IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING WOOL
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFREDI
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lanc, in the County.
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draftsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-second day of December, in the ninth year of Her:
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the.
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and.
authority, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING WOOL,"
being a communication from a Foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,.
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):
-
This Invention of Improvements in Combing Wool, as communicated to me
by my Foreign Correspondent, consists in the employment of certain novel
arrangements of machinery whereby the necessity of heating the combs is
done away with, and the working of the teeth of the combs between each
other (which causes much waste) is entirely avoided.
Another advantage consequent on the use of this Invention, which I pro-
pose to call "Seydoux's system," is, that wool combed by this improved
machinery will not require to be again cleansed before being submitted to the
operation of spinning. The wool before it is brought under the action of the
improved machinery is first cleansed and washed in the same manner as for
combing by hand; and when so prepared is, while still in a moist state, sub-
mitted to a machine somewhat similar in construction to a carding engine.
This machine is exhibited in Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings, in
which Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the engine, Fig. 2 a plan view,
and Fig. 3 a sectional elevation taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 2. The usc
of this machine is to lay the fibres of the wool at their full length, and to
form a sheet of wool capable of being taken up by the teeth of combs (here-
after to be described) in detached portions without breaking the fibros. The
wool is stretched as much as possible, in the direction of its length, upon an
endless cloth A, which carrics it to a pair of fluted wooden rollers B, from
whence the wool passes between two similar rollers C, of a rather larger
diameter, in order to obtain a slight degree of tension. On leaving tho second
pair of rollers the wool is taken up in small portions at a time by a drum or
cylinder D furnished with a fillet of coarse wire cards. The dimensions
of this drum may be varied according to circumstances. As the wool is taken
up by the drum it is forced down between the teeth of the cards by means of
a circular rotary brush E, and this feeding of the drum with wool is con-
tinued until the teeth of the cards are fully charged therewith. Any portions
of the wool which are not forced into the cards are taken up by the clearers F,
which are furnished with a set of fine combs about half an inch long, set
in a contrary direction to the teeth of the cards. When the drum is charged
with a sufficient quantity of wool (and this quantity must be regularly ascer-
tained by weighing), the machine is to be stopped, and the sheet of wool thus

page_text: produced is divided across at a portion of the periphery of the drum where
a space is left without teeth to the extent of about one third of an inch for
that purpose. The lower end of the sheet of wool is then introduced between
a pair of grooved iron rollérs G, about two inches in diameter, which, on
being put in motion by means of a winch handle; with which one of them is
furnished, will strip the wool completely off the drum. The wool is then
submitted to a second machine precisely similar to the one above described,
care being taken that that end of the sheet which came last off the drum
shall be first fed to the rollers B. After being taken from the second machine
the wool is cleansed in the ordinary manner, and twice again submitted to the
carding operation, with this difference, that the cards are finer according
to the fineness of the wool, care being taken not to have the wool either
too dry or too damp. The clearers must be cleared every time the wool is
stripped off. The wool thus prepared is ready to be delivered on to the combs,
which operation is effected by means of the machine represented at Figures 1,
2, and 3, Sheet II., Fig. 1 being a side elevation, Fig. 2 a front view, and
Fig. 3 a plan of the same. A, A, is the main framing for supporting the
various parts of the machine; B is a horizontal shaft turning in bearings upon
the framing. Upon this shaft two wheels 'C, C, are keyed for the purpose of
carrying a series of combs, which are to be filled with wool and then removed
to another machine. On one end of the shaft B the fast and loose pulleys E
are keyed, and the other end is provided with a small pinion F, which gears
into the wheels G and H, mounted on brackets attached to the framing.
These wheels G and H gear respectively into the wheels I and K on the right
and left-hand end of the machine. The wheel I is keyed on to the axle of a
fluted roller L, which is the upper one of a pair of rollers for conducting the
wool from a table M to the combs D, and the wheel K is keyed 'upon the
axle of a fluted roller N, which is the lower one of a pair of rollers for conduct-
ing the wool to the combs on the other side of the machine. The rollers L
and N are made of iron, and are one inch and two thirds in diameter. The
other rollers L* and N*, which act as pressing rollers, are made of wood
covered with leather, and are two inches and three quarters in diameter.
This difference in the diameters of the two rollers is necessary in order that
the combs in striking the wool 'too near the point of contact of the rollers may'
not break it, and as on one side of the machine the combs are charged in
rising, and on the other in 'descending, the wooden roller must be placed
in one case above the fluted roller, and in the other below it. The relative
speed of the rollers and the combs varies according to the quality of the
wool; if it is short and hard to comb; they are driven slowly. The distance.
.

