IMPROVEMENTS IN DREADING AND CONRING WOOL AND OTHER FIRROUS SUBSTANCES" CANCES DREADING AND CORRING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SHRSTA "
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isaac Holden, of St. Denis, near Paris, in the
Empire of France, Woolcomber, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN DREADING AND CONRING WOOL AND OTHER FIRROUS SUBSTANCES"
CANCES
DREADING AND CORRING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SHRSTA
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICAT
Ter
CHO
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
May 1856.
I, ISAAC HOLDEN, of St. Denis, near Paris, in the Empire of France, Wool-
comber, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be
as follows:-
The improvements relate, firstly, to means for effecting the movements of
gill comb bars used in preparing and combing wool and other fibrous sub-
stances.
Hitherto, for the most part, such bars have had the progressive motion given
to them by means of screws, and the lifting and falling motions by cams or
tappets acting immediately upon such bars. The progressive motion has also
been effected without screws by means of pushers, but such pushers have had
motion given them by cranks.
And my improvements consist in employing lifting and lowering bars with

page_text: arms or parts extended downwards, so as to be acted upon readily by cams or
tappets at the lower part of the framing, by which I am enabled to employ
larger cams or tappets with more extended wearing surface thereto.
Also, my improvements consist in giving the requisite motion to the lever or
other pushers used by means of cams, by which I am enabled better to govern
the movements to the bars, as well as to hold them steadily between the
motions. Also, in the employment of guides to the gill bars, which serve to
guide them in rising and falling, as also to hold them after each rising and
falling, by which I am enabled to form the comb bars much thinner, and
thereby to get the consecutive rows of teeth in a series of bars closer together.
I also form the ends of the bars much deeper than usual, rising upwards, say,
to the height of the gill teeth. Such modifications of gill combs are adapted
especially for feeding wool and other fibres into passing combs, and for
working combs, as well as in other of the processes of treating such fibres,
and the means of pushing them forward after being lifted or lowered are also
adapted to when using screws as the traversing means to the gill bars, but in
such case the ends of the thread of the screws at the receiving ends of them
will be cut away to admit of the pushers alone giving the first forward move-
ment to each bar when it comes into such position. By the above system of
operating gill bars where the traverse motion is given without screws, such
bars are especially adapted on account of their intermittent action as feeding
means to that class of wool-combing machines commonly called nipping
machines. And when screws are used as the traversing means to the bars
the intermittent action to them is made available by giving an intermittent
action to such screws.
Secondly, the improvements relate to forming the keeping plate for holding
the fibre from coming out of the carrying or travelling combs whilst being
worked by other combs double, one plate being formed open to prevent
choking of the parts by the fibre.
Thirdly, the improvements relate to employing brush, card, or other toothed
surfaces upon cylinders or rollers as clearing or doffing means to gill and
other combs, and in combination sometimes therewith of a stationary doffing
plate.
Fourthly, the improvements relate to employing an extra pair of rollers in
front of and close to the horizontal fluted drawing-off rollers used in drawing
the sliver from the travelling comb. By the system of operating the gill bars
as described under the first head of the Invention an intermittent action is
obtained thereto, and when used as feeding means each comb as it brings
forward its fibre rests for a short time with its tuft projecting.

