater pulling power than the flesh side, but the difference is very small indeed. The flesh side, being the shorter side, fits more snugly to the pulley, and belts that are run on that side will last longer than the other way, — in the writer's estimation. TIGHT BELTS are no advantage to a loom, but rather a disadvantage to the steady running of it Any lurch or back-lash in the speed is communicated to the loom when the belt is too tight but if it is moderately slack the loom is not run so rigidly. BELT DRESSING. If the belt is slipping it is not the best thing you can do to tighten it up, unless it is very slack. It should have the accumulation of dust, dried belt-dressing and flyings cleaned off the surface and some good dressing applied. The dressing in some cases seems to get dried on very quickly, leaving a dry, hard surface. When this is the case it should be well oiled ; not with lubricating oil, but castor oil or Neat's foot oil or something of that nature that will make the surface soft and pliable but not soak it with grease. Every fixer should have a hand card of fine wire tacked on to a block of wood for the pur- AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 9 pose of cleaning his belts, but it should not be used so hard as to make the surface rough. A rough surface does not pull as well as a smooth one if it is kept clean and soft. Cross belts very seldom need any attention as they are self- cleaning. They are the best on a loom. It is a poor policy to lace loom belts, the or- dinary belt fasteners are far better. In the fic£t place they can be applied in less than a quarter of the time that it takes to lace one, they give less trouble and if properly applied will last a great deal longer. The belt should be hammered on to the clasp, not the clasp on to the belt, and care should be taken not to flatten it out or the belt would have a tendency to leave it when passing around the pulley. THE FRICTION PULLEY. The friction pulley plays a very important part in the running of a Knowles loom or perhaps any other loom where a friction pul- ley is used, especially on heavy work. On some weaves where there are more har- nesses changing places on one pick than on another, a poor friction will cause a loss of power and result in loom banging off. Of course there are other things besides loss of power that will cause a loom to bang off, but 10 AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. that subject is treated more fully later on. To overcome this trouble find out in the first in- stance whether it is the friction pulley or the belt that is slipping the most. This can be done in the following manner : take the shuttle out of the box, hold the brake lever down with your foot and start the loom up. Watch the loose pulley ; if it stops you will know that the friction is holding and that the belt is slipping. But if it is the friction that is slipping, find out first (to use the fixer's term) if there is friction enough on. If not, draw it up a little closer. Next, see that the counter shaft is properly blocked so that it can't slide forward. If after seeing that these things are all right, the friction is still slipping, it is probably greasy. A greasy friction is an abomination and the best way to get over it, if it is badly soaked, is to take it off and have it recovered. Every mill should have spare friction pulleys so as to avoid waiting. If you prefer to use it a little longer, scrape the grease off with a straight edged scraper and rub some dry slacked lime into it and it will be good for a while longer. The above directions are also a good thing to follow in cases where the loom does not stop quickly enough. But first see that the wooden block in the casting at the end of the counter shaft is the proper thickness to hold the shaft AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 11 properly ; not to bind, but prevent it from slip- ping forward. Because, if when you start the loom the counter shaft should move forward, say one-twelfth inch, it would slide back the same amount when you stop it ; thus, if the fric- tion is a little sticky the loom would be likely to run a couple of picks after you had tried to stop it. • Never scrub the leather on the friction pulley with sand paper, as that spoils its surface but does it no good. TURNING IT DOWN. Whenever you put on a new friction pulley and after it has run a little while you are not satisfied with it, take the shaft out and examine the surface of the leather, and you will probably find that it only touches here and there ; consequently it does not get a good hold. In that case it should be put into a lathe and turned down good and true. You will then have a good friction after it has run a few days. CHAPTER II. THE PICKING IVIOTION. The picking motion in general is a very sen- sitive part of a loom. It requires a great amount of skill and gump- tion on the part of the fixer to adjust the different parts so as to work to the best ad- vantage. To write up an article of instruction on this subject is pretty sure to come in for a good share of criticism. I have read articles on the subject