CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY AND OTHER APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER SUITABLE FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, AND IN APPLYING OR WORKING THE SAME
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JESSE Ross,
of No. 7, Victoria Terrace, Keighley, in the County of York, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirteenth day of
March, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fourteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Jesse Ross, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Jesse Ross, my exors,
admňors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jesse Ross, my exors,
adñmors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY AND OTHER APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER
SUITABLE FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, AND IN APPLYING OR WORKING THE SAME;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Jesse
Ross, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,-
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto bad, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Jesse Ross, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described in and by the
present Specification thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say :-
The said improvements have relation partly to certain machines formerly
invented and patented by me, and partly to improvements upon other machines,
whereby both of these classes of machines are rendered applicable or more
applicable than heretofore to the combing of wool and other fibrous materials,
whether such materials are of long or short staple.
Firstly, my improvements have relation to the machine for forming the wool
or other material into sheets of a nearly uniform thickness, technically called
the sheeter," by means of which the material is not only prepared for the
comb-filling machine, but is partially combed.
66
niore.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a plan, of such a machine, con-
structed according to my present improvements. F, F, is the general frame-
work upon which the several working parts of the machine are mounted. A is
the main or sheeting drum or cylinder, which is studded with rows of combs
or "porcupine" teeth a, a, a, the length and fineness of which are varied,
according to the length of the staple of the wool or other material to be
operated upon. Figure 3 is an elevation (full size) of several rows of these
teeth calculated for combing wool, of a length from four to sixteen inches, or
When the wool is shorter and finer, then combs or "porcupine" teeth
correspondingly shorter may be employed with advantage, and instead of the
rows, consisting each of a single set of teeth, two, three, or more sets may be
combined together, in the manner shewn in Figure 4. The number of wires
which may be placed in one line should vary with the quality of the wool or
other material. In long staple machines the number may vary from four to
ten or more, and in short staple machines from five to twenty, or more, per
inch. B, B, are two fluted feed rollers; C, C, two porcupino combing rollers,
by which the wool is partly combed while passing from the feed rollers to the
surface of the sheeting drum. An end elevation of the porcupino combing
rollers on an enlarged scale is given in Figure 1ª. c, c, are the teeth, set in
rows, and the rows of one roller take or gear into the spaces between the rows
of the other; D is a grooved guide roller (a cross section of which is given of
the full size in Figure 5), for preventing the wool or other material from
escaping the combing action. The wool or other material is laid by the
attendant evenly upon the upper surface of an endless web G, which works
over the under feed roller, and a plain roller H, which is mounted in bearings

page_text: on the front of the machine. The feed rollers gradually supply the wool thus
spread upon the endless web to the two porcupine combing rollers, where it is
partly combed and separated, and being so prepared, it is laid hold of by the
teeth of the sheeting drum, by which it is still further drawn out, on account
of the greater velocity with which the surface of the sheeting drum travels.
When a sufficient quantity of the wool or other material has been thus
collected on the surface of the drum, it is removed by the attendant passing a
hooked rod across the surface of the drum, and raising up one end of the sheet,
when the whole may be easily stripped off and removed, being then in a fit
state for being supplied to the comb-filling machine next to be described.
A modification of the sheeting machine, before described, and differing from
it in some important particulars, is represented in Figure 6. In this modi-
fication a double set of feeding rollers is employed, so that the machine may
be fed from both ends. These rollers are grooved, and gear into porcupine
combing rollers, similar to those before described, which are followed by brush
cylinders or grooved guide rollers. A is the sheeting drum, as before; B, B,
the fluted feed rollers; C, C, the porcupine combing rollers, which gear into
the fluted ones; D, D, are the grooved guide rollers; F, F, are brush cylinders,
which may, in the case of long wool, be dispensed with; G, G, are the endless
webs upon which the wool is laid. The framing and gearing by which the
several parts are put in motion are omitted in the Drawings, for the purpose
of clearly exhibiting the more important working parts of the machine. The
arrangement of sheeting machines just described, in so far as regards the
employment of a fluted feed roller, in conjunction with a porcupine combing
roller and grooved guide roller, is more especially applicable to sheeting fine
short wool, but may also be applied with advantage to wool or other material
of a longer staple. In the case of fine short wool, the sheet may be drawn off'
by means of rollers, in the manner represented in Figure 7. H, H, are the
drawing or straightening rollers, and I the receiving roller. During the
operation of drawing the wool and winding it on the receiving roller, the
sheeting roller must have a motion imparted to it in the reverse direction.
Secondly, my improvements in wool-combing machinery relate to the
machine for filling the combs with the wool or other material to be combed,
and consist in combining therewith certain metal porcupine combing rollers,
and also certain revolving brushes, by the combined action of which this
advantage is obtained, that while the combs are being filled the combing of
the wool is in some cases entirely finished, and in other cases nearly so, by
the action of this improved machine alone, without the aid of any subsequent
operation. Further, the porcupine combing rollers being hollow, they can be

