IMPROVED MEANS OF BALLING OR WINDING THREADS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN, THE APPARATUS BEING APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th March 1869.-A communication from abroad by Jean
Bernard Felloni, ainé, of Reims, France.
I, CLINTON EDGCUMBE BROOMAN, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman,
and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MEANS OF BALLING OR WINDING THREADS AND APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN, THE APPARATUS BEING APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object a new system of balling or winding
threads of every kind whereby the thread is regularly wound on from
the centre of the ball, all entanglement is prevented, and much facility
giving for unwinding. All the waste which occurs in the ordinary
systems at the exterior circumference of the ball is also prevented.
The balling or winding according to this system may be effected by
the hand or by an ordinary balling mechanism; in every case a
particular needle having a peculiar form of hooked eye or eyes is

page_text: employed. For hand winding a needle resembling an ordinary wool
needle, which has one of the sides of its eye filed through, in
order to form two barbs or points with an opening at the side of the
eye, is made use of. When the ball is finished the inner thread is
taken and drawn into the eye of the needle, the needle is then pressed
into the ball in order to cause it to come out by the lateral wall and
to draw with it the inner thread, which is the one to be pulled when
the ball is to be unwound. The outer thread is firmly held to prevent
entanglement. The needle just described is applicable for all repairing
purposes, such as darning and the like.
I describe two modes of proceeding for mechanical winding, first,
where the outer thread remains without the ball and the thread is
drawn by its inner end, which traverses the side of the ball; or, secondly,
where the outer thread re-enters the ball and the thread is pulled by
the inner end, which also traverses the side of the ball. These two
modes necessitate different arrangements of the needle. When the
outer thread remains without the ball a needle which resembles that
already described is firmly fixed upon a mandril, the size of which
will vary according to the size of the balls required. The thread is
drawn into the eye of the needle, the winding mechanism set at work,
the ball forms around the mandril, and when it is sufficiently large
the winding mechanism is stopped, then after the outer thread has
been well pressed to prevent any irregularity the needle is drawn
upwards. The inner thread proceeds then from across the side of
the ball and the outer thread is bound round it. In the case when
the outer thread re-enters the ball the needle is furnished with two
eyes, one on each side of the mandril, the eye on one side of the
mandril is of the same form as those of the needles previously described,
but the eye on the other side of the mandril has its points inverted
in order that there may be no catching in the passage of the needle
through the ball. The thread is drawn into the first cye of the needle
and the winding mechanism set at work. The ball forms round the
mandril which turns, and when it is sufficiently large the winding is
stopped, then after the end which terminates the ball exteriorally has
been drawn within its eye of the needle I draw the needle upwards.
The inner end then crosses the side of the ball, and the outer end drawn
by the needle re-enters the interior of the ball. In order to attach
a band of paper upon the finished ball the band is caused by the needle

page_text: to envelope the ball before it is drawn from the ball, and the band
being thus rolled round and fastened to the ball the needle is removed,
and there only remains visible a little hole from which the thread
proceeds. This system of balling or winding is applicable to all kinds
of threads, sewing thread, cotton, silk, wool, twine, and even metallic
threads.
The forms and dimensions of the needles described may of course be
varied, and the system is capable of application to every kind of balling
or winding machinery.