CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING WOOL, HAIR, AND OTHED FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Smith, of Bradford, in the County of
York, Worsted Spinner, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING WOOL, HAIR,
AND OTHED FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
a
Sealed the 5th August 1853, and dated the 9th June 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Smith at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 9th June 1853.
I, JOSEPH SMITH, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING
WOOL, HAIR, SILK, FLAX, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as
follows:-
As regards the first part of this Invention, which relates to the pre-
paring of wool and other fibrous substances, it consists in the use and
application of certain new mechanical arrangements and combinations
of parts for effecting that object by milling or rolling together the fibres
of the material instead of twisting them together, and thus giving to
such fibres all the tenacity necessary for spinning it into thread, without

page_text: the necessity of subjecting it to the operation of twisting, as hitherto
practised for that purpose. And as regards that part of this Invention
which relates to the spinning of wool and other fibrous substances, it
consists in certain new mechanical arrangements and combinations of
parts for effecting, firstly, the drawing and twisting thereof at one and
the same operation; and, secondly, in giving to the thread, during the
operation of spinning, an artificial or temporary twist, or, in other
words, a little more twist than is given to the roving, so that as the
threa is wound on to the bobbin it will untwist, and thereby prevent
the thread from breaking. But in order to ascertain the nature of this
Invention more fully reference must be had to the illustrative Draw-
ing hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of
reference marked thereon respectively, as follows:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, exhibits an elevation of a mechanical arrangement for
effecting the before-mentioned operation of preparing wool and other
fibrous substances. Figure 2, is a transverse and vertical section of a
mechanical arrangement for effecting the before-mentioned operation of
drawing and twisting. Figure 3, is a top plan view of a portion here-
after referred to. Figure 4, is a longitudinal and vertical section of a
mechanical arrangement for giving to the thread the before-mentioned
artificial or temporary twist. Figure 5, is a transverse and vertical
section of this arrangement.
The arrangement for effecting the preparing of wool and other fibrous
substances without twisting it is as follows:-At Figure 1, A, A,
marks drawing rollers; B, the material passing between the same; C, a
bolster, over which passes an endless band D, upon which the mate-
rial passes to be operated upon by the rods E, which are somewhat
similar in their action to the risers and fallers of machines employed for
heckling wool; these rods are arranged and disposed across the band D,
with which they are in contact, and the ends of said rods take into the
spaces of screws F, F, for advancing said rods in the same direction as
that in which the band D, is moving, and simultaneously with this
movement the rods E, have reciprocating movement imparted thereto

page_text: by making the axis of the screws F, F, eccentric, as shewn at
Figure 1; thus it will be seen that as these screws rotate the rods E,
will be pushed from side to side and across the material, and it is this
combined longitudinal and transverse movement of the rods E, which
effects the milling or rolling together of the fibres of the material so as
to prepare it for spinning, and thereby dispensing with the operation of
twisting hitherto practised in spinning machinery.
The arrangement for effecting the operation of drawing and twisting
is as follows-At Figures 2, and 3, A, A, marks a casting fixed to the
framing of a spinning machine of the ordinary construction; the outer
end A', and under side of this casting is formed with a female thread or
screw A, and there is a hole in the casting A, A, through which passes
a hollow spindle B, fixed to or formed upon the upper end of a cast-
ing C, at the bottom whereof there is another hollow spindle D, which
works in a hole in a bar E, fixed to or formed upon the framing of an
ordinary spinning machine, and thus the casting C, is supported in a
vertical direction, and rotates by means of a band passing around a warve
F, fixed upon the spindle B. G, G, mark endless chains, to which are
attached teeth a, a, formed of any suitable elastic substance; the chains
G, G, pass over the top and bottom parts b, and c, of the casting C,
and the teeth a, a, take or lock into each other, and one or more of
such said teeth take into the spaces of the thread or screw A, by which,
as the casting C, rotates, the chains and teeth a, and G, will receive
rotary motion in the direction of the arrows flight, and the thread
passing through the hollow spindle B, will be taken hold of by the
teeth a, a, and be drawn thereby from the front drawing rollers of the
spinning machine. Thus it will be seen that the rotary movement of
the casting C, in a horizontal direction will effect the twisting of the
thread by reason of its being held by the teeth a, a, and front drawing
rollers of the machine, and this rotary motion will cause those teeth
which are between the spaces of the thread A², to be successively raised
so as to impart rotary movement to the chains and teeth G, and a, in a
vertical dircotion, and thereby effect the drawing of the thread simul-
taneously with the twisting thereof.
The arrangements for giving to the thread an artificial or temporary
.

