Chapter III: Full-Harness Mountings (1)

The mountings that will be alluded to in this section are all intended for ‘full harness’; that is, the ordinary method of jacquard weaving when applied to such fabrics as damask, dress goods, and, in many cases, to double cloths, handkerchiefs, &c.

_Full harness_, or, as it is termed in some hand-loom districts, shot and draft, to distinguish it from the ‘pressure harness’ system, holds the first place amongst mountings, as by it can be done what cannot be done by any other method, and everything can be done by it that can be done by any harness, or combination of harness or heddles; though it does not follow that it would be desirable to adopt it in every case. In a full harness each thread in any part of the tie can be lifted independently of the others; in wide fabrics, or in order to reduce expense in narrow ones, recourse is had to gathering or repeating the tie, and like threads in each repeat must be lifted together; but in a single tie any one thread can be lifted independently of any other. In full harness there is one thread of warp drawn into each mail or eye of the harness, and one shot is given to each change of card. Other descriptions of harnesses are known as ‘half harness,’ ‘split harness,’ ‘pressure harness,’ ‘gauze harness,’ double-cloth and quilt harnesses, &c.

_Half harness_ is the term applied to that description of harness in which the half of the warp (every alternate thread) is drawn into the harness, and the other half passes through it loosely. This is mostly to be found in the manufacture of gauze or leno curtains, and is wrought with a shaft mounting in front of the harness.

_Split harness_ is applied when two threads are governed by each hook of the jacquard, and the ground of the cloth is wrought by some other means, as shafts through the harness. This is to be found in the silk trade.

_Pressure harness_ is when several threads of warp are drawn into each mail, and when the harness is drawn it remains stationary for several shots of ground texture, for which the sheds are sprung or pressed open by heddles.

_Gauze harness_ is a harness fitted up with doups for weaving leno and gauze, and is mostly full harness.

_Double-cloth and quilt harnesses_ are for weaving these fabrics.

Mounting, or gaiting, is a term that may be taken to apply to the building of the harness and the preparing of everything in connection with it. The form of ‘tie’ to be adopted will depend to a great extent on the nature of the fabric to be made, and to the style of pattern which is to be applied to it. For instance, dress goods may be required, and the pattern may consist of small sprigs or objects repeated over the surface of the cloth, forming a simple repeating pattern. Again, handkerchiefs, napkins, or table-covers may be wanted, which will require a bordered ‘tie,’ and may have both single and double mounting in them. Sometimes the manufacturer mounts his looms to what he considers a desirable ‘tie’ (or arrangement of cords) to admit of having a good variety of patterns wrought on it for whatever class of goods he is likely to make, and then he has the patterns made to suit the tie or mounting. Sometimes patterns are procured which will give the best possible effect on the least possible machinery, or the least number of hooks of the jacquard, and the mounting is then arranged to suit the pattern. On this method often a very considerable saving of machinery can be effected by turning over or gathering the harness; or, by arranging a variety of turns over, or gathers, and repeats, a very diversified effect can be obtained with a small number of hooks, as those accustomed to the larger forms of shaft mountings will readily understand. Thus, if we take 100 hooks of the jacquard as equal to 100 shafts, it will easily be understood that a large variety of beautiful patterns can be produced with either a straight or zigzag draft, though they will be mostly of a set or conventional type. The objection to mounting a loom in this way is, that if a change of pattern to a free or running style is required, it is necessary to cut down the harness and remount it, probably requiring new machinery as well. It may, however, suit to adopt both methods; that is, to have a few looms for working conventional patterns on small jacquards, say 200 hooks, and others mounted for free patterns requiring, say, 400 or 600 hooks in the machine. Of course this entirely depends on the nature of the orders likely to be received, and manufacturers must use their own judgment, in which, however, they are more likely to err on the narrow than on the liberal side of the question, the result being cramped and stiff patterns, with a probable loss instead of gain. Two styles of mounting harness are in general use--one, known as the ‘London tie,’ being used in Spitalfields by the silk weavers; the other is called the ‘Norwich tie,’ as it was there adopted in the early days of weaving. About 1830 the Norwich style was adopted in London, as the weavers’ houses were too low to admit of the jacquards being set high enough to suit the London method, which, having a quarter-twist in the harness, requires more height than is necessary for the Norwich system, in which the harness passes direct from the jacquard to the cumber board in flat rows without any twist.

