CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY APPLICABLE TO THE PREPARING, TWISTING, AND SPINNING. AND ALSO IN THE MODE OF PREPARING, TWISTING, AND SPINNING OF HESP, FLAX, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES: AND CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF APPLYING TAR AND OTHER PRESERVATIVE TO ROFE AND OTHER YARNS
Year: 1840

page_text: BUCHANAN. Merchant, in Glasgow, send-greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-second day of May, in the third year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Buchanan,iny executors, administrators, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James Buchanan, my
executors,administrators, and assigns, and every of us, by myself and ourselves,
or by my and our deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I,
the said James Buchauau, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after, during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend my Invention of " CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MACHINERY APPLICABLE TO THE PREPARING, TWISTING, AND SPINNING. AND ALSO IN
THE MODE OF PREPARING, TWISTING, AND SPINNING OF HESP, FLAX, AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES: AND CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF APPLYING TAR
AND OTHER PRESERVATIVE TO ROFE AND OTHER YARNS," within that part of Her
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the
said James Buchanan, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of
us, should in my or our discretions seem meet, and that I, the said James
Buchanan, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully
Price d

page_text: night have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from
time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason of the said
Invention, for and during the term of years therein mentioned; in which said
Letters Patentis contained a proviso, that I, the said James Buchanan, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent, in and to which Letters Patent, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, it is hereby
declared that the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the
following description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
Drawing A represents a side elevation of such parts of the common gilling
machine or drawing head for flax, &c as are necessary to shew the applica-
tion of my improvements on a scale to suit the fibre passed through it, in the
present instance about thirty-six inches from delivering to back. Drawing B
exhibits a front view of the same machine, and a section of the twisting
apparatus, and its internal arrangement, with the detail, &c. The same
numbers of notation refer to the different views of the same parts as shewn
in the respective Figures. Drawing A, No. 1, the side view of the framing
and other parts of the gilling machine, shewing the outmost row of gill teeth
in action; the mode of the passing the fibre through which is so well known
that it is needless to describe farther. No. 2 is the side of a frame, to which
are attached cross bars No. 3, of which a birds-eye view is seen on left-hand
side of Drawing B,at such distances as will allow them to pass down between
the gilled teeth or needles set in each bar, so as to compress the fibre during
the process of being drawn, keeping it in a compact body, and to prevent as
much as possible the loose ends of the fibre from becoming detached and
doubling back in passing through the drawing rollers, the great cause of a
rough thread, and which gives the rope when finished the appearance of twice
laid; No. 4 is the attachment of the frame No. 2 to the sliding frame
No. 5, which is made to descend by the action of a revolving shaft No. 6 on
which the wiper No. 7 is attached; and during oue-fourth revolution of its
axis, by acting on the side projection No. 8, puts down the sliding frame No. 5,
and with it the frame No. 2 and cross bars No. 3, allowing the latter to press
the hemp or other fibre together, and being raised instantly by another wiper

page_text: No. 9, on No. 6, in contact with a similar projection to No. S, on the opposite
side above. This last wiper, being of a half circle on the back, retains the
cross bars No. 3 clear of the gill teeth during their passage forward, till again
ready to be put in motion by the decending wiper No. 7. The shaft No. 6
is in gear with wheel-work to give it the proper speed to accommodate its
motion to that of the gill teeth, by means of the toothed wheel No. 10, on its
farther end in gear with the stud wheels Nos. 11 & 12, and the latter of which
pitches into wheel No. 13 of the gill link wiper shaft No. 14, which gives the
forward motion to the gill teeth or needles. No. 15 is a mouth-piece or guide,
into which the gill bars deliver the fibre, to carry it straight to the draft rollers,
and prevent any stragling fibre being doubled back, the bottom edge just
clearing the gill barr and teeth; on passing the drawing roller, the fibre enters
another inouth-piece No. 16, which gradually gathers it into a round compact
shape, and passing a second pair of rollers, which compress it together, instead
of falling into a can, enters a mouth-piece, No. 19, which will be shewn in
Drawing B, as also the twisting apparatus contained in the revolving caso E
in front of the machine or gill drawing head, as well as the manner in which it
it is driven, and its several integral parts put in motion. Eiscomposed of sheet
iron, rivetted to cast-iron ends, with a door on one side to take out the yarn
bobbin when finished. Drawing B is a front elevation of Drawing A, shewing
one twisting case E attached in front of the delivering blocks on the right-hand
side of the frame; of course a similar twisting case belongs to the delivering
balls on the left, but is here omitted to enable the rest of the apparatus
to be more clearly understood. No. 17, a bar which rises and falls by the
same movement as the fibre-compressing frame No. 2, and following the gill
bars, prevents them hanging in their descent. There are two pins, one on each
end of No. 17, to act on the end of the gill bar, with screws to adjust them to
the proper length of travel. No. 18 is a tube by which moisture or tar, &c.
may be delivered on the untwisted sliver just entering No. 19; No. 19 is a
mouth-piece, coned both down and up internally, as will be seen in the section
of it on left-hand side of Drawing B; it gathers in the points of the fibre just
above, to receive the twist running up to the narrow parta, which is one-half in
the solid fixture c, and the other in the moveable point d, held to the other by
means of a spring or similar attachment. No. 20, the upper mouth, should be
wide, as at this point it is most necessary that no doubling happens; the twist
is thrown up to the point a by the revolving case E, whose motion is com-
municated as will be described hereafter. No. 21 is a circular mouth-piece
on the top of the twisting case E, which serves by its exterior surface as a
journal for E to revolve on within the collar No. 22, attached to the front part