page_text: And the fifth part of the Invention relates to operating such tuft while it is
held between the last gill comb and a nipping bar, first, by a clearing comb,
so as to detach noil or short and other matters before detaching it by the
nipping instruments, and in then taking the fibre from the nipping instrument
used to draw out the fibre from the gill combs by a porter comb, by which it
is laid on to a porcupine roller or other toothed surface, the direction of
rotation or motion of which is such that the tooth surface in taking the fibre
moves downwards from the porter comb and rotates so as to present the tail
ends of the tufts towards the drawing rollers, and this disposition of the ends
of the fibre is more effectually obtained by the aid of a fan or blast, and the
fibre thus treated will not be found to require further combing, & after the
upper nipping bar rising a small comb enters the beard or fringe close up to
the last falling gill comb just before the nippers detach the cleaned tuft.
Sixthly, in employing a double or two pair of nipping apparatus to act in
succession upon each tuft in taking detached portions of fibre from the feeding
means.
Seventhly, in employing as feeding means, when nipping apparatus is
employed, to detach portions of fibre rollers and guides independently of gill
or other such teeth, but aided by holding jaws or surfaces. The detachment
of the tuft may be effected in this case either by the movement of the nipping
apparatus from the feeding means or by the movement of the feeding means
from the nipping apparatus, and in connection with this adaptation of parts I
employ a small clearing comb to act upon the ends of the fibre as held first
by one and then the other of the holding surfaces.
The improvements also consist in arranging gill or other feeding means
employed in feeding fibre to nipping apparatus employed in detaching tufts
of fibre, so that it may be capable of movement to and from such nipping
apparatus to effect the detaching desired, in place of giving such movement to
the nipping apparatus.
Eighthly, when the gill frame is stationary, and the gill combs used as
working combs enter successively into the beard of the fibre, previously filled
on by filling heads, and projecting from the travelling combs, I give a curved
form to a part of the middle of the gill combs so used corresponding to the
circular form of the travelling comb, the concave side of the gill comb working
up to the convex side of the travelling comb.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Isaac Holden in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th November 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,, I, ISAAC
HOLDEN,. of St. Denis, near. Paris; in the Empire of, France, Woolcomber;
send greeting.
.
WHEREAS, Her most Excellent, Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing, date. the, Fifth day of May, in the year, of our Lord One
thousand eight. hundred and fifty-six, in, the nineteenth year of. Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,, give and grant, unto me, the said
Isaac Holden, Her special licence, that I, the said Isaac Holden, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others, as I, tlie, said Isaac, Holden; my
executors, administrators, and assigns; should.at, any tinie agree with; and 'no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during. the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL
AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Isaac Holden, my executors. or administrators,. by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same, to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six.calendar..months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
..NOW KNOW.YE, that I, the said Isaac Holden,. do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by che.following statement
thereof, that is to say:-
The improvements relate,.firstly, to. means for effecting the movements of
gill comb bars used in preparing and combing wool and other fibrous sub-
stances.
i
Hitherto, for the most part, such bars have had..the progressive motion
given to them by means. of screws, and the lifting and falling motions by
cams or tappets acting immediately upon such. bars. The progressive motion
has also been effected without screws by means of pushers, but such pushers
have had motion given them by cranks.
And my improvements consist in employing lifting and lowering bars with
arms or parts extended downwards, so as to be acted upon readily by cams

page_text: or tappets at the lower part of the framing, by which I am enabled to employ
larger cams or tappets with more extended wearing surface thereto.
Also, my improvements consist in giving the requisite motion to the levers
ór other pushers used by means of cams, by which I am enabled better to
govern the movements to the bars, as well as to hold them steadily between
the motions. Also, in the employment of guides to the gill bars, which serve
to guide them in rising and falling, as also to hold them after each rising and
falling, by which I am enabled to form the comb bars much thinner, and
thereby to get the consecutive rows of teeth in a series of bars closer together.
I also form the ends of the bars much deeper than usual, rising upwards, say,
to the height of the gill teeth. Such modifications of gill teeth are adapted
especially for feeding wool and other fibres into passing combs, and for.
working combs, as well as in other of the processes of treating such fibres,
änd the means of pushing them forward after being lifted or lowered are also
adapted to when using screws as the traversing means to the gill bars, but in
such case the ends of the threads of the screws at the receiving ends of them
will be cut away to admit of the pushers alone giving the first forward move-
ment to each bar when it comes into such position. By the above system of
operating gill bars where the traverse motion is given without screws, such
bars are, especially adapted on account of their intermittent action as feeding
means to that class of wool-combing machines commonly called nipping
machines. And when screws are used as the traversing means to the bars
the intermittent action to them is made available by giving an intermittent
action to such screws.
Secondly, the improvements relate to forming the keeping plate for holding
the fibre from coming out of the carrying or travelling combs while being
worked by other combs double, one plate being formed open to prevent
choking of the parts by the fibre.
Thirdly, the improvements relate to employing brusli, card, or other tootlied
surfaces upon cylinders or rollers as clearing or doffing means to gill and
other combs, and in combination sometimes therewith of a stationary doffing
plate.
Fourthly, the improvements relate to employing an extra pair of rollers in
front of and close to the horizontal fluted drawing-off rollers used in drawing
the sliver from the travelling comb. By the system of operating the gill bars,
as described under the first head of the Irivention, an intermittent action is
obtained thereto, and when used as feeding means each comb as it brings
forward its fibre rests for a short time with its tuft projecting.
And the fifth part of the Invention relates to operating such tuft while it is

