IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CARDING AND TWISTING OR SPINNING OAKUM, AND FOR BALLING THE SAME
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel George Archibald, of Edinburgh, in the
County of Edinburgh, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR CARDING AND TWISTING OR SPINNING OAKUM, AND FOR
BALLING THE SAME."
Sealed the 8th March 1870, and dated the 25th September 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel George Archibald
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 25th September 1869.
I, SAMUEL GEORGE ARCHIBALD, of Edinburgh, in the County of
Edinburgh, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CARDING AND TWISTING OR SPINNING
OAKUM, AND FOR BALLING THE SAME," to be as follows :-
My Invention consists chiefly in a machine by which the oakum
partially opened by hand, or by the tumbler and pickers such as already
used (or by a machine forming part of my Invention and which I
shall hereafter describe further on), is so acted upon that its fibres are

page_text: combed out, laid parallel to each other, twisted into a strand of required
thickness and consistency, and balled up into balls of suitable size.
My machine for this purpose is, so far as the first part of its operation
is concerned, similar in general construction to those used for carding
flax, tow, and such like substances. The material is placed upon a
travelling feeding sheet, which delivers it to a pair of fluted rollers, on
passing from which it is combed out by a revolving drum or moving
cylinder, which is furnished with a suitable surface of points set in wood,
leather, or other suitable material, strong steel pins set in wood being
preferable. To the periphery of this drum are adapted one or more
smaller rollers similarly covered and revolving much slower than the
main cylinder. By this means the material is further combed out, the
fibres remaining in the points of the small drums just referred to (and
which I shall call "workers") being removed by another roller of
similar size and covering revolving at somewhat greater speed, which
restores such fibres to the teeth of the main drum. In order to remove
the fibres finally from the main drum a roller set with points similar to
those in the other rollers, but set sufficiently close to each other to
retain the material, is caused to revolve very slowly as close as convenient
to the surface of the main drum, which it thus strips. All these rollers
are carried in a suitable framing and driven by gearing or straps as
found convenient. The oakum is taken off the last described roller by
the action of what is called a doffing knife or by other suitable means,
such as drawing off rollers. As the fibres opened and laid parallel are
drawn from the doffer they are gathered together by suitable conductors.
and drawn through revolving funnels or twisting sheets or rollers or
similar apparatus, by which means the loose fibres are twisted together
into a strand, which being led through rollers or conductors is then
wound into a ball by the action of a revolving spindle or bobbin.
According to the thickness of the strand required the surface of the
rollers of the card is so divided that the fibres on leaving the doffer may
be separated into several slivers, forming by the means thus described
so many twisted strands and balls.
By the gentle yet powerful action of my Invention the oakum is
opened in a very superior manner and its fibres are gathered together
longitudinally so as to be readily twisted.
I have described the twisting and halling processes as taking place in

page_text: conjunction with the card itself, but the sliver coming from the card might
if so desired be gathered in a can or rolled in a ball to be then subjected
to a separate machine, consisting of twisting and balling apparatus such
as we have described, but I consider it no small advantage of my system
that this operation may be performed in one and the same machine.
In order that the twisted strand may be regular it is important that
the feeding of the card be as regular as possible, and to this end I use the
machine now to be described. This machine is a card similar to the one
just described, with the exception of the twisting and balling parts,
and is built with sufficient strength and with suitable steel pins to stand
the strong work it has to perform. The ropes partially opened by the
"tumbler" now in use are fed into this card by fluted rollers as in the
twisting card I have already described. The fibres coming from the
doffing roller are gathered into a wide sliver, which is wound on a
spindle or roller, thus forming a long sheet or fleece, several of which are
fed together into the feed rollers of the finishing or twisting card, thereby
ensuring much greater regularity in the strand obtained. Where found
desirable I adapt to the feeding board of both cards a steam box, by
passing over which to the feed rollers the oakum becomes warmed and
more easily acted upon by the teeth of the various rollers. Although
pins of iron or steel set in leather or otherwise may in some cases be
used as a covering for the rollers of these cards, I use as the best
adapted wood segments set with pointed steel pins of sufficient strength,
which may be furnished with heads to prevent them being drawn out
of the wood backs. To keep the material on the pin points and to
prevent it adhering to the wood segments themselves I place between
the logs strips of sheet iron projecting over their surface a short
distance, by which means the various rollers are kept much cleaner
than could otherwise be the case.
O SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel George Archibald in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 25th March 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
GEORGE ARCHIBALD, of Edinburgh, in the County of Edinburgh, North
5 Britain, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Samuel George Archibald, Her special licence that!
I, the said Samuel George Archibald, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel George Archibald, my exe-
cutors, 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR CARDING AND TWISTING OR SPINNING OAKUM AND FOR BALLING THE SAME,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel George
Archibald, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, 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 I, the said Samuel George Archibald, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My Invention consists, firstly, in a machine by which the oakum
partially opened by hand (or by the opening machines and pickers
already in use) or by a machine forming part of my Invention, is so
acted upon that the fibres are combed out, laid parallel to each other,
twisted into a strand, and finally balled up.
So far as the first part of its operation is concerned my machine is
similar in general construction to those used for carding flax, tow, and
such like substances. The material to be operated upon is spread upon a
feed sheet, which delivers it to a pair of fluted rollers, on passing from
which it is combed out by a revolving drum, which I will call the
"main cylinder," and which is furnished with a surface of points or a
teeth set in wood, leather, or any suitable material; strong steel pins set
in wood being preferable. To the periphery of this drum are adjusted
two or more smaller rollers similarly covered, but revolving at a much

