IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR THE CONVERSION OF ROPES AND OTHER CORDAGE INTO OAKUM, TOW, AND PAPER STUFFS, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO TEASING AND CLEANING WOOL OR HAIR ON SKINS, AND DRESSING 'WASTE' Tow, WOOL, HAIR, AND OTHER WASTE FIBRES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Ronald, of Liverpool, in the County of Lan-
caster, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS
FOR THE CONVERSION OF ROPES AND OTHER CORDAGE INTO OAKUM, TOW, AND
PAPER STUFFS, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO TEASING AND CLEANING
WOOL OR HAIR ON SKINS, AND DRESSING 'WASTE' Tow, WOOL, HAIR, AND
OTHER WASTE FIBRES."
Sealed the 17th June 1864, and dated the 23rd December 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Ronald at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
December 1863.
I, JAMES RONALD, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND APPARATUS FOR THE CONVERSION OF ROPES AND OTHER CORDAGE INTO OAKUM,
Tow, AND PAPER STUFF, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO TEASING OR CLEANING
WOOL OR HAIR ON SKINS, AND DRESSING 'WASTE' Tow, WOOL, HAIR, AND OTHER.
WASTE FIBRES," to be as follows (that is to say) :-
This Invention has for its object the treatment of ropes and other cordage
for converting the same into oakum or tow and paper stuff, and parts of
which are also applicable to the teasing and cleaning of wool or hair on skins,
and to the dressing of "waste" tow, "waste" wool, "waste" hair, and other
"waste" fibres, so as to enable them to be manufactured or re-manufactured,

page_text: and consists in converting tarred rope and other tarred cordage into oakum by
means of unlaying the cordage and opening the strands of the rope or other
cordage by a "sled" or by hand, or in any other convenient way, and then winding
the yarns on to bobbins or coiling them into cans, and then taking (say) eight
of the said bobbins or cans containing the yarn and giving an independent
rotatory motion to each by placing them in the case of cans on revolving plat-
forms, or in the case of bobbins on flyer spindles. The ends of each of the
yarns are then carried through separate heated tubes for the purpose of
softening the tar, and thence through oblique lateral holes formed in a spindle
which has an independent rotatory motion, and which rotates at the same
speed as the bobbin flyer or revolving can, for the purpose of taking out the
twist in the yarn. The several ends of the yarns are then led from their
respective revolving spindles to a pair of heated draw rollers, and are thence
carried on an endless apron to a second pair of heated drawing rollers mounted
in front of a dressing cylinder or endless apron travelling over a revolving
cylinder constructed and actuated in the same way as the dressing cylinders
described in the Provisional Specification of an Invention by the applicant for
which he obtained Provisional Protection, dated the 22nd July 1863, and
numbered 1838, and which consists of a number of fine gill teeth mounted
on the circular surface of a cylinder, drum, or its mechanical equivalent,
revolving upon a fixed eccentric or can having its axis upon side of that of the
enclosing cylinder or apron, so that at one part of the revolution of the gills
and the covering cylinder or apron the gill teeth will project through holes in
the outer casing, and at the other will recede back again, so as to relieve the
fibre from the gill pins, and allowed to fall down, when it will be found to be
in a fit state to be used as oakum. When untarred cordage is to be converted
into tow and paper stuff, it is not necessary to carry the yarns through the
heated tubes, nor is it necessary to heat the draw rollers.
In teasing or cleaning wool or hair on skins, the skins to be treated are
merely allowed to pass through the draw rollers, and are acted upon by the
dressing cylinder, and in which case an arrangement may be made to withdraw
the skins from the dressing cylinder by reversing the draw rolls.
21
"
In dressing "waste tow, the "waste" from woollen factories, "waste"
hair, and other "waste" fibres, they are fed to the draw rolls by means of an
endless apron after having been previously washed, steamed, or otherwise
treated according to the nature of the fibre to be operated upon.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Ronald in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
RONALD, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said James Ronald, Her special licence that I, the said
James Ronald, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said James Ronald, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR THE CONVERSION OF ROPES AND OTHER CORDAGE
INTO OAKUN, TOW, AND PAPER STUFF, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE
TEASING AND CLEANING WOOL OR HAIR ON SKINS, AND DRESSING 'WASTE' TOW,
WOOL, HAIR, AND OTHER 'WASTE' FIBRES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Ronald, my executors or administrators, 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 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.
TO
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Ronald, 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 (that is to say) :-
This my said Invention has for its object the treatment of ropes and other
cordage, for converting the same into oakum or tow and paper stuff, and parts
of which are also applicable to the teasing and cleaning of wool or hair on
skins, and to the dressing of "waste" tow, "waste" wool. "waste" hair,
cotton waste, and other "waste" fibres, so as to enable them to be manu-
factured or re-manufactured, and consists in converting tarred
rope
and other
tarred cordage into oakum, by first unlaying, the cordage and opening the

