Improvements in obtaining Threads or Fibres from Silk-worms and other Insects of a similar kind.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Nov., 1897-Accepted, 29th Jan., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in obtaining Threads or Fibres from Silk-worms and
other Insects of a similar kind.
I, ADAM MILLAR, of 45, Montrose Street, in the City of Glasgow,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:
A well known product of the silk-worm is obtained by taking the gelatinous
substance found in the large intestine of the insect at a certain period of its life.
and drawing it into threads upon a board or other support, which threads when
dried are found to be very tough and very strong and practically unaffected by
water.
My Invention has for its object the obtaining of such threads in long continuous
lengths so as to be applicable to many purposes for which the comparatively
short lengths of threads produced by the method commonly employed are not
suitable.
For that purpose I subject the gelatinous substance from the silk-worm or
other insects of a similar kind to pressure within a vessel having a fine outlet
nozzle or nozzles through which the gelatinous substance passes in the form of
a filament and is led on to and drawn in a continuous length by a travelling band
or a series of such bands in passing over which it becomes sufficiently dry to
permit of being wound into hanks or spools.
The apparatus employed in carrying out the Invention comprises a metal
cylinder having a stop cock fitted to the lower end and a piston and piston rod
working in the upper part of the cylinder. The piston may be actuated by any
convenient means such as a lever and weight to apply pressure to the material
placed within the cylinder.
The cylinder has an outer lining or jacket containing water heated to a suitable
temperature.
The stop cock is furnished with one or more nozzles or nipples projecting down-
wards from its lower end.
The stop cock is also furnished with a tube which extends into the body of
the cylinder. This tube is closed at the top, and has a considerable number of
small holes bored on its cylindrical sides. A piece of fine wire gauze is wrapped
round the tube and is bound tightly at top and bottom by wire ties to form a
strainer.
The cylinder is filled up with the gelatinous substance from the silk-worms.
The worms are killed when they have attained their maximum size and are about
to begin spinning. The intestines filled with the gelatinous substance are taken
out and after being cut into two or more parts are placed in the cylinder.
When the cylinder is full the piston is placed in position and is pressed down-
wards by the weighted lever. The stop cock being open, the liquid gelatine

page_text: filters through the meshes of the wire gauze and filling the tube issues in a thread
like stream from the nipple or nipples.
The membrane or skin of the intestine and also any foreign matter falls down to
the bottom of the cylinder. The threads of gelatine are led on to or fall upon a
travelling band of a long length (say 100 yards) which is carried upon the series
of drums and pulleys of which one of the lower drums is driven by a belt from a
steam engine or other prime mover. The other drums and pulleys are driven by
the travelling band.
The travelling band has its upper surface conted with a varnish or paint which
gives a non-adhesive surface, to permit the thread of gelatine to be easily lifted
from off the band when the band has nearly completed its course upon the series
of drums.
The room or chamber in which the machine works is maintained at a
temperature of 80° F. or even higher so 08 to dry the threads of gelatine
sufficiently to permit the thread being lifted off the band and wound on to the
light winding drum. This light drum is driven by a cord or band from one of
the series of drums and has a speed corresponding to the speed of the travelling
band.
In order that the partly dried threads may be kept exposed to the air as much
as possible the light drum has a travelling motion upon its axis, and the thread
by this means is luid
the drum in the form of an open helix.
When the winding drum has a sufficient amount of thread it is taken off and
another drum put in its place. The drums with the lengths of thread upon them
are kept in a warm chamber until the thread is perfectly dry, when the thread is
formed into skeins and hanks.
The gummy matter which is always associated with the gelatine of the silk-
worm may be removed from the threads by soaking or boiling the banks in soap
and water or by any other suitable process.
The threads produced by this Invention may be employed as a substitute for
horse-hair in the manufacture of sieves, haircloth, and for making gimps, braids,
laces and other trimmings and as a substitute for bristles used in making brushes.
For other purposes in which the natural stiffness and spring of these threads is
found to be a disadvantage, this objection may be lessened or removed by using
threads of a considerable degree of fineness and combining several together by
plaiting or twisting, which would produce a greater degree of pliability. Such
combined threads may be used in place of threads of linen, cotton or silk for
many textile purposes.
The fineness of the threads of gelatine produced by the method described is
determined by the size of the bore or aperture of the nipples, by the temperature
of the gelatine in the cylinder and lastly by the speed of the travelling band.
The thread of gelatine as it leaves the nipple is sufficiently elastic to permit of
its being drawn into very fine threads before it rests upon the surface of the
travelling band.
The mechanical arrangements described may be varied in many ways as may
be found convenient to suit different conditions.
One important variation is to separate the gelatinous substance from the skin
of the intestine previous to placing the gelatine in the cylinder.
"
This may be done very quickly and economically by using the well known
machine The Hydro Extractor." A large quantity of silk-worms say a
bushel may be poured into a hydro extractor fitted with a lining of very fine
wire gauze. A few minutes working of the machine will be sufficient to kill the
worms, and extract all the liquid gelatine, leaving the skin and other solid parts
in the form of a thick layer pressed to the sides of the wire gauze lining.
This layer may be easily removed and a fresh charge of worms supplied.
The liquid gelatine thus obtained may be at once placed in the cylinder of the
thread ninking machine as already described and formed into threads, or the
gelatine substance may be filled into jars and kept in a refrigerator until required,