page_text: of the rollers from the combs varies also according to the length of the wool.
O, O, are a series of peculiarly formed clamps bolted on the face of the
wheels C, C, and intended to receive the combs D, which may vary in number
according to the diameter of the wheels C, C. The construction of the
clamp O will be clearly seen by reference to Fig. 4, Sheet II., which repre-
sents it in cross section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 3. a, a, is a grooved
bar of a sufficient length to reach across the machine from one wheel C to the
other. One side of this bar is provided with vertical slots b, which respec-
tively receive a circular projecting portion c of a support d. In the lower
end of these supports, which are somewhat longer than the depth of the
grooved bar a, a vertical slot e is made to allow a screw bolt f to pass through
and secure the support d to the bar a, while it at the same time admits of the
support being adjusted to any desired height. Through the upper part of the
support d, at a line with the centre of the projecting piece c, a bolt y passes;
this bolt is provided on its inner end with a thread, which is screwed into a
bar h of the same length as the bar a, and made of such a breadth as to fit
a recess formed in the back of the combs. It will now be seen that as the
bar h is free to move forward, it will, if pressed into the recess in the back
of a comb, hold it fast in the groove of the bar a. This objected is effected
by a screw P (Figures 1, 2, and 3), which passes through one side of the
bar a at about the middle of its length, and when the comb is required to be
released it will be only necessary to reverse the screw and draw the comb
laterally out of the machine. If the comb is not at a proper height in the
machine for working, it may be regulated by raising or lowering the supports
d, which movement is easily effected by reason of the slots b and c, before
mentioned. The bar h, besides regulating the height of the combs, effectually
prevents them from being shifted from their grooves during the operation of
combing.
Figures 5 shew in elevation and plan views the construction of comb
which the Inventor employs, and which he considers to be of essential
importance in the proper working of the machine. The teeth of the combs,
which are preferred to be made of cast steel, whether arranged in two or more
rows, must be of such a length that when placed in the machine their points
shall all describe a circle of the same diameter, and for this purpose (contrary
to the usual method) the shortest form the outside row, and the longest the
insido row.
The first or outside row should be about three and one third
inches, the second two and two thirds inches, and so on in proportion. One
edge of the back of the combs is provided with teeth along its whole length,
for a purpose to be afterwards mentioned with reference to the machine in

page_text: which the finishing of the combing is completed. The backs of the combs
are about two feet in length, and are made of copper in preference to any
other material. Instead of the peculiar construction of comb above described,
the Inventor sometimes employs combs having two rows of teeth, the points
of which will coincide and form a single row of points. In forming this
kind of comb, the lower row (which, in this case, consists of short teeth) is
placed at right angles to the back, and the teeth of the upper row are placed at
an incline, so that the points of all the teeth are in a line, and enter the wool
simultaneously as it is supplied to the machine by the rollers; combs also of
the common construction may be used, but not with the same advantage. The
clamps O, O, having been furnished with combs, and a given quantity of wool
having been supplied to the feed rollers, rotary motion is communicated
to the wheels C, C, when the points of the teeth take up the wool as it is
delivered into the machine by the two pair of feed rollers situated one at
cach end of the framing. On the axle of the fluted roller N a worm i is
keyed, which takes into a worm wheel k, mounted on a stud bracketed to the
framing. The rotation of this wheel will, at a certain given period, release a
spring hammer 1, which will strike upon a bell m on the framing. If the
release of the hammer is timed for the bell to sound when the rollers have
performed such a number of revolutions as will pass all the wool into the
machine, the workman will then be informed that the combs are fully charged,
and ready to be taken out and placed in the machine next to be described.
It will now be necessary to shift the driving strap on to the loose pulley; and,
in order to stop the further revolution of the combs, a break is provided,
which is made to press upon a third pulley on the main driving shaft by the
workman placing his foot on the step n*. The break consists of two hori-
zontal levers n', n³, jointed together, and vibrating on fixed centres in the
framing. On the outer end of the lever n a vertical rod n³, which slides in a
guide, is jointed. n* is a curved piece, which passes over the top of a fixed
pulley on the driving shaft, and is attached at one end to the top of the
vertical rod n³, and at the other end jointed to a stud on the framing. n³ is a
coiled spring to keep the curved piece n* free of the pulley when the machine
is in action. The combs being now full, they are released from the grasp of
the clamps O by turning the screws P, when the combs are free to be with-
drawn. The wool in the combs is laid smooth by a hand comb, and is then
ready to be taken to the machine, which I now proceed to describe.
In Sheets 3 and 4 are several views of the machine to the action of which
the wool is now to be further subjected before it is perfectly combed and fit
for spinning. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is a plan view

