A Novel or Improved Machine for Serving the Standing Rigging of Ships with Spun Yarn.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th July, 1894
Con plete Specification Left, 6th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 6th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Novel or Improved Machine for Serving the Standing Rigging of
Ships with Spun Yarn.
I, CHARLES SEARLE, of 13, Roseberry Crescent, Thornaby-on-Tees, in the
County of York, Foreman Rigger, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a machine designed for carrying out the operation known
as serving the standing rigging of ships with spun yarn.
The standing rigging of ships consists mainly of ropes of steel wire sheathed in
a wrapping of canvas wound round the bare rope as an inner lining round which
the spun yarn is wound in coils as closely pitched as possible.
This operation has hitherto been carried out by hand power with the aid of an
apparatus for feeding the spun yarn into the coils, but without applying either
tension or compression to obtain the tight, even and close coiling effected by means
of my invention, the essential features of which consist as follows:-A combined
flange plate and bevel pinion is mounted on the end of a tube or hollow shaft which
loosely fits the standing rigging including the sheath of canvas and spun yarn.
This combined flange plate and bevel pinion is free to revolve round the hollow
shaft as an axis, and is made to revolve by means of a bevel wheel mounted on a
shaft secured to the hollow shaft in the crosswise position so that by turning a
crank attached to the bevel wheel, the bevel pinion is caused to revolve, carrying
round with it the flange or face plate. But in order to apply both tension and
compression to the coils of spun yarn and thereby attain close, well strained and
even coils, I provide what term a mallet and which is in reality a combined
compression friction and straining block, which is adjustably attached to the flange
This mallet or block takes
or face plate of the machine by any suitable means.
the form of a boss placed eccentrically on the face plate with the inner side
curved approximately to the radius about which it revolves to present a smooth
surface to the coils of spun yarns, to which it is applied both as a compression and
friction block and also serves as a straining block by twisting the spun yarn once
or twice round this mallet to set up the requisite grip for straining the coils of spun
yarn which have to be slipped over it as they are wound round the standing
rigging.
The spun yarn is paid out from a reel or bobbin attached to the apparatus so as
to share the rotation of the combined bevel wheel and face plate. This reel or
bobbin is furnished with a screw or other device by which it can be compressed or
relaxed endwise or longitudinally to adjust the grip on the spun yarn and so to
regulate the tensional strain required for drawing off the feed of spun yarn from
the bobbin to the mallet.

page_text: A Novel or Improved Machine for Serving the Standing Rigging of
Ships with Spun Yarn.
CHARLES SEARLE 13 Roseberry Crescent Thornaby-on-Tees Yorkshire
Foreman Rigger 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 :-
My invention consists of a hollow tube (a) made in halves with bolts and
hinges (b) to open and shut on the wire, with a small cog wheel in halves,
constructed to revolve on one end of the tube (c) which wheel is set in motion by
the large wheel (d) working at right angles with it, on an axis (e) attached to
the tube about half way along it (f) which large wheel is turned by a crank
handle (9) and manual labour, on the front of the small wheel is a plate (h) in
halves fitted with bolts (iiii) which pass through wheel and strap plates (k) to
keep it firm and tightened with cottars to the plate (h). The facing mallet (1) is
attached by two bolts through the slot (m) on which bolts it works freely to allow
the machine to adapt itself automatically to any size of wire rigging from
3 inches to 1 inches diar. for the small machine and from 3 to 5 in. diar. for the
large size.
A curved steel tongue (n) is fixed by tap screws on the under side of the
facing mallet (1) Fig. 3 which projects inside the tube one inch to press and
smooth down the material with which the rigging is being served or covered
rendering the work neatly and evenly done.
Two arms (oo) are tightly bolted on the facing mallet (1) at a slight angle
from the plane of the facing plate (h) with a hole in each of the upper ends,
through which the reel or bobbin (t) spindle (p) is passed-which spindle is fitted
with a tension screw (r) on each side to regulate the strain on the spun yarn or
hambroline as required.
The spun yarn or bambroline being placed or wound on the reel, it is
placed between the arms, and screwed up by the tension screws (r) the end of
the material is then taken off the reel or bobbin and passed over the guide hook (s),
carried twice round the mallet and rope and secured to the wire rope, the tension
screws are then regulated as required, and the machine set in motion by a man
turning the handle (g) and another man opposite to him keeping the machine
steady by the handles (v) while it is being propelled along the wire rope (which is
stretched tight horizontally at a convenient distance from the ground) by its own
motion when coiling the hambroline or spun yarn round the wire rope.
The facing mallet (1) and reel (t) with its several parts being all attached to
the small cog wheel is carried round the wire rope in the proportion of three
times to one turn of the handle superseding all existing methods by four to one
in results.
This machine can be put on or taken off the stretch of wire rope at any time
without drawing the wire out of the tube, by taking off the facing mallet (1)
then taking out the bolt's (i i ii) and three bolts (b) when the tube will open ou
its hinges.
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 I
claim is,
1. A tube. constructed to be put on or taken off an horizontal stretch of rope.

page_text: with a mallet-plate-and reel working on the tube at one end, as an axis, and
revolving round the rope by the motion applied to it by bevelled or spur gearing
and manual labour, as herein before described.
Dated this 5th day of April 1895.
CHARLES SEARLE.