IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LONG LENGTHS OF COILED WIRE OR SPIRAL SPRING AND IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY THEREFOR."
Year: 1881

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to James Hodson, of the Firm of W. J. Glover, and Co.,
Hemp and Wire Rope Manufacturers, St. Helens, in the County of Lancaster,
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LONG
LENGTHS OF COILED WIRE OR SPIRAL SPRING AND IN APPARATUS OR
MACHINERY THEREFOR."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hodson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th December 1881.
JAMES HODSON of the Firm of W. J. Glover and Co. Hemp and Wire Rope
Manufacturers St. Helens in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF LONG LENGTHS OF COILED WIRE OR SPIRAL SPRING AND IN
APPARATUS OR MACHINERY THEREFOR❞
In manufacturing spiral springs or coiled springs or spiral wire cores for ropes it
has hitherto been considered impossible or impracticable to make them in long
lengths as in consequence of the spiral or spring after it left the mandrils twisting
or coiling at the free end; it was apt not merely to tangle but to injure itself and
put a strain on the wire which spoilt the evenness of the coils or broke it.
Now my Invention is designed to prevent this evil. It consists in winding the
loose end on to a drum whose periphery preferably directly faces the end of the
mandril and whose axis turns on another axis in or almost in the centre line of
the mandril so that the drum shall not move relatively to the mandril or spring
except with a slight winding movement given to it by a spring or equivalent
mechanism so as to wind up the free end of the coiled wire or spring as it is given
off. Guiding mechanism for guiding the loose end so as to regularly coil it on the
drum is added, or the exact reverse action is adopted and instead of the receiving
drum and mandril revolving and the feeding drum remaining stationary the feeding
drum could be made to revolve round a stationary mandril.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Hodson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th June
1882.
JAMES HODSON of the Firm of W. J. Glover & Co., Hemp and Wire Rope
Manufacturers, St. Helens, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF LONG LENGTHS OF COILED WIRE OR SPIRAL SPRING, AND IN
APPARATUS OR MACHINERY THEREFOR."
The object of the Invention is to provide a machine that will produce long
lengths of coiled or spiral wire for springs or for cores for wire ropes the said
coiled wire or spring when completed being left hollow in the centre and without
any internal filling or core. The wire to be coiled is wound onto a short mandril
off which it slides as the winding continues. The mandril may either be stationary
with the wire revolving round it or the mandril may revolve and the wire be
allowed to pass to it and be wound thereon. In the latter case the bobbin which
receives the finished coil must revolve at the same speed and should be on
the same or nearly the same normal axis as that of the mandril on which the
spiral is formed-Referring to the Drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a
machine made according to my Invention in which the mandril is stationary and
the wire revolves round it. Fig. 2 end elevation in section of same. Fig. 3 plan
of same. Fig. 4 enlarged detail view partly in section. Fig. 5 enlarged view of
guide H. Fig. 6 front elevation of machine with revolving mandril. Fig. 7 plan
of same. Fig. 8 end elevation.
The machine shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, consists of a circular horizontal plate B,
which revolves round a fixed mandril A and rests on a series of discs or rollers C
supported in the stand or framework D of the machine and driven by a strap on
a large strap-pulley E. This pulley is attached to the plate B, on the underside by
pins e and it revolves on a fixed stud F which also passes up through the revolving
plate. In the centre of the stud F is cut a hole or recess into which is fitted a
chuck to carry the mandril A onto which the wire is wound. The bobbin G
carrying the wire is placed on a spindle g on the face of the revolving table the
bobbin being free to turn on the spindle, as the wire is withdrawn and at the same
time revolving round the mandril A with each revolution of the plate B. H is a
finger or guide to direct the wire to the mandril (it is shown in detail in enlarged
view Fig. 5). The wire first passes under a guide I and a groove h in the top
of H directs it onto the mandril A. The mandril passes through a hole in the end
of the guide H and the wire as it is coiled presses against H and is thus forced off
the end of the mandril. The face of the guide H is made slightly inclined so as to
bear equally against the end of the coil of wire as it is formed. Two small
rollers K clamped together receive the coil as it passes from the mandril and
prevent its slipping off before a close and compact coil is formed. The degree of
friction or pressure exerted by the rollers K is regulated by the thumb-screw k' in
the clamp . L is a guide pulley over which the finished coil passes and it is
wound onto a spindle or bobbin at M. The weight and pulley N shows an
automatic arrangement for taking up the slack of the coil as it is formed. When
the weight N reaches the bottom of the slide N₁ it is raised by hand and the
length of coiled wire between the two pulleys n n' is wound up onto the bobbin
at M. S is the coiled wire.
The machine shown in Figs. 67 and 8 consists of a revolving spindle B
supported in pedestals or bearings C on headstocks or framework D driven by

