IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING, COMBING, AND DRAWING WOOL AND GOATS' HAIR
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
AUGUSTUS PRELLER, of East Cheap, in the City of London, Merchant.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Seventh day of July, in the sixth year of Her reign, did give
and graut unto me, the said Charles Augustus Preller, my exors, adiñors, and
assigns, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Charles Augustus Preller, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said Charles Augustus Preller, my exors, adñors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times hereafter during the term of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in consequence of a communication from
a certain foreigner residing abroad, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING, COMBING, AND DRAWING WOOL AND GOATS' HAIR;"
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, that I, the said
Charles Augustus Preller, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and

page_text: immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Augustus Preller, 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, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say :-
The Invention relates particularly to the preparing, combing, and drawing
wool and goats' hair of the finer classes and of short staple, and consists of
submitting such wool or goats' hair, after it has been well washed with water
and soap, to certain arrangements and successions of machines, parts of which
are newly combined and adapted to the preparing, combing, and drawing of
wool and goats' hair; and it should be stated, that in carrying out the Inven-
tion no heat or oil is required to be applied to_the_wool or hair during the
process of machinery to which the same are submitted.
The first process of machinery to which the wool or hair is submitted is that
of being carded, which I prefer to perform in a machine consisting of two
carding drums, each about nineteen inches wide, the first covered entirely with
fillets of coarse wire cards, thus producing a film of wool about nineteen
inches wide. The second cylinder has bands of wire card about four inches
wide, with a vacant space between each two of them of about one quarter of
an inch; by this means there will be a series of films of wool or hair produced
on to the second cylinder, which are doffed, as is well understood, and the
slivers or films thus produced are by a suitable roving machine wound on to
large bobbins as tightly as possible, and on these bobbins the wool or goats'
hair is kept for twelve to fourteen days, by which, without requiring heat, the
natural curl of the wool is removed therefrom, and the same is thus rendered
suitable for the next process of machinery, where the combing is performed,
which I will now describe.
Figure 1 represents a side view, and Figure 2 a front view; of a niachine
for combing wool, which operation of combing is partly performed by combs
and partly by means of wire cards acting on the successive quantities of the
wool or goats' hair taken up by the combs, as will hereafter be fully described.
A, A, is the framing of the machine, the nature of which is clearly shown in
the Drawing; B, B, are bearings of the main axis C, such main axis C
receiving motion by means of a strap driven by a steam engine or other power
acting on the fixed drum D on the axis C. On the axis C is affixed the pinion

page_text: and motion is communicated to the shaft E from a steam engine or other power
by means of a strap acting on the fixed drum F. On the axis E is affixed a
cog wheel (1), which takes into and drives the cog wheel (2), moving on the
axis or shaft B, on which shaft or axis B is affixed a chain wheel C, which gives
motion to the chains D, each link of such chains having a comb Haffixed thereon,
which combs are thereby carried through the machine by means of the chains D,
the combs being head to head, the teeth standing out on either side, as is
shewn; the chains D being supported by means of the pulleys C' on the axis B¹,
as is shown, the lower combs sliding on the guide surface V, which supports
them. On the axis B moves the cog wheel (3), which is affixed to the cog
wheel (2), and the cog wheel (3) takes into and drives the cog wheel (4), which
is affixed on the same axis as the cog wheel (5), and therefore gives motion
thereto. The cog wheel (5) takes into and drives the cog wheel (6), which is
affixed on the axis B, by this means the drum gives motion to the chain wheel C,
and thus to the chains D. The cog wheel (1) also gives motion to the cog
wheel (7), which is affixed to the axis of one of the drawing rollers K; the
upper of the drawing rollers K being pressed on by the lever aris L, L, which
move on axes M, the lower end of the levers L being acted on by coiled springs
at N, on either side of the machine. O is a roller, which moves on axes carried
by the levers a, a, those levers being pressed on by coiled springs b acting on
the lower ends of the rods a¹ and on the roller O; and on one of the drawing
rollers K there is an apron or endless band, which receives the two slivers of
wool or goats' hair as the same is removed from the combs H, the wool being
progressively wound on to the large drum Q, turning on axes carried by uprights
moving on axes at X, as is shown, one end of the axis of the drum Q having a
screw acting on a count wheel R, which rings a bell when the required quantity
of wool has been wound on to the drum or cylinder Q, motion being given to
the drum or cylinder by means of the roller O, which receives motion from the
endless apron or cloth P, which, as before stated, is moved by one of the draw-
ing wheels K, and the wool will be drawn off from the combs by the rollers K.;
the combs with the noil thereon will proceed down to the series of inclined
plates o, o, some of which work on the outsides of the teeth of the combs,
and the others between the rows of teeth of the combs. These inclined plates o
are affixed to the side framings so as to act on the combs on either side, and
the plates o are so formed that they come down to a point, and rest against
the heads of the combs as the combs move towards them, and the ends of the
plates o which are affixed to the side framings are wider than the depth of
the teeth of the combs; hence, as the noil in the combs come to the points,

