IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF 'TOPPED-UP,' 'FORMED,' OR 'LAID' THREAD, TWINE, CORD, LINE, CABLE, AND OTHER CORDAGE."
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Ronald, of Liverpool, in the County of Lan-
caster, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF 'TOPPED-UP,' 'FORMED,' OR 'LAID' THREAD, TWINE,
CORD, LINE, CABLE, AND OTHER CORDAGE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Ronald at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the.
30th May 1861.
I, JAMES RONALD, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF 'TOPPED-UP,' FORMED,' OR 'LAID THREAD,
TWINE, CORD, LINE, CABLE, AND OTHER CORDAGE," to be as follows (that is to
say):
This Invention relates mainly to improvements for extending the usefulness
of certain machinery, for which Her most Gracious Majesty was pleased to
grant to the applicant Her Letters Patent, dated and numbered respectively
the 15th February 1860, Number 412, and 26th March, Number 777; and
also to an Invention for which Provisional Protection has been obtained,
numbered 2952, and dated 1st December 1860; and has for its object (amongst

page_text: others) the greater facility for driving the machinery at a high rate of
speed, thereby producing a larger amount of work, of equal, if not superior
quality, than has heretofore been done, and consists in mounting on fixed
bearings the required number of spindles, which are formed with bobbin frames,
which carry the bobbins containing the yarns or strands to be manufactured;
the yarn or strand bobbins are mounted with their axis in a line with or
parallel to the axles of the flyer spindles; these yarn or strand-carrying flyer
frames are formed at their delivery ends with long shanks pierced with a
number of transverse holes, through which the yarns or strands pass to give
the amount of friction required. The flyer spindles are placed at an angle to
each other, the inner ends of the flyer shafts being brought as near together
as the bearings will conveniently admit of, that the hardened yarns or
strands may be delivered through the hollow ends in front of their bearings, as
near together and as straight as possible. These flyer spindles may be driven
by fitting the reverse end of each of them with a small bevil friction or toothed
wheel impinging on the periphery of a large friction or toothed wheel mounted
on an horizontal longitudinal driving shaft, which carries a driving pulley
actuated by a driving strap or band passing over a second driving pulley on a
main driving shaft placed below and parallel thereto, or the whole may be
driven by bands and pulleys, or in any other convenient way. The yarns or
strands are drawn off the bobbins, and the first part of the lay put in by one or
more pairs of V-grooved drawing rolls mounted on transverse shafts having
their bearings on the longitudinal sides of a rectangular or other suitably
shaped frame, which revolves on its longitudinal axis upon hollow fixed
trunnions in the opposite direction to the spindles, from which the yarns. or
strands are received, and is driven with a friction pulley and band, which works
over a friction pulley on the main driving shaft.
'
The point of delivery from the yarn or strand spindles and the. revolving
frame are sufficiently apart to allow the strands or yarns to equalise themselves
with each other. The drawing rolls may be driven in the same way as
described in the Specification of the herein-before mentioned Patent, dated the
26th March 1860, and numbered 777, that is to say, by fitting the inner end
of one of the hollow trunnions upon which the drawing roll frame revolves
with a fixed bevil toothed collar, into which gears a bevil wheel mounted on a
transverse shaft, which carries a toothed wheel or friction pulley, from which
motion is communicated to the V-grooved drawing rolls by suitable gear. (In
some cases friction in place of toothed wheels may be used with advantage.)
The partially laid cord or strand passing off from the drawing rolls is carried
through the hollow trunnion upon which the frame revolves at the opposite

page_text: side from which it entered, and is then carried through the nose of a flyer,
flyer arm, and on to a take-up bobbin on the spindle of the flyer, which, being
driven at a greater velocity than the frame carrying the drawing rollers, puts
in the after-turn" or "hard." The flyer carrying the take-up bobbin is
mounted horizontally with its nose opposite to the hollow trunnion of the
drawing roll frame, being arranged like that used by the applicant for spinning
yarn, and for which he obtained Provisional Protection, dated 1st December
1860, and numbered 2952; and the take-up bobbin has imparted to it on its
longitudinal axis a reciprocating motion, for causing the yarn to be evenly
wound thereon by means of a transverse lever, one end of which is attached to
a nut or traveller working on a revolving shaft, which has a right and left-
handed screw cut thereon. This intersecting screw-cut shaft is mounted on
bearings on the stationary frame of the machine parallel to the spindle of the
take-up bobbin, the lever resting in a groove cut in the lower flange of the
bobbin, and the friction on the bobbin can be regulated by weighting the lever
as described in the Provisional Specification herein-before referred to, or in
any other convenient manner.
The advantages of these improvements are that the yarns or strands to be
topped up," "formed," or "laid," may have any amount of twist or "harden-
ing" put into them by regulating the speed of the bobbin frame flyers, and the
amount of hard or soft lay can be given to the finished twine or other cordago
by regulating the relative speeds at which the several parts of the machine are
driven; and it has been found by actual experiment that a better result is
obtained by not putting in the whole of the lay at once. And it is well to
remark that this machine is also equally applicable to the manufacture of
left-hand twisted sewing twine, which it is believed has not been hitherto done
by self-acting machinery.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said James Ronald in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
RONALD, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto

page_text: me, the said James Ronald, Her special licence that I, the said James
Ronald, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Ronald, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF 'TOPPED-UP,' 'FORMED,' OR 'LAID' THREAD,
TWINE, CORD, LINE, CABLE, AND OTHER CORDAGE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Ronald, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office on or before the Twenty-first day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Ronald, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
This my said Invention relates mainly to improvements for extending the
usefulness of certain machinery invented by me, and for which. Her most
gracious Majesty was pleased to grant me Letters Patent, dated and numbered
respectively 15th February 1860, Number 412; 26th March 1860,
Number 777, and 1st December 1860, Number 2952, and has for its object
(amongst other) the greater facility for driving the machinery at a high rate
of speed, thereby producing a larger amount of work, of equal, if not superior
quality, than has heretofore been done, and consists in mounting on fixed
bearings any required number of spindles, which I form with bobbin frames for
carrying the bobbins for containing the yarns or strands to be manufactured.
The yarn or strand bobbins I mount with their axis on a line with or parallel
to the axis of the flyer spindles. These yarn or strand carrying flyer frames
I form at their delivery ends with long shanks pierced with a number of
transverse holes and hollow ends, through which I pass the yarns or strands
to give the required amount of friction. The flyer spindles by preference I
place at an angle to each other, and the inner ends of the flyer shafts I bring as
near together as the bearings will conveniently admit of, that the hardened yarns
or strands may be delivered through the hollow ends in front of their bearings
as near together and and as straight as possible. These flyer spindles may be
driven by fitting the reverse end of each of them with a small bevel friction or

page_text: toothed wheel impinging on the periphery of a large friction or toothed wheel
mounted on an horizontal longitudinal driving shaft, which carries a driving
pulley actuated by a driving strap or band passing over a second driving
pulley on a main driving shaft placed below and parallel thereto : i or the whole
may be driven by bands and pullies, or in any other convenient way. The
yarns or strands are drawn off the bobbins, and the first part of the ".
"Jay"
put in by one or more pairs of V-grooved drawing rolls mounted on transverso
shafts having their bearings on the longitudinal sides of a rectangular or other
suitable shaped frame, which revolves on its longitudinal axis upon hollow
fixed truunions in the opposite direction to the spindles from which the yarns
or strands are received, being driven with a friction pulley and band, which
works over a friction pulley on the main driving shaft. The points of delivery:
from the yarn or strand spindles and the revolving frame I place sufficiently.
apart to allow the strands or yarns to equalise themselves with each other.
The drawing rolls may be driven in the same way as described in the Specifi-
cation of my herein-before mentioned Patent, dated 26th March 1860, and
numbered 777, that is to say, by fitting the inner end of one of the hollow
trunnions upon which the drawing roll frame revolves with a fixed bevelled
tooth collar, into which gears a bevel wheel mounted on a transverse shaft,
which carries a toothed wheel or friction pulley, from which motion is commu-
nicated to the V-grooved drawing rolls by suitable gear. In some cases
friction in place of toothed wheels may be used with advantage. The partially.
laid cord or strand passing off from the drawing rolls is carried through the,
hollow trunnion, upon which the frame revolves at the opposite side from
which it entered, and thence through the nose of a flyer arm and on to a
take-up bobbin on the spindle of the flyer, which flyer, being driven at a
greater velocity than the drawing roll frame, puts in the "after-turn
"hard." The flyer carrying the take-up bobbin I prefer to mount horizontally.
with its nose opposite to the hollow trunnion of the revolving drawing roll
frame, being arranged like that used by me in my improved apparatus for
spinning (and for which I obtained Letters Patent, dated 1st December 1860,
and No. 2952), the take-up bobbin having imparted to it a reciprocating
motion on its longitudinal axis by means of a transverse lever, one end of which
is attached to a nut or traveller working on a revolving shaft, which has a
right and left handed screw cut therein. This intersecting screw-cut shaft is
mounted in bearings on the stationary frame of the machine parallel to the
spindle of the take-up bobbin, the travelling lever resting in a groove cut in
the lower flanch of the bobbin. The friction on the bobbin can be regulated
by an adjustable weight acting on the outer end of the lever.
or,

