Editing Bobbin

{{short description|Spool or cylinder around which thread, line or wire is coiled.}}
{{other uses}}
 
[[File:Vintage wooden cylindrical bobbin .jpg|thumb|Vintage wooden <!--drawing WORD IS NOT DEFINED IN ARTICLE, and does not appear in the file description, so it appears to be WP:OR.-->bobbins, cylindrical, empty of wound fiber, dimensions 16 in. high by 9 in. in diameter.]]
[[File:Shuttle with bobbin.JPG|200px|thumb|Vintage wooden bobbin, unflanged, wound with yarn and attached to a "shuttle" that fits it for use in a floor loom.]]
A '''bobbin''' or '''spool''' is a spindle or cylinder, with or without [[flange]]s, on which [[yarn]], [[thread (yarn)|thread]], [[wire]], [[ribbon|tape]] or [[roll film|film]] is wound.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Bobbins   |title=Bobbins|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=|website=The Free Dictionary |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref> Bobbins are typically found in industrial [[textile machinery]],<ref name =TOFA111021/> as well as in [[sewing machine]]s, [[fishing reel]]s, [[tape measure]]s, [[film roll]]s, [[cassette tape]]s, within [[electronics|electronic]] and [[electricity|electrical]] equipment, and for various other applications.{{citation needed lead|date = February 2022}}

== Industrial textiles ==

{{Update|section|date=February 2022}}
Bobbins are used in [[Spinning (textiles)|spinning]], [[weaving]], [[knitting]], [[sewing]], and [[lace]]making.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/bobbin   |title=Bobbin|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=|website=Britannica |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allabouttheyarn.co.uk/products/knitting-bobbin-set?srsltid=AfmBOoqaFgF6PVIoygvXOfF1F3YNjaBTqO5Jfxi135zzdx60i8RlFgAz |title=Knitting Bobbin Set|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=|website=All About Yarn |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref>  In these practices, bobbins were invented to "manage the piles of thread and yarn that would be mechanically woven into cloth,"<ref name =TOFA111021>{{cite web | author = ((TOFA Editors)) | date = October 21, 2011 | title = Wooden Bobbins: Woven in History | work = [[The Old Farmer's Almanac|The Old Farmer's Almanac (Almanac.com) ]]  | location = Dublin, N.H. | publisher = Yankee Publishing | url = https://www.almanac.com/wooden-bobbins-woven-history | access-date = February 3, 2022 | quote = Bobbins and the machinery they ran on were some of the greatest inventions of the Victorian Era. Originally created to manage the piles of thread and yarn that would be mechanically woven into cloth, bobbins helped to revolutionize textile manufacturing. The automated weaving machines would have hundreds of spindles operating simultaneously, with each spindle holding a bobbin that either released or collected the thread. Most mills had wooden bobbins made specifically for their machinery, which accounts for the many varied shapes and sizes of these spools. Traditional wooden bobbins have been retired from current manufacturing. Modern economics does not favor the use of wooden bobbins since a great deal of handwork is involved in making them. And wooden bobbins are not well suited for today's synthetic fibers and high-speed machinery. Primarily made from ash, birch, and other hardwoods, bobbins have withstood the test of time. Each one has its own "battle scars" that give it unique character.}}</ref> which would have originally been wound through the use of human power, but which eventually became machine-driven.{{cn|date = January 2022}} In these applications, bobbins provide storage, temporary and permanent, for [[yarn]] or [[Thread (yarn)|thread]].{{cn|date = January 2022}} Historically, bobbins were made out of natural materials such as [[wood]],<ref name =TOFA111021/> or [[bone]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lemin |first1=Brian |title=English Lace Bobbins and their History. A Brief Overview|url=https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/webdocs/lb_bob1.pdf |access-date=21 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620163411/https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/webdocs/lb_bob1.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2023 |quote=They can be made from wood (mostly), bone, brass, and more rarely pewter, silver and ivory. |url-status=live}}</ref> While not in principle an invention of the [[Victorian era]] - bobbins in the production of textiles were in earlier use<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.westlancashirelacemakers.org.uk/additional-information/lace-history-and-information/the-history-of-bobbin-lace  |title=The History of Bobbin Lace |author=<!--Not stated-->|date=|website=West Lancashire Lacemakers |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stott-park-bobbin-mill/history/#footnote-1  |title=Stott Park Bobbin Mill |author=<!--Not stated-->|date=|website=English Heritage |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref> - the machinery introduced in that era "were some of [its] greatest inventions" in that they "helped to revolutionize textile manufacturing".<ref name =TOFA111021/> In the machines used in such manufacturing,<blockquote>The automated weaving machines would have hundreds of spindles operating simultaneously, with each spindle holding a bobbin that either released or collected the thread. Most mills had wooden bobbins made specifically for their machinery, which accounts for the many varied shapes and sizes of these spools.<ref name =TOFA111021/></blockquote> In more modern times, natural bobbin materials such as wood are no longer used in textile manufacturing,<ref name =TOFA111021/> instead having been replaced by [[metal]] and [[plastic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalsewingcircle.com/video/bobbin-sizes-understanding-sizes-bobbins-012121#:~:text=Types%20of%20Bobbins,machine%20manual%20to%20be%20sure.  |title=Understanding Different Bobbin Sizes|last=Humbach |first=Z. J.  |date=22 March 2023|website=National Sewing Circle |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldofsewing.com/machine-accessories/bobbins/  |title= Bobbins |author= <!--Not stated-->|date=|website=World of Sewing |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref> The traditional bobbins made, for instance, of hardwoods such as ash and birch are unsuitable for the machinery of modern manufacturing, given the higher speeds involved, and the synthetic materials that are used in weaving; as well, bobbins were relatively customised parts made for the specific machines of each mill (and so of varying designs, each uniquely shaped of wood,<ref name =TOFA111021/> with metal parts in places of high wear{{cn|date = January 2022}}), thus requiring "a great deal of handwork" such that the cost of continuing to make them was unfavorable to modern textile business.<ref name =TOFA111021/> 