_The Harness._--When about to mount a loom the first process is to prepare the harness. A harness is built up of several parts, the methods of preparing and building varying in different districts. A few of the best methods will be given. Fig. 46, Nos. 1, 2, and 3, show a complete cord of the harness in three methods of preparing it--A (Nos. 1 and 2) are the tail or tug cords looped to the hooks of the jacquard; these cords are only necessary on double-lift machines, and are usually put on by the machine-makers. They are made of twisted cotton, and are soft and pliable. L shows the knot, known as the ‘tug knot,’ by which the tail cords are looped on the hooks. B, B are two methods of knotting the neck or body of the harness to the tail cords; that in No. 1 is the usual method. C, C are the hecks, or guide reeds, through which the harness passes. G, G are the lingoes, or leads, formerly made of strips of lead, but now of wire. From the lingo to the mail or eye, F, through which the warp passes, is a double cord called the bottom piece, or hanger. From the mail, passing through the cumber board or harness reed E, is another piece of double cord, called the top or mid-piece, or the ‘sleeper’; to this is looped or tied the neck twine in various ways, two methods of which are shown at D _d_ _d_^1 (No. 1) and at D (No. 2); No. 3 shows levelling below the cumber board, with two methods for tying H and H^1. M is the snitch knot, which is much used for fastening cords that require careful adjusting. Sometimes it is a matter of choice to adopt any method of mounting, and sometimes one plan may suit circumstances better than another.

Preparing Lingoes.--A prepared lingo is shown at No. 4, Fig. 46, this work being generally done by little boys or girls, or by old women. One of the commonest methods of preparing them is as follows:--Having prepared the mails, which are small eyelets of brass, copper, or steel of the shape shown at F, sometimes with round holes in the centre and sometimes with elliptical or long shaped ones, they are put into a dish or pan; a boy takes a piece of wire and strings a number of them on it. The wire is then fastened on a rack, or in any convenient place, by both ends, in a horizontal position. A bunch of small pieces of twine is tied up in a convenient place; these are to form the hangers, or to connect the lingoes with the mails. Having the lingoes conveniently placed, and being provided with a pair of shears, the boy sets to work. Taking a piece of twine, and pulling it through an end hole of a mail, he doubles it evenly, and, lifting a lingo, puts both ends through the eye in it, and casts on a knot, as shown at N (No. 4). The loop on the twine there shown requires to be pushed up over the top of the lingo, then drawn tight, and the ends clipped off. This mail is then pushed along the wire, and the others proceeded with. The pieces of twine for forming the hangers, as well as the sleepers, are prepared by warping them off spools round two pins, and then cutting them across. Of course the pins must be set apart at such a distance as will suit the length of the sleepers and hangers required. The usual length of the hanger (when doubled) is 7 or 8 in., and that of the sleeper or mid-piece when it passes through the cumber board, as in Nos. 1 and 2, Fig. 46, and as shown at No. 4, is 15 or 16 in. When a quantity of lingoes are hung on the mails, the top cords or sleepers may be put through the top holes in the mails, and tied with a weaver’s knot, the ends being neatly clipped off.

A quicker method of preparing lingoes is as follows:--Two upright pieces of iron, as A, A, Fig. 47, are fastened on a board, or on a bench or table. A cut is made in each of these, so as to hold a piece of flat wire such as is used for coarse reeds. This wire is pointed at one end, so that by taking a handful of mails they can easily be gathered up on it. It is then placed in position, as shown at B; the mails, D, are shown on it, and C is a spool containing twine for the hangers. By rubbing the end of this twine with wax, so as to stiffen it, and gathering all the mails on the wire evenly together, the end of the twine may be run through the holes in all of them at once. This end is fastened, and with a hook, as shown at F, the twine can be drawn through the mails, beginning at the one farthest away from the spool, and passing from one to the other in succession, looping the twine round the pin E, which should be at such a distance from the mails as is required to make the hangers the proper length. If many mails are to be threaded at once there should be two or three pins as E, so as to avoid too much slope from them to the mails, which would increase the length of the hangers. The twine can be cut when the mails on the wire are completed, and the other ends of the mails turned round and treated similarly for the sleepers; but the pegs will require to be shifted, so as to get the required length of twine. When finished, these can be cut also, and the wire tied up in a convenient place, so that the lingoes may be hung on, as before described. The sleepers can then be knotted, if required to be.

After the lingoes are thus prepared the twine is frequently varnished, and sometimes twisted so as to prevent that of the hangers from rising up through the hole of the mail and getting in between the two halves of the yarn when the shed is crossing. This frequently happens if anything prevents the lingo from dropping. A common method of twisting them is for a boy to give them a coat of flour-paste or a light coat of varnish, then, having them hung on a rod which passes through the loops of the sleepers, he takes a handful of the lingoes, and, placing them on his knee, rolls them round with his hand till they are sufficiently twisted, then lets them hang down, and proceeds with another handful.

