Improvements in and in the Method of and Apparatus for Making Sewing Thread and Cord.
Year: 1888

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and in the Method of and Apparatus for Making
Sewing Thread and Cord.
I, HERMANN BORMANN, a subject of the Empire of Germany, residing at the City of
Philadelphia, in the County of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN
THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING SEWING THREAD AND CORD, and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statements :-
My invention relates to the manufacture of thread and cord for sewing and other
purposes.
The principal object of my invention is to provide thread and cord for sewing boots,
shoes &c., composed of two or more strands of filamentous material such as flax or
other vegetable or animal material and one or more metallic wires, the filamentous strands
and wire or wires being intertwisted spirally and the said wire or wires lying between
and parallel with the filamentous strands, whereby is presented a very strong inelastic
pliable thread for sewing boots and shoes without a covering of shoemakers wax,
which it is eminently desirable should be dispensed with, because the wax in cold
weather granulates and in warm weather becomes soft and soils the inside lining of
the shoe or boot, and is more or less absorbed by the leather.
A further object of my invention is to provide a machine of comparatively simple
construction for making sewing thread and cord composed of two or more strands of
flax or other vegetable or animal material and one or more metallic wire or wires
inter-twisted together and said strands twisted or laid up in the same or an opposite
direction to that in which the wire or wires is or are intertwisted with the fibrous
vegetable or animal material to form a two or more ply perfectly pliable sewing thread
or cord for various purposes.
Previous to my invention the twisting with fibrous material of a wire or wires has
been conducted on an ordinary rope-walk, which to a greater or less extent was objec-
tionable, because of the slowness of its production and the want of uniformity in the
twist thereof, but one of the chief difficulties encountered bas been the breaking short or
flying off of the wire in the twisting operation, but these objectionable features I have

page_text: overcome and have designed a machine in which for the first time as far as I am aware
it is rendered possible to intertwist a wire or wires of one nature with fibrous vegetable
or animal material of an entirely different nature, thereby producing a perfectly
pliable thread or cord for sowing boots and shoes and of being used for shoe strings,
fishing lines and many other purposes.
The nature and characteristic features of my improved machine for the production
of the thread or cord will be fully understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings forming part hereof; and in which
Figure 1, is a front elevation of the twisting apparatus, parts being broken away.
Fig. 2, is a vertical cross-section thereof.
Fig. 3, is a top view; and
Fig. 4, is a horizontal section on the line x, x, of fig. 2.
It is customary in such type of machinery to provide several sets of twisting
mechanisms in a singlo frame and as cach is a duplicate of the others in construction
and operation I have therefore in figure 1, only shown two sets of such mechanisms,
but it will nevertheless he understood that any desired number may be provided for
increasing the production of the improved cord or thread of whatever given ply inay
be desired.
Referring to the accompanying drawing for a further description of the invention A,
represents the standards or supporting frames of stout material set at suitable distances
apart and connected with each other by means of upper and lower longitudinal bars
or rails A' and A². The lower portion of each standard A, projects outward forming a
support a, for the reception of the table A³, with its projecting flange a'. Each
support a, is provided with a recess for the reception of the longitudinal bar A',
and a similar longitudinal bar A³, is secured to and supported on the lower transverse
frame a², of the standard A. The longitudinal bar A, is provided at suitable
distances apart with apertures a³, forming journal bearings for the spindles B, and the
longitudinal bar A, is provided with sockets a, for receiving the lower extremities
of the spindles B. A hub b, is rigidly secured to each spindle B, for holding in
position a grooved pulley B¹, loosely mounted on the spindle. Formed integral with
or secured to the pulley B', is a hub or collar 6', with a notched upper surface for
engaging a clutch 62, feathered to the spindle B, and operated by a bifurcated
horizontal arm &³. The upper extremity of each spindle has secured to it a circular
creel or flier D, carrying as many spool holders or spindles d, or cups d', as there are
strands of fibrous material and wire or wires to be intertwisted together and in each
creel or flier D, at suitable distances apart and concentric therewith are guide and
tension spindles or posts d², provided with eyes d³, in their upper extremities.
With the upper transverse bar or frame a, of each standard A, are formed
brackets a, for supporting the longitudinal beams A and A', and in these beams at
suitable distances apart are formed bearings for receiving each horizontal shaft e, on
which is rigidly secured a hub or collar e, for holding in position a grooved pulley E,
loosely mounted on said shaft. Formed integral with or secured to the pulley E, is a
collar or hub, having a notched outer surface for engaging a clutch e³, feathered to
the horizontal shaft e. This clutch e³, is operated by the bifurcated arm et, of a bell
crank lever e, pivoted at its inner extremity to a bracket e, secured to the longitudinal
beam or bar A. The forward extremity of the bell crank lever e, is pivoted to a
vertical rode, suitably attached to one extremity of the bifurcated horizontal arm 6³,
of the clutch 62, which is feathered to the spindle B. The vertical rod e', passes
through a guide or eye e³, secured to the inner edge of the table A³, which serves to
guide and ensure regularity in the vertical movement thereof. Centrally to this
rod e', is pivoted a horizontal hand lever f, held in bearings provided therefor in the
frame A', attached to the front of the machine for engaging and disengaging the
clutches and e³. Secured into the face of this frame A¹, is a guide" having an eye
and to a similar frame A¹ attached to the front of the machine a short distance above
the former frame is a guide 2, having an eye. Both of these guides serve to direct
the cord or thread from the creel or flier to the spool in a vertical course to be
presently fully described.