page_text: twist is as follows:-At Figures 4, and 5, A, A, marks a spindle, B, the
flyer, the construction of which as follows: one wing of the flyer is
formed with an arm D, to which is attached the upper end of a hollow
spindle E, a section of which is shewn at Figure 4, where a, marks a
spindle working in holes in the spindle ; the middle portion b, of
this spindle is formed with small teeth or heckles c, c, and one end of
the spindle a, has a bevilled pinion d, fixed thereon, which takes into a
corresponding pinion e, fixed to the arm D, of the flyer, or in any
other way by which to prevent the pinion e, being turned round; II,
marks the front drawing rollers of an ordinary throstle; I, a bobbin
upon the spindle A, A. The operations of this arrangement are as
follows supposing the spindle A, and the drawing rollers II, to be in
motion, and the thread a, to be passed through the hollow spindle E,
and on to the bobbin I, it will appear evident that as the bobbin
revolves the thread will be drawn from the rollers II, through the
spindle E, and as it passes the part b, of the spindle a, it will catch hold
of the teeth or licckles C, thereon, and thereby impart rotary motion
thereto, and to the bevelled pinion d, fixed thereon, and the teeth of
this pinion rolling into the spaces of the pinion e, will cause the pinion
d, and axle E, to revolve by reason of the pinion c, being fixed to the
arm D, and thereby give to the thread the before-mentioned artificial or
temporary twist for preventing it from breaking whilst being wound on
to the bobbin.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office, 2
on the 9th December 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1,
JOSEPH SMITH, of Bradford, in the County of York, Worsted Spinner,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 8
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the

page_text: sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Smith, Ler special licence
that I, the said Joseph Smith, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Smith, my exccutors,
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 MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING WOOL, HAIR,
SILK, FLAX, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joseph Smith, by an instrument in writing
under my hand 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 Joseph Smith, 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 thereof (that is to say):
As regards the first part of this Invention, which relates to the
preparing of wool and other fibrous substances, it consists in the use
and application of certain new mechanical arrangements and combina-
tions of parts for effecting that object by milling or rolling together
the fibres of the material instead of twisting them together, and thus
giving to such fibres all the tenacity necessary for weaving the same,
without the necessity of subjecting it to the operation of twisting or
spinning, as hitherto practised for that purpose. And as regards that
part of this Invention which relates to the spinning of wool and other
fibrous substances, it consists in certain new mechanical arrangements
and combinations of parts for effecting, firstly, the drawing and twisting
thereof at one and the same operation; and, secondly, in giving to the
thread, during the operation of spinning, an artificial or temporary
twist, as well as a permanent twist, or, in other words, a little more

page_text: twist than is required in the roving, so that as the thread is wound on
to the bobbin it will untwist, and thereby prevent the thread from
breaking. But in order to ascertain the nature of this Invention more
fully reference nust be had to the illustrative Drawing hereunto an-
nexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference marked
thereon respectively, as follows:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, exhibits a sectional elevation of a mechanical arrangement
for effecting the before-mentioned operation of preparing wool and
other fibrous substances by milling or rolling the fibres together, and
Figure 2, is the front elevation of the same. Figure 3, is a vertical
section, and Figure 4, a plan view of another arrangement of mechanism
for effecting the same object. Figure 5, is a transverse and vertical
section of a mechanical arrangement for effecting the before-mentioned
operation of drawing and twisting. Figure 6, is a top plan view of a
portion hereafter referred to. Figure 7, is a longitudinal and vertical
section of a mechanical arrangement for giving to the thread the before-
mentioned artificial or temporary and permanent twist. Figure 8, is a
transverse and vertical section of this arrangement.
The first arrangement for effecting the preparing of wool and other
fibrous substances without twisting it is as follows:-At Figure 1,
A, A, marks drawing rollers; B, the materials pressing between the
same; C, a bolster, over which passes an endless band D, upon which
the material passes to be operated upon by the rods E, which are
somewhat similar in their action to the risers and fallers of machines
employed for heckling wool; these rods are arranged and disposed
across the band D, with which they are in contact, and the ends
of said rods take into the spaces of screws F, F, for advancing said
rods in the same direction as that in which the band D, is moving,
and simultaneously with this movement the rods E, have reciprocating
movement imparted thereto by making the axis of the screws F, F,
eccentric, as shewn at Figure 2; thus it will be seen that as these
screws rotate the rods E, will be pushed from side to side and across
the material, and it is this combined longitudinal and transverse

