IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas M'Grah, of 42, Church Street, Sheffield,
in the County of York, Sewing Machine Maker, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES.”
Sealed the 3rd March 1876, and dated the 28th September 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas M'Grah at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th September 1875.
I, THOMAS McGRAH, of 42, Ohurch Street, Sheffield, in the County of
York, Sewing Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows :-
My improvements consist of an improved method of winding cotton
or thread upon the shuttle spools of sewing machines, for which purpose
I attach in an ordinary manner to the machine a winder to be operated
by friction of the balance wheel of the machine or other means. Behind
the spool holder I fix a small swinging arm or oscillating lever; through
a hole arranged in the back part of this arm I pass one end of the thread

page_text: intended to be wound upon the spool, passing it along the arm to the
outward extremity, and fastening the end upon the spool. The spool is
revolved by operating the machine. The thread being drawn and wound
upon the spool in successive layers, the arm is drawn from end to end of
the spool by the action of the thread. One end of the spool is secured in 1
the winder by a bearing working in a slot or upon a pin or swivel joint.
One end of a latch and spring is arranged to hold the bearing in its
place, the other end of the latch being so arranged that when the spool
is sufficiently full the latch is forced by the full spool out of position,
liberating the spool and stopping the operation of winding.
s thin Twention is to enable a person to wind the spools.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 1
filed by the said Thomas McGrah in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th March 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
McGRAH, of 42, Church Street, Sheffield, in the County of York, Sewing
Machine Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of September, 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 Thomas M'Grah, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas McGrab, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas McGrah, 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 SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas McGrah, my executors or administrators, by an

page_text: 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 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
Datent

page_text: increases in thickness upon the recl it forces back the latch, and when
the reel is sufficiently full releases the bearing altogether, and so stops
the operation of winding.
The second part of my Invention relates to the simplifying of the
threading of shuttles. For this purpose I use a bar for the thread to run ♬
upon, one end of which is secured at one end of the inner side of the
shuttle, the other end extending to near the point of the shuttle, where
a small hollow is formed in the side of the shuttle, so as to leave the
end of the bar free to slip the thread under or round on the opposite
inner side of the shuttle. I fasten one end of a flat bar with a pin or 1
screw at the other end of the shuttle; a knotch is formed for the other
end of the flat bar to fit in. Several knotches are made in the upper and
lower side of this bar, so that by wrapping the thread round the bar the
thread is slipped into the knotches so as to give the required tension, "one
aperture only in the side of the shuttle being necessary to bring the end 1
of the thread to the outer side of the shuttle.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I now proceed
more particularly to describe the manner of performing or carrying the
same into effect with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Figure No. 1 is a Drawing showing the winder B, B, B, in full 2
operation as arranged and attached upon the band guard A, A, of a
Singer machine by the screw a.
To commence to wind I draw the thread from the spool K through
the knotch O, passing it under the tension spring P, thence through the
knotch Q at the end of the swinging arm J; I then place the end of the 2
thread across the hole in the centre of the buffer D, D, D; I then place
the end of the recl L into the hole of the buffer; I then bring forward
the reel bearer E, which presses tho buffor D, D, D, up against the edge
of the driving wheel of the machine C; I then draw the latch G forward
into its position, which secures the bearing E in its position, and at the 3
same time holds firmly the end of the thread between the buffer and the
reel end.
To operate the winder I draw forward the wheel C, which bears
against the india-rubber ring F, F, which is fastened in a groove of the
periphery of the buffer D, D, D, which causes the buffer and reel to
revolve, carrying with it the thread, which is drawn and wound upon

page_text: the reel L; each successive lap of the thread gradually moves the
swinging arm J from end to end of the reel; at each successive lap of
the thread the latch G is pressed backward away from the reel bearing E,
whereon the spring d forces the buffer D, D, D, from the driving wheel O,
and stops the operation of winding, as shewn in Figure 3. H, H, are
the pins or screws upon which latch G and bearing E work.
;
Figure No. 2 is a base plan of the winder, shewing the reel. L nearly
full, and pressing back the latch G, G, as described above.
Figure No. 3 shews the arrangement of winder upon a Howe machine
with the bearing E and latch G thrown back, as it appears when not in
use. The winder is operated by a band, as shewn by the letters N, N.
Figure No. 4 shews'a side view of the winder.
'
Figure No. 5 is a drawing of a shuttle A, A, shewing the arrange-
ment of threading. The thread E is drawn from the reel in the shuttle,
and slipped under the end of the bar B by means of the knotch F, as
shown in Figure No. 6; it is then wrapped round the bar O, as shewn in
Figure 7, the thread slipping into the knotches, as shewn upon the bar O,
so as to get the required tension; the end of the thread is then passed
through the aperture G, as shewn in Figure 7, which brings it into the
position as shown in Figure No. 5.
Having thus particularly described the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner of performing or carrying the same into effect, I desire
it to be understood that I do not bind myself to the precise details
herein described, as variations may be made from time to time without
departing from the true nature of the Invention, and that what I con-
sider to be new and original, and what I claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
Firstly. The winding of the thread or cotton upon the shuttle reels or
spools of sewing machines by means of a swinging arm in combination
with a spring or tension upon it, as hercin set forth and described, or any
modification of the same.
Secondly. The method of forcing the latch out of position by means
of the successive laps of the cotton or thread upon the shuttle reel, as
described; also the latch and reel bearing arrangement, for the purpose
herein described, or any modification of the same.

page_text: Thirdly. The arrangement of the two bars in the shuttles of sewing
machines to facilitate the threading thereof, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas McGrah, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
THOMAS MºGRAH. (L.S.)