page_text: strap-E and E¹ fast and loose driving pulleys. In the end of the spindle B is
fixed the chuck F which carries the mandril A. The coiled wire as it passes from
the mandril is wound onto the bobbin M. The support L for the bobbin M is
carried in pedestals or bearings C₁ mounted similarly to those which carry the
spindle B and the end of L nearest to the mandril is made bollow the coil passing
through the centre to the bobbin. Motion about its own axis is given to the
bobbin M by means of friction gearing N the motion being carried through the
spur and bevel gearing n and n¹. N₁ is a lever the weight on which regulates
the speed at which the bobbin rotates, its bearing adjusted so that the leverage
and friction may decrease as the coil on the bobbin increases thus causing it to
travel more slowly-O is a shaft traversing the length of the machine actuated by
spur gearing P from the spindle B. Similar gearing P at its other end causes the
bobbin carrier L with the bobbin M. to revolve at precisely the same speed as the
spindle B and mandril A; and another train of gearing Q carries round the guido
rollers K at a similar speed. The bobbin G carrying the feed wire is placed on a
spindleg bolted to the framework and the bobbin slowly revolves on its own axis
as the wire is withdrawn from it, H a guide similar to that shown in Fig. 5 (but
without the elbow or bend) guides the wire onto the mandril A and the pressure
of the wire against the guido H forces the coil off as it is made. cc two small
pedestals carrying hollow spindle b to which the guide rollers K are attached.
The finished coil of wire passes through the centre of this spindle. The chuck F
and mandril A are similar to those shown in Fig. 4. The mandril for either
machine being made about two inches long and slightly tapering towards one end.
S is the coiled wire. The mode of operation is as follows:-In the machine shown
in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the bobbin G carrying the feed wire is placed on a spindle g on
the plate B; as the plate B revolves the wire is coiled round the stationary
mandril A being by this action slowly withdrawn from G. The coiled wire is
slowly pressed off the mandril by the guide H and passes from thence between the
rollers K and from thence is led over a guide pulley L and wound onto the bobbin
at M This bobbin may be caused to slowly rotate to wind up the coil as it is
formed or an arrangement such as that shown, at N may be adopted. In the
machine shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8 the bobbin G carrying the feed wire is placed
on a spindleg bolted to the frame and as the mandril A revolves with the
spindle B the wire is withdrawn from G and coiled round A. The coil as it is
made is slowly pushed off the mandril by the action of the wire against the guide H-
and passes between the rollers K and through the hollow spindle b and hollow end
of L to the bobbin M outo which it is wound by the action of the gearing N and n.
The rotation of L and M in the same direction and at the same speed as the
mandril A prevents any injury or straining to the coiled wire which would
otherwise occur.
Having now described my Invention and the two modes I am now using to
carry it into effect I wish it to be understood that I do not claim broadly the
making of coils of wire or spiral springs on a mandril but that what I believe to
be new and desire to protect under the hereinbefore in part recited Letters
Patent is
First. In the manufacture of long hollow lengths of coiled wire causing the
drum or bobbin of feed wire to rotate round a short mandril or the short mandril to
rotate on its axis while the feed wire drum remains stationary in position so that
the wire shall be continuously coiled on the short mandril, and bringing the coiled
wire to a receiving drum having the same relative speed of rotation if any round
the axis of the mandril that is possessed by that mandril so that no twisting or
untwisting action shall take place between the mandril and the drum receiving the
coiled wire.
Second. The general arrangement and construction of machine for making long
lengths of coiled or spiral wire substantially as described and shown in Figs. 1, 2,

page_text: Third. The general arrangement and construction of machine for making long
lengths of coiled or spiral wire, substantially as described and shown in Figs. 6, 7,
and 8.
In witness whereof I the said James Hodson have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Tenth day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty-two.
JAMES HODSON. (L.S.)