page_text: "
The advantages of these improvements are that the yarns or strands to be
topped up," "formed," or "laid," may have any amount of twist or "hard"
put into them by regulating the speed of the bobbin frame flyers; and any
amount of "hard" or "soft lay" required may be given to the formed twine
or other cordage by regulating the relative speeds at which the several parts
of the machine are driven, and I have found by actual experiment that a
better result is obtained by not putting the whole of the lay in at once.
And it will be well to remark that I have found this my improved machine
is also equally applicable to the manufacture of left-hand twisted sewing
twine, which, I believe, has not been hitherto done by self-acting machinery.
That this my said improvements may be the more readily seen and under-
stood, I have hereunto annexed Drawing in partial illustration of the practical
application of my Invention, like letters and figures marked thereon being
used to denote similar parts.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 an end elevation, and Figure 3 a
plan, of one of my improved machines for the manufacture of twines and other
cordage.
A, the stationary framework; B, flyer frame spindles, which carry the
bobbins upon which the yarns or strands to be manufactured into cordage
are wound previous to being put into the flyer frames. The outer ends of the
flyer frame spindles are formed hollow, and revolving in bearings at b, b',
and ; C, rods forming the bobbin axles, which pass through axis of the
outer ends of the flyer frame spindles, which are formed hollow for that
purpose, and through the centre of D, the yarn or strand bobbins, which are
mounted loosely within the flyer frames upon the rods C; E, bevelled friction
wheels staked on to the hollow axles of the flyer frame spindles, which impinge
upon and receive motion from F, a centre bevelled friction driving wheel
staked on to G, a horizontal driving shaft, upon which is staked H, a grooved
driving pulley, which receives motion through I, a driving band working over
K, a grooved driving pulley on the end of L, the main driving shaft; M, a
rectangular frame, which revolves on m and m³, hollow axles, through which
the partially formed cord passes, and which carry the transverse shafts of
N and N', a pair of V-grooved drawing rolls, the first of which is actuated by
O, a bevel wheel, which gears into and receives motion by its rotation round
P, a fixed toothed collar on the end of a hollow fixed shaft, which passes
through the hollow trunnion m; Q, a conical V-grooved driving pulley,
staked on to the hollow axis of the drawing roll frame (M), and which is
driven in an opposite direction to the bobbin frame flyer spindles (B) by
R, a driving band working over S, a conical V-grooved driving pulley on the

page_text: main driving shaft (L); T, hollow flyer shaft of the take-up bobbin, upon which is
staked U, a driving pulley, which received motion from the main driving shaft
through V, a a driving band working over W, a driving pulley on the main
driving shaft; X, the flyer arms; Y, the take-up bobbin, upon which the
finished cord is wound as formed; Z, a moveable spindle, upon which the
take-up bobbin has a reciprocating motion imparted to it by a, a bent lever,
which lays in a groove cut in the lower edge of the take-up bobbin, and is
attached to c, a revolving shaft, which has cut thereon a right-hand and left-
band intersecting screw, and receives motion from the main driving shaft
through an endless band e and e', fast and loose pullies on the main driving
shaft; f, the main driving strap; 9, the yarns or strands; h, the partially
formed twine or cordage; i, the finished twine or cordage.
To manufacture twine or other cordage by this machine, all that is required
to be done is to withdraw the rods (C), insert the bobbins containing the yarn
or strands to be "laid up" into the frames of the flyers, passing them through
the hole in the centre of the bobbins, then pass the ends of the yarns or strands
through a hole in the side of the flyer frames, and alternately through the
holes in the inner ends of the flyer frame spindles, and out through their
hollow ends, then draw off sufficient yarn or strand from each bobbin, lay them
together, and pass them through the hollow axis of the revolving drawing roll
frame (m), over the drawing rolls (N and N'), and forward through the
opposite hollow trunnion (m), and through the hollow axle of the flyer of the
take-up bobbin, and on to the take-up bobbin, where they are to be made fast,
then set the machine in motion.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and how I believe the same may be best carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
details, dimensions, or relative proportions of the various parts of the machine
herein-before described and set forth, as it will be readily seen that the same
may be considerably varied without departing from the Invention; but what I
claim is,―
Firstly, the peculiar form and mode of mounting the flyer frame spindles,
as herein-before described and set forth, or any mere modification of the
same.
Secondly, the revolving frame with the V-grooved drawing rolls mounted
thereon, for putting in the first part of the "lay," substantially and in the
manner herein-before described and set forth, or any mere modification of
the same.
Thirdly, the application of the horizontal flyer for putting in the "after

page_text: ".
turn or hard," substantially and in the manner herein-before described and
set forth, or any mere modification of the same.
.
Fourthly, the application of the double-cut intersecting screw motion, for
giving a reciprocating action to the "take-up bobbin" of "topping" or
"laying" machines, substantially and in the manner herein-before described
and set forth, or any mere modification of the same.
And, lastly, the general arrangement and combination of the various parts
of the machine, and the mode of operating the same, as herein-before
described and set forth, substantially in the manner and for the purposes
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Ronald, have hereunto set my
band and affixed my seal, this Twentieth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
Of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
JAMES (L.S.) RONALD.