IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR ASSORTING SILK AND OTHER FIBRES."
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Varley, of Bailiffe Bridge, near Lightcliffe,
in the County of York, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR ASSORTING SILK AND OTHER FIBRES."
f
Sealed the 19th March 1867, and dated the 11th December 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Varley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th December 1866.
I, JAMES VARLEY, of Bailiffe Bridge, near Lightcliffe, in the County of
York, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR ASSORTING SILK AND OTHER FIBRES," to be as
follows:-
. This Invention relates to improved means for ensuring the proper placing
of the stricks, of silk and other fibres upon the feed apron of the assorting
machine, and also to improvements in the construction of the assorting
machine.
The silk as taken from the dressing machine in "books" is carried to a
table or open frame fitted with a comb, upon the teeth of which the silk is
accumulated, the stricks as the books are brought to the comb being trans-
ferred thereto by a sliding piece which serves to press the silk down on to the
comb teeth. When a sufficient quantity of silk is accumulated upon the teeth
the comb is removed from the table or frame and a slip of wood is placed over

page_text: the silk to keep it in its place. In this state it is carried to a clamping
machine, consisting mainly of two parallel clamping bars which slide in
vertical guides, and are worked by crank pins and connecting rods, so as to
cause them to open to receive the silk and to close and grip it firmly. The
lower bar is provided with moveable pins or rests to support the comb until
the silk is fairly gripped. As the bars close on the silk, wedges carried by the
upper bar will thrust back springs that carry the pins or stops, and cause them
to recede, thereby leaving the comb free to be withdrawn in the line of the
comb teeth. The silk thus transferred is now to be straightened by means of
brushes or hackles at both ends, after which it is taken by a "book" from the
clamping machine, and placed upon the feeding apron of the assorting
machine. By the side of this apron is mounted on a horizontal guide rod a
hinged flap, which is raised to a horizontal position when the slide is about to
be transferred from the "book" to the apron, but which is brought down and
presses on the silk when it is laid on the feeding apron in order to prevent its
displacement while the "book is being withdrawn. When the book is
brought to the apron its back is caused to abut against a ledge or shelf which
gauges its position, and the flap is then brought down so as to cover the ends
of the silk; the "book" can then be withdrawn, and the flap being again
raised the strick of silk will be left upon the apron in a proper central
position. The flap when down is free to travel a short distance with the
feeding apron, and thus the necessity for stopping the machine to feed it
is avoided. The object of, the above-described arrangement is to ensure that
the short fibres contained in the centre of the strick shall be placed at the
middle of the feeding apron, by which means the transference of the fibres to
the combs on the assorting machine will be properly effected.
The assorting machine consists mainly of two rotary circular combs, one of
which receives the silk or other fibre from the feeding apron and transfers
that which is not stripped off by a pair of drawing rollers to a second comb
which presents the opposite ends of the fibres to a second pair of drawing off
rollers. The combs are formed of dises mounted horizontally, and carry on
their upper face concentric rings of comb teeth. The fibres pass to the first
comb under a series of fixed steel plates, which enter between the rings of
teeth and press the silk or other fibre down into its place. The rotation of the
comb presents the outer ends of the silk and causes them to be seized by the
first pair of drawing rollers. The fibres thus secured are drawn off and
'delivered on to an apron, where they are accumulated into a bat, passing for
that purpose between an upper and a lower apron, and lapping round the
upper apron until a sufficient quantity has accumulated thereon, when the bat

page_text: may be removed by hand. The silk remaining on the comb is carried round
until it meets a second set of steel plates, which strip it off the comb teeth
and pass it on to the peripheries of a pair of diagonal comb wheels which pass
it on under a set of steel plates to the second rotary disc comb. The opposite
end of the strick to that presented to the first pair of drawing rollers is now
presented to the second pair, which draw out the long fibres and deliver them
on to an apron to be accumulated into a bat, as before explained. The short
waste or "shorts" still remaining in the teeth of the second comb is carried
round to a set of steel plates which lift it off the comb teeth and turn it into
a suitable receptacle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Varley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
VARLEY, of Bailiffe Bridge, near Lightcliffe, in the County of York, Manager,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her-Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Varley, Her. special licence that I, the said James Varley, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Varley, 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR ASSORTING SILK AND
OTHER FIBRES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Varley, my executors or administrators, 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 Varley, do hereby declare, the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the use of improved means for placing the
střick of silk and other fibres upon the feed apron of the assorting machine,
and thereby ensuring the proper presentation of the fibres to the holding
combs, and subsequently to the stripping rollers.
Secondly, to improvements in the construction of the assorting machine, the
chief object being to expedite the operation of assorting where the opposite
ends of the strick are presented to the stripping rollers.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings I have shewn in several views
the means which I employ for ensuring the proper placing of the stricks in
the assorting machine. The silk as taken from the dressing machine in
books" of, say, the ordinary construction, as shewn at Figures 1, instead of
being delivered, as heretofore, directly to the assorting machine is carried to
a table or open frame, constructed as shewn in plan view at Fig. 2, and in
partial sectional elevation at Fig. 3. This frame is fitted on its inner edge
with a comb A, upon the teeth of which the silk is accumulated; as the books
are severally brought to the comb A, one-half of the length of the confined
strick hangs from the book, and the first object is to ensure that in the
transfer of the strick the teeth of the comb shall enter about the middle of
the length of the strick. The book is therefore brought into contact with the
comb, as shewn at Fig. 3, and while in this position the strick is transferred
thereto by a sliding piece B, which moves freely in guides formed for it in the
side bar C of the frame; this sliding piece serves to press the silk down and
mass it on to the comb teeth, and the strick being released from the nip of the
book is retained by the comb tooth while the book is removed. When a suffi-
cient quantity of silk has been thus accumulated upon the teeth the comb is
removed from the table or frame, and a slip of wood is placed over the silk to
keep it in its place. In this state it is carried to a clamping machine of
peculiar construction, shewn in front view at. Fig. 4, in end view at Fig. 5,
and in partial section on an enlarged scale at. Fig. 6.
In these views A, A, are standards braced together with tie rods and bolted
vertically at their upper ends to receive two parallel clamping bars B, B*,
which slide vertically therein. The bars are formed with flanges to prevent
their moving endwise in their guides, and they are provided with pins at their
ends to receive the eyes of, connecting rods C, C, which connect them respec-
tively with a pair of crank pins a, a, carried by a rock shaft D; this rock
shaft is worked by means of a hand lever E. By rocking the shaft D the