in textile papers which, although I considered them very instructive and likely to infuse new ideas, another fixer on the same kind of looms would say the fellow didn't know what he was talking about. Now, it is well known that most loomfixers have some system or rule whereby they set the shoes and other parts of the picking motion ; but how few there are who are able to get a good smooth pick on every loom on their section after they have been used a few years, es- pecially where the casting for repairs do not come from the loom works. AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 13 Owing to certain differences in the position or condition of the various parts which go to make up the picking motion of the loom, there can be no fixed rule for the setting of shoes. The shoe shaft may be bent or twisted a little, or the hole in the shoe may be a trifle out of true, etc. Such things will throw the curve of the shoe out of its proper position and I may s^ right here that a little difference in the shoe may make a great difference to the pick, especially on the short shoe No 86. In many cases the rule that the fixer works by does not make proper allowance for these things, but they do try to counteract them in other ways which do not always come out right. If the circle, or curve of the shoe is not in such a position as to give a smooth, steady stroke, it must follow that there will be un- proportionate strain on some part of it. That extra strain, not being accomplished gradually but coming on suddenly, causes a jar which weakens the pick, thus causing the loom to bang off. Unless the position of the shoe is changed, it becomes necessary to lower the sweepstrap to gain more power. Again, it naturally follows that in putting on more power in this manner you are getting too near the wrong end of the lever (picking stick), which increases the jar ; thus increasing the liability 14 AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. to bang off. The consequences are an uneven pick, which causes filling kinking on certain classes of goods and a number of other troubles too numerous to mention. I will mention here one system generally used by fixers, some of whom taking them all through are good fixers. They will set the shoes both alike so far as the distance is concerned, measuring from the back bearings. Next, they will set both shoe shafts the same distance below the cam shaft and set them level in all cases. Now this is where they make a mistake, as by setting the shoes according to that rule it becomes necessary in some cases to set the picking roll forward on one side more than the other in order to get both sides to pick together. I will now give the method which I have found to give better satisfaction. First, hang a plumb-line over the front of the cam shaft directly opposite the toe of the shoe, if it is the short shoe No. S6. This rule is for the style of looms that have a two to one gear- ing. Set the shoe just to touch the line on both sides. The long shoe, used on the equal geared looms, will come about an inch forward of the line, or a little more according to con- dition. Then turn the shaft by hand until the pick- ing rolls come within one-sixteenth inch of the AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 15 line, if they are not both alike make them so. Then measure the distance of the lay or edge of the shuttle-race from the breast beam ; turn the crankshaft one pick to the exact position it was in before, and set the next two rolls in the same way, that is, one sixteenth of an inch from the plumb-line. Be sure in the first in- stance to have all the rolls the same size. Next set both sweep sticks in the same posi- tion on the pickerstick and get the sweep up to within two inches of the bunter. It will now probably be found that, although everything is set the same on both sides, the pick does not start at the same time on both sides ; if they do, then all right. But if not, it shows that the circle of the shoes are not both alike, or at least not in the same relative posi- tion to the circuit of the rolls. In this case do not begin to set the picking rolls different to get both sides to pick together, they are all right, it is the shoes that are wrong ; but to adjust matters so that they will come right requires a considerable amount of skill and gumption. In the first place take the side that is picking late and lower the shoe shaft at the back and raise it at the front. By so doing you will alter the position of the circle of the shoe, which will necessitate the shortening of the sweepstick a little, thus making it pick earlier. 