IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Malcolm Condie, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES."
Scaled the 25th June 1872, and dated the 25th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Malcolm Condie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th April 1872.
I, MALCOLM CONDIE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
› Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of “In-
PROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to improvements in that class of sewing
machines employed in the manufacture of boots and shoes, and it
consists in certain new arrangements by which the construction of the
machine is much simplified.
r
The sole or bed plate of the machine carries the framing and the main.
shaft together with a projecting arm on which the work; to be sewn is
supported. In the face of the driving wheel, which is carried on the
main shaft at one side of the machine, are constructed the cam grooves.

page_text: for actuating the needle, presser, and feed motion levers. The arm
contains in its projecting end a "looper," the office of which is to receive
the thread through a small hole, and to wind the thread by its rotation
around the hook in the needle, so that when the needle rises it'may carry
with it a loop of the thread. A thread channel is formed in the upper
inclined side of the arm, which extends through and passes out on the
lower side of the arm below the looper. The thread is taken from a
bobbin which is placed in a bobbin box situated on the lower part of the
arm, from which it passes with the requisite degree of tension under a
pin in the arm which crosses the thread channel. In the lower side of
the inclined part of the arm a rotating shaft is situated, and which is
sunk below the outline of the arm. The shaft is provided with a pinion
at its upper extremity which corresponds with the gear attached to tho
looper; its other extremity is provided with a bevil pinion, gearing into
a second bevil pinion on a shaft situated in the horizontal part of the
arm, which is geared in its turn by means of a bevil wheel and pinion to
a vertical shaft passing through the stud or. bearing on which the arm is
centred to allow of its turning to any required angle relatively with
the needle. The said vertical shaft is provided at its lower extremity
with a spur pinion which gears into a segmental rack, by means of
which it is reciprocated. The segmental rack is connected by means of
à rod and bell crank to a cam placed upon a vertical shaft, which is
geared by means of a bevil wheel and pinion to the main shaft, whereby
the required motion is obtained for actuating the "looper."
The needle is fitted in a needle bar, the requisite upward and down- |
ward movement of which is obtained by means of a lever, the front end
of which is attached to the needle bar, whilst its other end is operated
by means of the needle cam groove situate in the driving wheel of the
machine. The looper is kept in position relatively with the hook of the
needle at whatever angle the arm on which the work is carried may be :
turned by means of the bevil gearing herein-before referred to for
actuating the looper. The stroke of the needle is lengthened or
shortened by means of the needle lever fulcrum being made movable.
The slide or "cast off" is actuated by means of a plate with a slot, in
which slides'a lever attached to the "cast off" rod, and which passes
through the needle bar, the said needle bar is furnished with a guide
which coming in contact with pins situate in the plate alternately
detains and releases the lever attached to the "cast off" rod.

page_text: The feed motion is obtained by attaching the feed held in a cam slot -
to oue end of a connecting rod in connection with the feed lever, tho
other end of which is attached to a stud or roller working in the feed
cam groove.
F
The feed is provided with a spring, by means of which it is brought
back against the presser foot at the end of its stroke. The presser foot
is actuated by means of the presser foot rod being attached to one
extremity of a lever, whilst the other is attached to a stud or roller
working in the presser cam groove.
'
.
i
To allow of the wax being kept in a sufficiently plastic state for the
production of good sewing, the arm is heated with gas which passes
through a groove formed round the stud on which the arm is centred.
The gas is conducted therefrom in a tube leading to the interior of the
arm and then lighted where it continues to burn. The inclined shaft
in connection with the gearing for actuating the looper becomes :
expanded by heat which would thereby retard the action of the looper.
This difficulty is overcome by means of a spring in connection with tho:
said shaft by which the expansion is regulated..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, ›
filed by the said Malcolm Condie in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th October 1872.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MALCOLM
CONDIE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send ;
greeting.
.
•
"
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters l'atent, bearing date the 25th day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the 35th year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant :
unto me, the said Malcolm Condie, Her special license that I, the said
› Malcolm Condie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such :
others as I, the said Malcolm Condie, my executors, administrators, or
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