page_text: held between the last gill comb and a nipping bar, first by a clearing comb, so
as to detach noil or short and other matters before detaching it by the nipping
instruments, and in then taking the fibre from the nipping instrument used to
draw out the fibre from the gill combs by a porter comb, by which it is laid
on to a porcupine roller or other toothed surface, the direction of rotation or
motion of which is such that the tooth surface in taking the fibre moves
downwards from the porter comb, and rotates so as to present the tail ends
of the tufts towards the drawing rollers, and this disposition of the ends of the
fibre is more effectually obtained by the aid of a fan or blast, and the fibre
thus treated will not be found to require further combing, and after the upper
nipping bar operates the small comb enters the beard or fringe close up to the
last falling gill comb just before the nippers detach the cleaned tuft.
Sixthly, in employing a double or two pair of nipping apparatus to act in
succession upon each tuft in taking detached portions of fibre from the feeding
means.
Seventhly, in employing as feeding means when nipping apparatus is
employed to detach portions of fibre, rollers, and guides independently of gill
or other such teeth, but aided by holding jaws or surfaces. The detachment
of the tuft may be effected in this case either by the movement of the nipping
apparatus from the feeding means or by the movement of the feeding means
from the nipping apparatus, and in connection with this adaptation of parts
I employ a small clearing comb to act upon the ends of the fibre as held first
by one and then the other of the bolding surfaces.
The improvements also consist in arranging gill or other feeding means
employed in feeding fibre to nipping apparatus employed in detaching tufts
of fibre, so that it may be capable of movement to and from such nipping
apparatus to effect the detaching desired, in place of giving such movement to
the nipping apparatus.
Eighthly, when the gill frame is stationary, and the gill combs used as work-
ing combs enter successively into the beard of the fibre previously filled on by
filling heads, and projecting from the travelling combs, I give a curved form
to a part of the middle of the gill combs so used, corresponding to the circular
form of the travelling comb, the concave side of the gill comb working up to
the convex side of the travelling comb.
But that the nature of my said improvements, and the means which I adopt
in carrying them into effect, may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe
the Drawings annexed.

page_text: Figure 1 represents a plan view of one description of wool-combing machine,
with some of my improvements applied thereto; other Figures, as hereafter.
referred to, show some of the parts separately. When gill bars have the pro-
gressive motion given to them by screws, such as is well known are called
screw gills," and when an analogous motion has been effected otherwise
than by screws, such has obtained the distinctive term of the "
46
"square motion,"
or "square motion gill bars," and to facilitate the following description, I shall
adopt a similar distinction in respect of the modes of operating for the pro-
gressive motion to such bars. a is the travelling or carrying comb, receiving
the wool or other fibre to be combed from the filling heads b, b, and in its
rotation delivering the top or combed fibre to the drawing rollers p', p', whilst
the noil is taken by a stripper r. The fibre fed on to the circular comb a
by the filling heads b, is in the movement of that comb brought under the
operation of the working combs c. These working combs are formed by what
are called "gill comb bars," to which a square motion is given, arranged and
operated according to the first part of my improvements. This part of the
apparatus is also represented separately in section at Figure 3, and in front
elevation at Figure 6, and the same letters refer to the same parts in each of
these Figures. c, c, c, are the gill comb bars (one of which is shewn separately
by Figures 7 and 14); d, d, are the lifting and lowering bars or frames, which
according to the first part of my improvements carry up and down the combs c.
These bars or frames & are actuated by the cams e, e, affixed upon an axis e', to
which motion is given by the strap or band e² acting upon the pulley e, affixed
upon that shaft or axis e, or in any suitable manner, as is well understood.
Heretofore, gill comb bars have been raised and lowered from one row to
the other, by cams acting immediately by their surfaces upon the surfaces of
these comb bars, by which such cams have necessarily been limited in breadth
to that of the gill comb bars used, and by the small surface in operation they
soon wore away; but it will be seen by the adaptation of parts described, con-
stituting one of my improvements, I am enabled to employ bars d as the lifting
and lowering means to the gill comb bars with long arms extending down-
wards, say, near to the floor, by which I obtain greater facility in employing
cams or tappets e, with a considerable breadth of wearing surface, and of
altogether different proportions than were heretofore obtained. f. f, and g, g,
are the pushing levers for giving the traverse motion to the bars c, c; the.
pushing levers f. f, are acted upon immediately by the tappet arm ', accord-
ing to my improvements, whilst the levers 9, 9, are as heretofore actuated by.