Since the retirement of the machinery involved, such bobbins and related parts have become items used in [[arts and crafts|craft]] productions, given the numbers of distinct types, and the fact that "[e]ach... has its own 'battle scars' that give it unique character".<ref name =TOFA111021/>

==Sewing and lacemaking==

===Sewing===
{{multiple image
 | width = 180
 | direction = vertical
 | image1 = Hua Nan sewing machine - 06.jpg
 | alt1 = Bobbin & bobbin case (obverse)
 | image2 = Hua Nan sewing machine - 07.jpg
 | alt2 = Bobbin & bobbin case (reverse)
 | footer = Bobbin (right) and bobbin case for a [[bobbin driver|shuttle hook]] sewing machine, introduced by [[Singer Manufacturing Company|Singer]] for the [[Singer Improved Family|"Improved Family"]] model in 1895
}}
The [[lockstitch]] sewing machine, invented and developed in the 18th and 19th centuries,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elias Howe: Inventor of the Lock Stitch Sewing Machine |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/elias-howe-profile-1991903 |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Godley |first=Andrew |title=Singer in Britain: The Diffusion of Sewing Machine Technology and its Impact on the Clothing Industry in the United Kingdom, 1860–1905 |journal=Textile History |date=1996 |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=59–76 |doi=10.1179/004049696793711725 |issn=0040-4969}}</ref> forms a stitch with two threads: one passed through a needle and another from a bobbin. Each thread stays on the same side of the material being sewn, interlacing with the other thread at each needle hole thanks to the machine's movement.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Reader's Digest |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004337862__com_180181 |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=Lexikon des gesamten Buchwesens Online|doi=10.1163/9789004337862__com_180181 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Tension of the bobbin thread is maintained with a ''bobbin case'', a metal enclosure with a [[leaf spring]] which keeps the thread taut. The bobbin case has to be free-floating (not attached to an axle) in order to allow the top thread to pass around the bobbin completely and hook the bobbin thread. 

Bobbins vary in shape and size, depending on the style of [[bobbin driver]] in the machine for which they are intended to be used. Long, narrow bobbins are used in early transverse shuttle and [[vibrating shuttle]] machines. These earlier movements were rendered obsolete by the invention of the [[rotary hook]] and the shuttle hook, which run faster and quieter with less air resistance. These shorter, wider bobbins are familiar to modern sewers, as the rotary/shuttle hook remains in use on modern machines essentially unchanged.

===Lacemaking===
[[Bobbin lace]] requires the winding of yarn onto a temporary storage spindle made of wood (or, in earlier times, bone) often turned on a [[lathe]]. Many lace designs require dozens of bobbins at any one time.

Both traditional and contemporary bobbins may be decorated with designs, inscriptions, or pewter or wire inlays. Often, bobbins are 'spangled' to provide additional weight to keep the thread in tension. A hole is drilled near the base to enable glass beads and other ornaments to be attached by a loop of wire. These [[Sequin|spangles]] provide a means of self-expression in the decoration of a tool of the [[handicraft|craft]]. 

