IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBINS OR HOLDERS FOR. TEXTILE MATERIALS
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George McKenzie, William
Fullarton Murray, and John Hamilton, at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 28th February 1862.
We, GEORGE MCKENZIE, WILLIAM FULLARTON MURRAY, and JOHN HAMILTON,
Gentlemen, all of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, do.
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBINS OR HOLDERS FOR.
TEXTILE MATERIALS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of machinery or
apparatus for moulding bobbins from clay, which improvements are, based
to a certain extent upon an Invention of "Improvements in Bobbins or
Holders for Textile Materials," for which Letters Patent were granted to the
said George McKenzie and John Hamilton, bearing date the 26th day of
November 1860, and numbered 2900.
According to the present Invention, the "dod" or cylindrical piece of clay
to form the bobbin is first made by pressing the clay through an aperture
of the proper diameter, and is then moulded by means of four moveable
dies or moulds which form the external shape of the bobbin, whilst the
tubular aperture through the centre of the bobbin is formed by a self-acting
spindle, which passes through the dies that form the ends of the bobbin.
Under one modification the machine consists of a suitable framing for
carrying the dies and the actuating gearing. The dies consist of two steel

page_text: faced moulds which are shaped to form the barrel part and the bevelled ends
forming the inner portions of the end discs. These dies have a transverse
reciprocating movement imparted to them by means of cams arranged on a
shaft below or other equivalent mechanical arrangement for imparting a to-and-
fro motion to the dies which traverse in suitable guides. The ends of the
bobbins are formed by a pair of dies which move in a longitudinal direction or
at right angles to the first pair. Motion is communicated to these dies by cams
or other equivalent means, so as to cause them to move simultaneously with the
others. When the machine is operating and the dies are moved asunder, a
"dod" or cylindrical piece of clay descends from a feeding tube or hopper
arranged above the dies. At the same instant the rotatory movement of the
cams causes the dies to close up and compress the dod to the form of the bobbin.
Immediately following this operation a spindle to which an intermittent motion
is communicated from the main shaft or other moving part of the machine is
brought forward and passes through the "dod." This motion of the spindle
forms the central tubular aperture, and at the same time forces the clay com-
pletely into all parts of the mould. A small hole may, if necessary, be formed
in one of the end dies to admit of any small quantity of surplus clay passing
through it, the diameter of the "dod" is however arranged.to avoid much
excess of clay. The moment the spindle has passed through the moulded
bobbin, the dies move back and the bobbin is carried away laterally by the
backward motion of the spindle, from which it is detached and passes down an
inclined plane to a receiver arranged below. Meanwhile another "dod" has
passed out of the feeding tube and the operations of compressing and piercing
it are repeated, and in this way the moulding goes on with great rapidity and
certainty of action. The moulded bobbins are afterwards fired and glazed,
which complètes the manufacture..