Iм- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WARPING COTTON, WORSTED, + AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS, AND IN EXPANDING COMBS USED IN CONNECTION THERE WITH, AND ALSO IN SPRINGS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAID COMBS, WHICH SPRINGS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Blackburn and Mark Knowles, of Black-
burn, in the County of Lancaster, Machinists, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WARPING COTTON, WORSTED,
+
AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS, AND IN EXPANDING COMBS USED IN CONNECTION
THERE WITH, AND ALSO IN SPRINGS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAID
COMBS, WHICH SPRINGS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Blackburn and
Mark Knowles at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 6th May 1861.
We, THOMAS BLACKBURN and MARK KNOWLES, of Blackburn, in the County
of Lancaster, Machinists, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WARPING COTTON, WORSTED,
AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS, AND IN EXPANDING COMBS USED IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH, AND ALSO IN SPRINGS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAID COMBS,
WHICH SPRINGS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
First, instead of making the slides at the sides of the warping mill in a
vertical position, we make four or more slides slightly deviating from the
perpendicular,so as to prevent the falling rods from pressing too heavily on

page_text: the slack yarn when the machine is stopped and the operation of backing-off
is being performed.
Secondly, the cylinder, measuring roller, and the two rollers immediately
connected with the measuring roller have their axles or pivots placed on
three or more small rollers inside a boss, thereby causing them to work
with very little friction.
Thirdly, we give a positive motion to the slides which regulate the falling
rods; the said slides are connected together by a bar or rod, and move
simultaneously by means of a ruck and toothed wheel in communication
with the starting and stopping motion.
Fourthly, we fix the wraith or comb for directing the threads on the
beams, so as to maintain an uniform distance between it and that part of
the beam upon which the twist is being wound.
Fifthly, to the combs used for directing the threads upon the beams we
attach extra nuts to the ordinary expanding comb, to throw the dents solid
outside the flanges, and then by means of a metal plate perforated, so as to
vary the distance between the teeth, and enable the operative to warp coarse
and fine yarns on the same beams, the threads being subject to an uniform
tension.
Sixthly, in the manufacture of compound springs used in making the ex-
panding combs instead of passing the two pieces of wire through the nut and
on the bar or mandril, we pass them directly over the nut and on the bar,
separating the wires immediately before they fall on the bar or mandril, by
means of a small piece of steel or other suitable material, so as to cause
the compound spring to disengage itself from the mandril in a straight
manner and without curling.
Seventhly, in improved modes of exerting pressure on the warp beam for
the purpose of winding on more twist. The shaft of the warp beam works in
bearings, in arms or levers, holding nuts, in which are screws of a coarse
thread linked to the shaft of the driving cylinder, so that according to the
weight of the nuts and the pitch of the screws there will be more or less pres-
sure exerted upon the beam: The aforesaid arrangement of screw and nut is
also applicable to other purposes. Or, instead of the screws and nuts, blocks
and pulleys may be employed for the same purpose by attaching one block
to the shaft of the warp beam and the other to the shaft of the driving
cylinder, and weighting as required the fall end of the rope.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Blackburn and Mark Knowles in the Great cal
Patent Office on the 6th November 1861.
TO ALL TO. WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
BLACKBURN and MARK KNOWLES, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinists, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Thomas Blackburn and Mark Knowles, Her special licence that we, the
said Thomas Blackburn and Mark Knowles, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Blackburn and Mark Knowles,
our 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 Iuvention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
RATUS FOR WARPING COTTON, WORSTED, AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS. AND IN
EXPANDING COMBS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, AND ALSO IN SPRINGS USED IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAID COMBS, WHICH SPRINGS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas
Blackburn and Mark Knowles, our executors or administrators, by an instru
ment in writing under our, 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.
OR APPA-
NOW KNOW YE that we, the said Thomas Blackburn and Mark Knowles,
do he.eby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof,reference being had to the accompany-
ing two Sheets of Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
(that is to say):-
Figs. 1 and 2 of the Drawings are front and end elevatious of our improved
machinery or apparatus for warping cotton, worsted, and other materials;
Fig. 3, a plan of part of the same; Figs. 4 and 5 are 'detached views of some

page_text: of the parts; and Fig. 6, a front elevation of our improved expanding
comb.
In Figs. 1 and 2, a represents the sides er end frames of the warping mill;
b, the warp beam on which the warp is wound; c, the drun or driving
cylinder which gives notion to the beam; d, the measuring roller; e, the
rollers in connection with it; and f, the falling rods.
First, instead of making the slots or grooves g, Fig. 2, in the sides a in ver-
tical positions, we make them slightly deviating from the perpendicular, so
as to prevent the falling rods f from pressing too heavily on the slack yarn
.when the machine is stopped and the operation of backing-off is being
performed.
Secondly, the cylinder, measuring roller d, and the two rollers e, imme-
diately connected with the measuring roller,have their axles or pivotsworking
in centres h; or, we cause their necks to turn on three or more small rollers
inside a boss, as shewn in Fig. 5, both arrangements being for the purp se of
casing the rollers to turn with very little friction; a similar arrangement of
friction rollers being employed for the shaft of the driving cylinder c.
'
Thirdly, ,we give a positive and uniform motion to the slides which regulate
the falling rods. The said slides are shewn at i, Figs. 1, 2, and 3; they are
connected together by a bar or shaft %, at the ends of which are toothed
wheels, gearing into racks m, fixed to the slides, so that both sides move
simultaneously, one of the slides being acted upon in the usual manner by
the lever n, in connection with the starting and stopping motion.
Fourthly, we give motion to thewraith or comb for directing the threads on
the warp beam, so as to maintain an uniform distance between the comb and
that part or circumference of the beam upon which the twist is being wound.
The wraith or comb is shewn at o, it is connected to the radius rods p, jointed
to the sides a. The radius rods p are connected by the rods q to arms or
levers 7, in which the shaft of the warp beam works, and as the warp beam
increases in diameter, the rods q and also the wraith or comb o rise together,
the wraith or comb following the increasing diameter of the warp, so as to
maintain an uniform distance between the two at all diameters. At the back
of the machine we apply an expanding comb, in order to enable us to draw
the twist off the bobbins in a direct line.
Fifthly, our improvements in expanding combs consist in attaching to them
extra nuts and cutting or turning away part of the right and left handed
screws used to expand and contract the comb, in order to be able to bring the
deuts solid outside the flanges, or place them closer together at the ends; and

