Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1863-05-08


which is furnished with projections that
touch all the working faces in the sewing
machine bed. The holes to he drilled are
laid off in this Jig and bushed with harden
I'd steel thimbles, 30 that their positions re-
main always the same Surprising the plate
Of the drill press to be perfectly square, or
at right angles with the tool, and the sur
faces Of the Jig bearing upon IT also cor
rect, the holes which are pierced by follow
inS those laid out in the pattern, are always
true, and each machine in this particular is
fac-simile Of the others. To see that the
Gig is always in proper condition is the
business of the contractor, for upon IT de
ponds the fidelity of his work
Having thus seen the process employed IN
this one particular, we will not detail the
others at great length. To do so would re
quire a vastly greater space than that COM
priEed in a newspaper article follow US on
down the shop, which is closely slowed with
every conceivable variety Of tool-some, in
deed, iuconccivabe in their dexterity and in
eenious working. OF the latter Is the ma
chine which makes the rotating hook, one of
tho most beautiful pieces Of mechanism that it
is possible to imagine. The hook and shaft
are made out Of n steel rod hut very little
larger in diameter than the finished piece it
Is first cut of about seven or eight inches
long. then heated in furnace and placed
under drop press, which has dies in either
fac ecorrespOndinC to the shapes desired. Four
distinct dies are necessary to bring 1t 10 the
rough form. Ii Is then annealed OF s0itCned
and brought to the machiniSt, who performs
all the work needful TO complete it-such as
turning the shaft to 1T accurately, turning
the hook part, which l., in this stage, no
thing but a round button, like haucncd
pill ox-placing the shaft in the lathe and
cuttiu. ont the recess in front where the bob
hin roratc--sawiu, down behind the i1cc so
a. 20 form the clearance required shaping
the c-ist-nf and. IN short. executing the
notifications details which must be completed
before it il perfect In all of these operations
the uIachiui>t has little else % do than super
intend tho lathe or tool that docs the work.
From the -,t steel, gray cheese ike larlngS
come away until the whole piece Is OF the re-
ouirtd aimcn-iouS - we follow through
the shop. and sec tiret one Part and then an
other brought into contact with the rapid
u1ieel,-S, cutter. until wehavc Travelled near
ly the entire length We then hasten to fol
low our charcrou, Mr. Perry. t. the second
i,1r.
Here the smaller, and consequently light
ct, part, Of the sewing machine are iabricat-
ed. and we look upon operations similar T.
tbysa We have iust left. Ascending once more
we find, in the third story, the several aPpli-
ances which belong 70 the sewing machine
IN vsri1nS stages of construction. these are
the needs. spools, hemmers, and other cx-
ira appliauces. the invention Of which has
greatly increased the machine 5 utility.
The needles deserve more than passing
notice few persons have an accurate conccp-
ti,n of the labor and time expended upon
tbcm. One. taken iu the hand. is slight
" curved steel wire with a round body aud
sbarp point, whose eye Is near the end bat
In reduce it to this form, out ufs piece Of
stock. requires much ingenuity. After the
wire is softened, being previously cut TO the
right length, it is turned in lathe 70 nearly
its nrorer share the groove must then be
formed in one side For this purpose a pair
Of steel dies are made having grooves IN them
the size Of the intended needle in the center
or this Groove is a raised edge OF rib, running
aI,n., a. far a. IL i desirable to carry the re
cess 10 l,c made in the former. The thickness
&c the rih varies in the standard Of the I'M
rlemcnts made in the o number, for IN
stance. which is the finest size, the groove Il
not much wider than the column rules OF
this journal When We reflect that an eye
or hole for the thread has 70 be drilled IN
this needle, and the groove polished, we are
naturally astonished. nevertheless 1t Is done
By means of fine thread, the Size with
which the needle is 10 be used, and some Hour
emery. or its equivalent, the eye Is polished
and left rerfectlv smooth. To make perfect
needle much skill and care i necessary. Mr..
Perry informed US that he frequently recelY-
cd nronosals from abroad from parties deslr-
inc Ia furnish the company with this branch
Of their manufacture, stating, as an induce
ment. that they could make them much
cbcarcr Unfortunately, however, for the
nron,scrs in one instance. the sample sent was
Tcrv much poorer in quality than the worst
ones thrown away weekly by the company
In ono of the lower shops we were shown
a hook shaft which had slight scratch IN 1t,
made hv the turning tool its value was not
;mnaired in anv wav-it would work perfect
L. hit vet It was. We were informed. likely
IN be condemned. because, as our guide re
marked. to allow 1t to pass unnotlced would
bo departurc from established rules, tor
which there was M precedent, and to which
infractinn no bounds could be set. Here lies
the secret Of the success Of the W heeler a
Wilson sewing machine for as all parts are
interchangeable, being exact duplicates tne
one Of the other, entire uniformly through
out l. attained 49,.
The bobbin or spool that runs between the
hook and slide ring Is, in appearance the
simplest part Of the invention, hut mnch u,-
prnds upon its construction. lhey are hlaue
In three pieces. the two sides and hrase cen
ter the sides are stamped ont OF -hee''
then nut over the brass center, ana tha1 clo7
,d up on to them; the spool Is then apIareh'-
" done, hut it must he placed IN the iat"e'
turned 10 an exact size at Its edges, anu L! "
speeifed shane on its sides. Nj Ferry IN
formed u that at one time great dltncui'lte
,,ors encountered in the working Of their
sewing machines, they would 90 very ~eil
Car fine. but on resuming operations. after
,oos;nr, a while. no satisfactory work could
he done. This, as it may he supposed, "a'
a source of much anxiety TO the Company
and our informant stated that the trouble
was laid to the hook ; that whenever any
thing was out of order in the machine, ma
mart alvays took the burthen of the blame
Finally. however. he took a machine home
and nazzled over the cause of It's mal-oPera'
tion for some time, until he at length dlscoy
cred that by always putting the bobbln VIII
tho same face towards the hook It ian per
fectlv we'll. This trouble led to the lnyen
tion of special machinery for the manuiactul'
Of tbi. part. and no further inconvenience o
, anv kind is experienced.
With this little Interpolation let us leav
the machine shops and all their attraction
behind, and enter other apartments IL
: look in this large room wc shall ind II fni
> of polished and fnely-executed cablnet-work
, / These are the cases which adorn and pro
tect the new household god that now sits NJ
? ON nearly every hearthstone in the land W
n remark how the tables are put together Il
! sections, - that they shall not check o
spring. each one being made Of five TIN
\ pieces laid one upon TOP OF the other an
' then glued fast Let US Pass the packin
I room and the npanners at their labors, an
:. =, IN the tuners" or inspection rooms
! This branch Of the sewing S-machine busine'
: comprises the accurate and final adjustmer
= Of tie several dstails which have passe
!. through other hand~- Unto these men