page_text: clamping bars B, B, are caused to open to receive the silk and to close and
grip it firmly. The lower bar B is provided with moveable pins or rests b, b,
see Fig. 6, to support the comb F, which carries the pins until the silk is
fairly gripped. As the bars close on the silk wedges c, c, carried by the upper
bar B will strike upon the ends of springs d, d, that carry the pins or stops"
and cause them to recede, thereby leaving the comb free to be withdrawn in
the line of the comb teeth. The silk thus transferred is now to be straightened
by means of brushes or hackles at both ends, after which it is taken by a book
from the clamping machine and placed upon the feeding apron of the
assorting machine."
This machine is shewn in Sheets II. and III. Fig. 1, Sheet II., represents
the assorting machine in plan view.
In Sheet III., Fig. 2 shews the machine in side elevation, and Fig. 3 in
longitudinal sectional elevation taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1. The machine
may be described as consisting of two rotary horizontal combs formed with
concentric rings of teeth. On to the first of these combs the heckled fibre
is fed, so that one-half the length of the stricks, or thereabout, will project
therefrom to be seized and drawn off by a pair of drawing rollers; the
remaining fibres retained by the comb teeth are then transferred by self-acting
apparatus to the second comb, which presents them to a second pair of
drawing rollers; these draw out the remainder of the long fibres and leave
the short lengths in the comb teeth, from whence they are removed by means
of self-acting strippers. As the contrivances described, with reference to
Sheet I., are for the purpose of ensuring the placing of the silk or other fibre
in the sorting machine, so that the stricks as delivered to the first comb will
be pierced by the outer row of comb teeth at or near the middle of the stricks,
care must be taken that the books of silk taken from the clamping machine
are properly laid on the feeding apron of the assorting machine, as shewi
at Fig. 1, Sheet II.
A, A, is an endless feed apron extended upon rollers a, a, a, which have
their bearings in the framing B; C is the book laid in place on the feed
apron; by the side of this apron upon a horizontal guide rod 6 is mounted a
hinged flap D, which is raised to a horizontal position when the silk is about
to be supplied to the machine, but which is brought down and presses on the
silk when the book C is laid on the feeding' apron in order to prevent the dis-
placement of the silk while the book is being withdrawn. When the book
is brought to the apron its back is caused to abut against a ledge or shelf C
(see the cross section, Fig. 1), which gauges its position, and the flap D is
then brought down so as to cover the ends of the silk; the "book" can then

