CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN DOUBLING OR TWISTING NET OR RAW SILKS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hill, of Congleton, in the County of Chester,
Hatter, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN DOUBLING OR
TWISTING NET OR RAW SILKS."
Sealed the 27th February 1855, and dated the 4th September 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hill at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th September
1854.
I, WILLIAM HILL, of Congleton, in the County of Chester, Hatter, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
DOUBLING OR TWISTING NET OR RAW SILKS" to be as follows:-
Hitherto the desired twist given to raw silks has been effected by the usual
hand wheel and flyer, attended by an operative and boy, the boy advancing and
retreating a given distance, holding in his hands the bobbins to be wound from
and the silk to be twisted. In lieu of this method I employ a traversing frame,
upon which may be mounted any number of spindles, and to which any desired
traverse may be given, acted upon by suitable machinery or apparatus, in a similar
manner and like effect to the "common mull frame." Besides the general
arrangement of travelling frame, as above described, I employ a "creel" for
the arrangement and support of the bobbins, the silk yarn from which passes
first through weighted pads of suitable material, thence through a novel
arrangement of a vertical sliding grooved presser bar, the action of which is

page_text: alternately to allow the yarns to pass freely between its tenon and groove upon
the drawer of the traversing frame, and, by falling at the full stretch of the
frame, to confine at one end the silk yarns, while the twist is being put in by
the reverse action of the spindles. The yarns pass from the presser bar over a
guide rod, and from thence to the apex of the spindle, from which the twist is
directly communicated. The presser bar may be elevated by any suitable
arrangement of mechanism placed upon the traversing frame when coming in
junction with it, and released to fail and secure the yarn by any appropriate
leverage, or other mechanical equivalent, acted upon when the frame is at full
stretch, and before the twist is put in. I am likewise enabled by such
arrangement of machinery or apparatus to give a proper and equal degree of
tension to the silk throughout. The silks I consider my Invention peculiarly
adapted to improve are sewing silks, purse silks, and twisted trimmings,
organzine, and tram. The advantages gained by my improvements are
economy in labor, uniformity of tension, and extreme regularity of twist. A
moveable creel may be employed in lieu of and with the same effect as the
traversing frame.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Hill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd March 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HILL, of Congleton, in the County of Chester, Hatter, send greeting.
WHEREAS ller most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Hill, Her especial license that I, the said William Hill, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Hill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Hill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
DOUBLING OR TWISTING NET OR RAW SILES," upon the condition; amongst others,
that 1, the said William Hill, by an instrument in writing, under my hand

page_text: and seal, 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 within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Hill, 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
and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
Hitherto the desired twist given to raw silks has been effected by the hand
wheel and flyer, or by the spinning and "throwing mill," as at present in use.
My Invention consists in dispensing with these methods, and employed in lieu
thereof a traversing framo or carriage, upon which may be mounted any number
of spindles, and to which any desired traverse may be given, acted upon by
suitable machinery or apparatus, in a similar manner and with like effect to
the "common mule frame" or "the spinning jenny." Besides the general
arrangement of travelling frame, as before described, I employ a "creel" for
the arrangement and support of the bobbins, the silk yarn or thread from
which passes through a series of eyes or guides, and over pads composed of
suitable material, and thence through a vertical sliding grooved presser bar or
"jaw," the action of which is alternately to allow the yarns to pass freely
between its tenon and groove, upon the draw of the traversing frame, and by
falling at the full stretch of the frame to confine at one end the silk yarns after
the twist has been put in by the action of the spindles. The yarns pass from
the presser bar over a guide rod, and from thence to the apex of the spindle,
from which the twist is directly communicated. The presser bar or jaw may be
elevated by any suitable arrangement of mechanism, placed upon the traversing
frame when coming in contact with it, and released to fall and secure the
yarns by any appropriate leverage, or other mechanical equivalent, acted upon
when the frame is at full stretch and the twist is put in. By such an arrange-
ment of machinery or apparatus, a proper and equal degree of tension may be
given to the spun and twisted silk throughout, a desideratum not hitherto
attained. The silks I consider my Invention peculiarly adapted to improve
are "singles," sewing silks, purse silks, twisted trimmings, organzine, and tram.
The advantages attained by my improvements are economy in labor, uniformity
of tension in the silk yarns or threads under operation, as well as extreme
regularity of twist, and a great saving in space or mill room. A moveable
creel may be employed in lieu of and with the same effect as the traversing
frame. In the production of "singles," which consists in spinning or twisting
everal fine threads together, but one operation is necessary, which may be

