For heavy fibres, as flax, hemp, and jute, strong machines are constructed, which deal with them as efficiently as the light ones do with wool, silk, or cotton. The winding or twisting-bobbin for heavy fibres may be made up to 8-in. lift and 5-in. diam., capable of holding 3i lb. of yarn, and, in these dimensions, can be worked up to 2000 rev. a minute. For " once-twisted " or " hung-on " twines, as the Scotch call them, the machine possesses great advantages.
In the manufacture of cable-laid twines or cords, the following machine is employed in several large establishments (Figs. 1191, 1192, 1193). The bobbins from the doubling-winding machine, Fig. 1187, are brought to this machine, and placed upon the back spindles containing the inverted fliers a, Fig. 1193, the strands being conducted over tbe guide-rails, to the back twist-rollers, which draw the yarn from the bobbins as in Fig. 1189, whilst the revolving spindles similarly put in the twist. Each strand is placed upon the smallest groove of the cone-shaped rollers b, then around the others, to the top one of largest diameter, by which means it is stretched the difference between the largest and smallest diameter, which imparts firmness and great solidity to the strand. This con stitutes the first twist or lay ; the second twist or cabling is imparted by passing three strands from three of the cone-rollers just inentioned over the cone-rollers c on the front or second shaft, by which they are laid together, and passing round grooves as before, are again stretched, delivered to the topping-motion, twisted by the powerful spindle and flier d. and wound upon large bobbins, often of 8-in. traverse by 6i-in. head. This machine contains two driving-cylinders, one each for the front ond hack, so that tho amount of either fint or second twist can be regulated with nicety and ease.
Ono of these machines 111 by 5i ft., containing 30 back and 10 front or finishing spindles, is capable of yielding a pro duction of 1500 lb. of 1-lea laid twine a week, one girl superintending. It makes all kinds of twine, from fine to coarse, and hard or soft, according to requirement ; and includes such diverse articles as spindle-bandings, piping-cord, heavy fishing n et twines, fishing-lines, loom-cords, hair-cords, three cord cabled twine, trim mings, and fancy cords of all descriptions.
In bandings for spindle driving purposes, the stretch ing operation upon the cone and grooved rollers is ex ceedingly valuable, as when the bands are put to use, they never become slack through stretching, and thus enable far better yarn to be produced than when banding made on the old process is employed.
At the Centennial Exhi bition, held in Philadelphia, the series of machines of which these form a portion secured to the patentee, Thos. Unsworth, medal, diploma, and certificates for origi nality, perfection and utility, combined with fitness for purpose intended, quality of products, and economy of working.
There are several other varieties of winding, twisting, and cabling-machines of considerable merit, but which call for no special notice here.
Singeing.—Twines made from harsh or intractable materials require to be singed before sizing and polishing, which are the finishing processes of this class of art Mee. Singeing-maohines are usually constructed in the form of a winding-maohine with about twelve spindles at back and front, the latter drawing the yarn or twine through a jet of flame obtained from a combination of gas and atmospheric air. Some
times other means are employed to obtain a flame, such as oil lamps.
Sizing, Polishing, and Drying.— The operations of sizing, polish ing, and drying are generally included in one machine, though, by the older processes, they constituted three distinct operations. Fit! 1194 represents a sizing-, polishing-, and drying-machine, as constructed by Thos. Barraelough, Manche,ster, who is also the maker of the rernainder of the machinery subsequently illustrated in this article, except when otherwise stated. This machine is generally constructed of such a capacity a. to take 24 twines at once. The filled bobbins from the twisting-frame, Fig. 1189, ate placed in a creel in front of the sizing-machine, and the twines are conducted in parallel order over the carding-rollers A, which are covered with card clothing of suitable strength, and which, revolving at a high speed, brush off the woody portions of the plant, shive, boon, and lumps that may have rernained through the preparing stages, leaving the twines smooth and clean. The twines are kept apart by the three sets of vertic,a1 guide-wires, frorn the third of which they pass into the sizing-trough B, a copper or iron tank containing steam-heated size, composed of flour or farina, glue, animal gelatine, or other material., and brought to the required consistency by means of water. Hot size is indispensable to a satisfactory result ; cold size merely coats the surface, and would soon break and rub off in wear. In the spinning and twisting processes, it is impos sible to cornbine the fibres into a solid thread ; in the interstices, is a considerable quantity of atmospheric air, which, on the twines passing through the boiling size, is expanded by the heat, and escapes, the space it occupied being instantly filled by the hot size, thus ensuring a compara tively solid cord. Emerging from the size, the twines pass between two pressing-rollers C, which squeeze out the superfluous size, and return it to the tank. Guide-wires capable of being depressed, so as to make the twines cover a greater or less portion of the periphery of the rollers D, which are covered with eoir, conduct them over these in succession, by which the loose fibre is rubbed in, and a smooth surface is ensured. After leaving these rollers, the twines pass upon the large cylinder E (which is heated by steam), and helically around it several times, being directed by two guide-rollers F F', so as to pass off the cylinder at the opposite side from that on which they eat( r. The drying is also facilitated by the circulation of air in the helical interstices formed by the presence of the twines. The polishing process is eontinued by the action of two rubbing-rollers G G', extending across the length of the cylinder, and similarly eovercd with coir. One of these revolves against the outside of tho set of twines during the passage round the drying-cylinder, and the second polishes the under surface revolving in the space formed by one of the angle rollers, thtut completing the polishing operation. The twines, on leaving the rollers, aro conduoted over two carriers to the winding-frame H at the front, whioh contains an equivalent number of spindles, and winds the twines upon the bobbins with which they are filled. In the figure, only four threads are shown, for the sako of clearness.