AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ROPES, CORDS, LINES, AND Twines
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Turner Wright, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, and Edwin Payton Wright, of Birmingham
aforesaid, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ROPES, CORDS, LINES, AND Twines."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Turner Wright and
Edwin Payton Wright at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 17th August 1854.
We, JOHN TURNER WRIGHT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, and EDWIN PAYTON WRIGHT, of Birmingham aforesaid, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVE-
MENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ROPES, CORDS, LINES, AND
TWINES," to be as follows:-
Our said Invention consists in a method of finishing ropes, cords, lines, and
twines, berein-after described. We take the unfinished cord, wound upon bob-
bins, as it usually is preparatory to finishing, and we pass the said cord through
a machine or apparatus of the following construction :-The ends of the cords
(any number of which may be operated upon at one time) are connected
with a drum, by the slow motion of which the said cords are drawn from the
said bobbins and wound on the said drum, and between the said bobbins and

page_text: drum the cord is subjected to the following processes:-As the cord is unwound
from the bobbins it first passes over a table, to which a rapid reciprocating
motion is given in the direction of the cord. This table carries transverse
metallic plates or scrapers, which detach the loose fibres from the cord, and also
a box containing the size to be used in finishing the cord; the said cord passes
through the said box, and becomes thereby sized. After passing from over the
said table the cord passes through scourers. These consist of pairs of metallic
plates, the opposed surfaces of which are corrugated. A rapid recipro-
cating motion is given to the said scourers. The cord next passes through
strippers or polishing cords fixed on a stationary table. The said strippers
consist of a piece of rope twisted into a helical form, the cord being operated
upon passing through the helix, and receiving a polish or smoothness there-
from. The cord next passes through a hot air chamber or stove, by which it
is partially dried. The said stove may consist of a chamber, in the lower part
of which a charcoal fire is placed, or gas jets, or both, and the fire and gas jets
may be urged by bellows. After leaving the stove the cord is subjected to the
operation of other strippers or polishing cords, and passes through a second
stove, after which it receives a final polishing from another set of strippers or
polishing cords. We do not think it necessary to describe the methods
whereby the several motions in our Invention are obtained, as the same may
be effected in a variety of ways, and constitute no part of our Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Turner Wright and Edwin Payton Wright in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 17th February 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
TURNER WRIGHT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
and EDWIN PAYTON WRIGHT, of Birmingham aforesaid, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said John Turner Wright and Edwin Payton Wright, Her special licence
that we, the said John Turner Wright and Edwin Payton Wright, our execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Turner

page_text: Wright and Edwin Payton Wright, our 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 "AN
IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ROPES, CORDS, LINES,
AND TWINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John
Turner Wright and Edwin Payton Wright, by an instrument in writing under
our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, should par-
ticularly 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 Edwin Payton Wright, on behalf
of myself and the said John Turner Wright, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-
Our said Invention consists in the finishing of ropes, cords, lines, and twines
by machinery constructed in the manner herein-after particularly described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing. Figure 1 represents a side cle-
vation of our machine, and Figure 2 represents a plan of the same. The same
letters indicate the same parts in both Figures. We take the unfinished cord,
wound upon bobbins, as it usually is preparatory to finishing. The said bobbins
are marked a. Any number of the bobbins may be employed; but we will
describe the action of our machine with reference to one cord, as the action is
the same on every cord, whatever number may be operated upon at one time.
On passing from the bobbin, the cord passes through an eye or hole 6, for the
purpose of guiding it. c, d, e, are three knives or scrapers. The cord passes
under the knife c, over the knife d, and under the knife e, as represented in
Figure 1, whereby the loose fibres are removed from the said cord; after
leaving the knife e, the cord passes through the box f. The said box f contains
size made of gelatine, or any other sizing material may be put into the said
box. A knife or scraper 7 is situated in the said box f, under which knife or
scraper the cord passes. The box f, and knives c, d, e, are fixed on a table h,
which rests on slides on the framing i of the machine. A reciprocating motion
is given to the table h, and consequently to the box f, and knives c, d, e, by the
excentrick and connecting rod 7, the said excentric & being situated on the
main shaft m of the machine. While the cord is being slowly drawn through
I

