Sewing Thread.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 10th Sept., 1887
Complete Accepted, 8th Nov., 1887
Sewing Thread.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me from
abroad by Henri Rogez, of 125 Rue du Marché, Lille (Nord) France Thread
Manufacturer) to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved manufacture of reel, spool, or holder, fo:
sewing thread.
The ordinary wood reels used for this purpose are expensive to
manufacture and are valueless when empty.
The object of this Invention is to minimise the cost of making reels, spools, or
holders, for winding sewing thread; and for this purpose it is proposed to make them
of card-board which is at once solid, light, and cheap.
In order that the Invention may be readily understood, I will proceed to describe it
by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which a a figure 1
are pieces of thin card-board to form the ends of the reel which are stamped out of
round oblong or other suitable form and have holes punched in them to receive one or
more tubes of strong paper by which the two ends a are united, one of such tubes
(except when two only are employed) being generally placed at the centre of the reel
and the remainder disposed in position to suit the form of reel desired, the heads a
having each a central hole and as many more holes as there are tubes to be used in
making the reel. If, for example, a single tube is employed, the reel would resemble
an ordinary one; if two tubes, there would be no central tube and the central holes
would serve for mounting the reel upon the ordinary pin of the sewing machine; if
three tubes be used, the reel would be of oval or oblong form, as in figure 1; if four
tubes be used, it would be triangular; if five tubes, it would be square; if six tubes,
it would be pentagonal; and so on;-the larger the number of tubes employed the
nearer they would be placed to the circumference.
The advantage of this construction of reel is that it enables the thread to be wound
upon a larger circle and prevents that tendency to twist or curl which it has when

page_text: wound upon a core of small diameter. The thread being wound, in all cases, in a
circular direction is not weakened by passing round sharp angles as when wound upon
cards.
In order to make a reel of the requisite strength with thin pasteboard ends and
paper tubes, I proceed in the following manner. The chief difficulty in uniting the
parts of the reel is due to the paper tubes which are easily crushed or put out of shape.
This is avoided by means of a metal clamp c figure 2, made in halves united by a screw d
and wing nut e or other means, the meeting faces being perfectly true and provided
with parallel half round grooves f (figure 3) of rather smaller diameter than the external
diameter of the paper tubes in order that the clamp when tightened up shall slightly
compress the tubes without crushing them, so as to hold them rigid during the
operation of burring over their ends. The tubes are laid in the grooves with their
ends slightly projecting at either side, as shewn in figure 4, and the upper part of the
clamp is then applied thereon and the nut tightened up. The pasteboard heads a are
then placed with their holes upon the projecting ends of the tubes fand united thereto
by means of the apparatus represented in figure 5 consisting of a frame g into which
the clamp e, holding the tubes with the heads a applied thereto, accurately fits. At
one end of this frame is a row of punches i mounted in a fixed block which are
adjusted centrally with the tubes in the clamp and project the proper distance from
the face of the block and are secured by set screws . The punches i are made of the
conical form shewn in figure 6, with a shoulder of larger diameter than the internal
diameter of the tubes in which is formed an annular groove to receive the end of
the tube and assist in burring it over the head a. Within the opposite end of the
frame is fitted a slide block m having a series of punches i corresponding to those of
block and movable towards the clamp by means of a screw n and hand wheel or
lever (according to whether pressure or percussion is to be employed). By this
means the tubes held and supported rigidly in the clamp are compressed longi-
tudinally between the two sets of punches whereby their projecting ends are upset,
splayed, or burred, outwards over the pasteboard heads a so as to solidly unite the
two parts together.
The above described method is also applicable for making pasteboard reels or
spools of the ordinary form, as shewn in figure 7, but with the advantage of being
larger in the body as well as much lighter and cheaper. In this case discs of the
proper diameter are stamped out. They are pierced with a central perforation
corresponding in diameter to the pin of a sewing machine, after which, by means of a
punch of slightly larger diameter than that of the tubular body, 6 of the reel, a ring of
pasteboard is left, thus forming two concentric parts qr. The tube being held in
a clamp as before and the rings 9 being applied to its ends the clamp is placed in a
press like that before described and the ends upset or burred down by pressure or
percussion. The reel thus formed has a large hole which is now filled up by the
insertion of the small pasteboard disc punched out of the ring 7 which has a small hole
at the centre to fit on the pin of a sewing machine. The disc fits the more tightly in
the place from which it was removed, owing to the burring operation having tended
to slightly reduce the diameter of the hole. A label is then applied so as to
cover the end and thus unite the whole solidly together. The parts may also be
united by means of rotary tools instead of by compression or percussion, as above
described. Figure 10 shews a side elevation of such an apparatus. Figure 11
shews a clamp for holding the paper tubes. Figure 12 shews the lower
half of the clamp with a tube inserted. Figure 13 is a longitudinal section
of the burring tool. Figure 14 is a similar section of a tool for perforating
the ends. Figures 15, 16, and 17, represent a section, elevation, and plan of one of
these improved reels. In this, as in the previous case, a pasteboard or strong paper
tube a is held in a clamp b with the ends projecting as before. On opposite sidesof the
clamp and centrally in line with the tube, are mounted two burring tools e f driven
by belts as shewn; tool f can be moved towards e by a lever action. The tools
are similar in form to the punches employed in the former case, their diameter a
the base of the conical part being rather larger than that of the internal diameter

page_text: on
the
of the paper tube and the annular groove in the shoulder of the tool being sufficiently
deep to receive the rim or flange which is formed by the action of the tool
end of the tube. The rims or flanges burred or spun up by the action of the rotary
tools form substitutes for the end discs of the reel before described and are well
adapted for reels to hold small quantities of thread but made of the ordinary bulk.
