A CERTAIN 'METHOD OF IMPROVING THREAD OR YARN AS. USUALLY MANUFACTURED, OF EVERY DESCRIPTION, WHETHER FABRICATED FROM FLAX, COTTON, WOOL, SILK, OR ANY OTHER VEGETABLE, ANIMAL, OR OTHER SUBSTANCE WHATSOEVER
Year: 1817

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
HALL, of Basford, Nottinghamshire, Cotton Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS I did by petition humbly represent to His present Majesty
King George the Third that I had invented "A CERTAIN 'METHOD OF IMPROVING
THREAD OR YARN AS. USUALLY MANUFACTURED, OF EVERY DESCRIPTION, WHETHER
FABRICATED FROM FLAX, COTTON, WOOL, SILK, OR ANY OTHER VEGETABLE, ANIMAL, OR
OTHER SUBSTANCE WHATSOEVER, His Majesty was pleased to issue His Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Third day of November; One thousand eight hundred and seventeen, in
the fifty-eighth year of His reign, which Letters Patent do give and grant
unto me, the said Samuel Hall, and to' my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or to my and their servants or agents, His said Majesty's especial
licence to make, use, exercise, and vend my said Invention within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His said
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and to have and enjoy the whole
profit and advantage arising by reason of the said Invention during the term of
fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent, by which His Majesty
also requires and strictly commands all His subjects whatever, within England,
Wales, and the said Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His said
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, that during the continuance of the
said terin of fourteen years. they shall not, either directly or indirectly, make,

page_text: use, or put in practice my said Invention, or any part of it, or in any ways
counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same; the said Letters Patent also contain
a proviso, obliging me, the said Samuel Hall, to particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and
to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that in fulfillment of the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Hall, have executed this instrument by which I do declare that
my method of impoving thread or yarn, as usually manufactured, of every
description, whether fabricated from flax, cotton, wool, silk, or any other
vegetable, animal, or other substance whatsoever, is described and ascertained
in the manner following:-
The object of my Invention is to remove the projecting fibres or ends of
fibres from every description of thread or yarn, to which such projecting fibres
are iujurious or prejudicial; for these ends of fibres, not being bound into or
twisted in with the body of the thread, do not contribute to the strength thereof,
but they form a kind of fur or wool around the thread, which makes it appear
larger or thicker than it really is, because the edge or outline of the thread is
not clearly distinguishable by the eye.
its
My method of improving thread or yarn is by drawing it through or at a
very small distance above a body of flame or fire, produced by the combustion
of inflammable gas, so as to burn, singe, and destroy as much of the said super-
fluous fibre or fur as may be removed without injury to the thread. A thread
or several threads are drawn by means of some machine, so that every part of
such threads shall pass successively through or at a very small distance above
the flame, with such velocity of motion as to be acted upon by the flame during
passage, but without continuing the action of the flame so long as to injure
the threads. It is obvious that the rapidity of the motion must depend upon
the nature of the thread or yarn, and upon the intensity of the flame.
It is of course impossible. to give any general description of the motion
that will be applicable to different cases. A slight trial, however, in each
instance will be sufficient to ascertain and regulate the velocity. A regular
and uniform motion will of course be most convenient and advantageous.
The operation may be repeated twice or more times, according to the nature
of the thread; and. the repetition may be effected at one operation by
passing the thread through or over two or more distinct planes, situate
at such distance asunder that the thread will in some measure cool in
passing from one to another, so as not to be burned; or otherwise the thread

page_text: may be passed through or over a single frame, and the operation repeated as
often as is necessary. This process will render the thread much more round,
even, and smooth, so as to improve the same in respect to its fineness and
beauty. The machine for drawing the thread through or over the flame
may be constructed different ways to produce the same effect. It will be proper
to have two bobbins for each thread; one of these bobbins is to contain the
thread which is to be operated upon, and the other is to draw the thread from
the former, and to receive it after it has passed through or over the flame. For
this
purpose, the latter of these bobbins must be turned regularly round by some
mechanism to wind the thread upon itself, and to draw it off from the first-
mentioned bobbin, which must be so poised upon centres as to turn round when
the thread is drawn off from it, but at the same time it must afford such
resistance as will draw the thread tight, but not to endanger the breaking of the
thread. Part of the thread so extended between the two bobbins must be held
in an horizontal position, or nearly so, and the flame of the gas must be placed
in that part, in order that the thread shall pass through the middle of the flame,
or at a very small distance above the same, when it winds off from one bobbin
to the other. The thread must pass about half an inch or a little more or less
above the orifice or orifices at which the gas issues, and in order to produce a
current of air and make a perfect combustion of the gas, a small chimney of about
four or six inches high may be placed over the flame. When it is required to
prepare several threads at once by the same machine, a number of bobbins, such
as aforesaid, may be placed in a row, and all turned at once; each bobbin must
wind up a single thread and draw the same through or over the flame. The
bobbins which give off the thread before it passes through or over the flame
will act most advantageously if they are all independant of one another, and
only turned by the drawing of the thread. The motion of the thread in passing
through or over the flame must be regulated in velocity according to the size and
nature of the thread and the intensity of the flame. Before the thread enters
into or passes over the flame, it may be drawn between two surfaces covered with
woollen cloth, or other substance which is adapted to cause a friction on the
thread, and thereby to raise up the ends of the superfluous fibres, so that they
will be more readily and completely burned and destroyed by the heat of the
flame; or in some cases I employ brushes of hair or bristles, which are fixed
on the circumference of a cylinder, and the same is turned round in a direc-
tion contrary to the motion of the threads, in order to brush and raise up the
fibres; or the said cylinder may be covered with cloth, or with stuff called
plush. The apparatus for the production of the inflammable gas may be the
same which is well known and in use for the purpose of illumination. The

