IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, WEIGHING, SORTING, SIZING, DOUBLING, TWISTING, THROWING, STRETCHING, AND REELING INTO SKEINS SILK OR OTHER FIBROUS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT William Trafford, of Leek, in the County of
Stafford, Silk Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, WEIGHING, SORTING, SIZING, DOUBLING, TWISTING,
THROWING, STRETCHING, AND REELING INTO SKEINS SILK OR OTHER FIBROUS
Sealed the 24th February 1874, and dated the 16th December 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Trafford at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th December 1873.
I, WILLIAM TRAFFORD, of Leck, in the County of Stafford, Silk
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, WEIGHING, SORTING, SIZING,
DOUBLING, TWISTING, THROWING, STRETCHING, AND REELING INTO SKEINS SILK OR
OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention consists in improvements in the
machine commonly known as the spinning mill. This machine is

page_text: provided with a shaft, drum, or reel, on I which I place rims, reels,
pulleys, or bobbins, of an equal weight. This shaft, drum, or reel, is
turned round by suitable gearing to wind upon cach rim, recl, pulley, or
bobbin, any given length of yarn as desired, after it has received the
first spin, which is imparted by a flyer on the bobbin on which the silk
is supplied to the mill.
.
When an end breaks or a bobbin is empty the whole machine is
stopped by a balanced lever acting upon a scroll, and the balanced lever
is provided with an eye through which the yarn passes to take up the
slack. When the desired number of yards has been wound on the rims,
recls, pulleys, or bobbins, the guide rail is moved endways to wind the
yarn on the adjacent rims, reels, pulleys, or bobbins, by a weight falling
on the end of a lever which lifts the guide rail and moves it from onc
stop to another. The rims, reels, pulleys, or bobbins, with the desired
length of yarn wound on cach are now weighed by an indicator and
they are then sorted and sized according to the weight of yarn on cach.
The rims, reels, pulleys, or bobbins, with the yarn wound on them
having now been sorted or classified, are taken to the doubling frame
where two or more yarns of equal size are doubled together and wound
on bobbins; the tension of each yarn is kept uniform by a weighted
lever acting on the axle on which the rim, reel, pulley, or bobbin is
mounted. The yarn having now been doubled can be taken to an
ordinary twisting or throwing mill, or to my improved twisting or
throwing mill, which is so constructed that yarns of various sizes
can be operated upon at the same time by varying the diameters of the
recls on which the yarn is wound; this improved construction enables
me to vary the twist according to the size of yarn without changing the
wheels. The recls so filled are now taken to the machinery for stretch-
ing and reeling into skeins; the yarn after being moistened is unwound
off the reel and carried over a drum or pulleys and taken back to the
receiving reel on which it is divided into skeins; the drum or pulleys
are mounted on a carriage travelling on rails; the yarn is stretched by
an endless band passing over pulleys, and a catch on the band takes
hold of the carriage and draws it back the required distance for
stretching the silk; the silk so stretched is wound on the receiving recla
and a fresh length is again drawn off the delivering reel; and these
operations are repeated until the whole length is stretched and wound
into skeins.

page_text: A stop motion consisting of a balanced lever and scroll is applied to
stop the machine when a yarn breaks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Trafford in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
TRAFFORD, of Leck, in the County of Stafford, Silk Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Trafford, Her special
licence that I, the said William Trafford, my executors; administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Trafford, 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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, WEIGHING, SORTING, SIZING, DOUBLING,
TWISTING, THROWING, STRETCHING, AND REELING INTO SKEINS SILK OR OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Trafford, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 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 William Trafford, 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 accompany-

