Improvements in Apparatus for Serving Ropes or Cables.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 1 th Dec., 1.91-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Serving Ropes or Cables.
1. FRANCIS ROBERT LUCAS of Park Lolge, Hervez Road, Kidbrook in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention relates to a tool for serving ropes or cables by winding a layer of
yarn -pirally around them and is more particularly applicable for serving splines in
submarine telegraph cables.
Hitherto in serving cables a tool called a serving mallet has been employed.
This consists of a trough which bears longitudinally against the cable being of
suitable size to embrace it. This trough carries at its back a handle. The yarn or
other material with which the cable is to be served is passed two or three times
round the handle so as to put on the necessary friction, it is then wound spirally
upon the cable by turning the mallet round the cable as an axis, the cable lying in
the trough, and the handle being used as a lever to keep the yarn tight. This
method of procedure requires at least two men, one to use the inallet and the other
to hold the ball of yarn and to move it round the cable as the mallet is turned.
According to this invention I carry in the mallet a bobbin of the yarn and thus
dispense with one of the men. The mallet has as heretofore a trough to receive
the cable and it also has a hollow handle at the back carried by two brackets fixed
to the sides of the trough the bobbin being between the brackets. The bobbin is
mounted upon two short spindles carried by brackets at the ends of the back of the
trough, one of these brackets being fixed and the other movable to allow of
the bobbin being taken in and out. The movable bracket has fixed to it two nearly
parallel spring rods which pass through two pairs of eyes at the back of the trough,
so that to withdraw the bracket the spring rods have to be slightly bent from their
normal positions so that they tend to hold the bracket in position. The hollow
handle of the mallet carries rounded surfaces at its lower end.
In using the tool the yarn is led up through the hollow handle, then down over
one of the brackets carrying the handle, around the cable up over the other bracket
over the curved surfaces at the lower end of the handle and, if necessary, is wound
two or three times round the handle, and then passes down to the cable at the
point of winding. By suitably leading the yarn any desired amount of friction call
be put on. The yarn is wound onto the cable much as before, by turning the
mallet round and round with the cable lying in its trough and using the handle as
a lever.
10
1
"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Serving Ropes or Cables.
1, FRANCIS ROBERT LUCAS of Park Lodge, Hervey Road, Kidbrook in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to a tool for serving ropes or cables by winding a layer of
yarn spirally around them and is more particularly applicable for serving splices in
submarine telegraph cables.
Hitherto in serving cables a tool called a serving mallet has been employed.
This consists of a trough which bears longitudinally against the cable being of

page_text: suitable size to embrace it. This trough carries at its back a handle. The yarn
or other material with which the cable is to be served is passed two or three times
round the handle so as to put on the necessary friction, it is then wound spirally
upon the cable by turning the mallet round the cable as an axis, the cable lying in
the trough, and the handle being used as a lever to keep the yarn tight. This
method of procedure requires at least two men, one to use the mallet and the other
to hold the ball of yarn and to move it round the cable as the mallet is
turned.
The drawings shew a mallet constructed according to this invention Figure 1
being an end elevation and Figure 2 a side elevation.
men.
1
I carry in the mallet a bobbin a of the yarn and thus dispense with one of the
The mallet has as heretofore a trough to receive the cable and it also
has a hollow handled at the back carried by two brackets d¹ fixed to the sides of
the trough the bobbin being between the brackets. The bobbin is mounted upon
two short spindles e el carried by brackets at the ends of the back of the
trough, one of these brackets namely being fixed and the other movable to
allow of the bobbin being taken in and out. The moveable bracket has fixed
to it two nearly parallel spring rods which pass through two pairs of eyes y
at the back of the trough, so that to withdraw the bracket the spring rods have
to be slightly bent from their normal positions so that they tend to hold the
bracket in position.
The hollow handle d of the mallet carries rounded surfaces d
at its lower end.
In using the tool the yarn is led from the bobbin at h into the hollow handle at j
up through the hollow handle, and out of the top at then down over one of the
brackets carrying the handle, around the cable at 7 up over the other bracket, and
over the curved surfaces at the lower end of the handle at m and, if necessary, is
wound two or three times round the handle, and then passes down from to the
cable at the point o of winding. By suitably leading the yarn any desired amount
of friction can be put on. The yarn is wound onto the cable much as before, by
turning the mallet round and round with the cable lying in its trough and using
the handle as a lever.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for serving ropes or cables the combination of a trough, a bobbin
carried by the trough and means for putting friction onto the yarn substantially as
described.
2. In apparatus for serving ropes or cables the combination of a trough having
a hollow handle and a bobbin carried by the trough substantially as described.
3. Apparatus for serving ropes or cables substantially as described and shewn in
the drawings.
Dated this 4th day of December 1801