Improvements in Machinery for Dyeing Hanks of Silk and other Yarn.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 16th Apr., 1391-Accepted, 16th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Dyeing Hanks of Silk and
other Yarn.
I ARTHUR HENRY WARDLE of Churnet Dye Works, Leek in the County of
Stafford, Silk Dyer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
The chief object of the present invention is to provide for the dyeing of silk
yarns in the hank, in a more economical manner than heretofore, and as efficiently as
it is possible to do it by hand.
Owing to the extensive number of different shades of color now prevalent, and
to the constant changes in the public taste, it is now usual for manufacturers to
submit their yarn to the dyer for treatment in extremely small quantities, frequently
of less than a pound in weight. This necessitates numerous small vessels of dye
liquor, at one only of which a man working on the ordinary system by hand can be
employed at a time; thus, the expenditure for wages in connection with the execution
of a small order, is quite out of proportion to the price obtainable for the
operation.
According to the present invention, 1 provide a machine which, driven by suitable
power, will be able to dip at one time half a dozen or more different lots of yarns
into as many different liquors, the whole being under the superintendance of one
man, who need not have the skill of the man who is now accustomed to dip the
goods by hand.
The machine for effecting this operation is furnished with a series of rollers
arranged parallel to one another throughout the length of the machine. To each
roller is communicated a rotary movement on its axis, and, at the same time, the
rotating roller is made to revolve around a given point. Upon each roller is hung
a hank or hanks of yarn, and beneath are placed the vessels containing the liquor.
The revolution of the rollers dips the hanks into the dye vessel, and draws them
through the liquor, while the rotation of the rollers continues to advance the hanks,
and ensures the even dipping of every part. After a certain number of revolutions
and rotations have been made in one direction, it is advisable, in order to obtain the
best results, to reverse the motion to the opposite direction; for this purpose, any
suitable mechanical device may be employed.
In this way, many different lots of yarn may be dyed with different shades at
one time, and a great economy of labor, and therefore expense, may be effected.
Dated this 16th day of July 1890
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Dyeing Hanks of Silk and
other Yarn.
I, ARTHUR HENRY WARDLE of Churnet Dye Works, Leek, in the County of
Stafford, Silk Dyer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to he performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
The chief object of the present invention is to provide for the dyeing of silk
yarns in the hank in a more economical manner than heretofore, and as efficiently
as it is possible to do it by hand.
Owing to the number of different shades of colour now in use, and to the constant

page_text: changes in the public taste, it is usual for manufacturers to submit their yarn to the
dyer for treatment in extremely small quantities, frequently of less than a pound
in weight. This necessitates the use of numerous small vessels of dye liquor, at
one only of which a man working on the ordinary system, by hand, can be employed
at a time; thus, the expenditure for wages in connection with the execution of a
small order, is out of proportion to the amount of work performed.
To effect an economy in this particular, I have designed machinery which will
enable me to present to a series of dye vessels, a number of hanks simultaneously:
dip them into their respective vessels, by imparting to the rollers or stud pins
which carry the hanks, an up and down motion; and traverse them through the
liquor in alternately opposite directions.
The details of the mechanism for dipping the hanks, and for passing them
through the liquor, may be indefinitely varied, but I prefer the means described
with reference to the accompanying drawings, as being both simple and efficient.
Fig. 1 is a plan view of one arrangement of my improved hank-dyeing
apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section,
taken on the line 1-2 of Fig. 1.
The figures shew a series of six vessels or compartments for containing dye
liquor, and a corresponding number of flanged dipping rollers for presenting the
hanks to be dyed, to the liquor in the six vessels.
A A is the framing, on which the dipping apparatus and the gearing for working
the same are mounted.
BB are a series of six transverse shafts, having their bearings in the framing A,
and keyed to these shafts are crank plates C, which are cast with long excentric
bosses to form bearings for the spindles D of the dipping rollers D₁, which overlic
the dye vessels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and serve to carry the hanks to be dyed.
The crank plates C are formed with spur teeth on their peripheries, for the
purpose to be hereafter described, and between these crank plates and the framing,
the spindles B are fitted with loose spur wheels E, of two diameters.
Fis a short horizontal shaft carried in bearings on the side of the framing A, and
fitted at its outer end with a mangle wheel F. "There is also keyed to the shaft F,
a mitre wheel, which gears into a mitre wheel on the adjacent crank shaft B.
G is a longitudinal shaft mounted on the side of the framing A, and in the same
vertical plane as the shaft F.
At its rear end, it is carried by a pivoted bearing g, and at its forward end in a
forked or vertically slotted bearing g¹.
To the forward extremity of this shaft G, is keyed a pinion g²,
which gears into
the teeth of the mangle wheel F, for the purpose of driving the same, and, through
the mitre wheels, the first shaft B, alternately in opposite directions.
It is to permit of this pinion taking into the inner and and outer ring of teeth,
that the shaft Gis mounted as described, for it is thus free to yield to the guidance
in a vertical direction of the mangle wheel. Gare fast and loose belt pulleys
fitted to the shaft G, and serving to impart motion to the apparatus.
The crank plates C gear into one another, and thus rotary motion is transmitted
from the first shaft B, to the remainder of the series. This motion causes the
rollers D which carry the hanks, to revolve, dip the hanks which they carry
into the dye liquor, and lift them out therefrom, once for every rotation of the
crank shafts B.
For traversing the hanks in alternately opposite directions through the dye
liquor, rotary motion is given to the hank supporting rollers D1 by the following
means I fit to each spindle D, a spur pinion d, which gears into the larger ring
of teeth of the wheels E, loose on the transverse shafts B.
:-
In order to impart rotary motion to these loose wheels, there is keyed to the
shaft B, which carries the mitre wheel ba spur, wheel B', and into this spur wheel
gears an intermediate pinion b, mounted loosely on a stud axle.
In gear with this
intermediate pinion, is a pinion 3, keyed to a short transverse shaft, which carries