page_text: of the machine framing, No. 1. Internally this mouth piece bas four grooves,
shewn in section, left-hand side of Drawing, at right angles down its sides;
in these, two iron rings, Nos. 23 & 24, slide; between which two loops or
bands of list or other similar substance, No. 25, are stretched by the uobs
No. 26, which work in the grooves in the sides of the revolving mouth-piece
No. 21 of the twisting case E; these rings No. 23 & 24 are held separate by
a spiral spring No. 27, placed between them and round about the list bands;
down through these rings the now twisted fibre passes, and it will easily be
seen, that allowing the lower ring No. 24 only to enter the grooves in No. 21,
and turning round several times, the upper ring No. 23 (as will also be seen,
section, left-hand side), the list will be tightly lapped round the fibre, and
embrace it for a considerable length, when the upper ring No. 23 is also
entered into the grooves, which prevents it recoiling, and thus polishes the yarn
in its passage down. No. 28 is a wheel fast on the collar No. 22, round which
a stud pinion No. 29, fixed on the top of E, revolves in gear, having number 30
on the lower end of the stud gearing with No. 31, a wheel on the upper end of
the shaft No. 32, and having on it a screw No. 33, gearing with a wheel, the
pap of which is seen No. 34, on a shaft No. 35, having on it a ball or pully
No. 36, round which the yarn passes, with the surface going at a speed equal
or a little faster than the delivering roller of the drawing frame. This I call
the regulator roller. In order to prevent the strand riding on itself, a divider
No. 37 embraces part of this ball or roller, and displaces the coil of sliver
No. 38 ere it meets the oncoming part No. 39, see section on left hand.
No. 40 is an eye, of a bit of leather or other substance, through which the
yarn passes, and by which it is guided to the bobbin F in proper layers. This
eye is traversed on a rod No. 41 by means of a socket No. 1, to which it is
attached, and through which the rod No. 41 passes in the socket is a pin
No., which has a broad flat lower end lying in the spiral groove cut in roller
No. 43, which is made to revolve by a wheel No. 44 on one end driven by a
screw wheel on the lower end of the shaft No. 32, which rests in a socket
No. 45 attached to the side of the revolving case E. This roller with the double
spiral groove has a greater number of turns the one way than the other, which
by placing the layers of yarn across those of the other row, binds the bobbin
together, similar to the back draw in spinning the cope on the mule jenny
spindle. No. 46 are the two ends composing a bobbin, of which No. 47 is the
centre, smaller at one end than the other, to render it more easily extracted
from the ball of (the) yarn F, in Drawing B, where also a section of No. 47
will be seen to consist of a tin covering No. to a wooden centre on
hollow shaft No. 49, attached to one of the flanges No. 46, and a

