SPINNING. 



and this tendency to wind up can be increafed or dimi- 

 nirtied at plcafure, by tlie friftion which ia occafioiied by 

 the firing or band which pafles round the neck of the 

 bobbin. When the winding-up of the thread upon the 

 bobbin has accumulated a ridge of thread upon it op- 

 pofite to the hook in the flyer, the thread mull be (hiftcd 

 to another hook oppoiite to a different part of the bobbin, 

 for which purpofe the arms of the flyer are furnilhed with 

 different hooks, and this mull be repeated feveral times, un- 

 til the whole length of the bobbin is filled ; it is then taken 

 off to be reeled, and replaced by another empty bobbin. 



An improvement was made in the fpinniiig-whecl by 

 Mr. Antis lome years ago, which was an application of 

 what fir Richard Arkvvriglit had before invented. The 

 object is to obviate the nccellity of (lopping the wheel to 

 remove the thread from one hook to another, in the manner 

 jult defcribed. For this purpofe, the bobbin is made to 

 move regularly backwards and forwards upon the fpindle 

 a fpace equal to its length, fo that every part will, in fuc- 

 cefiion, be prefented oppoiite the hook over which the 

 thread pades, and thus receive the thread regularly upon 

 the whole length of the bobbin. The additional parts ne- 

 ceflary for producing this movement are as follow : a pi- 

 nion of only a (ingle leaf is made to projeft from the extre- 

 mity of the pivot of the great wheel, or a worm or endlefs 

 fcrew formed on the end pivot, will anfwer the fame pur- 

 pofe, which is to aftuate a wheel of feven inches diameter, 

 and ninety-feven teeth ; therefore ninety-feve^n revolutions 

 of the great wheel will produce one revolution of this 

 fmaller wheel ; upon the face of which a circular ring of 

 wire is fixed, and fupported from llie wheel by fix legs, fo 

 as to be oblique to the plane of the wheel, as it touches it 

 at one part, and at the oppoiite fide of the ring projofts 

 nearly three-fourths of an inch. This ring of wire gives 

 motion to an upright lever, about fifteen inches long, and 

 moving on a centre at three inches from its lower extremity, 

 where ii has a pin fixed in it, and railing againft the 

 oblique ring of wire ; therefore, when the wheel turns 

 round, it communicates a Imall motion to the lever, in con- 

 fequence of its obliquity to the plane in which it revolves. 

 The upper end of tiie lever is connefted to an horizontal 

 fliding-bar, fituatcd beneath the fpindle, and having an 

 upright piece of brafs, which works in the notch of a pul- 

 ley, formed on the end of the bobbin, and drives the bob- 

 bin backwards and frn-wards upon the fpindle, according as 

 the oblique ring of wire forces the pin at the lower end of 

 the lever in or out, when the wheel moves round. To regu- 

 late and return tliis alternate motion, a fmall weight hangs 

 by a line to the Hiding-bar, and, palling over a pulley, rifes 

 and falls as the bobbin recedes and advances, and tends con- 

 ftantly to keep the pin at the lower end of the lever in 

 contaft with the wire. It is evident, from this dcfcription, 

 that one llaple only is wanted to the arms of the flyer, 

 which being plated near the extremity, the thread pafles 

 through it, and by the motion of the bobbin, is laid regu- 

 larly upon it from one end to the other. 



The invention has alfo anotlier advantage over the old 

 method, which always winds the thread in ridges upon the 

 bobbin ; and if the thread breaks in reeling the yarn, the 

 whole bobbin may as well be thrown away, bccaufe the 

 thread cannot cafily be found again ; but this improved 

 wheel always wuids the threads acrofs upon one another, 

 by which means the end can never be loll. 



