bobbin

A sewing machine bobbin, 2-3cm in diameter.

A bobbin is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which wire, yarn, thread or film is wound. Bobbins are typically found in sewing machines, cameras, and within electronic equipment.

In non-electrical applications the bobbin is used for tidy storage without tangles. In electrical applications a coil of wire carrying a current has important magnetic properties.

As used in spinning, weaving, knitting, sewing, or lacemaking, the bobbin provides temporary or permanent storage for yarn and may be made of plastic, metal, bone or wood.

Bobbin lacemaking is a handcraft which requires the winding of yarn onto a temporary storage spindle made of wood, previously bone, often turned on a lathe. Many lace designs use dozens of bobbins at any one time. Exotic woods are extremely popular with contemporary lacemakers. Both traditional and contemporary bobbins may be decorated with designs, inscriptions, or pewter or wire inlays. Often, the 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. Again, in the modern context of the hobby of bobbin lacemaking, these spangles provide a means of self-expression in the decoration of a tool of the craft. Both antique and unique bobbins, sometimes spangled, have become highly sought after by collectors.

A large bobbin of the sort that might be used in an industrial textile loom.

In the case of an electrical transformer, inductor or relay, the bobbin is a permanent container for the wire, acting to form the shape of the coil (and ease assembly of the windings into or onto the magnetic core). The bobbin may be made of thermoplastic or thermosetting (for example, phenolic) materials. This plastic often has to have a UL or other regulatory agency flammability rating for safety reasons.

Other uses/references

• "Bobbin" can also refer to narrow braid formerly used as trimming.^{[citation needed]}
• "Bobbin Threadbare" is the name of the main character in the 1990 computer game Loom.
• The term "bobbins" appears in northern English slang, meaning "rubbish", i.e. something worthless or incorrect. Taken from the cockney "bobbins of cotton", meaning "rotten". This may be related to the contemporary British slang usage, where "bobbins" can be used to denote something negative, particularly in theatrical circles.
• Stephen Colbert has said multiple times, "Let's change some bobbins" in his 435-part series, "Better Know a District," typically when talking about labor unions.
• The Proud Family has an episode where Penny goes to the spelling bee, and her last word to spell for the win is "bobbin."
• The nickname 'Bobbin' is synonymous with a person who is from Wanborough, Wiltshire.^{[citation needed]}
• 'Wind the bobbin up' is a common nursery rhyme.
• 'Bobbin' is often used in the South East of England to refer to a stool or the process of defecation, i.e. "I'm going for a quick bobbin" or "Stop talking a load of bobbins".

External links

• The Craft of Bobbin Making

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