page_text: same.
the machine, by the means hercin-after explained, it is subjected to a scraping
action, by the alternating motion of the knives c, d, c, and is impregnated with
size, by the alternating motion of the size box f, through which it passes. Tho
cord is next subjected to the action of two scourers n, o. The construction of
these scourers will be understood by an inspection of Figure 3, which represents
one of them on a large scale. It consists of two pieces p, q, of the form
represented. The opposed surfaces of these pieces are corrugated. The said
pieces are pressed together by a ring or band of vulcanised caoutchouc. The
cord passes between the two pieces p, q. These scourers n, o, Figures 1 and 2,
are situated at the top of the arms r, s. A reciprocating motion is given to
these scourers by connecting rods t, u, jointed to the sides of the wheels v, which
said wheels are geared to the main shaft m of the machine. The cord next
passes through a fixed stripper or polishing cord w, situated on the table a.
This stripper or polishing cord consists of a piece of rope coiled into a helical
or corkscrew form, and gives a polish to the sized cord as it passes through the
The cord next passes through a stove or hot air chamber, which may
be variously constructed; but we prefer the heat of a gas stove combined with
that of a coke stove. The said stove is constructed as follows:-Combustiblo
gas is conveyed through the pipe y to the tuyere or jet, and a stream of air
is delivered into the tuyere or jet by the pipe 1. The chamber 2, into which
the tuyere opens, also contains a quantity of coke, and the upper part of the
said chamber through which the cord passes is thus filled with highly heated
air, which dries the cord more or less as it passes through the said chamber.
The products of combustion escape by the chimney 3. The current of air by
which the gas flame is urged is supplied by the bellows 4. The said bellows
are worked from the main shaft m by the band 5, as will be understood by an
inspection of Figure 1. After passing from the hot air chamber 2, the cord
passes through another hot air chamber 6, exactly similar in construction
to the chamber 2. After leaving the hot air chamber 6, where the sized
cord receives a further and final drying, it passes through a stripper or
polishing cord 7, mado of a helix of rope, by which it receives its final
polish. The stripper 7 is fixed on a table 8, to which a slow reciprocating
transverse motion is given, for the purpose of guiding the said cord as it coils
on the drum or terry 9. The motion of the said drum or terry 9 is commu-
nicated from the main shaft m by the band 10. The reciprocating transverse
motion of the table 8 is produced as follows:-A slow motion is conmunicated
to the wheel 11 by the pinion 12, on the axis of the drum or terry 9. A
connecting rod 13, jointed to the side of the wheel 11, communicates an
alternating motion to the bell crank lever 14, and from it through the con-

page_text: necting link 15 to the table 8. Immediately before passing on to the drum
or terry 9, the cord passes under a roller 16, to prevent it from rising, and
being unequally acted upon by the rubber 7, when the angles of the said
terry approach the highest point in their revolution. The slow unwinding of
the cord and its progression through the several parts of the machine are
produced by the winding of the said cord upon the drum or terry 9. The
intensity of the heat in the hot air chambers 2, 6, may be regulated by stop-
cocks in the gas and air tubes respectively. When the machine is suddenly
stopped, or made to work very slowly, it is necessary to defend the cord from
the heat of the hot air chambers 2, 6. This is done by the governor 17
(which resembles the governor of a steam engine) in the following manner:-
In the interior of the hot air chamber two doors are situated, which when the
machine is in work lie upon the inclined sides of the chamber. The arms
18, 19, are connected with the said doors, and the weights 20, 21, on the
arms 18, 19, raise the said doors into a horizontal position when the rods
22, 23, are not propped up. When the machine is at work, the shoulders 24
of the rods 22, 23, are made to rest on the edge of the holes in the bars 25,
through which the lower ends of the said rods 22, 23, pass. When, however,
the machine stops, the governor 17 depresses the lover 26, and, through the
connector 27, draws the lower end of the rod 22 horizontally, until its shoulder
24 is brought over the hole through which its lower end passes, when the said
rod 22 descends, and the door in the interior of the hot air chamber con-
nected with the arm 18 is brought into a horizontal position. By means of
the connecting rod 28, a similar action is effected with respect to the arm 19
and the door connected with it; and by means of the connecting rod 29, the
closing of the doors in the hot air chamber 2 is at the same time effected.
The mechanism for closing the doors in the interior of the chamber 2 resem-
bles that in the chamber 6, and we do not think it necessary to describe it.
The said doors may also be closed by the action of the handle 30.
The covers of the hot air chambers 2, 6, together with the chimnies, may be
lifted off the said chambers, and the cord raised and passed over the pulley a',
so as to remove the said cord from the influence of heat when the machine is
stopped, or when it is not wished to expose the cord to heat. Motion is
communicated to the main shaft m from any convenient source of motive
power.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described, as the same may
be varied without departing from the nature of our said Invention; for

page_text: example, the motions of the several parts of the machine may be produced by
mechanical arrangements differing from those described by us; and the number
of knives or scapers, scourers and strippers, to which the cord is subjected in
passing through the machine, may be varied, to suit the particular kind of cord
to be operated upon, and the amount of finish which it is desired to give
thereto. Although we have for convenience of description explained the
action of our machine with reference to a single cord, yet, as herein-before
stated, and as will be readily understood by an inspection of the Drawing,
twelve or other number of cords may be operated upon simultaneously by our
machine. And although we have only described our machine with reference
to the finishing of a cord, yet our Invention is applicable to the finishing of
all kinds of ropes, cords, and twines which are or may be finished by the
application of size.
We claim as our Invention the machine herein described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawing for finishing ropes, cords, lines, and twines; that
is to say, a machine in which the processes of scraping, sizing, scouring,
stripping, or polishing and drying, are simultaneously performed upon the said
ropes, cords, lines, and twines as the same pass slowly through the said
machine.
✓ In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Payton Wright, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
EDWIN PAYTON WRIGHT. (L.B.)