Improvements in Skein Holders and Winders.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 1st Mar., 1897-Accepted, 3rd Apr., 1897
TRUVIDIONAL SI BUIFICATION.
Improvements in Skein Holders and Winders.
I, HENRY BROCKELBANK of 1 Tokenhouse Buildings London, E.C. Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in skein holders for balling yarn or thread
and winders for making skeins and consists in constructing the apparatus of such
material and of such design better suitable to their purpose.
The chief objections to skein holders on sale are their awkwardness in use and
tendancy to become disordered, also their inapplicability for winding from a skein
that is at all entangled. I produce skein holders that obviate these objections and
have other advantages in addition, including flexibility with requisite stiffness,
compactness in folding out of use, small cost and a light tension on the thread in
winding.
I employ a vertical plane for the revolution of the holder but a single axle with
two bearings and attach or place the holder so that its plane of revolution makes
two right angles with, above and over the plane of a table for instance, or against
that of a wall. The holder may be worked in other positions but this I prefer for
readily accommodating the line of thread from the winder to correspond with the
plane of revolution of the holder, an advantage sometimes difficult for the person
winding to obtain with any of the holders extant. This feature of position coupled
with my improved holder is of particular advantage should lose threads hang or
the skein be in tangles necessitating the wound portion being passed through the
threads.
I construct the holders in several patterns entirely of wire of a moderately thin
gauge and others of thin sheet metal. Other materials may be used but these
prefer.
From a single piece of wire I shape four rectangular framed arms radiating fron-
an axial spiral spring by which they are retained at right angles to one another and
through which I pass the ends so as to form journals. The arms have ears to keer
the skein on the holder and may have extensions adjustable to skeins of various sizes.
The extending pieces may be inade to open out or slide and be held by thimbles,
springs or friction grip or in other suitable way. By the addition of a crank handle
to the axle a winder may be made in this form for making skeins, such form of
winder admitting of the finished skein being easily removed. From a piece of stouter
wire I form somewhat in the shape of a pair of shafts, a bracket to carry the holder
or the winder, with the ends turned round as bearings and a loop at the inner portion
for suspension on a wall nail so that the bracket stands out at right angles against the
wall. The bracket is suitable also for clamping to a mantlepiece, table or other piece
of furniture; for which purpose an ordinary screw clamp may be used or a special
clamp which I construct also of wire, or the bracket may have spring clips for this
purpose. I construct wire brackets to the same end in other forms and one with the
additional advantage of standing in use. The holder or winder and bracket are made
to pack together into a small compass. I form or attach a hook or catch on the arms
of the holder, or winder for securing it as closed-so shaped as to avoid entanglement
with the threads.
Instead of the arms being made in pairs, as will be the case in the afore mentioned
holder or winder the arms may be made lose on an axle free to close against one

page_text: another. In this form when the holder or winder is open for use the arms would be
kept in position by distance links, or chains or other way. On this pattern I make
sheet metal arms with extensions to slide in a groove and a bracket of the same
material also constructed to close up into a small compass.
Dated this 27th day of May 1896.
подD
I, HENKY BROCKELBANK of Tokenhouse Buildings London, E.C. Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention relates to improvements in skein holders for balling yarn or thread
and winders for making skeins and consists in constructing the apparatus of such
material and of such design better suitable to their purpose.
The chief objections to skein holders on sale are their awkwardness in and
tendancy to become disordered, also their inapplicability for winding from a skein
that is at all entangled. I produce skein holders that obviate these objections and
have other advantages in addition, including flexibility with requisite stiffness,
compactness in folding out of use, sinall cost and a light tension on the thread in
winding.
I employ a vertical plane for the revolution of the holder.but a single axle with
two bearings and attach or place the holder so that its plane of revolution makes
two right angles with, above and over the plane of a table for instance, or against
that of a wall. The holder may be worked in other positions but this I prefer for
readily accommodating the line of thread from the operator to correspond with
the plane of revolution of the holder, an advantage sometimes difficult for the
person winding to obtain with any of the holders extant. This feature of position
coupled with my improved holder is of particular advantage should loose threads
hang or the skein be in tangles necessitating the wound portion being passed
through the threads.
I construct the holders in several patterns entirely of wire of a moderately thin
gauge and others of thin sheet metal. Other materials may be used but these I prefer.
From a single piece of wire I shape four rectangular framed arms radiating
from an axial spiral spring by which they are retained at right angles to one
another and through which I pass the ends so as to form journals. The arms
have ears to keep the skein on the holder and may have extensions adjustable to
skeins of various sizes. The extending pieces may be made to open out or slide,
and be held by thimbles, springs or friction grip or in other suitable way. By the
addition of a crank handle to the axle a winder may be made in this form for making
skeins, such form of winder admitting of the finished skein being easily removed.
From a piece of stouter wire I form, somewhat in the shape of a pair of shafts, a
bracket to carry the holder or winder, with the ends turned round as bearings and a
loop at the inner portion for suspension on a wall nail so that the bracket stands
out at right angles against the wall. The bracket is suitable also for clamping to a
mantle piece, table or other piece of furniture; for which purpose an ordinary
screw clamp may be used, or the bracket may have spring clips for this purpose.
I construct wire brackets to the same end in other forms and one with the additional
advantage of standing in use. The holder or winder and bracket are made to
pack together into a small compass. I form or attach a hook or catch on the arms of

