IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY FOR POLISHING YARNS AND THREADS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Nichols, Mill Manager for Sir Elkanah
Armitage and Sons, Pendleton, in the Borough of Salford, in the
County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MACHINERY FOR POLISHING YARNS AND THREADS."
Sealed the 18th January 1870, and dated the 25th November 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Nichols at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th November 1869.
I, JOHN NICHOLS, Mill Manager for Sir Elkanah Armitage and Sons,
Pendleton, in the Borough of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MACHINERY FOR POLISHING YARNS AND THREADS," to be as follows:-
My first improvement, which is for a novel self-acting arrangement by
which the rollers upon which the yarn or thread is stretched may be put
into the machine, and the yarn or thread in proper contact with the
brush or other polishing apparatus, and may be removed therefrom when

page_text: finished or when desired. For this purpose I employ two pairs of rollers,
one on each side of the machine respectively. I place the thread on one
pair and place them in the machine that the thread upon them may be
polished; I place the other pair at or about at right angles to them on a
swing shaft, and place the thread or yarn upon them whilst the others
are being dressed or polished. To replace the one pair for the other I
construct the machinery as follows:-Upon one end of each pair of
rollers I place a long boss, which when they are in position in the
machine hangs perfectly free, the rollers being carried in permanent
bearings held by the framing of the machine, which are kept at the
distance apart for polishing by two screws, which distend them in a
manner to be herein-after described. The long bosses above mentioned
have projecting pieces to serve as carriers of the rollers, as herein-after
described, which enter into deep cups carried by the upright swing
shafts above mentioned, one on each side of the machine respectively.
When the rollers are to be removed the strap is placed upon the
liberating pulley, and the bearings which hold the lower roller are first'
raised and the lower roller thus liberated from pressure. During this
operation and by the same movement the pedestal on which the upper
roller rests by suitable rods and levers is moved outward, and the yarn or
thread liberated from the action of the polisher. The same movement
of the screw by which the above-named first part of this operation is
performed is now continued, when the end of the npright swing shaft
which supports the deep cups herein-before mentioned is raised and the
upper shaft liberated from its bearings. Both rollers are now free to be
moved out on the swing shafts, and the attendant removes both from the
machine by turning them at right angles or thereby from their position
when at work; and as they are suspended by a long boss at one end
only the hanks of thread or yarn are casily removed from the other.
The rollers at the other side of the machine being now filled with thread
or yarn are placed in position, and the motion of the screws reversed
when they are set as before.
My second improvement is for the purpose of working the screws
herein-before named in my first improvement while they are in position
for polishing, and so to distend the yarn or thread to the strain required.
To effect this I employ two distinct and independent movements.
Firstly, when placing the rollers in position I cause a stran to traverse.

page_text: so as to put them to a certain definite distance, and strain the yarn or
thread just sufficiently to commence operation. The strap is then
traversed from the pressure pulley by the strap fork coming in contact
with a stopper set for that purpose; but to continue the distending
operation until by the action of a definite amount of weight the utmost
limit of length and strain shall be produced upon the yarn or thread
which is being operated upon is capable of receiving, I place upon the
end of the shaft which gives motion to the screws above mentioned a
ratchet wheel into which a click pressed by a weight takes. This click is
lifted by the action of an eccentric worked from the axis of the polisher
by a worm and wheel, but it is obvious that it cannot descend unless
the weight above named is greater than the strain which the yarn or
thread is adjusted to carry. And by this means the distending of the
yarn continues during the whole time it is being polished if distention
should at any instant become necessary. I regulate the weight to suit
the yarn or thread being polished. When the rollers are being adjusted
for removal the click by which the yarn is distended is held out of gear
by the strap fork or a connection therewith suitably placed.
My third improvement, which is for the purpose of regulating the
time during which each class of yarn or thread respectively shall be
operated upon by the polisher, is as follows:-I accomplish this by con-
necting a worm wheel to a shaft having a moderate amount of motion,
which at the end of every revolution will put the liberating strap above
described on the fast pulley, which will thus relieve the yarn from the
operation of the polisher.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Nichols, in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
O NICHOLS, Mill Manager for Sir Elkanah Armitage and Sons, Pendleton,
in the Borough of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
5 thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said John Nichols, Her special licence that
I, the said John Nichols, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Nichols, 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 MACHINERY FOR
POLISHING YARNS AND THREADS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Nichols, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Nichols, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
My first improvement, which is for a novel self-acting arrangement
by which the rollers upon which the yarn or thread is stretched may be
put into the machine, and the yarn or thread in proper contact with the
brush or other polishing apparatus, and may be removed therefrom when
finished or when desired. For this purpose I employ two pairs of rollers,
one on each side of the machine respectively. I place the thread on one
pair and place them in the machine that the thread upon them may be
polished. I place the other pair at or about at right angles to them on a
swing shaft, and place the thread or yarn upon them whilst the others
are being dresssed or polished. To replace the one pair for the other I
construct the machinery as follows:-Upon one end of each pair of
rollers I place a long boss, which when they are in the machine hangs
perfectly free, the rollers being carried in permanent bearings held by the
framing of the machine, and are kept at the distance for polishing apart
by two screws, which distend them in a in a manner to be herein-after
described. The long bosses above mentioned have projecting pieces to
serve as carriers of the rollers, as herein-after described, which enter into
deep cups carried by the upright swing shafts above named, one on
each side of the machine respectively. When the rollers are to be