16 AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. If you cannot get it to start soon enough in this way, perhaps the best thing to do would be to try another shoe ; or you may turn your attention to the other side and by doing just opposite to what you did before you may make it start a little later ; which will tend to bring about the same results. I do not favor setting the back casting up any higher than the back rail if it can be avoided. I do not think it gives a very easy pick if it is raised up too much. The same object may be accomplished by packing the s,hoe up on the front and down at the back with one or two thicknesses of tin on the side which is picking late, or visa versa on the other side, but to do that you would need to file the square hole out more on the opposite side to where you intend putting your packing. As I said before, it requires sound judg- ment in doing these things so as not to go too far either way or you will effect the steadiness of the stroke. When the pick is too slow at the commence- ment but makes up for lost time towards the latter part of the stroke, the reason is that the shoe is too high at the front in comparison with the back, or the back is too low in com- parison with the front part of the shoe. AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 17 Looms having a pick of this description run in a sort of plunging manner but they usually give a good pick. But if, on the contrary, the pick starts very suddenly at the commencement of the stroke, keeping very much the same speed all through, there will be a poor pick. It will pick as though it was going to drive the shuttle through the wall, but in reality it will scarcely get through in time to prevent the loom from bang- ing off. If you turn the loom slowly by hand a well regulated pick will start slowly at first and gradually increase in speed for about three- quarters of the way and then diminish the rest in the following manner. Take the measure- ment from the shuttle-race to the breast beam at the commencement of the pick, push the lay back one-fourth inch at a time, and the picker- stick at the top, or on a level with the picker, Fortheist. 1-4 in. should have moved 3-4 in. 2nd. 3rd. 4th. 5th. 6th. 7th. 8th. 9th. 3-4 in. I in. I 1-4 in. 1 3-4 in. 2 1-4 in. 2 3-4 in. I 1-2 in. I in. 18 AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. If the pickerstick makes its stroke at or about that rate and does not give a smooth, easy pick, I should look for the cause anywhere rather than in the shoe. In the first place the friction pulley or belt may be in poor condition. A loom will very rarely give a steady, even pick if the belt and friction is slipping. The back support of the shoe shaft may have been neglected until the hole is worn to twice its proper size through the want of oiling, in which case we can hardly expect as steady a pick as we would like to have. A poor pickerstick may cause a lot of annoy- ance in various ways. It will not only give a poor, uneven pick which is not to be depended upon, but, unless the spring is very strong, it will be slow in getting back and be liable to get caught in the boxes. A badly shaped binder will also have its effect and cause the loom to bang off unless the power is greater than would otherwise be necessary. If the binder-pinhole in the boxes is badly worn at the top it will have about the same effect as a poorly shaped binder. Now we will suppose the pinhole is worn out, say about one-eighth of an inch. The binder will wabble at both ends when the shuttle is in the box. The shuttle will get in the top box AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 19 easier under these conditions when there is one in the second box than it would if the second box was empty. Because, when one shuttle is in, it holds the pin out to its extent and holds off the pressure of one spring, consequently the check on the shuttle is not always the same. The result may be either the shuttle rebounding in one instance or not getting fully in, in the other. The picking shoe is not always at its best when it is new ; in fact quite often, probably owing to its position, it does not give a first rate pick at first, but after it has run a few days or weeks it begins to give a good pick ; while in some cases it is not at its best until it is pretty well worn down. If when a new shoe is put on it gives a good easy pick at the start the probabilities are that it will not last very long. I have previously mentioned the propor- tionate movement of the pick to that of the lay. Now when the shoe is worn down sufificiently to give that proportion it is at its best and will stay there for a long time if it is not disturbed. In a great many cases they never reach that condition. Generally the pick should commence when the crank is straight up, but in weaving very tender filling it is better to have it start a little 20 AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. earlier so as to give the shuttle more time to get through the shed ; thus enabling you to take off a little power. -THE CAUSE OF OCCASIONAL WEAK PICKS." Who is there that has run a section of looms for any length of time, par- ticularly the kind that takes the short picking shoe, that has not been bothered at times with a loom banging off about once in half an hour or so without any apparent cause ? And the question has often been asked, " What is the reason } " Some say it is the belt or the fric- tion that is slipping. Perhaps that is partly the cause, but there is something else ; because, if you take particular notice, you will find that it always happens out