Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOOLS OR REELS FOR HOLDING Cotton, SILK, AND OTHER THREADS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Robert Baker, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOOLS OR REELS FOR HOLDING Cotton,
SILK, AND OTHER THREADS."
Sealed the 7th April 1876, and dated the 14th October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Robert Baker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th October 1875.
I, FRANCIS ROBERT BAKER, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOOLS OR REELS FOR
HOLDING COTTON, SILK, AND OTHER THREADS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, first, in making spools or reels of a paper
barrel or tubular body and metallic ends, and connecting the metallic
ends to the paper barrel or body in the manner herein-after described.
I make the barrels or bodies from tubes of paper cut into lengths, and I

page_text: make the metallic ends and attach them to the paper barrel in the
following manner :-I cut out from thin sheet metal by means of cutting
tools worked in a press circular discs, the edges of the said dises being
serrated or made into fine teeth or undulations, the serrated edges or
undulations being produced at the same time that the discs are cut from
the sheet metal. I pierce the centre of the disc, and raise around the
said central piercing a short inner collar, the said inner collar giving
rigidity to the disc. By means of tools worked in a press the toothed
or serrated edge of the disc is bent or turned inwards so as to produce a
hollow flange, the inner edge of which is serrated. The metallic ends
thus made are ready to be connected to the paper barrel or body. In
connecting the metallic ends to the paper barrel or body the metallic
end is placed on the open end of the paper barrel, the end of the paper
barrel fitting closely in the flange part of the metallic end. A disc of
strong millboard is placed in the end of the paper barrel to serve as a
support for the teeth of the flanged metallic end. By means of press
tools the serrated edge of the flange of the metallic end is closed upon
the paper barrel.
The teeth of the serrated edgo of the flange arc
thereby made to enter or penetrate the material of the barrel and firmly
.hold the metallic end to the paper barrel. The closed serrated flanges
described of the metallic ends constitute the flanges of the finished
spool or reel, the depth of the said flanges being varied according to the
quantity of cotton, silk, or other threads the spool or reel is required to

page_text: In securing the paper end made as described to the paper barrel the
edge of the bearing or collar of the end is covered with glue, and the
said collar inserted in the end of the barrel and fixed by the said glue.
The paper ends of the spool or reel are in this way connected to the
paper barrel. The edges of the paper ends of the spool are coloured or
otherwise ornamented before being fixed to the barrel by being placed on
a mandril in a lathe, and painted and gilded, or otherwise coloured.
By my improvements great economy in the manufacture of spools or
reels is obtained, the reels are very strong, and the parts securely con-
nected together.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Robert Baker in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
ROBERT BAKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Francis Robert Baker, Her
special license that I, the said Francis Robert Baker, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis
Robert Baker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOOLS OR REELS for
HOLDING COTTON, SILK, AND OTHER THREADS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Francis Robert Baker, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be

page_text: performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis Robert Baker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists, first, in making spools or reels of a paper
barrel or tubular body and metallic ends, and connecting the metallic
ends to the paper barrel or body in the manner herein-after described.
I make the barrels or bodies from tubes of paper cut into lengths, and I
make the metallic ends and attach them to the paper barrel in the
following manner :-I cut out from thin sheet metal by means of cutting
tools worked in a press circular discs, the edges of the said discs being
serrated or made into fine teeth or undulations, the serrated edges or
undulations being produced at the same time that the discs are cut from
the sheet metal. I pierce the centre of the disc, and raise around the
said central piercing a short inner collar, the said inner collar giving
rigidity to the disc. By means of tools worked in a press the toothed
or serrated edge of the disc is bent or turned inwards so as to produce a
hollow flange, the inner edge of which is serrated. The metallic ends
thus made are ready to be connected to the paper barrel or body.
In connecting the metallic ends to the paper barrel or body the metallic
end is placed on the open end of the paper barrel, the end of the paper
barrel fitting closely in the flange part of the metallic end. A disc of
strong millboard is placed in the end of the paper barrel to serve as a
support to the teeth of the flanged metallic end. By means of press
tools the serrated edge of the flange of the metallic end is closed upon
the paper barrel. The teeth of the serrated edge of the flange are
thereby made to enter or penetrate the material of the barrel, and firmly
hold the metallic end to the paper barrel. The closed serrated flanges
described of the metallic ends constitute the flanges of the finished
spool or reel, the depth of the said flanges being varied according to the
quantity of cotton, silk, or other thread the spool or reel is required to
hold.
I do not limit myself to the method described of fixing the metallic
ends by serrated edges, as they may be fixed to the barrel by short
collars entering the barrel or by other connections.