page_text: .
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Malcolm Condie, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Malcolm Condie, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
My said Invention relates to improvements in that class of sewing
machines employed in the manufacture of boots and shoes, and it consists
in certain new arrangements by which the construction of the said
machines is much simplified, their action rendered more efficient, and
their construction less costly.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner, a
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, that is to say.
On the Sheet of Drawings hereunto appended Figure 1 is a side
elevation of my improved sewing machine, Figure 2 is a front elevation
of a part of the same, whilst Figures 3 and 4 shew in vertical section and 2
plan respectively enlarged views of that portion of the machine known
as the "non-reciprocating" whirl or looper.
The sole or bed plate A of the machine carries the framing B, in which
is supported in suitable bearings the main shaft C. The sole or bed
plate A also carries a projecting arm D, on which the work to be sewn is 3
supported. At one extremity of the main shaft C is situated the driving
wheel E, on the inner or outer face of which are constructed the cam
grooves F, G, and H, respectively for actuating the needle presser and
feed motion levers, as hercin-after described. The projecting end of the
arm D contains the non-reciprocating "looper" a, as distinguished from the 3
reciprocating looper set forth in the Specification filed under Letters
Patent granted to John William Ford, No. 1113, A.D. 1862. The office of

page_text: the looper a is not only to receive the thread through a small hole b
formed at one side thereof, as shewn more particularly at Figure 4, as in
the arrangement set forth in Ford's aforesaid Specification, but also to
twist together the several threads whilst winding them by its continuous
rotation in one direction around the hook in the needle when the latter
descends through the central hole of the looper a, so that when the
needle rises it may carry with it a loop of the twisted threads. The
looper a is rotated continuously in one direction by means of a rotating
shaft c situated in the lower side of the inclined part of the arm D. The
rotating shaft c is provided with a bevil pinion d at its upper extremity.
which corresponds with the gear attached to the looper a. At the lower
extremity of the rotating shaft c is a second bevil pinion e which gears
with a bevil pinion on a horizontal shaft which is situated in the
horizontal part of the arm D. The horizontal shaft 9 is geared in its
turn by means of a bevil wheel and pinion and i respectively to a
vertical shaft k passing through the stud or bearing on which the
arm D is centred to allow of its turning to any required angle relatively
with the needle. Situated at the lower part of the vertical shaft k and
revolving. loosely thereon, is a spur pinion m which is provided with a
pall n. The pall n gears with a ratchet wheel o which is fixed on the
lower extremity of the vertical shaft ke: The spur pinion
toothed rack I, by means of which it is reciprocated.
connected by means of a rod J to a lever K, actuated by a cam L, carried
on a vertical shaft M which is revolved by means of a bevil pinion N on
the main shaft C, gearing with a bevil pinion O, carried at the upper
extremity of the vertical shaft M. The rack I on being actuated in a
forward direction by the cam L, rotates the spur pinion m, which again.
rotates by means of the pall n attached thereto, the ratchet wheel o and
shaft k, thereby transmitting motion through the gearing situated in the
arm D to the looper a. On the rack I being moved in a backward direction
by the cam L, the spur pinion m is rotated in a contrary direction, and
owing to the pall n being then out of gear with the ratchet wheel o, the
latter remains stationary, thereby keeping the looper a stationary until
the return forward stroke of the rack I. It is then obvious that under
this arrangement, the looper a is always rotated in the same direction,
in place of revolving alternately in both directions.
gears with a
The rack I is.