When the paste or varnish on these is set they can be well varnished. About two inches at the top of the sleepers must be left without varnish, to leave it soft and pliable for tying the neck to; the knots on all the sleepers must be brought up to about the point before they are twisted or varnished. When the lingoes are thus prepared and dry they can be tied in bunches, to be used as required.

Some do not varnish the twines till the harness is all mounted, and then varnish it all over. Others do not varnish at all. In this case the hangers are not twisted, and for light open sets of harness they need not be twisted at any time.

LINGOES OR LEADS

For pressure harness work the weights for drawing down the harness were originally made of lead, about the length and thickness of a thin pencil, but tapering to the lower end. The weight varied with the number of ends to the mail, the strength of the yarn, and the weight of the cloth to be made, ranging from 10 to 18 per lb., or lighter if for fine hand-loom work. For a linen damask as formerly made, with 6 or 8 threads in the mail, a very heavy lead was required, even in the hand loom, whilst a fine cotton two-thread harness would do with a comparatively light lingo. Strips of lead cut from sheets were used for lighter weights; these were then reduced to the proper size for drawing them through holes in steel plates. Now, lingoes for power looms are made of wire, and for ordinary damask or full harness work should range from 25 to 40 to the lb.; for heavier work, such as linen towels, worsteds, &c., 16 or 18 per lb., according to the weight of the fabric, are required. Lighter ones answer for hand looms: Murphy mentions as light as 110 per lb. for the centres of shawls, but 35 to 60 per lb. will be more frequently found. 25’s to 30’s are a good size for power looms; 12 in. long for 25’s or 30’s, 14 in. for 16’s or 18’s, and 16 in. for 10’s or 12’s are good lengths.

When there is a great slope in the border twines of a harness, it is often necessary to put heavier lingoes on it than on the centre, to keep the warp down. Of course, the less weight that has to be lifted is always a saving of power, and easier on the harness; therefore it is better to have two sizes of lingoes than to have them all weighty enough for the borders.

HARNESS TWINE

The size of harness twine used varies greatly; some prefer a fine, and others a heavy, twine. For the sleepers and hangers, 4 ply of 22’s or 5 ply of 30’s linen yarn is a very good medium size, and 4 ply of 14’s or 5 ply of 18’s or 20’s is a very good size for the neck or body of the harness.

Sometimes, for heavy damask, cable cord is used for the body of the harness, and is a good wearing cord; it is especially suited when the neck cords are fastened to the sleepers below the cumber board. This cord is made of good flax yarn; 5 ply of 30’s are twisted together, and three of these cords are then twisted together, or 3 ply of 18’s afterwards made 3 ply. A better size for medium work is 5 ply of 35’s made 3 ply, or 3 ply of 20’s or 22’s made 3 ply. Heavy harness twine requires to have heavier lingoes, particularly on those parts of the harness that are much slanted, in order to have the same effect on them that they would have on light twine. Some go to the opposite extreme, and use very light twine, such as 4 ply of 30’s, which is only fit for very light work in a narrow loom, where there will be but little friction on the cumber board, and where no heck is required. Lighter twine will suit better for a hand loom than for a power loom; 4 ply of 30’s for the harness of a hand loom, with lingoes of 50 or 60 to the lb., would do very well for a light cotton warp.

SETTING THE JACQUARD

The proper position for the jacquard, when only one is required on the loom, is so that the centre hook in it will be above the centre hole of the cumber board. This can easily be found by tying a plumb line to the centre hook of the machine and moving it, if necessary, till the plummet rests over the centre of the cumber board. In case the cumber board is not fixed in position, that of the jacquard may be found by having the plumb line to pass about half an inch more than the half breadth of the harness at the cumber board behind the top rail of the lay when it is full back, and it should also be at equal distances from each side of the loom. When more than one jacquard is required, they should be arranged evenly over the cumber board, and as close together as possible.

Sometimes the jacquard may be set farther forward or back to suit circumstances, such as getting card space, the only disadvantage being that there will be more slanting of the cords at one side than the other, and more friction on them in the cumber board, also more drag on the hooks on this side if no heck is used, and if a heck is used the cords will have to bear the friction on it. The more direct the cords of the harness can be, the better, and the above setting of the jacquard should be adhered to when possible, but it is not absolutely necessary for working to have it so.

It is always well to have the jacquards so arranged that they can be raised or lowered a little by having them resting on bars, which can be raised or lowered with screws. This is in case the harness is levelled higher or lower than might afterwards be desired; but if the breast beam of the loom, with the lay and back rail, can be raised or lowered, it will suit the same purpose, and it is better not to move the machine once it is fixed and the harness tied up.