page_text: My Invention consists, secondly, in making spools or reels composed
wholly or mainly of paper in the following way :-I make the barrel or
tubular body of the spool or reel from paper tubes cut into lengths, the
said paper tubes being either rolled or made from pulp, and I make
each end of the spool or reel from two discs of paper secured together
by rivets or otherwise; one of these discs is made of thick paper and
has a diameter equal to that of the interior of the paper barrel, and the
other disc is made of thinner paper and of the diameter of the end of
the finished spool or reel. The smaller and thicker disc of the com-
pound end forms a bearing or collar for supporting and fixing the barrel
to the end.
In securing the paper end made as described to the paper barrel, the
edge of the bearing or collar of the end is covered with glue, and the
said collar inserted in the end of the barrel and fixed by the said glue.
The paper ends of the spool or recl are in this way connected to the
paper barrel. The edges of the paper ends of the spool are coloured or
otherwise ornamented before being fixed to the barrel, by being placed
on a mandril in a lathe, and painted and gilded, or otherwise coloured.
By my improvements great economy in the manufacture of spools or
reels is obtained, the reels are very strong, and the parts securely
connected together.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying
Drawings the manner in which my Invention may be carried into
effect.
Figure 1 represents in elevation, and Figure 2 in longitudinal section
a spool or reel composed of a paper or wooden barrel or body, and
metallic ends made according to my Invention; Figure 3 represents a
partly made metallic end separately. a is the paper or wooden barrel;
and b, b, are the metallic ends composed of metallic discs having
serrated edges, as represented. A short inner collar c is made at the
centre of the pierced disc b to give rigidity to it; after the serrated disc
has been made into the cup form shown in Figure 3, its serrated edge is
bent or turned inwards so as to form a hollow flange b³; disks or rings d
of strong cardboard being placed in the ends of the barrel a for
supporting it, the metallic discs are placed on the ends of the barrel a,
and by means of press tools the serrated edges of the flanges 62 are
closed upon the barrel, so as to cause the teeth or undulations of the

page_text: said flanges b² to enter and pierce the barrel a, and thereby firmly fix
the metallic ends to the barrel, as illustrated in the section Figure 2.
Figure 4 represents in elevation, and Figure 5 in longitudinal section
a modification of the arrangement last described; and Figure 6 represents
one of the metallic ends separately. In this arrangement I make the
metallic ends e, e, of a dome shape, with inner serrated edges, the said
ends being fixed to the paper or wooden barrel a by flattening the faces
of the dome-shaped metallic ends, so as to cause their serrated ends to
enter and penetrate the paper or wooden barrel a, as represented, and
thereby to fix the said metallic ends to the barrel. The ends of tho
barrel a are supported when made of paper by the strong paper rings d, d,
and the hollow flanges of the dome-shaped metallic ends e, e, are
supported by the paper rings f, f, the outer edges of the metallic
ends c, c, being turned over the said supporting rings f,f. The reel is
finished by pasting discs or labels of paper 9, 9, over the outer faces of
the reel.
Figure 7 represents in elevation, and Figure 8 in section, a spool or
reel made wholly of paper according to my Invention. a is the paper
barrel, and h, i, the paper ends, each made of two discs secured together
by glue or otherwise. The disc i has a diameter proper to fit into the
interior of the paper barrel a, and the other disc has the diameter of
the end of the spool. The smaller disc i forms a bearing or collar for
supporting and fixing the end to the barrel. The compound end h, i,
is fixed to the barrel a by glue.
9
Figure represents in elevation, and Figure 10 in longitudinal section,
a large reel or winding bobbin constructed of a paper barrel, and of
paper ends made according to my Invention. In this arrangement I
fix the ends to the barrel by means of serrated metallic rings with
radial arms in combination with expanding ferrules or plugs. a is
the paper barrel, and k the rings or discs of paper forming the ends of
the reel or bobbin. The said ends k are fixed to the barrel a by the
metallic rings 1, 1, one of which is shown separately in Figure 11. The
edges of the flanges m of these rings are serrated, and the said rings are
furnished with radial arms or lips n, n. These rings having becu fixed
to the barrel a by closing their serrated flanges upon the said barrel the
radial arms or lips n are passed through slots in the paper ends k, k,
and the said arms or lips clinched or closed upon the outer faces of the