The ends of tubular reel thus formed are closed by discs h (figures 14 and 17)
stamped out of such diameter, as to fit tightly within the tube and retain their exact
position. These discs bear the number and description of the thread, to be
wound upon the reel so that the expense of pasting separate labels on each end is
avoided.
The discs are simultaneously inserted at both ends of the reels by means of a lever
apparatus similar to that employed for forming the rim, except that the tools i
(figure 14) do not rotate and have a central stem, upon each of which a disc h is
placed after which the tools are moved towards each other, so as to force the discs /
into the desired position in the ends of the tube.
The edges or rims inay also be strengthened by first turning in the ends of the tube
and then compressing this turned in portion in a die and burring or upsetting the
edges to form rims or flanges as before described.
Figure 18 shows a side and face view of the tool for effecting the first mentioned
operation. Figure 19 shows the tube after the ends have been turned inwards.
Figure 20 shews the tube after the second operation of burring outwards or upsetting
the edges. Figure 21 shows a section of the finished reel with heads inserted. The
tools a (figure 18) for turning in the ends of the tube b are of such form as to enable
more or less of the end to be turned in at will. The operation of burring down the
edges is then performed and the discs for closing the ends inserted, both in the
manner hereinbefore described.
A. MELVILLE CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Reels, Spools, or Holders for
Sewing Thread.
1, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me from
abroad by Henri Rogez of 125 Rue du Marché Lille (Nord) France, Thread Manu-
facturer, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:
:-
This Invention relates to an improved manufacture of reel, spool, or holder, for
sewing thread.
The ordinary wood reels used for this purpose are expensive to
manufacture and are valueless when empty.
The object of this invention is to minimise the cost of making reels, spools, or
holders, for winding sewing thread; and for this purpose it is proposed to make them
of card-board which is at once solid, light, and cheap.
In order that the invention may be readily understood, I will proceed to describe it
by way of example, with reference to the drawings accompanying my provisional
specification in which a a, figure 1, are pieces of thin cardboard to form the heads of
the reel, stamped out of round, oblong, or other suitable form and having
holes punched in them to receive one or more tubes of strong paper by which
the two heads a are united, one of such tubes (except when two only are employed)
being generally placed at the centre of the head and the remainder disposed in
position to suit the form of reel desired.
The heads a have each a central hole and as many more holes as there are tubes b
to be used in making the reel. If, for example, a single tube is employed, the reel
would resemble an ordinary one; if two tubes, there would be no central tube and the
central holes would serve for mounting the reel upon the ordinary pin of the sewing
machine; if three tubes be used, the reel would be of oval or oblong form, as in
figure 1; if four tubes be used, it would be triangular; if five tubes, it would be
square; if six tubes, it would be pentagonal; and so on. The advantage of this
construction of reel is that it enables the thread to be wound upon a larger circle and
prevents that tendency to twist or curl which it has when wound upon a core of small
diameter. The thread being wound, in all cases, in a circular direction, is not
weakened by passing round sharp angles as when wound upon cards.
In order to make a reel of the requisite strength, with thin pasteboard heads and
paper tubes, I proceed in the following manner. The chief difficulty in uniting the
parts of the reel is due to the paper tubes which are easily crushed or put out of
shape. This is avoided by using a metal clamp e, figure 2, made in halves united by
a screw d and wing nut e or other means, the meeting faces being perfectly true and
provided with parallel half round grooves (figure 3) of rather smaller diameter than

page_text: the external diameter of the paper tubes b, in order that the clamp when tightened up
shall slightly compress the tubes without crushing them so as to hold them rigid
during the operation of burring over their ends.
The tubes bare laid in the grooves f with their ends slightly projecting at either
side, as shewn in figure 4, and the upper part of the clamp is then applied thereon and
the nut tightened up. The pasteboard heads a are then placed with their holes upon
the projecting ends of the tubes and united thereto by means of the apparatus
represented in figure 5 consisting of a frame g into which the clamp c holding the
tubes & with the heads a applied thereon, accurately fits.
At one end of this frame is
a row of punches secured by set screws in a fixed block h, the punches being
adjusted axially in line with the tubes in the clamp and projecting the proper
distance from the face of the block. These punches are made of the conical form shewn
in figure 6, with a shoulder of larger diameter than the internal diameter of the tubes b,
in which is formed an annular groove to receive the end of the tube and assist in
burring it over the head a.