The height the jacquard is to be above the loom must in many cases be regulated by circumstances; for instance, the height of the roof, or if the beams of the roof interfere with the working of it; sometimes the machines rest on the framing of the loom--that is, if the loom is made for a jacquard--and sometimes plain looms are used, and the machines rest on beams supported from columns, or from the roof of the house. This latter is the best plan, as it keeps the jacquard free from the shaking of the loom, which is particularly useful in the case of looms fitted with the knock-off motion. A good height for a jacquard, independent of circumstances, is to have 8 ft. or 8 ft. 6 in. from the mails to the bottoms of the hooks for a 10/4 loom--that is, one with about 100 in. reed space; 7 ft. to 7 ft. 6 in. for an 8/4 (82 in. reed space), and 5 ft. 6 in. to 6 ft. for a 4/4 (40 in. or 42 in. reed space), are very good heights. 5 ft. 6 in. is about right for a narrow harness, say 20 in. to 27 in. wide; 6 ft. would do for 80 in. wide, and 7 ft. or 7 ft. 6 in. for 90 in. wide, if necessary.

HECKS OR GUIDE REEDS

A heck is a frame of hard wood with wires across it, a wire for each row of hooks in the machine, from back to front. It should be made to suit the machine, so that when the harness passes from the hooks between the wires, it will go vertically down, and have no slant in it. In narrow hecks, there is usually one cross-stay to support the wires, but for broader machines there should be at least two. The wire should be iron, as brass soon cuts with the friction of the cords, and then in turn cuts the cords. For a single-acting machine the wires should be loose, so that they can roll with the cords; but for a double-acting machine this would be of no advantage, as a portion of the cords are falling when the remainder are rising. If the machine is very wide, or has to be set forward or back on the loom, there should be cross rollers of hard wood above the wires, at right angles to them, to prevent the bottoms of the hooks from being drawn either backwards or forwards, which might push their heads on or off the griffe knives.

Sometimes glass rollers are used in the silk trade for this purpose, with mountings of the London tie, and while they are very smooth and polish the twines, they get too hot if used in warm power-loom factories working at a high speed. Hecks are not required for very narrow harnesses, as the cords do not diverge much from the vertical, and the friction on the heck being saved, the cords wear much longer.

In a wide harness it is impossible to draw an even shed without a heck, although in some districts they are hardly known, and the more any portion of the harness diverges from the vertical, the more irregular will the shed be.

Suppose we take an extreme case of a loom having three or four jacquards on it, the harness to be 96 in. wide, and the pattern to be for a table-cover; then, if we deduct 2 ft. from the width of the harness, it is possible some of the border twines may have to slant across 6 ft., or 72 in. Now make a triangle as No. 1, Fig. 48. Let the base, A B, be 72 in., and take it as the level of the cumber board. Take the vertical side, A C, as the height of the harness to the heck, viz., 84 in. Now calculate the length of the hypotenuse B C by squaring 84 and 72 and finding the square root of the sum, and it will be found to be 110·63 in. Again: Make another triangle, as No. 2, with base 72 in.; vertical side 3-1/2 in. longer than that of the former triangles, viz., 87·5 in. (this 3-1/2 in. is to represent the draw or lift of the harness). Calculate the length of the hypotenuse as before, and it will be found to be 113·31 in. From this deduct 110·63 in., the length of B C in No. 1, and the remainder, 2·68 in., equals the height that the cord B C has been raised, while the cord A C, which is vertical, has been raised 3-1/2 in.; and if we take into consideration that the side draw of the sloping cords, as B C, will pull the tail cord a little to one side and rise the vertical cords a little higher, while the sloping ones remain proportionately lower, 1 in. may be safely taken as the difference of the height that the two cords, B C and A C, would be raised by the jacquard, and all the other cords in the harness would vary, being less than this in proportion to their divergence from the straight or vertical line. It can thus be seen how the shed would require to be opened to let the shuttle through, and the irregular strain that would be on the yarn; and for any cloth that requires a fine surface, any irregularity of strain on the warp has a deleterious effect, very well known by experienced overlookers.

Some consider that the London style of harness is more suitable for working without a heck than the Norwich style, and adopt it to avoid using one, as it is severe on the harness twines. Some raise the machines very high to avoid using them, but for particular work with border ties they must be used to give a proper working harness. With the London mounting rollers should be, and are, used when there is no heck. These rollers are set as a coarse heck in a frame under the machine, and lie lengthways under it, just as they would do when used above a heck. The heck should be about 3 in. below the knots which fasten the tail cords to the neck twines. Some have the tugs, or tail cords, coming down through the heck; in this case the heck only takes the strain off the hooks of the machine, and has no effect on the shed, though sometimes this is mitigated by having more than one tug or tail cord, and the neck twines that slant in different directions are tied to different tail cords. The only point in favour of this is that it saves some trouble in tying broken harness twines when they begin to wear away by their friction on the heck.

