IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Bulmer, of Queen's Head, near
Halifax, Machine Maker, and William Bailey, of Halifax, Engineer,
both in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS
Sealed the 3rd July 1855, and dated the 5th January 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left, by the said 'William Henry Bulmer
and William Bailey at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 5th January 1855.
We, WILLIAM HENRY BULMER, of Queen's Head, near Halifax, Machine
Maker, & WILLIAM BAILEY, of Halifax, Engineer, both in the County of
York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR, COMBING WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to that class of machines employed in combing
wool and other fibres where the fibre to be combed is fed by suitable feed
rollers through gill combs to nipping instruments, by which it is conducted into
position to be taken by a carrier or porter comb, by which it is laid on to the
circle or other passing comb, thence to be drawn off.
And our improvements consist in so arranging the parts actuating the nipping
instruments and the porter or carrier comb, that the movements of the nipping
instruments may be increased in speed from the point of receiving fibre from
the gill combs to the point of delivering the fibre to the porter comb, and again
diminished back to receive a fresh supply, whilst the movements of the porter

page_text: or carrier comb are diminished in speed from the point where it receives fibre
from the nipping instruments to where it lays that fibre on to the circle or other
passing comb, and then increased back to the point for receiving a fresh supply,
by which in working such machinery we are enabled to obtain considerable
advantage by increasing the speed of the parts when they are required to exert
least power.
We effect these variations of speed by connecting the move-
ments of the parts with a shaft or axis, to which an irregular motion is given
by its having affixed thereon eccentrically an elliptical toothed wheel, which is
taken into and driven by another similar wheel, also placed eccentrically and
upon another shaft or axis, which receives its motion from the main axis, or
in any suitable manner.
And our improvements also consist in obtaining progressively increasing
speed to the gill comb bars in their traverse from the point of receiving fibre to
the point of delivery to the nipping instruments by a varying speed given to the
gill screws, they being driven from the axis, to which a varying velocity is
given, as above explained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Bulmer and William Bailey in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 5th July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HENRY BULMER, of Queen's Head, near Halifax, Machine Maker, and
WILLIAM BAILEY, of Halifax, Engineer, both in the County of York, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the cighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Henry Bulmer and William Bailey, Her special licence
that we, the said William Henry Bulmer and William Bailey, our exc-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Henry Bulmer and William Bailey, our 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL, COTTON,

page_text: AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said William Henry Bulmer and William Bailey, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and scal of one of
us, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 we, the said William Henry Bulmer and William
Bailey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The improvements relate to that class of machines employed in combing
wool and other fibres where the fibre to be combed is fed by suitable feed
rollers through gill combs to nipping instruments, by which it is conducted into
position to be taken by a carrier or porter comb, by which it is laid on to the
circle or other passing comb, thence to be drawn off.
And our improvements consist in so arranging the parts actuating the nipping
instruments and the porter or carrier comb, that the movements of the nipping
instruments may be increased in speed from the point of receiving fibre from
the gill combs to the point of delivering the fibre to the porter comb, and again
diminished back to receive a fresh supply, whilst the movements of the porter
or carrier comb are diminished in speed from the point where it receives fibre
from the nipping instruments to where it lays that fibre on to the circle or other
passing comb and then increased back to the point for receiving a fresh supply,
by which in working such machinery we are enabled to obtain considerable
advantage by increasing the speed of the parts when they are required to exert
least power. We effect these variations of speed by connecting the move-
ments of the parts with a shaft or axis, to which an irregular motion is given
by its having affixed thereon excentrically an elliptical toothed wheel, which is
taken into and driven by another similar wheel, also placed excentrically and
upon another shaft or axis, which receives its motion from the main axis, or
in any suitable manner.
And our improvements also consist in obtaining progressively increasing speed
to the gill comb bars in their traverse from the point of receiving fibre to the
point of delivery to the nipping instruments by a varying speed given to the gill
screws, they being driven from the axis, to which a varying velocity is given, as
above explained.
But that the nature of our said Invention may be fully understood and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings annexed.

page_text: of the class to which our improvements apply, with modifications according to
those improvements. And we would here state that we have not "thought it
necessary to show fully the working of such machinery, as such was described
in the Specification of a Patent granted to Samuel Cunliffe Lister, on or about
the Twenty-fourth of February, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-onc, for
"improvements in preparing and combing wool and other fibrous materials,"
and is now well understood by being much in use by persons engaged in the
preparing and combing of wool and other fibres. We have, therefore, only
shown so much as will serve to indicate the modifications we have introduced
for carrying the improvements into effect.
a, a, is the framing of the machinery; b are the gill screws (shown by dotted
lines), for actuating the gill comb bars, by which the fibre to be combed is fed
into the machine; c is the nipping apparatus, by which the fibre is taken and
drawn out from the gill combs to be delivered to the porter or carrier comb'd,
and by it to be laid on to the receiving comb e, all which as working instru-
ments are now well understood by parties engaged in such processes; f is the
main or driving axis of the feeding apparatus. It is driven by means of a strap
or band acting upon the drum or pulley f' fixed thereon, and it has affixed
upon it a tooth wheel or pinion f³, which takes into and drives the tooth
wheel 9, affixed upon the axis g', upon which is fixed the slightly elliptical
tooth wheel g. This wheel g is affixed excentrically upon the axis g', and
takes into and drives a similar elliptical tooth wheel h, excentrically placed
upon the axes h', by which that axis will be caused to rotate at progressively
varying speeds. From this axis h¹, as is well understood by persons acquainted
with these machines, is supported the crank pins i, to which one end of links i
are attached (one on each side of the apparatus), by which to and fro motion is
communicated to the nipping instruments c; and this axis h' is also the means
of giving motion to the screws for traversing the gill combs, by which the
gill combs and the to and fro movement of the nipping instruments will have
given to them the varying speed desired. Upon the axis h¹ is affixed the
toothed wheel j, which by the intermediate wheels and gives motion to
the toothed wheel 7, affixed on the axis m, which supports in the ordinary way
the lower end of part of the nipping instruments, and which has affixed to it the
cams c, by which those nipping instruments aro governed in opening and
closing. Upon this axis m is also aflixed a bevilled pinion n, which takes into
and drives another bevilled pinion o, fixed upon a shaft o¹, supported so as to

page_text: turn in bearings from the side framing; and upon the shaft o' is affixed the
bevilled pinion o, which takes into and drives the bevilled pinion p, upon the
axis p', which is also supported so as to turn in bearings from the main framing,
and has affixed to it the elliptical toothed wheel q, which is placed excentrically
upon that shaft, and takes into, so as to drive, a similar toothed wheel r, also
placed excentrically upon the axis ¹, which is supported in bearings from the
main framing, and has affixed to it the crank s¹, for governing in part
the movement of the lever s, the upper end of which carries the carrier or
porter comb d in the ordinary way; except that by the application of the
intermediate wheels p and q in combination with those already described, the
varying speed desired is also given to the porter comb. The other movements
being only such as are now generally in use, we have not thought it necessary
further to describe them.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the means we
have found to answer for carrying the same into effect, we would have it
understood that we do not confine ourselves to these means and the particular
details shown, as variations may be made therein without departing from the
peculiar character of our Invention; but what we do claim is, the so arranging
the movements for actuating the nipping instruments, and the carrier or porter
comb, and also the gill feeding combs in machinery of the character described,
that they may be capable of varying speeds, as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Henry Bulmer and William
Bailey, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourth day of
July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
GEORGE COLLIER,
Halifax.
ILLIAM HENRY
WILLIAM BAILEY.
LMEK. (L.S.)
(t.s.)