IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBINS USED IN LACE MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN JARDINE of Raleigh Street in the Town and County of the Town of
Nottingham Lace Machine Builder do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF BOBBINS USED IN LACE MACHINES to be as follows:-
According to my invention I am enabled to produce a superior article than has
hitherto been possible by the methods heretofore employed.
The nature of my invention will be better understood by first giving a description
of a bobbin, and the ordinary methods of making it.
In a Levers Lace Machine of a fine gauge, say 16 point and 144 inches wide a
double set of bobbins as usually supplied would number 10,000 and each bobbin
would be only about ono forty-eighth of an inch in thickness.
These bobbins are made of hard rolled brass in two pieces. A recess is turned on
one side of each piece to contain the material, usually silk or cotton; the two pieces'
are then drilled, countersunk for the heads of the rivets and rivetted together, so
that the thickness of the brass employed to make a bobbin of the gauge of 48 to
the inch, is only the ninety sixth part of an inch, the countersunk part, to hold the
head of the rivet is only half this thickness, as it is usual to countersink only half-
through the brass, so that part which must enclose the head of the rivet on each
side and upon which the strength of the bobbin in respect to rivetting the two
sides together depends, is only the one hundred and ninety second part of an inch.
As there are, according to the size of bobbin somewhere about thirty holes in
each, and to make a good bobbin the head of the rivet must be perfect on each side,
there are in a set of 10,000 bobbins 600,000 rivet heads to make as sound and as
good as they can be made in a countersink of only the 192nd part of an inch in
depth.
The ordinary method of making the bobbins is to pair the two sides so as to
insure an uniform thickness, then to drill the two sides held together by suitable
means, then after filing off the burrs made by the drilling, each hole is countersunk
separately on one side for the head of the rivet.
The holes are then pinned usually with brass or copper wire which is held by-
ordinary nippers and thrust tightly through each hole and nipped off with the
holding nippers repeating this operation until a piece of wire is passed through
each one of the holes the ends of the wire sticking out on each side,

page_text: The projecting ends of these wires are usually filed down until only sufficient is
left to be upset to form the rivet heads.
Sometimes instead of filing down they are nipped off with grooved nippers so as
to leave sufficient wire to form the rivet.
The next process is to tap down or upset the ends of each wire to form the head
of the rivet; that is done by a skilled workman with a small hammer and requires
much practice.
When the workman has in his opinion upset the wire sufficiently, be files off all
projecting picces of the wire level with the surface and leaves the finishing of the
heads and complete fastening of the bobbin together, to the next operation.
It is this last operation which proves whether the workman has properly tapped
down and filed off the ends of the wire.
This last operation consists in giving each bobbin three or four smart blows
between hardened steel flat surfaces in a powerful fly press.
If the workman has left too much material to form the heads the countersinks
will not hold it, and as this excess of material cannot penetrate the tempered faces
of the dies, it is forced between the sides of the bobbin and forms there a pillar
which prevents perfect union, and also thickens the bobbin; in this case, and it is
very common, the bobbin is worthless except for scrap.
If on the other hand he has not allowed sufficient to fill up the countersink the
rivet is little better than a bit of straight wire, and when the bobbin is filled with
silk or cotton tightly wound, it is forced open, the consequence is the projecting sides
cut down the warp threads through which the bobbins are passed by the action of
the Lace Machine.
This danger of forming pillars between the sides is so difficult to avoid that the
workman prefers to err on the safe side and does not leave quite enough to fill up
the countersink, and owing to that, it has become the custom of the trade to
consider a bobbin properly rivetted when it shows a little of the countersink all
round the edges of the rivet.
Therefore bobbins are never made as strong as they might be, if some system
could be devised which would in a simple manner so proportion the thickness of
each rivet to the space it has to fill that a scanty or too full a rivet would be
impossible.
This I effect according to my process of manufacture and make a much better
bobbin as regards rivetting with unskilled labour than the most careful and
experienced workman can produce by the ordinary method or by any method
hitherto employed.
I first form the two sides of the bobbin and I drill and countersink them in the
manner above described but according to my invention I complete their construction
in the following manner,
I roll the metal which may be brass copper iron or other metal to the exact
thickness required to form a rivet.
I then by means of an automatic or other press rapidly worked cut out of this
sheet a number of taper plugs or rivets.
I make these plugs or rivets taper for two reasons: first, that in process of
rivetting the thick part is drawn tightly into the hole, and
Second, the small ends enable me to fill the holes in the bobbins with ease and
expedition.
The rivets are made. of taper form by making the hole in the bed of the press
larger than the punch.
Suppose a bobbin is countersunk and ready for the rivets: I fill in the rivets in
the manner hereinafter described; they are then taken to the press where they
receive the usual number of blows and the operation is complete.
In order to facilitate the placing of the rivets in the holes, I make a disc of brass
or other metal carrying a square stud in the centre which exactly fits the square
hole in the bobbin."