PREPARING THE NECK OF THE HARNESS

The twine for the neck, as well as that for the other portions of the harness, is usually wound on spools, and when the neck is to be prepared it is warped from these spools to the length required, either on a hand warping mill or round two pins fastened in a wall or on a bench, as far apart as the length of the harness; three or four spools are put on pins, and the ends from them are taken and wound round the pins fixed for warping them on. When warped the twines may be cut at one end, and can either be tied in a bunch or stretched on a board and tied down on it, so that they may be kept straight and admit of any number of them being pulled out as they are wanted.

In some methods of mounting the neck twines are first tied to the tail cords; perhaps this is the plan most commonly adopted with double-acting machines. Sometimes they are tied to the sleepers first, and fastening them to the tail cords is the last process. This is called ‘beeting’ the harness. When single-acting machines are made with the hooks resting on a perforated board, they have tugs on the hooks; but when the wire hooks pass down through a perforated grating, tugs are unnecessary, and the neck twines are fastened to the hooks. When fastened to the hooks, or even when fastened to the tail cords, and a heck is not to be used, the neck twines should be formed into heads, either before they are tied up or afterwards, as may be desired. The reason of this is, that when a number of neck twines are tied to a hook or tail cord, and the hook is raised by the machine when working, the twines will be slanting in different directions, and when coming down again would be liable to catch on the knots of those that were not raised; and the head is for the purpose of keeping them together, so that they cannot separate for a short way down. One method of doing this is, after the bunch of neck twines is tied to a tail cord or hook, to take one of the twines and knot it round the others about 3-1/2 in. below the tail cord, and the same may be done with a second twine, if there are many in the parcel.

Sometimes the neck twines are all prepared in heads, and the following is a convenient method of doing so:--Fasten four flat pins of wood, as A, B, C, D, Fig. 49, on a board as F, or on the edge of a bench or table. C and D are firmly fastened, but A and B can be turned round to the position shown by the dotted lines when the screws holding them are slackened. The distance from C to D must be the length required for the neck twines. E is the twine coming from a spool on a wire. The pin A is pushed round to the position shown by the dotted line, and the twine is warped round C, B, D, passing over B and under C, so as to form a lease. When a sufficient quantity is warped, the crossing of the lease is pushed up towards C, and the pin A turned round into the centre of the twines, taking the place of B, which is turned back. The use of the two pins is to allow room for warping, C and A being too close together. The distance from the outside of C to that of A should be the length the head is required to be (about 3-1/2 in. or 4 in.). The twines may now be cut at D, and a piece of cord looped round them and tied to D, so as to hold them steady, but allow them to be drawn out as required. The number of twines for each head can now be drawn out and tied round the two pins C and A, and when a number are done they can be slipped off the pins and put on cords or rods; the lease keeps the heads in order, and the bunch can be hung up at the loom, and each head be taken in rotation by the mounter. The number of twines for each head is regulated by the tie of the harness.

Suppose a double-acting machine is to be mounted with the harness similar to that shown in No. 1, Fig. 46. The tail cords are usually put on the machine by the makers, but if they are worn out, or if new cords are required, putting them on is the first process. This can be done when the machine is on the ground, and the neck may also be tied to the tail cords before the machine is put on the loom. Some mounters prefer one method, and some the other, and the one which most conveniently suits the circumstances may be used. When the neck is attached to the machine before putting it on the loom, it is usual to turn it on its side on blocks or on a table. If the machine is on the loom, a board is tied up to make a seat for the mounter, and the bunch of neck twines is fixed convenient to his reach; or he may have a boy to draw them out for him, and hand him the number he requires. Beginning at the first hook, he takes a pair of tail cords, and having drawn them down straight and stretched them firmly, he loops the neck twines on them in the way shown in Fig. 46, and draws the knot fast. The distance from the bottom of the hooks to the neck twines should be 11 in. or 12 in. The first of these in each row is measured, and the mounter can then regulate the others so as to have all the knots in a line.

The number of neck twines that are to be tied to each hook is regulated by the tie of the harness. For each time that any repeat or portion of a pattern is to be repeated on the cloth there must be a twine attached to those hooks of the machine that are to work this repeat. For instance, if a 400 machine is used, and the pattern consists of a simple repeat on these 400 hooks, and this has to be repeated six times on the cloth, then six neck twines must be tied to each hook of the machine. Again: The pattern might be made for a 400 machine, 200 hooks to be repeated six times, 100 four times, and 100 three times; then six twines would be tied to the first 200 hooks, four to the second set of hooks (100), and three to the third set (100), and any mounting would be regulated in a similar manner.

