IMPROVEMENTS IN REELING AND WINDING COCOONS OR OTHER MATERIALS OF A FIBROUS OR THREAD LIKE NATURE, AND IN THE MACHINERY AND APPARATUS CON- NECTED THEREWITH, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR THE OPERA- TIONS KNOWN AS 'DOUBLING' OR 'TWISTING.
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Fowler Mackenzie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th February 1879. A com-
munication from abroad by Francesco Dina, of Bergamo, in the Kingdom of
Italy, Engineer.
ROBERT FOWLER MACKENZIE, of 26, Budge Row, in the City of London, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REELING AND WINDING COCOONS OR OTHER MATERIALS OF A
FIBROUS OR THREAD LIKE NATURE, AND IN THE MACHINERY AND APPARATUS CON-
NECTED THEREWITH, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR THE OPERA-
TIONS KNOWN AS 'DOUBLING' OR 'TWISTING.'" [A communication from abroad by
Francesco Dina, of Bergamo, in the Kingdom of Italy, Engineer.]
In reeling cocoons great loss of time occurs when a filament from one of them
happens to break and a fresh one has to be substituted, and if the operative is not
successful in at once replacing the broken filament the thread produced will be
irregular and uneven from the fact that the number of filaments comprising it varies
at different portions of its length. The same remarks apply when the operation
of "twisting" or doubling are being performed.
The results of this Invention are the certainty of being able to replace any
number of broken filaments immediately that the loose end of the replaced filament
above its union with the main thread is practically cut away, and that consequently
a more regular and even thread is produced than by any of the processes now in
vogue, being free from "nibs," called in Italian "pelo."
The apparatus consists of a wheel or flyer having a hollow spindle working in a
fixed frame.
The wheel or flyer has three grooves in its periphery, and the sides of the central
groove project beyond the outer sides of the exterior grooves. In each of the
exterior grooves runs a cord or band. Each of these bands is connected with the
motive power, and thus motion is imparted to the wheel. A curved knife or cutter
is fixed by one end in the frame, and is arranged so that its blade is in the centre
groove. There are notches, hooks, or catches in the edges or sides of the central
groove.
The apparatus is used as follows:- -
Underneath the rotating wheel are placed the cocoons of silk or other material
required to be reeled. A thread containing as many separate filaments as may be
desired is passed through the hollow spindle or shaft of the wheel, and reeled in
the usual way. When a filament breaks or from any cause it is desired to add a
fresh one to the thread a cocoon is placed in the bath underneath the flyer, and

page_text: "
the part of the new filament near its free end is placed in contact with the edges
of the central groove, and is instantly caught by the notches, hooks, or catches, and.
carried round thereby. The parts of the filament on each side of the central groove
pass under the bands running in the exterior grooves, and are thus held tightly.
The cocoon being stationary the rotary motion of the wheel warps the fresh fila-
ment round the unbroken filaments, and the portion of the new filament between
the edges of the central groove coming into contact with the knife or cutter is
divided. The fresh filament then passes with the others up the hollow spindle in
exactly the same way as if it had been " thrown" in the usual manner.
operations of warping a new filament round the others and cutting off the super-
fluous end of the same filament are performed immediately after each other. An
end of the replaced filament equal to the radius of the flyer remains on the thread,
but this radius is only about an inch, a collar 'round which entwine the detached
ends of the added filaments is placed loosely round the spindle of the flyer. This
prevents them from clogging up the apparatus. Instead of the bands, as above
described, springs or pads may be used to hold the ends of the filaments about to be
added.
Thus the
A wheel with a single groove instead of three may be used. In this case there
is a subsidiary groove at the bottom of the principal groove. As before there are
notches, hooks, or catches on the sides or projecting rims of the principal groove.
A driving band lies in the principal groove, and is wide enough to cover the sub-
sidiary groove. The knife or cutter is in the subsidiary groove, and the operation
is similar to that described when the wheel has three grooves, the only variation
being that whereas in the latter case the end of the filament is secured by two
bands in the present case one wide band only is requisite.