Clearly, mechanizing would increase the production dramatically. The initial work order EX was opened to study and model work necessary to illustrate a method for preparing baseballs prior to stitching. A December 5, memo from W. Abel of the USMC Research Division stated that "very little consideration has been given to the mechanization of conditioning and preparation of baseball covers for machine stitching this being the case both inside and outside the company.
All attempts that we know of have been principally with the mechanization of the stitching. Engineers at USMC broke down the problem into five areas: cover assembly lasting ; needle threading; start of stitching anchoring the first stitch ; stitching or lacing; and lastly, final stitching final thread anchoring. Previous automated machines exhibited two serious problems: they were unable to start or stop the stitching process without manual assistance, and they were unable to vary the tension of the stitches.
From to , the basic model work was conducted, resulting in equipment which demonstrated the operations. In , formal design and detailing was initiated to resolve existing engineering and design problems and to record, in drawing form, several pieces of equipment necessary to accomplish the overall objective. Inventors don't work in isolation, and at USMC the development process was both shared and well documented through notebooks, memos, drawings and photographs.
We are fortunate to have this documentation in the Archives Center. The baseball stitching project was a team effort. A cast of "inventive talent" was involved, principally Sidney J. Finn, who initially brought the idea forward in , Otto R.
Haas, and Joseph Fossa. While I found no evidence of it, I like to think that all three men were baseball fans or at least played on the company's baseball team.
Pritchard of the Research Division noted in January, that one of the problems is "the lasting of the baseball cover and that the matter should be referred to the inventive talent at Beverly to see if they can come forth with any ideas as to how this might be accomplished. Joseph Fossa held several patents for baseball sewing apparatus, principally methods for spheriphying baseballs US Patent 3,, and for methods of assembling by sewing the cover pieces of baseballs US Patent 3,, The "inventive talent" of Finn, Haas, Fossa, and countless other USMC engineers all assigned their patents to the United Shoe Machinery Corporation under the direction of a robust patenting programming.
Many of the baseball manufacturers, such as A. Spaulding, J. While the customer base was limited in number, the potential revenue from a stitching machine could have been substantial.
Because of insufficient interest on the part of these baseball manufacturers at this point the baseball industry was not sufficiently organized to sponsor the development of a machine and unresolved problems by the company's engineers, the experimental work orders were closed. In , Robert H. Henderson, Vice President of Research and Development at AMF Voit, "Our development program was curtailed in March, when the Baseball Manufacturers Committee of Athletic Goods Manufacturing Association declined to support further development, and our management made a decision not to further fund the program without industry support.
Other than increasing the company's knowledge in the area of stitching technology, there was little likelihood that a broad application would result. Baseballs are still hand sewn. I will answer right away. It has a total of double stitches, equivalent to individual stitches.
Typically, the stitches are hand-made with a standard inch waxed thread, and the first and the last stitch are commonly invisible.
The material is often a composition of cork and rubber. There are, in fact, two layers of rubber in which the sphere is encased. The inner layer of the ball consists of two black rubber shells, while the outer layer is the red rubber. The cowhide covering that makes up the baseball surface is divided into two figure-8 patterns, each of which covers half of the baseball. These pieces are not stapled permanently to the surface of the ball.
The cowhide needs dipping in a solution for a smooth stitching process. The double figure-8 cowhide coverings can be sewn after being stapled to the baseball. The workers then use a waxed red thread of 88 inches long to sew the cowhide. A total of double stitches is needed to hand-stitch the ball. At the Major League Baseball MLB level, the red stitches are kept under suitable temperatures to ensure there are no spots on the baseball.
Baseball is the fruit of meticulousness and intense effort. To create a high-quality baseball, you must spend a lot of time on your work. For just the stitching process, workers have to spend approximately 15 to 20 minutes sewing the baseball by hand. After the hand-stitching process, the baseball is put into a rolling machine to smoothen the raised stitches on the surface. Learn more about your data on Quizzclub or change your preferences right away.
We use cookies and collect some information about you to enhance your experience of our site ; we use third-party services to provide social media features, to personalize content and ads, and to ensure the website works properly. Learn more about your data on Quizzclub. OK Set preferences. How many stitches are on a American Major League Baseball? Feb 17, AM. John W Shreve. Try counting them as full stitches. It will upset you further because you will count only , the first and last stitches being completely hidden.
Jan 30, AM. Lupe Hernandez. Kristyanna Virgona, Makes sense to me. Jan 29, PM. Cari G. Jan 24, PM.
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