IMPROVEMENTS IN AND MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HARD-TOPPED' AND 'SOFT-LAID' TWINE, 'MILL BANDING, STRANDS FOR ROPES AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND CORDAGE GENERALLY FROM HEMP, FLAX, COTTON, AND OTHER LIKE FIBROUS MATERIAL
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Ronald, of Liverpool, in the County of Lan-
caster, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND MACHINERY
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HARD-TOPPED' AND 'SOFT-LAID' TWINE, 'MILL
BANDING, STRANDS FOR ROPES AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND CORDAGE GENERALLY
FROM HEMP, FLAX, COTTON, AND OTHER LIKE FIBROUS MATERIAL."
Sealed the 17th June 1859, and dated the 23rd December 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Ronald at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
December 1858.
I, JAMES RONALD, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HARD-TOPPED' AND 'SOFT-LAID'
TWINE, MILL BANDING,' STRANDS FOR ROPES AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND CORDAGE
GENERALLY FROM HEMP, FLAX, COTTON, AND OTHER LIKE FIBROUS MATERIAL," to be
as follows (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to a system of machinery for the accomplishment of
an improved mode of manufacturing "hard-topped" and "soft-laid " twine,
cotton "mill banding," strands for ropes and other purposes, and cordage gene-
rally from hemp, flax, cotton, or other like fibrous substance; and consists
of a number of revolving spindles or frames, each of which carry suitably
mounted one or more bobbins of the yarn to be manufactured, and independant
rotary motion being given to each of their spindles or frames, any required
amount of twist can be put into each yarn as it is drawn off the bobbin or
bobbins, which is done by means of a series of drawing rollers. The number
of yarns required to form the twine or cord it is proposed to conduct to sets of
drawing rollers through draw plates or other suitable guides, and after passing

page_text: through several sets of drawing rollers the hard yarns are carried vertically
down to a flyer, by which they are laid, and as the cord is formed it is taken
up by a bobbin on the flyer spindle.
To spin twine or other small cordage direct from slivers of hemp, flax,
manilla, or other long fibres, it is proposed to give a rotary motion to the
cams containing the slivers, by mounting them on or in suitably formed
revolving frames fitted with drawing heads; the twist being put into the
sliver, and the yarn formed by means of the revolving drawing head, after
which it is carried forward by a series of the drawing rollers, herein-before
described, when the yarns are laid by flyers, and the cords being taken up on
bobbins on the flyer spindles.
To form laid rope or cordage all that is required is to supply the bobbins
with strands, in place of yarn, as herein-before described.
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 1859.
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 fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant úntó
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HARD-TOPPED' AND 'SOFT-LAID'
TWINE, MILL BANDING,' STRANDS FOR ROPES AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND CORDAGE
GENERALLY FROM HEMP, FLAX, COTTON, AND OTHER LIKE FIBROUS MATERIAL," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Ronald, my execu-
tors 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

page_text: 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 James Ronald, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to a system of machinery for the accomplishment of
an improved mode of manufacturing "hard-topped" and "soft-laid" twines,
cotton "mill banding," strands for ropes, and other purposes, and cordage.
generally from hemp, flax, cotton, or other like fibrous substances; and con-
sists of a number of revolving spindles or frames, each of which carry, suitably.
mounted, one or more bobbins on which the yarn to be manufactured is
wound. I give an independent rotary motion to each of these spindles or
frames, by which means any required amount of twist can be put into each
yarn as it is drawn off the bobbin or bobbins, which I do by means of a series
of drawing rollers. The number of yarns required to form the twine or cord
I conduct to sets of drawing rollers through draw plates or other suitable,
guides, and after the yarns have passed through several sets of these drawing
rollers; the hard yarns I then carry vertically down to a flyer by which they
are laid, and as the cord is formed it is taken up by bobbins on the flyer
spindles.
To spin twine or other small cordage direct from slivers of hemp, flax,
manilla, or other long fibres, I give a rotary motion to the cans containing the
slivers by mounting them on or in suitably formed revolving frames fitted with
drawing heads. The twist being put into the sliver; and the yarn fornied by
means of the revolving drawing head, after which it is carried forward by a
series of the drawing rollers, as herein-before described, when the yarns are
laid by flyers, and the strands as formed are taken up on bobbins on the flyer
spindles.
To form laid rope or cordage, all that is required is to supply the bobbins.
with strands in place of yarn, as herein-before described.
That these my said improvements may be the more readily seen and under-
stood, I have hereunto annexed Drawings, showing so much of one modifi-
cation of a machine constructed according to my Invention, as will be necessary
to illustrate my improved system of manufacturing "hard-topped" and "soft-
laid" twine, "mill banding," strands for ropes, and other purposes, and cordage
generally. Like letters and figures marked thereon have reference to similar
parts.

