Improvements in Apparatus for Operating the Feed Knives of Combing Machines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1887
Complete Left, 3rd Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 6th Jan., 1888.
Improvements in Apparatus for Operating the Feed Knives of
Combing Machines.
We, JAMES WILLIAM FIRTH of Portland Mill, Portland Street, Bradford, in the
County of York, Machine Wool Comber, and MATTHEW SHACKLETON of the same
place Combing Overlooker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements connected with "Noble's" and other
rotary combing machines in which knives are used for feeding the fibre to the comb
circles, and has for its object, the automatic operation or adjustment of the feed knives
in such a manner that, the fibre is fed to the comb circles in a regular and more uniform
manner to produce a more even and less proportionate quantity of noil than is the case
when the knives are adjusted in the usual manner.
We accomplish our object in the following manner. We place the feed knives in
the usual position but with one end between a jaw to allow of its adjustment and to
keep it clear of the comb pins or teeth, the other end being mounted on a pin: and in
some position between the pin and jaw, we secure a screw on which is placed a wheel
which gears with a worm that is operated a certain distance each revolution of the
large circle.
When the feed balls have run off and a supply of full ones placed on the machine,
the feed knives are lowered a suitable distance below the points of the comb teeth to
give the requisite feed, and as the feed balls reduce in diameter and thereby become
less weighty, the fibre is more easily drawn therefrom, so that by raising the knives
automatically in the manner described, the same amount of feed is retained, and the
fibre not thrown further over the inner diameter of the small circles, thus retaining or
producing an even noil throughout from full balls until they are nearly empty.
Dated this 7th day of October 1887.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Operating the Feed Knives of
Combing Machines.
We, JAMES WILLIAM FIRTH of Portland Mill, Portland Street, Bradford, in the
County of York, Machine Wool Comber, and MATTHEW SHACKLETON, of the same
place, Combing Overlooker do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
:
This invention relates to certain improvements connected with "Noble's" and other
rotary combing machines, in which knives are used for feeding the fibre to the comb
circles and has for its object, the automatic operation or adjustment of the feed knives
in such a manner that, the fibre is fed to the comb circles in a regular and more
uniform manner, in order to produce a more even and less proportionate quantity of
noil than is the case when the knives are adjusted by the attendant at intervals as is
now the common practise and consists in mounting the knife on a pin, and placing
the other end between a guiding jaw and between the two, securing a screw which
is in combination with a worm wheel and worm, the latter being operated at intervals
by the revolving large circle, so that, as the feed balls reduce in diameter and thereby
become less weighty and the fibre more easily drawn therefrom, the knives are raised
by the operation of a worm wheel mounted on a screw.
:
In order that our invention may be better understood, we will describe the same
more in detail by aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Fig. 1 repre-
sents a plan view of a portion of the large circular comb of a "Noble's" or similar
combing machine with our improvement in position. Fig. 2 is a detached front view
of our apparatus drawn to a larger scale: Fig. 3 a back view, and Fig. 4 a sectional
detail of Fig. 2 through line A. B.
The feed knife C may be of the ordinary construction and placed in the usual
position on the circle, and is secured to the top bar D by rod C¹; the other end of the
feed knife is placed between a guiding jaw E, and between the latter and the rod C
we attach a support F and mount a screw G, the latter being connected with the
knife by a pin passing through same.
The screwed bar G extends some distance through an unthreaded hole in the
support F, and is provided with a spring S placed between the said support and
nut N at the end of the screwed bar G. The hole in the centre of the worin wheel H
is threaded to fit the screw G, and the said wheel gears with the worm J, mounted on
a stud pin supported by a sliding block in the recess or slot K formed in bracket L;
the worm being kept in gear with the wheel by the compressed spiral spring S¹ placed
in the said recess or slot K.
On supplying the machine with full balls of fibres to be combed, the bottom edge of
feed knife C is lowered such a distance below the points of the pins or teeth in the
comb circle that, the noil or short knotty fibre is deposited on the small circles in

page_text: the position required for being effectually removed therefrom, without taking with it
a perceptible amount of the long fibre; and as the feed balls are gradually reduced in
size and weight, the fibre is more easily drawn therefrom so that instead of the
attendant adjusting at intervals the feed knives C at each side of the machine, when
some of the long fibre is leaving the small circles along with the noil; the said knives
are raised automatically by the screw G being operated at intervals every revolution
of the large circle, by a finger or projection M. secured on one or more feed boxes P
coming in contact with the pins J¹ on worms J, thereby turning the same and the
worm wheels H, and thus gradually raising the respective feed knives C nearer the
points of the comb pins or teeth in proportion to the decrease in the size and weight
of the feed balls; by which a more regular and uniform feed is obtained, and thereby
a more even and uniform thickness of noil removed from the fibre, than when the feed
knives are adjusted at intervals as hitherto.
When the full balls are run off or exhausted, the worm J is moved out of gear with
the worm wheel H, by pressing the small lever R against the worm boss, thereby
compressing the spiral spring S¹ and ungearing the wheel, so that the latter can be
turned on the screw, and the feed knife C set to its proper depth suitable for a new
supply of feed balls.'
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
The automatic operation of feed knives on circular combing machines for the purpose
described.
Dated this 1st day of December 1887.
JOHN WAUGH,
Agent.