of the same box. Others lay the blame on the speed or shaft- ing not running steady ; but in this case I should like to know how they account for the loom in front and the one behind running all right ; they are run from the same shaft. I am satisfied that the principal cause is in the picking shoe, which is in such a condition that it will do its work right so long as every- thing else is right. But there is one of the binders that is not shaped right, though that alone is not sufficient to cause it to bang off ; but if the belt or friction should happen to slip just on the moment when the shuttle is being AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 21 picked out of that particular box (which they are Hable to do at any time), then there is a combination of three things acting simultan- eously, which might not occur once in ten min- utes but when it does it results in a weak pick, and the loom bangs off. Now if the position of the shoe could be changed, or a new one put on that would give a more perfect stroke, so that no part of it would sustain a loss of power, nor receive any extra strain, the trouble would be entirely overcome. CHAPTER III. THE SHITTLE BINDER. The binder, though it looks so simple, plays a very important part in the running of a loom ; if it is not shaped properly it may not only fail to check the shuttle the same every time, but also effect the delivery. There may be a good strong pick delivered out of one box and a very poor weak one out of the next. A good binder will receive the shuttle and check it properly under a varying speed, while one not properly shaped and in poor condition would allow it to rebound a little when the speed is high, and perhaps not let it get well in when it is a little lower. Then again, if the picker is pretty well worn, the shuttle tip would stick in it and either cause the box to jump or prevent it from drop- ping. The remedy often applied in this case is to chip the picker around the hole when the real cause of the trouble is the binder. All fixers will at times remedy the effect, but a good fixer will get at the cause as much as possible. AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 23 Of course the effect of the shape of the binder on the running of a loom depends a great deal on other things in connection with it. For instance, some looms seem to go all right with any old shape of a binder, while others will not go at all unless they are just so. A great deal depends on the kind of a pick the loom has got. Xake it on a loom where the picking motion is not in good condition, you will find a great unevenness of power. There will be a good strong pick out of one box, while another one will always give a poor weak pick. And yet you can make a good even pick out of every box by simply shaping the binders properly if you know how to do it. On the other hand, if you let the binders stay just as they are and put on a new picker- shoe, you will get quite a different pick, one on which the binder does not seem to make any difference. Writers on this subject differ extremely on the way a binder should be shaped to give the greatest satisfaction. Some say that they should be bent so that the greatest curvature will be in the centre, or in some cases nearer to the mouth of the box. Others say that there is but one correct way to bend a binder and that is to have it bear on 24 AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. the shuttle as near the heel of the binder as possible. It is amusing, if not interesting, to see the excellent string of reasons in support of their statements. In theory, it is no doubt advisable that the binder be bent so that the most prominent part will be near the mouth of the box, but in practice we find very few fixers who bend them that way. If it is bent too prominently near the mouth of the box it will give the shuttle too great a shock before it has got half way in, and the rest of its course is accomplished too easily, so that the least variation in power may cause it either to rebound or not get quite to its destination. If the loom ever throws a crooked shuttle it is liable to be checked with the tip an inch or more outside the box, thus hindering it from dropping and causing the shuttle to fly out. It will also cause the shuttle when entering the box to swing outward enough to strike the box edge and cut the filling. The best way to bend a binder in my opinion is so that the shuttle at its full width will come into contact with it about three inches from the center, that is, at the com- mencement of the binder's full surface, and AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 25 steadily press it outward until the shuttle gets the same distance past the centre, at which position the binder will be out to its full extent. Thus the binder at its full depth of surface, and the full length of that surface only, will come into contact with the shuttle. Binders that are bent properly on this principal will give the shuttle a steady, gradual check, and not cause the opposite end to strike the edge of the box and cut the filling. As far as checking the shuttle is concerned, there is more than the shape to be taken into consideration. The surface should bear evenly on the shuttle all the way along, that is to say, that part of the binder which comes into con- tact with the shuttle. If some part of it is bearing on the shuttle very hard, while in other places it barely touches, it will be in a poor condition, whether the most prominent part is nearest to the mouth of the box or to the other end. Note.