Full particulars of ties will be given further on.

If all the hooks in the machine are not required, any number of rows or portions of rows can be left idle at one end, or at both ends if desired, or even at the back or front.

When all the neck twines are tied up, the next process is to draw them through the heck, which should be fastened firmly 2 in. or 3 in. below the knots connecting the tail cords and neck.

The jacquard is supposed to have been levelled and set in its proper position on the loom, and firmly fastened there, and the same may now be done with the cumber board.

CUMBER BOARDS AND HARNESS REEDS

These are both for the same purpose--viz., that of regulating the space which the harness is to occupy--and both answer the purpose equally well, generally speaking. The reed being stronger is, perhaps, more suitable for coarse work; and the cumber board, giving a more evenly distributed harness, is perhaps preferable for fine work. Be that as it may, both suit for any medium work, though some workmen are all against the reeds, and others all against the boards. Harness reeds are strong-made reeds of cane or iron, of the depth and fineness to suit the harness. Bridges are fixed in them about 6 in. apart, with perforations for stiff wire to be run through; as many wires as are required to suit the number of rows of the harness. A wire should be outside the harness at both sides, to prevent it rubbing against the ribs of the reed. The wires are made straight, drawn tight, and fastened at each end to holes in the yoke of the reed. The reed is set in a frame of wood or iron, so that it can be bolted to brackets on the loom.

Cumber or comber boards, also called hole boards, are made in various ways. Sometimes they are of wood about 3/4 in. thick, and bored in a piece. These boards are strong enough to bolt to brackets on the frame of the loom. Sometimes they are thin, about 1/4 in. thick, bored in the same way, and framed. The wood used is beech, sycamore, and sometimes walnut. The objection to these boards, particularly the thin ones, is that if the wood is not very well seasoned they are liable to warp and split. A great many prefer to use what are called ‘slips’--that is, small pieces of wood of the depth required for the harness, and about 1-1/2 in. long or broad. The length, or long way of a cumber board or harness reed, is frequently called the width or breadth, same as weaver’s reeds, as this is the width of the loom. The cross-way, or from back to front, would, in the same way, be the depth. These slips are made of boxwood, beech, or other clean hard wood. Some prefer beech or sycamore to boxwood. The twines cut into them all in time, but the hardness of the boxwood causes a very fine cut to be made in it, which cuts the twine. The others will not cut the twine so readily, and by the time the wood is cut too much the harness would require to be renewed as well as the cumber board. These slips are made about 1/4 in. or 5/16 in. thick, and are set in a grooved frame. The usual way of arranging the holes in a board is shown at A (Fig. 50), which is for an 8-row harness. B shows a patent method, devised for the purpose of giving more space between any two holes in each horizontal row. The arrangement of the holes is in 4-shaft satin order, and gives double the space between the holes of each horizontal line that A does, and of course it would take so much longer for the twines to cut through; but this would only be an advantage if the holes were set very close together, as otherwise the harness would be considerably off the level before the twines had cut from one hole into another. In any case, the irregularity of the holes will likely prevent it from ever taking the place of the older method shown at A, though it may be desirable sometimes.

The cumber board is fastened on two brackets--one at each side of the loom--and should be perfectly level and firm. It should be so far advanced as to allow the harness to pass within half an inch of the handrail of the lay when full back, and should be from 8 in. to 10 in. above the mails, the lower the better, as it keeps them steady; but the height may have to be regulated by the swords of the lay, as they must be clear of it, and in some looms they are higher than in others. When the cumber board is levelled and fastened, it should not be moved after the harness is tied up, as any change in its position must alter the level of some portion of the harness. This cannot in every case be adhered to, as in some cases it may be necessary to move it. In a small harness a good deal of shifting can be made that could not be attempted in a large or intricate one. In many places the harnesses are built in a separate room, or by the machine maker, and sent to the manufacturer; but practical experience with particular work will teach anyone that it is most desirable to have everything about the harness as level and true as possible, and it takes a good deal of care to effect this, even without any shifting.

SLABSTOCKS AND LEVELLING FRAMES

‘Slabstock’ is a name given to the board used for fastening the mails on before they are levelled. It is about 6 in. deep and 1 in. thick, and should be as long, or longer, than the loom is broad, according to the way it is to be fixed in the loom, which is usually by being bolted to brackets fastened on the sides of it.

There is a groove or rebate in the top edge of it for holding the mails, as shown in Fig. 51 at A and B. Sometimes the grooves are at both sides, as shown at A^1. All the mails required for the harness are put on the one slabstock, which is set directly under the cumber board when the harness is being levelled.