page_text: strands of the rope or other cordage by a "sled," or by hand, or in any other
convenient way, and then winding the yarns on to bobbins, or coiling them
into cans, and then taking any required number of the said bobbins or cans
containing the yarn, and giving an independent rotatory motion to each in an
opposite direction to the twist in the yarn by placing them in the case of cans
on revolving platforms, or in the case of bobbins on flyer spindles. The ends
of each of the tarred yarns I then pass through drawing rollers and heated
tubes for the purpose of softening the tar, and thence, if deemed desirable,
through oblique latteral holes formed in a spindle, which has an independent
rotatory motion, and rotates at the same speed as the bobbin flyer or revolving
can for the purpose of softening the fibre and taking out the twist in the yarn.
The several ends of the yarn I then lead from their respective revolving
spindles, or from the heated tubes when the spindles are not used (and which
I find can be conveniently dispensed with) to a pair of heated draw rollers,
and are thence carried over on an intermediate endless apron to a second pair
of heated drawing rollers mounted on front of a dressing cylinder or endless
apron travelling over a revolving cylinder constructed and actuated in the
same way as the dressing cylinders for which I obtained Her most Gracious
Majesty's Letters Patent, dated Twenty-second day of July, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three, and numbered 1833, and which consists of a
number of fine gill teeth mounted on the circular surface of a cylinder, drum,
or its mechanical equivalent revolving upon a fixed eccentric or can, having
its axis on one side of that of the enclosing cylinder or apron, so that at one
part of the revolution of the gills and the covering cylinder or apron, the gill
teeth will project through holes in the outer casing, and at the other will
recede back again, so as to release the fibre from the gill pins, and to allow it
to fall down when it will be found in a fit state to be used as oakum. When
untarred cordage is to be converted into tow and paper stuff, it is not necessary
to carry the yarns through the heated tubes, nor is it necessary to heat the
draw rollers; and in some cases I dispense with the travelling apron herein-
before described, and lead the untwisted tarred yarns direct from the heated
tubes to the feed rollers in front of the dressing cylinder.
In teasing or cleaning wool or hair on skins, the skins to be treated are
merely allowed to pass through the draw or feed rollers, and are acted upon
by the dressing cylinder, and in which case an arrangement may be made
to withdraw the skins from the dressing cylinder by reversing the draw or
feed rolls.
"
"
In dressing "waste tow, the "waste from woolen factories, "waste
hair, and other "waste" fibres, they are fed to the draw or feed rolls by means

page_text: if an endless apron after having been previously washed, steamed, or other-
wise treated according to the nature of the fibre to be operated upon.
That this my said Invention may be more readily seen and understood, I.
have hereunto annexed Drawings of one modification of my Invention of a
machine, which is peculiarly suitable for converting tarred yarn into oakum.
Like letters and figures marked thereon are used to denote similar parts.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an oakum-making machine constructed
according to my Invention, and arranged so that it can reduce twenty yarns
at one time, and Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same;
Figure 3 is a front view of the stationery framework and bed of the bobbin
frames, which are arranged in vertical semicircles, one above another, to allow
the yarns to be carried free from each other; Figure 4 is a top view or plan
of the dressing cylinder, frame, and gear connected therewith. The heated
tubes and outer casing are shown broken off for the purpose of exposing the
gear for actuating the longitudinal horizontal driving shaft which gives motion
to the horizontal flyers.
Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8 are the end view of several modes of arranging the
heated tubes in their steam, hot air, and hot water jackets.
A, the floor line; B, foundations of the bobbin flyer frames; C, stationary
framework; D, heated tube case, which may be heated by steam, by hot air,
by hot water, or by gas; E, transverse driving shaft, which is fitted at one
end with F and F, fast and loose driving pulleys, over which works G, the
main driving strap; H, driving pulley on the end of the transverse driving
shaft (E), and which gives motion to J, the gill-toothed cylinder; and K, the
outer casing surrounding the gill-toothed cylinder, which in this modification
is shown slotted for the purpose of allowing the gill teeth to advance and
recede therethrough; L, fixed eccentrics, upon which the slotted cover
revolves; M, slot holes, through which stud pins springing from the surface
of the gill cylinders work for the purpose of carrying the slotted casing round;
N, axle of the dressing cylinder, on the end of which is keyed a small driving
pulley, over which works P, a driving strap; Q, worm on transverse driving
shaft (E), which works into R., worm wheel on S, driving shaft, which has
keyed thereon T, a small driving pulley, which through U, a driving strap
working over V, a small driving pulley on the end of W, a small horizontal
shaft on the reverse end of which is keyed X, a small mitre wheel working
into Y, a second mitre wheel on the axle of Z, a drawing or feed roller in
front of the dressing cylinder. a, a second toothed wheel on the lower
drawing roll; 6, driving pulley, which through c, a driving strap working over
d, a driving pulley on the axle of one of the first pair of drawing rolls; .e; a