— See Chapter XVII. CHAPTER IV. LOOM BANGING OFF— CAUSES, RESILTS AND REMEDIES. A loom that is constantly banging off is sure to have a serious break sooner or later if it is not stopped. Amongst the numerous breaks that are caused in this way may be mentioned : the protector casting underneath the breastbeam ; teeth broken out of the driving gears ; broken crank shaft ; the side frame, and a host of other things too numerous to mention. While the different things that will cause a loom to bang are fully as numerous or more so than the breaks that are a direct result of it. But whatever is the cause there is a remedy for it, though both the 'cause and the remedy are sometimes hard to find. The principal causes are friction or belt slipping especially on heavy work ; too short a sweep ; poor pickerstick ; shuttles not getting well into the boxes or rebounding ; loose bolts or castings pertaining to the picking motion, etc. If the cause is not apparent, the first thing to do is to see that the belt and friction are AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 27 doing their work properly. This can easily be seen by the way the loom runs and how it starts up. The remedies for these can be found in the first chapter. Generally the stroke should come up to within two inches off the hunter, but to get the best results it may have to be varied a little according to circumstances. One loom will have a fine pick if it comes up to within one inch off the bunter, while on others it will need to be at least one and one-half inches shorter. Good judgment is needed to obtain the best results. The next thing to be done is to go around and examine the castings, bearings, studs, etc., and see that they are all secure. Then start the loom and watch the shuttles as they go into the box, they may seem to be all right for awhile and then one of them may not get clear up to the picker, or it may rebound and bang off the next pick. If it is rebounding the binder is at fault ; but if it does not get well in it may be the binder or a weak pick. The shuttle may be unduly retarded by too close a shed. An uneven pick may be the result of a com- bination of circumstances, in fact a large per cent, of the problems which a fixer daily encounters are caused by a combination of two 28 AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. or more causes ; different parts of the loom which are so adjusted that on account of the relative position or condition of some other part, will not work just right. Many a time does the fixer go about the loom readjusting different things which he thinks may have some effect on the trouble, and all unconsciously he breaks the combination, and the trouble is apparently remedied. The next thing to be done in this matter is to examine the pickerstick, and if you find it badly worn by the picker, chip it out with a hammer and wood-chisel so that it will not bind under- neath or above the picker. If the stick is cracked or split — so that it is not reliable, re- place it with a good one, the best you have got. I am speaking now of chronic cases, where the loom has been bothering you for some time and when you are or ought to be getting down to business in good shape with a determination to conquer. See that it throws a straight shuttle ; you will find instructions on this subject in Chap. VIII. If the shuttles themselves are crooked or worn out of shape, either put in a new set or straight- en them up by rubbing them on a large sheet of sand paper laid fiat on a good floor or on a straight board made purposely for the job. Some fixers prefer to use a plane ; it makes no AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 29 difference so long as you get them straight. See that they are all the same size. Whenever a fixer has a job of this kind on his hands he should put as much time as possible around that loom until he is perfectly satisfied with it and not be in a great hurry to get away from it. If he has to leave it tempo- rarily, let him return to it again and he will ultimately conquer if he has got enough gump- tion for a loomfixer. When a fixer is working around a loom he may save himself a great amount of future trouble by promptly attending to any little matter which he should happen to notice going amiss, on the '* stitch in time saves nine " principal. When putting on a pickerstick he may notice that the pickerstrap or powerstrap is nearly worn out or breaking, in which case he should put a new one on while he is at it and not wait for it to break or it may break some- thing else. Some of the gears which run the handmotion may be just a little loose, and it is a great temptation to let it go, it