page_text: removed the strap is placed upon the liberating pulley, and the bearings
which hold the lower roller are first raised and the lower roller thus
liberated from pressure. During this operation and by the same move-
ment the pedestals upon which the upper roller rests by suitable rod
and levers is moved outward, and the yarn or thread liberated from the
action of the polisher. The same movement of the screw by which the
above-named first part of this operation is performed is now continued,
when the end of the upright swing shaft which supports the deep cups
herein-before mentioned is raised and the upper shaft liberated from its
bearings. Both rollers are now free to be moved out on the swing shaft,
and the attendant removes both from the machine by turning them at
right angles or thereabouts from their position when at work; and as
they are suspended by a long boss at one end only the hanks of thread
or yarn are easily removed from the other. The rollers at the other
side of the machine being now filled with yarn or thread are placed
in position, and the motion of the screws reversed when they are set as
before.
My second improvement is for the purpose of working the screws
herein-before named in my first improvement while they are in position
for polishing, and so to distend the yarn or thread to the strain required.
To effect this I employ two distinct and independent movements.
Firstly, when placing the rollers in position I cause a strap to traverse
on to a pressure pulley from a loose pulley to give motion to the screws,
so as to put them to a certain definite distance, and strain the yarn or
thread sufficiently to commence operations. The strap is then traversed
from the pressure pulley by the strap fork coming in contact with a
stopper set for that purpose; but to continue the distending operation
until by the action of a definite amount of weight the utmost limit of
length and strain shall be produced upon the yarn or thread which is being
operated upon is capable of receiving, I place upon the end of the shaft
which gives motion to the screws above mentioned a ratchet wheel, into
which a click pressed by a weight takes. This click is lifted by the
action of an eccentric worked from the axis of the polisher by a worm
and wheel, but it is obvious that it cannot descend unless the weight
above named is greater than the strain which the yarn or thread is
capable of receiving or is adjusted to carry. And by this means the
distending of the yarn continues during the whole time it is being
polished if distension should at any time become necessary. I regulate

page_text: the weight to suit the yarn or thread being polished. When the rollers
are being adjusted for removal the click by which the yarn or thread is
distended is held out of gear by the strap fork or a connection therewith
suitably placed.
My third improvement, which is for the purpose of regulating the
time during which cach class of yarn or thread respectively shall be
operated upon by the polisher, is as follows:-I accomplish this by con-
necting a worm to a shaft having a moderate amount of motion, which
at the end of every revolution puts the liberating strap above described
on the fast pulley, which will thus relieve the yarn from the operation of
the polisher.
And in order that my Invention may be more fully understood and
more readily carried into effect I will now proceed to describe the same,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1
represents a front elevation of a machine to which my improvements are 1
applied; Figure 2 represents a side elevation of the same.
By the improvements herein-after described the thread or yarn is
polished in the hank as distinguished from yarn which is polished con-
tinuously. The polisher shown in the Drawings is the brush a, but
any other polisher may be substituted for the brush should another be 2
preferred, as this constitutes no part of my Invention.
The brush or polisher a is carried on the shaft a', which rests on
bearings in the framing A, A'. Upon two cars or projections from the
frames b, b', are slides upon which I place the two pillow blocks b', ',
which pillow blocks are capable of sliding upon the projections b, b', men- 2
tioned above. In these pillow blocks I place the upper roller c which
carries the hanks. When first placed in the machine the pillow blocks b³, b*,
hold this roller so far off the polisher that it does not commence to
polish the yarn carried by the roller until the sliding bar d begins to
descend. At this time also the lower roller c' is carried loosely hanging 3
upon the hanks, and lies against two arms projecting upwards from the
sliding rail d. These arms are in position ready to descend upon the
lower roller shaft c', and are placed one on each side of the machine,
and are each furnished with two hooked pillows or bearings c', cº¹, and
by their descent to distend the hanks to a definite distance and put 3
upon them a definite strain. This I accomplish in the manner fol-
lowing On the sliding rail d above mentioned I fix two bosses do, d',
into which are fitted the two screws d³, d³, one at each side of the

