Year: 1886

page_text: LEON CAMEL of Lyons in the Republic of France do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to throw the end of a filament of silk from a new
cocoon onto those filaments which are being wound, when any one of the cocoons
becomes exhausted, or its filament detached from the rest, in order to maintain the
thread of raw silk at the desired size or thickness.
In order to throw or attach a new filament to the thread of raw silk, the throwster
takes from the cocoon the free slime end, and, breaking off a portion, retains the true
end of the filament upon her finger. This end is, at the required moment, thrown
upon the ascending thread of raw silk, where the filament of the exhausted cocoon
ends.
Hitherto, the attaching of a new filament of silk by hand to the thread being thrown,
has required the greatest delicacy of touch and quickness of hand, in order to
avoid breakage of the united cluster of filaments, and even under the best conditions,
the length of the projecting end thrown upon the moving thread is uncertain and
variable, producing upon the thread of raw silk enlargements, caused by the curls or
spirals of the newly attached filament, and giving to the thread a woolly appearance,
which greatly impairs the quality. Means for attaching the ends have been employed,
such as bell glasses or cones, provided with a cutter or breaker to separate the end,
but by these means, the ends were never cut off or broken short enough, and the
thread was left with projecting curls or down. In some cases, friction was employed
to smooth down the projections, but such friction tends to fray the other parts of, and
generally weaken the thread. Now, the requirements of an efficient throwing
apparatus are; 1st. to obtain as short an end attachment, and as close adhesion, as
possible; 2nd, to fix closely the broken ends, and to avoid the attachment of the
refuse.-3rd, the avoidance of any kind of friction surfaces touching the raw silk
thread, such surfaces being liable to fray, break, or disturb the joining, should an
accident, such as the drawing up of a chrysalis, or the stoppage of the reel, at any
time occur.

page_text: In carrying out my invention, and with a view to provide for the above mentioned
requirements, and to avoid the inconveniences referred to, I employ an end throwing
apparatus, which consists of a short metal tube, to which is firmly attached, near its
upper end, a pulley. This tube I mount in a forked bracket bearing, and com-
municate rotary motion thereto by a cord from any prime mover, applying the
driving cord so as to hold the tube to the bearing. To the lower end of this tube,
I fit a notched disc, which is capable of being slidden up and down, to adjust its
position with respect to the lower end of the tube.-Inside, and concentric with the
rotating tube, I mount a pendent fixed tube, carried by an adjustable collar screwed
on to the top of the forked bracket. This tube carries agate guide eyes at both
ends.
In using this apparatus, the filaments from the cocoons are led up through the agate
eyes to the reel on which the silk thread is to be wound.-On the exhaustion of a
cocoon, the operator takes the end of a new filament from. a fresh cocoon on the end
of her finger, and approaches it towards the rotating tube above the notched disc.
The filament will fall into one of the notches, and will be wound around the lower
part of the tube once or twice, until the weight of the cocoons causes the filament to
fall off onto the rising raw silk thread, around which it will be coiled once or twice,
due to the rotation of the tube, and previous to the slime end of the filament being
cut off. The end of the rotating tube and the end of the fixed tube form a rotary
cutter, and will separate the filament always at the same point, that is, the length of
the radius of the rotating tube..
By this apparatus, a shortening of the new filament is effected by the separation of
the slime end, which is left adhering to the tube, and the freed end, as cut by rotating
cutter, falls on to the cluster of united filaments or thread, and is drawn up with the
thread. The end of the filament, under the influence of the rotary motion of the
tube, is caused to take one or two turns round the cluster or thread, and the filament
coming from the cocoon overlies and binds this end so as to produce what may be
termed a tie, which will vary only with the speed of rotation of the tube.-The
application of the new filament will be effected without communicating vibration to
the thread, and without any danger of breaking the thread, which is thus thrown in
a most perfect and uniform manner.