page_text: gas is to be conducted in pipes to the machine, and to enter into a tube: which
is placed horizontally: beneath the row of threads, and is. provided with snall
jets or burners. to allow the gas to flow out and make a small flame for each
thread to pass through or over, as aforesaid. The 'gas may be admitted into
the pipe through a cock to regulate the size of the flame.
.
. The above description will serve to point out the necessary properties for a
machine to perform this work; but the machinery to put the bobbins in motion
may be constructed in different ways, well known to those who are conversant
with spinning or doubling machinery.
"
To facilitate the execution of my Invention, I have annexed a Drawing of
the machine which I employ in my manufactory, and which machine I have
found to be conveniently adapted to the purpose.,
. A, A, are the bobbins which contain the 'thread which is to be improved;
each bobbin is poised upon. an iron wire. B, a wooden rail which supports the
bobbins; C and D, two other. rails over which the threads are-conducted-to
hold them horizontally, or nearly so; the first of these rails C-may be covered
on the top with woollen cloth, for the purpose of raising the fibres of the
thread, as before mentioned. Note, if a revolving brush is employed, it must
be situated close to the rail C. E is a tube which conducts the gas. from <the
gazometer of the apparatus where it is produced. This tube extends hori-
zontally all the length of the machine, and has small jets in the upper side; as
shewn separately, to allow the gas to flow out, and form a flame like the.flame
of a lamp beneath each thread. The entrance of the gas into the tube is
regulated by a cock. e, e, are the chimneys, of metal plate, which are supported
over the flames by stems; F, F, are other bobbins of the same form. as thé
bobbins A, A; each one is placed on a vertical spindle G, G, so: as to. turn
round therewith. H is an horizontal cylinder, which extends the whole length
of the machine,, and gives motion to all the spindles G, G, by small bands.;
I, a pulley upon the axis of the cylinder, which receives an endless band.to
give motion to the whole machine by means of some mechanical force-;- or
instead of this pulley, a winch or handle may be applied to the axis of the
cylinder, to turn the machine by hand, with a fly wheel to regulate the motion.
K is a toothed pinion on the other extremity of the axis of the cylinder; 'and
.L,, M, N, is the wheelwork, to give a slow motion to the axis O; which, carries
.two, excentric pieces; P, Q, are levers, which bear upon the excentric pieces. P.,
and are attached 'by rods R to the arms r of the rails T, T. These arms are
poised on centres, so that the rails T can rise and fall according as the excentric
pieces actuate them. The rails T carry wire crooks t, which conduct the
threads upon the bobbins F, F, to distribute the thread regularly upon all the

page_text: length of the bobbins. When the thread has been passed once through or over
the flame, and the operation is to be repeated, those bobbins F which become
filled with thread are removed from the spindles G, and are made to exchange
places with the empty bobbins A, A, and then the thread is drawn off from.
A. By this means, in passing over the rail C (or over a brush, as aforesaid),
the fibres are raised in opposite directions every time the operation is repeated
As the yarn or thread will be somewhat discoloured by the operation, it
may afterwards be bleached by any of the processes in common use.
In conclusion, I must observe that my Invention does not consist in any
particular form or combination of machinery or apparatus by which the thread
is drawn off from one bobbin and wound upon another, nor do I claim the
exclusive use of any such machinery or apparatus; but my Invention consists
in combining the use of the flame or fire produced by the combustion of
inflammable gas with machinery, in such manner that the thread or yarn may
be drawn through or over the flame or fire, so as to burn, singe, and destroy as
much of the superfluous fibre or fur as may be removed without injury to the
thread.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Hall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighteen.
SAMUEL (L.) HALL
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twentieth day of April,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Samuel Hall came before our
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And also the
Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute in
that case made and provided.