page_text: This disc is pierced with holes corresponding to the holes in the bobbin but
slightly larger so as to allow the small ends of the rivets to pass freely into them.
A guide is placed over the bobbin containing V shaped teeth the spaces between
which lead into each hole.
A tray is provided made of thin sheet metal to contain the rivets this is mounted
securely on a suitable support and is elevated over a table sufficiently to allow the
disc containing the bobbins to be filled with rivets to pass beneath it.
The front edge of the tray is cut out in a half circle or thereabouts and is grooved
in radiating lines corresponding to the holes in the bobbin.
The bobbin to be filled is placed on the table and is passed under this tray in
such a manner that with a steel pointer the rivets can be quickly guided into the
holes and pressed down as each one drops in; the bobbin is then ready for rivetting
by the press and is finished in the usual way.
By my improved process of manufacture no filing off and no tapping down are
required; the outside of the bobbin is not defaced by filing and scarcely any skill
is required.
A full rivet can be made in every hole without danger, as for instance if I wish
to rivet some of the fine bobbins, say 48 to the inch alrealy referred to, I roll some
sheet metal of as near as I can the required thickness. I place one of these rivets
in one of the holes in the bobbin, and rivet it by means of the press. If I find that
the countersink would contain a little more rivet, I try a sheet a little thicker, and
as I can make a variation as small as the 4000th part of an inch by rolling, it is
evident that I can make rivets that will exactly fill the countersink with the
greatest, nicety and without any trained and practised skill.
Dated this 19th day of February 1884.

page_text: I JOHN JARDINE of Raleigh Street, in the Town and County of the Town of
Nottingham do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBINS
"
USED IN LACE MACHINES and in what manner the same is to be performed,*
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
According to my invention I am enabled to produce a superior article than has
hitherto been possible by the methods heretofore employed.
The nature of my Invention will be better understood by first giving a description
of a bobbin and the ordinary method of making it.
Figures 1 and 2 are a side and an edge view of one side of a bobbin and Figures 3.
and 4 are a side view and a cross section of parts of a complete bobbin drawn to an
enlarged scale.
In a Levers Lace Machine of a fine gauge say 16 point, and 144 inches wide a
double set of bobbins as usually supplied would number 10,000 and each bobbin
would be only about one forty eighth of an inch in thickness.
These bobbins are made of hard rolled brass in two pieces a. A recess a¹ is
turned on one side of each piece to contain the material usually silk or cotton; the
two pieces a are then drilled, countersunk for the heads of the rivets and rivetted
together, so that the thickness of the brass employed to make a bobbin of the gauge
of 48 to the inch-is only the ninety sixth part of an inch, the countersunk part a²
to hold the heads of the rivet, is only half this thickness, as it is usual to countersink
only half through the brass. So that part which must enclose the head of the rivet
on each side and upon which the strength of the bobbin in respect to rivetting the
two sides together depends is only the one hundred and ninety second part of
an inch.
As there are according to the size of bobbin somewhere about thirty holes in
each and to make a good bobbin, the head of the rivet must be perfect on each
side there are in a set of 10,000 bobbins, 600,000 rivet heads to make as sound
and as good as they can be made in a countersink of only the 192nd part of an inch
in depth.
The ordinary method of making the bobbins is to pair the two sides a so as to
insure an uniform thickness; then to drill the two sides held together by suitable
means, then after filing off the burrs made by the drilling, each hole is countersunk
separately on one side for the head of the rivet.
The holes are then pinned, usually with brass or copper wire, which is held by.
ordinary nippers and thrust tightly through each hole and nipped off with the
holding nippers, repeating this operation until a piece of wire is passed through each
one of the holes, the ends of the wire sticking out on each side.
The projecting ends of these wires are usually filed down until only sufficient is
left to be upset to form the rivet heads.
Sometimes instead of filing down they are nipped off with grooved nippers so as
to leave sufficient wire to form the rivet.
The next process is to tap down or upset the ends of each wire to form the head
of the rivet b this is done by a skilled workman with a small hammer and requires
much practice.
When the workınan has in his opinion upset the wire sufficiently, he files off all
projecting pieces of the wire level with the surface, and leaves the finishing of the
heads and complete fastening of the bobbin together, to the next operation.

