IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COVERED THREAD
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward John Payne, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF COVERED THREAD." -A communication from Cristhophe
Emile Dumonteil, of Paris.
Sealed the 20th November 1855, and dated the 29th May 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward John Payne at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th May 1855.
I, EDWARD JOHN PAYNE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COVERED THREAD" to be as follows, that is
to say:-
The improvements consist in covering cotton, thread, or other inferior
filament with silk, by the employment of machinery somewhat similar to that
used in the manufacture of bobbins. A single strand of cotton or other thread,
being first covered with silk, is twisted at the same time, and two or more of
these strands are then combined, and again twisted, by which is produced a
strong twist or cord having the appearance of silk.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward John Payne in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
JOHN PAYNE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward John Payne, Her special licence that I, the said Edward John Payne,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
John Payne, 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 MANUFAC-
TURE OF COVERED THREAD," being a communication from Cristhophe Emile
Dumonteil, of Paris, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Edward John Payne, 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 Edward John Payne, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
These improvements in the manufacture of covered thread consist in covering
cotton, thread, or other inferior or inexpensive filaments with silk, so as to
produce a thread which when used in various manufactures may present
the same or nearly the same appearance as if made or composed entirely of
silk, which lutter expensive muteriul is thereby very considerably economized
without impairing the appearance of the manufactured article.
The object of the Invention is effected by the employment of certain novel
or improved arrangements of mechanical parts, whereby the inferior thread is
first covered with the more expensive article, as in the manufacture of bobbin,

page_text: and then the compound or covered thread has a suitable amount of twist given
to it, in order to perfectly combine the two materials so as to impart a brilliant
and silky appearance to the compound or combined yarns. This thread, com-
posed as above mentioned of cotton and silk, is then doubled and twisted
with one or more similar compound threads so as to produce the thread or
yarn required.
The mechanical arrangements whereby these operations are effected will be
best understood by referring to the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1
represents an end view of a twisting or doubling frame with the improvements
which form the subject of the present Invention adapted thereto. This view
represents the toothed gearing, whereby motion is communicated from the
prime mover to the principal working parts. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the
opposite end of the machine; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section, shewing
the arrangement or disposition of the principal internal working parts; Fig. 4
is a front elevation of the machine; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged view drawn full
size of that part of the machine to which the improvements are applied for
the purpose of covering the thread. Motive power is communicated to the
machine by means of a strap or band coming from a pulley on the driving
shaft of the prime mover, and passing round the fast pulley A of the machine.
A' is a loose pulley on the main shaft B, and when the strap or band from the
prime mover acts on this pulley, it causes it to rotate on its axle without
imparting any motion to the other parts of the machine. The pulley A is
made fast on the shaft B, which passes through the centre of the drum or
cylinder C, around which are passed the cords or bands that actuate the
pullies D, D, of the spindles X, and whereby the latter have a rotating motion
communicated to them for the purpose of effecting the twisting operation
hereafter described. At one end of the cylinder or drum C¹, above the drum
C, is a toothed wheel E, and this wheel E, the intervention of the wheel J,
and the wheel K, on the axle of the drum C, communicates motion to the
cylinder or drum C, as seen best in Fig. 1.
covered is wound on bobbins or
The cotton or other inferior thread to be
reels as shewn at L, and these bobbins being properly weighted to admit of
the thread being supplied at a suitable tension, the thread passes from the
bobbins or reels L, under an eye or wire, and through a horizontal tube M,
seen best in the enlarged view Fig. 5. On the outer end of this tube M is
mounted a bobbin carrier or little apparatus composed of a pulley and disc O,
which is provided with arms for carrying a small bobbin P, which is supplied
with the silk yarn that is to be employed for covering the cotton or other
thread or yarn. The little bobbin P is held in its place and kept steady by

page_text: means of a small spring, which by bearing against one end of the bobbin puts
the proper amount of drag on the silk yarn. It will be seen, on referring to
Figures 3 and 5, that a rapid rotary motion is communicated to the bobbin
carrier O, by means of the strap or band N, which passes from the drum C',
round the pulley at the back of the bobbin carrier, and by this rotary motion
of the bobbin carrier the silk yarn on the bobbin P will be carried round
and wound on the cotton or other thread that issues from the end of the
tube M.
The covered or compound thread thus produced passes forward to the roller
Q, to which rotary motion is communicated by a toothed wheel R, Fig. 1, that
is actuated by a chain coming from another wheel S, driven by the wheel J,
and the first wheel K, on the main shaft of the cylinder C. The covered or
compound thread passes from the roller Q, round the pulley T, (Figures 3
and 5,) back to the roller Q, and from thence it descends over the bar U, and
enters the two eyes or extremities of the double flyer V of the spindle X,
and the compound thread having become twisted in its passage is finally wound
on to the bobbin Z, which is movable on the spindle. A copping or vertical
motion is communicated to the bobbins Z by means of levers or arms actuated
by the heart or cam wheel 6; or any other suitable and convenient contrivance
may be employed for effecting this operation, whereby the compound twisted
thread may be wound on to the bobbins in a proper and regular manner.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that the silk is wound on to
the cotton or other yarn as the latter issues from the end of the horizontal
tube M, and that the amount of silk employed for this purpose, or, in other
words, the extent to which the cotton yarn is covered, must depend principally
upon the speed with which the cotton thread is drawn forward while the
covering operation is proceeding. Now, as for different purposes it may be
required to cover some threads more or less than others, I make use of toothed
wheels of different numbers for actuating the roller Q, so that by merely
changing the toothed wheels R and S, I can cover the thread more or less at
discretion. This is a great advantage, as threads of different numbers require
different speeds, and the proper speed for obtaining the precise amount of
covering required may be easily obtained by merely changing the gearing as
aforesaid. The amount of twist to be given to the compound or covered
thread may also be modified according to circumstances, as is well known to
all persons acquainted with the operations of spinning and doubling; and
when the single compound thread, composed of cotton and silk as aforesaid, has
been produced, it may be doubled and twisted again to form a thicker thread,
as is well understood.

page_text: Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modification of the bobbin carrier, drawn upon
an enlarged scale. The only difference consists in detaching from the bobbin
carrier the pulley which communicates the rotary motion thereto, and placing
the said pulley further back between two supports, whereby greater steadiness
is obtained.
By means of the apparatus above described cotton yarns of great fineness,
even above No. 300, may with facility be covered with silk, and present the
same appearance as silk. The threads produced by the improved process of
covering threads may be used with advantage as sewing silk, or for the manu-
facture of blond or lace, and ornamental edgings or gimps of various kinds
and designs, or the covered threads so made may be used in the manufacture
of silk or satin stuffs or fabrics, of which they may be employed to form the
weft or woof.
Having described the Invention that has been communicated to me as
aforesaid, and the means of carrying the same into effect, I would observe,
that although I have herein shewn and described the best mechanical arrange-
ments with which I am acquainted for effecting the intended objects, yet they
may doubtless be varied in some particulars without departing from the
nature and object of the present Invention; I therefore wish it to be under-
stood that I do not intend to confine myself rigidly to the precise arrange-
ment and construction of parts herein set forth; but that which I consider to
be new, and therefore wish to claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters
Patent as aforesaid, is,―
First, the general arrangement or combination of parts herein set forth, or
any modification thereof, for covering and twisting yarns in the same machine,
or at one and the same operation.
Second, I claim the mode shewn in Figures 5 and 6, or any mere modifica-
tion thereof, for covering the cotton or other inferior thread or yarn with silk
as it passes onward to the flyers of the spindles.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward John Payne, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
EDWARD JOHN PAYNE. (LS)