IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SPINNING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES INTO YARN
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John May and Matthew May
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 5th May 1870.
We, JOHN MAY, of New Wortley, Leeds, in the County of York,
Operative Spinner, and MATTHEW MAY, of the same Place, Operative
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SPINNING WOOL AND OTHER
FIBRES INTO YARN," to be as follows:-
"
This Invention, which we term a "continuous spinner," relates to
improved machinery or apparatus which is intended to be used in lieu
of the ordinary "mule employed for spinning wool and other fibres
into yarn, and has principally for its object the economising of space
and saving of time.
In suitably formed bearings (screwed or otherwise attached to each
other and attached to a framing) we insert a tube of brass or other
metal (in a vertical direction) which tapers towards its lower end. To the
outer circumference of this tube (and between the bearings) we attach a
pulley which is keyed or made fast to the same; this tube and pulley

page_text: are driven at an uniform speed from a driving cylinder, the band of
which passes round the pulley. Underneath the lower bearing and
around the exterior of the tapering part of the tube we attach a
second or a loose pulley having cast (or otherwise formed) on its
under surface a bevilled wheel. This pulley is also driven from a
special cylinder similar to the one herein-before mentioned. Under
this loose pulley, and made in one piece with or firmly secured to the
bottom of the tube, is a rectangular box or bearing, the ends and bottom
of which are cut away. In one side or jaw of this box or bearing is let
in or fixed a suitable pin or pivot which acts as the axis on which two
wheels revolve. Neither of these are fixed or attached to their common
axis, but are made fast to cach, the outer one is a bevil wheel and
gears into the bevil wheel, forming part of the loose pulley, the inner
one of the two is an ordinary spur wheel which gears into and drives a
similar one also fixed to its axis and which is situated at the hind part
of the box or lower bearing. This latter axis runs across the rectangular
box from one jaw to the other, and has fixed on or firmly attached to it
a fluted toothed or corrugated roller which is placed inside the box.
A slot is made in either side of the box from the front end, and this
allows of the introduction of the axis of another and similar fluted
toothed or corrugated roller (also inside the box), and which is also
made fast to its axis and gears into the first-mentioned fluted roller. A
picce of steel is placed across the front end of the box from one jaw
to the other, the ends of which are made or shaped so as to fill up the
slots in the sides of the box and act as a side bearing to the axis of
the fluted or corrugated roller last mentioned. The middle of this steel
picce is cut away so as to allow of the rotation of this fluted roller.
Over or in front of this steel piece is placed a spring plate or a piece of
ribbon steel which is screwed or otherwise conveniently attached to the
upper or top part of the front end of the box, its free or bottom side
pressing against the front or projecting part of the steel bearing piece;
by this means elasticity is imparted to the corrugated rollers.
The chief differences of the improved spinning apparatus from the
ordinary mule may be briefly enumerated as follows:-In the mule
after the sliver has been drawn out and twisted it has to traverse back
a distance to be wound on to the cop equal to about four yards of room
across, that is, the mule really travels seven feet, but the framework,
carriage wheels, and alley for the operative to stand in take up space

page_text: equal to five feet more, total four yards (or two mules are just able to
work in seven and a half yards room in width), which loss of space is
and always has been considered a matter of great importance where the
space or working room is limited.
By the adoption of the improved apparatus the sliver is drawn from
the "winding on" cylinder and pressing rollers in a downward and
vertical direction (instead of in a horizontal, as in the mule), and whilst
being drawn is at the same time twisted by the rotation of the tapering
tube and corrugated or fluted rollers herein-before described. The loose
pulley being driven at a different speed to the fast one will cause by its
connection with the bevil and spur wheels, herein-before described, a
forward motion to the corrugated rollers, thereby drawing and regulating
the twist in drawing as required by the rotation on their own axes of
the rollers and their rotation round the axis of the tube. The spun
yarn passes immediately from the corrugated rollers (when drawing) to
the spindle and flyer to be "filled up" with twist and wound on the
bobbin or cop; by this means about two-thirds of the room or space
occupied is saved with the same number of spindles at work.
Another advantage is that the machine will always be going straight
forward (as it were) (except when the bobbins are full and need re-
placing) whereas the mule loses time in "backing off" and "winding
on" the yarn.
The apparatus can be applied to a condenser, or set up in a separate
frame with a row of spindles on each side which will again be found to
greatly economise space, as three of these improved machines will work
in the room or space of one mule.
Another advantage in the saving of time is when an "end" breaks it
can be "picced" directly, whereas in a mule the operator has to wait
until it "puts up" to commence another "drawer."