In order to regulate the fritlion on the bobbin, and re- 

 tard its motion in a greater or lefs degree at pleafure, there 

 IS a neck of brafs or ileel fallencd to one end of it, and 

 embraced by a kind of fmall vice, or pincers, fixed to the 



fliding-bar. This vice muft be made either with two 

 elaflic fprings with wooden tops, or of wood wholly, and 

 faced with leather ; but if made of wood only, then a fpring 

 mult be made beneath the (houlder of the fcrew, to anfwer 

 the fame purpofe. By tightening this fcrew more or lefs, 

 the friftion on the bobbin may be regulated to the greatcll 

 nicety, provided the fprings are of a flrength rightly pro- 

 portioned to their funftions. It will readily appear, that 

 ail this may be done without the leaft effeft on the velo- 

 city of the whole machine, as thereby nothing is added to 

 the general friftion fo as to obflrucl it. 



It was not until (he latter end of the lad century, that 

 fpinning-machines of greater powers were conflrufled ; but 

 all threads were fpnii by one of the machines which we 

 have defcribed ; the firll being ufed for cotton and wool, 

 and the other, with the bobbin and flyer, for flax ; but for 

 very coarfe threads, two fpindles were applied to the latter 

 machine, and the fpinner having the wool wound round a band, 

 tied it round her waift, inilead of winding it upon a dillaff, 

 and was thus able to draw out fibres with each hand, and 

 fupply two fpindles. And of the other fimple fpindles, 

 feveral were made to turn together by the movement of one 

 large horizontal wheel, around which the fpindles were r.r- 

 ranged in direftions radiating from the centre, and each 

 fpindle received a rapid motion by the contaft of the edge 

 of the large wheel, which was turned round by one perfon. 

 The fpinners each flood oppofite to his refpeftive fpindle, 

 fo as altogether to occupy a large apartment, and by this 

 means they could do much more work than formerly, hav- 

 ing none of the interruptions of turning the wheel. 



The firfl improvement of any importance in fpinninp, 

 was that of the fpinning-jenny, invented by Hargraves, as 

 related in our article Cotton ; and the machine itfelf will 

 be defcribed under the article Woollen Manufaflure. This 

 machine confifls of a number of fpindles, fimifar to thofe of 

 the one-thread wheel, which are all mounted, in a perpendi- 

 cular diredion in the fame frame, and turned round by one 

 large wheel, fituated in an horizontal direftion, and put in 

 motion by a crank at the upper end of its fpindle. The 

 threads from each fpindle are condufted nearly in an hori- 

 zontal direftion, but being quite at the point or upper ex- 

 tremity of the fpindles, do not wind upon the fpindles, but 

 will receive twifl, bccaufe the threads flip over the top of the 

 fpindles as they revolve. Tiie threads are guided between 

 two rulers of wood, called the clajps, inflcad of the finger 

 and thumb of the fpinner. Thefe rulers are made to fit 

 together, fo as to hold the fibres between them, and are 

 fitted up with wheels at the end to run upon the frame, 

 and thus advance or retreat at pleafure from the fpindles. 

 It was not attempted with this machine to fpin a fiiiifhed 

 thread immediately from the lock of wool or cotton, but 

 coarfe and loofe threads are previoufly prepared on the 

 hand-wheel, which can be done with great rapidity, and 

 the coppins or balls of thefe loofe threads are placed in 

 the jenny, and conduAcd, firll between the clafps or rulers 

 before mentioned, and then to the fpindles. By this means, 

 when the carriage of the clafps is drawn backwards from 

 the fpindles, the clafps being feparate, the threads draw be- 

 tween them from off the coppins, and at the fame time 

 that portion of each thread which is between the clafps 

 and the ends of the fpindles, receives its twill ; but having 

 drawn out a certain length of each thread in this manner, 

 the clafps are fliut together ; and the motion of the fpindles, 

 as alfo the retreat of the clafps, is continued, by which 

 means the threads are llretclied out tn their intended fine- 

 nels, and being thus finifhed, the threads arc wound upon 

 the fpindles, by bciug brought oppofite to the 'middle part 

 4 A z of 



