AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR PICKING, CARDING, AND SPINNING BOTH OLD AND NEW CORDAGE, AND ALL MATERIALS SUITABLE FOR THE CAULKING OF SHIPS, WHICH MACHINE IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR COMBING FLAX AND HEMP, AND PICKING RAGS AND OTHER TEXTILE MATERIALS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER.”
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Latour, of Vigean, in the Departement of
Gironde, and 37, Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, of Paris, in the
Republic of France, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR
PICKING, CARDING, AND SPINNING BOTH OLD AND NEW CORDAGE, AND ALL
MATERIALS SUITABLE FOR THE CAULKING OF SHIPS, WHICH MACHINE IS ALSO
APPLICABLE FOR COMBING FLAX AND HEMP, AND PICKING RAGS AND OTHER
TEXTILE MATERIALS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER.”
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Latour at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Decla-
ration, on the 14th November 1871, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
i

page_text: others differing only by the number of picking drums). This drum B is
furnished with picking and carding teeth, generally of steel; these teeth
are placed on plates of copper, iron, steel, or other suitable material,
applied upon the whole of the cylindrical surface of the drum. The
materials to be picked are placed upon an endless cloth t, actuated by
the roller g, and are. brought between the rollers f,f', powerfully pressed
against each other by means of a weight placed at the end of a lever L,
jointed at a', and acting by its other end upon the roller f' to press it
against that f. In this way the materials to be picked are, by reason of
a certain speed of the rollers, submitted little by little to the action of
the teeth of the drum B to be picked and carded. It often happens in the.
working that some bits are not immediately picked, these are then driven
by the centrifugal force through an opening o, and by means of a
guiding curve o' they are returned to the endless cloth to be again sub-
mitted between the rollers f. f, to the action of the teeth of the drum B,
and so on until they are completely picked. Brushes are placed on the
entire periphery of a cover O covering the top of the drum B, and
bolted on the frame A. These brushes are intended to keep the filaments
in the teeth of the drum B, and further are capable of being brought
nearer to or further from the drum B by means of slides x, in which pass
an adjusting bolt to fix them at the required distance. In each of these
brushes is placed a comb furnished with teeth; this comb, which will
follow the movement of the brush is intended to arrest and pick the
materials which might have a tendency to pass without being completely
picked.
A cylindrical brush B', with circular movement in the direction indicated
by the arrow on the Drawing, is intended to remove the picked and
carded materials from the teeth of the drum B, and it sends them always
by reason of the centrifugal force upon a guiding curve D, from which
they fall on to a conduit which brings them to the spinner. This brush
at the same time frees the toothing of the drum from the matters which
might choke it. In some cases where the accumulation of dirt is
greater a second circular brush may be employed to secure a more
complete cleaning of the toothing. The speed of the cleaning brush
should be ten times as rapid as that of the drum B.
The movement of the rollers f and f¹ is given by means of a
toothed wheel 7' set on the shaft of the roller f, and gearing
with a pinion set on the shaft T, which receives a pulley P, itself

page_text: receiving motion from the drum R, set on an intermediate shaft T',
carrying a pulley P¹, receiving its movement from the shaft a of the
drum B by means of the small drum q. The shaft T is shifting, and for
this purpose passes into the socket of a lever M, jointed at M³, the result
is that this lever serves to throw in and out of gear the pinion of the
shaft T of the wheel r¹, and therefore to stop the working at will, by
rendering the rollers f and f¹ stationary. The roller 9 receives its
motion from the shaft of the roller ƒ by means of a toothed gearing,
and when the rollers fand f¹ are stopped by the action of the lever M
the endless cloth is also arrested. Two pulleys, one fast the other loose,
are set on the shaft a and receive motion from any available motive
power. The circular brush B¹ receives its movement from the drum h¹,
in communication by a belt with the pulley h¹ set on the shaft of the
drum R.
The materials intended to be spun are taken as they issue from the
conduit by a workwoman who introduces them, giving them a pre-
liminary twist, into the opening N of the shaft of the spinner, passes
them through the orifice N, then through the rings or eye-bolts V and V¹,
and finally fastens them to the ring V₁ fixed on the reel Z. The ring V₁
guided by a rod m is drawn along with an alternate rectilineal movement
by a cross-
s-threaded screw which receives its rotary motion from a
toothed wheel K set on the shaft F, and calculated so as to produce a
forward motion of the ring V, proportionate to the speed of rotation of
the reel in such wise that the cordage may easily wind upon it. At
the end of its journey the ring V returning automatically at the same
speed again guides the winding of the cordage.
The twisting of the thread is effected as in all spinning machines by
means of a difference of speed between the reel Z and the shaft F
governing the rotation of the sley S and consequently the motion of the
cross threaded screw. The shaft F carries a grooved pulley q³, and the
reel is driven by a pulley q³, these two pulleys are themselves driven by
means of a single crossed and doubled belt passing over the drum 9 of
the shaft a of the drum B. The reel may be easily and rapidly removed
when filled, by means of a socket with pin J, of which it is only
necessary to loosen the adjusting screw to be able to retire it. The reel
Z is then freed on one side and as on the other it is set in any
convenient way on its shaft Zit is easily withdrawn. To substitute
another the operation is reversed. The two cheeks A', forming frame

page_text: and united by tie pieces, serve as supporting brackets to the three shafts
M, Z, and F.
The tarred materials will be spun into strands of various thicknesses
to be employed for caulking ships. The parts intended for the spinning
into strands may be detached from the machine at pleasure, inas-
much as they only serve to spin tarred oakum into strands of various
thicknesses for the navy.
Figure 3 of the accompanying Drawings represents a vat serving to soften
the cordage by means of steam; the cordage cut into lengths of about
16 to 20 inches are arranged on three perforated or open worked plates,
placed one above the other in this conically shaped vat so that the lower
plate may be easily taken out. The cover being put on this vat steam is
introduced through the pipe y, or if no steam generator be available,
water is placed in this vat and it is heated from beneath to produce
steam directly. A discharge cock at the bottom of this vat permits its
being emptied when required. This machine for picking, carding, and
spinning, is applicable with advantage to the combing of flax and hemp
however long, it may also be employed with advantage in paper works
for tearing rags and other textile materials used in this manufacture.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that I claim as of my Invention,―
Firstly. The drum B constructed and working substantially as and
for the purposes herein-before set forth.
Secondly. The combination in a single machine of the processes of
picking, carding, and spinning, substantially as and for the purposes
herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Latour, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our