A levelling frame is better than a slabstock; it is for the same purpose--that of keeping the mails firm and level when being tied to the neck twines. It consists of two flat bars of iron, C, C (Fig. 52), which can be bolted together in the form of a frame by the use of two stays, one at each end, and by the same screws be bolted to slotted brackets, A A, B B, fastened to the frame of the loom. Sometimes two hanging brackets, as D, are used, fastened from the top or heddle-bearer of the loom. The levelling bars, C, C, rest in these brackets, and can be fixed firm in them with a pin or cotter. If there is any yield or spring in the brackets, they can be stayed from the front of the loom as well, as the frame should be made very firm. The distance between the two bars should be 4 in. or 4-1/2 in., which will suit any harness; if only narrow harnesses, as 8-row, are required, it may be an inch narrower. The length of the frame must suit the breadth of the loom. It should be perfectly straight and level on the upper edges, and should have two rows of holes bored in it, about 2 in. apart, for pins and skewers to pass through above and below the wires on which the mails are strung, so as to keep them firm.

LEVELLING THE SLABSTOCK OR FRAME

Levelling a harness, or rather levelling the mails of the harness, is the most important part of the mounting, as, if the mails are not levelled as true as a straight-edge, good work need not be expected from the loom. The position in which they are levelled, in relation to the breast beam and back rail, will depend upon the nature of the cloth to be made, to a certain extent; but as a general rule, for ordinary work, the eyes of the mails should be half the depth of the shed required to be drawn below the level of the breast beam for hand loom work, and a little more than that for power-loom work. This is to have the top and bottom portions of the shed of an even tension, and to make both sides of the cloth equally good. The position of the back roll can be altered a little afterwards, if it is required to slacken either the top or bottom portions of the shed. Raising the back roll throws up the weft pattern to the under side of the cloth, and sinking the back roll gives the upper surface of the cloth a finer appearance, by tightening the top portion of the shed. A 3-1/2-in. draw of the harness is sufficient for power-loom work, and perhaps less would sometimes be preferable. Levelling the harness mails 1-3/4 in. for light work, and 2 in. for heavy work, below the breast beam should be a good average standard for a 3-1/2 in. draft of harness. The levelling frame or slabstock is levelled to this height by means of a spirit level and straight-edge, making allowance for whatever spring there may be in the harness after it is tied, and the wires drawn out of the mails. This can only be ascertained by experience, and depends principally on the tension the mounter puts on the twines when tying them; it will also depend upon whether the harness twines have any spring in them or not, but they should be well stretched before being used, to avoid this. A mounter who ties slackly will generally make a more level harness than one who ties tightly. About 1/8 in. may be allowed for the mails to rise if the cords are slackly tied, and if tightly tied 1/4 in. may have to be allowed, and sometimes more than this.

Sometimes the level is taken by placing a straight-edge on the race of the lay, when the cranks are at the back centre; then the under edge of the straight-edge should give the position for the tops of the mails on the slabstock, when it is fixed in its position in the loom. In levelling by this method the race must first be set at the proper height, and it must also be properly bevelled. From 1/2 in. to 3/4 in. below the breast beam is a good level at which to have the race, when the cranks are at the top centre, the latter for a low harness. The angle, or bevel, of the race may not at all times suit for levelling in this way. If not, the race should be made correct when possible; if it cannot be corrected, the harness must be levelled a little lower and the back rail kept down for working. A loom with the race bevelled for plain work is not suited for damask; the angle between the race and reed should, for damask, be about 93°, whereas for plain 87° would be more suitable.

TYING UP THE HARNESS

Having the neck attached to the tail cords and the levelling frame and cumber board fixed in position, the next operation is to get the prepared lingoes placed in the loom, whether on the levelling frame or slabstock. Suppose the levelling frame to be used. According to the number of rows in the harness or cumber board, pieces of reed wire are procured, one for each row, and as many lingoes are strung on each of these as will be required for each row of the harness, by running the wires through the mails. These wires are then placed in the frame and secured by skewers being put through the frame above and below them. The frame is then levelled and firmly bolted to the loom. The sleepers or mid-pieces of the lingoes are next drawn up through the cumber board, one through each hole required to be used, any surplus holes being previously marked out to suit the tie of the harness, which will be afterwards explained. When all are drawn through, the tying of the neck twines to the sleepers may be proceeded with.