page_text: Figure 1 is the side elevation (on a scale of one and a half inches to the foot)
of a machine, of a suitable size for the manufacture of twine and other small
cordage; and Figure 2 exhibits the reverse end of the apparatus; and Figure 3
is a partial front elevation of the same machine, shewing two of the flyers, and
so forth, which I use for forming or "laying" and "taking up" the cordage.
The system of machinery shewn in the annexed Drawings is arranged for
the formation of three yarn strands or three strand cordage, but strands of any
number of yarns, or cordage of any number of strands, may be made.on this
system by merely increasing the number of back flyers and bobbins of yarn or
strands, as the case may be, and it will also be readily seen by those practised
in the art that this my improved system of manufacturing cordage from the
yarn may be advantageously used for the formation of strands direct from the
sliver by merely substituting sliver cans for the bobbins of the back flyers, and
passing the sliver through revolving drawing heads. A, the framework of the
machine; B, the back flyers or revolving frames, by which the "hard". or
"half hard" twist is put into the yarns or strands, and which carry C, the
bobbins upon which the yarn or strands to be manufactured is wound ; D, the
yarns or strands which pass over E, the yarn or strand guides; F, the drawing
rolls through which the yarns or strands are passed in the direction indicated
by arrows to G, the guide eyes or forming tubes through which the strands
or yarns are carried down through the eye of the flyer; H, the flyers, which
revolve in an opposite direction to that of the back flyers, and which "lays"
the strands or yarns, and forms the cordage; I, the bobbins on the front flyer
spindles, which take up the cordage as formed; K, main shaft, which receives
its power from a steam engine or other prime mover, which carries L, a large
driving drum ou main shaft, which gives motion through M, small driving
bands, to N, the front flyer spindles; O (Figures 1 and 3), a driving pulley on
main shaft, which gives motion through P, a driving band; and Q,.a driving
pulley on the end of R, an horizontal transverse shaft, which carries S, a small
driving drum, which communicates motion through T, small driving bands to
(B), the back flyers or revolving frames, which carry (C), the bobbins of yarns
or strands to be manufactured; U (Figure 2), main pulley by which the
power is received from the prime mover through u (Figure 2); the main driving
band; V (Figure 2), a driving pulley on the end of (K), the main shaft, which
through W (Figure 2), a driving strap giving motion. to X (Figure 2), a
driving pulley, on the axle of which is staked Y (Figure 2), a spur wheel,
which gears into Z (Figure 2), a cog wheel, keyed on to the end of a, the
revolving shaft, which carries the lower rolls of the front pairs of drawing
rollers; b (Figure 3), a mitre wheel on (a) the shaft of the lower front drawing

page_text: rolls, which gears into c (Figures 1 and 3), mitre wheel staked on to the end of
d (Figure 1), a small horizontal shaft, through which motion is given to the
second and third sets of drawing rolls, through e and e', mitre gear, as shewn
in Figure 1;f (Figure 1) supports, which carry the small revolving shaft c; g, a
worm on the shaft a, which works into h, a worm wheel, keyed on to the end
of i, a small horizontal shaft, the reverse end of which carries j, a mitre wheel,
which gears into k, a second mitre wheel, on the end of 1, an axle which carries
m, a cam, which acts against the under side of n, a lever, to the outer end of
which is attached p, a strap, which actuates q, a small horizontal transverse
roller, which communicates the up and down motion to the front bobbins, as
is well understood.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my im-
proved system of manufacturing "hard-topped" and "soft-laid" twine,
"mill banding," strands for ropes, and other purposes, and cordage generally
from hemp, flax, cotton, and other like fibrous material, and how I believe
the Invention can best be carried into practical effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise details or dimensions herein-
before set forth, as the same may be considerably modified without.departing
from the Invention; but what I do claim is,-
First, the improved system of manufacturing cordage from slivers, yarns, or
strands of hemp, flax, cotton, or other like fibrous material, by one machine at
one operation, as herein-before set forth and described, or any mere modifi-
cation of the same.
And, secondly, the peculiar combination and arrangement of machinery
herein-before described for the manufacture of cordage generally, or any mere
modification of the same.
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 fifty-nine.
0
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
JAMES (L.S.) RONALD.