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

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Brown, of Halifax, in the County of York,
Top Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING WOOL, HAIR,
COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS.”
COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Brown at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
April 1854.
I, HENRY BROWN, of Halifax, in the County of York, Top Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING WOOL, HAIR,
COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS" to be as follows:-
At the present time there are various descriptions of machines used for
combing fibrous materials, which work by causing detached quantities of the
fibres to be combed at one end, and then the uncombed portion to be fed or
placed into a comb, from which the fibre is drawn off in the form of a sliver.
Now, my improvements consist in further cleansing and combing the fibres
by the aid of suitable combs or teeth, after the fibres have been so taken
in detached quantities, and have been fed or placed into the comb, from
which they are to be drawn off in the form of a sliver. A holding plate
or instrument is applied to hold the fibres in the teeth of the comb, to
prevent the further combing or cleansing process taking away too much of
the long fibres.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
BROWN, of Halifax, in the County of York, Top Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her lieirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Brown, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Brown,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Brown, 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,
HAIR, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Brown, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and scal, 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 Letter's Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Brown, 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) :-
At the present time there are various descriptions of machines used for
combing fibrous materials, which work by causing detached quantities of the
fibres to be combed at one end, and then the uncombed portion to-be-fed or
placed into a comb, from which the fibre is drawn off in the form of a sliver.
Now, my improvements consist in further cleansing and combing the fibres by
the aid of suitable combs or teeth, after the fibres have been so taken in
detached quantities and have been fed or placed into the comb, from which
they are to be drawn off in the form of a sliver. A holding plate or instru-
ment is applied to hold the fibres in the teeth of the comb, to prevent the
further combing or cleansing process taking away too much of the long
fibres.

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
the best means I am acquainted with for performing the same.
My Invention is applicable generally to machines wherein quantities of
wool or other fibre are successively detached, and wherein each detached
quantity has one end thereof combed out, by being drawn through teeth, before
the other end containing the noil is placed in the chambers of a receiving
comb, from which the fibres are drawn in a continuous sliver, thereby
cleansing the other ends of all the quantities, by leaving the noil in the
receiving comb. I, however, prefer to employ these machines which are now
extensively used and known as Lister and Donisthorpe's Patent machines,
wherein the wool or other fibre is taken in successive detached quantities from
amongst the teeth of gill combs, and thereby combed out at one end; and the
other ends of the detached quantities are fed or placed into a circular receiving
comb, from which the fibres are drawn out in a continuous sliver; and my
Invention consists of combing out any loose fibres or noil which may have
escaped the first process of combing, and this I do by applying a suitable
working comb to cach machine, and I thus again comb out the end which was
first combed, and which protrudes beyond the teeth of the receiving comb.
The working comb which I prefer to use is mounted on an arm, carried
by two cranks, as is well understood, so as to cause the arm to retain a
parallel motion, as has heretofore been practised in regard to working combs.
By thus causing the wool or fibre to be further combed out from the collected
ends of the detached quantities first combed out, those ends are subjected to
a second combing process, which ensures their being as well combed as the
other ends, which, with the noil, are placed in and at the back of the chambers
of the receiving comb, and which I find are more generally fully combed by
the act of drawing out the fibres in the form of a sliver from the receiving
comb, than the first ends are when they are not combed a second time.
I find it desirable, when thus using a working comb, to cause the wool or
other fibre to be pressed by a plate into the chambers of the receiving
comb, which, however, is well understood, it having been done before. The
working comb I cause to work as close up to the head of the receiving comb
as conveniently may be.
I would here remark, that although I prefer to use the simple form of
working comb, above mentioned, I do not confine myself thereto, as other
working combs may be used in place thereof; and although I prefer to use
the class of machinery which I have herein mentioned and explained, I do
not confine myself thereto, as other arrangements of combing machines which

page_text: work by taking successive quantities of wool or fibre, and wherein the one
end of each successive quantity is combed out before being placed in the
receiving comb, may be employed when using my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
JOHN EDKINS.
HENRY BROWN. (L.S.)