Improvements in or relating to the Preparation and Dressing of Silk and other Fibre
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 4th July, 1891-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1891
Improvements in or relating to the Preparation and Dressing of Silk
and other Fibre
I, GEORGE FREDERICK PRIESTLEY, of Hope Street, Halifax, in the County
of York, Card Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In certain classes of silk dressing machinery, "books" are employed for receiving
a tuft of fibre to undergo the operation of dressing, and hitherto such tuft has been
made by a machine commonly called a "filling engine "which produces the said
tufts by teeth fixed upon a revolving cylinder, which draws the fibre in the form
of loops in such a manner that when the tuft is formed, it is looped at one end, but
fringed at the other, which is an objectionable form of tuft. The object of my
invention is to dispense with this machine for producing the looped tufts of fibre
for the books, and to use instead thereof an ordinary forin of gillbox, provided with
fallers and heckle pins, made to travel by screws through the fibre being operated
upon, and instead of the film of fibre as it issues from the machine being formed into
a ball or wound on a large drum, as is usual with this class of machine, it is
conducted around the top fluted drawing roller, which is weighted so as to bear
with pressure upon the bottom drawing roller, and when a sufficient length of the
film of fibre has been wound around the said top fluted drawing roller, or a similar
roller in front of it, the machine may be automatically stopped, after which the
point of a knife may be inserted in one of the flutings of the roller, and the film of
fibre severed thereby, which on being removed from the fluted roller will form
strips or tufts of silk of the required length and width, suitable for the books to
which they are transferred to receive the dressing operation; each side or end of
the severed loop being without the loop always formed on the filling machine.
diameter of the top fluted roller is such as to produce the tufts the required length
of staple. Instead of the top roller being fluted, it may be a plain roller with
one groove in it to receive the point of the knife employed to sever the fibre
into tufts.
The
In order to prevent the staple of the fibre being broken in passing through the
gillbox, in consequence of the presence of a knotty place in it, I form the gills or
heckle pins with a twisted loop at their base which gives to them great elasticity
allowing them to yield when a knot is present in the fibre, consequently the staple
is not broken, as is the case where the teeth are rigid and unyielding. This form
of tooth may be used in the ordinary form of gillboxes, or other machines employed
for preparing fibre.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1891.
ADAROT DV
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Preparation and Dressing of Silk
and other Fibre.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK PRIESTLEY, of Hope Street, Halifax, in the County of
York, Card Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
In certain classes of silk dressing machinery, "books" are employed for receiving
a tuft of fibre to undergo the operation of dressing and hitherto such tuft has been
made by a machine commonly called a "filling engine," which produces the said
tufts by teeth fixed upon a revolving cylinder, which draws the fibre in the form of
loops in such manner that when the tuft is formed, it is looped at one end but
fringed at the other, which is an objectionable form of tuft. The object of my
invention is to dispense with this machine for producing tufts of fibre for the books,
and to use instead thereof, an ordinary form of gillbox, provided with fallers and
heckle pins, made to travel by screws through the fibre being operated upon, and
instead of the film of fibre as it issues from the machine being formed into a ball,
lap, or sliver, or wound on a large drum, as is usual with this class of machine, it
is wrapped around the top or bottom fluted drawing roller, which is weighted so as
to bear with pressure upon the opposite drawing roller, and when a sufficient length
of the film of fibre has been wound around the said fluted drawing roller, or a
similar roller in front of it, the machine may be automatically stopped, after which
the point of a knife may be inserted in one of the flutings of the roller, and the
film of fibre severed thereby, which on being removed from the fluted roller will
form strips or tufts of silk of the required length and width, suitable for the
"books to which they are transferred to receive the dressing operation; each side
or end of the severed fibre being without the loop always formed on the "filling
machine" system. The diameter of the top or bottom fluted roller is such as to
produce the tufts the required length of staple, suitable for being put between the
wooden "holders."
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is cross section of so much of a gill-box
as is necessary to shew the application thereto of my invention; Fig. 2 plan view,
and Fig. 4 end view thereof. A is the framework of the machine; B and C are
ordinary form of screws for imparting the necessary forward and backward motion
to the fallers D, to which are attached the combs or heckles E. The fluted drawing
rollers are shewn at F and G, the upper one being mounted in two arms H, one at
cach side of the machine, working upon a shaft I. The fibre, as it is drawn through
the teeth or heckles E, is wound or wrapped around one of the fluted rollers F, and
it is held down with pressure upon the bottom fluted roller by means of a lever J,
one end of which is forced upon the top of the arm H, the latter of which is provided
with wood, leather, or other suitable material, as shewn at K in Fig. 6 for the
purpose of making the lever J bite, as will be well understood. When a sufficient
length of fibre has been wound upon the top roller, the machine may then be stopped
automatically, and this is done by means of a finger M (see Figs. 4 and 5) which is
projecting from the spur wheel N, such finger at a given portion of the wheels
revolution coming in contact with one end of the bell crank lever O connected by
rod P to the strap fork Q, whereby the strap is moved from the fast to the loose
pulley, and the machine stopped, after which, the fibre is severed by means of a
knife. Wood or other material which will receive the edge of a knife is inserted
in the said top fluted roller as shewn at letter L (see Fig. 3).
Instead of the top roller being fluted, it may be a plain roller with one groove
in it to receive the point of the knife employed to sever the fibre into tufts, also,
instead of the fibre being wound on the top roller, it may be wound on the lower
one, in which case, the top roller is carried up with the arms H.

page_text: my
said
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
Firstly. The adaptation of gillboxes for the preparation, dressing, and manu-
facture of tufts of silk or other fibre, in the manner described and for purposes
set forth.
Secondly. The mounting of the upper or lower fluted rollers or other roller of a
gillbox machine in moveable bearings or arms such as H when employed for
purposes set forth.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.