page_text: movement of the rods E, which effects the milling or rolling together
of the fibres of the material so as to prepare it for spinning, and
thereby dispensing with the operation of twisting hitherto practised in
spinning machiuery.
Another arrangement of mechanism for preparing wool and other
fibrous substances by milling or rolling the fibres together (sec Figures
3, and 4,) is as follows:-A, A, represent a set of ordinary drawing
rollers; and B, B, a pair of delivering rollers; C, C, are tubes,
mounted upon rails D, D, and caused to revolve quickly by means
of bands passing around the wharves or whirls a, a, so as to give a
false or temporary twist to the fibrous substances E, E, as it passes
through the same. The peculiar construction of the said tubes will
be best seen by referring to the full size detached sectional views,
Figure 3. Each of the tubes is provided with a square opening b, b,
formed at right angles thereto, in which is fitted a sliding piece c, c;
one end of the sliding piece has a smooth groove filed or formed therein,
and the other end is connected to a spring d, d, which has a constant
tendency to withdraw the said sliding piece c, c, as shewn at the lower
detached views. It will be observed that the wharve or whirl a, a, is
moveable in a longitudinal direction upon the tube C; and that when
placed in the position shown in the lower view it allows the spring d, d,
to withdraw the sliding piece c, c, and the tube is then in a position to
have the wool or other fibrous material threaded or passed through
When the wool has been
without removing it from the machine.
passed through the tube the wharve or whirl a, a, is slidden into the
position shewn in the upper views, which will have the effect of com-
pressing the spring d, d, and nipping or holding the wool or other
fibrous material slightly against one side of the tube C, so as to cause
the revolution of the said tube to impart a temporary twist thereto as
it passes through the same. F, F, (Figures 3, and 4,) are the milling
rollers. These rollers are to be mounted in suitable bearings, and
caused to revolve by means of spur or other gearing in any suitable and
convenient manner. At the same time an alternate longitudinal
reciprocating motion in the direction of their axes is imparted to them
by giving motion to the lever G, which vibrates upon a fixed centre or

page_text: yarn
fulcrum at e, e, by means of a crank or eccentric, or in any other
suitable manner. I, I, is the spindle, mounted in the rails I, I, and
driven by means of a band J; and K, is the bobbin upon which the
wool or other material is wound. The effect produced by this process
of milling or rolling the fibres of the wool or other fibrous material
together will be to give to the said fibres all the tenacity consequent
upon twisting and spinning without the hardness or twist, and the
thus produced will be much softer, and will clean and dye better, and
produce much superior cloth to that woven from the material twisted
and spun in the ordinary manner. The arrangement and mechanism
for effecting the operations of drawing and twisting is as follows:-At
Figures 5, and 6, A, A, marks a casting fixed to the framing of a
spinning machine of the ordinary construction. The outer end A', and
under side of this casting is formed with a female thread or screw A²;
and there is a hole in the casting A, A, through which passes a hollow
spindle B, fixed to or formed upon the upper end of a casting C, at the
botton whereof there is another hollow spindle D, which works in a
hole in a bar E, fixed to or formed upon the framing of an ordinary
spinning machine, and thus the casting C, is supported in a vertical
direction, and rotates by means of a band passing around a warve F,
fixed upon the spindle B. G, G, mark endless chains, to which are
attached teeth a, a, formed of any suitable elastic substance; the
chains G, G, pass over the top and bottom parts b, and c, of the
casting C; and the teeth a, a, take er lock into each other, and one or
more of such said teeth take into the spaces of the thread or screw A
by which as the casting C, rotates, the chains and teeth a, and G, will
receive motion in the direction of the arrows flight; and the thread,
passing through the hollow spindle B, will be taken hold of by the
teeth a, a, and be drawn thereby from the front drawing rollers of the
spinning machine. Thus it will be seen that the rotary movement of
the casting C, in a horizontal direction will effect the twisting of the
thread by reason of its being held by the teeth a, a, and front drawing
rollers of the machine; and this rotary motion will cause those teeth
which are between the spaces of the thread A, to be successively
raised so as to impart rotary movement to the chains and teeth G,