page_text: a stud g¹ in a plate 92, acting as a crank affixed upon the axis e', there being
a connecting link g' between the pin g¹ and one end of the arm 9', the other
end of which is affixed to the axis g; to which is affixed the lever!arms 9. I
would here remark? that in place of itle pushers.g, g, being operated by the
crank ping, they may also be actuated by a cam affixed-upon the. cross:sliaft
acting upon a lever arm affixed. to the shaft gi, are: guides forming
extensions of the plates', by which they are affixed to and slide" with the bars
'or frames d, d, for the purpose of keeping the comb.bars c,) which for the time
form the upper row square in that row, whilst the bars or frames d, d; are
giving one the ascending, and the other the descending motion to the bars;c, c.
The pushers ff, are actuated by that part of the tappet arm / referred to,
which has the form of an inclined plane, viz from h'.to (see Figure 6); the
annular part to keeps the pushers f and the combs crc, in: position - till
the guides' i, i, descend to keep the said combs upright. Ir:do not; liowever,
confine myself to this particular arrangement of cam or tappet, as the same
effect may be obtained by other arrangements, for instance, by a cross shaft
with a cam, as shown by. Figure 15, to act against the pulley 2. on the end of
the lever f. By the. action of the fingers i, i, in connection with. the holding
by the pushers fabove described, and combined with the novel construction of
gill comb bars as hereafter explained, I'am enabled to effect a considerable
reduction in the breadth of such bars.
".
.
Figures 9 and 10. show the old form of square motion gill comb bars,
and Figures 7 and 8 the improved form of such bars." The uppery surfaces
of the ends of the bar of the comb, Figures..9: and: 10, it will be seen, are
considerably lower than the points of 'ther comb teeth, whereas those parts
from 1 to 2 of the bar, of the new form of comb, .Figures 7 and 8, are
considerably deeper and thinner, and I prefer that the upper edge or surface
of each end of the bar at the pushing part :be about the same height as
the top of the gill comb teeth, or even. higher. By the greater depth
given to the ends of the gill comb. bars, the. pushing levers in giving. motion
to them keep them from canting or turning over sideways, and they are
pushed square into their place and there kept by the pushers f, till the
guides i, i, descend to keep them firmly and square in their position.. Thus
formerly dependence had mostly to be placed upon the breadth of the comb
bar to maintain the combs in an upright position at the time of entering the
fibre, as also to prevent its canting while being pushed forward. Now I
depend more upon the depth of the comb bars at, their ends, and am enabled
to work with much greater truth, and to enter the fibre closer to the head of
the 'circle or other passing comb,, and by making them thinner I am also

page_text: enabled to give a greater number of strokes of the gill combs per minute. I
would state that I am aware that screw gills have been proposed to be used
as working combs: I do not therefore claim the same separately; but as here-
tofore arranged, the motion obtained by the use of screws was slow and gradual,
and by reason of the passing or carrying comb always rotating whilst the gill
combs were slowly entering and passing through the fibre close up to the head
of such passing comb, a locking took place between the two combs, the con-
sequence of 'which was breakage of the fibre, increased robbings from the
circular comb, and frequently also breakage of the driving wheels giving
motion to the circular or other passing comb, or of other of the parts, as also
injury to the combs, whilst by immediately pushing the gill comb away from
the circle or other passing comb, so soon as its teeth have entered the fibre,
these evils are avoided. When employing my improved form of gill.comb bar
and pushing means in combination with gill screws, I leave that part of the
screw shafts along which each bar is first pushed by the pushers without
threads, and the pushers alone hold each gill comb bar till its ends enter the
threads of the screws.
Figure 11 shows a front elevation, and Figure 12 a transverse section of
parts of gill-working combs, according to my improvements when using
gill screws; the same letters indicate the same parts in each of these
views. f are the pushing levers operated by the tappet h; j, j and k; k,
the gill screws. When a comb centers the beard or projecting ends of
the fibre projecting from the comb a, it is immediately pushed forward by
the levers f, operated by the tappet h against the thread of the screw j,j,
the thread of each of which being cut away for this purpose, the gill combs
carry the fibre which they have taken to the roller n, which, as those combs
descend towards the lower screws k, k, take the fibre as shown. The system
herein described of working screw gills may also be advantageously adopted
when using screw gills to prepare wool and other fibres previous to combing;
in each case the speed with which the gill bars are moved onward when shifting
from one line of bars to the other, may be regulated by the cams used to
operate the pusher levers, according to the effect desired, or the nature of the
fibre under treatment. When screw gills are thus used, the wool or other
fibre may be fed into them by plain or fluted rollers or toothed surfaces, as
with ordinary "screw gill, preparers." When a succession of screw gills are
used to prepare fibre, the latter taking it from the preceding one with or
without the intervention of rollers, the same pushing may be applied to the
rising comb of each gill.
Under the fifth head of the improvements I have shown and described the