page_text: slower speed and which I shall call "workers." The material carried
round by the main cylinder catches on the teeth of the workers, and is
thus further opened and combed out, the fibres remaining in the teeth of
the workers being removed in each case by another roller of similar
size revolving at quicker speed, and which restores such fibres to the
main cylinder. In order finally to remove the material a roller set
with points at a considerable angle is made to revolve very slowly, and
as close as practicable to the surface of the main cylinder, which it thus
strips. The fibres accumulated on this roller or "doffer" are taken off
by the action of what is known as a doffing knife or by other suitable
means, such as drawing-off rollers. As the fibres combed out and laid
parallel are detached from the doffer they are gathered together and at
the same time twisted into a strand by a revolving funnel, through which
they are drawn by drawing-off rollers. The strand is then wound on
to a revolving spindle or bobbin so as to form a ball. The drawing-off
rollers just referred to are made of sufficient weight that the strand may
in passing through them be flattened and compressed, in which form it
both makes more compact balls and is more readily used by the
caulkers. The feed board of the machine will generally be divided so
that the fibres on leaving the doffer may easily be separated into
several slivers forming by the means described so many twisted strands
and balls.
Having thus far particularly described the nature of my said
Invention, in compliance with the aforesaid condition in the said
Letters Patent contained, I now proceed to particularly describe and
ascertain in what manner the said Invention is to be performed or put
in practice, which I shall do by reference to the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say-

page_text: surface, and which throws back on to the main cylinder such of the
material as would otherwise lay on the top feed rollers. Instead of
the roller shown a revolving brush or a pinned roller could be used for
the same purpose of stripping or clearing the top feed roller. F, F,
are the workers, revolving very slowly, and thus holding the oakum
while it is acted upon by the teeth of the main cylinder; G, G, arc
stripper rollers restoring to the main drum such fibres as may remain on
the teeth of the workers. The direction in which each roller revolves
is indicated in each case by an arrow. His the doffor stripping the
main drum, the fibres accumulated upon its surface being detached by
the doffing knife I, to which a movement of oscillation is imparted by
the crank J. By the action of the drawing-off rollers L, L, L", the
fibres as fast as they are liberated from the doffer are drawn through
the revolving funnels K, K¹, K", by the rotation of which they are
formed into a strand. The funnels are driven by tapes or bands from
the pulleys M, M', M", or in any other convenient way, and it is
advantageous to make the outlet of the funnels of oval shape, so as
more readily to twist the strands. The strands thus formed are led by
the conductors N, N', N", to the revolving spindles O, O¹, O", upon
which they are wound so as to form a ball. This is accomplished by
the following means:-The spindles O, O', O", which work loose in
grooves S, S, S, rest each upon a pair of fluted rollers P, P¹, Pu, both
revolving in the same direction, and thus imparting to the spindles and
balls a movement of rotation. As the balls increase in size the spindles
rise in the grooves, the surface of the balls still resting on the fluted
rollers, and when the balls have attained the required size by the
continuous working of the machine they are removed and a new
spindle substituted to form a new ball. In order to make the balls of
any desired width the spindles O, O', O", and the pairs of rollers on
which they rest are made to traverse to and fro by the action of the
crank plate Q, with which they are connected, the distance of the crank
pin from the centre of the plate regulating the length of stroke, and
thereby the width of the ball. Instead of revolving funnels revolving
sheets might be used. The oakum sliver would in this case pass
between two shects of leather or other suitable material revolving in
opposite directions, as shown in Fig. 3, or three rollers might be used
revolving in the same direction, so placed round the sliver that it would
be acted upon by them all, as shown in Fig. 4.

page_text: I do not however confine myself to the particular form of balling
apparatus described, but this has hitherto been found the most
convenient.
I have described the twisting and balling processes as taking place
in conjunction with the card, but either the card or the twisting
apparatus may be detached from the other and used separately; in the
first case, the carded oakum would simply fall upon the floor and be
gathered up and packed into bundles in the usual way; in the second,
the sliver coming from the doffer may be gathered into a can or wound
on a ball to be used in that form, or afterwards subjected to a separate
machine consisting of the twisting and, balling apparatus described; or,
in the third, a sliver of oakum formed in any other manner than that
described may be twisted and balled, or balled only, by the apparatus
described; lastly, the sliver as produced by the card may be pressed
by the rollers and balled without being twisted by using fixed conductors
in the place of the revolving funnels. In order that the twisted strand
may be regular it is important that the feeding of the card should be as
regular as possible, and to this end I occasionally use a machine, which,
with the omission of the twisting funnels and balling apparatus, is
precisely similar to the machine I have just described. The covering
however of the various rollers is stronger, and the material instead of
being divided into several slivers is gathered into one broad and
consistent enough to form a continuous sheet, of which several may be
fed together into the finishing or twisting card. In some cases I find
it advantageous to have a steam box under the feed sheets so as to
soften the material acted upon. The most suitable covering for the
various rollers of both machines I find to be wood segments set with
steel pins, and between each segment I fasten a projecting blade of
metal in order to keep the material on the pin points.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature. and
object of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to he
performed or carried out in practice, I hereby declare that I claim, the
Invention of the "improved machinery adapted as herein-before described
for carding and twisting or spinning oakum, and for balling the same, or
any machinery substantially equivalent in construction and operation,
whereby the carding, forming into a sliver, twisting, and balling oakum

page_text: can be effected, whether these operations are carried on in combination
or separately.
In witness. whereof, I, the said Samuel George Archibald, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of
March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
Witness,
SAMUEL GEORGE ARCHIBALD. (L.s.)
JOHN ELIOT HODGKIN,
West Derby,
Liverpool.