IN COMBING WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS." IMPROVEMENTS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Cunliffe Lister, of Manningham, in the
Parish of Bradford, Manufacturer, for the Invention of
IN COMBING WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
IMPROVEMENTS
Sealed the 25th March 1854, and dated the 24th January 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th January 1854.
1, SAMUEL CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Manningham, in the Parish of Bradford,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN COMBING WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS" to be as
follows:-
My improvements in combing consists in giving a to and fro motion to a
feeding apparatus, so that the ends of the fibrous material being placed
thereby into the teeth of a passing or other comb, will be by the recession of
the feeding head drawn through the teeth of the comb, and cleaned from noil
and dirt. At the next stroke of the feeding head, the ends of the fibre which
had been previously cleaned will be so far laid over and through the teeth of
the comb that rollers or other nipping instruments may take hold of the
cleaned ends, and draw the other ends of the fibres through the teeth of the
comb into which such fibres have been fed; this process is repeated from time to
time to obtain a sliver. In some cases I use a feeding apparatus, having card
or other pointed surfaces, so arranged that at each stroke of the feeding head the

page_text: portion of fibre last placed upon the comb may be combed by the card or
toothed surface, and the fibre robbed thereby from the comb be re-delivered to
the comb, or may be otherwise cleaned from the card by being brought into
contact with another card, acting similarly to the stripper of a carding engine.
This mode of combing is very suitable for short fibre, such as cotton, also the
noil made from tow, also the noil made in combing silk noils. In combing
the longer descriptions of fibrous material, I use a comb oscillating to and fro,
(by a crank or other motion,) and arranged in such manner that the fibrous
material taken from one comb may be delivered back. I find it useful to
place the holding plate outside the teeth of combs, especially when combing
cotton, and similar short fibre. When drawing cotton, tow, or silk from combs,
considerable difficulty is found in giving sufficient cohesion and solidity to the
sliver; this is obviated by means of what is termed in France a "frotteur,"
that is, a sort of rubbing or roller action, and a series of condensing rollers,
and a "tweedler" made with a very small orifice. After the fibre has been
drawn from the comb, especially cotton, tow, or silk, a card may be used with
advantage to remove the loose fibres, commonly termed backings.
comb used should not exceed half an inch in the width of the chamber.
The
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th July 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, SAMUEL
CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Manningham, in the Parish of Bradford, Manufacturer.
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, Her special licence that I, the said Samuel
Cunliffe Lister, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, my 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 COMBING WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon

page_text: the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Samuel Cunliffe Lister, 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 in combing consists in giving a to and fro motion to a
feeding apparatus, so that the ends of the fibrous material being placed
thereby into the teeth of a passing or other comb, will be by the recession of
the feeding head drawn through the teeth of the comb, and cleaned from noi!
and dirt. At the next stroke of the feeding head, the ends of the fibre which
had been previously cleaned will be so far laid over and through the teeth of
the comb that rollers or other nipping instruments may take hold of the
cleaned ends, and draw the other ends of the fibres through the teeth of the
comb into which such fibres have been fed; the process is repeated from time
to time to obtain a sliver.
Figure 1 shows a section, and Figure 2, a plan of so much of a machine
for combing wool, cotton, and other fibrous materials, as will enable me to
describe this part of my Invention. a is the passing or travelling chain of
combs, but circular or other combs may be employed; b, b, is an ordinary
feeding head, carrying the feed rollers c, c, and conducting rollers d, d, which are
caused continually to deliver fibrous material (which has been previously carded
and made into a sliver) from between them, and at the same time to advance
and recede from the comb a, so as to lay the projecting ends of the fibrous
material into such comb. This apparatus is so arranged and worked in rela-
tion to the comb a, that the ends of fibrous material projecting beyond the
rollers d, d, having been first laid into and drawn through the teeth of the
comb a, and by that means cleaned of noil and dirt, will at the next stroke of
the feeding head be so far laid over and through the teeth of the comb a,
that the blade or nipping instrument c, may by its descent hold such cleaned
ends of the fibrous material, whilst the recession of the feeding head takes

