IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Shepherd, of Bradford, in the
County of York, Spinner and Manufacturer, and James Scott, of
Bradford, aforesaid, Overlooker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry
Shepherd and James Scott at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 15th March 1873.
We, WILLIAM HENRY SHEPHERD, of Bradford, in the County of
York, Spinner and Manufacturer, and JAMES SCOTT, of Bradford,
aforesaid, Overlooker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES," (to be
as follows):-
"
Our improvements are more adapted for application to the "Lister
comb or to the "Rawson comb," but may be applied to the "Noble's
comb" or to other machines, for such purpose having circular or rotary
combs, and the object of the Invention is to clear or cleanse the noil
ends of the tufts detached from the bulk of the fibre. To effect this

page_text: "
object we apply to the interior of the circular comb a similar circular or
rotary comb, but of less diameter and rotating eccentrically therewith.
The teeth of the interior circle are in close approximation to the teeth
of the larger or outer circle at the point opposite and nearest the feeding
head, so that as the tufts of fibre are detached they are deposited with
the noil ends on the inner circle. A "presser or holding down knife
holds the fibre securely in the teeth of the outer circle until the noil end
is cleared or combed by reason of the two circles diverging, whereon a
hooked knife or instrument assists in separating the said noil end of the
fibre from the cleansed tuft, the noil only being left in the teeth of the
inner or smaller circle. The wool or fibre is then drawn off the outer
circle by drawing-off rollers in the ordinary way. Any short fibre which
may remain in the outer circle by reason of the drawing-off rollers not
reaching the same is lifted out of the teeth by means of lifting knives,
and thence passes between adjustable rollers placed at an angle so as to
"throw over" the fibre nearly to the outer edge of the circle, whereon
one end thereof is again pressed by means of a dabbing brush into the
teeth thereon, and held down by a holding knife, the other end and
protruding portion of such wool or fibre being by the said dabbing brush
and at the same forced into the teeth of another circular or rotary comb,
by which the fibre is again subjected to a second clearing or cleansing
operation, and any noil or short wool removed therefrom is left in the
said circular or rotary comb until removed by knives and noil rollers as
usual, or drawn off in a sliver, as may be desired; or the wool or fibre
on being thrown over is subjected to a second clearing or cleansing
operation, performed by means of a segmental comb to which a "to-and-
fro" motion is imparted by means of an arm or connecting rod or crank.
This comb may pierce the fibre from above, being brought into position
above the fibre by means of inclines, which it ascends on the return of
the comb. The latter whilst lashing the fibre travels on horizontal
supports under the inclines, which may be hinged in order to admit of
the comb passing under the lower part thereof; or the segmental comb
may pierce the protruding fibre from below, being worked by eccentric
or cams and levers.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Henry Shepherd and James Scott in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HENRY SHEPHERD, of Bradford, in the County of York, Spinner and
Manufacturer, and JAMES SCOTT, of Bradford, aforesaid, Overlooker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth.
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said William Henry Shepherd and James Scott, Her
special licence that we, the said William Henry Shepherd and James
Scott, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said William Henry Shepherd and James Scott, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time 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 MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Henry
Shepherd and James Scott, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said William Henry Shepherd and
James Scott, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, and accom-
panying Sheets of Drawings, that is to say :-
Our improvements are more adapted for application to the "Lister"

