IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Warburton, of Addingham, near Otley, in
the County of York, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES."
Sealed the 29th September 1857, and dated the 16th April 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Warburton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th April 1857.
I, JAMES WARBURTON, of Addingham, near Otley, in the County of York,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in preparing and combing
wool and other fibres. For this purpose two circular or endless combs, having
teeth on their peripheries, are employed and combined in such manner that
they incline to each other and revolve in two different planes, by which the
teeth of the two combs, constantly come together at one point of their revo-
lution, that is where the two planes, in which the combs rotate, would, if
continued, intersect each other. Tufts or separated quantities of the wool or
fibre to be prepared and combed are fed into the teeth of the two combs where
they come together, and as the peripheries of the two combs separate or recede
from each other, and divide the fibres between them, the teeth of two other
combs are interposed, so that as the fibres are by the separation of the two
combs robbed from each others teeth, they will be drawn through between the

page_text: teeth of the interposed combs; and in order that the wool or fibres may be
more effectually treated, the back rows of the teeth of the two first mentioned
combs, where the tufts of fibres are fed into them, are made moveable, and so
that they may go out of action and leave the fibres as the fixed teeth of the
same combs separate from each other, and thereby comb out the fibres held in
each others teeth. The fibres, having been thus combed out by the separation
of the two combs, are drawn off by suitable apparatus into slivers from each of
the first mentioned combs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; filed
by the said James Warburton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WARBURTON, of Addingham, near Otley, in the County of York, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her-most' Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Warburton, Her special licence that I, the said James
Warburton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Warburton, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Warburton, my executors or admi-
nistrators, 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 James Warburton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement thereof, that is to say:

page_text: This Invention has for its object improvements in preparing and combing
wool and other fibres. For this purpose two circular or endless combs, having
teeth on their peripheries, are employed and combined in such manner that
they incline to each other and revolve in two different planes, by which the
teeth of the two combs constantly come together at one point of their revo-
lution, that is where the two planes, in which the combs rotate, would, if con-
tinued, intersect each other. Tufts or separated quantities of the wool or fibre
to be prepared and combed are fed into the teeth of the two combs where they
come together, and as the peripheries of the two combs separate or recede
from each other, and divide the fibres between them, the teeth of two other
combs are interposed, so that as the fibres are by the separation of the two
combs robbed from each others teeth, they will be drawn through between the
teeth of the interposed combs; and in order that the wool or fibres may be
more effectually treated, the back rows of the teeth of the two first mentioned
combs, where the tufts of fibre are fed into them, are made moveable, and so
that they may go out of action and leave the fibres as the fixed teeth of the
same combs separate from each other, and thereby comb out the fibres held in
each others teeth. The fibres, having been thus combed out by the separation
of the two combs, are drawn off by suitable apparatus into slivers from each of
the first mentioned combs.
And, in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto

page_text: speed; the end of the sliver is thus brought up to the front pair of rollers
which have an intermittent motion, so that when they take the end of the
sliver, they, by travelling faster than the hinder ones, detach a tuft from its
end and deposit it on the teeth of the combs; they then stop until the other
rollers again bring up the end of the sliver, and then the operation is repeated,
or other ordinary arrangement for feeding tufts of fibre on to combs may be
employed. The tufts as they are fed on to the combs are forced into their
teeth by the rising and falling brush 9; as the combs travel on they separate
and mutually draw tho wool through each others teeth, and when they have
passed over a short distance the teeth of the combs d, d, and e, e, fall out of
the fibre by descending below the level of the combs a. By arranging the
combs in this way I am enabled to employ a sufficient number of teeth at the
point whero the combs begin to separate, to obtain a good hold on the fibre,
and at the same time to avoid the difficulties entailed by the use of wide
combs. h, h, are two circular combs having teeth which dip into the fibro
stretched between the two combs, and tend to straighten the fibre; as the
combs a, a, further separate the fibres are carried to the drawing rollers i, i,
which are of the ordinary description, and just at the point that the drawing
takes place the teeth of the combs j,j, enter the fibre, and as it is drawn off
it is drawn through the teeth of these combs. The combs j, j, are much finer
than the combs a, a, and they effectually arrest any noil the coarser combs
may allow to pass, which may be removed by a revolving brush or otherwise.
The combs a, a, afterwards have the noil removed from them and aro then
again fed as before.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Warburton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
WM M. WARD, Sol".,
Bradford.
JAMES WARBURTON. (L.s.)