page_text: It is this last operation which proves whether the workman has properly tapped
down and filed off the ends of the wire.
This last operation consists in giving each bobbin three or four smart blows
between hardened steel flat surfaces, in a powerful fly press.
If the workman has left too much material to form the head, the countersinks
will not hold it, and as this excess of material cannot penetrate the tempered faces
of the dies, it is forced between the sides a of the bobbin and forms there a pillar
which prevents perfect union, and also thickens the bobbin; in this case, and it is
very common, the bobbin is worthless except for scrap.
If on the other hand, he has not allowed sufficient to fill up the countersink, the
rivet b is little better than a bit of straight wire, and when the bobbin is filled with
silk or cotton tightly wound it is forced open the consequence is, the projecting
sides cut down the warp threads, through which the bobbins are passed by the
action of the lace machine.
This danger of forming pillars between the sides is so difficult to avoid, that the
workman prefers to err on the safe side, and does not leave quite enough to fill up
the countersink, and owing to this, it has become the custom of the trade to consider
a bobbin properly rivetted when it shows a little of the countersink all round the
edges of the rivet.
Therefore bobbins are never made as strong as they might be if some system.
could be devised which would in a simple manner so proportion the thickness of
cach rivet to the space it has to fill, that a scanty, or too full a rivet would be
impossible.
This I effect according to my process of manufacture and I make a much better
bobbin as regards rivetting, with unskilled labour, than the most careful and
experienced workman can produce by the ordinary method, or by any method
hitherto employed.
I first form the two sides a of the bobbin and I drill and countersink them in
the manner above described, but according to my invention, I complete their
construction in the following manner:
I roll sheet metal which may be brass, copper iron or other metal to the exact
thickness required to form a rivet b.
I then by means of an automatic or other press rapidly worked, cut out of this
sheet a number of taper plugs or rivets, one of which is shown at Figure 5.
I make these plugs or rivets taper for two reasons, first, that in process of
rivetting, the thick part is drawn tightly into the hole and second-the small end
enables me to fill the holes in the bobbins with ease and expedition.
The rivets are made of taper form by making the hole in the bed of the press
larger than the punch.
Suppose a bobbin is countersunk and ready for the rivets. I fill in the rivets in
the manner hereinafter described, they are then taken to the press where they
receive the usual number of blows and the operation is complete.
In order to facilitate the placing of the rivets in the holes, I make as shown at
Figures 6 and 7 a disc c of brass or other metal carrying a square stud d in the
centre which exactly fits the square hole as in the bobbin.
This disc c is pierced with the holes c¹ corresponding to the holes in the bobbin
but slightly larger so as to allow the small ends of the rivets Figure 5 to pass freely
into them.
Guides e Figures 8, 9 and f Figures 10 and 11 are placed over the bobbin, such
guides contain V shaped teeth e¹, f¹ the spaces between which lead into each hole
of the bobbin, the guide f being used for the outer ring of holes and the guide e for
the four central holes. A tray g shewn at Figures 12, 13, 14 15 and 16 and in
enlarged view at Figure 17 is provided, made of thin sheet metal to contain the
rivets b this is mounted securely on a suitable support gland is elevated over a
table h sufficiently to allow the disc c containing the bobbins to be filled with
rivets b, to pass beneath it.

page_text: The front edge of the tray g is cut out in a half circle or thereabouts and is
grooved in radiating lines g² corresponding to the holes in the bobbin.
The bobbin to be filled (being on the disc c) is placed on the table h and is passed
under this tray g in such a manner that with a steel pointer the rivets b can be
quickly guided into the holes and pressed down as each one drops in-the bobbin
is then ready for rivetting by the press and is finished in the usual way.
By my improved process of manufacture, no filing off, and no tapping down are
required the outside of the bobbin is not defaced by filing and scarcely any skill is
required.
A full rivet can be made in every hole without danger, as for instance, If I wish
to rivet some of the fine bobbins say 48 to the inch already referred to; I roll some
sheet metal of as near as I can the required thickness.
I place one of these rivets in one of the holes in the bobbin, and rivet it by means
of the press. If I find that the countersink would contain a little more rivet, I try
a sheet a little thicker and as I can make a variation as small as the 4000th part of
an inch by rolling it is evident that I can make rivets that will exactly fill the
countersink with the greatest nicety and without any trained and practised skill.
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:
First The employment in the manufacture of bobbins used in lace machines of
taper rivets punched out of sheet metal made to the required thickness by cold
rolling and carefully gauged so as to produce rivets of the exact length required
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
Second: The process and apparatus for facilitating the filling of the rivet holes
of the bobbins with taper rivets substantially as berein shown and described.
Third: The employment of disc c guides e, f and grooved tray g substantially as
herein shown and described and for the purpose stated: and
Fourth: The improved process of manufacture of bobbins for lace machines in
which the two sides of the bobbin are rivetted together by means of taper rivets
formed, inserted and rivetted substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 14th day of November 1884.