page_text: or the inclined or wedged-shaped plates o, the noil rises up the inclined plates,
and thus is ultimately removed from the teeth of the combs, and it is better
that one of the plates o should be longer than the others, as is shewn, in order
to ensure the complete cleansing of the combs from noil. The combs in
moving towards the drawing roller K are acted on by a wheel, the pins or
projecting teeth of which enter between the teeth of the moving combs H, and
loosen the noil in the combs. This is accomplished by means of the apparatus
which I will now describe. p is a wheel, one to each row of combs, and the
axes of each of these wheels are carried by a lever q, which is constantly borne
on by springs s, the levers each moving on an axis or fulcrum at q', and
these levers are each caused to be raised up towards the moving combs. The
two levers act together by means of excentrics r, one acting on each lever;
on the surface of each of which excentrics r one of the levers q constantly
rests, and is worked thereby. The excentrics are affixed on the axis r¹, on
which is affixed a cog wheel (9), which receives motion from the intermediate
cog wheel (8), which is driven by a cog wheel (7), and the excentrics are so
formed as to cause the levers to rise up and the points of the wheels p to enter
near the heads of the combs, and then move outwards towards the points of
the teeth, by which the noil will be loosened on the backs of the combs; the
levers descend and again ascend, and thus act on the moving combs. In order
to prevent the wool sticking which is being carried forward by the cloth or
apron P, there are rollers T, T, applied, which move to and fro on the apron P,
the axes of such rollers being carried by the sliding bar T¹ which slides in the
bearings G, and the sliding bar T is constantly pressing towards the cam U on
the fixed drum F by a spring which is not shewn, all which will be understood
on examining the Drawings.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim any of the
separate parts of the machinery, nor do I confine myself to the precise details
shewn and described, provided the peculiar character of the Invention be
retained; but what I claim is,-
First, so to arrange and combine the operations of machinery that slivers
or rovings of wool or goats' hair may be wound on bobbins, and there retained
for several days to remove the curl, then to be combed out and the successive
layers acted on by card teeth, and then the wool or goats' hair drawn from the
combs; but I do not claim any of these processes of machinery when sepa-
rately considered, but only their combined successive operations on wool or
goats' hair.

