Hosiery trimming apparatus

An apparatus for trimming unfinished threads and flattening a toe seam in a hosiery article comprising:

• a plurality of elongated tubular members, each said tubular member being hollow and having first and second open ends, each said tubular member being adapted to receive on its exterior a hosiery article with a toe portion of said hosiery article covering said first open end of said tubular member, a turret, each said tubular member being movably mounted adjacent said second open end to said turret, said turret being rotatably driven so that each said tubular member arrives at a plurality of work stations;
• shear means, said shear means being adjustably placed adjacent one of said work stations so that said hosiery article on said tubular member will expose unfinished threads to said shear means, rotation means, said rotation means being adapted to rotate each said tubular member when each said tubular member arrives at said one of said work stations adjacent said shear means;
• stretching means, said stretching means being aligned axially with respect to each said tubular member at another of said work stations, said stretching means being adapted to clamp said hosiery article between said stretching means and said first open end of each said tubular member and to stretch said toe seam in a direction parallel to the length of said hosiery article;
• removal means, said removal means being adjacent to a third one of said work stations and comprising means to urge said hosiery article along each said tubular member towards said first open end of each said tubular member, and compressed air means to supply compressed air to urge said hosiery article through the interior of said tubular member and through said second open end of said tubular member, said removal means comprising cylinder means mounted adjacent said third one of said work stations parallel to each said tubular member, and friction pad means coupled to said cylinder means and adapted to be driven toward said first open end of each said tubular member in contact with said hosiery article and each said tubular member by said cylinder means, each said tubular member further comprising a sheave member encircling said second open end of each said tubular member, said rotation means comprising a V-belt mounted adjacent said turret and adapted to releasably engage and rotate said sheave member of each said tubular member at said one of said work stations.