IM- PROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO SPINNING MACHINES KNOWN AS MULES, AND TO MACHINES OF SIMILAR CHARACTER, FOR CLEARING OR CLEANING CERTAIN PARTS OF SUCH MACHINES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Balderstone, of Blackburn, in the
County of Lancaster, Over-looker, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO SPINNING MACHINES KNOWN AS MULES,
AND TO MACHINES OF SIMILAR CHARACTER, FOR CLEARING OR CLEANING
CERTAIN PARTS OF SUCH MACHINES."
Sealed the 30th May 1854, and dated the 30th November 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Balderstone
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 30th November 1853.
I, RICHARD BALDERSTONE, of Blackburn, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO SPINNING
MACHINES KNOWN AS MULES, AND TO MACHINES OF SIMILAR CHARACTER, FOR
CLEARING OR CLEANING CERTAIN PARTS OF SUCH MACHINES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has reference to an arrangement for clearing or
cleaning "fly," or short fibres and other matters thrown off. from the
thread in spinning, from the carriages and roller beams of mules and

page_text: other spinuing machines acting in like manner. A strip of flannel
cloth, screwed to the roller beam, is in use for clearing or cleaning the
carriage, which it performs every time the carriage runs in, and this
Invention consists in using lengths of a similar piece of flannel, or
other suitable material, which are secured to a piece of wire, and
suspended over and along the front of the roller beam by straps or
strings, which are secured to the back or creel in such manner that the
crceler or "back tenter" can pull the strings or straps occasionally, so
as to raise the piece of flannel or other material used from the bottom
to the top of the roller beam, and by this means clear the roller beam
as well as the carriage. The peculiar feature of this arrangement is its
simplicity and smallness of cost in application, while it performs an
office generally done by hand (with a brush), very dangerous to the
attendant.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Balderstone in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th May 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
RICHARD BALDERSTONE, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster,
Over-looker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Richard Balderstone, Her especial
license that I, the said Richard Balderstone, my executors, adminis--
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Balderstone,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during tlie 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

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO SPINNING MACHINES KNOWN AS MULES, AND
TO MACHINES OF SIMILAR CHARACTER, FOR CLEARING OR CLEANING CERTAIN
PARTS OF SUCH MACHINES," upon the condition, amongst others, that I,
the said Richard Balderstone, 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 Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Balderstone, 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 and accompanying Drawing (that is
to say):-
"
"
This Invention has reference to an arrangement for clearing or
cleaning fly, or short fibres and other matters thrown off from the
threads in spinning (termed "fluke"), from the carriages and roller
beams of mules and other spinning machines of similar character.
Its object is to accomplish the above mentioned purpose, when the
machine is at work, by a small effort and without danger to the "back
tenter or attendant, it having been hitherto accomplished, so far as
the roller beam is concerned, with a hand brush by the "back tenter'
or attendant, at great risk of being caught by the carriage as it runs
in. Strips of flannel cloth, which are screwed or otherwise secured to
the roller beam, are in use at the present time for "fluking" (as it is
termed), or cleaning the top of the carriage, which it accomplishes
every stretch, by wiping or rubbing the top of the carriage as it passes
under. I take similar pieces of flannel or other suitable material to
fluke the top of the carriage in the mode above mentioned, but so
arrange and suspend the pieces that I can fluke or wipe the roller
beam as well as the top of the carriage by the same piece. The
simplest and most economical mode of carrying this into effect, as
follows: I take strips of flannel in lengths, say of six feet (or such
lengths as will come in most conveniently to the size and peculiarities
of the machine, and about five or six inches broad; these pieces are