page_text: conveniently heated from the interior, and the wool thereby brought into that
heated state which is requisite to enable the drawing action to deprive it of
the curl which is natural to it. Figure 8 is a side elevation, and Figure 9
a plan, of a comb-filling machine fitted with these porcupine combing rollers
and brushes. A, A, is a skeleton drum, which is composed of two rings a, a,
affixed to the arms b, b, which last are mounted upon the main shaft of the
machine, which has its bearings upon the general frame F, F; B3, B², are
the porcupine combing rollers; and C, C, brushes, by which the porcupine
combing rollers are cleansed from the wool that collects upon them, and by
which the wool is again delivered to the combs c, c; D, D, are the feed
rollers; and E, an endless web, which runs over the lower feed roller, and the
plain roller G, which is situated at the front of the machine; H, H, are the
driving pulleys, by which the power is applied to the machine; and
I, I, I, the wheel gearing, by which motion is communicated to the different
parts. The wool which has undergone the process of sheeting in the
machine first herein-before described is spread upon the endless web E,
and in passing between the feed rollers, and between or under or over
the porcupine combing rollers, is taken hold of by the combs e, e, as they
revolve, and being drawn under the first porcupine roller B₁ and the
brush C', the continued revolution of the drum and combs causes the
wool to be brought into contact with the other porcupine combing roller
B and brush C. As the combs get filled, the wool is thus continuously
being brought under the action of the porcupine combing rollers and brushes,
and each new portion of the wool taken up is instantly combed out. For
some purposes the combing will be found carried so far by this operation
that the wool requires no further preparation previous to being formed into
slivers. In the machine just described, and which is calculated for filling the
combs, and combing the wool or other fibrous material, when the staple is of
some considerable length (say, from four to sixteen inches,) there are two
porcupine combing rollers with their brushes employed, but I do not confine
myself to that number, as in some cases a single porcupine combing roller and
brush will be found sufficient. For the purpose of facilitating the process of
combing and filling the combs, three or more rollers and brush cylinders may
be used with advantage, such as where the staple is short, or where the
fibrous material operated upon is very close, and separated with difficulty.
For the better exemplification of this part of my Invention, I have shewn in
Figures 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 several modifications of the combined comb-
filling and combing machine. In these several Figures the principal parts
of the machine (namely, those by which the wool or other fibrous material is

page_text: more immediately acted upon,) are alone shewn, and the gearing and framing
entirely omitted. The same letters of reference are used to indicate those
parts which they have in common with Figures 8 and 9. In the arrangement
shewn in Figure 10 three porcupine rollers and brush cylinders are used;
and in Figure 11 five porcupine rollers and brush cylinders, with the addition
of a duplicate feeding apparatus, so that the wool or other material operated
upon can be supplied from both ends of the machine at one and the same
time. In both cases the porcupine combing rollers may encrease in serial
order in the fineness of their teeth, or they may be alternately fine and coarse
(comparatively speaking), and so also the rows on each rollers may be alter-
nately fine and coarse.
Figure 12 is a section of a machine fitted with porcupine combing rollers
and brushes, showing how they may be adapted to machines where the combs
or the comb axes are acted upon by means of an eccentric and levers, so as
to cause the combs to describe a sinuous or undulating course at the moment
of passing the porcupine combing rollers, and thereby to pass in as close
proximity to it as may be without actually coming in contact. f,f, are the
levers by which the combs or their axes are actuated; 9, 9, is the eccentric
groove, , in which the pins h, h, or free ends of the levers, travel. The other
portions of the machine are similar to those already described, and marked
with the same letters of reference.
Figure 13 shows a method of employing porcupine combing rollers in pairs;
cach pair are so disposed as to gear into one another, and the lines of teeth
are properly pitched off for that purpose. i is a lashing comb, which is
composed of several rows of teeth, instead of having only one single row, as
they have hitherto been constructed; I find that the additional rows of teeth
greatly quicken the process of combing. If the wool is tough the lashing
combi is not used, but a porcupine combing roller substituted for it.
Figure 14 is a modification of the arrangement No. 13, differing from it in
having a fluted roller substituted for the lower porcupine combing roller at
the feed end of the machine. In combining, as in this instance, a porcupine
combing roller with a fluted one, they must be so pitched as to gear accurately
together, otherwise they would not act. A convenient mode of heating these
porcupine rollers is represented in Figure 15 (a longitudinal section). a, a, is
the body of the hollow roller; and b, the journal, which at one end is enlarged
and left open, in the manner shewn, for the admission of a metal heater c, which.
may be taken out and reheated as often as required. Of all the comb-filling
machines and modifications which I have described, it is proper to observe, that
when they are used for operating on the shorter and finer wools, the porcupine

