IMPROVEMENTS IN- THE, MANUFACTURE OF COMBS
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Louis François Auguste Baron
"Marulaz at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his 'Petition,
on the 30th June 1863.
1.
I, LOUIS FRANÇOIS AUGUSTE BARON MARULAZ. of Guéret Creuse, France,
Commissary. General Officer of the Legion of Honor, and Knight of the
Order of Leopold of Belgium, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN- THE, MANUFACTURE OF COMBS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists in an improved method of manufacturing combs in
general, and in the special application of my improved process to the manu-
facture, firstly, of combs with the inner sides of the teeth roughened like a
file or rasp; secondly, to the manufacture afd galvanization of combs, whether
of iron or steel, as well as in the manufacture from any suitable material of
three sorts of combs, resulting from my process of manufacture, namely, bent
or curved combs, combs with varied teeth, and combs with overlapping or
imbricated teeth, these latter combs being more especially intended to be used
for combing animals. I take any solid metal or material (preparing it according
to its nature), and cut it into plates or blades, the length of which I regulate
according to the size of my matrix (hereafter described) or the nature of the
material, the breadth being rather less than the entire height of my type or
model comb, and the thickness corresponding with that of the teeth of my
said type. These plates may present either two polished plane. surfaces, or be
striated or roughened; like a file or rasp on both sides, and their volume be

page_text: comprised between two parallel surfaces, plane or broken, with one or more
curves in their length or breadth. Finally, in the length of each plate, and all on
the same edge, I make slots or openings to receive the ridges of the combs I
am about to make, the centre of each slot corresponding with the centre of
that part of the plate or blade which is to form each tooth; I then prepare
separately, and of similar or other solid material, frames destined to form the
ridges, and enclose all the teeth of the combs. The two small sides of each of
these frames form the end teeth of each comb, and are united by one long
side which forms the ridge of the comb, and which may or may not have tenons
by which to fix a back or cover thereon. This ridge or long side of the frame
will present a straight, a broken, or a curved line according to the shape of
comb I wish to produce, and may extend into a handle at one end if desired.
The bands forming cover or back to the ridge of the comb I also manufacture
separately and of metal or other suitable material; the back descends over the
ridge of the comb down to the base of the teeth,. and is fixed by the tenons on
the ridge entering slots in the cover by soldering with a metallic alloy, or with
gutta percha, or by other suitable means. I now form of some solid material a
block or parallelopipedon, the height, length, and breadth of which will be
regulated by that of the combs to be produced. In this block I place sepa-
rating plates at distances regulated by the thickness of the tooth plates, these
separating plates will be of some material easily fitted and adhering in the
block, for example, if the block be of lead, the separations will be of sheet
iron or steel. When placed in the block the height of these separations will
be rather less than that of the plates for the teeth, but they will be of the
same length; their thickness will be regulated by the distance to be left between
the teeth, and their shape will in most cases follow that of the plates of which
the teeth are to be formed, but when the tooth plates are thick in the line of
the ridges and thin between them, where the sawing takes place (as hereafter
described), the separating plates will not follow the shape or variable thickness
of the tooth plates; finally, these separating plates will be so fitted in the block
that while being parallel to each other they form the same angles as the
surface of the block-on which they are fixed, and each parallelopipedon or
block thus furnished with the separations becomes a form or matrix. The
blades or plates intended to form the teeth are then placed between the
separations with their slots or openings above, and each corresponding in
shape and material with the corresponding tooth of the model comb, there-
fore each plate may if desired be of different material, form, and surface
to the adjoining one, and thus form a comb with varied teeth, or they
may be all alike. I then, from any solid metal or other material, cut

page_text: several sheets of unequal thickness, and a little longer and broader than the
surface occupied by the arrangement of plates fitted in the block as above
described, and having slots corresponding in number, length, and breadth with
the said plates. The thinnest of these sheets is first placed over the arrange-
ment, the slots passing over and down the plates until they reach the top of the
separations fixed in the block. Each of the frames intended to enclose all the
teeth of the comb and form the ridge is then placed in the slots at the top of
each of the tooth plates, the matrix or form is withdrawn, and the lower part
of each of the tooth plates is engaged in notches made in one or other of the
thicker sheets prepared as previously stated. The breadth of these said tooth
plates is thus comprised between the two parallel planes represented by the
two sheets, and these plates combined with the ridges placed in the slots or
openings form an arrangement of several combs of one pattern, each being in
fact provided with its ridge in position as regards the teeth but not yet fixed,
so that the combs may be considered as in juxtaposition parallel to each
other in the direction of their length, and still adhering the one to the other.
The entire arrangement being now consolidated is in a fit state to receive and
retain any appropriate material, metallic or other, either in fusion or solution,
capable of strongly uniting together at their upper part and in their entire
length all the tooth plates with the ridges placed as above described in the
slots in their upper part, and the projection and solidification of the soldering
or uniting material being completed and perfect, I at last obtain the combs
separated from each other by sawing through the intervals between and
parallel to the ridges, whether these intervals be in a straight, broken, or curved
line. By thus sawing between the ridges, I detach one by one combs made
according to my model; the surfaces of the blades or plates become the inner
surfaces of each tooth, and are either, like a file or rasp or otherwise, roughed or
smooth, according to the surfaces given to the plates; each tooth follows the
form of the plate from which it is sawn, will be of a different material if plates
of different material have been placed in juxtaposition, and is of the thickness
of the plate used; and I would here observe that when the teeth, frame, or
ridge and back of the comb are of iron or steeled, and zinc is the material
used for uniting or soldering, the combs will become galvanized and conse-
quently be preserved from rust. When by sawing in a parallel direction
between the ridges placed as above described I have separated one comb
from the other, the plane or curved surfaces which then form the inner
surfaces of the teeth are parallel to each other and in a normal direction with
the ridge, whether it be straight or curved; but when I desire to make a comb
to be used more especially for combing animals or in lieu of a currycomb, I

page_text: prefer that the teeth should be parallel to each other but oblique as regards
the ridge, whether the ridge be straight or curved, thus forming a comb with
inibricated teeth, and to effect this before cutting in the tooth plates the
openings or slots for the ridge, I first place the ridge over then according to
the angle required, and having marked the direction cut the necessary slots and
then fit the ridge, (I operate in a similar manner when placing the ridges on
curved combs,) but I can also place my ridge in a straight line, but in that
case I bend my tooth plates to the angle required, and saw through the
intersecting lines of the different planes forming each blade or plate. When
my improved combs have been sawn apart they may be finished in any
suitable manner. In conclusion, I would observe that my system of combs
with file or rasp teeth may be used with advantage in machines for combing
any textile or fibrous material.