IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCESSES. AND MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING FIBRES SUITABLE FOR BEING SPUN, FROM. RAGS OR REMNANTS OF WOVEN OR OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS MADE, OF. SILK, WOOL, COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Ernest Gilles, of 39, Old Broad Street, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCESSES. AND
MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING FIBRES SUITABLE FOR BEING SPUN, FROM. RAGS OR
REMNANTS OF WOVEN OR OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS MADE, OF. SILK, WOOL,
COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
ealed the 3rd October 1866, and dated the 19th July 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Ernest Gilles at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th July 1865.
I, HENRY ERNEST GILLES, of 39, Old Broad Street, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROCESSES AND MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING FIBRES SUITABLE FOR BEING SPUN FROM
BAGS OR REMNANTS OF WOVEN OR OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS MADE OF SILK, WOOL,
COTTON. OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate, first, to the mode of preparing the rags or

page_text: remnants of fabrics so as to render them suitable for being operated upon by
my 'improved machinery for the purpose of separating the threads and con-
verting them into fibres suitable for being re-spun into yarns or threads for the
manufacture of textile fabrics. For this purpose I first thoroughly wash and
cleanse the rags or remnants, and if made of silk I treat them with alkali or
other suitable chemicals, in order to discharge the gum or other matters
combined therewith. Thus prepared, they are straightened and ironed out
flat, which may be readily and cheaply performed by children, or they may be
passed separately between heated rollers. The rags or remnants are then
divided (by preference in the direction of the warps) into strips. The ends of
these strips are placed between bars or in suitable holders ready for being
placed in the machine for separating the threads and opening the fibres.
The arrangement of machinery which I prefer to employ for this purpose
consists of a roller mounted and revolving in suitable bearings upon a table
supported by the framing of the machine; this roller is formed with rows of
pins or points, by preference set in bars let into or fixed upon the circumference
of the roller, and capable of being readily removed and replaced when required.
Underneath the roller a frame or platform is arranged to move to and fro
from the front towards the back of the machine by means of a screw or other-
wise. The upper side of this frame or platform is set with bristles, "bass," or
other suitable materials to form the surface into a brush upon which the strips
of fabrics (held at one end between bars or holders, as previously described,)
are laid. The frame or platform carrying the brush is then caused to travel
slowly underneath the revolving pointed surface, so as first to present the ends
of the strips of fabric to the action of the points, which enter between the
threads, and thus separate and open them, the forward movement of the brush
surface causing the strips to be operated upon up to the point at which
they are held, the ends being afterwards presented to the action of the
revolving pointed surface by placing the part previously opened in the holder.
The threads and fibres thus separated and opened may be further operated
upon in scribbling and carding machinery, as is well understood, for the
purpose of rendering them suitable for being spun into yarns or threads.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Ernest Gilles in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
ERNEST GILLES, of 39, Old Broad Street, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Herreign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Ernest Gilles, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Ernest Gilles,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Ernest Gilles,my executors, administrators, andassigns,shouldatany 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 PROCESSES
AND MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING FIBRES SUITABLE FOR BEING SPUN FROM BAGS OR
REMNANTS OF WOVEN OR OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS MADE OF SILK, WOOL, COTTON,
OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Henry Ernest Gilles, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Henry Ernest Gilles, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My improvements relate, first, to the mode of preparing the rags or
remnants of fabrics so as to render them suitable for being operated upon by
my improved machinery for the purpose of separating the threads and con.
verting them into fibres suitable for being re-spun into yarns or threads for the
manufacture of textile fabrics. For this purpose I first thoroughly wash and
cleanse the rags or remnants, and if made of silk, I treat them with alkali or
other suitable chemicals, in order to discharge the gum or other matters
combined therewith; thus prepared, they are straightened and ironed out