page_text: solid shaft or pin No. 50 is attached to the other flange; No. 50 is
inserted into No. 49, and the pin No. 51 enters the groove No. 52 in
the end No. 49, and being turned home prevents the ends No. 46 or flanges
from receding when filling with yarn. Thus, it will easily be seen, that
when the space between the flanges is filled up with yarn or twisted fibre,
and a ball is thus formed, the centre may be extracted, the flanges being
drawn off, and the yarn will form a circular oblong ball with flat ends of itself.
In unwinding the ball the end is taken from the interior, which being in
the same sense or direction in which it is spun, the thread is not run against
the fibre. There is an oblique spur wheel on the small upright shaft No. 54,
put in motion in an exactly similar manner to No. 32, except that in this case
the driving wheel is not stationary, but attached to a friction plate No. 55,
which allows it to revolveas the bobbin encreases in size; on the end of No. 50
is a similar oblique spur wheel No. 53, by which the revolving motion is given
to No. 50; and the ball of yarn No. 56 is a stationary friction plate, on which
No. 55 is pressed down by the lever No. 57, acted on by the spiral spring
No. 58, tightened up as may be required with a screwed nut No. 59, being on
a stud No. 60. No. 61 is the driven pinion on the spindle No. 62 of the
revolving case E, and is put in motion by a stud wheel or change stud pinion
No. 63, whose driver No. 64 is in gear with (an) another intermediate No. 65,
attached to the bevel pinion No. 66, driven by No. 67 on the shaft No. 68, on
the other end of which is the driving pully No. 69 for putting the frame in
motion. On the shaft No. 68 is a bevel No. 70, driving No. 71 on the
upright shaft No. 72, which by means of the bevel gear Nos. 73 & 74 gives
motion to the driving shaft No. 75 of the drawing head. The different sections
of the Drawing B, Nos. 19 & 21 to 39 inclusive, on the left-hand side, will be
easily understood without further description.
As for some purposes it is preferable to wash the hemp in order to deprive it
of the natural gum, which renders it brittle and liable to fermentation in some
situations, this operation I perform after the following manner:- is a shaft,
with a feather on it in all its length, to the fast pully y, and put in motion by it in
the ordinary way by a belt or other means; a is a tube, of tiu or other suitable
metal, with the lower end conical, and a wire round this part to prevent the lairs
of hemp slipping off; it is pierced with small holes, as will be seen in the
Drawing. w is a collar attached to a framework, either that of a drawing head,
and just in front of the last delivering balls, or on a separate machine to which
the spindle is properly attached; to this is fixed a conical cover v, fitting the
cone of the tin tube x, and this latter is held up againstitbya cord or band and
swivel hooks, over a pully, with a weight attached; between the two cones, the

page_text: sliver is made to enter by a slit or opening in the side of the ou ercone, but of
the length of the inuer one, through a mouth-piece t, which moves up &
down between the two extremities of the opening by a traverse motion of any
kind suitable for the purpose; the uutwisted sliver is thus fed in between the
cones, and as it accumulates pushes down the inner, filling up the intermediate
space with a succession of conical lairs of hemp or other fibre, forming a
straight-sided cylinder R the whole length of the tin tube. The hooks is now
taken out and the cover taken off; the tube x, filled with sliver to the
largest circumference of the lower part of the cone, is easily drawn up off the
spindle, and the tube x filled with sliver. The tube x with the cylinder R
is now placed on a plate, which has a rim of brass p, bevelled ou the inner
edge; in the centre is a pipe O, which enters the place of the spindle in the
tin tube ; over the whole is placed a cover a, which fits close to the sole
plate by a bevelled rim, ground to fit the other p; this cone n is held down
by a lever m, to which is suspended a weight, if necessary; the stop-cock of
the tube is then opened, also that of the tube O, in connection with a steam
generator; a rush of steam now enters the tin tube a, and by the holes
pierced in it finds its way, as will be seen by the direction of the arrows,
through the sliver R into the case, from which it finds an exit by the tube l.
Having softened the gum in the fibre, the latter is carried down with the
condensed vapour, and run off by a small pipe ; when the fibre is sufficiently
washed, the lower stop-cock of the pipe O is shut, as also that of the pipes
1&k, and the upper cock in the pipe O admitting dry air is opened, also that
of the suction pipe h, by which the moisture remaining in the fibre is quickly
drawn off, and the fibre thoroughly dried, by the current of air passing
through it. The roller of sliver R is now placed behind the last gilling head,
and receiving a rotary motion to take out the twist thrown on by drawing the
sliver over the point of the tube, and thus supplies the place of cans; the
conical rollers i, i, i, are better than the solid stationary sided cover, as
revolving in the collars w,w, the friction is much less, and hence a great saving
power. The trumpet mouth g, at the back of the drawing head, I find to
take the sliver up from the caus with less doubling back of fibre than any
other method, and this is a very important point in the last drawing, as they
never can be straighted well afterwards.
Having thus described the various parts of my improvements in the
machinery applicable to the preparing, twisting, and spinning, and also in the
mode of preparing, twisting, and spinning of hemp, flax, and other fibrous
substances, and in the mode of applying tar and other preservative to rope
and other yarns, and having also explained the combination of my said