Within the opposite end of the frame y is fitted a slide block m having a series of
punches i corresponding to those of block and movable towards the clamp by means
of a screw n and hand wheel or lever (according to whether pressure or percussion is
to be employed). By this means, the tubes & held and supported rigidly in the clamp,
are compressed longitudinally between the two sets of punches whereby their pro-
jecting ends are upset, splayed, or burred outwards over the pasteboard heads a so as to
solidly unite the two parts together, the burred over ends of the tubes being
strengthened if required, by a thin metal bushing or eyelet which may be clenched
over them.
The above described method is also applicable for making pasteboard reels or spools
of the ordinary form, as shewn in figure 7, but with the advantage of being larger in
the body as well as much lighter and cheaper.
In this case, discs of the proper diameter are stamped out and pierced with a central
perforation corresponding in diameter to the pin of a sewing machine, after which by
means of a punch of slightly larger diameter than that of the tubular body b of the
reel, a ring of pasteboard 7 is cut from the disc, thus forming it into two concentric
parts 9 r.
The tube being held in a clamp as before and the rings 7 being applied to its ends,
the clamp is placed in a press, like that before described and the ends of the tube
upset or burred down by pressure or percussion. The reel thus formed has a large
hole which is now filled up by the insertion of the small pasteboard disc punched
out of the ring q. The disc fits the more tightly in the place from which it was
removed, owing to the burring operation having tended to slightly reduce the diameter
of the hole. A label is then applied so as to cover the end and thus unite the whole
solidly together.
The parts may also be united by means of rotary tools instead of by compression or
percussion, as above described. Figure 10 shews a side elevation of such an apparatus.
Figure 11 shews a clamp for holding the paper tubes. Figure 12 shews the lower
half of the clamp with a tube inserted. Figure 13 is a longitudinal section of the
burring tool. Figure 14 is a similar section of a tool for inserting the end discs.
Figures 15, 16, and 17, represent a section, elevation, and plan, of one of these
improved reels.
In this, as in the previous case, a pasteboard or strong paper tube a is held in a
clamp b with the ends projecting as before. On opposite sides of the clamp and
centrally in line with the tube, are mounted two burring tools ef driven by belts, as
shewn, toolf being capable of moving towards e by a lever action.
The tools are similar in form to the punches employed in the former case, their
diameter at the base of the conical part being rather larger than that of the internal
diameter of the paper tube and the annular groove in the shoulder of the tool being
sufficiently deep to receive the rim or flange which is formed by the action of the tool
on the end of the tube.
The rims or flanges burred or spun up by the action of the rotary tools, form

page_text: substitutes for the heads of the reel before described, and are well adapted for reels to
hold small quantities of thread, but made of the ordinary hulk. The open ends of
the tubular reel g (figures 15 and 16) thus formed are closed by discs (figures 14
and 17) stamped out of such diameter, as to fit tightly within the tube and retain their
exact position. These discs would bear the number and description of the thread
to be wound upon the reel, so that the expense of pasting separate labels on each end
is avoided.
The discs are simultaneously inserted at both ends of the reel, by means of a
lever apparatus similar to that employed for forming the rim, except that the tools i
(figure 14) do not rotate and have each a central stem upon which a disc h is placed,
after which the tools i are moved towards each other, so as to force the discs h into
the desired position in the ends of the tube.
The edges or rims may also be strengthened by first turning in the ends of the tube
and then compressing this turned in portion in a die, and burring or upsetting the
edges to form rims or flanges, as before described.
Figure 18 shews a part sectional elevation and face view of the rotating tool
for effecting the first mentioned operation. Figure 19 shews the tube after the ends
have been turned inwards. Figure 20 shews the tube after the second operation of
burring outwards or upsetting the edges. Figure 21 shews a section of the finished
reel with heads inserted.
The tool a (figure 18) for turning in the ends of the tube is similar to that
used for turning in the ends of cartridge cases, being formed with an annular
groove in its end provided with countersinks a² a¹ by which the end of the paper
tube (which is held in a clamp of the kind shewn in figure 10) is turned inwards
by the pressure, and rotary motion of the tool applied against the same, the extent to
which the end of the tube is turned in, depending upon the depth of the annular
groove.
The operation of burring down the edges is then performed, and the discs for closing
the ends inserted, both in the manner herein before described."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1st. A reel, spool, or holder, for sewing thread, of which the heads are made of
pasteboard and the body of one or more pasteboard or paper tubes united to the heads
by burring over their ends (with or without metallic bushings or eyelets) as described
and illustrated in figures 1 to 9 of the drawings.
2nd. The herein described method of manufacturing reels or spools of cardboard
or strong paper, which consists essentially in holding the body or tubular portion in a
clamp and then burring down the ends by means of pressing and rotating tools, as
described and illustrated in figures 10 to 17.
3rd. The herein described method of reinforcing cardboard or paper reels or spools
by first turning inwards the ends of the tubular body by means of a rotary tool and
then forming the rim or flange by burring over the doubled ends, as described and
illustrated in figures 18 to 21.
Dated this 10th day of September 1887.
A. MELVILLE CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.