page_text: adaptation of parts of these improvements when using gill combs as feeding
means to combing machines, commonly called nipping machines (and by
nipping machines I refer to that class of combing machines patented and now
generally used by Messrs. Lister & Donisthorpe), and also means by which the
intermittent action to gill bars when screws are employed, as the moving
instruments are also shown under that head of the Invention.
The second part of my improvements consists in a mode of forming the
keeping plate double, and I form one of the plates simply by a bar, or other-
wise open, so that there may be a free passage upwards between them for the
clearance of the fibre; one of these combined keeping plates is shown in
action in Figures 1 and 3, and separately at Figures 4 and 5; 1 is the ordi-
nary plate, and another bar or plate rivetted thereto in such manner as to
stand out, so that whilst the plate 7 passes down one surface of a row of comb
teeth, the plate may pass down another, as shown. By thus forming the
keeping plate open over the row or rows of combs, the wool or other fibre is
prevented from accumulating between the two plates, as would be too often
the case if double and solid plates were used, and by which the points of the
comb teeth would be very liable to injury.
11
In carrying out the third part of my improvements, I sometimes use a
cylinder or roller covered with bristles or brushes acting with a fixed dofter
plate, or sometimes I cover such cylinder or roller with card teeth. This part
of the improvements is shown at Figure 3, and by modifications at Figures 12
and 13. In Figure 3, the clearing or doffing cylinder or roller m is shown
covered with brushes or bristles, which in their rotation in the direction of the
arrow clear the loose fibres out of the teeth of the combs c; p is a fixed
doffer plate below the brush by which to aid in insuring the clearance of the
teeth of the combs e, as they descend past it, and which is itself cleared by the
brush m; n is another roller, upon the periphery of which is affixed toothed
doffer plates n', which in the revolution of the roller n clear the fibre from off
the ends of the brushes m, and o is a fan or wiper formed with leather vanes
or flaps o, by which the fibre taken by the plates ¹ is knocked therefrom into
the receiver 8. In Figure 12, the roller n by its toothed doffer plates acts
immediately upon the teeth of the combs c.. In Figure 13, the cylinder or
roller m is clothed with card teeth instead of the bristles, or a brush.
The fourth part of my improvements consists in placing an extra pair of
rollers immediately in front of the drawing-off fluted rollers, as is shown by
Figure 2, where a, as in the other Figures, indicates the travelling or carrying
comb; p, p, are the ordinary fluted drawing-off rollers, and p², p³, the extra
rollers, which receive their motion from the rollers. p, p, by toothed wheels

page_text: fixed on their axes, connected by an intermediate stud wheel. By the use of
these small rollers the loose and short wool or other fibre is prevented from
"lapping" on the rollers p, p, or on the endless leather, and a much better
sliver is obtained.
I will now describe the fifth part of the Invention, an arrangement accord,
ing to which is shown at Figure 16; c, c, are the square motion gill bars
arranged as feeding means to supply wool or other fibre to be combed; t is a
nipping bar affixed to and operated by links t¹, the lower ends of which are
by pin joints connected to the small cranks & upon an axis t³ ; the operations
of the nipping bar are so governed that it shall come down upon each gill bar
in the top row, as it comes into a front position to bring forward a fresh
supply of fibre, and thereby hold such fresh quantity whilst the clearing comb
u comes into operation upon the projecting fibre to detach therefrom noil or
short and other matters, before such fibre is detached by the nipping instru-
ments v, in manner such as is now well understood. The clearing comb u is
carried by arms u³, which are governed in their movement by cams u², acting
upon pins projecting from their lower ends, where they are attached to slides
by which they are controlled to slide vertically. The upper ends of the rods u
have pins us, which by projecting into grooved channels u govern in part the
movement to and fro of the comb zu, whilst being raised and lowered by the
cams u², but when the comb u comes into the position indicated by the Draw-
ing, it is caused to move out horizontally by the small crank u causing the
end of the rod u to act upon the plate u' to push the arms u, so that the
pins u³ may in their further descent pass down the part u* of the channel u*;
u is a fixed doffer comb by which to clear the comb u.. The fibre taken by
the nippers v, and thence by a porter comb, is, in carrying out this part of my
improvements, laid the porter comb on to a card or porcupine roller or
other toothed surface, the direction of rotation or motion of which is such
that the tooth surface in taking the fibre moves downwards from the porter
comb, and so as to present the tail ends of the tufts towards the drawing.
rollers, as is clearly shown by Figures 17 and 18, and will be more fully
described when describing those Figures.
The sixth part of the improvements, by which I make use of. two pairs of
nipping apparatus to act in succession upon each tuft, in taking detached portions
of fibre from the feeding means, is shown and will be explained in connection.
with the seventh part of the Invention, which I will now proceed to describe.
This part of the improvements is shown in sectional view at Figure 17,
and plan view at Figure 18, where a, a, a, are a series of rollers used in
place of gill or other teeth, for the purpose of feeding the wool or other