This must be done in accordance with the tie of the harness. Thus, if there are four cords tied on the first hook of the machine, these must be taken down to the lingoes in the proper place in the cumber board, which may be seen by examining the particulars of the mountings, to be given further on. One method of fastening the neck to the sleepers is shown in No. 1, Fig. 46, at D, _d_, _d_^1. The twine is put through the loop of the sleeper at _d_^1 (or better to have a snitch on the sleeper, unless the knots are to be varnished afterwards), then a loop is thrown on at _d_, and the end tied at D, and clipped close. This method suits very well when the harness is liable to be altered, for if the knots are brushed over with paste they hold sufficiently firm, and can be loosed again at any time, if necessary. If varnished, it also answers equally well for any coarse harness; but if it is fine and much crossed, especially if the twines are strong or coarse, the knots are liable to catch on each other and raise more warp than should be when the loom is working.

A second plan is shown in No. 2, Fig. 46. In this case there are no sleepers on the lingoes; they are put on the levelling frame or slabstock without them, the mails and lingoes being connected by the hangers; the levelling frame is set in the loom as before, and the neck twines must be long enough to go down through the cumber board, through the top hole of the mail, and up again through the cumber board to where they are tied. The mounter, when about to tie them, takes one of the twines and casts a single knot on it, leaving the loop open, then puts the end of it through a hole in the cumber board and through a mail, and with a small wire hook draws it up again through the same hole in the cumber board, and through the open knot or loop he made on it, at the same time; then, turning round the awl or piercer in the other end of the handle of the hook, he puts it through the knot and runs it up about 6 in. above the cumber board, draws it tight, and casts another knot above it with the end of the twine, as shown at D, No. 2, Fig. 46. This makes a neat harness, and when a mounter gets accustomed to it he can proceed very expeditiously. This method is used in England; the former is Scotch. The instrument used for drawing the twines through the cumber board consists of a wooden handle, in one end of which is a hook or barbed wire, same as is used for drawing the warp through mails, and in the other end is a round awl or piece of steel wire, tapered to a blunt point, which is used for running up the loop or knots so as to have them all about the same distance above the cumber board.

_Beeting_ is another Scotch method of mounting. The harness may be beeted either above or below the cumber board; beeting above it was the old method, and single slabstock was used, as shown in Fig. 51 at A. When preparing it for the loom, the lingoes and mails are connected by the hangers in the usual way, and hung on the slabstock with the mails in the groove in it, as shown at B, Fig. 51. A piece of flat wire (reed wire) is run through the eyes of the mails, as many as are required for the whole harness, and is then tied down by cords fastened round it and the slabstock, at short distances apart. The slabstock is now put into a frame, or rack, with a rail as high above it as is required for the length of the sleepers. A spool of twine is fixed on a wire pin at the side of the frame, and with a needle, or otherwise, the end of the twine is run through a number of the mails and fastened. With a hook the sleepers can be reeled up to pins in the rail above the slabstock, on the same principle that they are done in Fig. 47. When the sleepers are all finished they can be slipped off the pins and cut.

The slabstock is next fixed in the loom and levelled with the upper edge of the rebate or groove touching the under edge of a straight-edge placed on the race of the lay when it is full back (for power looms).

The sleepers are then drawn up through the cumber board without their ends being knotted; they should be long enough to reach about 8 in. above it, and say 7 in. below, making 15 in. for their entire length.

Now, to beet the harness: Say there are two beeters, standing on the ground, with a supply of neck twines convenient to them; they pick up the sleepers from the first set of holes in the cumber board--that is, those that are to be connected with the first hook in the machine--and, having tied neck twines to them, hand them to the harness tyer, who is up at the machine. He takes the lot of twines and draws them all to an even tension, then, having drawn down the tail cords firmly and evenly, knots the neck twines to them.

One method of knotting the neck to the tail is to have the tail cords tied together so as to form loops; then, having straightened both the neck and tail cords, lay the neck against the loop of the tail, and take both firmly between the finger and thumb of the left hand, being careful not to let them slip, and casting a knot, as at C or D, Fig. 51, round the tail, with the ends of the neck draw it fast. In order to have all the tail cords plumb and the knots of a uniform height, the harness tyer sometimes has a cord tied across the top of the loom frame, at each end of the machine, at the height the knots are to be. On these he lays a straight-edge, marked as a guide for where the tail cords are to hang, so that he can regulate those of one row and have them plumb, and the knots even; when one row is finished, he moves the straight-edge to the next, and goes on with it. A newer method of beating is to prepare the lingoes with sleepers and hangers, the sleepers to be about 5-1/2 in. long. The slabstock A^1, Fig. 51, is used, or the other if preferred.

The mails are put upon flat wires as before, but instead of all going on one wire, half the number is put on each of two wires, and one of them is placed at each side of the slabstock, where it can be fastened with small staples. To facilitate getting the mails on the wires, when reeling the sleepers on the pin, as in Fig. 47, a lease can be made on the loops by giving them a twist when putting them over the pin.