New Sewing Machine

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Alexander Tittman. of New York City, has taken measures to secure a patent for a new description of Sewing Machine. In this machine two threads are used to form the stitch, one being in the torm of a loop, and the other thread being passed through the whole series of loops, thus preventing them from following the needle when it is withdrawn. The arrangement is very compact, and is well adapted to sew, besides the ordinary sort of work, anything in a circular 01' endless fortr.. To admit of this variety of sewing the work is placed around the outer circumference of a hollow cylinder, as on a bed, and is moved forward for another stitch by an endless chain revolving inside, which is furnished with a number of points or teeth projecting through a slot that grasps the cloth which is being sewed. On the cylinder are fixed a vertical standard, and slides from which the needle works like wire vertically. This needle has two eyes, one near the point and the other close to the head. Within the cylinder is placed the apparatus for forming the thread (which is carried into the cloth by the needle) into a loop, and then securing the loop by a longitudinal thread. This last-mentioned arrangement consists principally of a circular shuttle (or, rather, the shape is ' of an oblate spheroid) with one part cut away, so as to form a point, which is used to open a way for the shuttle to pass through the loop. The shuttle has a recess, which contains a bobbin for supplying the longitudinal or lock thread. When the needle is made to descend with its attached thread (which is supplied from a bobbin) it perforates the cloth, and continuing its course, passes through all. aperture in the cylinder. Whilst in the act of returning a portion of the thread (which at that moment is rather slack) is caught by the point of the shuttle and extended into the form of a loop. By a novel arrangement, the loop is freed from the shuttle, although the thread from the shuttle bobbin remains within the loop, thus holding it from re-passing the cloth. The work is pressed down in the cylinder by a spring, and is moved at each successive stitch by an endless chain, as before-mentioned, the motion of which is repeated by a ratchet wheel; all of which gearing, as well as the main driving shaft, &c., is contained within the cylinder. We must mention that the proper tension of the vertical thread is maintained by two neatly-contrived fingers, which grasp it until the needle has entered the cloth, when they relinquish the duty to the needle.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 8 Issue 11This article was published with the title “New Sewing Machine” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 8 No. 11 (), p. 84
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican11271852-84

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