page_text: combing roller or rollers must, be set close up to the head or heads of the
revolving combs, say, at a distance of about 3/10 of an inch, and also, that when
they are so close set, it will be necessary to have the bearings of the porcupine
rollers backed up with springs, so that as the comb fills the springs may yield,
and allow the wool to pass freely between them and the combing or porcupine
rollers; and further, the teeth of the porcupine combing rollers should never in
the case of fine short wools exceed about a quarter of an inch in length, so that
the teeth may not penetrate two far into the wool.
Thirdly, my improvements relate to a combing machine for which former
Letters Patent were granted to me, bearing date the Ninth day of November,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-one, and embrace the following modifica-
tions in its construction and mode of action :-First, I give to the saddle combs
in the said machine, a compound to and fro and up and down movement,
whereby they recede from and advance towards the comb gates, and
simultaneously therewith alternately rise and fall, so that each time the comb
gates pass the saddle combs they do so in a different plane, and thus the position
of the combs in relation to each other, as well as to the hold they take of the
wool or other material, is constantly being changed. Second, I employ a fan
to lash the wool in the comb gate or flying comb up against the saddle comb,
which renders it impossible for the wool to pass by the saddle comb
without being acted upon by it. Thirdly, I attach the springs by which the
gates are actuated to the lower arms of the comb gates, instead of their being
placed parallel to the upright shaft of the machine, as formerly, whereby a
considerable gain in space and compactness is effected. And, fourthly, I use
breaks to prevent the sudden jerk which is caused when the wool in the comb
gate leaves its hold of the saddle comb or inclined plane, and also to counteract
the sudden recoil of the springs, by which the comb gates are pressed in when
these springs are released from the grip or pressure of the inclined plane.
Figure 16 is an elevation, and Figure 17 a part plan, of my patent combing
machine with these different improvements. A, A, is the framework; B, the
main shaft of the machine; C, C, the driving pullies, by which the power is
applied from some prime mover to the machine; D, D, are the comb gates,
which are connected by the arms or rods E, E, to cross arms F, F; G, G, arc
the saddle combs, which are each fixed by an eccentric grip into a recess
formed in the plate H, which plate is capable of sliding up and down upon a
second plate I, which forms the saddle, and by which the to and fro horizontal
motion is effected, in manner to be presently explained; K, K, are friction
pullies, which have their bearings in the plate I, and are of a V shape in their
peripheries, resting in similar shaped grooves formed in the framework. The

page_text: Saddle plate I is thus at liberty to travel upon the friction pullies to a limited extent
from and towards the centre of the machine, and of course carries the plate II
and the saddle comb along with it. The amount of horizontal movement.given to
the plate I is determined, and produced by the mechanism next to be described.
L is an endless screw, which is put in motion by a spindle M, from.the main
shaft of the machine, and gives motion to a worm wheel N, into which it
gears; O. is a cam, which is keyed to the same axle as the worm.wheel, and as
it revolves presses the lower end of an upright lever Pin towards the centre
of the machine, which lever, through the intervention of the link R, draws out
the saddle plate I, and the comb which it carries, from the centre, and of course
from the comb gates. The lashing in and drawing of, the wool through the
saddle combs by the revolving: combs, together with the manner in which. the
saddles are suspended from. the chains, effects the movement of the saddle
combs in the reverse direction to that in which the cam moves them... The
rising and falling of the saddle combs is produced (simultaneously with. the
horizontal movements, which have just been described,) by means of the
upright connecting rod S, which at its lower end is attached to a short crank,
made to rotate slowly by wheel gearing T, T, driven from the main shaft. The
upper end of the connecting rod S gives an alternating rotative motion to the
pulley U, which motion is communicated to the plate H and saddle comb on
both sides of the machine by means of the chain V, which is connected at its
two ends to the two plates H, H, so that while the plate and the comb
connected to it upon one side of the machine are rising, those upon the opposite
side are falling. Other means of causing the rising and falling of the saddle
combs may be employed; as, for example, this movement may be effected by an
eccentric wheel working into the back of the plates I, I, but I prefer the
method first herein-before described. The to and fro motion may be effected
by two cams working on an upright shaft. W is an upright spindle, to which is
attached a flap or vane of leather W2, which is placed parallel to and in close
proximity with the saddle comb W³ is gearing, by which the spindle is, made
to revolve, and the numbers of which are so calculated that just as the rotating
or flying comb comes opposite to the saddle comb, the flap comes against .the
wool held by the former; and as the speed at which the flap or vane travels is
made considerably to exceed that at which the rotating combs are moving, it
lashes the wool into the saddle combs, which might otherwise partially..pass
without coming into contact with it.
In the Specification of my former Patent the springs and other arrange-
ments for working the comb gates were large and cumbersome, and in place
of these, which are now dispensed with, I have substituted the spring con-