page_text: I LÉON CAMEL of Lyons in the Republic of France, Manufacturer, 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 :—
Of all the operations relating to silk winding, the most delicate is, without doubt,
that of throwing the end of a filament of silk from a new cocoon onto the filament
which is being wound, so as to maintain the thread of raw silk at
thickness.
uniform
For this purpose, the throwster takes the free end of a cocoon, shortens it by
breaking off a part in such a way as to leave, upon the index finger of her right hand,
the end for throwing; then, by a delicate movement of the hand and finger, she flings
the end of the filament upon the travelling thread of filaments, which, by its ascending
movement, draws in the new filament, thereby emptying the fresh cocoon, and con-
tributing to form the thread of raw silk.
It will be seen from the above that great dexterity and ability are necessary to
enable an operative to throw an end and to throw it well; she must break it in such
a way as to keep, upon her finger, a very short end of the "slime;" for if it is long,
it will double up, more or less, in curls upon the thread, producing a down, which is a
serious defect; if, on the contrary, the end is too short, it is difficult to throw it so as
to make it cling, or «
take," as it is termed technically and consequently a loss of
critical moments occurs as the thread continues to rapidly travel upwards.
In addition to this the operative who lacks the ability to throw the end of the
filament will soon see the thread become too fine, and break, which necessitates a long
and tedious work to rectify; from this it results that an unskilful work woman draws
less silk, and of inferior quality, and wastes valuable material.
It will be seen from the above, that in winding cocoons, success depends essentially
on the ability of the operative, and that therefore apprenticeships are very long and
costly.
The advantage of having a mechanical end throwing apparatus, always perfect, and
permitting an apprentice to spin always as well as, or even better than the most
experienced operative, will be readily understood.
This problem has occupied the minds of many inventors, but up to the present it is
believed no one has found a good solution.
The greater part of the silk throwing machines hitherto devised have been composed
of a bell, a cone, or of a revolving disc of which the axis is traversed by the rising
thread, and of an obstacle, cutting or otherwise, intended to cut or break the part of
the end which should not be projected upon the thread.
One peculiarity of the machines hitherto proposed has been, that the inventors, in
view of the impossibility of throwing sufficiently short, and thus avoiding the formation
of down or snarls, have sought to remedy the defects of their apparatus by putting
friction on the thread at the entrance and the exit of the thrown end, thus fraying and

page_text: weakening the thread. Finally, all these apparatus are of defective construction,
and are difficult to lubricate and to maintain; they cannot turn with regularity, and
thus the ends which are not shortened are dragged in upon the thread; in a word,
there are a multiplicity of causes and reasons for the throwing being badly done, and
it is not surprising that no such apparatus has ever been largely employed.
After having experimented with divers methods of mechanical throwing, I have
succeeded in constructing a machine having the following advantages:-
1st. Of enabling me to throw upon the upward travelling thread, the end of the
filament always very short (three millimeters at most), and of obtaining a perfect
adhesion of the end to the thread.
2nd. Of retaining and securing the débris caused by the shortening of the filament,
so that in no case can this débris be dragged in upon the thread of raw silk, where it
would produce down, lumps &c.
3rd. Of putting no friction of any kind upon the raw thread, by isolating it from
all rotating surfaces, and causing it to pass only through agates and fixed glass eyelets,
thus avoiding friction, which would cause roughness, fray the silk, and break tho
joints, or the filament, when a cocoon or a chrysalis was suddenly drawn up to a
rotating agate, or when the reel was stopped for any purpose, the throwing apparatus
continuing to rotate.
4th. Of providing a simple and inexpensive apparatus, easy of management, rotating
regularly, simple to lubricate, and finally, easy to dismount for the purpose of being
cleaned when necessary.
In a word, I desire that my apparatus shall throw better than the most adroit
spinner, and that, being capable of being served by the most inexperienced hand it
will admit of spinning at once in a country which has no acquaintance with the art of
spinning from the cocoon.
Such being the conditions which should be fulfilled by a good end thrower, which
conditions I claim are fulfilled in the apparatus which forms the subject of the present
invention, I will now proceed to describe the apparatus.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal vertical section of the apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the same.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the disc or lens L; and,
Fig. 4 is a plan of the collar C and set screw V.
The bracket S is fixed over the basin in the place ordinarily occupied by the usual
agate carrier. This bracket is formed with two forks placed one above the other;
between the prongs of these forks is mounted, so as to rotate freely, a metal tube,
upon which is fixed a pulley P and a disc or lens L.
The pulley P is placed between the two forks of the bracket S, whilst the tube is
supported between the four prongs of the fork.
The disc or lens L is formed with one or more notches. It must be placed a certain
distance from the lower edge of the tube, and must leave a certain length of tube clear
between it and the lower fork of the bracket S. It is the lower part R of the tube
which I call "the shortener," or "shortener tube."
The pulley P, and consequently the metal tube and disc L, receives rotary motion
from a cord M. N. T is a central tube which is fixed to the bracket S by means of a
collar C, forming part of, and carried by a sliding plate, and held in position by a set
screw V. The tube T must be kept completely isolated from the rotating tube, which
it lines from top to bottom, each extremity of the central tube T being fitted with an
agate pierced with a small hole.
The tube T should be capable of being lifted out and replaced readily without
touching the inner walls of the rotating tube. To facilitate the cleaning, the placing
and replacing of the agate, it is made in two or three pieces. I would remark that
this tube is not a hollow axle, and fulfils none of the functions of an axle, and
that it can be withdrawn and replaced whilst the machine is running without any
modification.
That which proves incontestably the special rôle played by the fixed tube in the

