New or Improved Machinery for Use in the Manufacture of Needles.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Machinery for Use in the Manufacture of Needles.
We, HENRY MILWARD AND SONS LIMITED, of Washford Mills, Redditch, in
the County of Worcester, Needle, Fish Hook and Fishing Tackle Manufacturers,
and THOMAS WEBB, of Sambourne, in the County of Warwick, Foreman of Works,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The said invention consists of machinery constructed and operating as herein-
after described the said machinery being suited for use in cleaning, grinding and
polishing needles in certain stages of their manufacture.
We will describe the said machinery in connection with the skimming of what
are technically called "points"; and that the said invention may be the more
readily understood we remark that the said points consist of lengths of steel
wire pointed at each end each of the said points being of a length double that of
the needles to be made. Each of the said points when divided at the middle
of their length forms two needles. It is necessary that the point where the tools
operate upon it to impress the eyes and effect the division should be smooth or
clean or the tools rapidly wear. This process of smoothing and cleaning the middle
of the point is called "skimming" and the machine by which we effect the said
skimming is constructed as follows
Two pulleys preferably of equal diameter are mounted on horizontal and parallel
axes at a short distance apart. On these pulleys an endless band works the said
hand being made preferably of a strong textile fabric on the outer face of which
fine emery or other grinding or polishing material is attached by glue or other
adhesive material. In order to maintain the requisite tightness of the said band
one or both of the pulleys may be coated with india rubber or the requisite tension
of the band may be maintained by the bearings of one or both of the pulleys
being capable of a slight yielding.
Rotary motion may be given to the pulleys and a travelling motion to the
band passing over them by steam or other power. In order to give greater
elasticity to the travelling band an india rubber band may be employed as a
support to the band carrying the grinding and polishing material.
Machinery constructed according to the said invention besides being used for
the "skimming" process described may be employed for grinding and polishing
the heads of ordinary needles as well as for setting the points of glovers' needles
and for grinding and polishing needles at various stages of their manufacture
where they require to be ground or polished.
Dated this Twenty-seventh day of May 1899.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: New or Improved Machinery for use in the manufactur
We, HENRY MILWARD AND SONS LIMITED, of Washford Mills, Redditch, in
the County of Worcester, Needle, Fish Hook and Fishing Tackle Manufacturers,
and THOMAS WEBB, of Sambourne, in the County of Warwick, Foreman of Works,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The said invention consists of machinery constructed and operating as herein-
after described the said machinery being suited for use in cleaning, grinding and
polishing needles in certain stages of their manufacture.
We will describe the said machinery in connection with the skimming of what
are technically called "points"; and that the said invention may be the more
readily understood we remark that the said "points" consist of lengths of steel
wire pointed at each end each of the said points being of a length double that of
the needles to be made. Each of the said points when divided at the middle
of their length forms two needles. It is necessary that the point where the tools
operate upon it to impress the eyes and effect the division should be smooth or
clean or the tools rapidly wear. This process of smoothing and cleaning the middle
of the point is called "skimming," and the machine by which we effect the said
skimming is constructed as follows;--
Two pulleys are mounted on horizontal and parallel axes at a short distance
apart. On these pulleys an endless band works the said band being made pre-
ferably of a strong textile fabric on the outer face of which fine emery or other
grinding or polishing material is attached by glue or other adhesive material.
In order to maintain the requisite tightness of the said band one or both of the
pulleys may be coated with india rubber; or the requisite tension of the band
may be maintained by the bearings of one or both of the pulleys being capable
of a slight yielding.
Rotary motion may be given to the pulleys and a travelling motion to the
band passing over them by steam or other power. In order to give greater
elasticity to the travelling band an india rubber band may be employed as a
support to the band carrying the grinding and polishing material.
Machinery constructed according to the said invention besides being used for
the "skimming" process described may be employed for grinding and polishing
the heads and points of ordinary needles as well as for setting the points of glovers'
needles and for grinding and polishing needles at various stages of their manu-
facture where they require to be ground or polished, as hereinafter particularly
described.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in front elevation and
Figure 2 partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section a machine for
skimmingpoints" containing the improvements constituting the said invention.
Figures and 4 represent sections, at right angles to one another, of portions
of the said machine drawn to a larger scale than Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 5 represents a "point" after the skimming operation.
Figures 6 to 10 both inclusive represent our improvements applied to a machine
for setting the points of glovers' needles; and Figures 11 to 14 represent our
improvements applied to a machine for grinding the points of ordinary or hand-
used sewing needles.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.

page_text: We will first describe our invention as applied to the skimming of "points."
On parallel shafts or spindles a, b pulleys a², 6² respectively are arranged.