page_text: comb, or to the "Rawson" comb, but may be applied to other machines
for such purpose having circular or rotary combs, and the object of the
Invention is to clear or cleanse the noil ends of the tufts detached from
the bulk of the fibre. To effect this object we apply to the interior of
the circular comb a similar circular or rotary comb, but of less diameter
and rotating eccentrically therewith. The teeth of the interior circle are in
close approximation to the teeth of the larger or outer circle, by preference
at the point opposite and nearest the feeding head, so that as the tufts of
fibre are detached they are deposited with the noil ends on the inner
circle. A presser or holding down knife holds the fibre securely in
the teeth of the outer circle until the noil end is cleared or combed by
reason of the two circles diverging, whereon a hooked knife or in-
strument assists in separating the noil end of the fibre from the cleansed
portion of the tuft, the noil only being left in the teeth of the inner or
smaller circle. The wool or fibre is then drawn off the outer circle by
drawing-off rollers in the ordinary way, any short fibre which may
remain in the outer circle by reason of the drawing-off rollers not reaching
the same is lifted out of the teeth by lifting knives, and thence passes
between adjustable rollers placed at an angle so as to throw over the
fibre nearly to the outer edge of the circle, whereon one end thereof is
again pressed by means of a dabbing brush into the teeth thereon, and
held down by a holding knife, the other end and protruding portion of
such wool or fibre being by the said dabbing brush (and at the same
time) forced into the teeth of another and exterior circular or rotary
comb, by which the fibre is again subjected to a clearing or cleansing
operation, and any noil or short fibre removed therefrom is left in the
last mentioned circular or rotary comb until removed by knives and noil
rollers as usual, or drawn off in a sliver as may be desired.
Such being the nature and object of this our Invention, we will
proceed to describe the same in detail, and in order that the particulars
thereof may be clearly understood, we have hereunto annexed three
Sheets of Drawings, and have marked the same with figures and letters
of reference, the same letter referring to the same part in the various
views or Figures.
Fig. 1, Sheet 1, is a plan view of such parts of a circular combing

page_text: Fig. 2 is a detail enlarged view of the holding down knife and
separating knife or instrument.
Figs. 3 and 4 are side and front elevations of the lifting knives and
adjustable rollers; Fig. 5 is a section of the said rollers.
The short fibre not removed by the first operation of the drawing-off
rollers is lifted by the knives out of the teeth of the comb, and by the
rollers thrown over to be further operated upon by the smaller and
exterior comb previous to being drawn off; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the
said rollers, and part of a comb in this view, the throwing over, trans-
ferring, or changing the position of the wool on the comb is clearly
shewn, and it will be understood that the said rollers may be set or
adjusted relative to the comb so as to throw over more or less as
desirable.
A is the ordinary circular comb, to the interior of which we applly the
circular cleansing comb B, which as shown is of less diameter, and
rotates eccentrically therewith. The teeth of the comb B are in close
approximation to the teeth of the larger comb A at the point opposite,
and nearest the feeding head C, the latter deposits the noil end of the
fibre upon the teeth of the circle B, the fibre being dabbed down by
brush as usual. D, D, are pressers or holding down knives for holding
the fibre in the teeth of the circle A until the noil end is cleansed and
combed by reason of the two circles A and B diverging at the point E
whereon the hooked knife or instrument F assists in separating the noil
end of the fibre from the cleansed tuft, the noil only being left in the
teeth of the circle B to be removed by the noil rollers B'. S, S, are
spiral springs which adjust the knives and separator F to any inequality
of thickness of fibre supplied to the circle A. The longest fibre is drawn
off the circle A by means of the drawing-off rollers G, and the short
fibre H remains in the said outer circle A until reaching the lifting
knives K, by which it is lifted out of the teeth and passes up the incline
formed by the upper edges of these knives. The endless belt L working
over the rollers L' serves to guide the fibre in an undisturbed state to the
rollers L², L³, between and by the rotation of which it is guided to the
comb A as shewn; these rollers are driven by means of the bevel
gear M and N, M being on the ordinary upright shaft P which drives
the large circle A. The bolts and slotted brackets R are for adjusting

page_text: pparatus for throwing over or transferring the wool or fibre, as herein
fully described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Scott, for and on behalf of
myself and the said William Henry Shepherd, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
WALTER BRIERLEY,
Tasker & Brierley,
JAMES SCOTT. (L.S.)
Patent Agents,
Halifax, Bradford, & Blackburn.