page_text: be withdrawn, and the flap being again raised the "strick" of silk will be left
upon the apron in a proper central position. The flap when down is free to travel
a short distance with the feeding apron, and thus the necessity for stopping the
machine to feed it is avoided.
The object of the above-described arrangement is to ensure that the short
fibres contained in the centre of the "strick" shall be placed at the middle of
the feeding apron, by which means the transference of the fibres to the combs
of the assorting machine will be properly effected. E, E', are a pair of rotary
combs formed of dises mounted on vertical spindles F, F¹, and carrying on
their upper face concentric rings of comb teeth. The fibres pass from the
feed apron to the first comb under a series of fixed steel plates G, G, which
enter between the rings of teeth and press the silk or other fibre down into
its place; these plates G are strung upon a rod g, and are held at the required
distance apart by washers; they are curved at their lower edges or made con-
veniently oval shaped, so that they present no obstruction to the forward
movement of the fibres as the comb rotates. The rod 9 has an eye which
drops on to the top of the shaft F, and it is made fast to a bracket arm g¹.
The rotation of the comb presents the outer ends of the silk to and causes
them to be seized by the first pair of drawing rollers H. The long fibres
thus seized are drawn off the comb teeth and delivered on to an apron, where
they are accumulated into a bat, passing for that purpose between an upper
and a lower apron I, I', and lapping round the upper apron I until a suffi-
cient quantity has accumulated thereon; the bat is then to be removed by
hand. The silk remaining on the comb is carried round until it meets a set
of steel plates K, shewn best in the detached view Fig. 1b, Sheet II.; these
plates are strung upon an extension of the rod 9, which extension is steadied
by a second bracket arm g'. The plates K serve to strip the fibres off the
comb teeth, and pass them on to one of a pair of comb wheels L set diagonally
between the combs E and E¹. The first comb wheel L passes the fibre to the
second wheel L', which delivers it to the second rotary disc comb E' under a
second set of steel pressing plates G¹; these plates are strung upon a crank
rod 93 which is secured at its ends to bracket arms, and is formed with an eye
which drops over and rests upon a shoulder of the cam shaft F¹; the opposite
end of the strick to that presented to the first pair of drawing rollers H is
now presented to the second pair H', which draw out the long fibres and
deliver them on to an apron I to be accumulated into a bat, as before
explained. The short waste or "shorts" still remaining in the teeth of the
comb E' is carried round to a set of steel plates K' supported by the crank
rod G³; these plates lying in the spaces between the concentric rings of comb

page_text: teeth lift the short waste off the comb teeth, and turn it into a suitable
adjacent receptacle.
The construction and operation of the assorting machine being now under-
stood, it only remains to explain the manner of transmitting motion to the
various working parts of the machine. 1, 1, are the fast and loose belt
pullies, which are worked by a belt from the prime mover; these pulleys are
mounted on a sleeve shaft carried by a stud axle fitted with a spur pinion;
this pinion gears into and drives a spur wheel 2 keyed on the main driving
shaft 3, which extends across the machine. The shaft 3 is fitted with two
worms 4, 4, which respectively gear into worm wheels on the comb spindles
F and F, and thereby give a slow axial motion to the disc combs E, E';
keyed to the end of the shaft 3 is a bevil wheel 5, which gears into a bevil
wheel on the vertical shaft 6; on the top of this shaft is a small bevil pinion
which gears into a pinion on a short horizontal shaft 7; this shaft 7 carries at
its outer end a spur pinion (see Fig. 3) which gives motion to a train of spur
gearing 8, the last wheel of which is keyed on the axle of a roller 9; this
roller 9 is one of a pair of nipping rollers between which the feed apron A
passes, and from which it receives its forward motion for conducting the
stricks to the rotating comb E. The nipping rollers are pressed together by
means of springs and regulating screws. The motion of the drawing rollers
H for drawing out the long fibres from the comb E and depositing them on
the apron I is attained. from a spur wheel 10 on the shaft 3; this wheel
drives a train of wheels 11, the last of which is keyed on the axle of the lower
roller H, and the lower and upper roller are also geared together. Over the
lower roller passes the lower apron I', the tension of which is maintained by
regulating screws connected with the adjustable bearings of the tension
roller. The same arrangement is provided for all the aprons. The top
apron A is driven by a spur pinion. taking into the pinion 11 on the axle of the
lower drawing roller; it is upon this apron that a bat of the first assorted
fibres is accumulated. Following the progress of the operation we come to
the transference of the fibres by the comb wheels from the comb E to the
comb E¹; the rotary motion of these comb wheels is obtained from the comb
spindles F, F; these wheels are formed with bevil pinions on their hubs, into
which gear bevil pinions or vertical shafts, one of which is shewn at 12 in the
detached view Fig. 1b; these shafts are fitted with a valve pulley, and a belt
from a pulley 13 on a shaft F and F respectively transmits rotary motion
to the shafts 12, and thence to the comb wheels; these comb wheels are sup-
ported on wheels 14 in such a manner as to allow of their being adjusted
to any required tangential angle to their respective combs, and a fixed guide

page_text: is provided to assist in supporting the fibres as they are being transferred by.
the comb wheels from one comb to the other. The motion for driving the
drawing rollers H' and the aprons is also taken from the spur wheel 10; it is
transmitted through a train of gearing 15 (see Fig. 2).
In conclusion I would remark that the machine just described may be used
simply as a spreader by depositing. the silk, as. explained, on the feed apron,.
and drawing off the whole (without sorting the fibres from the first rotating.
disc comb. The machine may also be worked in such a manner that no short.
silk shall remain in the second rotating disc; in the latter way there would.
be two laps made, but no shorts.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of improved machinery
for assorting silk and other fibres, and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First, the means above described, with reference to Sheet I. of the
Drawings, for ensuring the proper placing upon the apron of assorting
machines of the stricks of silk or other fibre to be assorted...
Secondly, the construction and arrangement of parts constituting my
improved assorting machine, as described with reference to Sheets II. and
III. of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Varley, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JAMES VARLEY. (L.S.)