The pulley 62 has on it an india rubber ring or covering by which the periphery
of the said pulley 62 is made elastic or capable of yielding. The two pulleys a², 62
are geared together by an endless driving band c the lower larger pulley a
constituting the driving pulley. A rapid rotation is thereby communicated to the
upper pulley a². The outer face of the driving band c is covered with emery
or other grinding or polishing material after the manner in which emery cloth
is covered on one face or side and constitutes the grinding or polishing surface o.
the machine.
68
Over the upper or acting pulley 62 a guiding or feeding hopper d is arranged
into which the "points" to be skimmed are placed and at the rear of the said
guiding or feeding hopper d is a pressure block e adjusted so as to admit only
of a single row of needles rolling between it and the band on the acting
pulley 6. On either side of the upper pulley 12 are discs f, f on which the
portions of the "points" on either side of the middle are supported (see Figure 3)
the said discs f, f constituting carrier discs for the points." The carrier
discs f. f are rotated slowly by gearing, connected with the sleeves or hollow
shafts of the said carrier discs f, f by which action the "points" in the hopper d
are caused to roll between the discs f, f grinding or polishing band e and the
pressure block e.
By the rapid rotation of the acting pulley be the emery band e
passing over the said pulley effects the grinding or polishing of the middle portion
of the "points" as they roll between the pressure block e and carrier discs f, f
the said middle portion of the points" being thereby smoothed or cleaned as
will be understood by an examination of Figure 5. The treated points are
received as they leave the block e and carrier discs f, f by a receiver h (see
Figure 2).
66
"
In applying the said invention to the setting of the points of glovers' needles
we modify the machine in the manner represented in side elevation in Figure 6
and front elevation in Figure 7. Sections at right angles to one another of the
acting portion of the said machine (drawn to a larger scale than Figures 6 and 7)
are represented in Figures 8 and 9 respectively; Figure 10 represents a finished
glovers' needles.
In this modified machine the driving pulley a² is arranged overhead and the
india rubber covered acting pulley 62, around which and the driving pulley a²
the emery or polishing band c works, is situated over the table or bed of the
machine. The needles to be treated are held by hand on an anvil or block g
having a downwardly inclined face and a depression or groove g² at front through
which the needles are passed singly or one by one by the operator. The operator
by depressing the eye end of the needle under operation brings one of the flat
faces of the triangular end of the needle against the emery or polishing board e
as will be understood by reference to Figures 8 and 9. When one side or face
of the triangular point has been treated the needle is partially rotated so as to
bring another of the flat sides under the action of the grinding or polishing
band c.
When the needle is finished the operator removes it and replaces it by another
needle to be set.
In applying the said invention to the grinding of the points of ordinary or
hand used sewing needles we modify the machine in the manner represented
in side elevation in Figure 11 and plan in Figure 12. Figure 13 represents the
acting pulley 62 of the machine and parts adjacent thereto in vertical section
drawn to a larger scale than Figures 11 and 12: Figure 14 represents a needle
finished by the machine.
In this modified machine the india rubber covered acting pulley be has a
hollow or slightly concave face and the needles are fed down a guide or hopper d
so that their points only come in contact with the emery band e passing over the
pulley a², the body of the needle being supported on a plate or platform k

page_text: (see Figure 13) leading to the receiver shown in the plan Figure 12. The
band c works at a small angle with the driven carrying disc f by which the needles
are rotated and made to travel across the band c on the pulley b2.
In this modified machine the acting pulley instead of being driven from
the pulley is driven by the independent pulleys and driving band represented
in side elevation in Figure 11.
Although we prefer to employ the india rubber covered pulley described and
represented we wish it to be understood that it may be dispensed with by using
in conjunction with the emery covered band c a supporting band of india rubber.
And where for the purpose of obtaining great elasticity it may be thought
necessary or desirable the supporting band of india rubber may be employed in
addition to the india rubber covering of the pulley 2.
In adapting the said invention to the polishing of the heads of ordinary
needles and to the grinding and polishing of needles in various stages of their
manufacture we make such slight alterations in the machines as will fit them
to the particular purpose for which they are to be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim as the said invention:―
First In machinery for skimming "points" used in the manufacture of
needles, setting glovers' needles and for grinding and polishing the heads, bodies
and points of ordinary needles in various stages of their manufacture; the com-
bination of an endless band covered on its outer or acting face with emery in
fine powder or other powdered grinding or polishing material and a pair of pulleys
on parallel shafts or axes, one of the said pulleys being coated on its periphery
with india rubber or other elastic material the said machinery being constructed
and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
Secondly The modifications of the said machinery in which an endless
india rubber supporting band is employed on the inner side of the grinding or
polishing band in place of or in addition to the india rubber or like coating on
the acting pulley substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated the Twenty-third day of January 1900.
Π. Τ. ΠΗΙTEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.