page_text: place; such recession detaching and leaving the cleaned end of the fibrous
material projecting from the comb a, and at the same time cleaning and
straightening other ends of the fibrous material, to be at the next stroke of the
filling head held by the blade e, and so on; the space intervening between the
blade e and the comb a being regulated by the length of fibre under opera-
tion. The process is repeated until the comb a becomes fully charged with
fibrous material, which will then be brought by the travelling of the comb a
to be drawn off into a sliver (as is well understood) by the drawing off rollers
ff, which take hold of the cleaned ends of fibrous material projecting from the
comb) a, and draw their other ends from between the teeth of such comb, and
thus will both ends of the fibres be cleaned and straightened, the noil and
short fibre being left among the teeth of the comb a, to be afterwards removed.
And I would state in respect to this part of my Invention, that I make no
claim to any of the parts of the machinery, as they as well as the details may
be greatly varied without departing from this part of my Invention, which
consists in the combination and working of the parts described with reference
to Drawings A.-
In some cases I use a feeding apparatus, having card or other pointed
surfaces, so arranged that at each stroke of the feeding head the portion of
fibre last placed upon the comb may be combed by the card or toothed surface,
and the fibre robbed thereby from the comb, be re-delivered to the comb, or
may be otherwise cleaned from the card roller by being brought into contact
with another card acting similarly to the stripper of a carding engine. This
mode of combing is very suitable for short fibre, such as cotton, also the oil
made from tow, also the noil made in combing silk noils. The object of this
part of my Invention is to comb separately each successive layer of fibrous
material fed on to a travelling or other comb by means of a card or other
pointed surface attached to the feeding apparatus, such pointed surface being
so arranged that it always presents a cleaned surface to act upon the layer of
fibrous material, and in carrying into operation this part of my Invention I
employ feeding apparatus which feeds or lashes a layer of fibrous material on
to a travelling or other comb, and at the same time, by means of a pointed
roller attached to the same feeding apparatus, cleans and straightens the pro-
jecting ends of the layer of fibrous material fed on to the passing or other
comb by the previous stroke of the feeding head, the pointed roller being
cleaned from the fibre which it robs from the comb by means of lifting
blades and drawing off rollers, or other suitable arrangements which are well
known and understood.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRANIAUS D
Figure 1 shews a section, and Figure 2, a plan of so much of a machine
for combing fibrous material as will enable me to explain this part of my
Invention. b, b, is the feeding apparatus, which is so arranged that at each
stroke the portion of fibre which it previously laid upon the travelling chain
of combs a, (circular or other combs can be used) may be combed by the
teeth on the surface of the roller c, carried (and driven in the direction of
the arrow) by the action of the feeding head; the wool or other fibrous
material having been first carded and made into a sliver, is fed through the
rollers c, c, and conducted through the rollers d, d, beyond which it is pro-
jected so as to be fed on to the comb a. At each stroke of the feeding head
the descent of the roller e, near the face of the comb a, causes the teeth on the
roller to enter into the layer of fibres (previously laid on to the comb a,) and
thus clean and straighten them; at the same time that a fresh portion of fibre
from between the rollers d, d, is laid upon the comb a, the short fibre and noil
taken by the card roller b, is discharged and drawn in the form of a sliver
from the teeth by the blades f, and drawing off rollers i, i, as is well under-
stood, and it may be re-delivered to the feed rollers c, c, to be again lashed on
to the comb a, as will be readily comprehended on examining the Drawing, or
may
be received into the bax p, carried by the feeding head. The process
is continued until there is a sufficient accumulation of fibrous material in the
comb a, when it will be carried by the travelling of the comb a, to be drawn
off into a sliver by the drawing off rollers 7, 1, which taking hold of cleaned
ends of fibrous material projecting from the comb a, draw their other ends from
between the teeth of the said comb, and by that means cleaning and straight-
ening them, all the noil and short fibre remaining in the comb to be afterwards
removed. At Figure 3, I have shewn an arrangement whereby the fibre
taken by the roller e, (which must be driven in the direction of the arrow,) is
delivered to a stripper roller m, carried by stationary supports, from which
roller it is removed by an ordinary doffer. And I would here remark, that I
make no claim to any of the mechanical parts separately, and that they
together with the details may be greatly varied without departing from this
part of my Invention, which consists in the combination described with
reference to Drawings B, whereby a layer of fibre just laid on to a travelling
or other comb by the feed rollers of a feeding head is acted upon so as to clean
and straighten those fibres by means of a card, or other pointed roller or
surface attached to the feeding head, the card or other pointed surface being
it

page_text: so arranged as always to present a cleaned surface to act upon the fibres held
by the travelling comb. In combing the longer descriptions of fibrous
imaterial, I use a comb oscillating to and fro (by a crank or other motion), and
arranged in such manner that the fibrous material taken from one comb may
be delivered back.
This part of my Invention has for its object improvements in the machinery
for which a Patent was granted to me and James Ambler on the Second
day of February, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, and which
consisted in causing a working comb to oscillate between two travelling
combs by means of a crank or other motion, and arranged in such
manner that the teeth of the working comb were caused to rise into the
fibrous material held by the teeth of one travelling comb, and by swinging
or moving away comb out the fibres, the fibre taken by the working comb
being placed over the teeth of the other travelling comb and deposited
therein, to be again combed by a similar working comb, and so be delivered
back again. And I have found that it is an improvement to place the
working comb above the travelling comb, and cause it to descend into the
fibrous material in place of ascending, a Patent having been granted to me
for such improvement on the Eleventh of May, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-three. Now my present improvement consists in a better arrange-
ment of mechanical parts for actuating the working comb when such comb
is carrsed to act from above.
The Drawing shews a section of so much of a machine constructed in
accordance with this part of my Invention as will enable me to describe my
present improvements. a, a, b, b, are the sections of two endless chains of
travelling combs, but circular or other combs may be substituted. c is the
working comb which is caused to descend into the fibrous material held by the
one travelling comb a, and then move away from such comb, the short fibre
and noil taken by the working comb being delivered to the other travelling
comb b, to be again acted upon by similar apparatus; and as the nature and
working of such apparatus is the same in both instances, a description of one
will be a suflicient explanation. d, d, are two cranks receiving motion from
the main shaft or axis e, by means of toothed wheels f, f, indicated by dotted
circles. The cranks d, d, communicate an up and down movement to frame g
(sliding in the guides ' attached to the framing of the machine), and from

