Equipment
Category
Scientific instruments
Date
Unknown
Materials
Collection
Quarry Bank, Cheshire (Accredited Museum)
NT 1459552
Summary
Yarn twist testing machine made by Goodbrand & Co, Manchester. Twist was an essential factor for yarns. Twists per inch was a term used to measure how many twists a yarn had and was calculated by counting the number of twists in each yarn. Twist was needed in yarn to hold fibres together, and was added by spinning and plying. Without twist, fibres would not be held together and yarn would be very weak, as twist binds fibres together giving sufficient strength. Amount of twist varies due to various factors including thickness or yarn and type of fibre. Thread was held between two clamps, one stationary (the left hand pillar) and one rotated (the movable pillar on the right which slides along the brass scale). A counting device indicated the number of turns. To test, the dial was set to zero, the yarn was clamped in two places and then one end slowly untwisted. The thread was passed through the open end of the tension lever, which was adjustable to vary the amount of tension required. The sliding grip indicated the elongation of the thread. When singles were tested the distance between clamps was 1 inch, and for ply yarns a 10-inch strength was employed, the number of turns or twists however, was usually recorded per inch of length. Goodbrand and Co was established in 1860 and located at South Hall Street, Salford and Britannia Foundry, Manchester. The company made a diverse range of equipment from delicate instruments for testing textiles to steam pumps. It was converted into Private Limited Company in 1915.