page_text: of the same; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the left-hand end of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4
is a section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 2. A, A, is the main framing,
which, by means of brackets and standards attached thereto, supports the
various parts of the machine. B, B, are standards, placed at about the middle
of the framing, for supporting the various rollers through which the wool is
intended to pass when taken off the combs. C is the main driving shaft,
supported on one side of the machine by an adjustable bracket a, attached to
one of the standards B, and on the other side of the machine rests in a slotted
bracket b, attached to the other standard B. On this shaft is a small pinion D,
which takes into a wheel E, mounted on a short shaft in an adjustable
bracket c, attached to the main framing. To the same shaft is also keyed a
pinion F, which drives a wheel G, mounted on a shaft H. This shaft H has
bearings in adjustable brackets d, d¹, on each side of the machine, and is for the
purpose of carrying a pinion I, which takes into a rack formed on one edge of
the back of the combs K. By the rotation of the pinion I the combs (as taken
from the former machine) are severally carried forward, and pushed out at the
other end of the machine. L is a longitudinal guide attached to the framing A,
and is intended to conduct the combs through the. machine. M is a comb, the
back of which is provided with pivots, which rest in brackets attached to the
inner side of the standards B. This comb stands above the teeth of the
combs K, and is so placed that the teeth of the combs K. and M are at right
angles to each other. The use of the comb M is to prevent any burrs or
other extraneous matter still remaining in the wool from being taken up with
the wool from the teeth of the combs K as they severally pass through the
machine; but, to effect this with accuracy, it is necessary that the "dip" of
the comb M should be nicely adjusted. A mode of doing this will be best
seen at Figs. 2 & 4. e is a rod projecting from the back of the comb M, and
having on its outer end an ear to receive one end of a pin f, which is pro-
vided at about the middle of its length with a shoulder, and at its other end a
thread is cut to receive a screw nut. The threaded end of the pin f is passed
through a vertical slot in the bracket d', and by screwing the shoulder of the
pin tight against the bracket the comb will be maintained at any desired
angle, the pivots on the back of the comb allowing it to rise or fall as required.
Upon the main driving shaft C is a fluted roller N, which, as it revolves, gives
motion to a similar roller O, turning in bearings in the brackets b. This roller
is kept in close, contact with the roller N by means of rods g, g, which are sup-
ported by arms P, P, bolted one to each standard B. One end of the rods is
formed into a hook to embrace the ends of the axle of the roller O, and their
other ends rest respectively in sockets forming part of the arms P. h are

page_text: shoulders attached to the rods g to receive the pressure of a cross bar k, which
is provided with a rod l, having a thread upon its end to receive a screw nut.
This rod passes through a spring, the ends of which bear against the outer
end of the arms P. When, therefore, the roller O is required to be brought
close to the roller N, that may readily be effected by turning the screw nut,
and increasing the tension of the spring. m is a roller turning in ears formed
on one end of the diagonal rods n, which are themselves supported by brackets
o, o, attached to the arms P, P. Over the roller m, and the fluted rollers N,
an endless sheet of leather passes, and it is kept at a proper tension by
drawing up the roller m as required, which effect is produced by means of the
nuts. on the screwed end of the rods n. 2 is a small pulley on the main
driving shaft for communicating motion through a band or chain to a
pulley. g, which is mounted on a shaft r, having its bearings in the standards
B, B. This shaft r forms the axle for a roller s, which supports a roller t
turning in slots in the top of the standards B. Qis an inclined trough, placed
behind the rollers s, t, and is placed in such a position that its upper end shall
be near the rollers, and its lower end projecting over one end of the framing.
I will now describe the action of the machine. Rotary motion having been
communicated to the fast pulley on the driving shaft C, the pinion D will cause
the cog wheel E to rotate, and communicate motion through the pinion F on
the saine shaft to the wheel G on the shaft H, which also carries the pinion I.
A comb charged with wool by the second-described machine is now placed in
the guide L, and pushed forward until the rack on the back of the comb is
brought into gear with the pinion I. When this is effected, the comb will be
passed forward under the stationary comb M, and thence proceed out at the
other end of the machine. Combs charged with wool are thus successively
passed through the machine by the rotation of the pinion I, and while passing
under the comb M are stripped of the wool with which their teeth were loaded
by the grooved rollers N and O. By means of the comb M the knots and
burrs or other extraneous matter contained in the wool will be soparated
therefrom, and kept back from passing between the teeth of that comb up to
the rollers N, O, with the wool at the commencement of the operation. The
wool is conducted by the hand through a ring. or eye placed above the rollers,
and supported by an arm attached to the standard B. It is thence conducted
to the rollers s, t, which deliver it out of the machine, down the inclined
trough Q, in a state ready to be spun. I would here remark, that the wool
is guided upwards to the rollers s, t, by hand only when the machine is first
put in motion, for it will afterwards readily pass up by the continued rotation
of the rollers.

page_text: Having now described the Invention for Improvements in Combing Wool,
as communicated to mo by my Foreign Correspondent, I wish it to be under-
stood that I claim, under the above in part recited Letters Patent,-
First, the improvement in combing wool by the employment of the machine
represented in Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawing, for laying the fibres of
the wool at full length in an even sheet, preparatory to submitting the wool to
the action of combing, the claim in respect of this part of the Invention being
limited to preparing wool in the manner and for the purpose last mentioned.
Secondly, I claim the improvement in combing wool by the employment of
the machinery shewn in Sheet II., whereby the wool to be combed is taken up
on to the teeth of the combs, in order to be submitted to a further process. I
also claim under this head the improvement in combing wool by the use and
application of the peculiar construction of combs, as above shewn and
described, the points of the teeth of which will all describe a circle of the same
diameter, the combs being temporarily attached to the wheels C, and adjusted
for their work, as above described.
Thirdly, I claim the improvement in combing wool by the use and appli-
cation of the machinery above described for taking up the wool from the
combs while passing through the machine, and at the same time separating the
burrs or other extraneous matter from the wool, and delivering the wool out of
the machine in a state ready to be spun.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of June, in the year of
T
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