Machine for Making Covered Catgut Strings and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application; 11th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 26th Jan., 1895
OOMPLETE SPECIFICATION:
Machine for Making Covered Catgut Strings and the like.
I, PAUL STARK, Manufacturer of Markneukirchen, Saxony, Germany, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of the present invention is to provide a machine by means of
which any number of catgut or other strings for musical instruments may be
simultaneously plated i.e. wound round with metallic wire.
And in order to render the present Specification more easily intelligible
reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which similar letters denote
similar parts, throughout the several views.
Fig. 1 being a front elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 a side elevation ;
Fig. 3 a plan;
Fig. 4 a side elevation of the wire guide;
Fig.
a front elevation of a machine having a modified wire guide, and Fig. 6
a side elevation of Fig. 5.
i
The catgut or other strings to be plated are stretched between two similarly
ehaped standards A and A of which A is stationary whilst A' is adjustable to
enable strings of various lengths to be plated. The arms or standards A A¹ are
bifurcated. and carry rolls mounted in the bifurcated parts. Said standards
are further curved as may be seen at Fig. 2, whilst the axles or pivots of the
rolls rare formed to hooks hat their inward ends, to which the ends of the
strings are attached. The rolls are driven by the grooved discs B B' mounted
on a telescopically arranged shaft Www said discs engaging the rolls arranged
along its periphery, and driving the same by friction, the amount of friction being
regulated by adjusting the position of the standard A A¹ by means of the
screws (Fig. 2) and (Fig. 3) and suitable slot in the foot of the standard or
any other suitable means. The machine is driven from the crank handle c,
connected to the shaft. W wow by suitable teeth gearing d and e, and the motion
of the wire feed or supply is effected by means of the chain wheels fand g.
The wire feed consists of the plate or disc i, on which the wire spools or reels /
are mounted, said reels being equal in number to the number of rolls ri.e. the
number of strings to be plated. The wire guide is rigidly connected to the plate
or disc by the arm m pivotally mounted on the rod u and moveable along the
Bаme. The arm m carries a downwardly turned half nut o (Fig. 4) having
interior screw threads to fit the screw thread of the screw spindle 9. mounted
horizontally on the base plate of the machine and rotated from the crank handle by
means of the chain wheels ƒ y and chain previously mentioned. The said half
nut o is pressed down on the screw spindle g by means of suitably arranged
spring p, so that when the spindle q is rotated the wire supply and guide, will be
propelled along the strings. The diameter of the chain wheels and with
regard to each other and to the crank gearing.de must be so arranged as to
move the wire feed along the string in proper proportion to the rate of rotation.
of the latter, so that the said string will be properly plated. When the strings
have been plated and the wire feed has arrived at the end of the spindle g, it is
only necessary to press the guide arm back against the pressure of the spring p
and run the whole feed plate guide arm and reels back to the beginning.
The standard Aas also the shaft bearing at this end of the machine are
mounted on a sliding plate o (Fig. 3) which may be actuated backwards and

page_text: forwards by means of a screw spindle (Fig. 2) mounted in the base plate of the
machine and provided with a crank handle u. The spindlet is shown in dotted
lines in Fig. 1 and in section in Fig. 2, but is covered by the shaft Www
in Fig. 3. This latter shaft carries as previously stated the friction driving
wheels B. B' and is telescopically constructed the parts W w being coupled by
means of a bolt which penetrates the hollow shaft part w and enters a
longitudinal groove in the part w¹.
The machine can also be employed for similar purposes, other than for plating
catgut strings.
A modified form of wire guide is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, instead of perforations
the guide is provided with tension screws y having pressure discs of some soft
elastic material such as leather or rubber by means of which the wire may be
champed more or less tightly in order to wind the same more or less tightly
round the string according to requirement.
The arrangement of the laterally sliding wire guide is also modified, a second
horizontal rod n being provided along which the hook or claw p of the spring pl
slides. In addition to this a string stay or holder arm Z having notches in which the
strings are supported is attached to the feed mechanism and moves therewith said
holder arm having a hook which slides in a grooved rail' being held against
the same by means of a spring u¹ acting on a rod suitably attached to said holder
arms Z, as may be clearly seen at Fig. 6 and needs no further explanation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained' the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :-
(1.) A machine for simultaneously plating several strings in which the said
strings are stretched parallel between adjustable hooks (4) which are caused to
rotate, whilst the feed supply having thread or wire guide (ik l m) is caused to
ve along the said strings substantially as described.
move
(2.) A modified form of thread or wire, guiding device having clamping screws
with soft elastic pressure surfaces, substantially as described with reference to
Figs. 5, and 6.
(3) In combination with the device covered by Claim 2 a string guide or
support Z, moveable with the wire feed, substantially as described.
Dated this 10th der of Databer 1801
CASTLE SMITH,
"Invention" Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.