page_text: toothed wheel, keyed on to the short horizontal driving shaft (S), and works
into f, a spur pinion wheel keyed on to g, a longitudinal horizontal driving
shaft, on to which are keyed h, driving pulleys, which give motion through i,
driving bands working over j, grooved driving pulleys on the ends of k, flyer
frames, in which is mounted l, the yarn bobbins; m, the untwisted yarn, which
is carried over n, guide bars, to p and p', a pair of drawing rolls, and through
the heated tubes (D), and over a pair of drawing rolls in front of the dressing
cylinder; 9, horizontal brush made of piassava, or of other stiff fibre, placed
across the dressing cylinder to cause the gill teeth to strike into the fibre;
r, the oakum falling from the dressing cylinder; s, journals or shaft pedestals;
t (Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8) are the outer jacket or casing enclosing u, the
heated pipes, through which the untwisted tarred yarn is passed, and in
Figures 5, 6, and 7 are shown in sets of twenty-four each, and Figure 8 a
set of thirty-seven pipes. The steam, hot air, or hot water is introduced
between the inside of the outer casing and the outside of the tubes, as will be
understood by those acquainted with the art.
"
I will now proceed to describe the mode I use for converting tarred rope
and other cordage into oakum. I first take the rope or other cordage in
lengths, the longer the better, which I unlay or separate the strands by means
of a "sled," worked in the opposite direction to that in which the rope is laid,
or in any other convenient way; I then unlay the strands and separate the
yarns, wind them on to bobbins, or coil them into cans; when wound on
bobbins I prefer to place them in a flyer frame. I then lead the ends through
a pair of drawing rolls and through heated tubes described, to a second pair
of draw or feed rolls placed in front of the dressing cylinder described. On
the machine being put in motion, the flyer frames being driven in an opposite
direction to that in which the twist is put into the yarn, the twist is taken out
of the yarn as it is drawn off the bobbins by the feed rollers, when it passes
through the heated tubes, which softens and revives the tar, previous to being
acted upon by the dressing cylinder, which may be driven in either direction.
The finished oakum on being relieved from the gill tieth is thrown off from
the dressing cylinder by the centrifugal force, and falls down on to the floor
or into any other suitable receptacle, ready to be packed up for the market.
When I use cans in place of bobbins to contain the yarn to be broken down,
I mount them on horizontal revolving platforms, and which I prefer to fit with
revolving drawing heads which acts as a substitute for the bobbin flyer. In
converting white or untarred rope or cordage into tow I dispense with the
use of the heated tubes, and use only one pair of drawing or feed rollers.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said

page_text: Invention, and how I believe the same may be best carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
details, relative proportions, or dimensions herein-before describe and set
forth, as it will be readily seen that the same may be considerably varied
without departing from the Invention; and in conclusion I would remark
that I lay no claim to novelty in the apparatus herein-before described when
the parts are taken seperatly, but their application to a new purpose, and
which several parts when taken collectively form an entirely new machine, but
what I claim is,―
First, the conversion of ropes and other cordage into oakum, tow, and
paper stuff, by unlaying the rope or strand, and taking the twist out of the
yarn previous to being acted upon by the dressing cylinder, as herein-before
described and set forth, or any mere modification of the same.
Secondly, passing the tarred yarn, after being untwisted, through heated
tubes, previous to being acted upon by the dressing cylinder, as herein-before
described and set forth, or any inere modification of the same.
Thirdly, the combination, general arrangement, and construction of the
various parts of the apparatus herein-before described and set forth for the
conversion of ropes and other cordage into oakum, tow, and paper stuff, sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and set
forth.
And, lastly, the use of the dressing cylinder herein-before described and set
forth when applied to the cleaning of wool or hair on skins, and for dressing
"waste" tow, wool, hair, cotton waste, and other "waste" fibres, as herein-
before described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Ronald, have hereunto set my hand
and affixed my seal, this Twenty-second day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
0 Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
•
JAMES (L.S.) RONALD.