page_text: said ends, as seen in Figure 10. The paper ends k, k, are thereby
fastened to the barrel a. The slightly conical plugs or ferrules of
wood p, p, are next driven into the ends of the barrel a. By means of
these plugs or ferrules p, p, the ends of the barrel a are expanded in
the holes in the ends k, k, and the whole of the parts are bound firmly
together. One of the expanding plugs is represented in Figure 12.
The reel or bobbin is finished by pasting discs or paper labels at q, I,
over the front faces of the ends k, k.
The expanding plugs need not be used as illustrated in Figure 13,
which represents a small reel, in which the ends k, k, are fixed to the
barrel a by metallic rings having serrated edges and radial arms or
lips, as before described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. Or the
expanding plugs or ferrules may alone be used for fixing the ends to
the barrel, as represented in the throstle reel or bobbin, Figures 14
and 15, where the ends 1, 1, are fixed to the paper body a by expanding
the ends of the body a, in the holes in the rings of which the said ends
are made by means of the wooden plugs or ferrules s, s.
For lightness the ends », r, may be made of glue, sawdust, and plaster
of Paris, or paper pulp.
Figure 16 represents in clevation, and Figure 17 in section, another
recl constructed according to my Invention, in which the paper
ends t, t, are connected to the paper barrel or body a by spinning or
turning over the extreme ends a², a³, of the said barrel upon the outer
faces of the paper ends or flanges t, as seen in the section Figure 17.
After the parts a, t, have been thus connected together they are further
secured together by glue. The reel is then finished if required by
attaching metallic (or other) paper discs or labels u to the outer faces
of the ends, as represented.
Figure 18 represents in elevation, and Figure 19 in section, a silk or
cotton reel or bobbin, in which the ends are made of moulded paper,
dust, or pulp, the said ends being secured to the paper body by glue.
a is the paper body; and v, v, the paper ends. The said ends v, v, are
moulded of the configuration shown, and are fixed to the body a by
spinning or closing the said ends o² of the body a upon the said ends
v, v, as seen in the section. The said ends v, v, are further secured to
the paper body a by gluc. The ends v, v, may be made of paper dust
mixed with gluc, or of sawdust, glue, and plaster of Paris.

page_text: Figure 20 represents in elevation and Figure 21 in section a reel in
which the flanges are made in one piece with or solid to the paper
barrel or body, the said solid flanges being made by the turning process
called spinning. The paper barrel is marked a and the solid flanges b, b.
When the reel is to be placed upon a mandril for winding the silk or
thread upon it the ends of the barrel a are supported and strengthened
by the paper discs or ends c, as represented in Figure 22, the said ends c
being glued in the ends of the barrel. The reels, Figures 20, 21, and 22,
are finished by pasting the labels or paper coverings d to the ends of the
reels, the edges of the said labels or paper coverings being by preference
serrated; or instead of coverings of paper for finishing the edges of the
solid flanges b, rings of metal e, as represented in Figure 23, may be
used to finish the edges of the said solid flanges b, the said rings of
metal being spun upon or turned over the said flanges.
Figure 24 represents in side and end elevation, and Figure 25 in
section, a castle reel made according to my Invention. The body of the
said reel is made of a tube of paper a, and the flanges or ends are made
of rings or short tubes of wood marked f, f, to which the ends of the
paper body a are fixed by glue. The parts f, f², of the wooden flanges
or ends are made of different diameters externally, the part f con- ?
stituting the flange proper and the part f the support upon which the
end of the paper body a is supported, and to which it is glued. For the
purpose of increasing the hold of the end of the paper body a upon the
ring the shoulder between the two parts f, f, and the outside of
the part fare provided with ring-like grooves or depressions. The 2
flanges ff, may be strengthened by rings of metal; or paper rings
at the ends of the body a may be fixed by means of expanding plugs or
ferrules as represented in the castle reel, Figure 26, where the
paper rings are marked i, and the expanding ferrules or plugs are
marked 9, 9.
Figure 27 represents in elevation and Figure 28 in section a castle
reel made of a cylindrical paper body of the same diameter throughout,
the ends of the said paper body being strengthened and supported by
the wooden or metal plugs or ferrules k, k.
Figure 29 represents in elevation and Figure 30 in section a copt reel,
in which the flange is fixed to the paper body a by expanding the said

page_text: Where the reels made according to my Invention require to be
hardened I effect this by taking the soft paper or pulp reels and dipping
them in oil and afterwards stoving them. By this means great regidity
is obtained.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illus-
trated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention,—
The improvements in the manufacture of spools or reels for holding
cotton, silk, and other threads, herein-before described and illustrated
in Figures 1 to 6, both inclusive, of the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say, making the said spools or reels of a paper or wooden body or
barrel and metallic ends, and connecting the metallic ends to the paper
or wooden body or barrel, substantially as described and illustrated.
Also the several improvements herein-before described and illustrated
in Figures 7 to 30, both inclusive, of the accompanying Drawings in
making the ends and barrels of non-metallic spools or reels and con-
necting the said ends and barrels together, substantially as described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Robert Baker, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
FRANCIS ROBERT BAKER. (L.s.)