page_text: improvements, and the mode of applying the same to the common gill drawing
head as already in use for preparing hemp and other fibrous substances, with
the manner of their action, in a way which must be easily understood by
persons versant in such machines for preparing fibrous substances, and in
machines generally, I declare that I do not claim as part of my said Invention
any part or parts of the gilling machine to which my said Invention is
applicable, & which has or have been in use heretofore. But I do claim,-
First, the general combination and arrangement of the various parts,
whereby I effectuate an instrument for the better treating of fibrous substances
during the drawing or straighting of the fibre, and reducing the size or grist
of the same, preventing the rising up of the ends of the fibre, and keeping
the whole body compact during its passage through the gill teeth, and
delivered on to the level surface of the mouth-piece, which carries it straight
till laid hold of by the draft rollers.
Second, I claim the delivering from the last pair of draft rollers, (which
usually deliver the fibre into a can, or, if it be twisted, on to the flyer of a
spindle.) into a tube coned sufficiently to receive all the straggling fibres as
they may be delivered from the drawing rollers, and to gather them together
into a compact round state when about to receive the twist, and which twist I
prefer giving at the junction of another cone in the same tube, widened in the
opposite direction from that by which the fibre entered the tube; though this
last or lower cone may be dispensed with. The point of junction of the two
cones being the most contracted part of the tube, one half of the tube at
this partis moveable, so as to yield when the sliver is too thick for the opening;
passing the sliver thus through a narrow opening gives it the circular density,
a requisite so essential to form a good thread.
Third, I claim the polisher (a substitute for the piece of woolen cloth used
by the hand spinner to gloss his thread in spinning), consisting of two or more
strands of felt or other such flexible substitute twisted together, and held
extended lengthwise by a spiral spring or other mechanical aid; between these
strands the thread passes, and is firmly set together in the polishing up.
Fourth, I claim the regulator roller, which, going a little faster than the
delivering blocks or rollers of gilling head, puts a strain on the yarn during
the spinning, and also prevents the up-taking motion of the bobbin from
drawing it away irregularly.
Fifth, I claim the spinning the thread on to a coned centre, or other suitable
middle piece or up-taker, and the removing of the ends and centre of the
bobbin to enable the thread to be drawn off without the bobbin revolving, and

page_text: from the interior, which, being the same sense or direction in which the yarn
is spun, obviates the necessity of running it against the fibre.
Sixth, claim the manner of applying the tar or other preservative or
moisture to the untwisted fibre just before receiving the twist and after it has
passed the gill teeth or preparing machine.
Seventh, I claim the mode of steaming the hemp or wasing of it, and
subsequent reinoval of the moisture, and the passing a current of dry air
through it
JAMES (L.s.) BUCHANAN.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named James Buchanan, before and in
of

page_text: of the said deed as witnesses to the signing and sealing thereof, are of the
proper hand-writing of the said Hugh Moncrieff, and of me, this declarant,
respectively; and I do solemnly and sincerely declare that this declaration is
made by me under the conscientious knowledge and belief that the same
is true, the said declaration being emitted in virtue of an Act passed in the
fifth and sixth years of the reign of His Majesty William the Fourth, entitled
"An Act to repeal an Act of the present Session of Parliament, entituled An
"Act for the more effectual Abolition of Oaths and Affirmations taken and
"made in various departments of the State, and to substitute Declarations in
"lieu thereof, and for the more entire Suppression of voluntary and extra-
"judicial Oaths and Affidavits, and to make other Provisions for the Abolition
Oothe"

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that upon the acknowledgement of the said
James Buchanau before the said John Lang, and upon the affidavit aforesaid,
the instrument aforesaid was inrolled word for word in form above written.
And also the instrument aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made in the fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King
George the Third.
Inrolled the Seventeenth day of November, One thousand eight hundred