IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBINS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Tetley, of Bradford, in the County of
York, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF BOBBINS."
Sealed the 27th April 1853, and dated the 26th February 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Tetley at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 26th February 1853.
J, CHARLES TETLEY, of Bradford, in the County of York, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBINS " to be as follows :—
The object of this Invention is to obtain bobbins permanently of
different colours, in order that each manufacturer (as well as the trade)
may know his bobbins; and the Invention consists of causing the
wood, before or after being made into bobbins, to be dyed; and this,
I believe, will be best accomplished by placing the pieces of wood or
bobbins in a vessel, and withdrawing the air therefrom, so as to get
the dye to penetrate well into the wood.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Tetley, in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 24th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
CHARLES TETLEY, of Bradford, in the County of York, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Tetley, Her special licence
that I, the said Charles Tetley, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Tetley, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBINS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Charles Tetley, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly 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 Charles Tetley, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof (that is to say):
The object of this Invention is to obtain bobbins permanently of
different colours, in order that each manufacturer (as well as the trade)
may know his bobbins; and the Invention consists of causing the wood,
before or after being made into bobbins, to be dyed; and this, I believe,
will be best accomplished by placing the pieces of wood or bobbins in

page_text: a vessel, and withdrawing the air therefrom, so as to get the dye to
penetrate well into the wood.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner in which the same is to be performed. And I
would at the outset state that the Invention is confined to that class of
bobbins known as "spools or shuttle bobbins," used by worsted spinners
and manufacturers. The use of spools only commenced a few years
ago, and the advantages from their use are so great that they are now
employed almost universally in the home trade. The practice is this:
the manufacturer or spinner of yarn spins the yarn on to these spools
or shuttle bobbins, and consequently they are ready to be placed in the
weaver's shuttle without being wound over again, which was the
former practice. When, therefore, the yarn manufacturer sells to the
piece manufacturer a quantity of spool yarn (called so from being spun
on spools), neither the length nor weight of yarn can be known in the first
instance; but so soon as the buyer has woven the yarn off the bobbins he
returns the bobbins to the seller, and the weight of the empty bobbins
being deducted from what was the weight with the yarn upon them
the yarn is paid for accordingly.
I shall now point out the difficulties and losses necessarily attendant
upon the system. Many worsted spinners receive from their customers
in one day many thousand empty bobbins. If the buyer sends back
to the spinner the bobbins actually received from the spinner, all is
fair between the parties; but he if send back others, which are not the
seller's own bobbins (and this he may do most unintentionally, if he
purchase of different persons), the spinner is injured. And it is
desirable, for other reasons also, that both purchaser and seller should
know the true party who should receive back and allow for the bobbins
sent out. A spinner who sends out bobbins ought not to receive back
and allow for lighter ones. Neither should the spinner allow for those
which are heavier, or longer, or shorter, or of a different pattern, or of
a different bore, or which have not the spinner's own mark upon them.
The object of this Invention is to prevent wrong and fraud on all
sides by retaining to each spinner a particular colour of dyed bobbin,

page_text: so that his colour may be known to all. The spinner is now obliged to
use the utmost vigilance to detect wrong bobbins sent to him, and
various means have been resorted to in order to enable each spinner to
know his own bobbins, but no means which is practically effectual has
yet been devised. Many have their names or initials stamped on the
bobbin, but this practice requires that cach bobbin be taken up sepa-
rately by the hand to inspect the mark; and in so many it is obvious
that it can hardly be carried out but at considerable cost of time.
Others have burnt black rings round the bobbins, and have used
various devices.
My Invention consists in causing the bobbins to be made from wood
impregnated into the pores of its substance with colouring matter,
whereby a spinner or manufacturer, having selected a particular colour,
may recognize his own bobbins by the colour given thereto. I prefer
to place the wood, reduced to suitable sizes, in a closed air-tight vessel,
and after exhausting the air, then to admit the colouring matter in a
liquid state, and then to apply hydraulic pressure, so that the wood may
become thoroughly impregnated with the colour. I propose also
to subject bobbins of the aforesaid kind to the same process after
the same are manufactured; but where the bobbins are not already
on hand, but have to be made new, I prefer to impregnate them
before being bushed. I propose to use the same colouring matters
and mordants as are now well known to be used by dyers, but
I prefer those which are used for dyeing vegetable productions; and,
generally, I propose to vary the process of dying, so long as the end
shall be attained of enabling people to know their own bobbins by the
artificial colour impregnated therein. It is obvious, also, that one-half
or other part of the bobbin only may be coloured, or the bushes may be
in contrast to the barrels, by which means greater number of distinc-
tions can be obtained.
I would state that I am aware that colouring matter has been applied
to the external surface of bobbins of the kind aforesaid, and fixed by
varnish; but such colouring is perishable, and soon wears off. I there-
fore disclaim merely external or surface colouring. By these means a

page_text: new manufacture of spools or shuttle-bobbins will be produced; and
by granting licences to spinners, and confining each to one colour, it
is contemplated a great advantage will accrue to the manufacturer and
spinner.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Tetley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
CHARLES TETLEY. (L.s.)
Witness, B. TERRY, Solicitor, Bradford, Yorkshire.