IMPROVEMENTS IN CORK THREAD FOR BUOYANT FABRICS
Year: 1885

page_text: I RICHARD MARSDEN of 117 Acomb Street Moss Side Manchester in the
County of Lancaster Technical Journalist do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN CORK THREAD FOR BUOYANT FABRICS to be us
follows:-
This Invention relates to Cork thread or yarn used in the manufacture of
buoyant fabrics, that is to say of fabrics having a less spécific gravity than water.
Such fabrics may be manufactured partly of wool, cotton, Silk or other suitable
fibrous material and partly of Cork. If it is attempted to employ strips or threads
of cork alone for the warp or weft the resulting fabric possesses insufficient strength
to resist the effects of ordinary usage while if the threads of cork are cut or
prepared in the ordinary manner they are in short lengths and have to be inserted
into the fabric by hand. Now these Improvements have for their object the
preparation or manufacture of continuous lengths of thread or yarn consisting
mainly of cork and possessing considerable tensile strength, in such a manner that
the thread or yarn may be used as warp or weft in the manufacture of buoyant
fabrics in looms of ordinary construction and by ordinary means.
In carrying out my invention I take filaments or threads of cork and join them
together to any desired length. The joints may be made in any suitable manner
but in order to prevent any appreciable enlargement of the yarn or thread at the
joints I prefer to use only butt, lap or scarf joints protected and strengthened by a
band or thread of paper, parchment, india rubber tissue, textile material or other
similar or suitable substance and fastened or held in position by glue or other
cementitious or adhesive material if required. The ends of the cork thread.or
filament may also be cemented together for greater security.
Having by the herein before described or similar means obtained the required
length of cork filament or thread I lay parallel or approximately parallel with it
one or more threads of cotton, wool, flax or other suitable material and braid, wrap
or cover them spirally with other threads of cotton, wool, flax, silk or other fibrous
material in a covering or braiding machine in a manner similar to that adopted in
braiding or covering India rubber thread or wires for electrical or other purposes
or by other suitable means.
The covering threads need not be laid closely together but may with advantage
be wound with only a few turns to the inch or even more openly or they may be

page_text: braided into a very open reticulation around the enclosed cork and fibrous or other
thread or threads.
In yarn or thread composed of a Cork filament and a thread or threads of other
suitable stronger material wound around or braided with yarn or thread as herein-
before described the longitudinal thread or threads added to the cork filament
impart the desired tensile strength while the covering thread or yarn wound or
braided thereon serves to bind the whole together. Such composite yarn or thread
consisting mainly of cork may be used for warp or weft and alone or in conjunc-
tion with ordinary warp or weft may be woven by looms and apparatus at present
in use.
Garments made of fabrics so woven will endure ordinary usage and buoy
up or support their wearers in water.
Daind him windrash 100K

page_text: I RICHARD MARSDEN of 117 Acomb Street, Moss Side, Manchester in the
county of Lancaster, Technical Journalist do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN CORK THREAD FOR BUOYANT FABRICS and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:―
This invention relates to cork thread or yarn used in the manufacture of
buoyant fabrics, that is to say of fabrics having a less specific gravity than water.
Such fabrics may be manufactured partly of wool, cotton, silk, or other suitable
fibrous material, and partly of cork. If it is attempted to employ strips or threads
of cork alone for the warp or weft the resulting fabric possesses insufficient strength
to resist the effects of ordinary usage while if the threads of cork are cut or
prepared in the ordinary manner they are in short lengths and have to be inserted
in the fabric by hand. Now these improvements have for their object the
preparation or manufacture of continuous lengths of thread or yarn consisting
mainly of cork and possessing considerable tensile strength, in such a manner that
the thread or yarn may be used as warp or weft in the manufacture of buoyant
fabrics in looms of ordinary construction and by ordinary means.
In carrying out my invention, I take a filament or filaments, or thread or threads
of cork. By special appliances I obtain a single thread or filament of cork of any
desired length. These appliances consist of a machine composed of a cylinder of
wood or other suitable material mounted in a frame; and a cutting tool which
may be plain or circular fixed or arranged to revolve, and which being mounted on
a screwed shaft or other suitable arrangement may be traversed across the length
of the cylinder; or a cutting tool may be manually applied. A sheet or sheets of
cork are wrapped closely around the cylinder and their edges glued gummed or
otherwise cemented together. The cutter is then adjusted to the face of the
cylinder in such a manner that when the machine is put in motion the cork upon
the cylinder is cut helically into a continuous thread. In using short threads or
filaments of cork unsuitable for use alone I join them together to any desired
length. The joints may be made in any suitable manner, but in order to prevent
any appreciable enlargement of the yarn or thread at the joints I prefer to use
only but, lap, or scarf joints protected and strengthened by a band or thread of
paper, parchment, india rubber tissue, textile material or other similar or suitable
substance, and fastened or held in position by glue or other cementitious or adhesive
material if required. The ends of the cork thread or filament may also be cemented
together for greater security.
Having by the herein before described or similar means obtained the required
length of cork filament or thread I lay parallel or approximately parallel with it
one or more threads of cotton wool, fax, or other suitable material, and braid
wrap, or cover them spirally or helically with other threads of cotton wool, fax,
silk or other fibrous material in a covering or braiding machine in a manner similar
to that adopted in braiding or covering India rubber thread or wires for electrical
or other purposes, or by other suitable means,

page_text: The covering threads need not be laid closely together but may with advantage
be wound with only a few turns to the inch, or even more openly, or they may be
braided into a very open reticulation around the enclosed cork and fibrous or other
thread or threads.
In yarn or thread composed of a cork filament and a thread or threads of other
suitable stronger material wound around or braided with yarn or thread as herein-
before described the longitudinal thread or threads added to the cork filament
impart the desired tensile strength, while the covering thread or yarn wound or
braided thereon serves to bind the whole together. Such composite yarn or thread
consisting mainly of cork may be used for warp or weft and alone or in combina-
tion or conjunction with ordinary warp or weft may be woven by looms and
apparatus at present in use. Garments made of fabrics so woven will endure
ordinary usage and buoy up or support their wearers in water.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The construction of a composite thread, yarn, or cord possessing tensile strength
the specific feature of which is the presense of a filament or filaments of cork, and
capable of being woven upon looms in ordinary use with or without slight
modifications thereof, in the manufacture of buoyant fabrics substantially as and
in the manner herein before described.