page_text: we attach perforated metal plates to the case or frame in which the springs are
held, so that by placing pins or pegs in the holes, we are enabled to expand or
contract the dents unequally, as may be required.
Fig. 6, Sheet 2, represents one end of the aforesaid comb, the other end
being exactly similar. One of the ordinary nuts is shewn at s, and the two
extra nuts at t, one for each end, the screws being turned down as at u. As
the ordinary nut passes off the screw the extra nut goes upon it, which, as it
turns,draws the extra nut and closes the dents between the two nuts s and t,
and widens the spaces of the others. The perforated metal plates are shewn at
w, and if pegs are placed in the holes they hold one portion of the dents
stationary and allow the others between them to expand or contract, and if
several pegs are employed in different positions the comb may be expanded
and contracted unequally, as may be required.
In our improved expanding combs we also make raised projections in the
case or frame in which the steel springs are placed, in order to prevent the
said springs from falling into one another; or, we fix pieces of brass or other
material on the dents between the springs to answer the same purpose. When
the expanding part of the combs is made of caoutchouc or other similar mate-
rial, we place a slot in the case with a circular termination and add a roller
or small pulley of a diameter sufficient to accommodate theexpanding material,
and thereby enable us to expand it to a much greater extent than has hitherto
been accomplished.
Sixthly, in the manufacture of compound springs used in making the
expanding combs, we pass two or more pieces of steel wire over the nut, and
directlyon the bar or maundril,and separate the wires immediately before they
fall on the maundril by means of a piece of stee!, iron, or suitable material, so
as to cause the wires to run parallel on the maundrit the whole length of the
spring, and also to allow the compound spring to disengage itself from the
maundril in a straight manner and without curling.
Seventhly, our Invention consists in various improved modes of exerting
pressure on the warp beam, for the purpose of being able to wind on more
twist. The shaft of the warp beam works in bearings in the arms or levers r,
Figs. 1 and 2, and also bears against the antifriction rollers y, which turn on
pins fixed to the arms. The front portion of each bearing a is formed like a
jaw, and works on a pin, which jaw can be opened in order to remove the
beam, and when another beam is supplied the jaw can be closed and held fast
by the catch 2. On the shaft of the driving cylinder c we place break wheels
cach having friction rollers in the inside to allowthe shaft to turn freely. At

page_text: the side of each break wheel there is a rim 61, having connected to it one end
of the chain c¹, the other end of which is connected to one of the arms or
levers r. Around the break wheel there is coiled a band of thin steel,
having at one end the weight el, and connected at the other end to a nut f¹ on
the screw g', which nut is stationary, and allows the break to act when the
beam is winding on; but when the machine is stopped, the screw is turned by
a pinion, Fig. 4, so as to shift the nut and slacken the band of steel, the
pinion being put in motion by a rack fixed to the ordinary stop rod.
h¹
By means of this break any desired resistance can be given to the warp
beam in a constantly increasing ratio as the warp increases in diameter, and
thereby enable more twist to be wound on than at present; when the machine
is stopped the pressure is taken off by means of the aforesaid screw g¹, and
allows the cylinder e to be turned with facility. Or, instead of a screw and nut
for slackening the band, a lever or cam may be employed for the same pur-
pose. Or, to the arms or levers 7 we attach nuts in which work screws of a
coarse thread linked to the shaft of the driving cylinder, so that according to
the weight of the nuts and the pitch of the screws, there will be more or less
exerted
pressure
upon the beam. Or, instead of the screws and nuts,
warp
blocks and pulleys may be employed for the same purpose, by attaching onc
block to the shaft of the warp beam and the other to the shaft of the driving
cylinder, and weighting as required the fall of the rope or chain.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be under-
stood that we claim in machinery or apparatus for warping cotton, worsted,
and other similar materials,-
First, the employment of inclined slots or grooves in the sides of the
machine.
Secondly, the application of centres or antifriction rollers to the measuring
roller and the other rollers in connection with it, and also the application of
antifriction rollers for the shaft of the driving cylinder to work in.
Thirdly, the improved arrangements for giving positive and uniform motion
to the slides which regulate the falling rods.
Fourthly, the improved mode of working the comb which directs the threads
on the warp beam, so as to maintain an uniform distance between it and tha
part of the beam upon which the twist is wound on, and also the application
of an expanding comb at the back of the machine.
Fifthly, the employment of extra nuts in the expanding comb and ou
several improvements connected with the combs.

page_text: Sixthly, the improvedmode of forming the compound springs used in making
the expanding combs.
And, seventhly, the improved mode of holding the warp beam by arms or
levers, and the various arrangements for giving pressure or resistance to the
warp beam for the purpose of winding on more twist, as all such improve-
ments are herein described and illustrated in the accompanying two Sheets of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Blackburn and Mark Knowles,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifth day of November,in
the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
MARK KNOWLES.
(L.S)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Thomas Blackburn and
Mark Knowles, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.