page_text: fibre to nipping instruments. These rollers have motion given to them
to deliver the fibre by a ratchet wheel a' and catch a; as the rollers advance,
the catch lever a comes against a fixed stud in the frame, which causes it and
the rollers to rotate as required; but I do not confine myself to this method
of giving the delivery motion to the rollers a, as the same may be otherwise
obtained, and the fibre passes from these rollers a through the guide b, whence
it is taken by the nipping instruments, which may be of the ordinary kind,
and operated as heretofore, so as to move to and from the feeding instrument;
but I prefer them to be as shown, double, according to the sixth part of my
improvements, but in place of their moving to and from the feeding means,
they, according to the arrangement shown, simply have an 'up and down motion,
but this may be varied, and the rollers a and guide b, forming the feeding
means, are supported by a traversing frame c, to which motion is given by
crank pins c¹ acting upon one end of a link c³, (one on each side of the
macliine), the other end of which is connected by pin joints to the car-
riage c. By which movement of the carriage c, the fibre will be taken up to
the nippers to be taken hold of by them, and in the receding movement the
detachment of the fibre will be effected. d is a small clearing comb which
acts upon the projecting tail ends of the successive portions taken by the
nippers. This clearing comb d is affixed to one end of arms d', the other
ends of which are supported to turn upon pin joints d², carried by the
frame c, and the requisite movement to the comb d is obtained by their
being affixed upon the arms d', pins d*, with bowls or rollers which
are caused to traverse grooved channels d³, d'. As the parts are shown, the
frame c has receded back from the nippers, and in doing so the trucks
or bowls on the pins d*, have been drawn along the grooved course d³, and
the trucks or bowls are resting on spring pieces d³, by which at the next
instant the arms d', with the combs d, will be raised, so that the bowls in
the return motion of the frame c may pass back in the grooves d', till
at the end of those grooves the bowls will be acted upon by spring pieces
do, to force the teeth of the comb d through the tail of the tuft of fibre left
between one of the pair of nippers f,f, 9, 9, and to cause the bowls to recede
again along the grooves d³, till, as shown, the teeth of the comb are forced in
between the toothed doffer plates e, by which the noil and other matters they
have taken will be cleared. The fibre delivered by the feeding means to the
nippers f, f, and g,g, is, in this instance, first taken between the nippers f, f,
and it is, whilst held by those instruments, that the comb d first operates; but
so soon as that comb has receded out of the way of the nippers g, g, they come
together to hold the fibre, and the nippers f. f, recede, as shown, when another