page_text: stitched to form a loop from end to end for a rod of iron, say three
eighths of an inch diameter, to pass through, and at two points the loop
of the piece of flannel is cut away to admit of the loop formed on two
straps, through which the rod passes as well as through the loop of the
flannel; by the two straps the length of flannel is suspended in front
of the roller beam, the top of the piece being left about one half inch
below the bottom of the roller beam; the suspending straps passing
over it to the back of the creel; there the end of each strap is secured
by a cap formed of hoop-iron, having two of its opposite edges bent, so
as to take on over the strap (breadth way), so that the strap can pass
through or under .it freely, the cap being secured by a screw which
passes through the top of it and through a slot cut in the strap; one
extreme of the slot in the straps limits the distance which the piece of
flannel will hang down over the roller beam (as it comes against the
screw passing through the cap), while the other end may limit the
distance which the piece of flannel is to be lifted up the roller beam;
with this arrangement the top of the carriage is wiped each stretch,
and at such intervals as the roller: beam requires "fluking,"..the
attendant or "back tenter". takes hold of the ends of the two, straps,
suspending each wire and piece of flannel, and pulls them up the roller.
beam, and then allows it to descend again. The above explanation is
illustrated in the Drawing annexed 'hereunto, by Fig.. 1, which is a
cross sectional view, and Fig. 2, which is a front view of roller beam,
shewing so much of a. mule spinning machine as is necessary to exhibit
the manner of application and mode of action. a, is the top of the
carriage; b, the roller beam; and c, the creel; d, is the suspended piece
of flannel; e, straps by which it is, suspended. Fig. 3 is a plan, and
Fig. 4 a section of the same through the line A, B; shewing enlarged
the detail of the, mode of securing the ends of the straps to back of
the creel; C, back rail of creel; C2, cap; C, screw,;. C, slot in
strap...
::.t.
:
The preceding explanation describes the most economical mode of
carrying, my Invention into effect, when it is arranged in that-manner,.
the beam is fluked in lengths, but by. arranging 2 shaft, say in a
position between the creel (as shewn by. f, Fig. 5 and: 6,). extending s

page_text: from one end of the creel to the other, and attaching the ends of the
straps to bosses or pullies fixed on the shaft (f); the whole of the
roller beam may be fluked by the same movement, by means of a
handle (f), placed on the end of the shaft (f), at the outside of the
creel (C), by turning which, the straps e will be wound simultaneously
on the bosses or pulleys, and thus the pieces of flannel will be all
drawn up the beam at the same time. If thought desirable the wiper or
piece of flannel d may be rendered self-acting from the machine itself,
and be caused to ascend and "fluke" the roller beam each stretch, as
well as the carriage top, or at periods of any agreed number of
stretches; to render it self-acting each stretch, a pully may be fixed
on the shaft f, in place of the handle f, and the end of a strap, cord,
chain, or other connection 9, secured to it, as much being wound on
the pulley as will give it sufficient revolving motion, the other end
passing round the pulleys g₁ and g', to a lever g², having its fulcrum
secured near the outward position of the carriage, so that a finger or
stud a', on the carriage will come against it and force it backward,
striking the lever g², as it is coming out, soon enough to force back
the lever, sufficient to give, the quantity of motion required before the
carriage arrives at the end of the stretch, the lever being brought back
as the carriage runs in, so as to allow the, pieces of flannel to descend
by their own gravity, and if that is not sufficient to revolve the shaft,
and pull back the lever, then by the assistance of weights secured to
pulleys on the shaft f, to act in the same direction as the wires and
pieces of flannel. Instead of strips of flannel, cylinders solid or hollow
(d, Fig. 5 and 6,) made of tin plate or any other suitable material, and
covered with flannel or other suitable material, may be made to fluke
the carriages and roller beams of spinning machines, and may be
arranged to be actuated in the same manner as the strips of flannel
are actuated, that is, by hand, in sections or lengths, as by the first
method described, illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, or by hand, the
whole beam simultaneously, as illustrated by Figs. 5 and 6, (which
show respectively views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2), or self acted,
as shewn by dotted line in Figs. 5 and 6, in the manner herein-before
described. The difference between the modes of arranging and sus-

page_text: pending cylinders or clearers, and strips of flannel will be seen from
the following explanation: the straps are doubled to form loops (see
Figs. 5 and 6,) in which the clearer is simply placed, one end of each
strap is fixedly secured to the top of the roller beam or to the "creel,"
and the other end is secured to the creel in the mode described by Figs.
3 and 4, or to bosses or pulleys on the shaft as in Figs. 5 and 6, which-
ever method may be chosen; it will follow, that when the ends of the
straps (secured by the method Figs. 3 and 4,) are pulled or the shaft f
is revolved, that the clearer d will roll round in the loops formed by
the straps e, up the face of the roller beam, and thus flake it.
I have now described the nature of my Invention, and the mode in
which it may be practically carried into effect, and wish it to be
understood (without confining myself to the precise details), that I
claim the method of cleaning, clearing, or fluking the carriages and
roller beams of mule spinning machines, or those parts of other
spinning machines corresponding to the carriages and roller beams
by one piece of flannel or one clearer, whether actuated by hand or
self-acting equivalents, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Balderstone, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
four.
RICHARD BALDERSTONE. (L.S.)