page_text: flat, which may be readily and cheaply performed by children, or they may be
passed separately between heated rollers; the rags or remnants are then
divided (by preference in the direction of the warps) into strips. The ends
of these strips are placed between bars or in suitable holders ready for being
placed in the machine for separating the threads and opening the fibres.
The arrangement of machinery I prefer to employ for this purpose consists of
a roller mounted and revolving in suitable bearings upon a table supported by
the framing of the machine. This roller is formed with rows of pins or points,
by preference set in bars let into or fixed upon the circumference of the
roller, and capable of being readily removed and replaced when required.
Underneath the roller a frame or platform is arranged to move to and fro
from the front towards the back of the machine by means of a screw or
otherwise. The upper side of this frame or platform is set with bristles,
"bass," or other suitable materials to form the surface into a brush upon which
the strips of fabrics (held at one end between bars or holders, as previously
described,) are laid. The frame or platform carrying the brush is then caused
to travel-with comparative slowness underneath the revolving pointed surface,
so at first to present the ends of the strips of fabric to the action of the points,
which enter between the threads, and thus separate and open them, the for-
ward movement of the brush surface causing the strips to be operated upon
up to the point at which they are held, the ends being afterwards presented
to the action of the revolving pointed surface by placing the part previously
opened in the holder. The threads and fibres thus separated and opened may
be further operated upon in scribbling and carding machinery, as is well
understood, for the purpose of rendering them suitable for being spun into
yarns or threads.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
the inauner in which the same is carried into practice, reference being made
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, which represents a simple arrangement
of machinery suitable for separating the threads of the strips of woven fabrics
previously prepared according to my Invention, and rendered suitable for
being operated upon, as herein-after described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a transverse section, and Figure 2 a front view of a machine
suitably arranged according to my Invention for operating upon strips or
narrow lengths of woven fabrics, by preference about two inches wide, and
from six to eight inches long. The narrow strips of fabric, washed and ironed
out or pressed flat, as previously described, are placed in books or holders,

page_text: one end of each strip being securely held therein by pins or points, or by a
nipping bar pressing the ends of the strips into a groove or grooves in the
opposite half of the holder. A number of the flat narrow strips are placed
side by side, and over each other in the holder, one of which is shown at a, a,
in Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawing, the strips of fabric held therein being
supported upon the surface of the brush 6, as shown. The holder a is fixed
to the front end of the frame of the brush 6 by screws 6', or in any other
convenient manner. On the under side of the brush frame a screw socket b³
is fixed, through which the stationary screw c passes, supported in bearings c¹
at each end, so that when the screw c is caused to revolve by means of the
crank handle c³ the screw socket 6 and the platform or brush surface b
attached thereto may be caused to travel at a suitable speed underneath the
revolving roller d.
The roller d is furnished with rows of pins or points,
which enter into and amongst the threads of the strips of fabric presented
thereto whilst being supported upon the brush surface 6, thus readily separating
the transverse from the longitudinal threads, at the same time acting to open
and separate the fibres of which such threads are composed. is a brush
which is caused to revolve at a much greater speed than the roller & for the
purpose of removing the threads and fibres from the pins or points on the
roller & in place of allowing them to accumulate thereon as they are separated
from the strips of fabric. A number of machines, such as above described,
may be arranged side by side, motion being communicated to the axes of the
pointed roller and brush from a steam engine or other motive power; self-
acting mechanism may also be applied to the machine to cause the brush or
platform 6 to travel to and fro as required. In place of the brush 6 moving
to and fro, it may remain stationary, and the revolving pointed roller be caused
to travel over its surface whilst operating upon the strips of fabric. I would
remark that in place of employing a travelling brush or platform b for feeding
and supporting the strips of fabric whilst being operated upon by the revolving
pointed surface d (to separate the threads and fibres, as previously described,)
the strips of fabric may be fed forward by means of an endless web or cloth
to a pair of feed rollers placed near to the revolving pointed roller d. In this
arrangement below theroller da circular brush or roller is arranged to revolve,
the brush surface of which serves to support the strips of fabric as they are
fed forward by the feed rollers between it and the roller d, thus serving as a
substitute for the travelling brush surface 6 previously described. Or in
place of employing the revolving pointed surface d for operating upon the
prepared strips of fabric, as previously described, an endless chain (or cbains)
of heckle bars may be employed, the narrow strips of fabric in such an

page_text: arrangement of apparatus being suspended from holders, and pressed up
against the teeth of the heckle bars by revolving or other brushes, all which
will be readily understood and carried into practice by any competent
mechanic acquainted with flax dressing and other similar machinery.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Ernest Gilles, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
HENRY ERNEST GILLES. (L.S.)
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings, W.C.