page_text: care being taken that the temperature is sufficiently low to prevent any
fermentation or decomposition of the gelatine.
Dated this 1st day of February 1807
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Of the Firm of Cruikshank & Fairweather,
Chartered Patent Agents,
aint Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in obtaining Threads or Fibres from Silk-worms and
other Insects of a similar kind.
I, ADAM
MILLAR, of 45, Montrose Street, in the City of Glasgow,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
A well known product of the silk-worm is obtained by creating the large
intestine of the insect at a certain period of its life, and drawing it and the
gelatinous substance contained in it into threads upon a board or other support,
which threads when dried are found to be very tough and very strong and
practically unaffected by water.
My Invention has for its object the obtaining of such threads in long con-
tinuous lengths 80 as to be applicable to many purposes for which the
comparatively short lengths of threads produced by the method commonly
employed are not suitable.
For that purpose I subject the gelatinous substance from the silk-worm to
pressure within a vessel having a fine outlet nozzle or nozzles through which the
gelatinous substance passes in the form of a filament and is led on to and drawn
in a continuous length by a travelling band or a series of such bauds, in passing
over which it becomes sufficiently dry to permit of being wound into hanks or
spools.
The accompanying drawings show in Figure 1 a front view and in Figure 2
an end view of the mechanical appliances employed in carrying out this Invention.
A is a metal cylinder having a stop cock B fitted to the lower end, and a
piston C with piston rod working in the upper part of the cylinder. The
piston is actuated by the lever E carrying the weight F. The upper end of the
piston rod is steadied by the guide G.
The cylinder A has an outer lining or jacket A containing water heated to a
suitable temperature.
The stop cock B is furnished with one or more nozzles or nipples I projecting
downwards from its lower end.
The stop cock is also furnished with a tube which extends into the body of
the cylinder. This tube is closed at the top, and has a considerable number of
small holes bored on its cylindrical sides. A piece of fine wire gauze K is wrapped
round the tube and is bound tightly at top and bottom by wire ties to form a
strainer.
The cylinder is filled up with the gelatinous substance from the silk worms.
The worms are killed when they have attained their maximum size and are about
to begin spinning. The intestines filled with the gelatinous substance are taken
out and after being cut into two or more parts are placed in the cylinder.
When the cylinder is full the piston C is placed in position and is pressed
downwards by the weighted lever E. The stop cock being open, the liquid

page_text: gelatine filters through the meshes of the wire gauze and filling the tube issues
in a threadlike stream from the nipple or nipples.
The membrane or skin of the intestine and also any foreign matter falls down
to the bottom of the cylinder. The threads of gelatine are led on to or fall upon
a travelling band of a long length (say 100 yards) which is carried or wound
in helical form upon the series of drums and pulleys L, of which one of the lower
drums is driven by a belt from a steam engine or other prime mover.
drums and pulleys are driven by the travelling band.
The other
The travelling band has its upper surface coated with a varnish or paint which
gives a non-adhesive surface, to permit the thread of gelatine to be easily lifted
from off the band when the band has nearly completed its course upon the series
of drums.
The room
or chamber in which the machine works is maintained at a
temperature of 80° F. or even higher so as to dry the threads of gelatine
sufficiently to permit the thread being lifted off the band and wound on to the light
winding drum M. This light drum is driven by a cord or band N from one of
the series of drums and has a speed corresponding to the speed of the travelling
band. In order that the partly dried threads may be kept exposed to the air as
much as possible the light drum M has a travelling motion upon its axis in one
direction only, and the thread by this means is laid upon the drum in the form
of an open helix.
When the winding drum has a sufficient amount of thread it is taken off and
another drum put in its place. The drums with the lengths of thread upon them
are kept in a warm chamber until the thread is perfectly dry, when the thread is
formed into skeins and hanks.
The gummy matter which is always associated with the gelatine of the silk
worm may be removed from the threads by soaking or boiling the hanks in soap
and water or by any other suitable process.
The threads produced by this Invention may be employed as a sub-
stitute for horse-hair in the manufacture of sieves, hair cloth, and
for making gimps, braids, laces and other trimmings and as th sub-
stitute for bristles used in making brushes. For other purposes in which the
natural stiffness and spring of these threads is found to be à disadvantage, this
objection may be lessened or removed by using threads of a considerable degree
of fineness and combining several together by plaiting or twisting, which would
produce a greater degree of pliability. Such combined threads may be used in
place of threads of linen, cotton or silk for many textile purposes.
The fineness of the threads of gelatine as produced by the method described is
determined by the size of the bore or aperture of the nipples, by the temperature
of the gelatine in the cylinder, and lastly by the speed of the travelling band.
The thread of gelatine as it leaves the nipple is sufficiently elastic to permit of
its being drawn into very fine threads before it rests upon the surface of the
travelling band.
The mechanical arrangements described may be varied in many ways as may
be found convenient to suit different conditions. One important variation is
to separate the gelatinous substance from the skin of the intestine previous to
placing the gelatine in the cylinder.
"
This may be done very quickly and economically by using the well known
machine "The Hydro Extractor.' A large quantity of silk worms-Bay
bushel may he poured into a hydro extructor fitted with a lining of very fine
wire gauze. A few minutes working of the machine will be sufficient to kill the
worms, and extract all the liquid gelatine, leaving the skin and other solid parts
in the form of a thick layer pressed to the sides of the wire gauze lining. This
layer may be easily removed and a fresh charge of worms supplied.
The liquid gelatine thus obtained may be at onco placed in the cylinder of the
thread making machine already described and formed into threads.
Or the gelatine substance may be filled into jars and kept in a refrigerator until