page_text: and a, in a vertical direction, and thereby effect the drawing of the
thread simultaneously with the twisting thereof.
The arrangements for giving to the thread an artificial or temporary
twist simultaneously with a permanent twist is as follows:-At Figures 7,
and 8, A, A, marks a spindle; B, the flyer, the construction of which
is as follows: one wing of the flyer is formed with an arm 1), to which
is attached the upper end of a hollow spindle E, a section of which is
shown at Figure S, where a, marks a spindle working in holes in the
spindle E; the middle portion b, of this spindle is formed with small
teeth or heckles c, c; and one end of the spindle a, has a bevilled
pinion d, fixed thereon, which takes into a corresponding pinion e,
fixed to the arm D, of the flyer, or in any other way by which to
prevent the pinion e, being turned round; k, f, are two holes in the
lower end of the tube, through which the thread a, passes, so as to
cause the revolution of the tube to give a temporary twist thereto.
II, marks the front drawing rollers of an ordinary throstle; I, a bobbin
upon the spindle A, A. The operations of this arrangement are as
follows: supposing the spindle A, and the drawing rollers H, to be in
motion, and the thread a, to be passed through the hollow spindle E,
and on to the bobbin I, it will appear evident that as the bobbin
revolves the thread will be drawn from the rollers II, through the
spindle E, and as it passes the part b, of the spindle a, it will catch
hold of the teeth or heckles c, thereon, and thereby impart rotary
motion thereto, and to the bevilled pinion d, fixed thereon, and the
teeth of this pinion rolling into the spaces of the pinion e, will cause
the pinion d, and axle E, to revolve by reason of the pinion e, being
fixed to the arm D, and thereby give to the thread the before-men-
tioned artificial or temporary twist for preventing it from breaking
whilst being wound on to the bobbin, at the same time that the ordi-
nary revolution of the spindle and flyer imparts a permanent twist to
the same.
I would here remark, that it is evident that the same effect may
be produced by adapting a revolving tube to the "traveller" in the
machine known as the "ring and traveller throstle" in such a manner

page_text: that the tube revolves round its own axis, at the same time that it
travels in a circle around the spindle.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said Invention
of certain improvements in machinery for preparing and spinning
wool, hair, silk, flax, and other fibrous substances, together with the
manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark,
in conclusion, that I claim as my Invention,--
Firstly, the arrangements of machinery or apparatus shewn in the
Drawings, and above described, or any modification thereof, for giving
tenacity to the fibres of the said material by milling or rolling the
fibres together instead of twisting or spinning the same.
Secondly, I claim the peculiar arrangement of apparatus exhibited
at Figures 5, and 6, in the Drawings, and above described, for drawing
and twisting the fibres at one and the same operation; and,
Thirdly, I claim the apparatus shewn in the Drawings, and above
described, or any modification thereof, for imparting both the perma-
nent and the artificial twist to the wool or other fibrous material by
passing the same through a tube, which revolves round its own centre
or axis, at the same time that it also revolves around the centre of the
spindle.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Eighth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
JOSEPH LONGBOTTOM,
Leeds Road, Bradford.
JOSEPH SMITH. (L.S.)