page_text: machine respectively. These screws are supported in bearings fastened
on the framing. On the bottom of the screws I fasten the bevils d', d³,
which gear with the bevils do, d, fastened upon the shaft d' supported
by the framing. On this shaft do I fasten a pulley do, and place next to
it the loose pulley d". I then place next to the pulley d", also loose
on the shaft d, to the boss of which I fasten the bevil d¹³, which gears
with the bevil d on the bottom of the screw d³. Motion is given to the
straps from the pulley s upon the shaft s¹ on the back of the framing.
The shaft & receives motion from the polisher shaft a', the pulley & upon
which gives motion to the pulley & upon the shaft & by the strap 8.
The action of the arrangement is that the pulleys d and d" on either
hand drive the screws in opposite directions, whilst that in the middle is
the loose pulley. When the rollers carrying the hanks have been put
in the machine as above described the attendant places the strap upon the
pressure pulley, which may be either according to the hand of the
screws d³, ds. This pressure pulley then turns the screws so as to lower.
the sliding rail d, and presses the hanks. I govern the amount of this
pressure by the following means:-I place upon the shaft e the catch
plate eo, so that to whichever hand the operative adjusts the strap above
described by the handle e the catch plate e is held by a corresponding
catch, that upon the left securing it when turned to the left, that upon
the right securing it when turned to the right. On the middle of the
shaft e I place the double-winged cam e', upon which lies the upright.
arm of the weighted L lever e", which is hung upon the stud e³ in the
framing. When the sliding rail d above mentioned ascends or descends
by the strap 80, and arrives at a definite point, a projecting arm from
it, d, liberates the catch corresponding to the direction of the move-
ment, and the weight upon the L lever e³ pressing upon the wing of the
double-winged cam for the time restraining it forces that wing to the
point at which it also meets the other wing, when the pressure being
equal on both the strap is placed and rests on the loose pulley, the strap
fork e being fastened upon the cross bar e', which is moved by the
lever e on the shaft c. The stopping point of the cross rail d downwards.
and the point at which the action of the strap ceases is when sufficient
pressure has been put on the hanks to commence polishing. At this
point the guide slot plate on the end of the sliding bar d, which carries
the catch e, permits it to enter the ratchet wheel e fastened on the
shaft do, which begins a new method of moving the shaft d' and of
putting pressure upon the hanks. The catch es oscillates on the stude

page_text: in an adjustable slot in the upright arm of an L lever e" on the stud e
in the framing, the horizontal arm of which lever is weighted so as to
press the catch continuously from a certain distance, which distance,
ascillation, and pressure or weight are regulated by the eccentric e",
connecting rod e", and adjustable weight e¹. The eccentric e lifts the
horizontal arm of the weighted lever; the weight alone causes it to
descend, as the connecting rod e" has a slot so cut in it that in descend-
ing it does not take the arm with it. If the hanks on being put on arc
sufficiently strained the weight c¹ will not cause them to be further
strained, whereas if the strain is less the weight at each oscillation of the
eccentric will cause the ratchet wheel to gather a portion of a tooth, a
tooth, or more than a tooth according as it is adjusted. I elect to move
the strap from the pressure pulley on to the loose pulley above described
before the strain has equalled the strain put on the hanks by the
weight and catch. The rapidity of these oscillations of the eccentric are
governed as follows:-I place the eccentric e upon the shaft f, and on
this shaft I fix the worm wheel f', which takes into the worm fs on the
polisher shaft a', which arrangement imparts a motion so very moderate
that the catch es is raised and lowered very easily. When the sliding
rail d has approached nearly to the lowest point in its descent the
bowl d upon the back thereof acts on the hollow upon the L lever b*,
which counteracts the weight & on the other arm thereof. The stud 6°
adjustable in this bell crank receives one end of the connecting radius
rod b, which rod at the other end is attached to the central stud b³,
fastened in the bell-crank lever 6°, fastened on the shaft 60. The other
arm of the bell crank is connected with the pillow block 6, which
thereby partakes of its movement. Another similar arm being fastened
on the other end of the shaft 6, and similarly connected to the pillow
block on the other frame, causes the upper roller c to partake of the
movement caused by the bowl ds, and the hanks thereby to enter the
polisher to such depth as will secure complete polishing action. By
means of the worm c upon the end of the shaft f, which takes into the
worm wheel cupon the top roller c, I cause the hanks to receive the
well known slow continuous motion necessary to distribute the polish
uniformly. The duration of the polishing action I regulate as follows:-
I place upon the back end of the shaft fa worm f taking into the
worm wheelf on the stud f' in the framing. I also connect the worm
wheelf to the worm boss f, which revolves loose on the shaft h, the
connection between the two being the pitch chain . The worm f