page_text: here described. The raw silk yarns or threads being wound upon bobbins,
these bobbins are placed upon a creel (in this instance a stationary creel
is described with a traversing frame or carriage), and according to the
thickness or fineness of the "single" or thread required, so is the number of
the threads from the bobbins passed through one eyelet or guide wire, placed
in a trough in such a manner that the eyelets and threads may be saturated
by the water or other liquid contained therein; the combined threads are then
carried through a series of eyelets and over pads, to be hereafter described
and illustrated, thence through the jaws and on to the tube of the spindle,
the presser bar or jaw being elevated. The operation commences by the
stretch or "going out" of the traversing carriage, which as it completes its
traverse draws the combined yarns or threads from the bobbins and spins
them, or by the revolution of its spindles puts the twist in and forms the single;
the carriage or frame now having run out to its full stretch, the jaw is made to
drop, when the spun "single" is secured. And now an operation takes place
on the part of the spinner which is of great importance in my improvement,
and that is, the carriage being at its full stretch, the spinner before allowing
it to return must by manual labour cause to be given to the frame an extra
stretch, the extent of such extra stretch being governed by the will and judg
ment of the spinner and by his constant practice, he being able to perform
equitably the same degree or amount of stretch at each "coming out" of
the carriage; or this may be performed by self-acting machinery or apparatus
to be hereafter described. The effect of this extra stretch is to give an
equal degree of tension and extreme regularity of twist to the spun "single"
throughout, the alternate motions of the carriage of course continuing as at
present in similar cotton machinery in general use, by which means an almost
unlimited length may be given to the "single."
"
In the manufacture of raw or net silks for sewing, or purse silks, tram,
organzine, &c. where two or more "singles" are required to be doubled or
twisted, I employ a novel arrangement of tubes, from which the "singles
are taken or drawn to form the sewing silk, tram, or whatever silk may
be under manufacture. This forms a second operation, through which all raw
silks, where the doubling or twisting of two or more threads are required,
must pass.
In order that my improvements may be better or more fully understood
and explained in detail, I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawing,
referring particularly to this part of my improvements, and made upon a
scale of about one quarter full size, having similar letters of reference on
corresponding parts of the machinery or apparatus in all the Figures.

page_text: Fig. 1 represents a transverse sectional view of the trough, "pads," and
"jaws" used in the operations before described, and Fig. 2 exhibits a plan or
top view of the trough, shewing the arrangement of spindles and tubes. In
Fig. 1, a represents the framing which supports this portion of the machine
or apparatus; and b, the standards for the support of the guide wires over
which the spun "singles" pass to the eyelets c, through which the number of
threads pass together, according to the quality or thickness of the goods to be
manufactured; from thence they pass over the pad d, which in the Drawing is
represented as fixed (but may, if desired, be so constructed as to revolve), thence
through the eyelet e and over the pad f, and continuing its course through
the jaws g to the spindles of the carriage. The extra tension of the threads
which may be given by the spinner, as before described, may be effected by
self-acting mechanism, and the same effect attained by securing to the bottom
of the traversing earringe a rack, which coming into gear with a small pinion
(made adjustable), and caused to revolve by the acting machinery, shall cause
to be given to the traversing carriage any amount or degree of extra tension
required. The jaws may be elevated and depressed by means of a quadrant,
which receives its motion from the traversing frame or carriage, the quadrant
gearing into a small pinion, which operates upon a rack secured to the
upper jaw.
Having now described the nature of my improvements, and the manner in
which the same are to be performed, I wish it to be distinctly understood that
I claim the novel and peculiar application, employment, and use of a traversing
medium as a moveable carriage or creel, such as is used in the "mule" or
"jenny" employed in cotton manufacture, (and whether self-acting or other-
wise,) for the purpose of doubling or twisting net or raw silks, as herein more
particularly described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hill, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
WILLIAM HILL. (L.S.)