page_text: (1), which takes into and drives the cog wheel (2), which takes into and drives
the cog wheel (3), which takes into and drives the cog wheel (4), which is
affixed to the lower of the rollers K, the upper roller K. being pressed on by
the weighted levers P by the bars P¹, which also press on the axis of the
upper rollers K. On the other end of the axis of the lower roller K. is
affixed a cog wheel (5), which takes into and drives an intermediate cog wheel
(6), which takes into and drives the cog wheel (7) on the axis of the lower
of the rollers K', and thus is motion given to the drawing or feeding rollers K¹.
On the axis C is affixed a screw, which takes into and drives the screw
wheel (8) affixed on the shaft or axis v, which turns in bearings v¹ at the
side of the machine. On the axis v is affixed the bevilled toothed wheel (9),
which takes into and drives the bevilled toothed wheel (10) affixed to the
axis w, and on the axis w is affixed the cog wheel (11), which takes into and
drives the cog wheel (12) affixed on the card cylinder S, the bearings of the
axis of the card cylinder S being at all times borne upwards by springs u on
the rods u, which pass through bearings u' at the sides of the machine. This
card cylinder S is caused to turn slowly round and bring up fresh surfaces
of card to the combs G, which are affixed across the frames F by screws or
other convenient means, the frames F being affixed to the revolving frame E,
as shewn; and thus is the loose wool or hair of the successive layers of wool
or goats' hair taken up by the combs G, and is removed on to the wire card
with which the cylinder S is covered. And as the quantity of wool in the
combs G will be constantly accumulating, and as it is desirable that the card
teeth should only act on each successive layer of wool or goats' hair received
into the combs, and not penetrate so deep as to enter into the previous
layers in the combs, the card cylinder is caused progressively to recede from
the combs in proportion as they become filled with wool or goats' hair, and
thus will the loose wool or hair be removed, and leave the combed-out wool
and noil in the combs, the wool from the card cylinder being constantly
doffed off the surface thereof by the roller (y), as is well understood, such
roller y receiving motion by the cog wheel (12) taking into and driving the
cog wheel (13) on the axis of the roller y; and the wool or goats' hair so
doffed off the card cylinder or surface S passes over the roller Z, and is then
conveyed between the feed rollers K again into the machine to be taken up
by the combs with the other wool or goats' hair fed into the machine. And
in order to regulate the movement of the card cylinder away from the
combs G, there is an excentric a affixed to each end of the axis of the card
cvlinder S, by means of which the cylinder S is caused progressively to recede.

page_text: W, W, are set or adjusting screws against which the excentrics a rest, and by
such means, as the excentrics revolve, the distance from the combs of the card
cylinder S is encreased, and when the combs are properly filled the machine
will be put out of motion by the strap being moved off the fixed on to the
loose pulley D in the following manner :-The strap passes through the forked
lever R, which moves on an axis, as is shown, and has a balance weight, which
has at all times a tendency to put the driving strap on the loose pulley, but is
prevented so doing when the machine is at work by the sliding bolt R', the
projection of which rests on the projection of the forked lever R, as will be
seen by examining the Drawing, the sliding bolt R' being at all times kept
down so as to keep the fork of the lever opposite the fixed pulley, and thus
keep the strap on the fixed pulley; and this is accomplished by means of there
being a stud or projection R² on the sliding bar R', which enters into a groove
suitably formed in the side of the excentric x, for retaining the sliding bar R
in its proper place when working, and for moving it when the machine is to
stop. The wool or goats' hair is to be fed into the machine from the bobbins
before mentioned, such bobbins being placed on axes affixed on a suitable
frame placed in front of the machine.
I would remark, that although I prefer that the combs should be affixed to
a rotatory frame, such as above described, I do not confine myself thereto,
as endless chains may be used; the combs being carried by such endless
chains, the other parts being arranged to work therewith in the manner above
described.
I will now describe the mode of drawing the wool or goats' hair from combs.
The wool or goats' hair being thus combed, and on the combs G, the wool or
hair is transferred from the combs G on to the combs H on the drawing
machine, hereafter described, which is done by hand with the aid of a band comb,
such as is shewn at Fig. 5, which has a single row of long teeth; the attendant
forces the locks of combed wool on to the comb, Fig. 5, this comb holding
several locks of the combs G; the attendant then carries the series of locks on
the comb, Fig. 5, and places the locks successively on to the combs H of the
drawing machine, one lock on to each comb H; and the small side comb of
the comb, Fig. 5, is for combing out the ends of the wool or goats' hair to lay it
properly. Figure 3 shows a side view, and Figure 4 is an end view, of tho
machine used for this purpose. A is the framing of the machine, the nature of
which is clearly shewn in the Drawing; E is the main or driving shaft or axis,
turning in suitable bearings at each side of the machine. On this axis or shaft
E there is a fixed drum F. There is also a loose drum F' on the axis or shaft E,

page_text: And, secondly, I claim the so arranging of combing machinery that the
combs may be filled with successive quantities of wool or goats' hair, each
quantity being operated on by a card surface which recedes from the combs as
they become more and more filled..
And, secondly, I claim the so arranging of combing machinery that the
combs may be filled with successive quantities of wool or goats' hair, cach
quantity being operated on by a card surface which recedes from the combs as
they become more and more filled..
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Augustus Preller, have hereunto
set my hand and seal the Seventh day of January in the your of
Eurolled the Seventh day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-three.