page_text: necting rods X, X, which are jointed to the comb gate arms E, E, and carried
through brackets affixed to the cross arm F, F. The office performed by these
spring connecting rods is to cause the comb gates and the combs they carry
to resume their proper position, after the inclined plane movement has ceased
to act upon the comb gates. Y, Y, are breaks, which are affixed to the
framework, and are actuated by the helical springs Y, Ya, which serve to
counteract the sudden tendency of the comb gates to fly out by the action of
the spring connecting rods when released from the grip or pressure of the
inclined plane. Y³, Y, are stops for the comb gates.
In applying my combing machine as originally constructed to long wool, I
have found that the drawing rollers may be advantageously made of larger
diameter and with wider flutes than I at first proposed; but, on the other
hand, that when applied to the combing of the finer and shorter sorts of wool,
the drawing rollers should be of greatly diminished diameter and of much
finer flutes.
The modifications necessary to adapt it to the latter purpose are shewn in
Figure 18 (a side elevation), and Figure 19 (a plan). A, A, is the frame-
work; B, B, the sliding guides, into which the combs when filled with wool
are placed; C, C, are the pinions, which gear into the racks formed on the
back edge of the combs; D, D, are the drawing rollers, which are from one
inch to an inch and a half in diameter, and with flutes proportionately fine.
The rollers suitable for long wool are shewn separately in Figure 20, and
for short wool in Figure 21. E, E, the endless bands of leather, which pass
along with the wool through the feed rollers; and F, F, is the apparatus by
which the sliver when formed is rolled up.
And, fourthly, my improvements relate to the method of heating the combs
employed in any of the improved combing machines herein-before described,
or to be used in other combing machines, and have for their object the econo-
mizing of fuel, the better heating of the combs, and the prevention of mistake
in removing the comb before it has been a sufficient time exposed to the action
of the heat.
Figure 22 is a side elevation, and Figure 23 an end elevation, of a heating
box or stove for heating combs, constructed according to my said Invention.
A is the fire box; B, the ash-pit; and C, C, the chambers into which the
combs to be heated are placed. The body of the heating box or stove is
divided into two portions by a partition placed at a, b, which communicate
together at the back or further end of the stove, so that the flame and heated
vapours, after having circulated under and along the sides of the two lower
comb chambers C, C, ascend into the upper portion of the stove, where they

page_text: have to traverse along the sides and over the top of the two upper chambers
C, C, ultimately escaping into the chimney through the pipe D. The length
of the heating box or the chambers C, C, should be about double the length
of the combs. The cold combs are inserted at one end, and on being put
into their places push the more heated combs towards the other end of the
chambers from which they are removed.
And having now described my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I declare that the improvements which I claim as embraced
in the said Invention are as follows:-
First, I claim the improved sheeting machine, represented in Figures 1
and 2, and before described, in so far as regards the employment of two pre-
paratory porcupine combing rollers, in combination with the ordinary sheeting
drum or cylinder, the said rollers having their teeth set in rows, and the rows
of one roller gearing or taking into the spaces between the rows of the other.
Second, I claim the modification of the sheeting machine, represented in
Figure 6, and before described, in so far as regards the feeding from both ends
by means of fluted rollers, each taking or gearing into a porcupine combing
roller having its teeth pointing in a direction opposite to those of the sheeting
cylinder; also the application generally of the same combination to sheeting
machines, whether fed from both ends or from any number of different
points.
Third, I claim the peculiar method of drawing the sheet from off the
sheeting drum, represented in Figure 7, and before described.
Fourth, I claim the improved comb-filling machine, represented in Figures 8
and 9, and before described, that is to say, in so far as regards the metal
porcupine rollers and revolving brushes; also the modifications thereof,
represented in Figures 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, and respectively before
described.
Fifth, I claim the improvements in my formerly patented combing machine,
represented in Figures 16 and 17, and before described, that is to say, the
compound to and fro and up and down movement, the lashing fan, the attach-
ing of the comb gate springs to the lower arms of the gates, the breaks, and
the working of the saddle combs by cams, each as before described.
And, sixth, I claim the improved method of or apparatus for heating combs,
represented in Figures 22 & 23, and before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jesse Ross, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-one.
JESSE (L.S.) ROSS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirteenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid Jesse Ross came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.