page_text: interior of the rotating tube, is, that if this tube is suppressed, there will remain an
apparatus which will throw the filaments from the cocoon equally well with other
apparatus of the kind, or even better than any other, owing to the position of the
disc L, which will ensure the débris remaining on the rotating tube, but this thrower
is beyond comparison less perfect than that obtained by the addition of the centr
tube, and the numerous advantages that it effects are easy to establish.
It will be seen that the cord M N alone retains the rotating tube against the bearings
formed by the two forks, so that it will turn easily with the least drop of oil or of
water as a lubricant.
The effort of the cord M N to turn the parts P and L with the tube which connects
them at 1000, 1200, or 1500 revolutions per minute, or more, if required, is therefore
practically nil. A good guard formed by a small bar placed underneath, and across
the prongs of the lower fork, will be found useful to prevent any of the débris of silk
coming from the fingers of the operator, being drawn into the bearings.
I will now proceed to describe the operation of the apparatus, and the principles
upon which it rests.
The thread of silk is being formed by the combination of a certain number of cocoon
filaments which are passed through the tube T, and then conducted in a proper manner
to the reel. To add a fresh cocoon to the number of cocoons being stripped, it will be
sufficient to bring the free end from the fresh cocoon to the disc L by simply passing
the finger which holds the filament near that portion of the tube which is exposed
between the disc L and the lower fork. The disc L, rotating with great velocity,
strikes this loose end, at an intermediate point of its length between the finger of the
operator and the cocoon from which it comes, doubles it in two parts, and this action
tends to bring both into a horizontal position, so that the first part winds and fixes
itself on the tube above the disc, whilst the second winds itself on the portion of the
tube below the disc; there it becomes fixed in spirals, since the cocoon exerts, by its
weight, a certain continued effort upon the end to which it is held, so that after
having made two or three turns upon the lower portion of the tube, the filament steps
over the end of the tube, and is projected upon the ascending thread, close to the agate
of the central tube, in the same manner as if it had been thrown upon the "shortening"
tube by the disc L, that is to say, nearly horizontally, if the speed of rotation is great.
Naturally, this end is wound around the ascending thread, but as this thread has an
ascending movement, the spirals form below the first point of contact, whilst this short
length of filament, held on one side by the asperities of the edge of the rotating tube,
and on the other, by the rising thread upon which it is coiled, is stretched between
these two points of attachment, and finally bears upon the entering agate, but at this
moment, the edge of the rotating tube, forming with the edge of the fixed tube a sort
of circular cutter, the rupture of the silk filament ensues necessarily, the filament being
broken or cut at a distance from the thread equal to the radius of the central tube.
de
This is the first action of the central tube, combined with the rotating tube, to break
the thrown filament, already shortened by the "shortener," at a fixed point. By
continuing to follow the action of the mechanical thrower, it will be seen that another
important part is played by the fixed tube.
The short broken end is drawn in by the thread upon which it has been wound two
or three times, making a perfect junction therewith in passing through the pierced
agate, whilst the débris or waste silk remains upon the disc L, or the rotating tube of
the apparatus, upon which it has been first wound. Finally, the portion of the fila-
ment coming from the fresh cocoon overlaps the coils formed by the broken short
end, so as to produce, upon the raw silk thread, a kind of tic. This tio: (see Fig. 5)
is very remarkable in the precision with which it is formed; it is always the same in
respect to the speed of rotation of the apparatus and to the travel of the silk thread.
If this relation changes, the coils of the tie lengthen or shorten, and the number
and length of the helices may be calculated by these relative speeds.buna
The thread of raw silk finds a resting point on the edge of the hole in the agate;
this resting point enables the thread to resist easily the shock or strain produced by
the throwing, as well as the winding, of the filament upon the raw silk thread; there