page_text: thereon:-
On Sheet 1 Fig. 1 is an end view; Fig. 2, a front view; and Fig. 3,
a plan of my improved machinery for spinning.
a, a, are two rows of spindles supporting bobbins containing doubled
yarn. These spindles revolve in bolster and footstep rails, and they are
provided with flyers as usual. The spindles are driven by bands from
the tin drum b.
The yarn as it is unwound off the bobbins is wound on the rims, reels,
pulleys, or bobbins c, one of which is shewn detached in Figs. 4 and 5.
I prefer to make these rims of very thin sheet copper, but they may be
of other metal or material. It is however essential that they should all
be of an equal weight, and this will be apparent when I state that in my
system of manufacturing silk the yarn is weighed to sort and size it
when wound on the rim or its equivalent.
The rims c are placed on creels, say 36 or other convenient number on
each, as shewn in Fig. 2, the whole being held together by end washers
and thumb screws, or otherwise.
:-
A slow rotary motion is given to the rims c in the following
manner At the end of the axle of the tin drum. is fixed a pinion b¹
gearing into the wheel d², to which is fixed a bevel pinion gearing into a
wheel on the upright shaft d. The bevel pinion at the upper end of
this shaft gears into the bevel wheel e, to which is fixed the spur
wheel e', which by means of a carrier gives motion to the wheel f¹ on
the shaft, to which are fixed the three wheels f², cach gearing into the
wheel c², forming one end of the creels.
The yarn receives its first spin in passing from the bobbins to the
rims c by means of the flyers on the bobbins, and it is taken over the
guide wire g, seen best in the detached Fig. 6, under the balanced
lever (hinged to the rail ¹), which takes up the slack around the guide
wire i, and thence through the eyes j, which are fixed to the guide
rail k. This rail is connected to the lower rail ¹ by a pin in the former
fitting into a hole in the latter, and both rails are traversed to and fro to
distribute the yarn over the rims c in the following manner:-To the
shaft fis fixed the worm f³, which gears into the wheel on the upright
shaft 7, on which is a bevel wheel gearing into a pinion on the

page_text: horizontal shaft m, to the end of which is fixed the small heart m¹. As
this heart revolves it traverses the guide rails k, k¹, in the direction of
the arrow in Fig. 2, and they are drawn back by the weight and
cord k².
In the machine shewn there are three rims c to each spindle and
bobbin; it is therefore necessary to move the guide rail / endwise when
the first set of rims has been filled, and this is effected by the following
arrangement:-There are three holes in the lower guide rail.k³, and
when the desired number of yards of yarn has been wound on one set
of rims the pin fixed to the guide rail / is lifted out of the hole in the
rail ¹ by the following means :-On the shaft m is a spur pinion m²
gearing into another pinion on the shaft n, on which is the worm n¹
gearing into the wheel o, which revolves on a stud. Below the wheel o is
a fixed curved incline o¹, on which rests the lower end of the weighted
stud o fitting in the boss near the circumference of the wheel o, see
Fig. 6.
To the rail h¹ is jointed the lever p, one end of which acts
on a bridle fixed to the rail k, and the other end is acted upon by the
stud o. When the wheel o has completed its revolution the stud o² is
carried beyond the end of the incline o' on to the end of the lever p,
which instantly drops, and in so doing lifts the pin in the rail / out of
the hole in the rail ¹; the rail is then pulled by the weight k² in the
contrary direction to the arrow until the pin falls into the second hole,
thereby bringing the guide wires jopposite the second set of rims c,
and when they are filled, and the wheel o has completed a second revo-
lution, the rail % is again lifted to bring the guide wires opposite the
third set of rims.
When the third set of rims is filled the machine is stopped by a stud
in the rail acting upon a faller, which depresses the lever r, and
moves the driving strap on the loose pulley, as will be described
hereafter, the rims c are then removed from the crcels, but before this
the yarns connecting the first and second set and the second and third
set of rims must be cut and the ends tied up by the attendant.
The balanced levers are held up by the yarn so long as it is going
forward to the rims c, but as soon as an end breaks the machine is
stopped in the following manner:-To the rail ¹ are fixed bearings for
the axles of the balanced frames 2, which are provided with tumbler
weights, as shewn in Fig. 6.

