Apparatus and a method of winding filamentary material

For winding a filament about a bobbin or like former, a fly winder having a rotatable axially stationary hollow flier and a rotationally stationary bobbin support concentric with the hollow flier and axially reciprocable towards and away therefrom, wherein the hollow interior of the flier is a surface of rotation symmetrical about the axis of rotation of the flier forming a filament guide surface adapted to restrain outward radial movement of the filament, said surface of rotation increasing in diameter substantially smoothly along its length from an axially directed filament inlet guide closely circumscribing said axis at substantially the apex of said surface of rotation, the greater diameter end of the hollow interior being disposed adjacent to the bobbin support and being of diameter such that a bobbin or like former mounted on the support can be received therein, filament guide means being disposed at or adjacent to the greater diameter end and through which the filament is to be constrained to pass before being wound on the bobbin or like former with the filament having freedom of circumferential movement intermediate the filament inlet and the filament guide means.