IMPROVEMENTS IN FINISHING THREAD AND YARNS AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Hugh Crawford and James
Crawford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 12th November 1866.
We, HUGH CRAWFORD and JAMES CRAWFORD, both of Barr Mill, Beith, in
the County of Ayr, North Britain, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FINISHING THREAD AND
YARNS AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as
follows, that is to say:-
This Invention has reference to improvements in that description of thread
finishing machines technically known as the "pinning machine
pinning machine" or "iron
man," more particularly used for stretching and glossing or polishing sewing
thread in hanks by twisting or "screwing" them in vertical rows upon and
between corresponding upper revolving and lower non-revolving hooks; also
applicable for producing the same finish when desired to other thread and.
yarn in hanks; and which improvements render such machines much more
efficient in their action and use than they have been as heretofore constructed.
And the essential or main feature of these improvements consists in putting on
an extra intermittent tensional strain or pressure upon the hanks after they
have received the complète double twist or curl (in addition to the extra
tension or weight which the hanks receive constantly while giving them both
the twisting and untwisting action of the second or polishing coil or curl) so
as to act forcibly and draw or elongate the twist or coil at that time, and also
while the upper hooks are in the act of being reversed and turned, so as to

page_text: .
uncoil the polishing screw or coil of the hanks, and vice versa, so as to release
this tensional strain upon the banks when and during the time the upper
hooks are reversing their motion and turning so as to retwist or coil the
polishing screw or coil upon the hanks; this intermittent drawing action has
an analagous effect in stretching and glossing or polishing the hanks of thread
in and by the machine, which has heretofore only been produced by the men in
hand pinuing. This extra intermittent tension is brought upon the hanks;
when hand power is employed, by a long powerful lever fulcrumed at its inner
end and depressed upon the centre of the long bar or weight carrying the row
of under hooks at a stud or rest for the purpose some distance from its
fulcrum through or by the attendant depressing the free end of the lever in
the manner and at the times herein-before described. When the tension is
effected automatically by the machine a weighted lever is by preference used
actuated by a cam, crank, or pall lever mechanical motion revolving or
oscillating upon the longitudinal shaft driving the upper row of hooks, or
upon a seperate shaft.geared to it for the purpose. This mechanical motion
(whichever is employed) is preferred to be thrown into gear by a clutch and
hand lever, so as to act only at the time the shaft actuating them oscillates
to and fro to twist and untwist the polishing coil or curl of the hank; the
cam being so constructed and "set" or arranged that it would raise, the
greater part of the pressure of the lever and weight off the bar of the lower.
hook while the cam and upper hooks are turning in the direction which
screwed up the glossing coil upon the hank, and so as to put on the pressure
upon the bar and hanks when the hooks and cam were turning in the opposite
direction. When the weighted lever was formed as a bell crank the vertical
cam could be moved direct by the cam, or when a horizontal lever was used
another lever could be employed over the cam and connected to the weighted
lever by à rod which lifts it off the bar currying the lower row of hooks.
When it is desired that the cam shall only produce the positive motion of
raising the weighted lever and allowing it to fall just before the cam begins to
reverse it can be made to push the end of the lever laterally on which it acts,
so as to be out of the way of the rising cam surface during the backward turn
of the cam, and when an oscillating pall lever was used to move the lever it
could be made to be loose when turning in one direction, and have no power
to act in the direction of pressing down the lever, but be always able to lift
off the weight when turning in the other direction, all. in both cases, so as to
put the pressure on the hanks. at the proper time, and in. the reciprocating
and intermittent manner herein-before described. This weighted lever
arrangement is by preference fitted at both sides of the machine close.up to

page_text: the side frames, so as to act on both ends of the bar carrying the lower hooks,
but one might be made to do in the centre as in the case of the hand lever
arrangement.
:
Other arrangements of mechanism may be employed, such as chains brought
down from the under side of the bar carrying the lower hooks and passed
round the under side of the pulleys and up to the ratchet wheel and rack, or
to a chain wheel worked by a spring ratchet coupling, which would only draw
down the lever when the shaft actuating the upper hooks was turning in the
right direction, so as to put on the extra tension as before described. In
place of the weighted lever for putting the extra intermittent pressure on the
bar carrying the lower hooks a powerful spring or springs may be employed
either acting on the levers or on the bars, or weights may be made to act.
direct on the bar or upon the individual lower hooks, or their seperate weights
when such are employed, actuated by a lever for each attached by a chain at
their free end, and all keyed on one common shaft made to oscillate by a cam,
or lever mechanism, or other equivalent, in the improved intermittent manner,
herein-before described, from the rocking motion of the long shaft driving the
upper row of hooks.
Another improvement consists in substituting for the lower hooks an
arrangement of pins such as are used by the men in "hand pinning," hinged
at their back ends upon a bar or frame moving vertically in guides at the
centre of the side frames, each connected at their front end (some distance
out in front of the part of the pins where the.hanks are placed on them just
below the row of upper hooks) by a chain or hinged rod or link to a lon-
gitudinal bar or weight, so as to be easily adjusted to suit the proper.
tightening of the hanks by a thumbscrew, wedge, cotter, or other mechanical
equivalent for the purpose. The bar to which the points of the transverse
levers or pins are so attached may either be made to slide vertically up and
down in guides in the two side frames along with the pins and the bar to
which they are fulcrumed by the twisting and untwisting of the hanks, are
made to oscillate on two levers placed close up to the two side frames, the
fulcrum bar comes up against a fixed stop in its two guides in the side frames
at the time when the hanks are at their shortest and the greatest twisting
and frictional glossing action is being imparted to them. The intermittent
weighted lever action, as herein-before described, is made to act upon the
front bar, connected to the points of the pins by links or rods, so as to draw
out or elongate the polishing. twist or curl of the hanks stretched between the
upper revolving hooks and lower lever pins at the movement of its greatest
twist or during the short untwisting of the polishing coil, all as herein-before

page_text: described, and these levers or lower pins may be made either of wood or iron,
and when made of the latter they are each by preference welded or otherwise
attached to a strong blade of steel tempered, forming their lever towards
their back end or fulcrum, so as to have a considerable amount of elasticity
or spring.