page_text: The outer portion of each shaft e, is preferably formed square to accommodate the
spool h, and hold the same rigidly in position thereon. In the drawings are shown
only a single series of fliers and mechanism for twisting the cord or thread and auto-
matically laying up the cord or thread onto spools, but it is obvious that with but
slight modifications of the frame-work the mechanism for operating the machine might
be arranged so that two rows of spindles, fliers and spools could be operated from the
same driving shaft and each flier or creel run independently of the others as hereinafter
fully explained.
The main shaft C, of the machine is held in journal boxes c, mounted on the trans-
verse bars a², of the standards A. This shaft receives its motion from any suitable
source by means of the belt el, and pulley e², as shown in fig. 2. Onto the main
driving shaft C, is rigidly mounted as many grooved pulleys C, as there are spindles.
to be driven.
Motion being imparted to the creel or flier D, by means of the belt d',
passing around the grooved pulley C, of the shaft C, and the smaller pulley B¹, of the
spindle B.
A spool h, is mounted on the shaft e, and motion is imparted thereto by means of a
belte, passing around a grooved pulley E, and around a similar but smaller grooved
pulley eo, mounted on the counter-shaft F, held in journal boxes f³, supported on
the tranverse bars a', of each standard A. This shaft F has rotary motion com-
municated to it from the main driving shaft C, by means of a pinion e³, which
meshes with a gear-wheel (2, mounted on an intermediate shaft C₁, held in journal
boxes (, which are supported on the transverse bars a², of the standards A. To the
intermediate shaft C, is secured a cone-shaped pulley ft. Motion is imparted to the
counter-shaft F, provided with a similar cone-shaped pulley f, by means of a belt,
passing around said cone-shaped pulleys ƒ and ƒ³. These cone-shaped pulleys are.
employed to ensure an even or uniform twist throughout of the cord or thread laid
up or wound automatically upon the spool or bobbin, h, that is to say, as the speed
of the flier or creel D, is at all times a uniform one and as the core of the spool h,
is constantly increasing in diameter, it therefore becomes necessary to be able to
decrease the speed of each spool, because unless decreased the cord or thread being
laid up onto the spools from the respective fliers or creels D, would be apt to havo
more twist in one portion than in another, but this is entirely overcome by the use
and arrangement of the cone-shaped pulleys operating in the manner to be described.
The belt f, is shifted on the cone-shaped pulleys f4 and 5, by means of guides 7,
and f, mounted on worm nuts f³. These worm-nuts are actuated by worms 10
and f, journalled in bearings provided to receive them in the transverse bars a², of
the standard A. These worms 10 and f", have motion imparted to them from the
shaft g3, by incans of the belt 15, which passes around the pulley f", rigidly secured
to the worm f". To revolve both worms simultaneously two pulleys f¹ and f¹,
similar in diameter are rigidly secured to the worms, and ", around which
pulleys a belt 12, passes as clearly illustrated in figs. 1 and 2.
To automatically lay up the cord or thread onto the spool h, mounted on the
shaft e, a longitudinal rod i, is provided extending the entire length of the machine
having as many eyes or guides i¹, secured thereto as there are fliers or creels D. This .
rod i, at each end is formed integral with a horizontal sliding rod 2, moving
freely in bearings, suitably secured to the upper transverse frames a³, of the
standards A, as shown in fig. 3. These rods and 2, are moved back and forth by
connecting rods *, pivoted to hubs or collars ³, mounted on the horizontal sliding
rods, and to a crank, which is rigidly secured to the shaft .
Motion being
imparted to this shaft from the counter-shaft F, through the intervention of the pinion g,
which is mounted on said counter-shaft. This pinion g on the counter-shaft F, meshes
with a gear-wheel G, mounted on intermediate shaft g', carrying a worm g², which
engages with a worm-wheel G, secured to a vertical shaft g³. The shaft g³ has on its
upper extremity a bevelled pinion g', which meshes with a bevelled wheel g, mounted on
the shaft, as clearly shown in fig. 2. The vertical shaft g³, at its lower extremity is
journalled in a box g, which is mounted on the cross-beam a³, of the standard A, and .

