IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING FOR WEAVING WET SPUN YARNS OF FLAX AND TOW
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Abraham Walker Craig, Daniel Foster, and
Thomas Valentine, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland,
Flax Spinners, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING
FOR WEAVING WET SPUN YARNS OF FLAX AND TOW."
Sealed the 8th September 1858, and dated the 13th July 1853.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Abraham Walker
Craig, Daniel Foster, and Thomas Valentine at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition and Declaration,
on the 18th July 1858, pursuant to the 9th section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
ABRAHAM WALKER CRAIG, DANIEL FOSTER, and THOMAS VALENTINE, of
Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland, Flax Spinners, do hereby
declare that the nature of our said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PREPARING FOR WEAVING WET SPUN YARNS OF FLAX AND Tow," and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, that is to
say:
The system generally in use for preparing flax and tow yarns for the
purposes of weaving, after being spun, consists in reeling the yarn into
hanks off bobbins upon which it had been wound during the process of
spinning, which. bobbins we will call the "spinning bobbins." With

page_text: wet spun yarn to which the present improvements apply the reeling is
After being
generally performed while the yarn is in the wet state.
reeled into hanks the yarn is generally carried to a stove heated to a high
temperature, or is exposed to the drying action of the atmosphere till it
is dried. It is then put up into bunches by a process called bundling,
in which state it is usually sold to the manufacturer of textile fabrics.
In most cases the yarns are also subjected to a boiling or immersing
process with alkali to remove the glutinous particles.
Either in its crude state or after this boiling or immersing operation
has been performed the process of preparation of the yarn when to form
warp for the loom is continued in the following manner, videlicet :-
From the hank the yarn is again wound upon bobbins or spools, from
which it is warped, dressed, and put upon the loom beam, these latter'
processes being done in different ways by different manufacturers."
In preparing the yarns for weft it is, either in its crude state or after
boiling or immersion, as before described, wound from the hank upon
spools, and then from these spools upon the shuttle bobbins, or it is
wound directly from the hank upon the shuttle bobbins. Our improve-
ments consist in drying yarn 'spun wet from flax or tow while upon the
spinning bobbin (that is, the bobbin upon which it has been spun),
instead of, as just explained, drying it in the hank, by which we avoid
the process of reeling into hanks. In carrying out our improvements
we take the bobbins as soon as they are removed from the spinning
frame by the process called doffing, and subject them to heat or to
currents of air by which the yarns may be quickly dried. The mode
we adopt is to place the bobbins upon their ends in boxes open at top,
and whose bottoms are composed of wire web or other perforated sub-
stances. Thus arranged, the bobbins are exposed to a high temperature
from a stove or otherwise, or to currents of air, till they are thoroughly
dried. The open form of the boxes allows the air to circulate freely
amongst the bobbins. We do not, however, confine ourselves to this
arrangement of drying so long as the yarns are quickly dried on the
spinning bobbins without the necessity for the recling process.
When flax or tow yarn has thus been dried upon the spinning
bobbins it is ready to be wound directly from them upon the spools, and
afterwards warped, dressed, and put upon the weaver's beam by the

page_text: usual process of warping, dressing, and beaming, or for the purpose. of
being warped and beamed directly off the spinning bobbins without the
intermediate processes of putting it upon the spools and dressing, and
also for the purpose of being wound directly from them upon spools,
and then from the spools upon the shuttle bobbin, or to be wound
directly from them upon the shuttle bobbin to be used as weft.
The advantages to be gained by the improvements are, a saving of the
expense of reeling, and in some cases also that of bundling, and also of
rewinding upon spools, and a consequent saving of waste made by the
winding, &c., whilst the yarn is found to be stronger and closer in fibre.
We would state that we have found spinning bobbins of the usual
description liable to split or twist when exposed to the action of the
heat used in the drying process, but we have also found that when
made from mahogany without bushes this is avoided; we do not,
however, confine ourselves to making the hobbins of that material.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, we would
have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details
so long as the peculiar character of our Invention be retained. But what
we do claim is, the drying of wet spun yarns of flax and tow whilst on
the bobbin upon which they have been wound by the process of spin-
ning, whereby the process of reeling into hanks for drying is rendered
unnecessary.
In witness whereof, we, the said Abraham Walker Craig, Daniel
Foster, and Thomas Valentine, have hereunto set our hands
and seals, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
ABRAHAM WALKER CRAIG. (L.S.)
DANIEL FOSTER.
THOMAS VALENTINE.
0 Witness,
JOHN THOMAS McCLEERY.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)