page_text: is therefore never any inconvenience caused by the breaking of the thread, however
fine that thread may be.
There is here another important result obtained by the use of the fixed central
tube. The part of the broken end of the filament, and that which should unite with
the thread, is applied perfectly to the raw silk thread without shock, and without
leaving any trace of down, ragged ends, or other defects which are found in hand
thrown thread.
These absolutely new results are obtained by the action of the "shortener" tube,
and fixed central tube; added to this, the mechanical throwing never misses, is very
rapid, and much more prompt than hand throwing.
The characteristic points of this new end thrower are to be found :-
upon
;
1st. In the position of the disc L in respect to the lower edge of the tube
which it is fixed, this position being determined by the speed of rotation of the
apparatus; the greater this speed, the more the drawn filament tends to double near
the disc, then the shorter may be the portion of tube below the disc, and vice versa.
It is essential that the drawn-in filament should not escape this portion of the tube
on the contrary, that the end should come in contact with tube, and fix itself there
by making several turns round the tube, that is to say, that with an exterior tube of
6 or 7 millimeters in diameter, a disc of from 20 to 25 millimeters, and a velocity of
1200 revolutions per minute, the end will be forcibly thrown upon the lower part of
the tube; that this end of the filament should have a length of about 4 to 5 milli-
incters only; that it will attach itself to the tube by 2 or 3 turns; that it will be
thrown nearly horizontally near to the orifice of the agate; and that it will be broken
in this short space by the action of the two tubes, the end of the rotating tube
shearing it off on the edge of the fixed tube; and that the broken end of the
filament, perfectly tied to the ascending thread, will not be longer than from 2 to 3
millimeters.
66
It will be understood from the above, that the position of the disc L upon the tube,
or in other words, that that portion of the tube under the disc which I have called the
shortener," should be calculated according to the speed of rotation, the diameter of
the disc, and of that of the rotating tube; and that my apparatus, constructed in
accordance with well known and established physical laws, will act with mathematical
precision. The end of the cocoon filament delivered to the apparatus without any
particular precaution, and without special preparation, is seized by it, so to speak, and
is shortened by it, by breaking off the extremity at a precise calculated point, always
the same.
The apparatus will preserve carefully the waste, which will not be dragged in upon
the silk thread, and it will feed this thread without loss of time, and without the least
hesitation or possibility of failure, joining to it perfectly the filament of the new
cocoon. This end of the filament is very short, shorter than the most expert spinner
could hold, and it will be absolutely certain that it will never be longer than from 2
to 3 millimeters, if the construction of the apparatus, and its speed of rotation, have
been calculated to produce this precise result.
2nd. In the central fixed and isolating tube T, itself isolated from the exterior
rotating tube, but forming with it a kind of shears, ensuring the breaking of the fila-
ment at a fixed and determinate point, and presenting all the advantages above
described for obtaining a perfect throwing, free from all down or other imperfection,
this central fixed tube also preventing all friction, and therefore all roughness on the
silk thread.
Besides this, the central tube, being isolated from all rotary movement, admits of
the stoppage of the reel, and consequent upward travel of the thread, for the purpose
of tying or other reason, without incurring the danger of buckling or
thread when starting afresh; it serves, by means of the lower agate, as a point of
breaking the
rest to the thread, to enable it to support the shock of the throw, the strain due to
the coiling, and the rupture of the filament end; and, finally, it prevents the
accidents produced by a cocoon flying up and striking against a rotating agate.
3rd. In mounting the exterior tubo in the forked bearings, so that it rotates with a

page_text: minimum of friction, that it can be easily and rapidly dismounted, and as easily
remounted after cleaning the inner and outer tubes.
I would remark that without modifying in any way the principles upon which my
invention is based, I may vary the form of the disc L, making it spherical, egg or top
shaped, grooved or not, or I may cover it with cloth, or furnish it with bristles, or
any other material suitable to seize the ends of the cocoon filaments.
The exterior tube may be armed with points, or may be roughened for the purpose
of retaining the waste wound around, and accumulated upon it, and its edge may be
more or less roughened, toothed, or notched, to prevent the filament slipping upon it
at the moment of rupture.
The apparatus may also have an intermittent motion imparted to it, by hanging or
attaching it near to the cord or driving band, and actuating it, when desired, even at
the moment only of throwing, by pressing slightly upon the apparatus in the act of
bringing up the end of the filament, so as put the pulley P in contact with the
friction band, for the very short time necessary for the throwing and the "taking" of
the filament. It may also be arranged singly, in pairs, or in groups of three or more
upon a separate stand, which can be moved so as to leave the basin clear during the
cooking and beating operations, when these operations are performed by the spinner
herself. Besides this, the apparatus may act perfectly without being placed over the
basin; it may be placed outside, and can be inclined in any direction with respect to
the vertical.
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. Mounting a disc L upon a rotating tube in such a manner as to provide, below
the disc, a certain portion of the said tube to form the "shortener," the length of
which is determined by the speed of rotation and the respective diameters of the disc
and tube.
2nd. The combination of a central fixed tube and a rotating tube for the purpose
of shearing off the end of the filament as above described.
3rd. Mounting the rotating tube in forked bearings substantially as described, and
for the purposes set forth.
4th. The improved end throwing apparatus constructed, arranged, and operating
substantially substantially as above described.
Dated this 20th day of April 1887.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.