page_text: near the upper extremity of this shaft for holding it in proper vertical position is a
journal box g', secured to the cross-beam a³, attached to the standards A.
The mode of operation of my improved machine is as follows
eyes
The fibrous vegetable or animal material if in balls is placed in the cups d', or
if wound upon bobbins mounted on spindles or holders d, and the spools of wire
likewise placed on one or more of the holders d, mounted on the circular creel or flier D,
as shown in figs. 1, 2 and 4. The several strands are led upward through the
in order to ensure a proper tension and a regulated delivery of the strands of fibrous
vegetable or animal material and metallic wires to be intertwisted together, through
the eyes or guides f, f, and ¹, and the ends fastened to the spool h, in any suitable
manner. Motion is now communicated to the main driving shaft C, which causes
cach flier or creel to be actuated for twisting or intertwisting the several strands of
fibrous material and wire or wires uniformly into a cord while the spooling mechanism
before described is automatically laying up the cord or thread evenly onto each
bobbin or spool h.
If from any cause one of the strands of fibrous material or the
wire or wires should break down whilst the machine is in full operation, the flier D,
and also the bobbin or spool h, may be readily and quickly stopped by simply de-
pressing the lever f, which will cause the vertical rod e, to be raised and the bell
crank lever e, and horizontal arm 63, actuated thereby to release the pulley B¹ and E,
from their respective clutches and e³, feathered to and sliding on the shaft e, and
spindle B, and leaving the same at a standstill whilst the pulleys continue to revolve.
After the damage has been repaired the flier D, and spool h, may again be started up
by simply elevating the hand-lever, thereby causing the clutches & and e³, to again
engage the pulleys B' and E, on the spindle B and shaft e, and the operation resumed
until the spools are filled in the manner hereinbefore fully described for producing
what is termed a "single-ply" thread or cord.
"
To produce a thread or cord of more than a single ply, for example, a three-ply"
thread or cord, three of the spools h, filled with the cord or thread having the wire or
wires combined therewith may be removed from the shafts e, and mounted on the
holders d, of the flier or creel D, and the three wired strands passed around the eyes d³,
of the guides d² in the creel or flier D, the requisite number of times to attain a
proper tension and these strands passed thence upward through the guides f ƒ² and i¹,
to the spool h, firmly held on the shaft.e. The machine is then started up laying
up the three wired fibrous strands in the same direction in which the single strands
having the wire or wires inter-twisted therewith are formed, but I have found that
the best results are obtained by twisting the " three-ply cord in the opposite
direction to that in which the single strands are laid up, which can be readily accom-
plished by simple changing the position of the belt d, passing around the grooved
pulleys and B', as illustrated in Fig. 1, to the left in which three spools of cord or
thread are shown mounted on a creel or flier D. By this change of the belt d, a
reversal in the movement of the twisting mechanism of the machine will be ensured
for the accomplishment of the purpose desired in a most satisfactory manner.
92
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and objects of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The method of making sewing thread or cord, which consists in intertwisting
spirally with one ог more strands of fibrous vegetable or animal material one
more metallic wires and laying up the same, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
ог
2. The method of making an inelastic pliable sewing thread or cord, which consists
in intertwisting spirally two or more strands of vegetable or animal material of one
nature with one or more metallic wires of a different nature and laying up the same
uniformly, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. The method of making a sewing thread or cord, which consists in intertwisting
spirally one or more strands of fibrous material of one nature with one or more

page_text: metallic wires of a different nature and automatically laying up uniformly the
materials in spiral form and then twisting two or more of said strands in the same or
opposite directions to that in which the single wire or wires and fibrous
material are intertwisted together, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
4. The herein described sewing thread or cord composed of two or more strands
of vegetable or animal material and a metallic wire or wires intertwisted together,
substantially as described.
5. The herein described sewing thread or cord composed of two or more strands of
vegetable or animal material and a metallic wire or wires, the said fibrous strands and
wire or wires being spirally twisted together and the said wire or wires lying between
the fibrous strands, substantially as described.
6. The herein described apparatus for making sewing thread and cord constructed
and operating substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of two
subscribing witnesses.
Witnesses:-
JOHN WALTER DOUGLASS.
THOMAS MILLER SMITH.
HERMANN BORMANN.