page_text: the holder or winder for securing it as closed, so shaped as to avoid entanglement
with the threads.
Instead of the arms being made in pairs, as will be the case in the aforementioned
holder or winder, the arms may be made loose on an axle free to close against one
another. In this form when the holder or winder is open for use the arms would
be kept in position by distance links or chains or other way. On this pattern I
make sheet metal arms with extensions to slide in a groove and a bracket of the
same material also constructed to close up into a small compass.
Referring to the drawings attached Fig. 1 is a view of a holder made from a
length of wire. The centre's is coiled into an open spiral spring and the two ends
of the length are formed into a pair of arms. Thus a-coming from one end of
the spring is bent with the cross bar b and ears p p and being turned down to the
axle point c forms a complete arm A. In like manner arm B is made. At d the
extreme end of the wire is passed through the spring and allowed to project at c
for the journal. The other end of the wire is dealt with in a similar way and made
to form the arms C and D and has its extreme end passed through from c to d to
make the other journal. The disjointed sides of each pair of arms A' B' and C' D'
where they meet at the centre c and d are looped, or twisted into an S form, so
that the two ends of the wire, which go to make the axle, for the arms to turn
about, may pass, one on either side of the recurvous line and lock the sides to the
axle. Fig. 1 shows the holder mounted as for use on a bracket E. Wire of No. 14
B.W.G. is suitable for a holder to take wools. E is made from a stouter wire.
The bracket is here shown as hanging from a wall nail. It may be used in a
vertical position clamped to a table. The simple skein holder shown in Fig. 1 is
convenient for taking skeins of nearly a uniform size. The spread of the arms is
varied by the size of the skein. If the skein holder is required to take skeins of all
sizes extensions may be put upon the arms as aforesaid. I illustrate one example
in Fig. 2 of an extension held by the friction grip of double bow springs j.
Compression of the bows allows the extension to slide free either up or down.
Fig. 3 shows a bracket-stand. convenient for suspension as E in Fig. 1 or for
standing. Each angle side of Fig. 3 is made from a separate length of wire. The
spirals e. e. serve for bearings to the skein holder. The foot bars are coupled
so as to slide along each other as the bracket-stand is folded out of use. The
coils e. e., by their spring action, serve also to keep the proper spread of the legs.
If desirable a connecting bar may be added for stiffening from 1 to 1.
If the apparatus is required for winding threads into skeins one of the extreine
ends forming the journal as at c. or d Fig. 1 may be left longer to shape into a
crank bandle. In Fig. 4 is shown a suitable form of bracket to take a winder for
making skeins of silk from the cocoon. The thick dotted curved line represents the
edge of a vessel on to which the bracket is clipped. is a guide loop for the thread
to be passed through to the arms of the holder."
A
Fig. 5 represents a single arm of a holder made from sheet metal; the main
portion has the edges of the sides turned over into which the extension is fitted as
shown dotted and is free to be drawn out to the extent of the slot in the centre.
hinge is formed at the bottom of the main portion, according to the number of arms
constituting the holder, which are held together at the centre of the holder by
the pin O. A distance link, which may be of an elastic nature couples each arm to
the next at m. and retains the arms at proper angle to one another. When
uncoupled the arms are free to close together as the leaves of a book. A framed arm
of wire may also be made for use in this way, as example, shown without extension
in Fig. 6.
Brackets may also be made from sheet metal in many ways. For example a pair
of arms, similar to E Fig. 1 may be socketed on to a back plate to stand or hang.
Other patterns of holders or winders and brackets may be made in wire or sheet
metal, or a couibination of the two, and modified in the details without departing
from the principle.
I distinguish this principle of skein holder under the appelation of 'Handless."

page_text: Referring to Fig. 2, as will be seen, one of the bows has a hump or lip g. in the
centre, which is for the purpose of retaining the arms together when the holder is
closed. It is pressed under the bow on the next arm with which it makes
contact.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion, and in what way the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. Constructing portable skein holders or skein winders with a vertical plane of
revolution about a single axle on two bearings forming two right angles with the
plane of the surface of support over or against which it rotates, substantially as
described.
2. Constructing skein holders or skein winders of a light gauge of wire a thin
sheet metal either separately or in combination substantially as described.
3. Constructing skein holders or skein winders with arms of considerable flexibility
substantially as described.
4. Constructing skein holders or skein winders giving an elastic hold to the skeit.
substantially as described.
5. Constructing skein holders or skein winders mounted on bearings to hang,
stand or attach or in combination substantially as described.
Dated this 27th day of February 1807
HENRY BROCKELBANK.