page_text: upper:
comb h comes into operation, to clear the other end of the tuft of fibre. This
comb h is affixed to one end of each of two arms h, which; at their other ends,
are attached by pin joints to lever arms, which turn upon centres h³, and are
operated by the. excentric ht, to give the to-and-fro motion, to the.combh,
whilst that, comb is otherwise governed by the courses h, in which pass the
pins he projecting from the arms h', the courses h³ having springs h' at one
end of each, by which the pins h are alternately shifted from one course to
the other during the working. The movement of the parts of each pair of
nippers f, f, or 9, 9, so as to cause them to approach each other for the nip, or
to recede therefrom for releasing the fibre, is effected by cams i, i, acting upon
levers i, j, which, by links.k, k, and l, l, are connected respectively to the
and the lower part of a pair of nippers f, f, or g,g. I have, at Figure 19,
shown a separate view of a set of cams and parts for operating on one pair of
the nippers f, f, or g,g, and the other of the pair of nippers would be similarly
operated upon, care being taken that the times of the cams are so adjusted,
that before the nippers f,f, have released their hold of the fibre, the nippers g, g,
take it. The porter comb p then takes the fibre from the nippers g, g, upon.
their opening, and in its movement that porter comb p lays the successive tufts
on to the porcupine roller q, the direction of rotation of which is indicated by'
the arrow. The tail ends of the tufts, as placed on the teeth of the roller q,
are laid in a direction to facilitate their being taken, by the drawing-off
rollers r,, by means of the fan 8, or it may be by a blast. In Figure 20 a
slight modification of this part of the Invention is shown. In this case the
carriage c with the feed rollers a, a, has motion given to it in manner similar to.
that just described, but in place of there being a guide b, holding,jaws' m, m,
are employed. These jaws m, m, are affixed to and supported by the ends of.
arms m', m', which turn upon axes m² carried by the carriage c, and they have
a tendency to recede from each other by the action of a spring m (shown by
dotted lines) placed between them; whilst there are other lever arms n, n,
supported on pin joints n', n¹, carried by standards from the main stationary.
framing, and at their other ends acted upon by coiled springs n³, so as to admit
of a slight yielding to them. These lever armis n are so placed, that when the
carriage c is in the position indicated by the Drawing, they press upon the
levers m¹ to keep the jaws m closed; but when the carriage c comes forward
towards the nippers, the form of the arms m² in moving on the arms n, admits
of the, opening of the jaws. The jaws only act to hold the fibre, whilst the
comb o clears the projecting end of it. The comb o is affixed to a bar o'; in
which are set other teeth d to clear the noil and other matters from, the. fibre
when taken between the nippers ff; and the noil and other matters taken by

page_text: the teeth d and
are taken by tooth doffers e, e, and received into the boxes
or receivers e¹, e'. The bar o¹ is affixed to arms o* (one at each end of it), the
lower ends of which are connected by pin joints to slides o³, as also to the
links o³, by which they are connected to cranks o' from the shaft o, whilst
the upper ends of the arms o* have pins o³, which traverse grooves 06, 07, there
being a spring os towards the lower end of each groove of, by which, when the
pins o³ are in the descent of the bar ox, thrown forward into the grooves o', to
rise therein in the rise of the bar o* till they arrive at the top of that groove,
when springs o throw them forward again into the grooves o": In this
arrangement the cams for operating the nippers will be so arranged that both
nippers f, f, and g, g, will act together in taking a tuft of fibre, but when the
fibre has been taken by them and been operated by the comb o, the pair of
nippers g, g, will recede, leaving the fibre held only by the nippers f,f, until
the fibre is taken by the porter comb p.
In Figures 21 and 22 I have shown parts of a screw gill feeding means in
connection with a carriage, to which a traversing motion is given, as in the
illustrations just given; but the gill screws in this case have motion given to
them in such manner as to produce an intermittent action to the gill bars.
This is effected in the following manner :-In the side of the frame c is affixed
a studs to receive a pinion s', the teeth of which take into the teeth of a fixed
racks formed on or affixed to the main framing. This pinion s¹ takes into and
drives the pinion s³, which, with a disc s* fixed thereto, moves freely upon the
axis s. The plate s carries a click or driver se, which takes into the teeth of
a ratchet wheels, the boss of which is formed internally of a conical figure,
into which the cone s³ keyed loosely upon the axis s is pressed by the spring
s, in order that when motion is given to the wheel s' it may by friction com-
mmunicate motion to the axis so. In the receding motion of the carriage c, after
delivering to the nipping instruments the click or driver s will act in the teeth
of the wheels, and the friction of the internal surface of that wheel acting
against the surface of the cone s³ will give motion to the screws for propelling
the gill bars so as to deliver the fibre; but when the carriage e advances the
click or driver slips over the teeth of the ratchet wheel without giving motion
to it; and in order that the rotation of the axis s³ may be only that required to
effect the correct motion of the gill bars, I apply the arm s¹¹ to the cone s³
which rotates with it, and in doing so, when the cone has effected a complete
rotation, comes against the fixed stop s13, which is supported from the main
framing. t is a nipping bar, acting with the gill bar last brought forward to
hold the fibre, in a similar manner to that described in respect of Figure 16,
whilst the projecting tuft is operated by a suitable.clearing comb. The move-