page_text: a spur wheel 63, in gear with the smaller ring of teeth of the loose wheel E on the
first shaft B.
It will now be understood; that as rotary motion imparted through the shaft B
to the wheel B1, the wheel E will be driven, and caused to impart rotary motion to
the roller carried by the crank plate on the same shaft B. For the purpose of
imparting the like motion to all the dipping rollers, intermediate wheels E' are
provided, which gear all the wheels E up into one train, such wheels E¹ being
carried by stud axles fitted to the framing A.
Supposing now the several rollers D to be charged with hanks, and the dye
vessels to be charged with liquor, the throwing of the driving band on to the fast
pulley, will cause the mangle wheel to rotate, and impart a rotary motion (alternately
to the right and left) to all the shafts B, and the crank plates which they carry.
The hanks pendent from the rollers D' will consequently be dipped into, and raised
from the dye liquor, once for every rotation of the crank plate, while at the same
time the pinions d of the spindles D, running around their respective spur wheels E,
which rotate in the opposite direction, will be caused to impart rotary motion to the
rollers D', and thereby effect the traverse of the hanks on all the rollers through
the dye liquor in substantially the same manner as is now effected by the hands of
the operator, when dealing with one hank.
It will be obvious that the arrangement of gearing described may be indefinitely
varied, without affecting the efficiency of the apparatus.
Thus, for example, all the shafts B may receive their motion directly from the
shaft F through mitre wheels, the shaft being for that purpose extended to the end
of the frame A.
The gearing together, however, of the crank plates C is preferred.
A modified form of the apparatus is shewn in plan view at Fig. 4, in partial side
elevation at Fig. 5, and in end elevation at Fig. 6. In these figures, A. is the
framing on which the moving parts of the apparatus are mounted, and on opposite
sides of the framing, vessels for containing the dye liquor are placed to receive the
pendent hanks to be dyed. Fitted loosely to the transverse shafts B, are crank
plates C, which each carry on their inner face clutch teeth. bare clutches free to
slide on feathers of these shafts, for locking the crank plates thereto, and releasing
them as desired.
The clutches are thrown in and out of action by means of forked hand levers ¹
mounted on the framing A. The crank plates C, instead of carrying each a roller
spindle for rotating the hanks, are fitted with a pair of crank pins D, covered with
flanged tubes D' for receiving the hanks to be dyed.
The transverse shafts B each carry at their centre a pinion B with skew teeth
gearing into similar pinions e e on the longitudinal shaft E, supported in bearings
on the framing A. To one end of this shaft E, is fitted a mitre wheel e', which
gears into a pair of mitre wheels ff, mounted loosely on a transverse driving
shaft F, carried in bracket bearings on the framing, and receiving rotary motion
from a band pulley F.
Sliding on a feather between the mitre wheels ff, is a clutch, for locking
the mitre wheels alternately to their shaft, and thereby reversing the direction of
motion imparted to the shaft E. The clutch is embraced by a forked hand
lever fulcrummed on a stud of the framing A, and coupled by a connecting rod f
to a weighted rock lever G. This lever is mounted on a bracket a of the framing,
and is fitted with a tappet g for the purpose to be presently explained.
On a stud axle carried by a second bracket a¹ of the framing, is mounted a worm
wheel G, having a tappet pin gl, which moves in the path of the tappet g. Into
the teeth of the worm wheel G', gears a worm f³, keyed to the extended boss of
the mitre wheel fi. As, therefore, the shaft F is rotated, to actuate, through the
shaft E, the crank plates C, and revolve the stud pins which carry the hanks, the
worm will be rotated directly from the shaft F, or indirectly in the opposite
direction, through the mitre wheel e¹, and move round the worm wheel G, thereby
causing the pin to strike the tappet y, and tip the lever G, say, from the drawn

page_text: to the dotted position (see Fig. 6). This movement of the weighted lever will,
through the connecting rod f, shift the clutch f, and unlock from its shaft the
mitre wheel, which was the driver, and lock the opposite wheel f
A reverse motion will now be imparted, through the mitre wheel e¹, to the shaft E,
and consequently to the series of transverse shafts B carrying the crank plates C.
As these crank plates, severally carrying the hauks supported upon two pins D,
instead of, as before described, pendent from a rotating roller, the hanks will receive,
from the revolving crank pins, a travelling motion, and will be dragged, as before,
through the dye liquor, in a manner closely resembling the movement given to the
hanks by the hands of the operator. The traverse in the new direction will continue
until the pin g' comes round, and strikes the tappet g on its right hand side, when
the rock lever G will be returned to the drawn position of Fig. 6, thereby shifting
the clutch out of contact with the mitre wheel, and into contact with the
wheel, and again reversing the direction of rotation of the crank plates C.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The improved machinery above described with reference to the drawings, for
submitting hanks of silk and other yarn to the dye liquor, as and for the purpose
above set forth.
2. Submitting pendent hanks of silk and other yarn to the dye bath, by means of
supporting rollers or pins, to which a revolving or dipping motion is imparted, as
and for the purpose above set forth.
Dated this 16th day of Anil 1801
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.