page_text: f
When an end breaks, the lever h that had been held up by it drops on
the frame 2, and brings it into the position shewn by the dotted line;
this depresses one end of the lever r, and brings the other against the
scroll fixed on the shaft s, which is turned slowly round by the
pinion f* on the shaft f and the two carrier pinions shewn in dots in
Fig. 1, or by the wheel f² and a single carrier pinion. As soon as the
shaft s has moved sufficiently to allow the lever to assume a horizontal
position, the weighted catch r² suspended to it bears on the ledge h³,
holds the lever rigid, while the scroll s' acting on the end of the lever
traverses the shaft s endwise, and moves the strap fork levert until the 1
driving strap is traversed from the fast to the loose pulley on the axle of
the driving drum b. The end of the lever t is held against the end of
the shafts by the weighted cord t², see Fig. 2.
and
The balanced frames q are connected by the bent wires q¹, which
transmit the motion from one frame to the other, so that the machine is 1
stopped in whatever part the end may break.
The count, traverse, and stop motion above described is applicable to
the ordinary machines for throwing, spinning, and recling silk.
I wish to remark here that the driving drum b may be placed in the
middle of the frame, and that spindles and rims may be applied on both 2
sides of the frame.
When the rims c have been taken off the creels they are ready to be
weighed and classified according to the degrees of fineness by the
indicator shewn on Sheet 2.
Fig. 7 is a front view of the indicator, which consists of a scale 2
beam u, to one end of which is suspended the rim c with the silk wound
upon it, and to the other end is connected the pointer u. The scale beam is
provided with a weight u², which counterbalances the rim c when empty,
and the weight of the silk wound on the rim is indicated by the pointer
against the graduated scales shewn on the five concentric segments.
3
The finest counts are indicated by the numbers 50 to 30 on the largest
segment, or vice versa, and when the yarn to be weighed is coarser the
weight us, shewn by dotted lines, is suspended to the first point on the
beam, and the counts from 30 to 15 marked on the second segment are
indicated by the position of the pointer. The coarser numbers are in like 3
manner indicated by the pointer on the other segments, and by shifting
the weight us to the other points on the beam.

page_text: As fast as the rims c with the yarn wound on thom have been weighed
they are classified by putting all the corresponding weights on the same
peg of the crecl shewn in Figs. 8 and 9, cach peg being marked with a
number corresponding to the count of the yarn. The rims c with the
yarn having now been sorted or classified are taken to the doubling
frame, where two or more yarns of equal size are doubled together and
wound on bobbins; this frame is shewn in Figs. 10 and 11. The rims c
are placed upon the arms v, which are provided with light springs, as
shewn detached in Figs. 12 and 13. These springs yield when a rim
is pressed upon them, and they hold the rim firm while the yarn
is drawn off. The axle of the arms is provided with a grooved friction
pulley v¹, into which the weighted lever v³ enters. to keep the yarn at a
uniform tension. The yarns when doubled are wound on the bobbins v
in the usual manner. The yarn having now been doubled can be takon
to an ordinary twisting or throwing mill, or to my improved twisting or
throwing mill which is so constructed that yarns of various sizes can be
operated upon at the same time by varying the diameters of the reels on
which the yarn is wound; this improved mill is shewn on Sheet 3,
Fig. 14, and it enables me to vary the twist according to the size of yarn
without changing the wheels. This improved twisting or throwing mill
is very similar to the spinning frame shewn on Sheet 1, and the corres-
ponding parts are marked with similar letters of reference. In this
machine the bobbins containing the yarn that has been doubled in the
machine shewn in Figs. 10 and 11, or otherwise, are placed on the
spindles a, a, and the yarn unwound from these bobbins is wound on the
reels v, which are driven by wheels f gearing into v³.
I prefer to make the machine shewn in Fig. 14 long enough to contain
three reels, as shewn in Fig. 2, but the number may be increased or
reduced, and the diameter of the reels is varied according to the size of
the yarn wound on them, that is to say, the finest yarn is wound on the
smallest reel, and the coarsest yarn on the largest reel, by which means
the twist can be varied without changing the speed of the reel. The
yarn guides are traversed to and fro by the heart m² on the upright
shaft 7, and by the lever le connected to the guide rail k. The reels v so
filled are now taken to the machinery for stretching and reeling into
skeins, which is shewn in Figs. 15, 16, 17, and 18.
The machinery consists of a pair of brackets fixed to a frame or to the
wall of the room, and supporting the reel v, which is driven by the