does not seem to be doing any harm ; but if it is allowed to run that way very long, it will spoil the key way so that it will be difficult to get a good fit when it is 30 AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. fixed and it will have to be fixed sooner or later anyway. The fixer who attends to little matters like these promptly, will keep his section of looms in good condition ; but the man who lets every- thing go as long as it will, is letting them get all run down, for which the weaver suffers as well as the production of the mill. Another thing which should not be over- looked in this matter is flat-sided pickerballs. CHAPTER V. FILLING AND WARP KINKING. Filling kinking generally can be stopped by one or more of the following remedies : tight- ening up on the binders or shaping them so that the shuttle will not rebound ; reducing the power on the pick if it will stand it without banging off ; getting a good tension on the fill- ing so as to keep it tight ; and setting the har- ness cylinders well forward so as to close the shed early.. But there are cases of filling kinking some- times, which for a time seems to defy all at- tempts to remedy them ; in which case the fixer must get down to business with a grim determination to conquer at all cost. In the first place get the loom into good order, paying particular attention to the picking motion. If you can get a good smooth even pick you will be able to run with less power on than would be possible with an ugly jarring pick as there is always a certain amount of irregularity and unevenness in connection with such a pick. 82 AT N LEY'S T.OOMFIXING. If the shuttles arc not all alike there must be a general straightening up of them. It may be that there are some odd ones amongst the set that arc worn rounded, on the back or bowed in at the front and so forth ; straighten them up either with a plane or otherwise. Next put a good sized brush into them so as to get as much tension on the filling as it will stand comfortably. There arc other ways of getting extra ten- sion on the filling besides the regular way of putting waste in ; one way is to take a small bunch of bristles out of the hand brush and fix them into the side of the shuttle so that the ends will rest on the bobbin at the nose. Another way is to tack a piece of thick felt about an inch square into the shuttle near the eye, and run the filling through it, first having punched a hole in it for that purpose. This is practical only on fine yarn. Set the bottom cylinder about seven teeth ahead of the box motion, and the top one about three or four ahead if circumstances will allow. On some weaves it will cause the filling to kink close up to the selvedge if the top cylinder is set more than two or three teeth ahead ; also on heavy work it may cause the boxes to jump, especially on old looms. It will no doubt seem strange to a fixer who has not had a wide experience, AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. 33 talking about the setting of the harness cyhn- ders causing the boxes to jump, but it is a fact, nevertheless, and there are a great many queer things about a loom besides that. It happens on some weaves that the har- nesses change only from one position, that is, from top to bottom or from the bottom to the top only. In these cases the shed does not close on the pick as quickly as it would in ordmary cases where the harnesses change from both positions. The filling has a ten- dency to kink on that account, especially on piece-dyes where there are no risers after the backing pick. The trouble in this case can be overcome l)y having the listing harnesses change on that pick. It is sometimes very difficult to stop filling kinking on goods that have a fine tight weave on the face and a loose back. Each backing harness rising about one pick in eight, makes it kind of loose on the backing warp and is liable to have a few slack threads in the shed, and on account of the filling being so light, it easily kinks on them. In this case if the backing warp is on a separate beam, the whip-roll may be lowered to advantage so as to draw the threads tighter on the top side. But if it is a one beam warp (which is often the case on this kind of weaves) M AINLEY'S LOOMFIXING. the best way would be to drop all the backing harnesses and raise up the face and put a lease rod through. Fasten it back about fourteen inches from the harnesses. The general idea among loomfixers is that the early closing of the shed would prevent the filling from kinking by closing on it before the shuttle is stopped, thus hatching the filling before it had time to get slack. Such is the case only to a certain extent as the early closing of the shed effects it a good deal further than that. For proof of this, take a case where there is about half a cut woven with the shed changing late, and set the cylinders well forward for the rest of the cut, and notice the difference in the width of the cloth on the roll. It will be found to be about an inch narrower, the reason for this is that the filling is taken up more in cloth woven with an early shed than with a late one. 