Antique and unique bobbins, sometimes spangled, are highly sought-after by antiques collectors.<ref>{{cite book|author=Earnshaw, Pat|year=1984|title=A Dictionary of Lace | page = |  location = | publisher=Shire Publications| isbn=0-85263-700-4 | url = | quote = }}{{full|date = January 2022}}</ref>{{page needed|date = January 2022}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.antiquebuyersnyc.com/category/bobbins/    |title= Category Archives: Bobbins |author= <!--Not stated-->|date=December 29, 2022|website=Antique Buyers New York City |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://curiocabinetantiques.com/collections/lace-bobbins?srsltid=AfmBOorG8H5kog6xLyJ3wFe2WFTKi1aFO_6j2oiPg7WRT-40k0WzxYhX |title= Antique Lace Bobbins|author= <!--Not stated-->|date=|website=Curio Cabinet Antiques |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.antiquers.com/threads/lace-lesson-lace-bobbins.76481/  |title= Lace Lesson - Lace Bobbins |author= <!--Not stated-->|date=|website=Antiquers |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref>

== Electrical ==
In [[electricity|electrical]] applications, [[transformer]]s, [[inductor]]s, [[solenoid]]s, and [[relay]] coils use bobbins as permanent containers for the wire to retain shape and rigidity, and to ease assembly of the windings into or onto the [[magnetic core]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gotrend.com.tw/ec99/rwd1606/news.asp?newsno=136  |title= What is Bobbin?|author= <!--Not stated-->|date=16 March 2024|website=GoTrend |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref> (Such [[Electromagnetic coil|coil]]s of wire carrying [[Electric current|current]] create the [[induced current]]s and  [[magnetism|magnetic field]]s required in these devices.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iec-international.com/bobbins/bobbinarticle.html#:~:text=At%20the%20heart%20of%20a,a%20termination%20and%20connection%20method.  |title= Transformer Bobbin and Core Selection Involves Interdisciplinary Design and Cost Issues|author= Joe Casmero and Rich Barden|date=|website=International Electrotechnical Company |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref> 

Bobbins in these applications may be made of [[thermoplastic]] or [[Thermosetting plastic|thermosetting]] materials (for example, [[Phenols|phenolic]]s);<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lodestonepacific.com/bobbin-and-hardware-application-notes/ |title= Bobbin and Hardware: Application Notes |author= Joe Casmero and Rich Barden|date=|website=Lodestone Pacific |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref> this plastic often has to have a [[TÜV]], [[Underwriters Laboratories|UL]], or other regulatory agency flammability rating for safety reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cosmocorp.com/docs/en/COSMO-Bmaterials-en-hires.pdf |title= Coil Bobbin Materials |author= <!--Not stated-->|date=|website=Cosmo Company |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.magnet-tech.com/core/bobbin/ee.htm |title= Bobbin EE|author= <!--Not stated-->|date=|website=Magnet Tech |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref>    

==Furniture==
Bobbin furniture (also known as spool furniture) is a style of table or chair with lathe-turned legs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reclaimmagazine.uk/homes/display-decorating/styling-ideas/why-bobbin-furniture-is-having-a-renaissance/#:~:text=Characterised%20by%20lathe-turned%20ornamental,style%20is%20experiencing%20another%20renaissance.    |title= 'Why Bobbin furniture is having a renaissance''|author= <!--Not stated-->|date=2024-04-22|website=Reclaim Magazine |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.homesandgardens.com/shopping/best-bobbin-furniture   |title=This vintage-inspired furniture trend is still going strong|last=Mahtani |first=Nikhita |date=16 March 2024|website=Homes and Gardens |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref>

==Miscellaneous applications==
Bobbins are also used for [[fly tying]] and tidy storage without tangles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spawnflyfish.com/blogs/product-gear-details/the-essential-guide-to-fly-tying-bobbins  |title= The Essential Guide to Fly Tying Bobbins |author= <!--Not stated-->|date=2023-06-01|website=Spawn Fly Fish |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theessentialfly.com/fly-tying-bobbins.html  |title= Fly tying bobbin holders |author= <!--Not stated-->|date=2023-06-01|website=The Essential Fly |publisher=|access-date=2024-09-09|quote=}}</ref> 

== See also ==
* [[Stott Park Bobbin Mill]]
* [[Axle]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://www.timhunkin.com/41_slom1.htm Demonstration of the function of the bobbin using actors operating a human sewing machine]
* [https://stuartking.co.uk/bobbin-making/ Bone up on Bobbins: The Craft of Lace Bobbin Making, by Stuart King (self-published).]
{{Commons category|Bobbins}}
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Sewing}}

[[Category:Sewing equipment]]