page_text: upright shaft w, and the mitre and spur wheels shewn in Figs. 15 and 18.
The pinion on the axle of the reel must be changed in accordance
with the size of the reel. When the yarn is unwound off the reel v it is
taken over the drum or pulley x, mounted on the carriage ¹, the wheels
of which run in grooved rails. The carriage is pulled in the direction of
the arrow by the weighted cord x², and the frame for the carriage is
placed about fifteen yards or more or less from the recl v. Above the
carriage x¹ is the endless band ³, which passes around the pulleys ¹
and x. The former is provided with pegs taking into holes in the band
to prevent it slipping, and it is driven by a bevel pinion on the driving
shaft y, gearing into a wheel on the axle of the pulley x', as shewn in
the end view Fig. 16. At the other end of the shaft y is the double
cone y¹, and the small drum y². The double cone y¹ drives the inverted
double cone ¹ on the shaft z, and the drum y2 drives the fast and loose
pulleys ². The strap guide of the cone strap is actuated by a projec-
tion on the endless band ³, and that of the drum y³ by the stop motion
hereafter described. At the end of the shaft z is a mitre wheel gearing
into a similar wheel on the upright shaft w above referred to. On the
shaft is also fixed the mitre wheel ³ for driving the receiving reel A
by means of the train of wheels shewn in Fig. 15, and in the front view
Fig. 17. The yarn when brought from the drum or pulley x is wound
in skeins on the receiving reel A, and it is traversed thereon by a heart
motion similar to that shewn in Fig. 1, acting on the guide rail k. The
heart is fixed on an upright shaft ³, which is turned round by a worm z¹
gearing into a wheel on the said shaft, as shewn in Figs. 15 and 17. The
rail / is connected, by a pin to an under rail , as before described, in
reference to Sheet 1, and when a set of skeins of the required length has
been wound on the reel A. the guide rail is moved endwise to begin a
fresh set of skeins..
2
Each yarn in passing to the recl A is taken through the eye of a
balanced lever similar to in Figs. 1 and 6, and when an end breaks
the balanced lever falls on a swing frame q, which acts on a lever r,
similar to that shewn in Fig. 6, and shewn in Fig. 17, and this lever
acts on a scroll s¹, which is fast on the shafts, driven by the upright
shaft, the end of which acts on the lever t, by which the driving strap
is moved from the fast to the loose pulley .
The mode of operation is as follows:-When the yarn is unwound off
the recl v it is carried over the drum or pulley x, and taken back to the

page_text: receiving recl A, on which it is divided into skeins. The yarn is
stretched by the catch a fixed to the endless band a³, and this catch
takes hold of a projection on the carriage, and draws it back the required
distance for stretching the yarn. The yarn so stretched is then wound
on the receiving reel A, and a fresh length is again drawn off the
delivering reel v, and these operations are repeated until the whole
length is stretched and wound into skeins. Before the stretching com-
mences the reels v and A must be stopped, and when the carriage x¹ has
been moved far enough to give the stretch the catch & relcases the
carriage by the band a passing around the pulley x, and as soon as the
carriage is released it runs back until it is stopped by the tension weight
x². After the length of yarn has been stretched the reels vand A are
both started to wind up the yarn that has been stretched, and to unwind
a fresh portion to be stretched, and this starting of the recls is effected
by the catch on the endless band a³ acting on the starting rod x", to
which the strap fork for the double concs is connected. During the
traverse of the strap along the cones the reels revolve to unwind and
wind up the yarn, and when the strap arrives at the end of the cones it
comes on the loose pulley to stop the reels whilst the next stretching is
performed. The object of thus stretching the yarn before it is wound
into skeins on the reel A is to equalise the twist.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, I declare that I claim,―
First. The improved machinery for spinning silk or other fibrous
materials, as shewn and described in reference to Sheet 1.
Secondly. Weighing the silk or other yarn for the purpose of sizing
it when wound on the rims c or other equivalent, as shewn and
described.
Thirdly. The improved machinery for stopping the machine when au
end breaks, and when a given length has been wound up, as shewn and
described; also the balanced lever / for taking up the slack and prevent-
ing breakage.
Fourthly. The improved machinery for traversing the guide rail when
a given length has been wound up, as shewn and described.
Fifthly. The improved indicator and the apparatus for weighing the
yarn, as shewn and described in reference Fig. 7.

page_text: "
Sixthly. The apparatus for sorting the classified yarn, as shewn in
Figs. 8 and 9. .
Seventhly. The improvements in the doubling frame, and the mode of
regulating the tension on the yarn, as shown and described in reference
to Figs. 10, 11, 12, and 13.
Eighthly. The improvements in the twisting or throwing mill, as
shewn and described in reference to Fig. 14.
And, Ninthly. The improved machinery shewn and described in
reference to Figs. 15, 16, 17, and 18, for stretching the yarn and
equilising the twist, and for recling it into skeins.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Trafford, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-four.
WILLIAM TRAFFORD. (L.S.)