page_text: thence to the bar h, which carries the working comb c, there being slots h¹ in
the bar h to admit of a to and fro motion being given thereto by the crank i.
The crank i receives motion from the main axis e by means of the inter-
mediate wheels j, indicated by dotted circles. The crank i gives a to and fro
movement to the sliding frame 7, moving in the guides l, attached to the
framing of the machine, and from the sliding frame / this motion is transferred
to the bar h by means of the rod & attached to the frame 1, and the guide h³
attached to the bar h, these parts being so arranged to admit of the up and
down motion communicated to the bar h from the cranks d, d. The fibrous
material is fed on to the travelling comb by means of the comb h³, carried by.
the bar h, such comb detaching a portion of fibre from between the feed
rollers n, n, and depositing it upon the travelling comb; but other arrange-
ments may be adopted for this purpose. In the chambers of combs c, h³,
are blades m, m, which are caused to descend (by means of suitable
mechanism) at intervals, and thereby deliver the fibrous material from such
combs.
And I would have it understood with respect to this part of my Invention,
that I make no claim to any of the mechanical parts separately, this part.
of my Invention consisting in the peculiar arrangement and combination
of parts (for actuating the working comb) described with reference to
Drawing C.
I also find it useful to place the holding plate outside the teeth of combs,
especially when combing cottom and similar short fibre. This part of my
Invention relates to the plate used in combing machinery for retaining one
of the ends of the fibrous material amongst the teeth of the holding comb,
whilst the other ends are being operated upon so as to clean and straighten
them; and heretofore this plate has been arranged to work within the chamber
of the comb, but I have found that when combing cotton and other short
stapled fibre, it is requisite to employ a holding comb, the chamber of which is
so narrow as to render it desirable to place the holding plate so as to act outside
the chamber of the comb, and this part of my Invention consists in such
arrangement of the holding plate.
When drawing cotton, tow, or silk from combs, considerable difficulty is
found in giving sufficient cohesion and solidity to the sliver; this is obviated
by means of what is termed in France a "frotteur," that is, a sort of rubbing
or roller action, and a series of condensing rollers and a "tweedler" made with
a very small orifice.

page_text: Figure 1 shews a section of so much of the working parts of a "frotteur"
as will enable me to explain its action. a and b are two endless bands passing
over rollers a', a', b', b', and these bands have also an alternate sideway motion
communicated to them in the direction of the axis of the rollers, so that when
one band is moved in one direction, the other will be moved in the opposite
direction, and vice versa, by that means producing a rubbing action between
them. Between these two bands the sliver of cotton, tow, or silk is conducted
as it comes from the drawing-off, rollers, and by their action is condensed into
a complete sliver.
Figure 2 shows a section of a "tweedler" combined with condensing rollers.
a is the "tweedler," which is caused to revolve, and by that means collect the
fibres composing a sliver as it comes from the drawing-off rollers into a com-
pact form in its passage through it to the condensing rollers b, b', the aperture
in the "tweedler," through which the fibrous material passes out, being made
very small for this purpose. After the passage of the sliver of cotton, tow, or
silk, through the "tweedler," it is subjected to pressure between the condensing
rollers b, b', the greatest amount of pressure being applied that the fibre under
operation will bear without injury.
And I would state, in respect to this part of my Invention, that I make no
claim to the arrangement and combination of parts described with respect to
Drawing D, such arrangements and combinations having been before used;
this part of my Invention only consisting in their application for the purposes
described when operating upon cotton, tow, or silk.
After the fibre has been drawn from the comb, especially cotton, tow, or silk,
a card may be used with advantage to remove the loose fibres commonly termed
backings." The comb used should not exceed half an inch in the width of
the chamber.

page_text: And I would state, in respect to this part of my Invention, that I am aware
of card rollers having been employed to remove wool from combs; I therefore
make no claim to the use of card rollers for removing backings of wool from
combs, this part of my Invention consisting in the use of card rollers for
removing the "backings" of cotton, tow, or silk from combs.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
o Witness,
WILLIAM TONGUE.
SAMUEL C. LISTER. (L.S.)