page_text: extremity of the framing B, and attached to it is one end of a lever Q.
centred on a moving fulcrum r. The other extremity of the lever Q is
furnished with a stud or roller 8, which works in the needle cam
groove F formed in the face of the driving wheel E. The stroke of the
needle bar P is lengthened or shortened by giving more or less free 5
movement to the moving fulcrum & by means of the nuts t. The slide or
“cast-off” u is situated in a groove formed at one side of the needle bar P,
and is actuated by means of a plate R (shown at Figure 2 of the Draw-
ings) provided with pins and v' respectively, and also with a slot w.
Situated in the slot to is a lever x attached at one end to the slide or 1
"cast-off". u, and which passes through the needle bar P. The needle
bar P is furnished with a guido y formed with a catch at its upper
extremity. As the needle bar P is making its upward stroke the lever x
comes in contact with the top of the slot to, thereby drawing the lever
downwards when the guide y is brought in contact with the pin u³, 1
which causes it to catch the lever and retain it, until the downward
stroke of the needle bar P causes the guide y to come in contact with
the pin, thereby forcing the catch off, and releasing the lever, which.
is then brought back into position by means of a spiral spring x'.
"The feed motion is obtained by attaching the feed S to one end of a
connecting rod T, which is also formed with a cam slot a¹, in which is
situated a pin b' attached to the side of the presser U. The other end of
the connecting rod T is attached to the feed lever V by means of a stud d'
situated in a slot e' formed in the feed lever V. The upper end of the
feed lever V is centred on a stud f' carried in the framing B, whilst the !
lower end is fitted with a stud or roller g¹ working in the feed cam
groove H.
The feed S is also provided with a spring k', by means of which it is
brought back against the presser foot at the end of its stroke. The
stroke of the feed S may be regulated by adjusting the stud d'in the
slot c¹ formed in the feed lever V. The presser U is situated at the lower
end of a presser bar W, to which is attached one end of a lever X, which
is centred on a moving fulcrum i in a similar manner to the needle
lever. The other end of the lever X is provided with a stud or roller j¹
working in the presser cam groove G. Attached to one side of the
presser bar W is a lever Y. centred on a stud carried in the framing B.
By means of the lever Y the operator is enabled to raise the presser and
feed in order to adjust the work to be operated on previous to actuating.

page_text: the driving wheel E. Around the upper part of the presser bar W is a
spiral spring k', which forces the presser and feed downwards into
position when the lever Y is released.
When operating with the machine the thread is taken from one or
more of the bobbins placed in a bobbin box A' carried on the lower part of
the arm D, from which it passes through a second box B' filled or partly
filled with molten wax. The wax box B' is provided with a spring "",
which presses on the thread as it is drawn therefrom and scrapes it clean
of any superfluous wax. The thread on leaving the wax box B' passes
round a guide pulley m' and upwards in a thread channel formed in the
arm D.
To allow of the wax being kept in a sufficiently plastic state for the
production of good sewing, the arm D is heated with gas which is con-
ducted through a pipe h¹ to a groove o' formed round the stud / on
which the arm is centred. The gas is conducted therefrom in a tube p'
leading to the interior of the arm D and there lighted, where it continues
to burn.
The inclined shaft c, in connection with the gearing for actuating the
looper a becomes expanded by the heat, which would thereby retard the
action of the looper a; this difficulty is overcome by making the shaft c
in two pieces; the end of one piece being made hollow or like a sleeve
shaft, whilst the end of the other piece enters into it. A spiral spring 8'
is attached to the shaft c, which allows of the shaft c expanding without
affecting the action of the looper a.
In place of actuating the machine by the handle C', as shewn on the
Drawing, treadle or steam power may be employed.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would observe
in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. The general arrangement and construction of my improved
sewing machines hercin-before described, and shewn upon the annexed

page_text: Second. The arrangement of mechanism and the mode of operation by
which the looper is caused to revolve continuously.in one direction,
thereby twisting the threads as herein-before described, and as dis-
tinguished from the reciprocating acting looper.
Third.. The arranging of the needle, presser,
and feed cam grooves in 5
the face of a driving disc, as herein-before described.
Fourth. The arrangement of mechanism for operating the "cast-off"
in the manner herein-before described and shewn at Figures 1 and 2.
In witness whereof, I, the said Malcolm Condie, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of October, One 1
thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.