page_text: takes into the dial worm wheel, the rotation of which indicates when
the polisher has made a sufficient number of revolutions to polish every
hank or set of hanks in an equal and proper manner. I prefer to use
this motion simply as a dial, but it may be connected with the strap
lever which the operative moves, and so reverse the action of the sliding
bar d, which I now proceed to describe. Upon the upper roller shaft.c
continued beyond the framing I place the socket c', a tail projecting
from which enters the cup c³, which I shorten so as to allow the roller.
shaft c¹ to come out of its pillows c, c", before the shaft c begins to be
raised out of its pillow blocks 6, 6. The cup c is fastened upon the
upright swing shaft co, carried in a suitable bearing on the frame and
on the sliding rail d, by which it is raised and lowered. Parallel with
this shaft I place the feathered frame h, having a fixed bearing at the
top thereof by which the shaft c is partly carried when it is swung
outwards, as hercin-after described; and also within the feathers of it
the chain passes and carries the hollow rest or bearing *, in which
the shaft c¹ rests when it is swung outwards, as herein-after described.
The chain is attached to the quadrant, fast upon the shaft *, which
is made to oscillate at each rise and fall of the sliding bar d by means
of the chain attached at one end to the quadrant 1, fast upon the
shaft, and at the other to the sliding bar d. This connection raises
the pillow as the sliding bar falls, and lowers it when it rises. Tho
lower roller shaft c' also has a socket c' into which it enters when pro
duced. This socket has an car in which is placed the antifriction
roller c³, which is so placed as to prevent it from canting when the
roller is removed from its bearings by the bowl c resting upon and
rolling against the side of the frame h, as herein-after described. When
the dial fs above described has indicated that the hanks in the machine
have received sufficient polishing action the operative places the strap
upon the liberating pulley above described, by which the screws d³, d³,
are caused to raise the sliding bar d. The first upward movement of
this bar releases the strain upon the hanks. When this has been effected
the bowl d permits the weight 65 to remove the pillow blocks ba, b³,
and thus withdraw the hanks from contact with the polisher. At the
same time the pillows c, c", on the arms projecting upwards from the
sliding rail d are raised above the lower roller shaft c', and it is thereby
liberated and rests upon the hanks and upon the socket c', which carries
it by one end only. The sliding rail a continuing to rise, and with it the
upright swing shaft c, the cup raises the socket c', and with it the

page_text: roller c from its bearings. It is now carried by one end only. The
bearing is also allowed to fall to its lowest point by the chain to which
it is attached. The strap is also now released from the action of the
liberating pulley being traversed on to the loose pulley, as herein-before
described. The attendant now takes the roller c or c¹, or both, by the
free end and swings them round upon the shaft co until they reach a
point nearly at right angles to their former position in the machine,
the upper roller c being suspended on the socket c', the lower by the
socket c', the one over the pillow in the top of the frame h, the other
over the loose pillow * in the same frame. The antifriction bowl in the
socket c' now rests upon the side of the frame h, which prevents the
socket from canting by the weight of the overhanging roller c¹. A
second set of rollers similar in every respect to those just described,
except that the pinion or worm wheel is on the end opposite to the
socket c', being now filled with hanks is placed in the machine by the
attendant taking them by the free end and swinging them in on a shaft
the precise counterpart of co. The attendant then places the strap upon
the pressure pulley, the sliding mail d is lowered, and the pillow /* is
raised by the chain; the lower roller c¹ ceases to rest on the hanks; the
upper roller, not sustained by the cup c³, rests upon the pillow in the
top of the frame h; the polished hanks hang loosely and are removed by
the attendant and a fresh supply placed upon the rollers, whilst those
already in the machine are being polished as above described. This
alternate action is repeated, one set of hanks being polished whilst
another is removed and replaced in continuo.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as
secured to me thereby,―
Firstly. The method herein-before described and shown by which the
yarn or thread is placed in the machine, removed therefrom and brought
under the action of the polisher.
Secondly. The double movement whereby the proper weight and
strain which any set of hanks of yarn or thread will carry is put upon
them by the joint action of the strap and means of shifting it and the
weighted catch and ratchet wheel, as herein-before described and shown.
Thirdly. I claim the use of the dial indicating when the yarn or
thread has been subjected to a certain number of rotations of the
polisher, as described, whether its indications are noticed by the eye of

page_text: the attendant or otherwise utilized, the indications of the dial being
substituted for the observations of time as hitherto practised.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Nichols, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
JOHN NICHOLS. (L.S.)
Witness,
WILLIAM ROBERTSON,
Engineer,
17, Queen's Chambers, Market Street,
Manchester.