IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1843

page_text: BUXTON'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
BUXTON, of Basinghall Street, in the City of London, Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Sixteenth day of November, in the seventh year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Buxton, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Edward Buxton, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Edward Buxton, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at
at time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times, during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS" (communicated from M. Von Tschoffen, of Vienna); in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Edward
Buxton, shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her
said 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
Edward Buxton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):-
The Invention consists,-
First, of submitting wool, as it comes from a carding engine, to the action
of the water before being formed into rove.
Secondly, the Invention consists of causing the rovings of wool to be sub-
mitted to the action of water before drawing for spinning.
Thirdly, the Invention consists of causing cotton, and cotton when mixed
with other fibrous material, as the same come from a carding engine, to be
submitted to the action of water before it is formed into rovings.
And fourthly, the Invention consists of causing rovings of cotton, and rovings
of cotton mixed with other fibrous material, to be submitted to the action of
water before drawing for spinning.
And in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued in performing the
improvements; and I would first remark that I am aware that flax and hemp,
in order to facilitate the separation of the fibres, have been saturated with
water in various stages of the manufacture of thread or yarn from such matters;
and waste silk, separately, and together with other flax and wool, has been sub-
mitted to the action of water in the process of spinning; and I mention these
in order to state that I make no claim thereto, this Invention being strictly
confined to the manufacture of yarn or thread from wool or from cotton, or
cotton when combined with other fibrous materials. The nature of carding
machines, or engines suitable for carding wool and for carding cotton, alone
or when mixed with other fibrous materials, being well understood, it will not
be necessary to enter into any description thereof in this my Specification; and
the same may be observed in regard to roving and spinning machinery suitable
for roving wool, and for roving and spinning cotton, and cotton when combined
with other fibrous materials. The workman, in carrying out these improve-
ments, will therefore understand that he is to use any suitable machinery for
carding, and for roving and spinning; but in place of allowing the carded wool
or carded cotton, or carded cotton mixed with other fibrous materials, to pass
directly in the dry state to the roving process, will cause the carded wool or
cotton to be saturated with water; and I believe the most convenient means
for that purpose is to have a trough of water in from off the carding engine or
machine used, into and below the surface of which water the carded wool or
carded cotton, or the carded cotton combined with other fibrous materials, is

page_text: to be conducted, and in order to keep down the fibres so under process there
are two or more bars or rods fixed below the surface of the water under which
the fibres pass in their way to the roving machinery; and it will be found
that by thus passing the carded fibres of wool or of cotton, or of cotton
combined with other fibrous materials, into and through water, that the rovings
produced will be greatly improved; and it will also be found that the fibres of
carded wool and carded cotton so conducted under water will hold together
with great tenacity, the cardings as they come from the inachiues or engines
being gathered together, as they are doffed, and in their way to the water
through, by a conical guide, as is well understood, so that the carded fibres
will be converted from a thin sheet into a more substantive character. I would
here state that although I believe a trough of water to be the best and most
effectual means of submitting cardings of wool and cardings of cotton, or of
cotton combined with other fibrous materials, to the action of water before
being formed into rovings, I do not confine myself thereto, as other means
may be resorted to for that purpose. The rovings being thus manufactured
are next to be spun; but, in place of allowing them to be spun dry as here,
tofore, the rovings of wool and of cotton, and of cotton when combined with other
fibrous material, are, according to this Invention, to be again submitted to the
action of water before passing through between the drawing rollers: and this
process I believe may be most advantageously practised by having a trough of
water across the machine behind the drawing rollers, so that the rovings may
be passed into and through the water contained in such trough, the rovings
being kept down under the water by being passed below one or more bars
fixed in the trough below the water surface; by which arrangement the roving
will be well saturated with water before undergoing the process of drawing
and spinning, by which the spinnings obtained will be greatly improved. At
the same time I would remark that other means may be resorted to for apply-
ing water to rovings of wool or of cotton, or of cotton combined with other
fibrous materials, without departing from the peculiar character of this Inven-
tion; and although I believe that rovings prepared from wet cardings are the
most advantageously treated, yet spinnings obtained from rovings made from
dry cardings will be greatly improved by passing the rovings through or
subject to water as herein described.
By this Invention not only will the yarn or thread produced be much stronger,
more round and uniform, and produced with less loss of time by breakage, but
at the same time this mode of manufacturing thread or yarn from wool and
from cotton, and from cotton mixed with other fibrous materials, will be more
healthful to the workpeople, as the fine particles of these fibrous materials will

page_text: be prevented pervading the spinning rooms, and these processes may be con-
ducted in rooms open to more free circulation of air.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would remark that I make
no claim to any of the machinery or apparatus herein mentioned or described
for the purpose of carrying out the Invention.
But what I claim is,―
First, the improvement of spinning wool, effected by causing cardings thereof
to be operated on by water before roving.
Secondly, I claim the improvement of spinning wool, effected by causing
rovings thereof to be operated on by water before drawing the same for
spinning.
Thirdly, I claim the improvement of spinning cotton, and cotton combined
with other fibrous materials, effected by causing cardings thereof to be operated
on by water.
And fourthly, I claim the improvement of spinning cotton, and cotton
combined with other fibrous materials, effected by causing rovings thereof to
be operated on by water.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Buxton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.