page_text: ment of the nipping bar t in this case is effected in the following manner:-
The bar t is affixed at each end to a bar t', which bars turn upon centres t³,
and are constantly borne upwards with a tendency to raise the bar off the
gill bars by springs t; but when the carriage c is in the position shown the
outer ends of the lever arms operate to keep the nipper down; these lever
arms t being supported at t from a stationary part of the framing, whilst the
outer ends are borne upon by springs t, also pressed upon by a stationary part
of the framing; and when the carriage c moves forward towards the nippers
the outer ends of the arms t, by sliding to the lower parts of the arms t¹, allow
of the springs t raising the nipper t.
The eighth part of my improvements is shown applied at Figure 1, and
separately at Figure 14. The part from c to c, forming the middle portion of
the comb bar (and which may be varied in extent), being curved to correspond
with the curvature of the passing comb.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the best means
with which I am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would have it
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein shown and
described, so long as the peculiar character of any part thereof be retained;
but what I do claim is,-
First, the adaptation of parts by which lifting and lowering bars d are em-
ployed, with arms or parts extending downwards, forming frames capable
of being operated upon by cams at the lower part of the machine, as explained.
Also, I claim the operating upon pushing instruments for giving the pro-
gressive motion to gill comb bars by means of cams or tappets, as explained.
Also, I claim the application of extended surfaces i, operating as guides to
the upper row of gill comb bars during the ascent of one and the descent
of another of them, as also to hold them correctly in position after each rising
and falling of the lifting bars or frames d, as explained.
Also, I claim the forming the ends of the gill bars of increased height, say
about equal to the height of the comb teeth.
Also, I claim the so arranging parts in connection with screw gill apparatus,
that pushing means may be applied thereto for the purpose of giving the first
progressive motion to each gill bar as raised into the upper row of bars.
Also, I claim the means described of arranging and combining parts in con-
nection with square motion gill apparatus (or where a series of bars are used
to move quadrangularly in succession without screws), whereby such bars
having an intermittent action are especially adapted as feeding means to that.
class of combing machines called nipping machines.
Also, I claim the so arranging and combining parts in connexion with screw'

page_text: gill apparatus; that. a uniform intermittent action may be obtained to the gill
bars when applied as a means of feeding.wool and other fibre to that class of
combing machines called nipping machines.
Secondly, I claim the mode of forming the keeping plate, as described.
Thirdly, I claim the means of employing: brusb; card, or other toothed
surfaces as the clearing or doffing means to the gill combs.
Fourthly, I claim the application of an extra pair of rollers in front of and
close to the horizontal' fluted drawing-off rollers, as explained:
Fifthly, I claim the application of a nipping bar t, for the purpose, of, holding
the fibre upon the gill bars whilst being operated by a clearing-comb, sub-
stantially as explained.
Also, I claim the application of a clearing comb u, to act upon the tuft of fibre
last brought forward by and projecting from the gill comb, and'thereby to detach
noil and short before detaching such tuft by the nipping instruments used.
Also, I claim the application of a "porcupine or other toothed surface,
operating in manner substantially as described; in respect to Figures 17 and
18, to receive the fibre from the porter comb and deliver it to suitable drawing.
rollers. Also, I claim, in combination therewith, the use of a fan or blast
to facilitate the laying of the tail ends of the tufts in the direction of the
drawing rollers.
Sixthly, I claim the application to combing machines for combing wool and
other fibres, where nipping apparatus is employed to effect the detaching
of tufts of fibre, of double or two pairs of-nipping means or instruments for
such purpose.
Seventhly, I claim the employment of rollers as feeding means in combing
machines for 'combing "wool or other fibre, where nipping apparatus is used to
detach such fibre in separate tufts from the feeding means.
Also, I claim the application of a guide b in combination with such feeding
rollers. Also; I claim; in combination with such rollers as feeding means, the
use of jaws m, m, acting substantially as explained in respect of Figure 20.
Also, I claim the adaptation of clearing combs to clear the fibre as held by
the nipping instruments or jaws, substantially as explained in respect of
Figures 17, 18, and -20....
Also, I claim the so-arranging and combining parts of combing apparatus
where nipping instruments are used for the purpose of effecting the detachment
of tufts of fibre, that the feeding means to such nippers may have a motion to
the nippers, in place of, as heretofore, the nippers moving to the feeding means.
Eighthly, I claim for giving a curved form to a part of the centre gill
bars, corresponding with that of the circle of receiving combs, when stationary
of

page_text: gill frames are used as working combs to work wool or other fibres whilst held
by other combs.
In witness whereof, I, the said Isaac Holden, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of November, in the
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
year of our
Witness,
WILLIAM BROOKES,
Patent Agent,
73, Chancery Lane.
ISAAC HOLDEN. (L.B.)